Let the journey BEGIN !!!!

Photo : Selva

How much ever cliched it might sound, its true that every end is a beginning to another journey. And for me tomorrow marks one such important moment as I fly to Pittsburgh. This journey also marks the beginning of the new phase of my life as a MBA student. Away from my home and my people, this phase is going to be challenging in all ways.

In next 2 years, I hope to learn a great deal of things - personal & professional, meet a lot of new people, make some lasting bonds and be a better me :-)

This will be my last post from India. Next update from the other part of the world :) 
Wish me luck !! Let the Journey BEGIN!!!!

From MBA thoughts till acceptance - my MBA story (till now)

Nomination to Clear Admit BOB awards inspired me to sit back and think through my journey on the path of MBA till now.. Last one and half year has been a life changing period since I started my MBA quest. This post is my dedication to that wonderful journey which is now the prelude to more exciting journey that awaits - the journey of 2 year MBA.. So here it goes.

Why MBA ?

Why I decided to do MBA roots from the kind of person I am. Am a people's person who always strives to achieve something everyday at the same time making a difference to the world around me. I am highly multidimensional with varied interests in life. Naturally I felt my engineering education is not sufficient to quench my thirst to master different facets of this world such as business, people management, innovation and more. So MBA was a natural next step for me after an year in software industry and non profits. But I had my share of doubts and uncertainties about opting for an MBA from a US B school. After careful deliberation I decided to go for an MBA in US with a confidence that it will be a decision I will justify any day in my life . Here are some posts which reflect my thoughts during this decision making phase. If you are trying to decide if the MBA is a right thing for you, be sure to check them out.

• To do or not to do MBA
• Special considerations for women and minority applicants

Why now ?

So I knew MBA was the right thing for me. Next step was to check my readiness to take the next big leap. In this post about early career MBA,I share few pointers about how can I justify my decision to do MBA just after 2 years of work ex.  I also on that point of decided that I would like to come back to India. 

GMAT & TOEFL

Then I booked my dates for TOEFL and GMAT. I have always been comfortable in excelling at exams so these 2 happened without much ado.

TOEFL exam (31 May 2009) was bit screwed up due to crappy facilities at the test center. Exam kept postponing and finally when I exam begun I was out due to hunger and boredom.  I finally finished all 4 sections and managed to score 111/120 in the iBT format and headed straight to airport to see my cousin off to London. One helluva day..

GMAT in August was a breeze. As I had written the coveted CAT exam in 2008, quants was pretty easy and hence I mostly concentrated on verbal section during GMAT preparation.  Had taken a week off from office to prepare but to my luck it turned into sick leave as I was down with fever till 2 days before exam. But probably not over preparing helped me to be fresh on the exam day. Once I finished my GMAT, a score of 750 popped on the screen and I did few yeahs , yuhoos and all that in the test center and went back home.. 

over to more real stuff like essays n i/vs.. 
 

B-school research
Though I had started spending significant time on browsing through MBA rank lists, B School websites from early 2009, finishing my GMAT was the time I turned serious about shortlisting my target B schools. 

• As a first step I choose 2 year MBA over 1 year MBAs 

• Then I did informational Interview with current mba student to get a better understanding of MBA life 

• Then it was time for me to sit and decide the characteristics of my dream school.
  
• I also improved my US geography knowledge by finding out the locations of the top B schools of US
  
• Next was to find out the and then dividing them to round 1 n round 2application deadlines and essay questions of MBA programs
  
• Next up I did some research on international loan program in Top schools and about how to finance my MBA . This is still on with my quest to find a us cosigner or contemplating about peer to peer lending for MBA

Blogging opens a whole new world

Meantime my blogging was reaching new heights with me making several new connections with fellow MBA bloggers, my blog readers and more. Few things which marked my progress was 

• addition of my blog to the Hella's list of applicant bloggers
• my selection as the 1st global mba blogger for MBAinTheUSA
• my selection to the team of mba bloggers on MBA-channel
• addition of my blog to the Clear Admit Fridays from the frontline blogs list which followed by the exciting nomination to BOB awards.

Applications and MBA admission interviews

This was one of the most challenging and stimulating periods in my journey. Every essay I wrote enhanced the understanding about myself and my goals. Each self reflection gave me such fresh perspectives about my life and I loved it. Applied to Tepper and Darden in round 1, Olin and Haas in round 2. Interviewed with 1st 3 except for Haas.
 
The coveted acceptance call and Forte Fellow twice. 


Tepper was the 1st one to embrace me. The 1st acceptance news will be cherished all my life. What made the moment more special was the honor of being selected as the Forte Fellow. I was twice lucky when I got acceptance from Olin and was selected for forte fellowship again by Olin too. 


I got my share of dings from Darden and Haas.
 

So its Tepper, CMU - my MBA destination
  Now it was my turn to decide btw Olin and Tepper. Both were great schools but Tepper scored in terms of fit and career goals in technology.  Am totally kicked about attending Tepper and also attended few Tepper events in Bangalore.   I recently declined the Olin MBA seat and am still feeling kinda bad about it. But I had to choose one and let go another. 

Self reflections

In the process I learned 2 major lessons which I will take with me whole of my life

• No matter what Be yourself
• Always give time for yourself when things are happening at the crazy speed. Don't forget to enjoy the little cheers that life offers to us. 

Pre-Matriculation craziness - loans, visa, I20 and more..

This section deserves multiple different posts and I will continue to write on it.. 

So that's the story till now.. I apologize for being too long but I hope this helps the readers who want to tread this path themselves to pursue their dream MBA. 

Cheers !!

Guest Post : US Co-signer : From an American's perspective

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, I was searching for US cosigner and was finding some hard facts from the process. It is very difficult task to find yourself a cosigner unless you have a close relative/friend who is ready to be your cosigner. I realized that the American mindset regarding finances is something I need to understand and that would give me a clear picture of why it is to so hard to find a Co-Signer. So I asked my dear friend and admissions consultant Grayson Leverenz to share her thoughts about this. Specifically I asked her to give the American's angle of this issue. She was kind enough to readily agree to help me on this topic. I am posting her thoughts as a guest post so that it will help my readers who are in the same boat. Hope you enjoy reading this post and benefit from it just the way I did. I would like to say my heartfelt thanks to Grayson Leverenz for this post.

