Details from the Charlotte MBA Event..

On Nov 3rd, had a chance to attend the MBA Event at Charlotte. Wanna keep this post short and crisp but will atleast try to give minimal info about schools of my interests. Comments from the below schools :

EMORY: My GMAT Range is within their 80% range and the adcom person asked if i can re-take, which i don't want to at this point, since i have given multiple attempts. So no other choice.. she told if the profile is really gr8.. i may get a chance.. But for Consulting placements, as we know.. Top Companies looking for 700 + :( at campus as well

UNC, Kenan- Flaglar: Again GMAT is on the lower end, can give a try though. The alum i met got placed in the same Client bank as mine and got her visiting card as well he he.. Reg Placement for consulting, she informed me that everyone got placed from her batch atleast.. :S..Also, there was a confusion about the In-State Tuition. My guess was, I am not eligible because i am an Intl Applicant but since stayed in NC for more than 3 yrs :S..... Even they were confused and asked me to verify with some other contact.

UCLA, Anderson: Not in my radar.. no comments :)

Georgia Tech: I met with the recruiting Mgr of GIT. She again asked me about re-take, which case my answer was a No. Well, interesting fact is she told my Experience may be a Plus.. again :S... hmm... anyways good placement records - well, as a matter of fact they have just 70+ students... I may go for a visit and give a try... Nothing decided on that front..

Kelley: yes. Gud adcom person. Very informative. Avg GMAT, atleast not too much of a hike than mine. Reachable though. But for consulting... ???? When specifically asked about Consulting, he informed yes we do concentrate on consulting as well (note that "as well" here... :) ). As we know, its major specialities is not Consulting... anyways..

Smith: Pretty positive.... She didn't have any problem with my GMAT. Of course no huge spike between mine and their avg Gmat.

Boston Univ: Ofcourse Avg GMAT is much farther than mine.. Didn't see any ray of hope..Its not on my list though..

Vanderbilt Owen: Again GMAT score.. same old story.. Consulting placements needs 700+...

Few other schools like Simon, Thunderbird, Hough(Univ of FL).. not my interests..

Fine, mostly i ended up hearing low gmat.. low gmat.. low gmat.. But for some reason..I was not very upset when i walked out of the hall.. May be I am ready to face the reality... Guess so... As my fav quote says " It is what it is, deal with it".. :)

- S Ak

MBA Event in Charlotte, Nov 3 2010

Well, just came across the "Inside the MBA" event scheduled to be held on Nov 3,2010 at Charlotte - Omni Hotel. Time slot: 6.30 to 8.30 PM

Below is the link for the same:

InsidetheMBA Event

The schools are UCLA, Emory, Georgetown, Kenan-Flaglar et al.

Looking forward to meet some folks from schools out there...

-S Ak

A Motivational scene at 6.15 PM ET

6.15 PM ET - Time i left from work today. Till then, i was planning to post a blog on a MBA event I am planning to attend next week in Charlotte. But a scene happened then, changed the post's subject.

Just started to walk from office towards parking lot, an approx 5 mins walk. Its a pedestrian signal for the road across my foot path. A kind-hearted lady, presuming she is an associate for the client company i work for, was helping a person - who has lost his sight ( Not sure if he is blind at birth or lost in the middle.. either way... ) - towards the pedestrian crossing. Yah..I know this guy. "The MAN of the Scene ", Mr. B is from the same building-org-domain for the client company I work for. He has been with the company for years and guess what, he is a REAL Expert in the application that for an ultimate clueless solution, people end up reaching him. I have been with him for couple of meetings ( on phone though !!) and he is a very confident person to quote.

When he was crossing, the scene made me to stop there for a while to make sure he reaches the bus stop safely. 10 foot steps away, I saw the lady - who helped him - was standstill making sure he is fine. Yes, everyday he comes by bus,goes out for lunch, and goes back home by bus - all by himself. I was spellbounded to see his confidence while he was crossing the 'uptown' pedesterian crossing. We have come across many people in our lives who are legally blind but this person whom i see everyday at work just crossed my mind today as a motivational example or even a perfect example of Confidence and Attitude. Just my thoughts on a scene i came across today......

