¿Por Qué....MBA? One girl's MBA application journey!

March Madness hits B-School Applications!

2012-03-22T02:25:00.007-07:00

Mood: Truly Happy. My March Madness bracket may be shot as a result of my undying dedication and a blind faith in my alma mater (a 2-seed), but I'm standing by my choices. I had my team going to the championships against our arch-rivals, and to my embarrassment and dismay, we fell to a 15-seed in the very first game. Though I will always love my team, I cursed the $10 that I had thrown in our office pool, wished I could build a flux capacitor to go back to the 2010 National Championships, and prayed that the plucky 15-seed would just win this whole silly thing (thanks to my NCAA iPhone app, they lost shortly after). Of course Monday comes around...and my luck changes in other ways. More on that later :) Despite my poor picks, I've somehow risen to the top of our 10 person pool...go figure!

What was my dream match-up for the National Championships

Oh my. A great deal of time has passed since I last updated this blog. There are many excuses that I will attempt to offer, amongst which include being caught up in work (just got assigned to help out a new region and have been traveling to New England recently), un-pausing my social life, and the inevitable writer's block on new blog posts since I was now playing the waiting game. But the biggest deterrent? The fear that I wouldn't get into any program and conceding that this whole blog was just an experiment to see how much introspection and neurosis I could record - apparently 16 entries worth!

Let me back up. After I hit submit on my final application (Haas) in mid-January, I was feeling pretty great. I had just finished the most time-consuming, potentially life-changing post-college process and applied to 4 FT 2-year MBA programs that I knew well and felt very passionate about.

In some ways, oh so very true.

But then I made the mistake of re-reading my applications after submitting (we all do that, right?). I discovered small bits I could have said better, inconsistencies in formatting, and lurked periodically on the forums, boards and blogs, scrutinizing over stats of admitted applicants. I had to face it: with the caliber of the programs I had selected, as with much of B-school applications, there was no guarantee that I'd get into any of the programs. I was filled with a fear that I had made some minor mistake, or worse, said something awful that I didn't realize. In my quest to be truly "authentic" and by not having an admissions consultant or MBA student/grad read through my application, I could have blindly submitted something that would be a red flag.

Was I too humorous in my essays? Did I spend too long on long-term goals without tying in my short-term goals, even though that's not what the question asked? While I felt my applications gave a full and vibrant picture of who I am, what if who I am is not what they are looking for? These questions plagued me and made playing the waiting game even more excruciating. Ironically, I watched the Bachelor to keep my sanity in check. There, I observed otherwise intelligent and emotionally stable women grapple with similar doubts of not knowing what the other was thinking and being cautious of building themselves up, just to be let down. I felt thankful that I was not being filmed during this time or locked up in a mansion devoid of phones, the internet, and normal human contact. I assured myself that the Adcoms held better judgement than a 28-year old man-boy with unkempt hair and a penchant for kissing the contestants when he was at a loss for words, knowing they were on the chopping block for the next rose ceremony (I'd prefer the ding letter, thanks!)

In a sense, I was like Jenna from the Bachelor: Overanalyzing? I'm not alone.

Fast forward a couple of weeks and I receive my Valentines Day greeting...in the form of a ding letter from HBS letting me know that since I had not been invited to interview, I was released. That was the only communication I had heard from a program other than confirmation of receipt of materials, and instructions to schedule an off-campus interview through Kellogg (standard procedure for all applicants). I started to panic that I wouldn't get into a program. What if I didn't apply to enough programs? Frantically, I started researching Round 3 deadlines.

After visiting my best friend in NYC twice in a month and reminiscing with some of my closest college friends there, I started having second thoughts of judging Columbia too harshly. They had rolling admissions right? And Tuck... a few friends of mine had recently applied to Tuck and raved about the program, but I couldn't imagine living so far removed from a major city. To be realistic, these were all amazing schools and if I wasn't getting in somewhere R2, I sure as heck wasn't going to slide by in R3.

So that's when I learned to stop worrying and love the process. I reminded myself that applying R3 for schools I felt lukewarm about was ridiculous and I already had my heart set on these four schools. If anything, I learned so much about myself during these past months, and that in and of itself, was a good reason to go through the application process. (Or so I try to tell myself...) Despite the sense of uncertainty I was left with - now what?, I knew that there wasn't anything more I could do. I certainly didn't want to contact the admission office or obsessively check my status, as much as I wished I could do something to help increase my chances.

So in mid-February, I decided to put off thinking about admission decisions, and filled that time with kickboxing classes, joined a Body Pump weightlifting class, and bought way too many Groupons/Living Social Deals/Tipprs/Goldstar Events to be able to use. Glass Blowing and Trapeze Classes? Cirque Soleil OVO for 50% off? Sign me up! I rejoined my church small group and rejoiced in being able to spend a Wednesday night on my couch watching Modern Family, Happy Endings and Revenge without feeling obligated to work on apps or the GMAT.

This past weekend, I went out to one of my favorite Peruvian restaurants with a friend and their friends, and started chatting to another girl in the group that I had not yet met. She mentioned applying to Northwestern's PA Program, and I excitedly told her I had also applied to the business school - how crazy would it be if we ended up there together! She told me she'd find out within a few days, and I let her know my decision deadline was not for another whole week.

So this Monday morning rolls around, and I go back to my desk to check my cell phone after our regularly scheduled team meeting. I see that I had a missed call from an unrecognizable (847) number at 9:06am PST. To confuse matters more, I had recently gotten Google Voice after a friend told me that I would only need one number the rest of my life and could easily screen and direct calls. I saw it as the perfect number to give out to work clients, potential dates and Vegas promoters alike :) I was still getting used to it and worried a client had called and gone to a generic voicemail in cyberspace.

Out of habit, I Googled the number to see if it was on a telemarketer list. Illinois area....hmm. I had a voicemail too! Bracing myself for a recording from a confused curriculum director, I was surprised to hear the voice of an admissions director and called her back right away, about an hour after she called.

After her introductions and letting me know that the admissions committee had reviewed my file, which she said they enjoyed reading...I heard the words that I've been hoping for and anticipating these last few months: "We'd like to extend an offer to our class of 2014" (or something to that effect...I was overwhelmed with emotions and couldn't think straight!)

I got accepted into Kellogg....and I could not be more excited!! I thanked her profusely and as she explained that I would be soon receiving admit materials and could access the site, all I could think of was, I'm in! Despite a packed morning of scheduled calls, I managed to text my closest friends, tell a handful of my closest co-workers, and call my mom to tell her the good news. Oh, and a Facebook status might have made its way up there too :)

A glimpse into my life. But not nearly as entertaining as Happy Place

In retrospect, it was a culmination of a few months of hard work. I struggled with the Kellogg essay questions, more so than the other schools, though I felt I was the closest to this school personality-wise. After a wonderful interview in late January with a local alum (was told off-the-record that I was one of his favorites that he's spoken with and that I'd be a great fit) I was giddy and could barely stand the thought of waiting another 2 months to find out. Well it was definitely worth the wait, and I emailed my interviewer an update as well as my recommenders.

While I'm still reserving a shred of hope for Stanford (next Monday is decision date) and Berkeley Haas (April 15th), I'm also realistic in that I haven't yet received interview invites from either. Each day, I am finding new things to get excited about for Kellogg, including hearing of friends moving to the Chicago area, Northwestern football games (to compensate for my not-so-renowned undergrad football program), my future potential classmates in the admitted students Facebook group, and of course, Days at Kellogg in late April!

Now that I know that I did something right...I'm determined to post in greater detail over the next few days of my application "strategy" (if you can call it that), including the resources and books used. Right now, I'm still marinating in the reality that, I very well might be going to business school after all :)

Going to sleep! Tomorrow is seeing the Lorax in 3-D with my work and I need to be alert for Danny Devito's interpretation!

In Purple and White we trust,

Mango

DONE!!!!!

2012-01-19T01:30:00.000-08:00

Lifted from my status update on Facebook: "After months of indecision, visits, GMAT-ting, fretting, rebecca black parodies, procrastination, blogging, introspection, and of course, writing, I clicked submit for the *hopefully* last time. DONE!!!"

******

Mood: Euphoric. I just clicked "submit" for my last application, just minutes before the midnight deadline, and was immediately filled with a flood of relief. Well, actually to be honest I was initially filled with panic because the message that immediately appeared after read:

"Thank you for submitting your application for admission to the Berkeley Full-time MBA program. Your application was received at 1/18/2012 and you will be considered for Round 3."

ROUND 3?!??! WHAT!! And then I pulled myself together when I remembered that Haas has 4 rounds, and Round 3 is actually pretty much like Round 2. WHEW.

After 1+ years of thinking, researching, not-deciding, deciding, and finally committing to apply, I'm finally DONE!! As in finished, dunzo, ultimo, EL FIN!

Well. sort of. I have an interview with a Kellogg alum next Monday and plan on fully debriefing my essay-writing and application debacles in my next, more complete post, including reviewing the resources I used. But I wanted to quickly squeak out this post, because I am SO SO SO GLAD to have all my apps in!!!

Today was quite the climactic end to my application-preparing journey. Yesterday, we received our first major snowfall of the year in my dear PNW city, and today, what was remained was slush. Wikipedia shut down last night, which in retrospect was probably a good thing as it kept me from further procrastinating. It was also coincidentally my mother's birthday, and instead of going out to eat (raincheck for tomorrow!) I plowed through final revisions and finishing touches in our kitchen as she fed me dumplings. I know, I'm quite lucky :) AND to top it off, as I was going through my Haas essays one final time with a fine-toothed comb, I received a random email from a gal with the last name of Haas (no seriously) as part of a list-serve that I'm still subscribed to from my undergraduate days. A good sign? I'll take that!

Things I will be excited to resume in my life:

5. Going to the gym. It's about time I get started on these pesky new year's resolutions!

4. Going to concerts (seeing All American Rejects this weekend to celebrate...my inner pre-teen is dying of excitement right now!)

3. Resuming my TV watching. Apparently, a girl from my alma mater is a contestant on The Bachelor this season....I watched a short clip of her rapping about epidemiology and all I can say is... Homegirl better represent!

2. TRAVEL! I put off all major fun-trips during the last few months of applying, including accompanying my best friend to her sister's wedding in Israel. I just saw this video, which renewed my excitement for travel and I kept listening to the piano music to get through my essay writing. I cannot wait to resume planning for my next adventure (which I'll confirm once I get in to a school...provided I get into a school). Galapagos? Patagonia? Suggestions?!

1. Not living every moment wondering if I should be working on my application. That last month of applying, I lived, breathed, and dreamed b-school applications. Just like I did with the GMAT, though this time there was a firm deadline, none of that Round 3 business for me! If I was eating breakfast, I was reading Montauk. If I was stair-climbing at the gym, I was going line-by-line through my essays on my iPhone, making sure they expressed what I wanted. The times I did go out with friends, I'm pretty my applications came up at some point in our conversations, and I kept thinking I should be in front of my computer revising instead. Wow. I can't believe I was that person, and they're probably as relieved as I am that I'm done!

Okay, after typing, deleting, and re-typing incessantly for the last few hours/days/weeks/months, I'm ready to take a break and head to bed early (relatively).

A more detailed and coherent blog post to come this weekend!!

~ still doing my happy dance for being finished ~

~Mango

'Twas a few weeks before deadlines...and I made a song.

2011-12-22T00:36:00.000-08:00

Mood: Giggly. I just created, probably one of the cheesiest, most ridiculous parodies. In fact, this creation might signify me going off the deep end, and I haven't even finished my Christmas shopping. I was inspired to create my own version of Rebecca Black's Friday (apparently the most watched You Tube video of 2011) after seeing this hilarious holiday greeting from Venture Capital Firm, First Round Capital.

What could be better than a non-Justin Timberlake / Andy Samberg white dude rapping? A couple of Venture Capitalists driving a sweet car and rapping!

Will I regret releasing this into cyberspace to presumably, be buried in viral song clips hell? Probably. Or perhaps I'll listen to the recording as I battle with the inevitable bouts of writers block!

Yes, I know, the production quality sucks, my auto-tuned voice is horrendous and you'll probably have nightmares...don't tell me I didn't warn you :) though I hope you will find it entertaining.

Credits to the I Am T-Pain iPhone App (which I've had for 2+ yrs but have not put to good use till now) for digitally altering my voice and making it slightly less recognizable, Round 2 Deadlines, and of course, Rebecca Black!

"Round 2" my MBA Applicant Parody of Rebecca Black's "Friday"

Lyrics:

So I decided to make my own version of Rebecca Black’s Friday titled “Round 2” to help get me through MBA applications, courtesy of the I Am T-Pain iPhone app

I’ll probably be very embarrassed…and regret this....but here goes nothing...

7 days ago I sent Kellogg’s Part 1

Got it in online, got it in on time

Gotta do part 2, gotta send it in too

Seein’ everything, time is going

Tickin’ on and on, every day I’m rushin’

Gotta get down to the deadlines, gotta write these apps, I see the end...

Visiting the East Coast

Hittin' up the West Coast

Gotta make my mind up

To which schools do I apply?

For Round 2, Round 2

Gotta get it in for Round 2

Everybody’s lookin’ forward to interviews, interviews

Round 2 Round 2, Getting in on Round 2

Everybody’s lookin' forward to the interview

Essayin’ Essayin (Yeah!)