How to Find a Co-Signer

Image Courtesy : http://www.flickr.com/photos/innovision/ / CC BY 2.0

By: Grayson Leverenz 

Now that the application process is over for most future members of the Class of 2012, it’s time to focus on funding your MBA in the USA. Limited options for no co-signer loans have a lot of international students seeking co-signers with US residency to help fulfill their MBA dreams. Finding a co-signer is hard. There’s no other way to say it.

Americans love to take risks when we are in control. We will gamble significant sums of money if we have control of the outcome. The perfect example is we have no problem taking out loans for our own education; we’re confident we’re going to succeed and be able to pay them back. The tricky part in American culture is that we’re not so trusting when someone else is in control. That’s the cultural reason why it’s so hard to find an American co-signer.

Now that you know why it’s so hard, let’s talk about what you can do.

1. Explore local options first.

If you plan to use your MBA in the USA to return to your home country and help improve the world through business, your community may be willing to support you. Talk to your local bank about loans. HSBC India has loans for Indian students; other options may exist as well.

2. Approach potential co-signers as if you were an entrepreneur.

Entrepreneurs take business plans to meet venture capitalists. You can do the same thing when approaching co-signers. Spend some time writing a business plan for your education. Map out your goals for your studies, your internship, and your post-graduation employment. Highlight your motivation to succeed, and how you plan to be accountable for your loans. Trust is the key component to getting someone to co-sign your loan, and walking in with a business plan is an impressive way to introduce yourself to co-signers.

3. Start with friends and family that have legal residency in your target country.

We talked about trust being crucial to finding a co-signer; logically, people that know you will trust you more than people that don’t. Tap into your network of friends and family to identify people that can help. Share your business plan with them, and find out if they can help.

3. Contact alumni that have been well established for 20+ years to build relationships and ask about co-signing.

The key here is finding people that are well established. Recent graduates have loans of their own, often in excess of $100K. While they may really want to help, the risk would most likely be too much to take on. However, if you’re approaching well established alumni, they will be at a point where they’re more financially stable. They may also be looking to mentor young minds. That would be a double win to find a co-signer and a mentor!

4. Be bold and contact business superstars.

There is a saying in the US that the most beautiful girl never gets asked out because guys are afraid. The same thing happens in business. There are people in business who seem untouchable. Who are the superstars in your industry? Pick a few and reach out to them with an email. Take a mentor approach with these leaders. Finding a mentor is a win by itself, but with the right relationship in place, they might just turn into a co-signer.

Good luck!

Grayson Leverenz founded MBA in the USA to help international students learn, succeed, and have fun during their MBA. You can read more on her blog. You can also follow her on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.  

Need Help. Looking out for a Pre-MBA summer Internship

Hey all,

I am hoping to find some help from MBA blogosphere. As you all know I am starting my MBA this fall and intended career focus in general management with a focus on Technology entrepreneurship. Given my limited work experience (2 years before I begin MBA this fall), am looking out for a opportunity to intern this summer in a managerial/strategy position in India or USA.

Pre-MBA internships are not very common but I feel this is a excellent way to position yourself before MBA begins. This is especially important for Career changers or early career candidates like me.

So if any of you are thinking about such internship this summer or know any person/ any company who can provide me with such opportunity, please let me know.

Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Am not headed to Australia this fall. BUT !!!

In part 1 of this post, I had posted the problem. About the campus safety. I am now updating the post with a great initiative which works for safety of the international students. read on..

image courtesy : http://www.flickr.com/photos/rkelland/256698282/

Part 1 - Campus Safety

The Campus-safety aspect barely features on the list of considerations when selecting a MBA program. Even I had not given it a serious thought till now as we hardly hear any untoward incidents in US B schools.

But off-late I am getting deeply disturbed by reading the news ( Here and here ) about the attacks on Indian students and professionals in Australia. I cannot really comment if all the attacks were racist by nature, surely a part of them were. The campus safety is what we take for granted in many scenarios. I deeply empathize and sympathize the internationals (not just Indians) who are becoming victims of such inhuman attacks. I clearly feel that no measures are being taken to effectively stop such attacks and punish such antisocial elements. It becomes the natural duty of any such international education destination country to protect the international students coming to that country.

Though am not headed towards Aussies this fall and US feels relatively safer destination, I feel I should at least do some preliminary research about the crime rate and campus safety measures of my target b schools. This way me and my parents can be relatively ensured about my safety while I pursue my MBA away from my home for 2 years.

I urge all my fellow applicants not to ignore this part. Be safe !!!

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Part 2 - One possible solution

I came across this interesting organization called Sara’s Wish Foundation which is working towards students who opt to study abroad. There is a story behind the start of this organization. I will quote the full article from International student blog for the benefit of me and other prospective applicants who are heading abroad for studies. Here it goes

In 1996, Sara Schewe, a student at Georgetown University, was killed, along with 3 other students from her program, while taking a bus in India to see the Taj Mahal. Since that time, Charles and Anne Schewe have dedicated themselves to bringing awareness on how to minimize safety issues while traveling abroad.
Since 1996, there have been a number of advances in the materials and information available from the U.S. government, colleges, universities and study abroad programs, other organizations, as well as support available through insurance and emergency assistance providers. There have also been domestic and international meetings and workshops supporting improved health and safety policies and procedures to support U.S. college and university students.
Sara’s Wish Foundation has collaborated with some of these organizations to develop the video “Know Before You Go”, and to put together the information you will find on their website. The information and links are intended to help inform students, parents, and friends who may go abroad or support others who do, that knowing more about good study abroad program practices and health and safety challenges in countries around the world can help students have a healthy and safe time abroad.
Foreign travel and study abroad remains an invaluable learning experience, broadening a student’s world view and enhancing the college experience. While there have been advancements in the field since this incident to ensure student safety, precautions must still be taken, students and families need to research about benefits and risks associated with a particular location and/or program, and understand that the quality of support does vary from institution to institution and from program to program. It is Sara’s Wish Foundation’s hope that together we can avoid tragedies and difficulties as students begin that wondrous adventure to broaden their lives.
For more information, please visit the Sara’s Wish Foundation website where you will find further, excellent information and advice.

