Showing posts with label tepper. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tepper. Show all posts

4 weeks @ Tepper - QSRP and Orientation

Its really true that time flies by. Its been almost a month since I came to Pittsburgh and started my MBA journey. Am already so engrossed by the MBA course that I have not been able to take out time to blog. Here is a brief list of things I did in these 4 weeks.
  • First 2 weeks was a math refresher bootcamp called QSRP - Quantitative Skill Review Program. Coming from an engineering background, the course was not of great use to me as  I had covered most of the topics in my undergrad courses. But this course did help me to settle into the school atmosphere, get to know my classmates and etc.


    Swartz Entrepreneurship bootcamp also ran in parallel but I did not enroll for it but heard from my friends that it was a good experience for people with plans to turn entrepreneurs in short or long term.
  • Attended my first ever baseball game during the QSRP week @ PNC park in downtown Pittsburgh. Though I din't enjoy the game  so much, the crowd, stadium and the experience as a whole was enjoyable :)
  • Orientation was very useful in terms of introducing us to various things that MBA life will be made up of. Various career sessions, alumni panels, networking sessions were really useful.
  • One day picnic @ Camp Guyasuta was an amazing experience. We were challenged to perform different physical activities like rock climbing, ziplining, pole jumping. I pushed my own physical n mental boundaries that day by daring myself to do activities which seemed impossible at the first look. Amazing day, amazing learning !!
  • Most special part was mostly the celebration of Indian Independence day on August 14th Midnight (August 15th). Dressed up in Indian attire, Indian National Anthem, Indian food  = One memorable night !!  
Also exploring the city of Pittsburgh a bit. So that sums up my first 4 at Tepper. Classes start at next monday and I cant wait to get completely engrossed in the experience. 

 

A Glimpse of the beautiful CMU Campus

Hello !! You all know most of my posts contain atleast one photo which I think is relevant to that post. Sometimes I spend more time searching for an photo than I spend on writing the post. I am a visual person and I like my posts with photos.. But this post is a lil different. Am gonna upload some of the pictures I clicked in the beautiful CMU Campus. So go on and have a look !!!


Inside the Tepper School of Business.


Do plan for a campus visit to explore more if Tepper is among your target schools..

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.
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. 
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 
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 !!

USA Student Visa - U.S. NON IMMIGRANT VISA APPLICATION PROCESS FOR INDIAN STUDENT APPLICANTS


I have started my quest for one more terra-incognito - US student visas. I am in the process of arranging my funds, getting my I20. Once these 2 things are done, I can apply for my visa. But I started on gathering the basic information about getting an US visa. This post is to share the information which I have gathered to help the my blog readers.

The useful step by step information I have put in below is taken from VFS website

Step by Step process
Determine your consular district and visa type.


Obtain a photo that can be uploaded and meets form specifications.


Access the form DS-160. Complete your DS-160 application online. Save often to your desktop! Answer questions as thoroughly as possible before submitting, as incomplete forms may not be accepted.


Print the DS-160 barcode confirmation sheet at the end of the DS-160 application on a laser printer. After you have printed it, email the confirmation page to yourself so you have a backup copy. The file is a PDF file, so Adobe you will need Adobe Acrobat on your computer to open it.


Pay the visa application fee at an approved HDFC bank.


Make your appointment using your barcode number and fee receipt. If appropriate, use the “coworkers/family members traveling together” option. Then, download and print your VFS appointment letter.


For Mumbai district applicants only: Drop off your required documents three working days prior to your appointment at a VFS center in Mumbai, Pune or Ahmedabad.


Report for your interview at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate fifteen minutes before your appointment. Carry appropriate documents and follow security regulations. All applicants can find a list of documents under their visa type in the All About Visas - Non-Immigrant Visas section.


Approved visas are returned by courier. Click here to track your passport.
Websites of U.S. Missions in India New Delhi Chennai Mumbai Kolkata Hyderabad

Documents needed for the Visa application/interview
This webpage has all relevant information about students visa application and required documentation - https://www.vfs-usa.co.in/USIndia/nonimmigrantvisas_student.html. For the quick reference here are the documents that are required (list may not be extensive) for Applicants applying at the U.S Embassy, New Delhi / U.S. Consulate Chennai, Hyderabad or Kolkata

Mandatory Documents

Valid original passport. You are recommended to have passport valid for at least six months beyond your interview date.
One photograph as per specification.
CEAC Barcode printout.
Valid HDFC Bank visa fee receipt. (Embassy copy)
Original interview appointment letter.
Original form I-20 or DS-2019 as applicable.
Form I-901 (Sevis Fee Receipt)

Additional Supporting Documents required at the time of interview

Principal Applicant
Evidence of financial resources: proof of liquid assets sufficient to pay for the entire first year of education and living expenses as well as proof of readily available funds to cover the remaining year(s) of studies.
Proof of your relationship to the sponsor (such as your birth certificate), the sponsor's most recent, original tax forms, and the sponsor's bankbooks and/or fixed deposit certificates
Original degree certificates along with mark sheets.
Original Bachelor degree transcripts or high school diploma along with mark sheets from previous institutions attended.
Relevant test scores, e.g. TOEFL and SAT, GRE, GMAT or LSAT
Unlike F-1 visa applicants, M-1 applicants must demonstrate the ability to pay all tuition and living costs for the entire period of their intended stay and cannot work while in M visa status.

