Mistakes, Lessons, MBA and more...

Why MBA?

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Rastogi) — Mon, 23 May 2016 15:00:00 +0000

All the business schools have one question in common for the applicants - "Why MBA?"

It is be asked either in the application or during the interview. It is be asked either directly like "Why MBA?" or it could be asked indirectly like "Where do you see yourself after 5 years?" But it is always asked for it is very important for a business school to understand your clarity of purpose.

But let's be honest here - while applying to business schools, do we have this clarity of purpose? Isn't out true purpose is to simply impress the admission committee with great responses to make our way into our dream school? How many of us actually believe in what we write in essays or speak during interviews. Honestly, not much.

During my interactions with MBA applicants, students and alums in last 5 years, only 5-10 percent of them knew exactly why they wanted to do MBA before entering the business school; 40-50 percent have some vague idea and the rest just wanted to do MBA because it could give them a career growth.

Trust me, those 5-10 percent who exactly knew are the ones who made the best use of the time in business school in terms of classes to attend, clubs to join, people to connect, etc. etc.

So, it is indeed a very important question. But more for your own self, not for business school.

Take out some time and ponder honestly - "Why should I do an MBA?"

Guide For MBA

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Rastogi) — Mon, 09 May 2016 04:52:00 +0000

Few years back I was a MBA applicant with dreams to secure a coveted place in a reputed business school.

It is then I created this blog to share the mistakes I was making and lessons I was learning along the path towards a business school.

In fact, I kept the title of this blog as "mistake, lessons, MBA and more..."

The entire journey from preparing from GMAT to selecting the schools to crafting applications to polishing for interviews was very overwhelming. Many times, I wondered, phew...is this really worth it?

But after finishing this journey with flying colors against all the odds, I can proudly say - Yes, it was definitely worth it. It wasn't easy at all...there were lots of ups and downs, but at the end, the feeling to realize your biggest dream made all the pain worth it.

Now, after learning all the turns and twists in this journey, I want to leverage my first-hand knowledge and experience to help you.

I am going to transform this blog into an end-to-end guide for MBA to help MBA applicants to realize their biggest dreams.

Introduce yourself by leaving a comment below and stay tuned!

IIMA PGPX Term 1 - Captured to Cherish

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Rastogi) — Tue, 23 Jul 2013 20:35:00 +0000

April 4th 2013 and 85 of us walked inside the hallowed walls of The Institute - aspired, inspired and motivated.

A few were acquainted through social networks and alumni meets; connections were there but friendships were yet to born. Everyone, behind their smile, was hiding the anxiety of what’s in the store for the next one year, however, all were equally excited and proud of becoming a part of this prestigious phenomenon called IIMA.

We had 3 days before the classes – which few referred as the “days of our freedom before grinding”. Proactive ones among us coordinated introductory presentations and X2 alumni meet. That’s when for the first time we entered CR1, our temple for next one year – darshan timings from 8:45am to 1:10am with few sudden emergency poojas at 3:00pm. And the most prominent gyaan from X2 was – “it will come like a storm; don’t tremble, take it easy”. Did we?

All spent those 3 days arranging groceries, settling in new rooms, exploring the local Vastrapur market, mapping each other’s names with faces, carrying heavy-weight vidya from old campus to our rooms, playing badminton and pool, adjusting to the scorching sun, familiarizing with the beautiful IIMA campus, partying, and waiting for the unknown.

The course formally started with the grand inauguration dinner attended by many dignified professors. Spouses and kids were also invited, and it was a great way to interact with professors and mingle with 85 and their families.

The first morning, everyone was on time, well-dressed, clean shaved. Would this going to like this for long...ahem? ;-) We had heard the dreaded truth but the professor confirmed it on the very first day – forget your sleep, it is a luxury here at IIMA. And so, the course began.

All 85 were divided into 15 Syndicates – our core group to help us sail through good times and mostly bad. Every evening team members started meeting in their allocated syndicate rooms, trying to understand each other as well as the cases on multitude of functions and industries.

Inside the class we were dealing with the cheetahs, the elephants, the skylabs, the cash flow, the symphony, and outside we were learning to work together in teams of fellow peers. CP inside the class and assignments outside started taking the toll. The pressure eventually started building up with tougher cases, and the back log started piling up. "TGIF tomorrow" on Thursday evenings became a trendy status on chat messenger. Sleep deprivation was on its all time high and so was the caffeine intake. And then emerged some sleeping beauties :)

Amidst our busy schedule of attending classes, analysing cases, brainstorming with syndimates, completing assignments, making presentations, and experiencing morning light, it suddenly struck to a good soul that we are in campus for these many days and never played its traditional game – Frisbee. And a mail floated, Frisbee Tonight @ 10 @ IMDC lawns. And it became a routine for some. Sometimes we snatched people from their syndi rooms to play Frisbee for an hour.