Rewritin’ Rewritin’ (Yeah!)

Done Done Done Done

Lookin' forward to the interview! :)

PS - I'm acutely aware that "essayin'" is not a word, but hey, it was the best I could do :D

PPS - I am already envisioning a longer version of the song which includes the bridge:

Last round was the first round, first round
This round is the second, second (essayin')
We-We-We so excited
We so excited
We gonna turn it in on time!

Next round is the third
And First Round next year comes after...wards
I don’t want my chances to end...

PPS -Please click the "thumbs up" icon if you felt like your ears survived the entire recording. It would be awesome to see those around the globe who are following!

In other news...

I attended a coffee chat in my city with a current Berkeley Haas student this evening, and a dinner hosted by a current Stanford GSB student last week. Both interactions were helpful in that I learned more about each school from a more personal perspective, got me excited again for applying to these schools and being in the Bay Area, and I got to meet other potential applicants in my dear PNW city (they do exist!). But because I had already done my research on the schools, it didn't add too much additional value on learning about the strengths and programs at the school, and confirmed what I had already gathered. It was nice, however, to get application advice from those who had already been through the process, and I took away from these interactions 3 main pieces of advice:

Write clearly and concisely in your essays as you have a limited amount of space - 250 words for Haas! That's barely enough for me to describe what I ate for lunch!
Stress less - easier said than done of course :)
Make the job of the recommenders as easy as possible my providing them resources and anecdotes to write about.

I submitted Part 1 of the Kellogg application (true to my "Round 2" song) last Wednesday, albeit at the very last minute. Yes, just like Tebow (I too am falling victim to Tebow-mania), I pulled a miracle in the 4th quarter, aka final hour, though I did receive a confirmation that it did go through. Whoo!

I'm now getting into the trenches of essay writing, and I eat, breathe and sleep questions such as, "What Matters Most to you and Why?" and "People may be surprised to learn that I…." (make really awful song parodies?) In any case, its forced me to tap into some introspective part of my being and conduct some serious soul-searching, which is probably fitting since it is the holidays and all.

I'll be balancing this out with moving out of our beloved funky old house. For the past year, it's been a wonderful refuge in a hip, up-and-coming part of my city and I've really bonded with my room mate, who I'm going to miss. In a way, we are both taking risks by leaving (and me, potentially leaving) our city that we've spent all of our post-college years in to pursue things that we are very excited about, even if the trade-offs are uncertain. Last Saturday, we hosted what can be only described as an epic party to celebrate a fantastic year together, and I'm lucky to have such great friends here!

Photo from our living room, turned into a winter wonderland!

Finally, I feel really good going into the final stretch of the application process. My recommenders are supportive, and yesterday our company president stopped by my desk to wish me luck with the application process though they would be sad to see me go, and offered to do what he could to help - even writing a LOR. WOW!! So much of my nervousness, hesitation and fears are assuaged knowing that I have their support. Everything from our holiday party this year, to our own silly holiday video (not as crazy as the First Round Capital but our take on a popular Christmas song) made me feel warm and fuzzy inside knowing I work for a great company.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!! For those R2 applicants out there, I hope you get some much-deserved time off with family and friends and a break from these apps. Of course you could always make your own version of "Round 2" to get you through the awkwardness of the holidays. Hah. I'm kidding. Sort of :)

~ With joyous wishes and good cheer for the holiday season ! ~

~Mango

Tis the Season...and a month away from Round 2 Deadlines!

2011-12-06T23:47:00.000-08:00

Mood: Re-Energized. I've been slacking on the application process again, and with a little more than a month away from the due dates, I'm ready to ramp things up full speed!

Musing: Kind of bittersweet that the Occupy movement is no longer, though in my dear PNW city, the movement was starting to drive me nuts. Our office was just 2 blocks away from where the protesters had set up a tent city, and I was able to observe it each day from the comfort and security of my office window.

I used to walk by the Occupy tent city on the way to the gym, (made sure to change out of my suit and into gym clothes as even suits in my PNW city are a rarity unless you are going to court) and was intrigued by the messages on the signs. Having participated in a number of protests and demonstrations back in the day (mostly relating to budget cuts, school funding, and the War on Iraq) I was slightly sympathetic to the protesters but in retrospect, wondered if they might have taken a cue from the organizations they were protesting: having a solid identity, message and brand really could have helped their cause.

It was hard to understand what their desired results were, what they wanted to accomplish because of their varied statements: "Free Tibet!" to "Shut down Guantanamo Bay!" to "Stop your Spending!" (um, you're saying that to the girl who is carrying 4 shopping bags and has already tried to hide her credit cards?) and perhaps if they had a united message and with the proper spin and "marketing", they could have gotten more people to identify with their cause. Of course, using iPhones and smart phones to share their message, bundling up in cozy Patagonia jackets and using the Starbucks and Mcdonalds restrooms might have also worked again their credibility...

Ugh. Probably the most pretentious Ad Campaign ever, courtesy of Patagonia on Black Friday

As I am working towards Round 2 Application Deadlines....I realize I really do have my work cut out for me!

A lot has happened in my life since I scratched out my last posting including:

A spectacular trip to Singapore & Indonesia for work and a magical weekend in Bali spent biking through rice paddies, riding (and falling off of) motorbikes, snorkeling, spas and delicious food and chasing sunsets.
Initiated, planned and hosted a fairly successful Happy Hour for the Educational Foundation I am a part of through my company...hardest part was that I was in Asia for the weeks leading up to the event, but luckily I had some amazing team mates that helped get everything in order.
Room mate announcing that she is moving to South Lake Tahoe to unofficially become a snowboarding bum, which will result in me moving back home by the end of month... I'll be too caught up with apps to figure out where else to live, so I'll be at home for the time being.
My personal life had gotten kind of um, complicated, which in retrospect detracted from my original plans of focusing on the B-School applications during the home stretch. Well, no longer, and I'm feeling pretty good about moving forward!

Leading up to this major deadline, I found myself sneaking peeks at my friends Facebook photo albums of their first years at B-School. I know that I’m probably over-glamorizing the whole experience in my mind and that what the photos and status updates depict might not actually be what happens in reality *cough* Kardashian Wedding* cough* but at the same time, it seems like they are having an incredible time even through Finals Week.

I might say a little about my school visits to Columbia and Kellogg as they really helped me solidify my decision. What I realized is that, to be blunt, screw applying to schools just for the sake of applying! I had to get serious about the next big commitment of my life, which leads me to my next analogy: school visits are a lot like online dating - you may have built up in your mind this amazing idea of what a school is like, but you can’t really make a decision of whether it is right for you until you go and visit and have that interaction.

Kellogg: The cute Midwestern guy

None was more true than when I visited Kellogg and Columbia in the middle of October (wow. a month and a half ago?!) In my mind, I had been “researching” and “learning about” the two schools, even to go as far as communicating with the schools virtually, emailing them questions and letting them know I’d be visiting campus.

On paper, they were both, um, very handsome specimens :) Kellogg I considered to be friendly, social, and down to earth, but also cold (literally – right outside of Chicago the Windy City) and err… large? (student body was pretty big - how would I fit in?) and perhaps not the best looking (had heard from a Northwestern friend that the campus was um, homely). Regardless, it exuded that Midwestern, down-to-earth charm where you’d feel very comfortable being yourself.

Columbia: The Sexy NYC stud

Columbia on the other hand was as different of a profile as one could imagine- urban, sophisticated, very New York, finance-y, the dapper gentleman who would dazzle you and sweep you off your feet, but you weren’t sure if they’d call the next day (I had doubts about the community feel and closeness of student body after hearing that students lived spread out in New York City).

The thing about online dating is that you don’t know until the first date whether you're still going to be interested, and the same could be said about the school visit. Sometimes it takes more than one meeting to know how strong the chemistry is, but that first date is very telling, especially if both parties are putting their best feet forward and going in with good intentions. I figure if I’m going to make the effort to come all the way out to meet them, the very least they could do is reciprocate with an enthusiasm to meet me ;) This was true at Kellogg, but not so evident at Columbia.

Let me explain:

When I visited Columbia in October, I had plans to attend the informational session and a few class visits, perhaps chat with students and walk around. My first impression stepping foot on campus was wow – the architecture was beautiful. Immediately, I was attracted to the school at the visual level, because the aesthetics reminded me of my previous longest-lasting relationship - my undergrad Alma Mater, in all its Gothic beauty – you can say I have a type when it comes to campuses :)

Wanting to keep an open mind, I first decided to attend the info session. On the way there, I ran into a friend from undergrad and we were both very surprised to see each other. After catching up briefly before the session, he offered to answer any question I had. This was a good sign – mutual friends! During the session though, I was continually waiting for all my reservations I had about the school to be assuaged (living in an expensive city, finding housing, a close-knit community of students, strengths in areas outside of finance) and the answers did little to convince me in the other direction. It’s like when you ask your date if he still smokes (after marking “Trying to Quit” on their profile) and he mentions he wouldn’t in front of you. Yes, you find some comfort in that answer, but the bottom line is, no matter how they word it, the fact still remains.

At times, I also question the intention that many of these schools have for seeking so many applicants - that's $250 per person they rope into applying! Are they giving you false hope, and just want you to apply so that the application rates will rise and they will look more selective by comparison? Are they sugarcoating their answers on the tough questions, and will they think of you differently for even asking?

While the whole presentation centered on how amazing NYC is, the wonderful resources Columbia had to offer and the connections with Wall Street, I didn’t feel myself fitting in with the most desirable characteristics of the school. Even the class visits were above my head, as they had only offered second year courses. The professors for those classes, according to the students I spoke with, left much to be desired. At the end of the day, while eating sushi in Morningside Heights with a friend that attends Columbia Law School, I realized that, at the most basic level, CBS was wonderful, but just not for me. One might even say, "You're Just not that into It" ;) Is it then time to relegate them to the “friend zone?” (aka don’t apply this round, but keep on your radar?)

After a semi-disappointing visit to Columbia, I entered my Kellogg visit the following day with a bit of a sense of trepidation. I wondered in my mind whether I had built up this ideal, perfection in a school that was unattainable, and decided I needed to decide what my non-negotiables were (campus aesthetics – meh, fit with interest and future plans – crucial) as well as to, please excuse the cliché, Just Go With It (terrible movie, by the way!)

Driving up to the campus, I started to feel butterflies building in my stomach. It was the complete opposite of Columbia in that the buildings were modern, not as beautiful, but the sun was shining, the leaves were turning and students were walking and chatting. The day-long date just kept getting better, and I could tell the school had put out its best foot for prospective students. The class visit that I sat in on was phenomenal and blew my mind. The teacher had won numerous awards and was funny, knowledgeable, engaging and quirky: everything I desired in a professor, and especially in a first year class.

They had assigned student ambassadors to show us around, so I really appreciated the personal gesture, but the highlight of the visit culminated in individual time with the admissions director. Instead of doing a formal presentation, she gathered myself and 3 other prospective students in her office and just opened us up to ask questions to have a heart-to-heart dialogue. It was without pretense, she spoke genuinely and honestly, and the entire experience put me at ease – everything that you’d want in a school visit AND a first date :)

When I left Kellogg, I could feel my heart beating rapidly. This school was so right for me – down to the close interaction between the students, classroom dynamics, strengths, and that indescribable feeling that I could really see myself there for two years. I knew that I was going to apply and felt very strongly about the school – the only question was, would they feel the same way about me?

So this brings me to my list of four schools, in no particular order:

Harvard Business School ~ January 10th
Stanford GSB (joint program with MBA & Masters of Education) ~ January 11th
Kellogg School of Management ~ January 11th
Haas School of Business ~ January 18th

It was a long, arduous choosing process, with lots of fretting, soul searching and going back and fourth, but I’ve visited all four schools, connected with current and former students of the schools, and feel that for similar and different reasons, they are great matches for me. I will continue my “wooing” of these schools, submit the best applications I can muster up, and keep expressing my interest. I’ll have to prepare myself for the possibility of rejection and knowing that the feelings are not reciprocated, but I want to know that I did everything that I could to show my interest and the best I have to offer.

A few months ago, I asked a co-worker to write my peer LOR, and yesterday, after dragging my feet for what seemed like eternity, I finally gathered up the courage to ask my direct boss for the dreaded Letter of Recommendation. It was difficult first because he works on the East Coast and secondly, because I have a hard time with the ask, but I knew that it would be best to get the letter from him as he knew me best and I had worked directly under him for the last 2+ years.

I had initially spoken with another partner in the firm who was fully supportive and agreed enthusiastically to write one of the letters but also gave me some foreshadowing about the more tepid response from my direct boss and the company president. There were all these times earlier I had planned on asking my boss when he was in the office a month ago (the same time we were doing some "company reorganization") or right before Thanksgiving Break (his birthday and he broke his leg) but they all just happened to be horrible timing so I felt it best to wait.

Come Monday morning, he's in our office for our Firm-Wide Team Meetings this week and he asks to meet with me. Turns out, the partner had given him a head's up over the weekend. In our conversation, he expressed his surprise of my decision and as expected, tried to talk me into staying by offering additional opportunities and growth.