Spouse / Dependent Children

An approved form I-20 from the principal applicant's U.S. school or program with the dependent's name included;
A copy of the Form I-20 of the Principal Applicant.
Photocopy of the Principal Applicant’s valid visa (if applying separately).
Original Marriage Certificate (for spouse) along with your entire wedding photo album.
Original Birth certificate (for each child).
Additional financial resources to support the dependants


Wait time for US Visa
Advance travel planning and early visa application are important. You can use this website to calculate the Visa wait time depending on your locality  - http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/wait/wait_4638.html


VISA FAQs
This FAQ section answers the most common doubts, we applicants can have about US student visa
http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1268.html

This post is just to share the information I have gathered through online search. I will be writing a post about my personal experience of getting my US Student visa once I go through the process.

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.

International Festival 2010 - Tepper CMU

Was watching this video just posted on youtube. Was amazed by the diversity and talent of Tepper students. Have a look.

Search on for U S Cosigner

Hi all, its been pretty silent from my end. I was taking time to decide between Olin and Tepper. Given my goals in Technology and experiences with Tepper adcom and alumni, Tepper felt like the best fit for me and my goals. So here I go.. Tepper it is..

But with this decisions come tons to things to do.. Tepper has no loans without U S Cosigner. I don't have any immediate relative who is an US permanent resident or citizen. So I am trying to find a potential US Cosigner in my personal network. I hope to find one who will play a pivotal role in my MBA dream.. Will I find one ??

I met this Tepper Alum in Tepper event.

Alumni network and connections can be one of the biggest takeaways from the MBA program. Carnegie Mellon really scores on this front. CMU brand is also strong back in India. I feel its mainly due to the legendary Computer Science school at CMU.

In the Tepper event that happened in Bangalore, as I told in my previous post  there were 5 Tepper alumni present and ready to share their story with us. One among them was Vikram Narayan who currently heads a technology enterprise in Bangalore.

But I just found more about his entrepreneurship adventures. He was featured on the YOUNG TURKS ON THE ROAD (CNBC) show. Here is what I saw and I am thrilled to know what I learned about this alum. Hats off Vikram.

Weekend with Tepper in Bangalore

Hey all,

Hope you all had a great weekend. I had a highly social weekend this time.
Great people, Sumptuous food and a great time - this sums up my weekend :) 

Apart from the couple of family functions I attended this weekend, I also had great time in the Tepper Bangalore event that happened this Saturday in Le Meridian Bangalore.

The event was open was for round 1 admits/WL , round 2 applicants. Tepper Adcom members James Frick and Gwen Stanczak were present at the event. Occasion was also graced by 5 of the Tepper/CMU Alumni now based at India.


Alumni Panel was a informational discussion where each alumni shared his thoughts about why they chose to do MBA, why Tepper was their natural choice and how Tepper MBA has helped them to reach the stage they are now at. I could really draw some inspiration from these Alums and felt great to know that even I can learn all that and more from Tepper. One thing that really helped me cheer up was when one of the Alumni who is a teetotaler shared his experience at Tepper that how his friends respected his values and made his life easy at Tepper. That really means a lot to me. B school is where I can be myself even amongst 100 demanding cultural changes :) Am happy :) 

Then there was a MBA information session and the following video by current Indian students.
Indian community is very strong at CMU and that's a good news again :)


Also networked with few of the fellow admits and prospective applicants. And it feels kinda cool when so many people come and ask - Hey you are the Mad Bubbles right !! I like your blog..
World is really small.. I am not really as anonymous as I intended to be...

So whats up with you folks..

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 :) 


Tepper's cool new acceptance video

Yesterday morning when I received the Tepper decision email, it had a link to this cool new acceptance video. Thought I will share it on my blog




While doing this I learned how to grab the flash videos from web and embed them in blogs :) Yeah :)

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The first taste of Success - Tepper says welcome :)



My 1st moment of  success in my MBA journey is here :) Without any further ado, I am admitted to Tepper class of 2012 and have been selected as a "Forte Fellow".

Now for the full story -

I am a round 1 applicant to Tepper CMU and was interviewed in November. Today morning when I opened my inbox, there was a mail from Laurie Stewart, Executive Director at Tepper school of Business waiting for me and the subject line said  Exciting news from the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon. This gave me the initial good feeling about the results. The mail read




 
Dear M,

Hello from the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon! I am writing with exciting news. To learn more, select the link below (or paste the link into your browser). The link will open a brief flash application. Once the application has ended, please click on the buttons for additional information.

http://www.tepper.cmu.edu/bschoolnews2010

Sincerely,
Laurie Stewart
Executive Director - Masters Admissions
Class of 1987
Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon

I followed the link and there it was - I have been admitted to Tepper class of 2012 and have been selected as Forte Fellow. This is really a honor to me to be selected as Forte Fellow and my admission letter said the reason for this selection and I am delighted to hear that :)

We have chosen you as a Forté Fellow because of the high regard we have for your credentials and our view of the positive impact you will have on our entering class.

So that's about my 1st moment of success :)

Tepper interview invite and preparation resources



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

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

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

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


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News from Round 1 of MBA Applications


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

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

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


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My 1st school target - Tepper CMU


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

This post is to share my findings about Tepper CMU.

  • Know more about Tepper MBA - Watch this video


  • International festival 2009 at Tepper CMU



more to be added later


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