How to deal with homesickness

Hey all, this is my 1st post after coming to USA. I dint write blogs immediately because I was not in a great state of mind just after coming here. This is first time away from home for me and I was all terribly homesick (I still am, but getting better everyday). I dint wanted to write about all those emotional turmoils I was going through and scare the readers who are also potentially gonna go abroad for their studies.

Now am a lil OK, things are getting settled. So I thought I will write on how I dealt with this terrible phase. I hope it helps someone who is also going through the same phase. So here is what I did (you can also do) to get over home sickness and blues.

• Keep yourself engaged.
  
  This is the first and most important rule. All of you know that empty mind is a devil's workshop and that's every bit true. The idea is to keep yourself busy in some or the other things when you come to a new place. The moment you are free with no work, you will start feeling lonely and all that. So don't let that happen and be engaged as much as possible. You will have lot of options on how to do that. Go explore the new place, visit the campus, shop for your new place, make friends with locals. There are some essential things to be done once you are in a new place. I will write a separate post about it.
  
• Get enough rest and proper food
  
  Being said about the 1st rule, its also equally important to give importance to your health and physical condition. When you come to a entirely new place, you will need time to recover from jet lag , adapt yourself to the local food and etc. Please don't ignore this part. I had to suffer a lot initially as I was not getting my choice of food (I am a strict vegetarian and too choosy about what I eat) and when I was hungry I use to feel worse. So make sure you get good food and good sleep to keep you going.
  
• Don't stay alone (if possible)
  
  If possible try to share an aptmt with your classmate or friend so that you are not alone at home. Also try to make some friends in the new place and try and do things together. Remember others may also be going through the same thing and supporting each other in such times will make your lives easier.
  
• Talk it out
  
  After doing everything, its still not possible to completely avoid being homesick. It will happen and it is OK. We are all human beings and its in our nature to miss the people and things we are associated with. And when it does happen, make sure you handle it right. This can differ from person to person. For me crying out helps to come out of deep blues. Once you are a little OK, talk to your parents or siblings or friends whoever you are close to. Talking out about your situation will help lighten the burden on you. Never try to take on everything on your own. Involve others to help you out and you will be happy that you did it.
  
  If you don't have a phone connection yet, make sure you keep in touch through online messengers, voip applications, facebook, email etc. Make full use of technology at this time and you will technology for the way it touches our lives.
  
• Believe in your decision
  
  This is entirely from my experience. At time I felt so bad so bad that I was getting the thoughts of going back to India ditching everything here. That's the kinda emotional turmoil I was going through. But then when I talked to my friends about it, they made me realize that its ME who have taken this decision to pursue and MBA abroad and its upto ME to stand up to that decision.
  
  Yes, you have to become strong so that you justify your decision. Believe in your decision and put your best to it.

So that's about how I dealt with homesickness and let me tell you I dint expect it to be so bad. It did hit me real hard. But by talking out with my people, keeping myself busy, am slowly getting over it. There are still times when something somewhere reminds me of home and makes me feel sad. But accept that these things will happen. Keep faith in your decision and keep it going :)

At the end I am sure we will be happy that we did it and it was worth the effort !!

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!!!!

Laptop for B school - Mine is here :) The lenovo thinkpad Edge !!!

Cool new addition to my gadget list - Lenovo thinkpad edge :)

I am a technophile n its no wonder that I love gadgets ;) Thanks to my impending B school journey, I just got myself a super cool fully loaded laptop :) Its Lenovo thinkpad edge 14" black laptop and man I am in love with it from the time I got it in my hands. Thinkpads are well-known for their sturdy make and this is no exception. The keyboard is just awesome with mac style keys and super responsive trackpad. Its fully loaded with the latest i3 processor and windows 7 :) Last 2 days were spent in setting up all software and stuff on my new EDGE ;)

Just loving it !!! N literally am living on the EDGE ;)

Yay !! Clear admit BOB top 3..