As he spoke of his own graduate school experience, how he wished he would have waited, the burdensome student loans, I could feel doubts creep in. But reality snapped in as I realized, that after a year of indecision, slogging through the GMAT, visiting and falling in love with different schools, and starting the application journey, I was not about to give in. "I appreciate everything that this company has offered...but I'm still very determined to go to business school and put forth the strongest application possible." (Or something along those lines) While I think he certainly understands where I'm coming from, it will be hard to transition my portfolio as a small company...and I'm starting to dread the conversation with the president, who I will also be meeting with. Especially considering our huge office holiday bash will be this Friday *GULP*

I fully plan on working full steam ahead the next few weeks until January 10th, when the first application is due. Up until then, you can expect to hear from me fairly regularly throughout my brain-freezes and writers blocks as I polish up these essays :)

Thank you for your patience in reading through what may be my longest posting yet - Just making up for lost time here :)

Keep on Rockin' (around the Christmas tree)

Mango

PS - Check out my interview with Accepted.com!!

Bali Sunset @ Nusa Lembogan Island, Jungut Batu Beach *SIGH*

Update to come...very soon this week!

2011-10-24T01:51:00.000-07:00

Holy cow. It seems that I have not updated this blog for the last month and I can literally hear tumbleweeds blowing on here (I know how Google+ feels now...)

In between being on the road for work (2 weeks straight and 5 cities), visiting 2 b-school campuses (reflections to come), college friends in 2 major cities on the weekends, celebrating turning a quarter-century and the continual clean-up of my house that ensued (I'm still finding boa feathers and glitter from a house party exactly a month ago), assuming some new responsibilities at work, having temporary custody of my cat again, battling and winning the first bad cold I've had in years (my desk at work is stocked with enough leftover pills, cough drops, meds and sizzurp that it might pass for a small pharmacy), plotting my Halloween costume (topical and hand crafted, I'm very pleased with myself) and preparing for my upcoming trip to NC/Asia, I have not been good at maintaining the blog.

But that all changes this week! Before I jet off again next week, I plan on detailing where I am up until now and my application progress, and plan on making up for lost time (with the proper amount of some-e-card images inserted to express exactly how I feel). I also just emailed responses to Accepted.com for their MBA Applicant Blogger Interview, so I am really getting back into things!

The major news is that I've FINALLY narrowed down to 4 schools that I will suck up and pay the $250 application fee and send my very best "me" condensed into stats, essays, a resume and letters for R2 consideration. After starting out with 9, then 7, then 6, 5 and 4, it feels good to have that determined!

Bedtime! Talk soon :)

If I could send my blog an e-card....and my apologies for being MIA!

If at First You Don’t Succeed...Skydiving Is Probably Not for You…

2011-09-19T16:41:00.000-07:00

Mood: Exasperated. More on this later.

Musing: This post is going to be relatively short. I know now that I'm pretty terrible at writing short posts, but there is a list of things I need to do this afternoon, which most importantly include:

1. Pack - I fly out to work in Pittsburgh at 5:30am tomorrow for work the rest of the week. I have invested in this Sharper Image 21-inch upright convertible backpack:

Cute, but not very functional.


Awesome and practical

Granted, I only paid $29.99 from Marshalls, but I love this thing. Before, I had used a Diane Von Furstenburg suitcase set which was visually pretty and stood out from all the other drab business luggage, but after 2 years of constant use, the handle got stuck and I haven't bothered to fix it since.

2. Plan - We're throwing a housewarming/bday party (yes housewarming, though I've lived here for 9+ months...) this Saturday and have some major cleaning and decorating to do. We have a boa theme (feather boas) but my room mate and I are considering getting an actual boa, à la Britney at the 2001 VMAs. Clever, right? :)

I am relieved to say - I am finally moving on from the GMAT aka Give Money And Time to the GMAC

My GMAT retake was this morning and I resolved it would be my last. My preparation up until this retake was a little lopsided - I put off studying entirely for the 2 weeks immediately after my first attempt, and studied pretty consistently the next 3 weeks. I knew that timing was my big thing, so I tried to employ a variety of strategies including pacing myself and not running out of time at the end.

Like the first time, AWA went by quickly and though I had to think and plan longer on my topics this time, I still felt pretty good when finishing. Moving on to Quant, I started with some fairly easy questions, then moved up to medium level, and for a few that I had no clue how to solve, I gave it my best guess and moved on. What really scared me was a few easy questions in the middle - was this a sign that I had made simple mistakes earlier? This caused me to panick and I resolved to keep truckin' along, doing well at the end and finishing with a minute to spare. When Quant was over, I was slightly worried - I hadn't seen any rate or permutation questions, the ones that I felt solid on, but saw two functions questions, types of questions that I did not brush up on. I knew something was amiss, but wanted to head strong into Verbal so I only took a few minutes for the break.

The entire time on Verbal I told myself to work at a steady pace, which was my problem the last time. Halfway through Verbal, I noticed I was short on the time I had budgeted and guessed on two questions in a very long CR passage. I finished just on time, but thought I had bombed Verbal. Luckily, I did not have to go through the experimental section this time around and when my results screen finally came up, I put my hands over my eyes, much like you would do watching while The Ring:

The result? 710 (92%) with 44Q (66%) and 44V (97%). I had made my goal of hopping over the 700-barrier, but it was more of a stumble and dash at the end, rather then a true leap.

Go figure. While I'm happy with my Verbal score, the Quant leaves much to be desired. +20 points is not much, but it puts me closer to the average of the schools I hope to attend. My only concern now is in the unbalance of the scores - would a school look unfavorably upon such a low quant score?

Regardless, I really wanted to move on. Realistically, the most my score could go up is maybe 30 pts, and the 3 practice tests I took over the past week I scored 710, 720, and 730, so I knew it was within my range. At home, I googled a 44v 44q split and got some interesting feedback - most people said the 710 was a good score, but the split may be concerning to some as the 80/80 percentile is preferred. Gah!

I even wondered for a minute whether I should submit the 690 score because of the more even distribution, but realized how silly that was. 710 is a great score and I really did not want to keep taking this test again and keep forking over the $250. I have no plans of doing anything finance related, though I'm fairly comfortable with numbers and data as I use them in my job with relation academic performance across schools. After beating myself up for the split, I realized that I did okay considering I did not sign up for a class and used the Manhattan GMAT guides, OG books and a tiny bit of Kaplan and Princeton review here and there along with the Manhattan GMAT, GMAC and Knewton practice tests. What did help the last couple of weeks was googling types of questions that I was still unclear on - there's a lot you can learn from random websites on basic math!

Set of GMAT guides, looking for a good home!

I am pretty much convinced that my GMAT tribulations are ending today. I even re-read through this thread on whether or not to retake, and can't really point out a good reason other than increasing the Quant. On the drive home, I reflected on the irony of the situation, which should be taken as a sign to move on. I thought back to My Biking Incident of Last Summer - in an attempt to fit in better in my city (I was not about to get a tattoo and could only take PBR in small amounts), I bought a vintage Schwinn off Craigslist and convinced myself to bike to work. The bike was not really my thing, it was more of a practical move with a 15 minute commute downhill to work. Riding home in a hurry one afternoon to get to kickball practice, I fell off and busted up my knee, landing in urgent care. (I still have the scar to prove it, and now have to pose strategically in photographs - ha!) A few weeks later, my bike got stolen as it was locked outside of my office; granted I had left it there for two weeks while I worked in Asia, but that's besides the point. Maybe, somewhere the universe was saying that I need to stay off that bike, and maybe, this is an indication today that I need to focus on other parts of my app. This time around, I'm listening. :)

Pretty much the mentality of my city - less cars on the road and less pollution, I'm all for it!

Hopefully if I can show the admissions committee my strengths in numbers and data in other ways, such as in my job and on my transcript (took a few quant courses, minored in econ), the 44Q will not keep me out of a school. I also read that if a certain component of your application is low but the rest is stellar, the admissions committee may wave you in but recommend taking additional courses.

What I am looking forward to now are the school visits! I have decided not to let living out in the PNW and physically far away from these schools prevent me from visiting, as I know now the importance of the on-site visit. Due to some clever scheduling with working out east heavily in a few weeks and red-eye flights, I will be able to visit Kellogg when I'm working in Chi-Town and Columbia while helping my BFF settle into NYC. I'm stoked that I'll be able to spend time with friends in both cities, but also thankful for the opportunity to get a better reading of how I will fit in at these schools. I want to get the most out of my school visits, so that will mean reading up on the programs ahead of time (the two programs that I am least familiar with on my list of prospective schools), compiling a list of questions to ask, and researching which classes I want to sit in on.

All that Jazz in Chicago?

Or concrete jungle where dreams are made of in NYC?

So what do you think - should I quit now while I'm *slightly* ahead, or take the GMAT once more to see if I can get that Q up? At the risk of my verbal going down... I truly think my time could be spent in better ways.

Time to make the most of my "vacation" day from work and to go scrounging for a birthday dress,

Mango

law and order marathons ----> actual half marathon...it can be done!

Bucket list #27: Run a half marathon, or at the very least, a 10k. Ran a 5k this past summer dressed as Curious George (to my credit, I convinced my two friends to dress up as the [wo]man in the yellow hat and a banana) and I have been wanting to train for a longer run. Now that the GMAT is over, this might be good balance with the app-writing process. Bonus points if the half marathon offers pasta or beer afterwards, or is fairly flat. :)

****addendum to my last posting: I realized last night that I may have miscalculated my chances of getting into a b-school in my last post, as I had multiplied the possibility of getting in instead of possibility of getting denied. The actual percentage? (1-.85*.8*.6*.5*.75*.6*.6*.5) or 97% chance .... I'll take THAT figure with a Morton's factory worth of salt :)

So you're telling me there's a chance... YEAH! :)

2011-09-16T00:29:00.000-07:00

Mood: Freezing. After having record highs (close to 100 degrees) in my PNW city this past weekend (passing up optimal outside bronzing time/floating down the river/Warrior Dash for GMAT studying), the weather has returned to normal and it is finally starting to feel like fall. Unfortunately this means that our poorly-insulated old house in our trendy hipster enclave is going to transform from being an oven this summer into a refrigerator this fall aka, oh heating bill, it's you again.

Musing: I am less than 10 days away from turning the big 2-5, aka onset of the quarter life crisis (ha). This is the final "hurrah" to cross...though not much will change (lower car insurance? yay?) Part of me starts to panic - there are people who did amazing things by age 25. Lady Gaga sold 13 million albums, Mark Zuckerberg created and launched Facebook, and I'm pretty sure Shakespeare wrote his first play before he turned 25.

Then I watched this National Geographic video then this one about there being 7 billion people in the world and felt just a teensy bit insignificant.

Who doesn't love National Geographic?

I'm definitely very appreciative of all my experiences up until now, but I also want to make sure that I'm taking advantage of all the opportunities that have been given to me and reflective of my choices. I have always thought, why MBA and why now, but now more than ever, I realize how ready I am at this point in my life to go back to school. The video has been on my mind the last couple of days, and made me think about the inter-connectedness of the world and the potential for combining education + global impact. My international experiences in work and education have been some of the most memorable, and it would be amazing to have the opportunity to work and study abroad.

Moving forward with the application process, I'm now starting to narrow down my list of schools and realistically assess my chances.

First move was to submit my profile to Sandy aka the HBSGuru on Poets & Quants to get his opinion. I figured if I needed someone to give it to me straight, it would be him.

Here's the profile I submitted, and Sandy's response, which I'm very grateful that he took the time to compile.

Key takeaways:

Hardest news to hear: "For the reasons you mention–low GPA and lowish GMAT, plus non-blue chip firm—you’re asking them to blink twice or maybe 1.5 times, and they will take someone similar to you with better stats and schooling" Ahh. And there it is - the truth. *gulp*
Most encouraging news to hear: "I like you, and my guess is, with real solid execution, which should be easy, given how smoothly your goals flow from your experience, you could be real strong candidate at Kellogg, Haas, Yale, and Duke." *yay!* These are some schools that I am, also, very excited about.
Alignment with my future goals: "The rest of this is just so solid. A neighbor of mine started an educational consulting company right out of Harvard Ed School, doing what seems like what your company does, and he had an HBS grad working for him." That sounds amazing and right up my alley.
To end: "Explain the grades in some way and stress international do-gooder stories, and write back and tell me you made it to Harvard or Stanford." Check and check, and if I do, you can expect a manuscript :)

So basically what I got out of it was, your chances realistically at some schools are not very high, they care about numbers, but give it your best shot because you have some other things working for you.

What can I control? My GPA is history, and I don't have time to take additional classes now. I can focus on my recommendations, community service and essays, and getting that GMAT number up.

Immediately after I read his response, I felt like Lloyd in Dumb and Dumber shouting out, "So you're telling me there's a chance?!"

Hit me with it! Just give it to me straight!

So without further ado, here are my preliminary list of schools along with the percentage chance of acceptance that Sandy has "handicapped":

Stanford (joint degree in School of Education): 15% to 20%
Harvard Business School: 20% to 30%
Berkeley: 40+%
Yale: 50+%
Wharton: 25% to 40%
Northwestern: 40% to 60%
Columbia: 40% to 50%
Duke: 50% to 60%

Using what I learned about probability from my GMAT quantitative prep, the chances that I will get into ONE of the above schools is equal to 1 - the chances I get denied at ALL of the schools multiplied together (ha) or, 1-(.15*.20*.40*.25*.40*.40*.50) = .99976. Now I will take this figure with a grain of salt...but statistically, I should get into at least one or two of the schools on the list. I just need to put forth the strongest application I possibly can!