- S Ak

HEC Paris - Profile Evaluation

Here you go.. for HEC Paris

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Thank you for the interest you have expressed in the HEC MBA Program and for having taken the time to submit your Candidate Profile. We have carefully examined the form you provided and would like to provide you a preliminary evaluation of your profile.

Like all leading MBA programs, HEC requires candidates to submit official GMAT scores. Our participants currently have an average score of around 670. Although the GMAT score is only one of the criteria taken into consideration when an application is evaluated, we feel that it could be in your interest to submit a higher GMAT score.

The HEC MBA Program is taught in English, with the option to do coursework in French. In order to succeed in this environment, candidates whose mother tongue is not English or those who do not hold a university degree from an English-speaking institution must show a minimum TOEFL score of 100 (ibt), a minimum IELTS score of 6.5 or a minimum TOIEC score of 850. In your case, it seems that the English language proficiency requirement may be waived; however, we cannot grant final confirmation of a waiver until we have received your completed application.

HEC MBA participants learn as much from each other as from our excellent faculty and high-profile guest speakers. Our class size of just 200 and our ideal program length allow our participants to benefit from the experience of their classmates, who represent over 50 different nationalities and have on average 6 years of professional experience. We believe that the professional experience outlined in your Candidate Profile would equip you to make a positive contribution to the HEC MBA learning experience.

Overall, we feel that you have a strong potential to succeed in the HEC MBA Program. Hence, we encourage you to submit a stronger GMAT score and fill out our online application form http://www.etheryl.net/HEC/application/, so that we may more fully evaluate your application.

Once again, please understand that this evaluation is a recommendation and in no way represents a final decision concerning your application. Our selection process is a rigorous one, with the final decision taking all elements into consideration. Please do not hesitate to contact us should you have any questions or concerns.

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- S Ak

Rotterdam School of Mgmt - Profile Evaluation

Just today, received the response from RSM.. So thought to post it.. will post the responses from other schools as well...

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Thank you for sending on your current CV.

First of all, please note that this is by no means an official evaluation. It is a brief assessment of your CV to determine your eligibility to apply for our International Full-time MBA Programme and will not be taken into consideration during the evaluation of your application for a final outcome decision.

From your CV, you seem to be eligible to apply for our Full-time MBA Programme. Your academic and professional background reflect some common points with the candidature of our programme. I would advise you to be a bit more elaborate in your CV. We are interested to learn more about the depth and scope of your work experience, professional conduct outside of the core responsibilities of your job profile, the diversity of your work experience etc.

For your convenience I have included some information about our application criteria and procedures for the Full Time International MBA. Apologies if this might duplicate information you received previously, but it is a useful tool to determine your approach to your application.

We use the following criteria to evaluate applications but please note that all applications are evaluated holistically and we treat all aspects equally.
Professional achievements and future goals
A minimum of 3 years of work experience is required. We are interested in your career development to date, the accomplishments you have made and the impact you have made on organisations. We are interested in what professional targets have you set for yourself and how the RSM MBA fits into your career plan.
Academic Excellence
Candidates must have a university degree. We closely examine transcripts of previous study, and in addition all applicants are also required to take the GMAT. Please refer to www.mba.com, for further details about the GMAT examination. We do not have a minimum GMAT score requirement. However, our average score is 650 which should give you a clear idea of the score range that would put you in a competitive position.
Leadership Potential
As all RSM MBA graduates are leaders in their fields, we carefully look at a candidates energy, drive, emotional intelligence, self-confidence and ability to manage uncertainty amongst other leadership characteristics.
International Outlook
Since we emphasize diversity in our International MBA programme, students need to be able to interact and work with people from significantly different cultures and professional backgrounds. It is an advantage if your previous work history includes international scope.
English Proficiency
Our classes are conducted entirely in English. Students are expected to have strong command of the English language. We evaluate your English proficiency during the admissions interview.
Personal Qualities
We prefer to admit applicants who are fun to work with, flexible and have a good sense of humour. We appreciate candidates who are committed to building long-term relationships with fellow classmates and the RSM.
Please ensure that your submitted application is properly completed and include the following documents:
Non-Refundable Application Fee (€ 100)
2 Letters of Recommendation
Certified Transcript and Diploma/Degree
Official GMAT Score Report
We do not have a minimum GMAT score requirement. However, our average score is 650 which should give you a clear idea of the score range that would put you in a competitive position

Admissions Interviews
After an initial selection, candidates with strong credentials will be invited for an admissions interview with an alumnus, staff member or faculty member for further evaluation. Motivation, communication and interpersonal skills are assessed during the interview. Final admissions decisions will be made after the interview comments are received and generally, the entire review process will take approximately six weeks following receipt of your completed application package.
I would advise you to open an online application in order to orientate yourself as to the process involved. There is no obligation if you open the application and you can save and go back in at your leisure.You can access the application via the following link: http://apply.embark.com/MBAEdge/RSM/

It is important that you submit your application as soon as you are ready.