We also started having our share of get-togethers on Friday evenings and dorm 26 became our adda. Sports enthusiasts formed the teams for badminton, tennis, squash and pool, and the big boys enrolled for gym.

The roller-coaster ride was taking up the speed and we all 85 were having a blast, learning something new with every turn and swing. The spouses and the kids in PGPX were good friends by then. They started meeting in the park, having potlucks, participating in cultural events, shopping together, having girls' dinner out, and the list goes on. All in all, spouses had started having the gala time!

We had our elections, some great pitches, and various committees were formed. Hats off to the election committee to handle the process so transparently and seamlessly. Focus industry groups were also formed targeting for specific industries, though some souls like me are still going to multiple focus groups, demeaning the meaning of focus. Hope we find our focus soon ;)

In between all this speed, our amazing speaker series committee managed to invite two eminent personalities - Mr. Ronnie Screwvalla and Mr. Annirudha Deshmukh, providing us the fortunate opportunities to interact and learn from the proven leaders. At the same time, the media committee also improvised PGPX blog and make our presence felt on FB and twitter. We also had some photo competitions during which few hidden photographers of our batch emerged.

In between we also had some fun time watching the shooting of a Bollywood movie taking place on the campus: an adaptation of Chetan Bhagat’s “2 states” - the main attraction was Arjun Kapoor, Aliya Bhatt and Remo. Some smart ones managed to get a click as well.

The ride was getting faster when suddenly we hit FRA and the its "surprize" downturns. But somehow we managed to ride pass safe. IIP decision was one more such turn that shaken up the ride near its end but IIP committee handled all the confusions and dilemmas very well. Hats-off to them!

By then, our sports committee was in place as well and it took out an amazing initiative to coordinate PGPX 2013-14 first sports meet with the badminton and table tennis matches. It was exciting to see everyone participating with full enthusiasm and spirit. Three evenings worth spent. There was one more sport played there. Check out the fourth pic below ;)

We also had a great time interacting with some of the Ohio students, who visited us for lunch in between a trip to other businesses in the area and even attended our marketing class. This is what some had to say:

The case study method used in PGPX program leads to a lot of interaction between the Professor and the students. The exchange of ideas therefore is very high and good for thought generation.

By now, all of us were tuned to the exams, surprise quizzes, complicated cases. Discussions on cases were shifted from syndicates to coffee shops, and in syndicates we started doing better things - someone celebrating the joy of becoming a proud parent or someone enjoying the feel of getting older (wiser) by an year.

Out of many good things, Connexions planning was one that took off early this year. That gave us a lot of time to strategize the event better, invite extraordinary speakers, coordinate among all the required committees and stake holders, and most importantly improve the PGPX brand.

When MSH folks felt a little out of touch, the amazing dorm people invited all MSH with their families to a class dinner. It was a welcome get-together which started with a paper dance, followed by delicious dinner, concluded by ice-cream and lasted by some great friendships.

Within no time, we were giving standing ovations to our profs after their last lecture for Term 1, and were buckling up for our end term exams. However, some felt exams were more relaxing than the daily cases and assignments ;)

The 1/5th of our ride was over in a blink, and we marked this end of term 1 and the beginning of term 2 with a bash - KAISHI KINEN - 歓迎幸せ (A Happy Beginning in Japanese) - in which the entire batch and their families came forward to make it grand.

The ride is still on. It is not going to be easy however it promises to be more thrilling and much more exciting. Stay on!

One month into PGPX program in IIMA

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Rastogi) — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:06:00 +0000

I am little more than a month old in IIM Ahmedabad and what a month it was.

New subjects, long studying hours, sleep deprived days, surprise quizzes, individual and group assignments, daily case-study preparations, mid-terms, presentations and much more. It sounds really overwhelming isn't?

But the feeling of living inside IIMA and learning with so many exceptionally talented professors and students made it really worth it!

All 85 of us are grouped in teams of 5 or 6 and we call each them a Syndi. I am in Syndi F with 5 more. Each Syndi has its own Syndicate room where we meet for our group studies, mostly post dinner. Going to have huge projectors in each Syndicate rooms soon and plans of a movie together is already cropping up ;)

I have to write short today because of two assignment submissions tomorrow, 2 quizzes in this week, 3 presentations, and end-term starting from next week. But from now on I will sincerely try to come here and blog. For now, please enjoy the video of our one month into PGPX, IIMA prepared by me and my classmate. Hope you like it!

Cheers,
A

IIM Ahmedabad Calling :-)

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Rastogi) — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 23:39:00 +0000

In one of my posts in 2010, I wrote, if I deserve it, I will get it sooner or later...(read entire post here) Finally, I got it.. Yes, I got selected in IIM Ahmedabad PGPX. The biggest dream of my life has come true :)

Finally, I am gonna be an IIMA grad... Whoa, after writing so many posts about my rejections, mistakes and learning, the feeling of writing a post of my admit to the top business school of India and 11th ranked program in the world its so overwhelming.