It's going to be helpful in breaking down my list of schools in each blog posting and digesting what I have to offer the schools and what they have to offer me in return. Some might wonder, "Why aren't you applying to more safety/reach schools? The answer being, MBA admissions is not like college where you HAVE to go somewhere so you need "a safety school" in case all else fails. I applied to maybe 11 different colleges, a mix of liberal arts schools and universities, public and private, in every corner of the US, and had originally planned on going to the school that offered me the best financial aid package. Due to the generous policies of schools meeting all financial need, I was able to go to my dream school.

I know business school is not like that, and financing my experience will be another posting in itself, but I definitely only will apply to schools that I feel I would genuinely be happy to attend. If I don't get in, I'll want to know why and what I can do to improve my profile, whether it is work experience, a higher GMAT score, or better crafted essays and statements. Not just because it is what a school asks for, but also because I want to be a well-rounded student when I enter.

I was lucky enough to attend my "dream school" at my undergraduate institution, but am also realistic in having more than one "dream school" for B-School :)

Before I start, it might help to list out what I am looking for in an ideal school "fit"

Brand Name & Reputation. Is that superficial? Let me clarify then - I don't necessarily mean the exact rankings, but one that is well-regarded and a record of ~~taking credit for~~ creating leaders. ;) There's a reason why schools have strong reputations - a degree from that institution carries a high value, and the experience and connections are priceless. On the other hand, I'm not going to apply/choose a school that is ranked #10 just because it is ranked higher than #11.
General Management Focus, not just finance-y or only known for being numbers heavy, but a school that aims to and has a history of producing real leaders.
Social entrepreneurship connections - ideally they would be high up on the Beyond Gray Pinstripes rankings for social, ethical and environmental stewardship.
Most Importantly, school culture and fit - students that are collaborative, positive and PASSIONATE, not just ambitious. I don't want to be sitting next to students who only want to crunch numbers all day and earn the big bucks on Wall Street (though, I grudgingly admit we may need those people too), but also connected to those who are earnestly wanting to change the world (I mean GLOBAL impact) for the better. I want to be around people who dream really, really big, and have the drive and talents to back it up. On the other hand, I recognize that I would gain a great deal learning from those who have different skills than I do, and so what I'm really looking for is a BALANCED student body - one where I would naturally fit in.

Icing on the cake:

West Coast Location - okay, that is a definite plus so that I can be close to family, but I will live anywhere. Heck, I'll even suck it up for cold weather. I was raised in Alaska, so I don't mind walking around in a snow suit if I have to. In fact, that would be probably very fashionably ironic and retro in my current city! I picked my undergrad school partly based on the sunshine, but this is serious grad school stuff we are talking about here ;)
Management Consultant Firms recruiting, or track record of sending a high number of students into consulting
International draw or opportunities for study abroad
Joint program with schools of Education
Emphasis on recruiting women or a female-friendly environment, student organizations for women in business, strong female alums
Fairly young student body - want to be going to school with students that are around my age, similar interests in starting up company and early in career. Of course having older students to learn from different perspectives is always beneficial.
Connections to entrepreneurship in general; down the road, I'd love to start my own company/organization.
Balanced curriculum - I think I can gain the most from curriculum that is structured in that it has a solid foundation of the required basics, but also electives. I have had a taste of the case study method and I do feel like it is very compatible with my style of learning.
Oh and a beautiful campus sure doesn't hurt!

There's probably more...but those are some of the most important factors as of now.

So here we go: first school to break down on the list is the first school I actually visited (was in Singapore for business this Spring and coincidentally, was able to attend a Friday evening informational session):

INSEAD aka Innovative, eNtrepreneurship, Sexy (and Socially Impactful), European, globAl, Diverse

Pros:

Truly a global business school in terms of curriculum, diverse student body, companies that recruit,
Highly ranked and great reputation (outside of the US would be stronger than within the US)
Heavily recruited by management consulting, send many graduates into consulting, but also have strong entrepreneurial ties
Visited the campus and expressed interest, love that you can study on both the Singapore and Fontainbleu France campuses
Will only be forgoing one year of salary, though on the other hand, I'm not sure I can get all I want out of an MBA experience in just one year.
#28 on Beyond Grey Pinstripes for social impact

I love Singapore as a city and living in a french chateau for part of a year could be really freaking charming. *Pardon my French, literally, because it is non-existent and I'm pretty sure any attempt will butcher the language and result in me inadvertently uttering an expletive. Case in point: I love the word pamplemousse, and when I first learned the word in High School, I repeated it incessantly, just because I liked the sound. Little did I know it is also a slang term/insult, and learned that the hard way when I told a native french co-worker of my favorite phrase...good thing they understood my intentions..!

great word. even better great fruit, second only to mangos :)

As much as Insead may fit my interests on paper, I'm not sure the "chemistry" is there. I didn't quite feel the "click" I was looking for when I attended the presentation, albeit I didn't get a chance to look around the campus or speak individually with many students (talked with a few). If I may make another one of my far-out stretchy analogies that I am prone to doing, Insead in many ways is like Viggo Mortensen, who embodies what many might consider a "perfect" renaissance man:

Why the sudden Viggo interest? One reason: Howard Shore's Lord of the Rings orchestra is coming to my city....and the repressed LOTR fanatic in me is very tempted to get tickets and geek out

You are probably wondering who Viggo is. Recognize him now?

Oh yeahhh. The orcs have nothing on you :)

Much like Insead, he's got humor, charm, intelligence (he writes books! he paints! he photographs!), is socially conscious (started a publishing house for non-traditional authors), is bold (Aragon! Fight Scene in Eastern Promises!), plus is fluent in 5+ languages (you need to know how to speak 3 languages as a student at Insead), and is undeniably European too, Danish to be exact (cultural differences keeps things exciting!)

But chemistry-wise? Yep, as dreamy as Aragon is, realistically Viggo is probably (and by probably, I mean definitely) not the guy for me. There's also that whole age thing, aka he is twice my age (average age of Insead students entering in is 29, I'd matriculate at age 25) aaaand I'm pretty sure that he doesn't even know I exist :). Insead on the other hand - I hope they do - I made sure to RSVP and sign in!

From my visit and looking around at the prospective students around me, and the student panel in the front, my immediate feeling in the room was; I feel SUPER American and SO young - which might not necessarily be a bad thing. Is adjusting to living abroad going to be difficult at the same time as I'm learning 2 years worth of MBA curriculum in one jam-packed year? Plus a European MBA may be very different than an American one in terms of the doors it opens and connections to students who will probably go on to work globally. As much as I would love to be an expat for a short period of time, I don't think I would want to live internationally the rest of my life....

In other news, I am now aiming for Round 2. When I initially started, I thought I would submit to schools for R1, but after spending so much time on the GMAT and traveling for work, things have gotten pushed back. I don't think it will hurt my chances as much since I've read that many R1 applicants are typically the "traditional" candidates such as Management Consultants or I-Bankers who have others helping coach them through the process, they have everything in top-shape early on. Hopefully my profile, despite being in "consulting" as the broader industry, would be considered more "nontraditional" or "atypical" and I can still get by with R2. Plus that will give me enough time to build solid essays and enhance my work/community experiences.

Okay. Time to snooze. I can't believe my GMAT re-take is just a few days away...and this time, I really hope it will be my last!

Au Revoir, (one of the only other french phrases I know...) Somehow I have a feeling I'll be dreaming of Joey learning French from Phoebe..

Mango

Bucket List Continued:

28. Work and/or study in a different country for at least a few months. Soak up the language, culture and grub. Challenge myself outside of my comfort zone so that I can be truly adaptable to all situations. Come away with a better understanding of how I fit into the global fabric and how I can contribute.

Survived an "earthquake", narrowly escaped a hurricane, all to return back to the West Coast, a GMAT retake and B-School Apps!

2011-08-30T00:56:00.000-07:00

Mood: Thankful - to be alive and safe!

Musing: Flying first class in many ways is like a blind date: You and your seat companion start with drinks, then get served a fairly decent dinner, and watch the same in flight movie separately... and occasionally there's the possibility of an awkward and abrupt good-bye.

Case in point: I spent the last two weeks working out east, and flying back home last week, I got upgraded to First on Delta which hardly ever happens (It's all about Star Alliance!). I was seated next to a gentleman who broke the ice by asking me about my thoughts regarding sustainability in a factory environment. He turns out to be a VP of Nike, and we chat at length as he had also gone to business school, and chose Thunderbird over HBS due to their excellent international program and "fit". Apparently, back in the day, HBS didn’t even require the GMAT! We both had some laughs about how things have changed.

2 important pieces from the conversation I remember:

#1: the MBA is a great degree, but I can probably get where I need to be without it. It's not necessarily the MBA itself that is great, but what you make out of the experience.

#2: make your essays stand out. He had someone coaching him through it as an international student, and drew upon his unique experiences and international background.

So I'm thinking this is a great networking opportunity and he would be a good resource down the line, but they happen to play "Water for Elephants" and I start tearing up halfway through (not because of the star-crossed lovers story, but because of the animal cruelty, though fictionalized, is still very upsetting) C'mon, it's Edward Cullen and Elle Woods - an odd combination, but it kind of works. I'm too embarrassed to ask to connect on LinkedIn, especially since I pass out soon after and wake up to the plane landing.

Music: Still trying to live the great memories of Vegas from a few weekends ago – David Guetta & French House Music

Not a Jersey Shore fan, but a super fun party with DJ Pauly D

I know its been a while since I’ve updated this blog, but I felt like after the GMAT, I just needed some time to decompress and detox.

Of course that happened to be in Las Vegas, where I headed that Thursday night with a group of 5 girlfriends. Things to bring to Vegas: sunscreen. 5-hour energy. Good judgment. Small bills for tips. Comfortable walking shoes. Spontaneity.

Things to leave behind: Children. Significant others. Work. GMAT materials (I did not heed my own advice on the last two and ended up working and reading blogs poolside at our death rays hotel)

After talking so much smack about Sin City “There’s nothing to do here during the day but gamble!” and “It’s just a glorified desert!” I have to admit I was awestruck during the limo ride down the strip. To my right was New York and to my left was Paris, beautiful resorts and people all around, excess and decadence and so much going on at all hours of the night – perhaps the complete opposite of my dear PNW city. It was a blur of an amazing weekend – from a party at the Palms hosted by DJ Pauly D, beautiful city rooftop bar views, to free tickets to see Phantom of the Opera by a random couple on the strip, comedy shows, good food, on a roll at craps for 30 minutes (you can call me "Shooter"), and cramming 6 girls into a tiny suite, I all but forgot about the GMAT, yet emerged more motivated again to retake.

Laying by our infamous hotel pool, I pulled up Poets and Quants, Beat the Gmat Forums, and my email on my iPad. I started reading comments from others who expressed they were in the same position and were encouraging about retaking, then from others who recounted their own experiences and said I should just move on. I realized – I’m not a quitter, and there’s no harm in trying. If I just gave up on the GMAT then and there, without at least trying once more, looking back a few months, I would regret it. I need to take it again just to know that I tried, and it is still perfectly reasonable to apply R2. I just scheduled to take the exam on September 19^th, about 3 weeks away. I realize that my first time taking the exam was in a way, to get acquainted with the test, and now that I know what to expect, I can be more confident heading in.

I received in the mail my official score report and got a 6 on the AWA - whoo-hooey!! For someone who was not born in the US and grew up in a non-English speaking household, I feel pretty good about the essays and hope that section will also be stress-free in the retake.

Yep, we had some great views from our suite!

More importantly, I’m really looking forward to the other components of the application, and know that I need to start outlining my essays and asking for letters of recommendations. The former, I look forward to with great enthusiasm as this is where I will have the greatest control in my application and can let my true personality shine, and the latter I dread, because that means I will have to let my employer know about my intentions of going back to B-School.

Now I’ve said many times that I love my job, and that it has been a perfect fit for me right after college. Working in the educational sector, lots of travel, and getting to participate in a variety of assignments whether it is facilitating a workshop internationally or strategically planning with Superintendents and Heads of School, I get to tap into my strengths (creativity, interacting with others, presenting, client management) as well as work on my areas for growth (also presenting, client strategy, business development). My company has implicitly stated that they won’t pay for a graduate degree, a graduate degree doesn’t matter there, and many of my colleagues who have attempted to leave to get their degree were unsuccessful; being wooed back with promotions, $$ and so on.

Not me - I’m determined to stand firm with my reasons of why I want to go back, but my fear is that my supervisor, a partner of the firm who I have a great relationship with and knows my strengths, will not write me a recommendation, or do so reluctantly. Though he also has a graduate degree, I can anticipate there will be some tough questions especially since there are also some major organizational changes underway within my company and now more than ever, it would be important to retain the existing consultants.

My new dilemma is the ask – by nature, I’m a giver and am very eager to help others, whether it’s lending my roomie my car or letting people stay at my place, and can easily ask strangers for things. I have a difficult time asking at work, partly because I haven’t really had to, as many of my assignments and projects have been assigned, but also because of the fear of the “no”. I also worry about making my intentions of going back to school known too early, and forgo getting additional responsibilities or promotions, so I will continue to struggle with timing and the approach of “the ask”. My best bet now is to put together a good packet for my recommenders with talking points, how B-school can help me reach my goals, and give them plenty of time.