Darden interview invite and a relaxing weekend !

Hey all,

After finishing a gruelling mba application schedule on Friday, I decided to take on a different route this weekend. I packed my bag and left to Mysore. Mysore is where I did my graduation and the place I love the most. Its a heaven to be in and I have some zillion memories of life and some most special persons associated with this magical place. I had a relaxing 2 days at my grand ma's place and with my friends. I came back to Bangalore and I had one more good news awaiting me in my gmail inbox.  My dream school Darden had invited me for the interview :) :). After a great experience at Darden admissions event and fit with Darden culture, I had applied to Darden in round 1. Darden application had  seemingly simple 2 questions.
But answering them was by far most demanding but immensely enjoyable exercise. It made me think about my past experiences and my future plans and how to bridge the both. I had taken a very unconventional path to answer these essays. Unlike my other school essays which underwent reviews and structural refinement, Darden's essays were straight from my heart (and ofcourse mind and brain too). Darden has understood my wavelength and it feels great :)

This is what Darden had to say :)

Dear M,

You have been invited to interview with the Darden School of Business. Included in this email is important information to help you plan your visit. As a reminder, we do need you to schedule your interview or contact us in the next 10 business days if you are interested in continuing the application process.

Please visit the website below for scheduling instructions and information on events during the interview days.
If you have any questions about scheduling your interview, please call or email the Admissions Office.

Sincerely,
Admissions Visitation Coordinator

Sara Neher in her video  blog had said that international students will have alumni i/v. I have mailed Darden adcom about it and will keep my progress posted here. I wish I could have gone to Darden for a oncampus interview and campus visit. But this doesn't look possible given the travel, visa and work issues. Nevertheless if things go well, I will be @ Darden next fall :)

Wish me luck guys !

--

Some recent job market trends for MBAs

Here is a link to some recent job trend reports. Useful for MBA aspirants to do a reality check.

• http://www.mba-channel.com/channel/article/stable-job-situation
• http://topmba.com/mba-careers/mba-recruitment-and-salary/trends-2009-report
• http://www.gmac.com/NR/rdonlyres/3035EE49-0580-4D04-9D31-93387FD06D86/0/GlobalManagementSurvey2009SR.pdf
• http://www.businessweek.com/print/bschools/content/sep2009/bs20090928_592028.htm
• http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9142152/List_of_H_1B_visa_employers_for_2009
  

 Some important learnings

• Overall, the global demand for MBA graduates has decreased by five percent. This decline is particularly noticeable in the financial services sector, in which new hires have decreased by ten percent. Only the consulting sector has seen a three-percent rise despite the declining trend . In contrast, the demand in the industrial sector remained the same, while the technology sector saw a one-percent increase.
• Despite thousands of career casualties, the crisis has not made MBA students any less eager to charge into the front lines of finance.A third of 2009 full-time MBA candidates plan to pursue careers at finance and accounting firms, level with the past two years, according to annual surveys by the Graduate Management Admission Council, a nonprofit group that administers the GMAT.
  
• The MBA degree is clearly becoming increasingly important in the emerging markets. Companies here are looking for graduates who can help them exhaust their growth opportunities on the global market.
• 77 percent of the employers surveyed prefer MBA grads with over three years of professional experience. The demand for younger graduates is lower than ever before, as only two percent of employers look for graduates with less than one year career experience.
• The averages usually reported by schools tell prospective students only part of the story. Means and medians, like the ones reported on BusinessWeek's Web site, mostly gloss over the experiences of students in atypical careers such as microfinance or public service. And numbers outside the averages or ranges can be hard to come by, leaving students to play an uncomfortable guessing game in the shadow of student loans.  
• One of the more stark divisions represented in the data is the pay disparity between different programs. According to PayScale, graduates from the Top 10 programs will make nearly twice as much as the typical MBA. And that pay advantage wears off fast after the Top 10, says Al Lee, PayScale's director of quantitative analysis. "Outside of the Top 20 [ranked schools], you're under six figures," he says. Even worse news for students at lower-ranked programs: "By the time you get out of the Top 30 you're talking just a small premium over the average school,"

--

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A fresh perspective on the real value of MBA

As I have said mutiple times, one thing which I always welcome in my life is fresh perspectives. I love to know and learn new ways of thinking about just about anything in this world.

Today my usual social media search lead me to a series of very interesting articles about the value of an MBA on this site by Tim Berry, President and founder of Palo Alto Software. He has written a series of articles about whether one needs to do MBA or not, what can one really get out of MBA and more. I felt the articles to be really thought provoking. I have already shared my perspective about The MBA decision in this post (MBA channel) and this post. I discussed the factors which can lead to MBA decision. Continuing with this topic, I will share my learning from Tim Berry about business education.

Can MBA teach entrepreneurship ?

The eternal debate about whether a person is born as entrepreneur or is it possible to teach him to be one is answered by Tim Berry in this post. He opines that if we choose right time and right motivation to study business, it will surely turn things better. But at the end attending B school should be one's own personal decision and no one formula fits all. So true ! Few excerpts

"Education in trade or business related subjects is about making things better, faster, and easier. If you can learn in a day in class what would take you a roller-coaster ride through the hard knocks, is that better? If Bill Gates did Microsoft without studying entrepreneurship, does that mean you don’t want to?"

"Entrepreneurship is the best of business. You have to get your head around the whole business, not some functional part. Studying entrepreneurship is the best way to study business. "

5 Entrepreneurship Basics B-Schools Can Teach 

In this post Tim touches the key basics of entrepreneurship which can be taught by B school. These include cash flow, business planning, general business fundamentals, communication skills and skepticism. In his own words,

"A good education can teach you what not to believe, and why not. Enthusiasm is great, and you hear so much about passion and persistence and all, but not without a basis for reviewing what makes sense and what doesn’t."