I am really grateful for all the people who directly or indirectly supported me throughout this long turbulent journey. And funny it may sound, but I am grateful to even myself for having strong faith and perseverance.

I am flying back from US in two weeks to enjoy the most awaited one-year roller coaster of my life. It starts on Apr 8th 2013. Stay tuned!

IIMA calling :-)

Applying for your MBA? What Matters Most on the Path to Admissions

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Rastogi) — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 03:03:00 +0000

I'll never forget how nervous I was when I was first started applying for my MBA. The whole process can feel like a terrifying experience when you first start applying to schools, but should you put in the work and time, you'll be accepted to a great program and on your way to obtaining your MBA in no time.

Looking back, I wish I had someone to help me get through the MBA application process. Don't get wrong; the application itself wasn't hard to figure out. The most difficult process was knowing what areas I should focus the most energy on, whether it be my GMAT scores, letters of recommendation, work experiences, or volunteer time. If you're about to start the MBA application process, here are four areas you should focus on the most.

Work Experiences

It's easy to say you have an interest in something; it's an entirely different story to prove that you do. Before turning in your MBA application, make sure to draw attention to any and all work experiences that indicate you have a strong interest in business administration. People with all different kinds of majors eventually decide to get their MBA, but what matters most to admissions is what you did with your degree(s) after college. If you have absolutely no work experience, perhaps it would be a good idea to take a job at an evolving, ambitious company for a while and mention that unique experience when you decide to apply for your MBA the second time around.

Letters of Recommendation

On paper, we can make ourselves sound fantastic, but without people to back us up, we are just spouting a bias point of view. Whenever you're applying for your MBA, seek out those teachers, mentors, and colleagues who inspired you to drive forward in your career and ask them to write your letters of recommendation. It's always best to choose someone who knows you and your work ethic very well, so your letter will sound genuine as opposed to generic.

Essays

I think essays are the most important part of the admission process. Think of it this way: the essay is the only place in the whole application process that you really get to express your passion, creativity, ambition, and enthusiasm. Through your words, you'll be able to emphasize why it is you want an MBA and what you plan to do with it years down the road. Never underestimate the importance of essays because the last thing you want to do is put your enrollment opportunity in jeopardy just because you didn't care enough to write one or two essays well.

Academic Performance

Sorry to break the news to you, but your prior academic performance is one of the most important things to MBA admissions. So if you did extraordinarily well during your bachelor's or master's degree program, that's great; make sure to highlight that in your application. If you didn't do that well, perhaps you should focus more on the areas in which you did succeed, such as work experiences, awards, volunteering, etc. It's not a complete deal breaker if you didn't get straight A's in college, but just remember that an MBA is an educational program, so you'll certainly have to put in the work to do well when and if you do get accepted to a program.

GMAT Scores

Last but certainly not least, the GMAT is one of the most important factors in applying for a good MBA program. The GMAT is a strong indicator of your potential for academic success, so it's important that you dedicate enough time preparing for this required exam. If you've been out of college for a few years, it's probably best you spend a little extra time studying for this exam. Should you not do all that well on the GMAT, however, you can always take the test over again, and although your GMAT score is important, it's only one part of the admissions process. To get into a great MBA program, focus on creating a well-rounded application and don't fret too much over your GMAT scores.

Getting an MBA isn't for everyone, but should you find yourself interested in getting a business administration degree, make sure to put the most work into these four areas of your application.

Katheryn Rivas is a freelance writer and resident blogger at online universities, a site dedicated to distance higher education. She welcomes your comments at katherynrivas87@gmail.com. 

Don’t Bend the Truth when Applying to Top B-Schools: 4 Things Admissions Will Always Check

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Rastogi) — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 04:26:00 +0000

When it comes time to apply to business school, the process of application can often be more overwhelming than the decision about which school to attend. There are so many I’s to dot and T’s to cross, that making sure you have included the correct information on your application can take some effort. And, because all the information in this tiny acceptance packet can either make or break your chances to get into the B-school of your choice, it can be tempting to, shall we say, bend the truth here and there. However, the top business schools in the country are more than prepared to thoroughly vet their applicants. Once your application has been accepted and moves into processing, it will be gone over and verified. Here are the top five areas where admissions will make sure applicants have their facts straight:

1. Undergrad Attendance

The first thing that a business school will check on is that you actually did attend and graduate from the schools that you listed on your application. Make sure that you include the correct dates, and the correct institution names.

2. Grades

You may feel the desire to bump up your GPA by rounding up. But, remember, this will be one of the first things schools will verify. If it looks like you don’t know how to round properly, your business school application may be thrown in the trash.