The last thing I feel like I should mention is, I’m finally firming up the list of schools I’m applying to and realistically, will need to target R2. Working in DC, I texted a girlfriend from undergrad – she is also applying for the MBA, and while we are on opposite coasts, we will be encouraging each other. These last few weeks right after the GMAT really convinced me that I need to narrow down my list. I've submitted my profile to be *hopefully* evaluated by HBSGuru aka Sandy on P&Q and will probably ask a few other consultants of their thoughts, but want to make sure that I have a solid list of schools to work from as I will need to do more in-depth research and connect with students and faculty.

All the advice and blog comments regarding whether to retake the GMAT has been wonderful - it's comforting knowing that others have been in my exact same place and that I'm not paranoid for thinking about retaking or even being a bit frustrated with that score. I've said it many times and I'll say it again - I'm excited to be a part of this collective, ridiculous journey of applying to B-School and to hear from others that are also a part of it just makes the journey a lot more meaningful, and even more enjoyable. There is some corny cliche abound regarding "the journey rather than the destination" but I think it does make sense in this case, as I'm learning a lot about myself through these small steps - essays, school research, and of course, even the GMAT :)

Alright, time to hit the sack. After 2+ crazy weeks of non-stop traveling and on-site client work, 16 hour work days, and eluding natural disasters (was conducting a session in Baltimore when the earthquake hit a few miles south, and driving back to Boston from Cape Cod with gusts from the impending Irene), there's a ton of work to catch up on, practice GMAT exams to get back into, and sleep to relish!

I can't believe I had to leave the West Coast to experience my very first earthquake...!!!

Mango

Bucket List Continued:

29. Join a board of directors for a non-profit. In high school, I was a youth representative on a board of directors for the local chapter of a national non-profit (Camp Fire USA) and learned so much, and was excited that I had some say in the direction of an amazing organization. While one of my many dreams is to lead a non-profit type organization, being on a board can be a hugely influential role depending on how you leverage it.

G-Day finally arrives....and my biggest fear is realized

2011-08-08T16:52:00.000-07:00

Mood: A little disappointed but not defeated.

Music: Ice Cream Paint Job; my roomie’s CD wound its way into my car when she borrowed it last week and I’ve been jamming to her hip-hop beats. I was really hoping that my theme song would be “All I do is win” by DJ Khaled but today’s results provided that, well, that song might have to wait.

Musings: Most people in line at the test center are entirely way too relaxed. Maybe its because I live in the PNW, and a test center in Manhattan might have a very different atmosphere. Then again, it's probably because not all of them are there to take the GMAT (I'm pretty sure I was the only one). Among the tests Pearson VUE offers include "Florida Auctioneer", "DC Board of Funeral Directors" and "North Carolina Bail Bondsman". I'm kind of curious as to the actual test you have to pass to be a certified, legitimate auctioneer; I've been told I talk way too fast and figure that might be a viable career option if B-school doesn't pan out. :)

G-day has finally arrived!

They need to start making these SomeEcards for the GMAT...

After what seems like months of preparing, panicking, mini-celebrating, and a whole range of emotions, G-day finally arrives. I spend the final days reviewing my weak spots (still data sufficiency and certain word problems) and take my last practice test Sunday morning, at 8am with timed breaks so I can get used to testing early morning and score a respectable 720. I know that much of the advice has been to "rest my brain" before the exam. I take it relatively easy on Sunday, attending a co-workers baby shower, grocery shopping and catching up with a friend on the phone for an hour, but I still felt the need to be immersed in GMAT - historically speaking with studying, this is how I've always been.

So this morning I get up early, shower, eat, put on yoga pants (elastic waistband makes all the difference!) and a red sorority t-shirt (for luck). After receiving text messages of support, Facebook wall posts and even an E-card, I had some amazing support and I'm very thankful for the great friends that have put up with me during this time. As I hit the freeway my mind alternates, dancing between thoughts of Vegas and the test. Part of me wanted to just be done with the whole thing and the other part of me already started to miss the GMAT. If I can make a bizarre analogy - it’s like that eccentric, slightly annoying family member that comes and stays with you for an extended period of time (think cousin Cody on Step-by-Step), but after a while starts growing on you because you are forced to spend so much time with them, and when they are gone you are wondering how to fill the void in your life. Hah.

I arrive at the test center 30 minutes early, which is a rarity since I’m usually right on time or late, and I spend the time in line reviewing this very helpful guide to writing the AWA – it was the first time I had given any thought to this section, since I've been told it would be a breeze.

Now onto the test itself: I started with the AWA and emerged very confident. Both topics related somewhat to shopping and consumers, which of course are right up my alley, and found myself referencing Gilt Group, Netflix, Zappos, Amazon, Yelp, Vogue and Lucky magazine and feeling pretty good throughout. Took the short break, then headed into Quant.

Oh boy Quant. This was probably the most random, unpredictable Quant I had ever seen, and more than a few times got thrown off. Not necessarily hardest, but question types I had not encountered before. With the exception of the first question, I started out strong, but then ran into some very basic questions in the middle which made me nervous. I was doing great on time as compared to before, but got bogged down on a few questions towards end and was barely able to finish. Verbal was not much better, in fact, this was the toughest Verbal I had seen yet, and Verbal has always been my strength. Usually I rush in Verbal but told myself to slow down. Perhaps too slow, since I ended up running out of time towards the end and guessed on some final verbal responses, something I had not ever had to do. The last few questions was a blur, and ended knowing that I had paced myself terribly.

By the time the 30-minute experimental section for the upcoming 2012 GMAT rolled around, I was a ball of nerves. I knew for experimental purposes I was to try my best on the questions, but I was mentally drained. Side Note: If the GMAC really thinks that test-takers are going to put in 100% effort on these problems, they are severely mistaken. If test-takers are going to do a mental marathon for nearly 4 hours beforehand, how can the GMAC expect us to take this section seriously when all we want to do is see our score and get outta there?!

More interpreting graphs, charts, I slugged my way through, guessed on some, felt relief that I would not have to take the 2012 version of the GMAT and finally got to the review screen. I had 2 minutes to decide whether to send my scores or cancel, and for a split second considered canceling. Then I realized that I had spent $250 and grudgingly clicked on through to the result screen.

A great visual of how I feel...my results don't accurately reflect my time spent!

My score? 690 (88%) with a 47Q (76%) and 38V (83%). My biggest fear had come true, I was stuck at the 690-mark. How did the timing get to me again? I had resolved that if my score was in the low 700’s, I would stick with it and move on to my application. My last two scores were 720 and 750, before that a combination of 710's and 690's so I wasn't entirely surprised. But this was a score that I did not think accurately reflected my test-taking capacity and preparation, but instead encompassed my nerves and lack of pacing.

On my drive home, I was determined to schedule a retake. Yes, I would have to drag it out an additional month, and yes this might mean less time on applications (Round 1 is a little under 2 months away) but did I really think that I would only take it once? I took the SAT three times, and drastically improved my second time (1420 to 1530). Some people thought I was crazy then, but I knew I had a better score in me after I completed the first time. (If you are wondering why I retook the SAT after the 1530, no I was not a deranged perfectionist in high school, but I had scheduled the 3rd test before I took the 2nd test, so I figured oh what the heck. Needless to say, my score went down, which I definitely want to avoid here.)

Back home, I immediately Googled "retake 690" to see what the recommendations were, and to see if I was crazy for retaking with that score. Apparently this is a dilemma that is plaguing lots of people, as evidenced by the forums and blogs. To retake or not to retake? 690 is a pretty frustrating score for most, just because it is right below the 700 cut-off. Yet I truly believe that whether retaking is the right decision differs for everyone, and can think of good reasons for both.

The advice was all over the board, but I have condensed it and made it applicable to my situation:

Reasons why I should retake:

I know I can do better, I spent a lot of energy preparing. I want my score to be a reflection of my efforts
What do I have to lose? According to many, schools only care about the highest score, even though they may frown upon taking 3+ times (which I do not plan on doing)
I took the SAT 3 times. Different tests, different circumstances, but I did my best the second time.
Retaking, or even debating whether to retake with a sub-700 score is not that uncommon, as evidenced by the plethora of forum and blog postings. I am totally a "what if" kind of person, and would kick myself if I didn't try just once more.
I was a bundle of nerves and ran out of time in both sections. If I can get my timing down, I will be fine, in addition to now knowing the testing center setup.
The schools I am applying to (top 15) are highly competitive and only take the highest scores, with averages around 720. While I'm in the 80% range, I think my chances improve if I'm at the average instead of below it.
My college grades are average but not stellar. Though attended a top-10 non-Ivy university, I was in the middle of my class and majored in a social science, not a numbers-heavy discipline. With respect to the quantitative component of my application, I want to have a GMAT score that will at least make up for some of what my GPA lacks.
Apparently some employers ask for your GMAT score. While I’m certainly not looking to go into Finance or I-Banking, some of the top Management Consulting firms ask for the GMAT on the resume and it could be a hindrance down the road, even if I do make it into my dream B-School.

Reasons Why I should NOT retake:

Could spend that time writing essays, working on the rest of my application.
Other parts of my application are strong, including work experience, leadership and extracurricular activities and I feel like I can put together solid essays.
$250 can go ~~a long way~~ 5 hours in Vegas :)
I would need to take another vacation day for the exam, since weekend slots have filled up, which I would love to save up for actual vacations.
I've been looking forward to getting the rest of my life back in place after the GMAT. Oh well, what’s another month in the grand scheme of things?
Of course, there is always the possibility that my score could go down, and that might reflect negatively.

Was I overly confident heading into the GMAT? Not as much confident as ready, since I felt like I had practiced sufficiently, though the quality of my practice is up for debate. For the GMAT, there is a margin of error of +/- 30 points.

Where do I go from here? I'm a pretty positive, optimistic person and really think I need to keep moving on, but most importantly, I should probably start on the applications, especially the essays. To get organized, I'm putting together an Excel spreadsheet of where I am planning on applying, with the Essays prompts and starting essay outlines. I really didn’t want to be writing essays at the same time as my exam, so I will schedule the retake as close as possible to the 31 day mark. I'll be meeting with my study buddy "H" and plan out application strategies.

My friends are excited to be seeing me again, and of course I am looking forward to being more social, though I'll still be hard at work to make the R1 deadlines. After Vegas this weekend, my travel schedule picks up again starting next week for two weeks and before I know it, it will be GMAT time all over again. This time, I plan on not letting my nerves or the test pacing get the best of me :)

Can't lie...I'm kind of excited for this!

Alright, heading out to turbo-kickboxing class (it's been too long!)

-Mango

I am seriously doing a happy dance right now.

2011-08-04T00:13:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a really [relatively] short entry, because I am dancing around my living room at the moment.

The title of my posting says it all. After a long day at work, I decided to head over to visit home. My sweet mom offered to cook dinner for me during the final countdown week to G-Day - she refused to let me subsist on microwave dinners and take-out, and I have a hard time turning down a home cooked meal or food of any kind :) .

After my CAT exam performance this weekend, I resolved to keep practicing and to not be disappointed. So I went home, took a nap for an hour, reviewed the problems I missed on the last CAT exam, ate dinner, and sat down on my computer to take yet another timed practice test. Working through the test, I felt the same familar panicky feeling setting on as once again, I was running out of time on quant. I took some deep breaths and grudgingly moved on to take my best guess at some questions when I realized I wasn't going to be able to solve the answer in less than 3 minutes. When it came to Verbal, I decided to take my time and went through each question slowly. Before, I usually had 5-7 minutes left, but this time, I resolved to stare at the screen until I was absoutely confident in my answer. After what seemed like forever for the exam, down to the last second in Quant and with a minute left in Verbal, I finally finished, feeling dread at seeing my Quant scores.

The result?

750 with 48q and 45v! Oh yeahhh!!!

Emotions: shock, happiness, hope, relief. Can this be replicated on G-Day with the addition of the experimental section and AWA? Was it because I was well-fed and rested and wearing pajama pants? Or because on the bus ride to work this morning and home, I poured through the MGMAT Sentence Correction book instead of playing Angry Birds? Whatever the reason, I'm intent on keeping it up in my next practice exams and hopefully that will transfer over to the real thing.

Going to catch some sleep...but I feel like I have a renewed energy for the next four days leading into G-Day!

Still dancing,

Mango

Getting down to the Wire (Good thing I didn't start watching the show, I've learned my lessons in procrastination from college)

2011-08-03T00:45:00.000-07:00

Mood: Inspired. Just co-facilitated a workshop today on multidisciplinary 21st century skills. If you haven't deduced yet, I work in consulting in the educational sector :) After sharing this TED talk by Sir Ken Robinson to highlight the importance of inventive thinking, I was reminded again of why I'm in the field of education, why I hope to remain here long-term, and why there needs to be change especially in the approach and organizational structure. This is a rant best saved for another blog entry, but it is something that I'm quite passionate about, and hope to shape it into a running theme of my B-School essays.

Music: Revisited my Jack Johnson Pandora station. It reminds me of last spring when my best friend and I backpacked (we like to call it flashpacking) through SE Asia and would put Jack Johnson on in the evenings while were sitting in our cabanas, looking up at the stars. Those flashpacking trips (we've covered Puerto Rico, SE Asia, Mexico, and most recently, Brazil) bring me back to when I was truly carefree and removed from the crazy realities of life. On a bus once, we asked our driver to put on our iPod.