5 Entrepreneurship Basics B-Schools Don’t Teach

But B school is not a one stop solution to turn a person into an entrepreneur. Few skills in life should be earned by the experiences of the real life itself.  These include dealing with people, judging right and wrong, having a life, managing risks, When to hold and when to fold. Specially loved this thought

"With all the baloney we spread about entrepreneurship passion and perseverance and persistence and all, where in the curriculum do we teach putting business in the right order of priorities? Who teaches that it’s easier to find a new job, or build a new business, than a new spouse? Which class is that?

Every class in entrepreneurship should have at least one session with somebody who got so obsessed with the business that they lost the rest of their life. It happens a lot. It needs to show up in the classroom too."

Do You Really Want That MBA Degree?

This post summarizes the whole issue by listing down those few key points one should consider before taking The MBA decision. This post is written as a response to reader's email who is contemplating on his MBA decision and it really makes a good read.

Probably every MBA aspirant should assess his/her motivation to do the MBA after reading through these posts. I am now more positive about my MBA decision. I know my motivation is that I like to go back to school to study business and that big bucks or escaping current job is not leading my MBA decision.

What do you guys think ??

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Tepper interview invite and preparation resources

As I briefly shared in my last post, I have received the interview invite from Tepper. Tepper took just 2 days to send out the interview invite. Admissions office is really flexible about setting up interviews and applicants can chose to have either a on-campus interview or skype video interview or telephonic interview. Interviews are not allowed on weekends. The interviewer will be a adcom member and they don't offer off-campus alumni interviews.

I chose to take telephonic interview in the 2nd week of November. http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/meeting.html is a great tool to setup interviews when the people involved are in different timezones as in my case.

In my second post as international blogger on MBA Channel, I shared some tips about the interview. Be sure to check the post here

Update 1 : Just came across this useful resource about preparing for B-school interviews. Very practical tips & suggestions in form of slides. check them out here


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News from Round 1 of MBA Applications

Image Courtesy : http://www.flickr.com/photos/cdell/

I am done with my round 1 applications. I applied to Tepper and Darden in round 1. It was a demanding but wonderfully self reflective process to write/rewrite the essays. And much to my happiness, I already got a interview invite from Tepper today morning :) I am planning to schedule my interview in 10 days and it will be a telephone interview. Need to start preparing for that.

Am also super excited to know what happens with Darden ! I have put in my real self in the application and hope my thoughts will reach the Darden adcom.


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US News & World Report release 2009 Business School Overall and Categorical rankings

Sharing  the US news 2009 B school rankings : overall ranking and rankings by specialty.

Overall Business School 2009 Ranking

Rank 1 Harvard University Boston, MA 1,801 Full-time: $43,800 per year
Rank 2 Stanford University Stanford, CA 740 Full-time: $48,921 per year
Rank 3 Northwestern University (Kellogg) Evanston, IL Full-time:1,254 $46,791
Rank 3 University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) Philadelphia, PA Full-time: 1,611 $44,480
Rank 5 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan) Cambridge, MA Full-time:788 $46,784
Rank 5 University of Chicago (Booth) Chicago, IL Full-time: 1,144 $47,260 per year
Rank 7 University of California--Berkeley (Haas) Berkeley, CA full-time:500 $30,925 per year
Rank 8 Dartmouth College (Tuck) Hanover, NH Full-time: 506 $45,600 per year
Rank 9 Columbia University New York, NY Full-time: 1,234 $46,476 per year
Rank 10 Yale University New Haven, CT Full-time: 382 $43,700 per year
Rank 11 New York University (Stern) New York, NY Full-time: 841 $41,800 per year
Rank 12 Duke University (Fuqua) Durham, NC Full-time: 875 $44,100 per year
Rank 13 University of Michigan--Ann Arbor (Ross) Ann Arbor, MI full-time:843 $40,250
Rank 14 University of California--Los Angeles (Anderson) LA, CA full-time:731 $33,295
Rank 15 Carnegie Mellon University (Tepper) Pittsburgh, PA Full-time:392 $47,800
Rank 15 University of Virginia (Darden) Charlottesville, VA full-time:644 $40,398 per year
Rank 17 Cornell University (Johnson) Ithaca, NY Full-time:593 $44,950
Rank 18 University of Texas--Austin (McCombs) Austin, TX full-time:540 $24,200
Rank 19 Georgetown University (McDonough) Washington, DC Full-time:522 $39,984
Rank 20 University of North Carolina--Chapel Hill (Kenan-Flagler) Chapel Hill, NC full-time: 562 $19,525
Rank 20 University of Southern California (Marshall) LA, CA Full-time:426 $41,248
Rank 22 Emory University (Goizueta) Atlanta, GA Full-time:373 $41,013
Rank 22 Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta, GA full-time:154 $7,724
Rank 22 Indiana University--Bloomington (Kelley) Bloomington, IN full-time:474 $18,978
Rank 22 Washington University in St. Louis (Olin) St. Louis, MO full-time: 294 $40,500

Best Business Schools Specialty Rankings: Accounting

1 University of Texas--Austin (McCombs) Austin, TX
2 University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) Philadelphia, PA
3 University of Illinois--Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL
4 University of Chicago (Booth) Chicago, IL
5 University of Michigan--Ann Arbor (Ross) Ann Arbor, MI
6 University of Southern California (Marshall) Los Angeles, CA
7 Stanford University Stanford, CA
8 Brigham Young University (Marriott) Provo, UT
9 New York University (Stern) New York, NY
10 Indiana University--Bloomington (Kelley) Bloomington, IN

Best Business Schools Specialty Rankings: Information Systems

1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan) Cambridge, MA
2 Carnegie Mellon University (Tepper) Pittsburgh, PA
3 University of Texas--Austin (McCombs) Austin, TX
4 University of Arizona (Eller) Tucson, AZ
4 University of Minnesota--Twin Cities (Carlson) Minneapolis, MN
6 University of Maryland--College Park (Smith) College Park, MD
7 New York University (Stern) New York, NY
8 Stanford University Stanford, CA
9 University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) Philadelphia, PA
10 Georgia State University (Robinson) Atlanta, GA


