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!!!!

A request - Dont ask for other's MBA essays

One of the nicest takeaways of starting this blog is an opportunity for me to interact with several new people who visit my blog. Everyday I get emails from my blog readers. Most write to ask info about MBA admissions process and some write just to connect with me. I am really glad to connect with my readers and also help them in their MBA application process within my time limits.

But off-late am noticing a disturbing trend. Few of the readers are asking me to share my MBA essays with them and I am not at all happy with this. It has 2 very practical reasons

1. MBA application process is all about being yourself. Everyone has a unique profile and a unique story. And a MBA essay is mostly about YOUR story. So that directly implies that one has to come up with his/her OWN story to make it successful in MBA admissions.
   
   Though its not wrong to refer to sample essays to get an idea of format & language used, referring too much to others essays is sure shot formula to doom in the MBA application process. Why ? Simple - Once we have a ready-made essay with us, it will definitely impact one's willingness to dig into his own life to come up with his personal story.
   
   So for your own good, never ever have others' essays as your starting point if you want to succeed. Instead spend a lot of time in introspection and come with your OWN story. Remember there is no right or wrong answer to an MBA essay. Its all about BEING YOURSELF. And remember it pays !!
   
2. Secondly, if anyone is planning to take a short cut route to MBA admissions, remember we have some super experienced guys as adcoms. They usually read some tens of thousands of essays every year and with that magnitude of experience they can readily say how much of your story is truly yours. Read this interesting article on Business week - http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/blogs/mba_admissions/archives/2010/01/turnitin_begins_crackdown_on_plagiarism_in_admissions_essays.html

This is my sincere effort to make (few) my readers understand the importance of coming up with own essays. Being said that, you should definitely involve others for essay reviews. I hope they take it on a positive note and rock in the admission process. I only want my blog friends to succeed.

All the best !

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

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

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.

----

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.

----

"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 ??

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 !!!

-----


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.

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 :)

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

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.

=============================================

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 :) 

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

The Nothingness syndrome !!

I have a peculiar nature of feeling totally empty after a busy schedule gets over. Instead of feeling happy about completing the task, I kinda feel sad that I have nothing more to do at the end. Its mostly got to do with my disposition to enjoy the journey more than the destination.

yesterday I submitted a round 2 app which was very demanding and had kept me busy for long time. When I finally finished the essays and submitted the app, I started feeling that nothingness again. My next school deadline is one month away and I have decided to take a much awaited break from MBA apping process. I am hoping to get interview invites in this period and the wait continues. Darden are you listening ? Other than this, I have no MBA apping item on my plate.  I am so used to research B schools, write/edit/rewrite essays that it feels weird not to have to do any such thing.

I am thinking to start with MBA essay reviews which I have been doing for my friends and now want to expand to online friends as well. So if any of my readers want to get your essays reviewed, contact me.

Impulsive mail check syndrome

We all know how hard it can get to stop ourselves from impulsively checking our inbox and MBA forums for MBA application updates. Off late I was also suffering from this syndrome and thought its high time I find a way outta it. These things can lower our productivity in a big way. I have a big release lined up this month at work and I can't afford to suffer from this impulsive disorder anymore.

As a quick fix I installed this small piece of software called GMAIL Notifier. As the name says this software starts screaming out for attention whenever a new email arrives. Not only this, we can also read the emails, mark them read or even delete them through this simple interface.

After installing this, I never keep my gmail inbox open n this saves me some valuable time. How are you guys dealing with this impulsive disorder ?

--

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 ??

--

Time to revamp this blog

I love trying out new stuff and constantly reinventing things in life. I also tried to do the same with my blog. I have spent a lot of time to make my blog look good (atleast for me eyes). Learnt a whole lot of blog tools and tips.

Lost most of the widgets/menus when I tried to switch the template to a new simpler template today. This week I am busy in interview preps and my cousin's marriage !

But next weekend will be the makeover time for this blog. Will I go for a simple 2 column template or super-loaded 4 column template full of widgets ? I dono yet ! At times when I have more than one good choice, I often follow my heart and its gut instinct and this is what I am gonna do then also..

Till my next post, ciao !

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.

---