His response? "As long as its not that awful Jack Johnson or John Mayer sh*t the backpacker kids always make me play!" to which we responded, "Uh...no. It's Britney :)"

Remote Ko Lipe Island in Thailand...the best 2.5 weeks of my life :)

Random Musings: I've just updated my LinkedIn page, started connecting with my clients, and am trying to pull all my different social-media identities on the web into a central location, through an "about.me" page. I figure about.me is the quickest way to summarize what I am about, almost like a virtual business card!

With 1 week left, the pressure is building!

In the past, when I have had to cram for exams, I've always found reasons to procrastinate. Case in point: My sophomore year, I had stayed away from all the hype surrounding Grey's Anatomy until finals week when I was looking for a distraction. That came in the form of McDreamy, McSteamy and during those fateful few weeks, I crammed while watching almost an entire season. Two years later, it came in the form of Pac Man on Facebook. Amidst writing final papers, I perfected my Pac Man strategies and wound up as one of the top 50 players in the world, my profile proudly displayed on the winner circle. That week I received a flurry of messages from Pac Man fans all over, friend requests, some asking for pointers while others had more uh, odd requests. They're pending in case I am ever in need of a self esteem boost, ha!

Surprisingly, I've avoided getting hooked on any new TV show or achieving champion level of any games (though I'm so ready to get back into bar trivia nights!). I chalk this up to maturity, and of course, my job. Last week, we had our quarterly, all-day firm-wide team meetings where I was catching up on work in the evenings, which is generally reserved for GMAT. Last Tuesday afternoon, I was looking forward to getting in some much needed time with permutations and probability, my greatest weaknesses in Quant, when I was shooed along to a company-mandated associate dinner. It was like a family reunion, with many of my out-of-town co-workers coming back and we had a blast indulging in delicious PNW food, sending drinks back and forth, and catching up. As much as I wanted to socialize afterward and go karaoke with the group, I knew that studying was the wiser decision and I couldn't give my best rendition of "Since U Been Gone" knowing that my GMAT books were probably thinking the same thing about me.

Of course, this past weekend was dedicated to more studying. After taking another practice test on Sunday, my score went down to 690. When I saw that score, I panicked. What is going to happen, am I doomed to be hovering around the 700-mark, not knowing if I would go over or under? I know that 700 is the big hurdle to jump over, but I didn't want to just hop over it, I wanted to clear it with a lot of breathing room. So I decided to analyze my test scores, and direct my focus to my weak spots. Since I had purchased the Manhattan GMAT set, this provided access to 6 practice exams online. I could take each exam multiple times, and I had two others from the GMAC, so I did not need to worry about running out of exams to take.

Here's the crazy thing - I've worked through much of the GMAT OG, Manhattan GMAT series, as well as Kaplan and Princeton review guides. I placed sticky notes on each page detailing the problems I got wrong and right. I timed myself on individual problems from the books and generally stayed under 2 minutes for math, close to 1 minute for writing. Why was I doing well in practice problems but not so well on the Exam? Why am I coming out confident but missing almost half of the problems? I've come to realize that a lot of it is just due to the nature of the test and testing - I have a terrible time pacing myself in Quant and need to be better at distinguishing when to complete and when to skip problems so I don't get trapped at the end.

So. Crunch time counting down to test day, a week away. My goal? Take a practice test daily leading up to G-Day. A little extreme? Nah. I am determined to conquer and be comfortable with the test!

Yes, those are Sentence Correction post-it notes stuck on my door :)

To close, I'll admit I'm a huge fan of success stories and happy endings. When a hero faces an obstacle and over comes it despite their shortcomings. Well. I'm definitely no hero but the GMAT is a beast. I remember referring to the application process as a marathon not a sprint. The GMAT is a huge mental marathon. And all the practice problems are like mini sprints. Looking back, I should have spent equal time on my test-taking abilities, as those have declined as well. Knowing the information is one thing, but being about to pound it out problem after problem and while your confidence is eroding? That takes instinct, resolve, and of course, practice.

Steve Prefontaine is a great hero where I'm from. This was one man who embodied charisma, confidence, and endurance, not to mention he really knew how to rock the 'stache ;). "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift"

I know my best is somewhere in there... Let's hope it comes out when it really counts!

Less than a week until G-day!!

Mango

PS - A recent incident (aka realization that I am reaching my quarter-life mark) prompted me to reflect on what I hope to accomplish by age 30. As determined as I am to attend B-School, I don't want that to be my only significant accomplishment in the second half of my 20's. As I post entries, I hope to add to the 30 x 30 list and hopefully that will reveal a little more about my aspirations outside of my career, and my personality :)

to start...

30. Give a TED talk about something I can claim some sort of expertise in (outside of Pac Man). Inspire others. Make them chuckle.

I'm pretty Keane on bringing up my GMAT score!

2011-07-20T10:00:00.000-07:00

Mood: Caffeinated (Drinking a mocha at 9:45 pm at a local non-chain coffee shop. Proud I'm supporting our local small businesses!)

Music: Melodramatic piano rock. My attempts at studying last weekend were slightly hampered on account of our house being taken over by a group of snowboarders (acquaintances of my roommate) from Tahoe who were crashing with us for the weekend. They blasted Gucci Mane, drank my mango lemonade and left our living room smelling questionably, but they were very nice and before leaving, cleaned the entire house while we were at work. I retreated to our deck armed with the OG to the GMAT and revisited my Keane Pandora station which I had not listened to in quite some time, but am getting hooked on all over again! Lesson learned: there are bound to be distractions beyond your control, so find other places of refuge if needed.

Random Musings: I've just joined Google+! Facebook is my social networking addiction of choice and I'm not sure yet how I'll use Google+ and the "Circles" feature ...we'll see if this takes off or goes the way of Google Wave

One sentence summary of this posting: I'm making progress on my GMAT studying!

As I was studying today, I heard the familiar chime of a new email. Except for this time, it wasn't coming from my iPhone, it was coming from my iPad. I received a new iPad 2 from my company for the purposes of "increasing productivity". Now that I have one, it's become my constant companion and I'm continually finding new uses for it (just downloaded some GMAT apps).

My room mate was hosting a friend's bridal shower at our place so I had to find a quiet place to study. In my city, this is more difficult that you'd think.. Ruled out the neighborhood bars and restaurants (why be tempted by microbrews and tasty food while I study? See beef jerky incident of the April 18th posting).... library was closed, too dark outside... so I drove down to a cute dessert and coffee place that was open late. Besides the occasional and startling banging of the espresso scoops, this is a decent place to camp out.

So back to the chime...email from GMAC reminds me that I am only less than a month away from my exam, which I am acutely aware of. Nope, it's not just the neurotic post it notes stuck around my room - "Age is just a number but 720 is not!" "(insert top school name here) or bust!" "You can do it!" "6...5...4...3....more weeks of social suicide!" I've found myself canceling dinner plans, postponing planning a historic pub crawl with my young professionals organization, adios gym and kickboxing classes all so I can fit in 3 hours of studying a day 3 weeks before test. Training for a half marathon? That can wait too, I'd rather chase a good score :)

I was beginning to think that this was all in vain...until I reached a breakthrough this weekend. On my third practice test, I broke 700! 710 to be exact, up from 630 the first time and 660 the second time. It was quite the exhilarating feeling! Sure, that is still lower than my target score and I took the test in sections while skipping the AWA but I plan on soon taking a practice test mimicking the actual exam for a more authentic experience. Seeing that score flash up on the screen was reassurance that I need to keep trucking along, and I reminded myself that it can only go up if I keep up the pace.

This progress is very encouraging. If anything, it's comforting seeing that getting my priorities straight while sacrificing "fun" is really going to pay off. I'm not necessarily talking about going out on weekends, but rather summer activities that I've been looking forward to, as sunshine and lack of rain here is a rare treat :) I'm skipping out on a big rock climbing adventure with our interns, road trips and, most importantly, working on my Vegas poolside physique (ha) in exchange for that glimmer of hope of decent score.

My friends have been understanding and encouraging, though I'm thinking of ways to be less awkward when explaining to coworkers who are in the dark about my MBA plans why I can't attend happy hours and work related social functions... I can only see the dentist/optometrist/psychic so many times in a 3 month period! As balanced as I am and as much as I value symmetry ( I AM a Libra!), I wholeheartedly acknowledge that the GMAT is tipping the scales (pun intended) and I'm okay with that. Deep down I KNOW I know this stuff, I've learned it before and I was fairly good at this, and I'll do whatever it takes to make sure I'm giving it my 100% effort, to the best of my abilities!

Here are my strategies to studying which I believe have been helping:

1. I now attack every critical reading passage with the fervor of reading a new Cosmo issue - a guilty pleasure but admittedly entertaining. I head into every passage as if it is the most interesting thing I've ever read, an approach recommended by Manhattan GMAT. Gravitational Pressure of Terrestrial Environments? Heck yes! Bring it, "How to tell if He's Lying/Cheating/actually more interested in my guy friends" has got nothin' on you! Attitude is key, feigning interest is a must if I'm to stay awake during this part of the exam, the highest likelihood of zoning out. Hey - I figure if I'm not feigning interest in random guys that approach us at the bar, I might as well be doing on the GMAT reading passages :). Also, summarizing as I go has been helpful as well as mentally recording the authors main point.

"I had to pay for my own drink...one woman's horror!" Yes. these magazines are ridiculous.

2. Data sufficiency - AD or BCE. I write this down on the page and it helps, as well as avoiding the temptation to look at B while working on A. Cover that sucker up! For the sake of speed, I'm memorizing the cube root of numbers and practicing long division. Ultimately, the more practice I have, the more familiar I am with questions and hopefully they'll feel like like second nature.

3. I'm getting better at recognizing sentence corrections errors and even found my emails at work have improved. Subject-verb agreement, pronoun modifiers, I know I'm making success if it's impacting my life outside of the GMAT. I'm picking apart logical assumptions in the news (yes, Michelle Bachman I'm looking at you) and focusing on the information at hand.

4. Being comfortable with the different strategies to tackle problem solving questions: picking numbers, algebra, or drawing pictures. I know what works for me and am always pleased when I can find the answer quicker and in a more straightforward manner than in the back of the book. Take problem 8 on page 51 in the GMAT Official Guide for example - their approach was a drawn out process of solving through algebra- I instead chose numbers and was able to quickly and confidently find the answer!

Meet my best buddies :), they follow me everywhere!

In other news, this week at work has been a great deal of fun - I've been presenting at workshops attended by a wide range of our clients, both international and domestic and have gotten great feedback. As a part of the workshops, we are helping clients develop tools (podcasts, PowerPoints) to bring back and share with their colleagues what they've learned and where they are hoping to go. I spent today directing a podcast with a Late Night talk show theme (think Letterman, Leno), and we filmed one scene at a nearby hotel. Yes, 6 people heading into a hotel room with video cameras and a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door is definitely questionable, but I assure you our video is appropriate for all audiences. :) It's times like these where I love my job, the spontaneity, the ability to tap into my artistic and analytical sides, the diversity of clients I work with (clients from Singapore, Utah and Texas) and the creative products that emerge, inspiring others to be better at what they do.

considering wearing one around my neck

I'm notorious at work for creating some uh, quirky podcasts that play off of existing videos (Where else would this happen if not at the Sasquatch music festival here in the PNW?) Helping clients create these resources has led me to believe, even more strongly, that the way a message is delivered to an audience is often equally as important, if not more, than the content of the message. Similarly, an approach to studying for the GMAT that is complimentary to my learning style (adequate practice, set schedule, making it fun, positive reinforcement) is crucial to absorbing the information.

Less than 3 weeks before G-day! Wish me luck. My best friend "A" is also taking the New York bar this coming week, wish her luck too! Heck! Let's send good vibes to everyone sitting in a GMAT test center, earplugs in place and dry erase pens tapping away!

Until next time,

Mango

Ps. This posting was entirely drafted on my iPad. Dear Steve Jobs: Thank you for creating a product that, even though it sounds like it belongs under my bathroom sink, I'm quickly realizing I cannot do without!

Getting back on the proverbial horse...

2011-06-29T22:12:00.000-07:00

****Posting from the plush comfort of the Las Vegas Airport*****

Mood: Determined (to get back on track)

Song: What the Hell by Avril Lavigne (keep reading on...)

Random musing(s):

As annoying as having a 3 leg flight back home from Philly, where I was at a conference this week, the positive is that it makes my Frequent Flier accounts happy! Flying direct would perhaps take only 5 hours, but I earn 4812 miles (doubled by airlines). With the 3 legs, I get more mileage (6452 total to be exact)!