3. GMAT Score

Business schools will always check up on your GMAT score. Even if you include the correct documents, the admissions department, or an outside company, could be required to make follow up calls to verify that your GMAT scores are above board.

4. Employment Information

If you are thinking about bending the truth about your employment history, you are going to need a long trail of falsified information and collaborators. Business admissions will surely make calls to the past employers listed on your resume, regardless of the amount of time you spent there. They have the power to do as much fact-checking as they like about everything from start and end dates to salary.

5. Recommendations

If you list someone to vouch for your character, whether it be personal, professional or academic, make sure that they will be able to verify any of the information you have used as part of your application. If stories don’t match, it could signal a red flag for admissions

This is a guest post by a Houston-based writer, Jane Smith blogs about the importance and difference a thorough employment background check can make. For more information feel free to contact her at janesmith161@gmail.com.

2012 Write Like an Expert Announcement

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Rastogi) — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 16:12:00 +0000

Beat The GMAT's 2012 Write Like an Expert Series - Free Webinar Series

How would an admissions expert answer this year's top business school essays?

Beat The GMAT is back with their annual Write Like an Expert series! In this 14-part webinar series, the world's leading admissions experts break down this year's top business school essays. From HBS to Haas, experts analyze each essay 2012-2013 essay requirement so that you can craft your own story.

You can sign up for each of the sessions through this link.

"Write Like an Expert" Series Calendar

Harvard - July 31 at 5pm PDT
Stanford - Aug 2 at 5pm PDT
Wharton - Aug 7 at 5pm PDT
Columbia - Aug 8 at 10am PDT
INSEAD - Aug 9 at 5pm PDT
Yale - Aug 14 at 5pm PDT
Kellogg - Aug 15 at 10am PDT
Booth - Aug 16 at 5pm PDT
Haas - Aug 21 at 5pm PDT
MIT Sloan - Aug 22 at 10am PDT
Cornell - Aug 23 at 5pm PDT
NYU Stern - Aug 28 at 5pm PDT
Fuqua - Aug 29 at 10am PDT
Tuck - Aug 30 at 5pm PDT

Make sure you RSVP today!

ARINGO: GMAT Below 720? Get Accepted!

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Rastogi) — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 05:54:00 +0000

Aringo has helped hundreds of people with GMAT scores below 720 get accepted to the top MBA programs by bringing out the real person behind the application. Founded by a former Wharton Admissions Committee Member, we know what the top business schools are looking for, and we will help make sure that your strengths will emerge in your application.

Aringo and a-myjourney.blogspot.com are Admission Consulting Partners now. What does that mean? While signing-up with Aringo, make sure to tell them that a-myjourney.blogspot.com sent you and you would avail discounts.

Aringo Consulting Group Provides you with:

> Aringo helps candidates with GMAT scores below 720 get into the top-10 MBA programs.
> Free initial assessment
> Admission rate higher by 50% on average than normal admission rates for the top programs
> Round Table Strategy

Aringo’s clients have been accepted at Harvard (MBA) with GMAT scores of 580, 660 and 670; at Wharton with GMAT scores of 640, 660 and 670; at Duke with GMAT scores of 600 and 640; at INSEAD with GMAT scores of 630, 640 and 650; at MIT with GMAT scores of 660 and 680; at LBS with GMAT scores of 630, 650 and 660; at Kellogg with GMAT scores of 640 and 680, and many more…

Aringo Video: A top MBA with a GMAT Score < 720.

Ready to get started? Sign up with Aringo, make sure and tell them a-myjourney.blogspot.com sent you to avail discounts, and get started with your admissions process today!

Guest Post: Extremely Useful Education Information for the Prospective Business School Student

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Rastogi) — Tue, 29 May 2012 18:56:00 +0000

This guest post is by Alysia Dupuy from FindTheBest.com

For those looking to pursue an MBA program, choices are numerous and can prove highly overwhelming. To lessen stress in your search, FindTheBest has built an all-inclusive, unbiased, and data-driven comparison on all accredited U.S. universities with MBA programs. Encounter the best business school for you by refining your search to acceptance rate, mean GMAT admitted, in-state tuition, and much more. Need to boost your test score to match the bar set by that dream school of yours? There are plenty of classes ready to help you prepare, and the GMAT test prep courses tool allows users to easily sort through the vast array of options. Even if you are searching for a more personal, one-on-one study experience, the GMAT tutoring comparison allows you to find the perfect fit.

Whether you seek help with test preparation or wish to find the school that matches your preferred profile, FindTheBest’s data-driven education resources help you get there.