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PS: I could see the responses are more or less the same for other applicants as well. May be little variations. But worth a try !!

- S Ak

List of Schools that provide Initial Profile Reviews or Feedback...

As stated in my previous post, I have started to work on my Application process. As a first step, tried for my Profile Evaluation in the following forums and schools.

Forums:

Beat the GMAT profile Evaluation

GMAT Club Profile Reviews

Schools that offer initial review or feedback on the profiles are:

IESE - Spain (Have a dedicated Link for Feedback)
Cranfield - UK (Have a dedicated Link for Feedback)
Rotterdam School of Mgmt - Netherlands (Please mail them for Profile Review)
HEC - Paris (First Step of admission Process is Initial Evaluation)
NUS - Singapore (Give a try by sending them a mail)

Though there are few schools where I have personally not tried Profile Evaluation but still one can get a response back are:

INSEAD - France/Singapore
Richard Ivey - Canada
Chicago Booth - USA

- S Ak

Well, the GAME is ON......

Its been like 4 months since i last blogged and I am back after an un-satisfactory low GMAT score. Had my final attempt last week and the result was -- Phew.... yup its low. Am i a real poor CAT taker..huh.. No clue.. and dont wanna think about it as well.

Followed by the score revelation, I submitted my profile details in forums and to admission consultants for evaluation. Ok the question is just two here.. 1. Whether to re-attempt - not a viable option eh !!... 2. or to Proceed with the app process. Of course, most (not actually most.. its all)of the responders came back with the obvious Option 2. I guess, its "Worth a shot but with a stellar application". Few tips from fella applicants - Amar, came across his blog recently though, but gud ones and Oh Ya, one of my best buddies, A who has encouraged me to the level till now he he - made me to move on . Thanks ya !!. After all this, the Game is on and moved on to Step 2, after a not-so-great step 1 (my GMAT).

One of my favourite quotes, "The lower you fall, the higher you'll fly" always made me to move on. "Its not that how much you fail, its that how much you bounce back.... "

With that said, I am ready to face the reality this time. Keeping my fingers crossed (Wish i had more fingers atleast for this lol..) and all set for the reality check. Working on shortlisting the schools. Lets see how it goes...

Hoping for the best !!!
S-AK

First Tutoring experience - In adult literacy Projects .....

Hmm.. today had my first tutoring experience and met my first student, Mr. P. It was a complete 1.5 hrs tutoring experience. Today's batch had around 10+ students and few students were coupled together bcoz of lack of volunteers, but i got one student and he gets the privilege and can be tagged as "my first student". He is pretty old and except name, we both didn't share any other personal info. He was keen to know my country but we are not supposed to share those info and hence i grinned for that question :)

I felt myself and Mr.P are the two people who laughed a lot during the class, may be its because i am the youngest tutor among all.. yes... you read it right, i am the youngest tutor there. Oh ya.. how can i forget it.. he told me, i am his gud teacher and i was almost spell bounded when he called me as"Mam"/ "Teacher" :). May be someone calling me as "Teacher" for the first time..He also added that i shud be really patient to teach him English, i m very much impatient in personal life but n professional life, I am totally patient. But today, i was really patient..At the end of the class, when asked by the Pgm Coordinator regarding the rapport b/w myself and my student, Mr. P replied directly to the Coordinator that i may not like him since i ended up teaching the basic spelling in English for him. My last sentence before leaving the place was " After all that's why i am here and he is doing really Gr8 !!!" .... :) :)

At the end of the day, a perfect self-satisfactory 1.5 hrs teaching experience... and looking fwd to go there weekly once

-S Ak

GMAT - My Typical Syllabus and Study materials

I have started again with my prep for gmat and came up with the materials to be covered. Below is my detailed syllabus -