I was out of town yesterday and when I opened my laptop today, I realized that Clear admit BOB results are out. Much to my pleasure, I have been voted among top 3 applicant bloggers. My dear friends, Dream chaser and Hari have bagged the top spots and am so so happy for them. Here are the top ten spots for mba applicant bloggers. Congrats all :)


Top Applicant Bloggers
1. Dream Chaser http://dreamchasermbajourney.blogspot.com/
2. Hari http://hariformba.blogspot.com/
3. Madalogue http://mad-bubbles.blogspot.com/
4. Rocky http://yoadrian.wordpress.com/
5. Beautiful Mind http://abeautifulmind1.wordpress.com/
6. XLick http://xlick.blogspot.com/
7. Steve http://sgargiulo.wordpress.com/
8. The Dreamer http://mymaidenjourney.blogspot.com/
9. Braveheart http://iamalittlemorethanuseless.blogspot.com/
10. Biz Wiz http://bizwiz-blog.blogspot.com

Exciting news - I now blog for MBA Podcaster !!!

Early 2009 - I had decided on doing my MBA and was vigorously searching for all the information relevant to B schools, Application process and etc. When I found MBA Podcaster, I instantly became a fan of their podcasts (http://www.mbapodcaster.com/podcasts.asp) I downloaded all the relevant podcasts and put it on my mobile and used to listen it very often to get the required perspective. They did a great job by giving first hand perspective of life at business school, different career options and more

April 2010 - I am now a blogger for MBA Podcaster blog - http://blog.mbapodcaster.com/. I just published my 1st post and you can read it here - http://blog.mbapodcaster.com/2010/04/introducing-new-mba-podcaster-blogger.html
I am so excited about being a part of the MBA Podcaster team !!! From now on I will be regularly blogging on MBA Podcaster blog about my MBA experiences.

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 !!

Weekend with TEDX at Mumbai & some more updates

Hey all, I have been very irregular in my blog updates from a month. Writing this post to give brief updates about whats happening in my life.

Life is taking interesting turns everyday. Today received email from Olin that they have no cosigner loans. Man why can't tepper have something like this even after being a top program :(  Latest update is that I am still trying to figure out my best financing option and yet to finalize on my US cosigner. So things are yet to be done. Meantime I have talked to HR dept at my company about my exit and I plan to do it in May.

This weekend was well spent with TEDx at Mumbai. My 1st ever trip to Mumbai was really enjoyable. Though I felt TEDx was not really on par with the TED itself, I met some new people and had a good time. Here is a detailed report of what happened at TEDx Mumbai - http://blog.blogadda.com/2010/04/05/navin-kabra-report-on-tedxmumbai

I recently added my blog to the Beatthegmat blog list, thanks to fellow mba blogger Hari. Now you can also get updates from my blog on http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/blogs/all

I also bought a bike (cycle) for myself. Yayyyyy !! Am very very happy to have restarted biking. :) Yesterday I got my copy of a MBA admissions book and I plan to read it and write a review sometime in this month. In the next post I will write about what plans I have made for next 3 months while I will be jobless. I plan to make it complete fun. What fun ? I will write about it soon.

Exciting milestones - Tepper deposit paid, blog visitor count crosses 20k.

Decision is only wishful thinking until you take that first irreversible step. You can tell yourself that you have already decided, that nothing now can stop you, but if that step backwards is so much safer than step forwards, what will hold you true to your pa...th when the going gets tough? Sometimes, the right thing to do is to take that first irreversible step, the one after which you cannot go back. And now, for me, is one of those times.
 
Am almost trembling with excitement as I write this post. This moment probably marks one of the most significant decisions I have taken in my life till date. My MBA journey took a turning point with me paying Tepper deposit today to confirm my seat in the Tepper MBA class of 2012. Yayyyyyyyyy !!!! A new journey begins and I expect it to be anything but a smooth ride. Nevertheless am all set for this ride of the lifetime :)

One more milestone in my blogging journey. My blog visitor count crossed 20k mark. When I started this blog, I expected nothing but a way to write out my feelings and experiences. But now this blog has been a part of my life and rewarded me with so many learnings, experiences and new friends. Love you blog.

A big thank you for all you friends out there around the world who come to my blog and show your support in all ways possible. Keep it coming folks :)

Is it the time to share the real ME ? Yes

Hey all,

Yesterday marked the end of my MBA application journey. And boy whatta journey it has been. I started this blog with the intention to share my MBA application journey. Its been 8 months already. Time surely flies by. Honestly, when I started this blog I never thought more than the application phase. Now that I am headed to Tepper and the road has become even more challenging, I have no plans to stop my blogging here.

This blog opened up a new side of myself which I myself was not aware of - my creative side. It gave me a confidence that I am not only a talker (I talk too much LOL) but can also share my thoughts through writing. And it has been immensely rewarding.