Hope to help!
A

Two Days Left to Apply for Beat The GMAT 2012 Scholarship

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Rastogi) — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 16:43:00 +0000

**2012 BTG Scholarship Announcement**

Two Days Left to Apply for Beat The GMAT 2012 Scholarship

Beat The GMAT (BTG), the world’s largest social network for MBA applicants, is now accepting applications for its seventh annual Beat The GMAT Scholarship Competition. This year, BTG will award scholarship packages for six winners, valued at more than $11,000. Each of the winners will receive one GMAT prep course, an admissions consulting package and a $250 GMAT voucher. BTG will accept applications until Monday night, April 23rd, and winners will be announced on April 30th.

“Giving back to the community is an important part of our mission,” says Eric Bahn, Founder of Beat The GMAT. “We believe that our annual scholarship is an important initiative to help talented individuals achieve their dreams of going to an amazing business school.”

Since 2006, Beat The GMAT has been able to distribute $193,000 in scholarships to MBA applicants.

The following companies made generous donations to make these prizes possible: Admit Advantage, Clear Admit, Kaplan, Knewton, Manhattan GMAT, Master GMAT, MBA Admit, mbaMission, Precision Essay, The Princeton Review, and Veritas Prep. For a full list of prizes, click here.

To learn more and to apply for a scholarship, please visit: http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/scholarship

Make the most of it!

A big thanks all my readers!!

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Rastogi) — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 14:50:00 +0000

I was on a weekend getaway when I saw a congratulations mail stating that my blog has made into top 3 MBA blogs.

This is indeep a proud moment and I would like to thanks all my readers for their support to make this happen.

THANK YOU ALL!!!

My blog in Top 22 MBA blogs. Your one vote could push it to the top!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Rastogi) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 22:11:00 +0000

Excited to announce that my MBA blog has been selected by eCollegeFinder.com as one of the Top 22 MBA blogs. The most important reason for this is YOU, my readers. This blog is a medium though which I could share my MBA information and help you in some way or the other.

So, now I request YOU to help this blog win and appear in the top of the list. Kindly vote for this blog by clicking on the badge on the right side of the screen OR by directly click here and select Mistakes, Lessons, MBA, and more.... The voting is open till March 30, 2012 5 PM EST.

Your vote matters!

Thanks a ton,

How to improve your chance of getting into a business school?

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Rastogi) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

As everyone of you might know, there are two stages of getting accepted into a business school. Your written application in which you need to market yourself and your interview in which you need to sell yourself. Improve on these two and you improve your chance of getting accepted. Simple?

Improving written application: A business school written application has many pieces, some of which you can improve and others you can't. Ideally, to stand qualified and competitive for a top-notch business school, all the pieces should be up to the par, which couldn't be possible for many. So the idea to improve your overall chance is to improve your best on the pieces you can improve to compensate on those which are below average and couldn't be improved. Below listed are the written application pieces:

1. GMAT: Try to score good i.e. 720+. This might compensate for the low GPA.

2. Resume: A good one page Resume could create a lasting impression. Jump to my earlier post to know about resume building in detail.

3. Essays: Your stories are the most important and could set you apart. They must be compelling but at the same time easy to comprehend.

4. LORs (Recommendations): This is also a very important piece and depends on how well you select your recommenders. Your recommenders must know you well and could back up your stories.

5. Professional Growth in both title and responsibilities: The companies you have worked with and the growth curve both in the title and responsibilities are very important. Remember, schools are looking for the leaders both in professional and personal life. Secondly, how many from your company have made into good business schools makes a difference. Means if you are working in company X where 1 of every 10 gets into a business school, improves your chances quite a bit.

6. Extra Curricular and community work: You can't improve much on these except you are planning to apply after a year or two and have enough time to work on these. But don't join just for the sake of the mentioning it your application. Be very serious about it, else they will make out in the interview.

7. University and GPA: Where are you graduated from? If it is a renowned university like IIT and is heard by the admission committee makes a difference. You can't improve these but could compensate.

Improving your interview: Interview is the final but the toughest part of the admission game from your side. No matter how perfectly who have marketed yourself in your written application, but if you can't sell it in the interview, they won't buy you.

You are at the interview stage means admissions committee likes your application and is interested in knowing more about you. Mostly a business school interview goes for 30 to 60 minutes and this is the time where you need to back up your written pieces, most importantly your essays and professional responsibilities, in a very smart and impressive manner, and this requires your soft skills, improving those is not easy and demand a lot of time. Below listed are a few ways:

1. Keep your responses short, succinct and to the point.

2. Rehearse your responses before the interview. You could record your responses for the basic interview questions (like why MBA?) and improve by listening and practicing them time and again. You could also practice in front of a mirror to get more confidence.

3. Take mock interviews with your friends and ask them for the honest feedback.

4. Take mock interview with the experts. There feedback is worth the money.

5. If you have enough time and not good enough communication skills, join a communication course / class and improve your communication skills to the best you could.

