A funny conversation with my GM

So last night I stayed back late to finish off a project - I had tons of materials to read through before I could form my own analysis & develop my proposal and the deadline was end of this week! Whilst discussing the matter with one of my colleagues, my GM came to join our discussion. Except, she wasn't really interested to talk about work. Instead, she point-blank asked me about my future plan. This was how it went last night...

GM:   So, your boss told me about your MBA plan – are you going to resign?

Me:    Erm, I don't want to resign but the HR dept asked me to resign!

GM:   Oh, them...

Me:    Yes, them. But if you allow, I would like to apply for my 12-month unpaid leave entitlement. 

GM:   Yea, ok. That can work but do I need to keep you in your position? Can I hire someone else to fill in your position while you're gone?

Me:    Oh, I don't know. You can do whatever you want with my position, it's your decision - according to the HR people, ha ha ha.. but if possible, I don't want to cut tie with this company lah, although I'm committed to my post-MBA career goals, a lot (of things) can happen between now and then... 

GM:   So, where are you going to? Bile you nak pergi ni (when are you leaving, again)?

Me:    Oh, about that - I haven't even gotten a firm offer yet! That's why I don't want to say anything yet... but I applied to Kellogg, Stanford, Wharton, and HBS.

GM:   Eh, can you please go to Stanford so that my friends and I can go visit you? It's so nice in California, then we all can go lepak at your place. Chicago and Philly are too cold...

Me:    Erm... yea sure, let me call Stanford...>.> 

If only it was totally up to me to decide where to go for my MBA...

Dear Stanford GSB Admission,

Can you make my boss' wish come true?

2012 Last Post - Hello 2013

So moments ago, I just submitted my Wharton’s app. I feel good about this app, mainly because I think Wharton really allows the applicants to express their individuality through the essays. I’ve also grown rather fond of Wharton and its many Venture Treks are really something that I look forward to the most – hello Antarctica & Cotopaxi!  

Looking ahead, I have just one more application to be submitted – Stanford GSB. Now, applying to the most selective MBA program in the world comes with its fair share of anxiety, self-doubt and many sleepless nights. If Wharton lets its applicants to shine through its essays, GSB really forces us to dig down and deep, on our motivations, passions, and goals for life. It ain’t easy, but I managed to get there. I’m surprisingly happy with how the essays turned out to be, and this is another application that I’m proud to submit and regardless of the outcome, I know I’ve done my best (barring silly last-minute typo errors).

So what next?

Actually, I went into my MBA cave to finish off my Wharton and GSB essays knowing that come July 2013, I may well be enrolling in one of top US BS. On 17^th Dec, Kellogg was nice enough to put me on their waitlist.

Now, waitlist may not be everybody’s favourite response but considering double rejection from HBS, I’m willing to take anything that these prestigious BS are willing to dish out to me.

Let’s talk about Kellogg

I’ve also grown fond of Kellogg over the course of this MBA application season. It’s the no.1 school in marketing (which is supposed to be a big deal) and McKinsey and its other MC siblings seem to love Kellogg grads (so that’s a huge plus). One of my bosses just came back from Kellogg’s AMP and she seemed to really enjoy her experience.

Now, the thing that really excites me about Kellogg is how everything the students do seems to revolve around groups. The last thing that I’m willing to put up with at this age is sharky, snarky type-A jerks (who seem to go to BS to “transform” themselves). So on that merit alone, I personally think Kellogg sounds like a really good place to gain some crucial business knowledge and skills and build lifelong friendships that are based on genuine mutual interest.

The question now is, how do I get off the waitlist and into Kellogg MBA Class of 2015?

I love me a good challenge!