Quants:
- Manhattan Books ( for 4 topics), OG Series, GMAT prep bank - with 175 + 75, 199 and 99 Questions collection ( didn't work on ths in my prev attempt)

Verbal:
SC
- OG Series, Manhattan SC, Adam Johns Notes, Psahil, Spidey Notes, GMAT Prep - 175 ques bank

CR
- CR Bible, OG Series, LSAT Logical Questions for practice

RC
- Manhattan Edition ( not so gr8), few RC Tips, OG Series, LSAT Practice Question ( didn't work on it n my prev attempt)

FLT
- MGMAT Series - 6 tests
- GMAT Prep - 2 + 2

With the above, yet my score was not great as expected - not even to the mark. Am i missing something ???.... Am i lagging somwhere or lacking sumthing... The biggest prob i had is, either in CR or in SC, i was always confused b/w 2 choices and was not confident on my correct ans. That would be the biggest problem, may be i am not strong on the concepts.. may be more revision.. Phew !!! With all this said, started with my prep again and looking for real gmat very soon for 3rd time - i really wish that would be my last attempt :) :) ...

- S Ak

Registered for my first project with Hand-on Charlotte

Well, in my last post have informed about the registeration with Red-Cross and Hands-On Groups. Had my orientation with Hands-On last week and BC was cleared, hence eligible to sign-up projects with 'em.

When i was looking for my area of interest, Literacy is one of it and so signed-in for tutoring a student at CPCC - Central Piedmont Community College. Core subjects are Maths and English. I am looking forward for weekly once schedule, starting this week. Called a best buddy of mine to inform about my sign-up 'thing' and got a response back in a typical male voice " Is that something gr8 for you to be excited ??????-- "..Ugh................ !!!!!!!...May be its not something gr8, but i m kinda inclined towards it.. thats all.. Lets see how it goes !!

I, coming to Red-Cross part, have showed up interest for projects such as Fundraising, Youth Education regarding disaster services awareness. Online orientation is still pending from my end and waiting on BC results. With that said, Red-Cross have pretty challenging projects like Ambassadors and many more which requires mandatory training and require lots of tours. So with my daily work schedule and horrifying gmat lol, other projects with 'em would be a tough call.

Oh ya, a cousin of mine with his friends, have adopted a village near chennai and I came to know about that recently, showed up my interest and now waiting for them to get back.

- S Ak

Crave for Volunteering and Community Services !!

Since my college, more precisely during my stay at Chennai, I always wanted to do something for the society or kinda community services. Have planned many visits to Blind schools and Old Age Homes in Chennai, but all those were just plans and nothing was executed other than the donation through CRY and Other Charitable Organization - a mere donation

After spending a year in Charlotte, sometime in Oct 2007 heard about Susan Komen Race for Cure - Fund Raising for Breast Cancer Survivors and Research Activities - typical 5K Run. The Race is scheduled during October - once every year in Charlotte. Started my first run in Oct 07 - was able to raise upto 125$. Since then, every year used to run for the Cure. More details are at Komen Race.

For past couple of months, was looking for a volunteering oppurtunity in Charlotte and had checked out possible sites but ended up in vain because of my GMAT prep ( No offence to gmat lol ). Thanks to Nikh, a friend of mine from work, who suggested me to join in American Red Cross Org, and provided me with all the possible links today - guess he knows i am lil lazy :) in searching net. This time, decided not to think more about it and not willing to waste more time :

- Registered in Red Cross Programs - almost 8 different volunteering activities for Charlotte area. Details are in Red Cross Volunteer. Waiting on Orientation Session dates from the Org

- Registered in Hands On Charlotte - Non-Profit Volunteer Service Org - Hands on Charlotte - Getting Started . Have also scheduled my orientation session for May 17th. One can start volunteering activities only after orientation session and background check ( which may take 10 business days) through this Org. Volunteers should volunteer atleast 12 times per year.

After doing some gud deeds for the day, I am feeling little satisfied for accomplishing step 2 on my community services [ step 1 is the desire to do it :) ] Cool eh !!

- S Ak

TED - Ideas Worth Spreading

I am back after 2 weeks almost.. Well came across a video of Shashi Tharoor for TED Conference about emerging India and about Soft Power. One can have many conflicting ideas regarding this but at the end of it.. a nice 19 mins TEDTalk.