Hope this helps improving your chance of being accepted into a business school.

Best!

Straight from a Schulich MBA

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Rastogi) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 03:55:00 +0000

One of the MBA aspirants admitted to Schulich Business school mailed me asking the placement scenario in Schulich. Luckily one of my friends has just completed his MBA from Schulich and got placed in P&G in marketing. I forwarded this request to my friend and below is his response:

If you are interested in marketing, then only come to Schulich. In fact, even though I am a Schulich MBA myself, I will not advise Schulich in general to anyone. Moreover, in general this is not a good time to come to North America as things are pretty tight here right now.

Even after this if anyone is interested, then:
1) For Finance go to Rotman
2) For Consulting go to Ivey followed by Queens

And don't even look at other schools.

This is straight from a recent Schulich MBA. Hope this helps you decide.

I've failed over and over and over again

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Rastogi) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:13:00 +0000

Let's be honest, I tried for two consecutive years to get into top notch MBA schools and I failed over and over again. But in that, I managed to get 740 GMAT, I managed to get interview calls from a few of my dream schools, I managed to get a clarity on my goals in my life, I managed all the money spent in the process, I managed to be a fellow of Startup Leaderhip Program, I managed to a part of some of the NGOs, I managed to excel in my demanding job simultaneously, I managed to get married to the love of my life, and most importantly, I managed to keep my dream of getting into my dream school from shattering. I am back in business and I know, I will succeed soon!!!

"I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." - Michael Jordon

Fruitful were my last few weeks!

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Rastogi) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 01:27:00 +0000

Hello there,

I have a BIG smile on my face :-)) writing this post and have many reasons to back it. And to share with you these reasons in brief is the main purpose of this post.

Few of you, my readers, mailed me to check on me and asked me why off late I am not posting anything. This is the first and foremost reason of my smile making me believe that I have got some really serious readers following and I promise them and you to post more often.

A few people have approached me for guest posts and even paid advertising which signifies the popularity of my blog and the thought itself becomes one more reason.

Last few weeks I was working with 3 guys as a MBA application mentor and just completed applications with them under my initiative mentioned in my earlier post. I worked with these three for the first time and helped each with just one school application. We all have worked really hard and the increasing satisfaction in their tone with every revised version of an essay kept making me more confident and thrilled. One of them even wants to post a testimonial on my blog as a guest post, making me elated. Desperately, waiting for their interview invites now.

One of the weakness I had always felt in my resume was no international exposure. This weakness no more exists in my updated resume as from last 2 months I am working out of US and hopefully be here for many months to come.

And last but most important reason of my BIG smile is that I am getting married this December to the love of my life. Her name is Isha and we both are madly in love :)

Thanks all for this :-))

An Interview with Accepted.com

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Rastogi) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 19:29:00 +0000

Accepted.com has recently interviewed me and featured the same on their portal. Here's the link - http://blog.accepted.com/acceptedcom_blog/2011/8/26/mba-applicant-bloggers-interview-with-a-of-mistakes-lessons.html

Accepted.com wants to interview me!

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Rastogi) — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 20:17:00 +0000

Today I got a mail from Sarah Pritzker of Accepted.com that they've been following my blog and are enjoying reading about my experience as an MBA applicant. They want me to share my story with them in an interview that they'll then feature on Accepted.com blog.

This mail gave me a very good feeling along with a humble feeling I am having everyday talking to a few new applicants who are interested in my consultation.

Jump to my last post to check out my MBA consultation help offerings.

My friends' idea. My hard work.

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Rastogi) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:58:00 +0000

As I am still waiting for RSM result, I am glad to let you know that I am helping applicants with their applications for this Fall. I did help my two friends for quite some time and both of them got interview call as I mentioned in my previous mail.

That was indeed a very satisfying feeling and I would love to boast that at least in last two years I have grown quite good in reviewing Resumes and Essays.

So, the news is that both of my friends were really impressed by my offered help and understanding of the subject, and referred me to some of their friends. We talked over phone and three of those five became interested in trying my services. Though I never had thought about it myself but my friends, impressed by my consultation, encouraged me to charge for this. That would keep both the parties charged up, they said! :-)

And, this would also help me hire a professional editor, someone I real want to work part time with me since I know he is very good. This will help me concentrate more on the meaning of your content than the language of it. And, believe me that is what needed the most and that is what you will rarely find.

So, I have come up with this:

1. Guys, c'mon I know you wanna check me first: Send me any of your essays (150-200 words) or your resume and get it reviewed completely free.