 

It’s probably not a good idea to watch an action movie whilst trying to draft your MBA essays…

True story, but me being me, I’d have 10 thousands things opened at the same time, cluttering my screen, just to get things done. Some people need order to focus, some thrive in chaos, I seem to do best in orderly chaos…

A quick update on my Rd 1 application…

I tanked HBS again and interviewed at Kellogg. But then again, Kellogg interviews anyone who requested to be interviewed, so it was really not an indication of how strong my application was. I have mixed feelings about tanking HBS for the 2^nd consecutive time. On the other hand, I should’ve learnt enough from the previous experience to submit a better application but the application pool itself is super hyper competitive – HBS is a stretched to everyone (unless of course, your whole family goes there and made tons of donation to the school…). And because of the hyper competitiveness of their pool of applicants, a rejection from HBS does not automatically mean that my application was weak (at least, that’s why I’m telling myself to mend this broken heart!).

An interview with Kellogg…

I thought it went well. I clicked with my interviewer. It helped that we both came from the same industry, so the lingo was not lost and I don’t have to de-jargonise my resume all that much. At one point, I thought I was doing the interviewing since we were trading questions, back and forth – he asked me why Kellogg, I asked him how was his Kellogg experience etc. All in all, it felt more like a conversation between 2 people who shared the same passion (for Kellogg).

But here’s the thing; being too comfortable during the interview could also give you false signal. Maybe, just maybe, he was such a great interviewer that he immediately put me in such comfortable state that my answers came unfiltered. I knew that I could’ve answered some of this questions better… but alas, what’s done is done.

Round 2 strategies…

I guess not getting in HBS was actually a great thing – I wouldn’t have researched Wharton at all, had I gotten an interview invite with HBS. Initially I was a bit put off by Wharton, mainly because the school’s reputation as the “finance school”. I did not see myself slaving away at any financial institutions in the near future.

But that all changed.

After all the research, reading student’s blogs, the s2s boards, watching the available lectures, seminars etc, I finally GET Wharton and ironically, Wharton is the school I felt most connected to now.

I personally feel that the fit come from the fact that Wharton, out of all the other schools (that I’ve researched), is the most quant-driven, in a good way. I think a lot of people get easily intimidated by any quant-heavy subjects, and Wharton makes no qualm about how quant-heavy their program is. But here’s the thing, they make it more than just about crunching the numbers but giving greater emphasis on what the data tell you about a problem. This mind-set, this way of approaching a problem, so analytical and methodological – speaks highly to the engineer in me. I guess that’s why I’m gravitating more and more towards Wharton!

Plus I now find a newfound appreciation for PE… ha ha ha. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll write about a PE specific goals in my career essay for Wharton.

I’m still applying to Stanford’s GSB…

As off now, I’m searching my soul to find what matters the most to me. There are many things that matter to me, some matter more than others but to nail what matter the most and why – let me tell you my friend, it’s gonna be a long and arduous journey (till new year).

But right now, let me enjoy The Expendables 2 first!

Between Writing Essays and Studying GMAT

OK folks,

I knew that retaking GMAT would be time consuming, if I were to achieve my target score of 750+ to improve on my 700 score. But oh boy, how I've totally underestimated the time that I have to do justice to both my essays and GMAT!

So how does it look like now? GMAT is in less than a month and I also have slightly more than 35 days to finish off my essays - 5 essays to be exact, 2 for HBS and 3 for Stanford.

Technically, it's no biggie if I miss the Round 1 application deadline but then my work will be compounded for Round 2, which I plan to submit my MIT Sloan and Kellogg's application and those schools have a totally different set of essays to write...

I have my HBS essays outline ready, which helps calm my nerves a bit but the hardest part to nail is the narration of the stories...

And guess how I'm spending my time this afternoon? BY PLAYING VIDEO GAMES!

Trend of Admission Essays...

I think I wanna close the night by commenting on the recent trend of admission essays by top US business schools and reflecting a bit what my gameplan is moving forward with the application season this year...

Last year when I applied to HBS, I had to wreck my brain to answer 4 questions:

• Essay 1: Tell us about three of your accomplishments. (600 words)
• Essay 2: Tell us three setbacks you have faced. (600 words)
• Essay 3: Why do you want an MBA? (400 words)
• Essay 4: Answer a question you wish we had asked. (400 words)

Essentially, HBS asked each applicant to share with them 6 short stories about themselves, through their accomplishments and setbacks, their short, mid and long term goals for pursuing an MBA degree and a really wildcard question that they hope the applicant could reveal more about their unique traits and why these traits are relevant for their business career... total word counts for the applicant to capture the admission committee's short attention span is 2000 words.

