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 !!

Ding from Haas

After more than 3 months of wait, I got a ding from Haas today. But have no regrets for putting my best into this application.. Things are more clearer now.. And I have happily accepted what ever this MBA application journey has offered to me.. 2 admits (Tepper, Olin) and 2 dings (Darden and Haas) and infinite learning and some great bunch of friends.

So here I move on.. From applicant phase to pre-matriculation phase. Hearty congratulations to those who got in.. And empathy to those who couldn't..

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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What makes Haas my dream school ??

 

As I had promised previously in one of my posts,  I will be writing next few posts on why I chose to apply to Haas and why Haas is my dream school. I have applied to Haas in round 2 and Haas was my last application and my best application in terms of essay responses. I applied it as the last application because I wanted to make sure I submit the best application possible to my dream school.

One thing that clearly differentiates Haas is the emphasis on Leading through Innovation and creating leaders who possess Confidence without Attitude. And the Haas lives up to this challenge by being a highly innovative, collaborative and student driven community.As I have mentioned multiple times before, small class size and collaborative culture were among the important factors in my school selection and Haas easily scored in this. But what other factors contributed to my Haas dream ? Read on.. Here goes my Haas story

Informational Interview Haas student Pejman

My first peek into the Haas experience was through a current Haas student, Pejman. I thoroughly enjoyed conversation with him and his candid review of life at Haas and the MBA decision. He also shared his entrepreneurial journey of founding Magoosh with me. You can read the full interview on my post Haas Student Interview

They say 1st impression is the best impression and it was true for Haas. I was more inclined towards Haas after this interview and decided to dig in more. 

Haas in social media 

Visiting Haas is not the only way to learn and understand the Haas program. For me understanding the the culture of the school is as important as understanding the MBA program. Being an international, today I have a very good understanding of the school, MBA program, and the Haas culture; thanks to the wealth of information available online. Haas has a strong social media presence on twitter, linked in, facebook, blogs and more.Visit haas.berkeley.edu/haas/socialmedia to get latest updates from Haas.Also Haas students and alumni (e.g. Kryzak on gmat club) are very active on various MBA forums and are ready to share their thoughts and perspectives with Haas aspirants. You can also directly interact with Haas admissions team on the Haas messageboard. Also Haas students are very friendly and open to conversations. So I got in touch with few current students to get a more holistic view of the program. A good starting point to reach out to them would be to get in touch with the Haas student ambassadors

Berkeley coffee chat Bangalore

I attended the Haas coffee chat which happened few weeks back in Bangalore. Rohan Reddy, Haas class of 2011 was here in Bangalore to do the coffee chat and the session was extremely helpful in getting a first hand perspective of life at Haas. Unlike other information sessions, there was no big crowd. We were a group of 10 15 people who really were interested in Haas. So it was a very meaningful exchange of thoughts and ideas. I knew Haas had a very collaborative culture but after talking to Rohan I realized that Haas is a very student driven community. Right from GPA disclosure to course electives, students have the complete freedom to choose what is best for them. That is really nice to know about. I also learned more about 3 clubs which am most excited about - Redwoods@Haas (The Haas outdoors club), Berkeley Net Impact and Haas Technology club.
You can learn about various clubs@Haas by visiting this link : http://www.haas.berkeley.edu/MBA/student/

Why Haas is a perfect school for me

When I was researching the schools and learned more about Haas and decided to apply, there were many people who said -
"Hey Haas is great school but it is very particular about the work experience of the applicants. You have much lesser work ex than the school average and you are just wasting your efforts"

This did deter me a bit initially but the more I learned about the Haas, the more interacted with the Haas community, the more I loved the school. And I decided to go ahead and apply to Haas. I knew my candidacy was more than few data points. I knew I could relate my previous experiences ( in Technology innovation and social entrepreneurship) and my future goals really well with Haas MBA program.
(  I am passionate about emerging technology innovation and my current stint in a tech start up has further reinforced my ambitions for a technology innovation career. But I am equally passionate about sustainability initiatives. So my dream is to pursue a career in sustainable technologies like clean technology which would be a perfect way to leverage both my passions - emerging technology innovation and sustainability - making it a dream career after my MBA.)