2. Then, only if that first review brought a smile on your face: I have wasted a huge chunk of money (like 50K in one go :-( ) on some of the popular admission services just to feel badly disappointed. So, Let's begin with LOW MONEY and UNLIMITED ROUNDS of review (by me). Two final rounds of language editing would be done by the professional editor.

a. 500 INR for Resume

b. 1K INR per essay (<= 500 words)

c. 1.5K INR per essay (> 500 words)

FYI, all the three applicants had submitted their initial draft for review and two of them have already enrolled for one essay each. Not bad for the starters :) And, I love to feel that satisfying feeling, so gonna work real hard on these two essays!

Let me know if you want to know more.

SLP Admissions for Class of 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Rastogi) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 12:25:00 +0000

I'd recommend you to apply to the Startup Leadership Program Class of 2012. I've graduated, and become part of this incredible global network.

Here are 15 reasons why you must apply to the Startup Leadership Program Class of 2012. http://slidesha.re/b0RU0y

Here is a quick overview once again:

SLP (www.startupleadershipSLP alumni around the world (Boston, New York, Silicon Valley, San Diego, Beijing, Bangalore and Delhi).

To apply, click here: http://bit.ly/m3gt1h.

We will be taking applications to Bangalore only for one more week - till the 7th of August. Those interested are advised to apply well in time to avoid last minute rush.

Like us on Facebook for announcements: http://www.facebook.com/StartupLeadership.

Hurry up!

Interview Questions: Rotterdam School of Management

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Rastogi) — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 09:17:00 +0000

Yesterday evening, I had my interview with an AdCom of Rotterdam School of Management (RSM). This interview was over Skype because I was not able to attend the interview held previous week when she was in Bangalore (due to some personal reasons).

The interview started at 8:30 PM IST and went over for about 35 minutes. She decided to switch off her cam, because of dim lights in room. I was on cam.

This interview was a little different from my earlier ones in respect of some very new questions. Here they go (not in the exact order they were asked):

1. I have read your essays. I want to know why you chose this year to apply for MBA? Do you think it is a perfect time for MBA for you?

2. You have mentioned your career goal in your essays. Could you explain in detail about it? What exactly is your plan, which is your targeted companies, etc.?

3. I see that you have served in one of the companies for just 4 months? Why you left it so early? Do you think you could have waited for some more time there?

4. Tell me something about the NGO you are associated with and your responsibilities there?

5. If I say, that you are taking this interview for RSM, then what is that one key thing you would be looking in the applicant?

6. How are the key things that influences Indian businessmen or entrepreneurs in doing business?

7. How your friends describe you in 3 words?

8. What will you bring to the RSM community?

9. What is that one thing you are very passionate about at this point in your life?

10. What are the things that really daunts you when you think of coming to RSM?

11. Do you think you are a leader? Why you think that? What kind of leader are you?

12. What kind of leadership skills you want to improve upon in RSM?

13. What changes you see in yourself after doing MBA from RSM?

14. If career is not a factor, do you want to get settled in Netherlands or back in your country?

15. In one of your essays, you have mentioned about a very harrowing event of your life? What is the biggest learning you took from it? Could that event happen again in your life?

16. Why you chose this career in Information Technology? What drives you about your job?

17. If I say tomorrrow is your holiday, how would you like to spent your entire day?

These are more or less all the questions she asked. I will get to know the result next week. I am not yet selected in any school, and if this time I got selected, I will be in soup. I won't be able to leave the school nor I would love to have my honeymoon in there ;)

But still I hope to taste that soup!

Updates on my journey so far...

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Rastogi) — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 22:32:00 +0000

I am coming to my own blog after so long. It's a mixed feeling. I am feeling sad that why I didn't blog for so long. I think because my updates are negative, I was hiding from them and from my readers, like a child hiding from his parents after getting flunked. At the same time I am feeling good that, even though a little late, I am back to my blog and writing with a smile on my face. I have had always smiled while writing a post on this blog...somehow I loved this blog and my journey with it. And I deeply apologize to my readers, if they have visited this space with expectations of a new post or my updates.

I have lot of updates on my MBA journey and off-MBA life. Let me start with MBA:

1. You must have guessed by now that I am not selected in any school. Even though I have a 740 score and a quite decent profile, somehow somewhere I lacked miserably. Even my MBA mentors not able to judge the reasons behind.

a. One reason could be that I applied only to top-notch schools. ISB R1 (ding post interview), Ross R1 (waitlist post interview), Kellogg R1 (waitlist post interview), Richard Ivey R2 (interview), Harvard R2 (ding w/o interview), Stanford R2 (ding w/o interview), MIT Sloan R2 (ding post interview) and finally, Rotterdam.

b. Other reasons could be my non-IIT college, IT background and zero international exposure.

c. Another reason could be just above-average communication skills, which is not enough to compete; I feel so and will work upon it very seriously.