So One Day 1 Pound = 50 paise ????...



- S Ak

Sometimes you have to let go to see if there was anything worth holding on to

Well yesterday -Friday, people get to go home with a jubilant weekend mood and with gr8 plans for their weekend. Since my entire week was kinda shattering, just for the sake of going home and absolutely with no plans other than hair cut appmnt for the Saturday, I started back from office. Was feeling real hard at heart since things are not falling in place anywhere - whether it be career or personal. When browsing thro net just for TP, came across something that carried lot of meaning in it - " Sometimes you have to let go to see if there was anything worth holding on to "

When digged in detail, couple of meanings flashed in my mind.. but the best ones are "Sometime you have to let go of the one you love, just to see if they love you enough to come back "..... other gud ones are " If you really love something, just let it go... If it comes back its all yours.. if not, its not meant to be". Let it be a person or your pet or anything you love, if they want to go away from you.. dont stop them.. just let them go...because they may not feel that they have sumthing until you leave them... If they really loved you, they wud be back .. If not, its very clear that you are holding onto something which you are not meant to and absolutely they are not yours....Huh ... Good one for the devastating week though :) :)

My Toughest Study Experience Continues...

During the fall of the year 2008, the crave for MBA somewhere in my heart drove me to take the first step. Hmm...that's when I started with my GMAT Preparation. With no serious study chart and with little interest, I was enjoying the fall and winter and one day, when I realised I was already in Spring - yes Apr 09. The So-called preparation bloomed and continued for next 4 months and in Aug 09, my first real GMAT experience - 2 days after my b'day :). Outcome was poor without any doubt :(


Just thought to take a week break, which got extended till Dec 09 unfortunately. Then triggered my preparation again for my second attempt. This time, i dont wanna call it a "so-called", because it was my real-study experience !!. With my tight schedule at work and project support for 24/7 ( not exactly 24/7 since offshore covers 8 hrs on weekdays though), GMAT is not a cake walk for me. Finally, after a while of my serious prep, got a grip of the pattern, which helped me to gain lil confidence.


The journey is certainly not an easy call. It has its own style of ups and downs. Trust me, had to give up my social life for past few months. Its been almost 1.5 years since I was not out of charlotte - yes it is :). I dont wanna blame gmat solely for the situation. Everything cooked up together - my interest towards studies, my prep, single POC at onsite for the project, mindset not to waste single min etc. With just 4 hours of sleep per day incl weekends for past few months, I was ready for my next real-take off.


The most important week of my life and the actual D-DAY. Here you go, today is the most awaited day of my real hardwork. From the title of this post, one can guess the result smartly. Yes the pay-back was not good, not even satisfactory but the only gud thing was its better than my first slot. Yes, the 4 hrs exam devastated my true expectations. I was totally lost for a while after i came out of the Pearson Center. Texted couple of my gud friends,who were expecting to hear a gud news from me, about the result. For the first time in my life, felt bad for not being a Native Speaker of English :(. After sitting idle in the car for a while, started to drive back home


Too many questions :"what went wrong ?, what s the real problem ?, didn't i cover all the reqd topics?, didn't i prepare well ?, was the level / amount of prep not enough ?, what was my weak area? how to improve? - all unanswered questions flashed in my mind when i was driving in I77- N and I85-N heading towards my home. The typical question came up as well - Do i need to prepare again / what is my next take ?.


I always used to think that GMAT is not my cup of tea. But this time, i decided to proceed with my next take-off and gonna start all over again. With the signs of Positive energy and confidence, I am gonna continue the journey... And hats off to my dearest friends who rocked amazingly well in their exams. It's not an easy show and YES, it is the toughest study experience ever in my life !!!....


-S Ak

The Story behind my first Blog :)

Yes, it was a Monday - first working day of the most important week in my life. Well the next blog of mine would solve the puzzle for the claim "most important week". Had a chit chat with a best pal of mine and he was sharing his blogs, which kinda inspired or motivated -whatever the right word we fit in - me to start one on my own. It doesn't mean I was not inspired by any other blogs, just that its a mere coincidence

The same evening while driving back home, just decided to start my first blog on 21st Apr and as I decided, I am here today...

-S Ak