And let me tell you Haas is big in both these fields. When it comes to technology, Haas perhaps has one of the best technology programs. And its specially has a strong focus on emerging technologies such as clean tech. The newly opened Haas energy institute, the cleantech-to-market program all are wonderful initiatives which ensured that Haas can really offer the best resources for me in my MBA. And of course the location of Haas with a close proximity to Silicon Valley makes it a top notch technology program.  To quote the Veritas Prep Haas annual report

One of Haas' truly distinctive elements is the school's focus on technology and its ability to place students into the tech industry. Haas sends 30% of each graduating class into the tech sector, which is not only the highest percentage among elite business schools, but is also twice that of the next closest programs (Ross and MIT Sloan). This emphasis, combined with Berkeley's tradition for innovation, leads to truly unique programs such as the school's latest push for the commercialization of clean technology.

I place high emphasis on Business ethics and the importance of having a socially conscious attitude in business. In fact this is what makes me interested in sustainable businesses. Haas again was able to amaze me with its strength in the field of responsible business.The Haas Center for Responsible Business is dedicated to "create a more sustainable, ethical, and socially responsible society". Just what I expect from a MBA program and more generally from the world of business. I strongly believe business is more about creating value to the people, to the society than just making profits.

Great technology program, wonderful opportunities to learn about clean technology, strong CSR focus and wonderfully collaborative community. Perfecto !!!! Now that's what I call a perfect fit.

The Haas application

What an application !! With 7 essays and 3000 words limit, Haas was the most challenging yet most enjoyable application I did in my MBA application journey. Fitting my ever expanding thoughts into 250 word essays was a real challenge and so were the other long essays. I have put in a lot of effort to reflect on my past experiences and how would I, with the help of Haas MBA, translate it to my future goals. I hope the effort pays off.

What next ?

Will I make it to Haas ? I will know by March 17th. Now all I can do is to pray that Haas also sees that ideal fit in me and embraces me into its wonderful community. Fingers crossed.

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Update 1
P.S Just learned that my dear friend Fábio Póvoa, also a fellow international blogger at MBA in The USA made it to Haas in round 1 with full tuition scholarship. Am really really really happy for my friend and he deserves every bit of it. Congratssss Fabio :) It will be great to join you at Haas this fall.

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Update 2 -
Haas is keeping on my toes. Deadline is approaching fast and I am eagerly awaiting for some news. Haas are you listening !! I feel strong is my strongest application and best choice in terms of fit. fingers crossed !!

Just created a RSS collection of Haas blog feeds. Get all the Haas news at one place.

This one is for people interested in Haas. As I told in my previous post - what-makes-haas-my-dream-school
, Haas has a strong online presence. It has multiple blog channels through which it updates about the latest happenings at Haas.

In an effort to help those who are interested to get the updates from Haas, I have created a RSS Feed collection which comprises of multiple Blog feeds from Haas. So all you need to do is to subscribe to my RSS feed bundle by clicking on the button below

Alternatively, you can anytime subscribe to this feed by using the widget "Haas Happenings" which you will find in the footer of my blog page. Following are the list of blogs which are included in the bundle. Please note there is no need to subscribe separately for each of this. Instead subscribing to the above bundle will get you the latest feed from all the below blogs. Enjoy !!

How to get into the Berkeley MBA Program   
The Director of Admissions for the Full-Time MBA program discusses the admissions process.

How to get into the Berkeley EWMBA Program   
Interested in a part-time program? Hear from the  Director of Admissions for the Evening Weekend         MBA Program.

A year in the life of a Haas student
Full-time students share their experiences getting a Berkeley MBA.
  
Part-timers juggle work and school  
Evening Weekend MBAs blog about maintaining their professional and student lives.

Classroom innovation goes beyond books
Full-time Berkeley MBA students share class projects that turned fresh ideas into firsthand experiences.