As you might have deduced...I'm kind of a procrastinator and have been handsomely rewarded for my bad habits :). I did some crafty sleuthing for this last minute flight and searched two one-ways on Orbitz, (much cheaper than booking a round-trip on Orbitz), fiddled around with filters, then booked this ticket through eBates which gives me cash back for shopping. The result? A red-eye out and this crazy route through Vegas back for less than I was originally planning on paying. What else was I going to do? Blog? Sleep? Study? Angry Birds? I can do that on the plane with an endless stream of beverages! Apparently there are several websites to help you calculate the potential miles when choosing plane tickets, if you are interested in that sort of thing ;)

Dear Friends, Family, and random readers of Por Que MBA:

I have a confession to make: I've not been good. The other day I was driving in my car to the gym and Avril Lavinge’s latest song came on: “All my life I’ve been good but now, oooh I’m thinking what the hell” I won’t get started on her lyrical abilities or her "relationship" with the Hills "star" Brody Jenner (Really? Matching tattoos?) but this song struck a chord with me, no pun intended.

Taken into the context of my B-School preparation, I’ve not been good as I was with my preparation, and am seriously thinking, what the H--- is going on because I need to get back on track! Since my decision late last year to apply, I’ve been so focused, up to the point of constant immersion with B-School dreams and information. Unfortunately in last month or so, my preparation has weaned and my GMAT studying has been minimal.

There are several things to blame (myself first and foremost), in no particular order of significance:

5. Travel schedule, consisting of on-site client work/conferences/workshops during the day and catch up at night. With the last month, my schedule has been totally caddywhompus due to some last minute business trips, which where snuck onto my calendar. My study schedule, especially with study buddy "H" had gotten off kilter and it has been difficult to stay focused. My boss has assured me that July will be slower in terms of travel, where as last July I was on the road 3 out of 4 weeks. I remind myself that the last time he said that, I flew out last minute to Singapore shortly after.

4. Distractions in social life; spending time with friends/people of the opposite gender and a sudden spike in out of town friends visiting and staying with me. I've resolved to tourniquet these social distractions...we'll see how well it works!

3. Doubt! Other than being a fantastic movie in my DVD blue ray collection which I have yet to watch, doubt is an incredible deterrent from preparing, and throughout the process, reasons to not apply have kept coming back. The price tag of the education is pretty steep, which can’t be ignored. Timing for going next year as opposed to later, where I can build up additional experiences. All the reasons referenced in previous posts. I’ll probably continue coming back to this, but even as I have committed to at least APPLYING, doubt is like crack to my procrastination.

This is what I felt like before....but replace "World" with "GMAT"

2. No set deadline for taking the GMAT - it is hard when you have an amorphous amount of time to prepare. I will continue this thought below...

1. LIFE. You will always find some other excuse to get occupied. In all honesty, for a short period of time, I was loathing studying because it was so discouraging, I kept forgetting the same basic math concepts relating to exponents and number theory. I got simple questions wrong, and I had the hardest time getting back into good study habits.

Then I read this Poets & Quants article, which correlated increased GMAT Scores (10 pts) to a rise in salary ($3,000). I'm usually skeptical about these things and am not obsessing about graduating salary at this point, but I realized the overall message - the better you do on the GMAT, the better your chances are of getting into your dream school (regardless of how high it ranks or selectivity) and then the better your odds are of getting to that dream job. In the scope of things, prioritizing GMAT studying for a few months could yield great results. Besides, when I put my mind to something and I do well, the satisfaction makes it all worthwhile! I know I might have slacked recently, and tend to be hard on myself for these sorts of things, but it's not too late to get back on track.

This brings me to my latest dilemma. I recently had a positive performance review in which my company highlighted areas where they want me to play a greater role in. Recently, an opportunity has emerged with an open, "unclaimed" region in our client portfolio; an exotic international region which I’ve had longtime interest in. I’m contemplating asking my supervisor to take over that area; I currently manage one of our largest East-Coast portfolios. In turn, I could possible share my current region with another new associate and mentor them. Obviously my work load will be much heavier, but will the rewards be worthwhile?

The dilemma lies in how to balance my current and future workload, "distractions" of any sort and GMAT prep. I think this is something that other MBA hopefuls also struggling with – whether to take on added responsibilities that might propel us to higher levels, challenge us, increase confidence from our supervisors, and that offer a diversity of learning experiences to draw from, but juggling that with GMAT/B-School preparation. When I’m not working, I feel like I need to be studying, and often when I’m on the road my work/personal time boundaries are blurry.

Meaning, getting back to the hotel after a long day of on-site work, I can either catch up on work that I’ve missed during the day, study the GMAT and work on B-school research, sneak in a workout or soak in the hotel jaccuzzi. All while watching CSI Miami in the background, though its hard to multi-task with David Caruso’s one liners :)

check out this new place in Philly - you won't be disappointed!

Case in point: this past week, I’ve been working the conference and my Monday consisted of conference craziness 8-6, updating team notes 6-8, dinner with co-workers 8-10 at delicious Barbuzzo , and catching up on work from 10-midnight. The next day, I woke up for a 6:30 a.m. Webinar presentation to a new client in Bahrain before hitting the conference again.

Where was GMAT studying in all of this? Embarrassingly enough, absent, much like my patience for spotty wireless, dang you AT&T mobile card! The last thing I want to do after working all day is crack open the GMAT book, even though its staring at me from my hotel nightstand.

Two take aways:

A: Standing on your feet in heels all day is a pain. LITERALLY. I proudly admit I’m a shoe girl and I love my heels. Bring two pairs of shoe and rotate out, as the pain is from pressure points on the foot which would then be distributed. Different shoes impact different pressure points, and that should help alleviate the pain.

B: Find ways to stay motivated about the application process and remain immersed in B-School thoughts. I try not to lose sight of these goals. Through my networking at the conference, I met several educational entrepreneurs which I plan on following up with, and a graduate of Kellogg who currently works there. Speaking with them provided me with an idea of what I can do with the MBA and kept me reminded that I need to keep moving forward. During the breaks, I would check the GMAT flashcard app on my phone from Veritas Prep and Beat the GMAT.

I guess the biggest news to share, is that….*drumroll please*….for the indecisive girl that procrastinates like crazy… I've FINALLY signed up for the GMAT! The magic date is August 8^th - I feel like this needs to be made into a fridge magnet like the “Save the Date!” wedding ones that I’m starting to receive, and passed out to my friends for them to stick on their fridges. This way, they can be reminded of the duration of and why I’m going into hiding and that their attempts to flaunt anything entertaining or time consuming will be flatly rejected.

Frighteningly enough, that’s less than 5 weeks away!!!! However, I've realized that the only way for me to truly be serious and focused about studying is to have a date set on the calendar. That way, I can see the end in mind and work towards it intently.

I’ve cleverly scheduled the test on Monday. I originally was going to do it on a Friday but my study buddy “H” so astutely remarked that it would be wiser to schedule on a Monday so that I could spend the weekend studying, instead of stressed out from working. I take the test at 8am on Monday, and those who know me know that I'm definitely not a morning person. Uh oh.

Here's the best part: That Friday, I fly to Vegas with my room mate and a gaggle of our girlfriends to celebrate our birthdays - her’s is in August, mine is in September. My actual birthday is close enough to Round 1 apps that I plan on having a cupcake and mai tai shipped to the public library where I’ll be holed up battling writer's block, rules banning candles and alcohol be damned! It will be my very first time in Vegas...I've never had a strong desire to go but I figure it will be shortly after the GMAT and I'll either need to celebrate, or make some terrible decisions so that I can feel better about my score. Ha. Just Kidding. I'm starting to panic as it really is, crunch time.

My strategy for the next few weeks will consist of:

1. Taking a practice test weekly, in the similar environment as the testing center. Actually follow through with Analytical Writing a few of the times, use the CAT that Manhattan GMAT and the Official GMAT offer, use earplugs and mimic the testing center conditions.

2. A dedicated study schedule that will follow, as closely as possible, 2 hours on week days and 5 hours on weekends. I have the entire Manhattan GMAT series to work through.

3. Detailed analysis and drilling of my weak spots. So far, it's still Data Sufficiency, anything with probability and permutations, Sentence Correction here and there. Finding a way to stay alert through those dreaded Reading Comprehension passages.

I have a 5 day weekend for this 4th of July and was planning on camping at the Coast, but fully intend on using most of the time to catch up on studying.

I hope to be updating this blog more frequently as I near the first round of application deadlines!

As I post this from the Las Vegas airport amidst the clanging of the slot machines, I leave you with two questions and a request for your thoughts / advice:

1. Would you recommend taking on additional responsibilities at work to grow, knowing it could cut into that precious study time or use that time to focus on GMAT and B-School preparation?

2. How do you stay focused on GMAT preparation, and study strategies, when there seems to be distractions all around?

Thank you all for reading!! Seeing the increase in traffic to my blog is definitely encouraging, and being featured on one of my favorite MBA websites, Poets and Quants is huge honor. I hope to keep you all inspired and entertained as we schlep our way through this journey called applying to B-School!

Running to catch a flight (as always),

Mango

The MBA application process is a marathon, not a sprint. It's a good thing I did cross country in high school, even if it was for the pre-race pasta dinners

2011-04-18T21:29:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of my old Live Journal postings, I’m going to begin by posting a mood, song, and random musing.

Mood: Spent (both physically and pocket-bookey, I did some major damage at the mall this past week/weekend!)

Song of the moment: Carry on Wayward Son by Kansas

Pet peeve: Outlet Hogging: when people in airports take up 2 outlet plugs for their laptop and iPhone, when they only need one and can charge their iPhone through their laptop, thus freeing up the extra outlet for someone else (I thought I was ingenious in coining this term, but apparently it already exists)

It’s been a while since I’ve updated this blog, but I think my time has been spent pretty wisely. I’m currently blogging from the Wichita Airport in Kansas, where I was working with a client today. Yes, my work takes me to some pretty random places, and this is my second time in the lovely state; the first to an even more remote town that only had one stop-light.

Surprisingly, I have really enjoyed Kansas this time around. Upon my arrival, instead of checking out the largest corn dog or the most significant hill, I headed straight to the malls and stores. I needed some retail therapy after my dismal first practice attempt at the GMAT on Saturday.

Luckily, I have not run into any tornadoes, though I did have a run in with some pretty awful sushi last night which is comparable in my book. I know, what was I thinking, sushi in Kansas? Needless to say, I’ve learned my lesson.

The way sushi should be. Hungry yet? :P

Right now, my main focus is getting my GMAT scores up. At one point early on in my MBA research, I Googled "predict GMAT from SAT". Silly, I know, I just wanted to see if there was a correlation. Apparently there is not, though I distinctly remember the musings of one forum poster: “Take your SAT and divide by two”. He should have said, “Take your SAT, divide by 2, wait just kidding, you’ve been out of school too long and forgot your basic concepts, minus 200, and add some self-despair." Hah.

I said I would be honest on this blog and update on my progress, so here I go. After 2 weeks of pretty persistent studying (here is a gal who has not hit the books since college) which includes 2/hrs day during the week days and 5/hrs a day on weekends, I decided I was ready to take a practice CAT test downloaded from the GMAC themselves, I figure it has to be legit as I am getting it from the source.

The application process is starting to creep into my life (and in a few months, will overtake my life) in some crazy ways. Out at happy hour Friday night, I called out a friend on an unstated assumption (critical reasoning, baby!). I’ve become that girl at the gym that ellipticals and runs (pun intended) through GMAT flashcards. In the morning when I wake and before bedtime, I try to look at the essay questions posed by my amorphous top 10 list of schools and think if I have new revelations or stories. I don’t think I’m obsessive, but I know that there’s a steep hill I need to climb, I'm a little late to the game, and once I set a goal, I’m going to pursue it doggedly until I get it :)

So my friend from HS who I will nickname “H” is also prepping for B-School, and we have decided to be study buddies. Saturday morning, we hole our selves up at the lovely public library with their study rooms. For as much $ as I pay the library in taxes (and fines), I need to make use of all their amenities.

To quote Haley from “Modern Family”, “I thought that was a bathroom for homeless people”.

To quote an expression from another show:

Well. Yes, but the public library is so much more. You see, we have one of the best library systems in the entire US in my dear PNW city. I grew up on public libraries and university libraries. The library was where I hid out and read "Sweet Valley High", "Babysitter's Club" and "Encyclopedia Brown" as a child, a favorite high-school hang-out (I fully acknowledge my nerdy past), my source for SAT prep, and now I return to the same familiar section for the GMAT material, after occasionally perusing the graphic novels section for The Adventures of Tin Tin books. Don’t laugh.

But then I decided to get serious…and bought the Manhattan GMAT series. Of course I refused to buy it full price from the official site – that is one of my main tenents of life Don’t pay full price when you don’t have to which is next to Don’t order sushi from a state that is as physically far away as possible from a major body of water.

So I go through the test, panicking and forgetting most of what I had studied and not pacing myself. Math problems take me much longer than I had thought and I blank on the shortcuts I had memorized and number properties. I try to outsmart the system, trying to figure out whether my questions are getting harder or easier, to see if I am doing better or worse. It is the most nerve wracking 75 minutes in my recent life, besides watching the finale of the Bachelorette, Ali Fedetowsky Season 6. (I kid, I kid. But I still have a special place in my heart for Cape Code Chris, the runner-up.)

I think verbal will be easier, it is not. Rats. Some how, I am being punished for going out the night before (it was one drink!) and my laundry list of transgressions that week (forgetting to turn off the oven again, buying whole non-organic non-sustainable milk) as the verbal section is terrible (harder than the practice sets in the books). PLUS I nearly doze off as we get into critical reading. All I remember is something about El Nino and La Nina and getting hungry for Mexican food.