HBS 2012/13 application essays:

• Essay 1: Tell us about something you did well. (400 words)
• Essay 2: Tell us about something you wish you had done better. (400 words)

This year however, HBS dramatically cut their essay requirement to TWO with total word counts of not more than 800 words! Thats a 60% reduction in word counts!!! Of course they include the post-interview memo-style reflection but given than HBS only interviews about 20% of its total applicants... not a lot of people will get the chance to have their "final say"

And as a testament to HBS' leadership in MBA branding, most other top business schools follow suit with their own changes to either their essay word count, no of essay, or the application components itself.

Stanford reduced one essay required from 4 to only 3 and reflected the change in their word counts as well.

Last year Stanford GSB asked:

• Essay 1: What matters most to you, and why?
• Essay 2: What do you want to do—REALLY—and why Stanford?
• Essay 3: Answer two of the four questions below. Tell us not only what you did but also how you did it. What was the outcome? How did people respond? Only describe experiences that have occurred during the last three years.
• Option A: Tell us about a time when you built or developed a team whose performance exceeded expectations.
• Option B: Tell us about a time when you made a lasting impact on your organization.
• Option C: Tell us about a time when you generated support from others for an idea or initiative.
• Option D: Tell us about a time when you went beyond what was defined or established.

...and the word limit was 1800 words total, 200 less than HBS'.

This year Stanford GSB asks:

• Essay 1: What matters most to you, and why?
• Essay 2: What do you want to do—REALLY—and why Stanford?
• Essay 3: Answer one of the three questions below. Tell us not only what you did but also how you did it. What was the outcome? How did people respond? Only describe experiences that have occurred during the last three years.
• Option A: Tell us about a time in the last three years when you built or developed a team whose performance exceeded expectations.
• Option B: Tell us about a time in the last three years when you identified and pursued an opportunity to improve an organization.
• Option C: Tell us about a time in the last three years when you went beyond what was defined or established.

...and the maximum word counts for all of the essays combined is 1600 words. That's double HBS'! This year it looks like they combine last year's Option B and C to create Option B. Logically, if you generated support for your brilliant ideas to make a lasting impact on your organisation, of course you'd have pursued an opportunity to improve your organisation... I guess a lot of applicants in the past answer both question in ONE single essay and this could well trigger the admission to reword their Option B!

And Kellogg also completely revamped their essay for this year...

Last year, Kellog asked:

• Essay 1: Briefly assess your career progress to date. Elaborate on your future career plans and your motivation for pursuing an MBA.
• Essay 2: Describe your key leadership experiences and evaluate what leadership areas you hope to develop through your MBA experiences.
• Essay 3: Why would you and your peers select you for admission, and what impact would you make as a member of the Kellogg community?
• Essay 4: Complete one of the following:
• Describe a time you had to inspire a reluctant individual or group
• People may be surprised to learn that I…..
• The riskiest personal or professional decision I ever made was….

This year, Kellog asks:

• Essay 1: Discuss moments or influences in your personal life that have defined who you are today. (500 word limit)
• Essay 2: What have been your most significant leadership experiences? What challenges did you face, and what impact did you have? This is your opportunity to explain how you Think Bravely (personally and/or professionally). (500-word limit)
• Essay 3: Imagine yourself at your Kellogg graduation. What career will you be preparing to enter, and how have the MBA and Kellogg helped you get there? (Please answer in terms of your program choice: One-Year, Two-Year, MMM, JD-MBA) (500-word limit)
• Essay 4: (For MMM applicants only): How have you redefined yourself, your business environment and community through the pursuit of design and innovation? (400-word limit)

...and owh, they have this really cute tweet-like essay that you have to answer in 25 words or less:

“What one interesting or fun fact would you want your future Kellogg classmates to know about you?”

I won't be surprise if next year these schools adcom asks applicants to just tweet their "essay"...