 Meet the Haas Student Ambassadors
HSAs work with the admissions office to provide a student perspective to prospective students.

Bringing high-tech products to market
The latest news and events taking place with the Management of Technology (MOT) Program.
 
Analyzing global issues
Read the latest from the director of the Haas School's Clausen Center for International Business Policy.
 
MBA students hit the (international) road
MBA students travel abroad as consultants as part of the International Business Development program.

A new phase begins - wrapping up round 1.. Time for round 2

 

So As I told in my last post, I dint get acceptance from one of my dream schools - Darden. It was my 1st ding but I recovered from it surprisingly fast and came out stronger and wiser. So that's about the image above - I always move up when I move on - Here is how I did that

Some Self Reflection -  Thought why Darden and me were not meant to be together. I feel its the fit factor. One, I am looking for a career in technology post MBA with a emphasis on clean technology sector. But Darden students usually focus on consulting, finance. So probably a applicant with a different career focus got ahead of me. Two, the Darden type interviews (read 30 minute monologue) are best done in person. Its very hard to gauge how you are doing in a telephonic i/v. I probably dint represent my best self in this type of environment.

Talked with my best buddy and one more buddy - This really helps. Go and talk to people who know you the best. They will get you out of the mess and put back that confidence and energy in you. I am fortunate to have my best friend S who knows me inside out and can get me out from any mess I get into. Also my MBA guru and dear friend P helped me in the process.

Get some cue MBA Blogosphere - you guys just rock. Right from Sarah of accepted.com to DreamChaser, Fabio and a fellow Tepper admit right away expressed their support and stood by me.. Thanks guys you all rock. It always feel great to hear from people who are in the same boat extending a warm hand of support.

Also having a admit with fellowship already really helps. I am fortunate to start my MBA results series with Tepper admit and the prestigious Forte fellowship. This ding saved me from the possible dilemma btw choosing Darden and Tepper.. Now in full swing am gonna enter post admit process of Tepper.

So that wraps up my round 1 journey. 1 admit, 1 ding and infinite learning. I am definitely a more self aware person. Ciao Round 1.

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Welcome Round 2

Though I already started round 2 quiet a time back, I really dint get to write much about it on my blog. To brief it up I applied to Olin (WUSTL) and Haas in round 2.

In terms of fit Haas is the best school for me (technology and social enterprise strengths). So I had decided to apply last for Haas so that I put in my best application. I will write a separate post about why I chose Haas. In short, Haas was a great choice for me and I applied in round 2 and waiting to hear from them.

I also applied to Olin in round 2. I must admit it was a pleasure submitting Olin app. So simple, So hassle free. No application fee, No recommendation required. I am interviewing with Olin today.

So what can you expect from now on.

1. As I start my financial aid process at tepper, I will write more about I20, Students loans, Visa process as I learn about them. Fellow blogger Hari has promised to help me in it. I hope this helps other international admits as wells
2. I also plan to write more about my choice of schools for round 2, specifically about my dream school Haas. The day I interviewed Pejman (Haas MBA 2010) for this blog , I loved the Haas culture and strengths. So you can read more about Haas.

That's all folks. Wish me luck for the Olin interview today.

A new chapter begins........ And am sure this phase of journey will bring much more to me in terms of happiness, success and  knowledge..... Am looking forward to it :) 

MBA student perspective series : Pejman, MBA candidate at Haas, shares his first hand experiences about MBA life

Hey all,

Am so excited to post the 1st ever interview with a current MBA student on my blog. To begin with I have with me Mr. Pejman, MBA candidate at Haas school of Business and Co-founder of GMAT prep site "Magoosh".

In this fun chat, Pejman will share his thoughts about MBA, Career, B school, Magoosh and more. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed doing this interview.

             Madz : Hey Pejman, welcome and a big thanks for coming up to share your perspective with me and my blog readers. Please introduce yourselves to our readers. Tell us briefly about your educational and professional background.

Pejman : Hi everyone, my name is Pejman Pour-Moezzi. I am a second-year full-time MBA at Haas-Berkeley. Prior to Haas, I was a consultant at Deloitte in the technology practice and prior to that I studied and graduated with a BA in Cognitive Science at UC Berkeley. Most recently, I have co-founded the online test prep company Magoosh.