Best Business Schools Specialty Rankings: Management

1 Harvard University Boston, MA
2 Stanford University Stanford, CA
3 Northwestern University (Kellogg) Evanston, IL
4 University of Michigan--Ann Arbor (Ross) Ann Arbor, MI
5 University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) Philadelphia, PA
6 Dartmouth College (Tuck) Hanover, NH
7 Duke University (Fuqua) Durham, NC
8 University of Virginia (Darden) Charlottesville, VA
9 University of California--Berkeley (Haas) Berkeley, CA
10 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan) Cambridge, MA

Best Business Schools Specialty Rankings: Nonprofit

1 Yale University New Haven, CT
2 Stanford University Stanford, CA
3 University of California--Berkeley (Haas) Berkeley, CA
4 Northwestern University (Kellogg) Evanston, IL
5 University of Michigan--Ann Arbor (Ross) Ann Arbor, MI
6 Duke University (Fuqua) Durham, NC
7 University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) Philadelphia, PA
8 Columbia University New York, NY
9 New York University (Stern) New York, NY

Best Business Schools Specialty Rankings: Production / Operations

1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan) Cambridge, MA
2 Carnegie Mellon University (Tepper) Pittsburgh, PA
3 Stanford University Stanford, CA
3 University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) Philadelphia, PA
5 University of Michigan--Ann Arbor (Ross) Ann Arbor, MI
6 Purdue University--West Lafayette (Krannert) West Lafayette, IN
7 Northwestern University (Kellogg) Evanston, IL
8 Harvard University Boston, MA
9 Columbia University New York, NY
10 University of California--Los Angeles (Anderson) Los Angeles, CA

Best Business Schools Specialty Rankings: Entrepreneurship

1 Babson College (Olin) Babson Park, MA
2 Stanford University Stanford, CA
3 Harvard University Boston, MA
3 University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) Philadelphia, PA
5 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan) Cambridge, MA
6 University of Southern California (Marshall) Los Angeles, CA
7 University of California--Berkeley (Haas) Berkeley, CA
8 Indiana University--Bloomington (Kelley) Bloomington, IN
8 University of Texas--Austin (McCombs) Austin, TX
10 University of Arizona (Eller) Tucson, AZ

Best Business Schools Specialty Rankings: Finance

1 University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) Philadelphia, PA
2 University of Chicago (Booth) Chicago, IL
3 New York University (Stern) New York, NY
4 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan) Cambridge, MA
5 Stanford University Stanford, CA
6 Columbia University New York, NY
7 University of California--Los Angeles (Anderson) Los Angeles, CA
8 University of California--Berkeley (Haas) Berkeley, CA
9 Harvard University Boston, MA
10 Northwestern University (Kellogg) Evanston, IL

Best Business Schools Specialty Rankings: Executive MBA

1 Northwestern University (Kellogg) Evanston, IL
2 University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) Philadelphia, PA
3 University of Chicago (Booth) Chicago, IL
4 Duke University (Fuqua) Durham, NC
5 Columbia University New York, NY
6 University of California--Berkeley (Haas) Berkeley, CA
7 New York University (Stern) New York, NY
8 University of Michigan--Ann Arbor (Ross) Ann Arbor, MI
9 University of California--Los Angeles (Anderson) Los Angeles, CA
10 University of North Carolina--Chapel Hill (Kenan-Flagler) Chapel Hill, NC

Best Business Schools Specialty Rankings: International

1 Thunderbird School of Global Management Glendale, AZ
2 University of South Carolina (Moore) Columbia, SC
3 University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) Philadelphia, PA
4 University of Michigan--Ann Arbor (Ross) Ann Arbor, MI
5 Columbia University New York, NY
6 Duke University (Fuqua) Durham, NC
6 New York University (Stern) New York, NY
8 Harvard University Boston, MA
9 University of Southern California (Marshall) Los Angeles, CA
10 University of California--Berkeley (Haas) Berkeley, CA

Best Business Schools Specialty Rankings: Marketing

1 Northwestern University (Kellogg) Evanston, IL
2 University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) Philadelphia, PA
3 Duke University (Fuqua) Durham, NC
4 Stanford University Stanford, CA
5 Harvard University Boston, MA
6 University of Michigan--Ann Arbor (Ross) Ann Arbor, MI
7 University of Chicago (Booth) Chicago, IL
8 Columbia University New York, NY
9 University of California--Berkeley (Haas) Berkeley, CA
10 University of Texas--Austin (McCombs) Austin, TX

Best Business Schools Specialty Rankings: Part-time MBA

1 New York University (Stern) New York, NY
2 University of Chicago (Booth) Chicago, IL
3 Northwestern University (Kellogg) Evanston, IL
4 University of California--Los Angeles (Anderson) Los Angeles, CA
5 University of Southern California (Marshall) Los Angeles, CA
6 University of California--Berkeley (Haas) Berkeley, CA
7 Georgia State University (Robinson) Atlanta, GA
8 University of Michigan--Ann Arbor (Ross) Ann Arbor, MI
9 DePaul University (Kellstadt) Chicago, IL
10 Santa Clara University (Leavey) Santa Clara, CA

Best Business Schools Specialty Rankings: Supply Chain / Logistics

1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan) Cambridge, MA
2 Michigan State University (Broad) East Lansing, MI
3 Carnegie Mellon University (Tepper) Pittsburgh, PA
4 Stanford University Stanford, CA
5 Arizona State University (Carey) Tempe, AZ
6 Pennsylvania State University--University Park (Smeal) University Park, PA
7 Ohio State University (Fisher) Columbus, OH
8 University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) Philadelphia, PA
9 University of Tennessee--Knoxville Knoxville, TN
10 Northwestern University (Kellogg) Evanston, IL
10 Purdue University--West Lafayette (Krannert) West Lafayette, IN

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My 1st school target - Tepper CMU

So time to hit the ground and start the real work. As am having a scarily hectic schedule, I have decided to apply for only 2 schools in Round 1 and around 3 to 4 schools in Round 2. For the 1st round I will be applying to Tepper CMU and Queens Biz School, Canada.