2. Important: I feel it’s necessary to mention here that I took the services from Kaneisha Grayson of The art of applying and found them totally waste of money. I am in MBA admission process for last two years now (unfortunately though), have worked with many people in this industry, and very well understand the difference between good, bad and worse service providers. And Kaneisha Grayson’s services fall, according to me and my experience, in the last category. I would strongly discourage you to take her services. I will soon write a detailed post about my horrible experience with her. Disclaimer: These are solely my personal views based on my own experience.

3. My Rotterdam is interview is scheduled for tomorrow and even if I get selected in this last school for this year, I might not be able to attend the school in January 2012. The reason for this I mentioned in my point 5.

4. Important: After scoring 740 GMAT, having two years of experience in resume preparation and essay writing, working with so many amazing, good and not-so-good mentors, and interacting with many alumnus, students and applicants, I have gained a real good insight about GMAT preparation, and essay writing and reviewing. If you have noticed, I have received the interview invites from almost all the schools. This itself explains the quality of my submitted Resume and Essays. Owing to this knowledge, I consulted two of my friends, in their Resume and essays for Ross and Darden. Both of them had received the interview invites. If you need any help or reference, drop me an email.

5. I am getting married soon with the love of my life and I am very elated because of this one reason. At least life is on progress for good, if not MBA then MarriageJ.

6. This doesn’t mean my MBA dream is dead. I am very much planning to re-apply with full enthusiasm and stronger profile in 2012. My love will support me for my MBA, she promised. But that time only to one-year schools. I am grown old for two-years now, and practically won’t be able afford them.

7. I am getting an opportunity to work in US for a few months. This would give me much needed international exposure and could shine in my resume. I am very much looking forward to it. Also for my honeymoon ;)

8. I am also planning to join toastmaster to nurture and master communication skills. Hope this would help.

9. Last but not the least, I have a passion for writing fictions and sketching portraits, which I had never shared on this blog. Follow me on my personal blog and let me know how much you like my work. I will wait for your comments there!

Seems like a lengthy enough mail to compensate my absence!

Never let yourself down by failures, God must be weaving something more pleasant for you!

Love…Cheers!

Power Eating For Exam Time - Guest post

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Rastogi) — Tue, 10 May 2011 12:40:00 +0000

Since its a season when many applicants are studying to slay the GMAT, here is a guest post by Lior for some wonderful tips on healthy eating during this stressful time. Hope this helps!

Exam time for students is not only a stressful time because of the extra study time required and the pressure of the exams themselves, but it often centers around a busy season as well such as Christmas for example, or Easter in the Spring. This adds additional time constraints to the student.

The first thing to suffer during this time is a healthy diet. Yet this is the time when proper nutrition is needed most. Extra energy is needed to be able to cope with the additional time constraints, and lack of sleep means their resistance to colds and flu are dropping. Here are a few hints to help keep you on the right track with your eating habits.

Pre-prepare

Take a bit of time to do some shopping for some quick healthy snack foods. These will come in handy when you are really pressed for time. Items such as granola bars and some veggies and dip pre-prepared are good choices. You can quickly grab them while you are on the run, or are studying. These will give you at least part of your daily quota of vegetables even though you are not able to sit down and eat a proper meal. If you prepare these at the start of exam week you should have enough to carry you through the week. Be sure to carry a few of the granola bars with you as they will carry you through as a quick snack when needed.

Health drinks

Try to stay away from the caffeine laden energy drinks. Instead, replace these with vegetable and fruit drinks. You will be replacing some of the vitamins you are missing as well as not stressing out your body with the caffeine. There are some great combo drinks available that are a blend of fruit and vegetables.

Meal Replacements

If you have to miss a meal, try to be sure it is no more than one meal a day. In this case drink one of the liquid meal replacement drinks. These contain a high quantity of minerals and vegetables.

Have a fortified breakfast

There are some excellent cereal on the market that are fortified with extra vitamins and nutrients as well. Make use of these and replace your sugar coated cereal with these at least during exam time, although they are good to be used on a daily basis and not just during this stressful period.

These are some tips on what to eat to help you get through exam time, but you also want to be sure you pay attention of what not to eat. Loading up on high caffeine drinks and chocolate only provide quick but temporary energy boosts, and are really hard on your body. Grabbing a bag of potato chips to stop the hunger pangs, is not a healthy move either.

With some careful planning and preparing some healthy meals ahead of time, then freezing them is also a great step to take. This way when you are pressed for time during your exams, you can quickly and easily heat up one of these meals and still be eating healthy.

This was a post by Lior who works for an MA in Israel program and also for the MA in political science program in Tel Aviv university.

I am in top ten of 2010-2011 Best of Blogging competition :-)

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Rastogi) — Mon, 09 May 2011 14:10:00 +0000

I am overwhelmed by this news. I am in top ten of 2010-2011 Best of Blogging competition :-)

Thanks to all the readers and voters. And many congratulations to other winners.

Cheers!
A