2.     

Madz : Why did you decide to pursue your MBA?

Pejman : While consulting was cool, and I certainly learned a lot, my clients were mostly in the public sector and healthcare space – not exactly known for being at the bleeding edge of technology. My undergrad had equipped me with skills and interest in design and user experience and I felt like I could best leverage this experience in consumer technologies. I’m pursuing an MBA to prepare myself for this transition by building out my skill set, particularly in strategic marketing and opportunity recognition.

      Madz :  Tell us about your MBA experiences thus far.

Pejman :The experience has been awesome. It kicked off lightning quick with classes and club/social activities; so much so that it was a bit overwhelming but once you catch your breath you realize that it allows a tight-knit community to quickly form. With Haas being so small (~240 per class year), I love walking onto campus and knowing everyone I see. At the same time we’re part of a huge, world-class university so there’s really no limit to opportunities.

       Madz : How is active participation in campus organizations contributing to your MBA experience?

Pejman :Getting involved with organizations is key in my opinion. But I think this is an example of where the “less is more” philosophy applies – pick one or two groups and go deep. Having done just that with Berkeley’s Digital Media and Entertainment Club (DMEC) has helped me build strong industry contacts and knowledge. Our big annual event, the >play conference, is just around the corner – I definitely recommend checking it out!

      Madz : In retrospect, what do you know now that you wish you knew before you pursued your business education?

Pejman :One thing that seems consistently true but that people have a hard time coming to terms with is how quickly time passes by. Your MBA experience will be over before you know it and while it is a great place to “find yourself,” the more time you can spend defining priorities in advance of the MBA the better off you’ll be. I share this after observing so many classmates with start-up ambitions that are feeling the pressure of graduation looming around the corner. If you can come in with an idea already well formed and ready to execute you can really take advantage of your two years.

           Madz :  What factors should prospective students consider when choosing an MBA program?

Pejman :The different programs out there vary greatly in terms of strengths and culture – which is great as people are just as varied. Make sure you take the time to get to know the programs to find your best fit. Don’t just go off rankings!

           Madz : How available are internships and other hands-on student experiences? Any tips for landing?

Pejman :Recruiting, in my opinion, is less about resumes and cover letters and more about connecting with people. The most successful applicants have already networked with several people at a prospective employer, learning the intangibles about a company’s culture and as a result appear as more than just another data point on a recruiting roster.

      Madz : Tell us about your entrepreneurial business career. How did you initially get involved in Test Preparation Business “Magoosh”?

      Pejman :My friend, Vikram, and I formed Magoosh after our experiences with taking the GMAT. We saw an opportunity to utilize technology to deliver an educational experience more dynamic than a book and lower in cost than a classroom. We built Magoosh on the idea that “practice makes perfect.” Instead of forcing students through hour-long lectures, we believed the student is most successful when they learn by doing. So our platform is built around practice problems and keeping students active. We give the student hundreds of practice problems just like the ones they’ll encounter on the actual exam. By providing video explanations on every practice problem, the student learns salient lessons at moments of high concentration. The feedback so far has been phenomenal and we’re looking forward to improving the experience even more.

            Madz :How has your business education benefited your entrepreneurial career thus far and vice versa?

      Pejman :Lessons in customer development, rapid prototyping and business model innovation have been huge. In many ways the lessons I’m learning are very counter-culture to what people think of as traditional business education – but I can tell you that Haas has helped me develop these skills, so it’s good to check assumptions!

Madz : Anything else you want to share with our readers.

      Pejman :Take some time out to reflect on things – make it a habit. Success is less about horsepower and more about focus. The more genuine your goals are the more successful you’ll be!

It was a fun and informative experience talking to Pejman. You can visit his Linked In profile here. If you want to know more about Magoosh or enroll to its services visit http://www.magoosh.com

Hope you enjoyed reading this post. Be sure to leave your opinion !!

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Madz