This post is to share my findings about Tepper CMU.

• Interview with Tepper MBA representatives.
  
  http://www.businessschooladmissions.com/tepper/
  
  
• Accepted.com's entry about Tepper MBA application process, essays and more tips
  http://blog.accepted.com/acceptedcom_blog/2009/9/2/cmu-tepper-2010-mba-application-questions-deadlines-tips.html
  
  
• Clear Admits analyzes the essay topics of Tepper 2010 application
  http://blog.clearadmit.com/2009/09/cmu-tepper-essay-topic-analysis-2009-2010/
  

• Tepper Admission interview reports
  http://www.accepted.com/mba/interviews/search_results.asp?SourcePage=search.asp&School=40&AreaOfStudy=-1&LastXDays=9999&Age=-1&Score=122&Submit=Submit
  
  http://clearadmit.com/wiki/index.php?title=TepperInterview

• Know more about Tepper MBA - Watch this video
  

• International festival 2009 at Tepper CMU
  
  

more to be added later


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Duke MBA Application Fee Reduction Program.

I got a mail from Fuqua admissions today informing about their Application fee reduction program. I feel its very useful for Fuqua applicants.Quoting the mail here for my readers.

Clearly, the world is facing many economic challenges today. At The Duke MBA, we recognize that the MBA application process is an investment of time and money, which can both be in short supply in times like these. We feel strongly that visiting with Duke admissions officers, students, and alumni in person is incredibly helpful in understanding the Team Fuqua culture, and we also understand that traveling to our campus can be difficult. To help alleviate some of the financial stress you may be facing, we are pleased to announce the following Duke MBA Application Fee Reduction Program.

Individuals who schedule a campus visit through our online scheduling tool and come to Durham or who register for and attend a Duke MBA information session or coffee chat at one of our worldwide locations will be able to submit an application for the 2009 – 2010 application year for only $50, instead of the usual $200 fee. In this way, we are able to cover our administrative expenses while minimizing the impact on our applicants.

Please visit our Web site for a complete listing of upcoming information sessions and coffee chats, or access our online scheduling tool to craft your own campus visit (with or without interview) and plan to visit us. We will look forward to seeing you!

Important Information:

The reduced fee information for the Daytime program will not be available on the online application until October 7. If you are applying to the Daytime program in Rounds 1, 2, or 3 and want to take advantage of this offer, please do not submit your application until after October 7.

For those who are planning to apply for our Daytime Early Action deadline (October 6), the fee reduction functionality will not be available on the application by this deadline. However, please send an email to application-processing@fuqua.duke.edu at least 72 hours prior to submitting your application and we will provide you with instructions for activating the fee reduction.

For applicants interested in the Cross Continent, Global Executive, or Weekend Executive MBA programs, the fee reduction function will be available at the end of October. If you will be submitting your application prior to November 1, please contact application-processing@fuqua.duke.edu at least 72 hours prior to submitting your application and we will provide you with instructions for activating the fee reduction.

Choosing the fee reduction on the online application prior to submitting your application is the only way to receive the reduction. The Duke MBA will NOT be able to offer refunds after an application has been submitted.

Its a real great move from Fuqua school of Business. Kudos Fuqua !!

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B Schools of USA & some humor

Seems like today's post are gonna give some really different kind of reading experience. I am coming across some really cool stuff which I can't help but to share it on my blog.

This super long post about various B schools in USA. While it tells the obvious pros and cons of each school, it adds the zing factor by relating each school to a office space character. 

So here it goes. (Disclaimer : None of these opinions reflects my opinion about any of these schools.Be sure to take it with a pinch of salt.)