Now I am thinking that its a good time to end my anonymity on this blog. What do you guys think ? Should I disclose the real me or continue to be the elusive Mad Bubbles ?? Leave your thoughts in the comments. This is going to be some harmless fun :D

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update - Felt its the right time to end anonymity. I have added my real name and links to my facebook and linked in :)

Haas loves me ; Haas loves me not

So here is a MBA love story which is waiting to end with a smile. Its a love story between me and Haas. So here goes the story till date.
It all started when I came to know about Haas through a common friend (Read more).
I was smitten by Haas and started to know more and fell in love. Haas was perfect fit for me and Haas had the power to make me complete (Read more).
Finally I proposed to Haas on 8th December 2010 and started the waiting game. Haas is taking a long time to think and reply to my proposal. Meantime I collected all possible info regarding whats happening with Haas and shared with the world (Read more).

Only few days left to decide my fate. But surprisingly I have been extremely calm during this waiting period. What will be his answer ? I will know on March 17th..

For now, I am spending my time by doing the "Haas loves me ; Haas loves me not" ritual. And praying that the answer will be positive. :)

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Glad that I watched this video before starting my MBA - The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination - J K Rowling

J.K. Rowling Speaks at Harvard Commencement from Harvard Magazine on Vimeo.

Video - J.K. Rowling, author of the best-selling Harry Potter book series, delivers her Commencement Address, “The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination,” at the Annual Meeting of the Harvard Alumni Association.

 

I can't help but share this video on my blog whose readers are mostly the MBA aspirants and those who have the power to shape the future of their own and the world around them. This video will really inspire  the viewer to think positive, accept and learn from failures, look beyond their personal well-being and live life the right way.

What A talk.. Witty, Wise, Prolific all at once. Though am not a big fan of Harry Potter, I did become a fan of J K Rowling for her words and her thoughts. I am gonna quote few lines from this speech. Each one them is my personal favorite and taught me a lesson or two about life

 

The first thing I would like to say is ‘thank you.’ Not only has Harvard given me an extraordinary honour, but the weeks of fear and nausea I have endured at the thought of giving this commencement address have made me lose weight. A win-win situation! Now all I have to do is take deep breaths, squint at the red banners and convince myself that I am at the world’s largest Gryffindor reunion.

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I would like to make it clear, in parenthesis, that I do not blame my parents for their point of view. There is an expiry date on blaming your parents for steering you in the wrong direction; the moment you are old enough to take the wheel, responsibility lies with you.

----

Failure gave me an inner security that I had never attained by passing examinations. Failure taught me things about myself that I could have learned no other way. I discovered that I had a strong will, and more discipline than I had suspected; I also found out that I had friends whose value was truly above the price of rubies. 

--- -

 Unlike any other creature on this planet, humans can learn and understand, without having experienced. They can think themselves into other people’s places.

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"What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality"
That is an astonishing statement and yet proven a thousand times every day of our lives. It expresses, in part, our inescapable connection with the outside world, the fact that we touch other people’s lives simply by existing.
But how much more are you, Harvard graduates of 2008, likely to touch other people’s lives? Your intelligence, your capacity for hard work, the education you have earned and received, give you unique status, and unique responsibilities. Even your nationality sets you apart. The great majority of you belong to the world’s only remaining superpower. The way you vote, the way you live, the way you protest, the pressure you bring to bear on your government, has an impact way beyond your borders. That is your privilege, and your burden.
If you choose to use your status and influence to raise your voice on behalf of those who have no voice; if you choose to identify not only with the powerful, but with the powerless; if you retain the ability to imagine yourself into the lives of those who do not have your advantages, then it will not only be your proud families who celebrate your existence, but thousands and millions of people whose reality you have helped change. We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.

For the full text version and video visit http://harvardmagazine.com/commencement/the-fringe-benefits-failure-the-importance-imagination

So did this inspire you ??

I just realized something..

Here is some more non mba stuff.. So if you are up for such reading then go on..

There is a sea change in me and the way I lead my everyday life since last year when I started my MBA application process. I am a out and out multidimensional person who is into multiple activities at any point of my life. Outdoors, leading a Bangalore NGO, Music usually keeps me engaged other than my profession. Amidst all these, I used to have that "Me time" where I used to do the apparently useless but tremendously self rewarding chores like staring at mirror (myself rather) :P Like any other typical young gal, I used to love this activity.