Verdict? 630, 45Q 31V and around the 73% percentile. Uh oh. Now for some, that is a great score. For me, I know I can do better. Standardized tests are my thing, well at least they used to be. I have a long and sordid past with the SAT after studying much longer than the traditional test-taker - a few years actually. My parents had their own idea of summer fun. As I had originally aimed to take the GMAT in April, and I just started seriously studying, I feel that I am very short on time. It's just that many of the tricks that I used to use on the SATs (doing all the easy questions first, scribbling on note paper) do not apply to the computer-adaptive GMAT.

According to the forum poster, I should be scoring 765. In order to be competitive with the top schools, I need to get a 700+, even more with my GPA (more on that in another post). My goal is 724, 700+ my lucky number of 24. I think I can do it. I KNOW I can do it :).

Lessons I Learned:

Be alert during the exam, drink some coffee, pop some Trimspa for caffeine. whatever it takes.
Do not guess the system, you will invariably lose. It’s like a casino.
Pace yourself. Quant should take a little more than 2 minutes per question, verbal a little less. There are always shortcuts, take some time to decipher the question and your approach before diving in.
Tune out distractions, especially if “H” is cracking their knuckles incessantly. Learn the ways of the basketball players at my beloved alma matter, who would be unfazed as ruthless, unclassy fans (yes I'm looking at you, Maryland and UNC) shouted obscenities in their face while shooting free-throws.
Finally, eating beef jerky during the exam is a bad idea. It will distract you and make you hungrier. (Don't worry, I don't plan on snacking during the actual exam!)

To wrap up, applying for B-school is an extremely humbling and arduous journey. To borrow from others, "The MBA application process is a marathon not a sprint". I used to think I was unique with my life experiences, achievements and personality and then I stumbled upon MBA blogs, forum posts and I am blown away by what others have accomplished at a young age. I read student profiles from the top schools of what the current B-School students have done pre-MBA and post, and I am wondering how I can compete both intellectually. A part of me is slightly jealous that they have accomplished all AND look so polished and stress-free in their pictures (effortless perfection, a term coined at my undergrad is my first impression! Photoshop is my second!) The other part of me, is encouraged, impressed, and relieved knowing that the people that may someday lead our country in the public and private sector have passions and values that are more meaningful than just making dinero. Call me naive, but reading each of their profiles, I believe that there is something more that makes them tick, something that motivates them to be successful that is greater than themselves.

Then I am reminded that our only president who graduated from B-school (HBS, nonetheless) is this guy, God Bless his soul:

And I am reassured of my ability to be competitive intellectually ;)

******

Alright. I’ve arrived in Denver International. Time to see what delicious airport dining options await me. I have a sinking feeling that It’ll be Sbarros or Quiznos, neither of which are very appealing right now. All I want is a bowl of brown rice and some chicken.

On the bright side, I found out I was upgraded to first on my leg home! This can only mean one thing: cocktails and quality time with data sufficiency practice!

Eagerly awaiting my arrival of the Manhattan GMAT Series almost as eagerly as I await new episodes of Modern Family.

Much love,

Mango

(for those of you who are wondering if I’ve really decided to apply, Yes. I did. I just want to make sure that I am doing it for the right reasons, and to be critically evaluating WHY to help me determine my best options. But now I am thinking of changing my name from “Porque…MBA” to “Okay…MBA!” Cheesy I know :-D

Why apply to B-School? The events of last weekend

2011-04-07T00:10:00.000-07:00

When I think back to how I arrived at this decision to apply to business school, 2 key events stand out in my mind.

Numero Uno: Halloween 2010. I was dressed up in a home-made costume as a certain creature from my country of origin, and I happened to talk to the only guy at the party not wearing a costume. I was unenthused, which takes a lot (c'mon, what kind of person cannot find a ratty t-shirt, pair of khakis and belt, a random purse lying around, sunglasses, fake plastic baby, grow some facial hair, and go as Zach Galifianakis from the Hangover?) but intrigued because he was wearing tweed.

I remember two main things from the conversation. One was that he kept bringing up his employer (OK i get it. You work for a large, powerful corporation hQ in the PNW. You work with numbers. You like Excel.) When he mentioned he was in the process of applying for an MBA, my mind started to wander. Living in the PNW, I do not often encounter people my age applying or giving much thought to the MBA, as the attitude in my city is quite laid back and anti-corporate big-business and mainstream things.

I had gone back and forth with the idea of an MBA earlier, but never gave it serious thought because I didn't know whether it was a right fit for me. I'm pretty far from that stereotype of a wall street hotshot iBanker, though I like my suits and power lunches. I also recalled needing something called "work experience", but I was 2+ years into my job. Here was some guy who obviously, was not creative enough to put together a Halloween costume, yet he was applying to the top programs? The tiny competitive side of me that I typically suppress kicked into gear, and I told myself that as soon as I got home, I would start my research. This began Phase 1 of my contemplation towards applying, involving checking out numerous books from the library, running up late fees on said books, visiting school websites, visiting schools themselves, asking people questions, and doing internet research.

Numero Dos: Last Saturday, I attended a diversity event at the Stanford GSB, which I had been accepted to several months prior. I was working overseas for the last two weeks and unsure if I'd be able to attend in time, as my flight arrived home late Thursday night, and generally being very indecisive as to the point of not making travel reservations. On the trans-pacific plane ride back, I made up my mind that I needed to go. Friday morning at 8am, I check the Delta Skymiles website to see if I can redeem my miles. What would have cost 45,000 miles when I checked weeks ago now only cost 25,000. Was this a sign? I think it was! Rental car was only $39 including taxes...this was looking pretty good. Friend in Bay area is cool with me crashing on couch? check! 12 hours after booking the ticket, I was headed to the airport directly from work.

I was counting on this experience to help me decide, once and for all whether getting an MBA and getting one now would be the right timing. It's silly to think that one day can really sway you towards one direction or the other, but this experience did not fail to deliver. From an amazing alum speaker, to student panels, a joint degree program that was a perfect fit, a lively class experience, super cool alums and just being on campus, I was wooed. The opening presentation hit me hard right away - innovation. idealism. Do you want to change the world? "Yes that's me!" I wanted to jump up and say, and probably about 90% of the other attendants did too....the coffee had not kicked in for the other 10%.

I guess when it comes down to it, I had three main reservations:

1. How will an MBA help me in what I want to do? My background is in education and I've always dreamed of running an educational organization, but I wasn't convinced that an MBA was the RIGHT path for me; it was just one route of many. BUT it was a darn good one.

2. $$$ and time. Calculating the ROI and wages forgone, I estimated I was giving up two years salary and adding another two years tuition & costs, a grand total of, in my mind, close to $300,000. Could I get to where I wanted without the MBA and living as a starving graduate student? I heard horror stories from Readers Digest as a young, impressionable child and did not want to subsist on cans of tuna for two years. I had become accustomed to the life of nice things, travel perks, and eating un-expired food. BUT I guess I have my whole life to enjoy those things ;)

3. Leaving my job and the PNW. As those close to me know, I love my job dearly. I love what I do, I love the ideals I hope we're working towards, and I love my company and co-workers and clients. BUT something inside of me is convinced that this is not the right place for me long-term, and my industry is so niche that I'm unsure of whether I'd be able to easily and successfully transition to another career in a different field.

So that all seems a bit gloomy, until I pondered the 3 reasons why an MBA and NOW would be right for me on the plane ride to California

1. No matter what, an MBA will open up doors for me. Regardless of what job I pursue, it will teach me how to manage PEOPLE and RESOURCES. If I ended up working at a school, it would help. If I ended up directing a non-profit, it would help. If, somehow, I end up in Corporate America, well. Let's just say I'd have one more thing to chat about over lunch in addition to college basketball.

2. I've been working at my company for 3 years, 4 when I apply. I've had some amazing experiences, but it will be much much harder to leave when I'm older. Not to mention there's a ton I want to do before settling down and starting a fam.

3. I miss school. I miss learning, meeting people, exploring ideas, everything that comes with being in school. I'm an experiential learner, while I love to study and abstract concepts, I learn by action, projects and doing. I want to meet equally enthusiastic people who have big dreams of how they will shape the world. I want to travel the world with classmates, have summer internships again, learn about entrepreneurship, and maybe even attend the occasional theme party (they have those right?) To be given a problem and be asked to find a solution. This all sounds a bit idealistic..but well that's me!

So in the 1.5 hour plane ride, which a half hour was spent reading over the case study for the mock class, jotting down notes in the margins (nostalgia!) and highlighting (oh highlighter my dear, I've missed you so!) I came to a realization. It was a mini-epiphany, one of many I had on the trip. California is only 1.5 hours away. It is in the same time zone as my current city. I could even drive my belongings down, and I would have no excuse to call my mother or friends. In short, it was really, not that far or distant!

Now who knows where I will end up, for all I know I could end up on the East Coast or Midwest, or even Singapore/France. If my job has taught me anything, it is that flying is really really quick in the grand scheme of things. I could be asked to fly out to Asia, book my tickets the next day, and be there two days later (this exact same thing happened a few months ago). While I may be leaving my dear city in the PNW, its the same thing I've been used to doing on my trips, only this venture would be a bit longer (1 year, 51 weeks to be exact).

The other mini-epiphany I had, in addition to wow, Alaska Airlines is really punctual compared to United and wow, their snack cracker mix is kind of addicting was that I missed, dare I say, studying. The case was okay - modeled after an Indian tech company but the issue at hand - how to retain their talented employees was fascinating. I felt a curiosity spark running through, and I couldn't wait for the class.

There were many other mini-epiphanies throughout that visit that culminated in one grand, awesome feeling that I still can't shake. The realization of all the wonderful opportunities and doors having the MBA could open, as well as an extensive network of like-minded people, who apparently also like to get married (they recounted stories of attending lots of each others' weddings as the one thing that makes GSB unique). Random coincidences relating to my undergrad alma-mater which made me wonder if this was a sign. Understanding at a much more heightened level what such programs could offer me, and what I could offer them in return. In short, I came to understand that people who apply and are accepted into top MBA programs will still do amazingly on their own, no doubt about it, they already have! Having such a degree and experience just accelerates that trajectory of success, and makes it so much more intense.

Sometimes I chide myself in being impulsive, in buying that crazy pair of shoes because they are marked 85% off and because they could be fun to wear in a few months when it's warm out, in ordering something without knowing exactly what kind of meat (or substance is in it) but because I like the way it smells, and in choosing my cat from the shelter without evaluating all the other options (Samuel if you are reading this, I have no regrets). But this was one impulse decision (booking the last minute ticket) that was really not that impulsive after all, but a wonderful build-up of events, and perhaps a slight nudging from somewhere (thanks for listening to my prayers, God!!) that will motivate me to get serious about this journey!

So it begins....!!!!

DEEP breath....here goes something!

2011-04-06T00:32:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

First off, I am elated that the rich text editing toolbar offers "Georgia" as a font. This font is very dear to my heart as it is the font I used for my very first blogs (Xanga then livejournal) in High School. Back then, I mostly talked about cute boys, clothes, crazy adventures in the city, studying, and school applications...so nothing much has changed :) I've since made the switch to Garamond, but will always look back at this font with nostalgia. So here we are united...via Blogger!!

Okay. I'm getting off topic. So this is supposed to be an prospective MBA applicant blog...as I started doing my research (aka google searches), I discovered that there were countless such blogs floating out in the blogosphere. I do love my blogs and was fascinated by these thoughts people had and their obsession with getting into a top MBA program. It was just like college applications all over again! Some made me laugh (http://omgmbaapps.blogspot.com), some made me excited about motherhood (http://tombaornot.blogspot.com/) and others made me wonder the sanity of people who I might be locked into spending 2 years with...(those need not be mentioned).

They were all so smart, driven, accomplished, yet in pursuit of this one thing that was uncertain. As in, there was never a guarantee whether or not they'd be accepted in their program of choice. It's this uncertainty that sparked my interest.

So here I am...semi-anonymous. A few facts about me, which hopefully will not reveal too much of my identity. I'm a proud inhabitant of the PNW (thats Pacific Northwest) and I currently spend most of my time working as a consultant, traveling extensively, contemplating the meaning of life, taking and posting pictures, being semi-coordinated in gym classes, talking with strangers and stuffing my face with delicious food. I've calculated a good portion of my life is spent on an airplane, longer than the time I spend showering, eating meals, petting my cat, riding the bus to work or brushing my hair, hence the airplane themed background.

With that said, I am hoping to be raw on this blog, as it will chronicle my hopes, fears, musings, ramblings, rants, and anything else that comes to mind. I'm talking sashimi-just-imported-first-class-from-Japan toro tuna raw. Okay, maybe not that raw since I have been told that filters are good, and I should use one, and not just for my house....

I'm supposed to be up in a few hours at work...but while it's on my mind here's what I hope to capture through this blog:

My admission process (from choosing schools to the GMAT, writing essays, asking recommenders, all that good stuff)

Funny stories from work/life on the road. Travel tips. Identifying details will be removed and key parties left anonymous.

Questions about the application process, which I hope YOU can give me your 2cents (or fiddy cent to get me through the GMAT studying..)

and of course, Por qué MBA? In other words, why am I applying for an MBA program now in my life? What am I looking for in a MBA program? and the eternal question....Is an MBA program the right path to my life goals?

Any thoughts and comments are very welcome!