1.) Harvard 
Pros: The best academic brand in the world, people from East Timor will know where you went to school. Graduates are extremely polished and dynamic leaders. its no coincidence that so many politicians these days are HBS grads.
Cons: Students are about as pompous and pretentious as possible. Polish is a fancy way of saying full of s**t. its no coincidence that so many politicians these days are HBS grads.
Office Space Character: Lumbergh (Peter’s hated boss). He’s a quintessential Harvard grad; in charge and full of platitudes that sound great but on further inspection don’t make any sense. He also drives a nice car and makes a lot of money while being universally loathed. Kind of sums up every HBS grad you’ve ever met, right?
2.) Stanford
Pros: Small class size and focus on do-gooders leads to an incredible array of backgrounds and accomplishments of students, who thrive in tight knit community. Haven for the really interesting superstars out there. Tremendous brand. Beautiful weather.
Cons: It may be interesting to be classmates with a Buddhist monk-fighter pilot, but its also hard to relate to anyone (”So, did that vow of peace make it hard to take out bogeys?”). For super accomplished business students with the world at their fingertips, it sure doesn’t seem like any of them actually like business.
Office Space Character: Peter (main character). He seems like the most level headed, likable and down to earth of any of the characters, but for all his talents, he ends up as a damn construction worker. He’s also a major league flake, showing up to work only when he feels like it. Can you say entitled?
3.) Wharton
Pros: Arguably the best technical business education in the world. Great brand name, and the job placements are second only to H/S.
Cons: Not sure if it’s the ultra rigorous curriculum, the competitive culture, or the fact that they have to live in Philly for two years, but Whartonites are paranoid bordering on psychotic. The odds of having a nervous breakdown in your life triple after going here. Double that if you actually ask anyone at Wharton to calculate those odds.
Office Space Character: Tom Smykowski (Co-worker that invents “jumping to conclusions mat”). I’m assuming that Tom was actually an excellent technical employee, but that his constant fear of losing his job made him batsh*t crazy. Most fitting quote “I’m a People Person!!!!!!” when yelling at the consultants.
4.) Northwestern
Pros: Strong team culture and arguably the best marketing program in the country. Incredibly collaborative for such a large school. Great location next to major financial center (Chicago).
Cons: Very soft curriculum, these guys are poets. I’m pretty sure that Kellogg finance classes are prerecorded cartoons taught by Disney characters. Is it really worth it to pay $10000+ to drink every night? I mean, couldn’t you just do that without the degree?
Office Space Character: Joanna (Peter’s girlfriend). Like Peter, she’s very likable, level headed and likes to get around. Unfortunately she’s also vastly less skilled than many of her fellow characters. Thank God she’s hot.
5.) Chicago 
Pros: Finance education is second only to Wharton globally (and even that’s debatable). Probably the best facilities of all the top business schools. Fantastic job placements and close proximity to Chicago. Academic horsepower of profs is untouchable.
Cons: Socially awkward is an understatement. Unlike Whartonites who are just high strung, Chicago GSBers either never learned or quickly forgot how to communicate with peers. Make sure to wear a face mask if they’re talking to you ’cause spits going to fly.
Office Space Character: Milton (Co-worker that loves red swingline stapler). Milton seems like a nice enough guy, and he might be the smartest guy in the office (he pulls off the grand caper in the end). It’s just that he’s about as charismatic as a toilet bowl. Hire ‘em, just make sure to get GSBers an office in the basement.
6.) Columbia
Pros: Great location in the middle of global financial center (New York). Most diverse student body in terms of minorities and women. Very strong finance program. New York allows great social and job placement opportunities, and draws worldly, cosmopolitan students.
Cons: Cliquish and commuterish. Columbia is like a high school with super rich kids. High ***hole factor. This isn’t the kind of school where you’ll be going to house parties, its more like the kind of school where you’re expected to order bottle service for twenty guys on a student budget or else be ostracized.
Office Space Character: Bobs (consultants that lay off workers). They seem smart, they have great jobs, but c’mon, these guys are douchebags.
7.) MIT 
Pros: World class entrepreneurship program, and probably the best supply management program in America. Attached to world class research center, and location in Boston is strong. Great job placement, especially in consulting.
Cons: For all their unique academic offerings, the overall school is like 90/10 men/women including undergrads. Takes the term sausage fest to a whole new level. Nerdy culture.
Office Space Character: Michael Bolton (Peter’s co-worker and friend). Michael Bolton desperately wants to be cool, listening to rap music, talking in slang, but lets face it, he’s a dork. He’s also hampered by his dorky namesake, which seems to attract a lot of nerdy people (to his obvious dismay).
8.) Tuck
Pros: Small class size and tight culture leads to maybe the most enthusiastic students in any school. Great respect from recruiters. Alumni network is arguably the most responsive and helpful of any top school. Strong rigorous program.
Cons: Very conformist culture, and really limited social options. These guys seem so enthusiastic about their school that I’m almost certain that all students are given ecstasy at orientation. Listen, if two years in the middle of Nowhere, New Hampshire were to constitute the best two years of my life, I would kill myself.
Office Space Character: Brian (Works with Joannas at Chotchkies, wears 37 pieces of flair). Brian is well meaning and LOVES his job. Never mind that he’s a waiter at a glorified TGIF, he still loves it with all his heart. They say ignorance is bliss, in which case, maybe Tuckies have the secret after all. That or, like Brian, they’re borderline retarded.
9.) Michigan
Pros: Maybe the most hands-on practical curriculum of all the top schools. New facilities coming up in 2009. Largest alumni network of any business school. State school, so the 2nd year is cheaper.
Cons: Location proximity leaves something to be desired (Detroit? Why not put it next to Beirut). The overall atmosphere here is very fratty and college like. Every single UMich student and alumni I’ve spoken to say the highlight of their experience was tailgating and watching football. EVERYONE. Not that football isn’t awesome, but no one else had any other experience that was noteworthy? They probably forgot the rest after beerbonging Jagermeister.
Office Space Character: Lawrence (Peter’s next door neighbor and friend). Lawrence is a good guy. He’s loyal, and salt of the earth. He also has a few rough edges, and would use 1 million dollars to be intimate with two other women. Have a great time with old Lawrence. Just don’t be surprised if all you end up with is a job he hooked you up with at the local quarry.
10.) Haas
Pros: Great location in the bay, and strong ties to Silicon Valley. Great weather. Small class size and tight culture. Berkeley has very strong international brand name.
Cons: Weak ties to financial sector, and east coast in general. The culture here is definitely about as PC as it gets. This seems like the type of school where you’d need to get a permission slip before you held a woman’s hand on campus.
Office Space Character: Stan (Joanna’s manager at Chotchkies). Stan wants Joanna to do more than the bare minimum. After all, people can get an MBA anywhere, but they come to Chotckies/Haas for the atmosphere! Don’t you want to do more than the bare minimum? Then put on your flair, burn some bras and save a whale you selfish jerk.
11.) Duke
Pros: Maybe the best health care management program in the country. Great brand name, especially in the south. Strong team culture.
Cons: Relatively young MBA program, so alumni network is small. As such, the brand cache just isn’t there yet. People that come here seem very cookie cutter to me, not in a bad way, just very comfortable and relatively unambitious.
Office Space Character: Samir (Peter’s co-worker and friend). Samir is a nice guy, very practical and unassuming. You get the feeling that he’s happy as long as he has a job in hand. Won’t make waves, won’t screw up, and won’t take any risks. But he’s a happy guy, and will have a house with 2.2 kids and a dog in a suburb somewhere (probably Durham).
12.) Darden
Pros: Strong Case method program and rigorous curriculum is universally respected. Alumni network is very strong and active with current students.
Cons: Middle of nowhere.Highly rigorous schedules.
13.) NYU
Pros: Great location within spitting distance of Wall Street. Strong finance curriculum, and media program.
Cons: Location in downtown Manhattan make this the ultimate commuter school. Weird inferiority complex with Columbia. If you don’t go into finance or media, good luck.
Office Space Character: Other Lumbergh (ex-co-worker of Peter, Joanna’s ex-boyfriend). From all accounts, the other Lumbergh was a likable guy who was good at his job and got a great job offer to move on somewhere else. We just never actually saw him. Kind of like your NYU classmates.
14.) UCLA
Pros: LA! Sun, beach, beautiful glamorous people everywhere! Strong ties to Southern California business and great real estate program.
Cons: LA. UV rays, crowded beaches and shallow, materialistic people everywhere. You get the feeling that UCLA students are there just to spend two years in SoCal rather than to get jobs. As such, this place draws vapid, materialistic people. But damn they’re hot!
Office Space Character: Drew (Peter’s co-worker, describes the famous “O-face”). Drew’s a fun-loving guy that people like. He’s also the kind of guy that would tell anyone who was willing to listen graphic descriptions of all his sexual exploits. I liked Drew when I was 19. When I’m 26..?
15.) Cornell 
Pros: Maybe the best Hospitality management program in the country. Ivy league brand name, and strong ties to some top consumer management companies. Small tight knit culture.
Cons: In the middle of nowhere, and it’s definitely a cut below a lot of the top tier programs. I mean, hospitality management? Seriously?
Office Space Character: Peggy (Lumbergh’s secretary). She’s kind of in hospitality: “Initech, can I put you on hold? Thank you! Initech, can I put you on hold? Thank you! Initech, can I put you on hold? Thank you! .”
16.) Yale
Pros: World class brand name. Arguably the best social enterprise program in the country. Relatively strong job placement for the rank.
Cons: Newer program means little real rep with employers or alumni to lean on.
Office Space character: Dr. Swanson (Peter’s psychologist/hypnotist). The Dr. has a very strong reputation, and he makes Peter go from depressed to happy (what a do-gooder!). But when it comes to the rankings, he just falls over dead.