Today when cleaning my room, I looked at the mirror and just realized that its been so long since I had my "Me time". All through the MBA application phase, I looked into myself to do all the self reflection and while it was immensely rewarding, somewhere in the process, I stopped looking at the mirror altogether.. While this is just an example, it just showed that I stopped enjoying those lil lil moments of life due to my demanding life schedule..

No regrets whatsoever.. But I don't wanna lose those moments at this age of 22.. Life is more than just one thing, be it anything..

So I decided to put back the "Me time" in my everyday life again.. I am resuming my Yoga classes as a 1st step.. And ya some more time in front of mirror.. I am lovin it :)

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Would love to listen the perspective of other MBA applicants in this regard. Guys please share your thoughts as comments..

What will I eat when I leave my home for my MBA

Are you looking out for some useful mba related information in this post ?
case 1 - yes  - Then close this window and do something useful. This post has got nothing to do with MBA stuff

case 2 - No you are just looking out for some fun reading and ready to read my rants about myself. Yeah you are at a right place. Go on !

To those who don't know the kind of foodie I am, here is a brief list down. I love the food if its

• pure veg
• No garlic
• preferably prepared by my amma (mom) :D

Yeah am a pure, total, hard core veggie who runs away even by the smell of garlic. So forget meat/egg/whatever else. But there are so many delicious recipes that fall under my area of "eatables" that I can safely call myself a FOODIE.  :D . And yeah am a decent cook too :) but when amma is around, all I do is enjoy her "kai adige"  (kannada term meaning the food prepared by her)

So I was lil curious about my fate (Read it as I am REALLY WORRIED ABOUT WHAT WILL I EAT !!) when I come to US this fall. Have heard about how hard it can get to get a real vegetarian meal abroad.
My web scouting landed me to this interesting flow chart (courtesy : Topcultured) about what to eat.
Perfecto !! Was this the answer to my foodie worries ? I decided to check out. But it so happens that I answer no for every damn question here :(

Alas !!! my worries still continue to haunt me. I think its high time I went back to kitchen and sharpen my culinary skills. So my dear kitchen, here I come :)

For those who are getting curious, here is that foodie flowchart :) For full sized version click here

Found one more interesting food chart about if we should eat food which we dropped on ground. :D Courtesy  SFweekly

Being Yourself - My 2 cents

 Image Courtesy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/victornuno/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

"Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else"
this is the quote I love and I have followed this all my life. MBA application journey was no exception. Right from school selection to essay responses I have been the true myself. I wrote a post on MBA in The USA regarding the importance of being yourself and its correspondence to various stages of MBA apping process. You can read the article here.
http://www.mbaintheusa.com/2010/01/08/the-importance-of-being-yourself-in-the-mba-application-process/


Note : I am global blogger for the site MBA in The USA and I write a blog post each month about various aspects of MBA and application process. You can read my other articles on MBA in The USA site here : http://www.mbaintheusa.com/category/global-bloggers/

It seems as if this song was written for me :)

courtesy : sanchezdot 

I have a dream, a song to sing

To help me cope with anything

If you see the wonder of a fairy tale

You can take the future even if you fail

I believe in angels

Something good in everything I see

I believe in angels

When I know the time is right for me

Ill cross the stream - I have a dream

I have a dream, a fantasy

To help me through reality

And my destination makes it worth the while

Pushing through the darkness still another mile

I believe in angels

Something good in everything I see

I believe in angels

When I know the time is right for me

Ill cross the stream - I have a dream

Ill cross the stream - I have a dream

I have a dream, a song to sing

To help me cope with anything

If you see the wonder of a fairy tale

You can take the future even if you fail

I believe in angels

Something good in everything I see

I believe in angels

When I know the time is right for me

Ill cross the stream - I have a dream

Ill cross the stream - I have a dream

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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My 2nd post on MBAinTheUSA

My second post as global blogger on MBA in the USA is alive. Its about the 6 Considerations for International MBA Applicants. 

International students should consider few things which are not of concern to domestic students. These include housing, visa, international financing and others. Be sure to check the complete post 6 Considerations for International MBA Applicants.  for more information

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Heat of Round 1 deadlines and Light of Deepavali Celebrations

Its been long since I got time to write a blog post. Time is flying by and even before I could realize, my round 1 deadlines are just a week away !!

Week days just disappear at work. Only one positive thing is that I have resumed my yoga classes so it has been helping me in keeping the sense of balance in life.

But after morning yoga and a busy day at work, am really not able to work on my essays in the week nights. So it leaves the weekends to my rescue. This weekend is a 3 day long weekend because of deepavali festival. Deepavali is one of my favorite festivals when we light a loads of lamps to lit up our houses and burn crackers. It symbolizes the journey towards enlightenment.

So that exactly reflects my state. Feeling the heat of fast approaching deadlines, enjoying the light of deepavali celebrations.

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Exciting new development - Am now a MBA Channel Blogger

Image courtesy : MBA Channel

Exciting new opportunities continue to come my way, thanks to my madologue blog. Few days back I was approached by MBA Channel with an opportunity to be their applicant blogger and I happily agreed. Today MBA Channel published my first post on their student blogs section.

Be sure to check out my first post on MBA Channel : http://www.mba-channel.com/blogs/article/the-mba-decision-push-vs-pull-factor/

I will share my applicant journey with MBA_Channel readers twice a month along with this blog and MBA in The USA website. Am really excited to be reaching out to a wider set of audience and applicants and to be able to share my perspectives with them.

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Darden admission event and my rants about the little small things in life and the big impact

This is a long pending post about my experiences about Darden admission reception at Bangalore. I would like to dedicate this post to few people who inspired me to write this post. The two Bangalore auto drivers who made sure I attended the event and the Dean at Darden school of Business, Mr Bob Bruner. Read on to know why.

I have always felt a liking towards Darden school and culture. I have a personal liking towards the Darden admissions director Sara Neher, specially so after watching her video blogs. I had also heard a lot about the Dean Bruner.I got a chance to meet him in person and it all started when I got the mail about Darden admission reception at Bangalore in September. I was thrilled to learn that Dean himself will be present at the event and I registered immediately.

Comes the admission event day and things were far from being perfect. Work was hectic as usual and it was pouring heavily in Bangalore. When I finally finished my work and came out of office to go home, it was raining cats and dogs and I had no option but to drive back home on my bike in that heavy rain. After that crazy experience I decided to play safe and take an auto to venue instead. Then started the usual scene of Auto driver tantrums. In Bangalore auto drivers have the bad reputation of being snobbish and not people friendly. One should reach out for a minimum 5 auto drivers before they agree to drop you to your destination. And things get worse if its night and topped up with heavy rains. After 10 minutes of a failed auto hunt, I was getting impatient to stand on the road in the rain. Finally one auto driver agreed to drop me to my venue that too at the normal price (God bless him). I don't remember his name or face but I can never forget his sense of duty and honesty. If at all I get into Darden, he will have his share in it..

I reached the venue bit late and found that people have already reached. The setup was very warm and informal and we had Dean Bruner, Asst director of admissions Sandy and alumni Jatin representing Darden. All of them were very friendly and open to all our questions. I was just waiting to meet dean Bruner who was having a chat with few other aspirants and I joined the group. It was the 1st time I was meeting the Dean of some top Business school. He was very warm and friendly and introduced himself to me. That friendly gesture helped me open up and I had some great time chatting with him about my questions about MBA and Darden. I asked questions about University of Virginia campus, First coffee at Darden and learning teams. And the answers he gave was detailed and perfect. He vividly explained his thoughts and each of his answers were reconfirming my fit for Darden. I never expected to have such a friendly conversation with The Dean himself. This is something I will cherish in my memories.

I can't wait to apply to Darden and I have moved back Darden to round 1. I have done enough of research and am confident about putting my best foot forward in round 1 itself. I have always felt that fit for this school and I hope I will get a admit. I hope to meet Dean Bruner again in first coffee. (Addition to my dreams list)

And it was the same experiece while going back home : it was still raining heavily and auto drivers were still refusing to come or asking exorbitant money. But again I met one more honest auto guy who safely dropped me back home. These are the kind of people who command very high respect from me. 

So what was my take away from this experience

• A chance to meet and interact with Dean. A lesson that a person can still remain friendly and down to earth even after achieving great things in life. 
• The profession can not decide the worth of a person but the passion and honesty about the profession is what makes one respectable. 
• The actual strength lies in lasting that extra mile while backing out at any moment might mean that you just missed reaching your goal. If only I had decided to go back home after failing to get an auto for long time, I would have missed the whole new experience.
  

That day I met 3 persons who were just the kind of persons I love to meet ; honest and passionate about what they do. Dean Bruner and 2 auto guys. This post is for you guys.. You guys rock !!

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Madz