Am just curious about what the actual B school students/alumni got to say about these opinions. Guys if you are reading this be sure to leave your comments
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Ask the Experts: Applying to Business School

• FT.com has come up with a useful concept of B School clinic. Applicants like us can ask any questions regarding MBA Admissions and they will be answered by a panel of experts. Here is what FT.com website tells about this initiative

In the first Financial Times Ask the Experts: Applying to Business School Clinic, three industry experts answer your questions on the topic. Are you thinking of applying for an MBA? Is now the right time? What kind of programme should you choose? How do you apply? Is it all worth the time, the pain and the money? On Wednesday September 30, between 2pm and 3pm BST, a panel of experts will answer your questions on this page at http://www.ft.com/businesseducaton/applications-clinic.

On the panel are:
Chioma Isiadinso, chief executive of Expartus, the admissions consultancy and personal branding organisation. Ms Isiadinso, who formerly worked in the admissions departments at both Harvard Business School and Carnegie Mellon University, set up Expartus in 2002. She is author of The Best Business Schools’ Admissions Secret.
Dave Wilson, president and chief executive of the Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC), which administers the GMAT test for business students.
Anika Davis Pratt, Assistant Dean of MBA Admissions at NYU Stern school of business.

• Ask an Business week MBA Admissions Consultant

  Get questions about the MBA admissions process answered by an admissions consultant at the Business School Forum on Business Week website.
  
   

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Am the 1st Global Blogger of "MBA in the USA"

As I mentioned in the previous post, there are some exciting new developments happening in my life as a blogger. Here comes one update.


MBA in the USA ™ is a consulting service dedicated to international students coming to the US to study.Started by Kenan-Flager Alumni Grayson Leverenz, the site gives cultural insights about US to the international students. Now they are starting a global blog which will feature blogs by international MBA students  or applicants about their experiences. 


I have been selected as their 1st global blogger and am excited about this opportunity. I will be writing one blog post each month and I hope to use this opportunity to share my mba experiences and perspectives with a wider international audience. 


Confirmed about this after having a conversation with Grayson yesterday and we are starting the global blog series from October. 


If any of my readers reading this post are interested in becoming the global blogger, please visit this link. 


Update : Check out my 1st post as global blogger on MBAinTheUSA here



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Exciting new developments

Blogging my journey on madologue has been immensely rewarding for me.
To name a few

• Increased self awareness of me as a person
• Clear cut perception about why I need an MBA and what do I expect from it
• Better flow in writing and ease in expressing my thoughts
  
• Lot of new friends and well wishers
• Exciting new opportunities (will write a new post once I confirm few developments)

One important update I want to share is starting from next month, I will be featuring a post which contains a Q&A session I had with a current MBA student at various B schools. This is my effort to provide the MBA applicants with diverse perspectives about MBA, B school and life as a student.

Watch out for this space for more details.

If any of my blog visitors want to contribute to this section or know of any student who can contribute, please contact me or leave a reply to this post. 

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MBA Essays and Deadlines of top B schools - All in one place.

Hey all fella applicants, here are some cool MBA tools from Veritas Prep. Be sure check it out. I found it very useful

• A useful compilation of MBA essays and deadlines for most of Top B schools in US, Europe and Asia. 

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tc4U3LxI41c9UXBO-0rhwog

• A Google Calendar of MBA deadlines:
  http://blog.veritasprep.com/2009/07/google-calendar-top-mba-programs.html
  
  
• A list of online pre-MBA courses:
  http://blog.veritasprep.com/2009/07/cool-mba-tool-applying-to-mba-programs.html 
  

Be sure to post your comments
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My guide to MBA Informational interviews

If you have recently started considering MBA option, you must consider doing informational interviews. Here is my guide to do an effective informational interview.

• Step 1 : Finding whom to interview
  
  Following are some good sources to find out potential candidates for informational interview.
  
  • Colleagues in your company who are the alumna of your target B schools
  • Alumni Directory published in school websites
  • B-school faculty
    
    
• Step 2 : Requesting an informational interview
  
  Be professional when you request for an informational interview. Here are the things to keep in mind while making this request
  
  • Have a meaningful subject line clearly stating the purpose. This way your mail will have the better chance of being noticed. 
  • Use proper salutation and keep it semi formal. 
  • Don't tell a long story in the beginning of the mail. The 1st paragraph should include
    
    • introduction about yourself
    • how you got their contact 
    • what you intend to get from them
      
  • Its good to propose 2 time options for the meeting and let them choose the convenient one.
    
  • End the mail with a proper signature. 

• Step 3 : Preparing & conducting your interview
  
  Here is a great post about how to conduct an impressive informational interview. Follow the steps. If you want to know what questions you can ask in an informational interview, visit this list of questions.
  

All the best !! Mail me and let me know your experience.

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