I Don’t Like Waiting

It’s Official. I DO NOT LIKE WAITING.

I still do not have a Haas invite, the Michigan decisions don’t come out for another week, and Columbia is just opening the files tomorrow. Ack! I would rather know, for better or for worse, and move on with my life.

I have not managed to get motivated to do the Boston U application, and now I’m starting to be very short of time. My excuse is that I can wait until Feb 1 and do the Schulich one, but the truth is that three applications was more than enough and I really don’t want to do another one. Anyway, an offer of admission would make this problem go away nicely, wouldn’t it?

But I don’t have one yet, and they will come when they come, so I just have to learn how to wait, and Wait, AND WAIT……

*sigh*

It’s a good thing I am leaving on my trip in a week. I need a distraction.

 

Long time, no write

Hello! Yes, I’m still alive!! Did you miss me??

I haven’t written in a long while I know, but that’s because there has been nothing to report. No interviews, no applications, no admits, no dings, just… nothing!

So here’s a quick recap: I have submitted R1 apps to Ross, Haas and Columbia. I got an early interview with Ross, and nothing yet from Haas. Columbia doesn’t start reading until Jan 9th, so no news is exactly what I expect for now.

Now that it’s 2008, I’m starting to get nervous. What if all three ding me?? I would be quite disappointed if I don’t get into one of my top three schools, now that I’ve put so much blood sweat and tears into them, but a dose of realism might be worthwhile. And I *really* want to be in school for Sept 2008, so I’m wondering if it’s time to put a safety app or two out there.

I’m thinking Boston U because it’s got the good nonprofit program, strong scholarship offerings, and great location. The other option is Schulich in Toronto, which is where I was planning to go before I embarked on this whole crazy US school journey, so ending up there would be highly ironic, but it also has a good nonprofit program, cheaper tuition and an almost good location. (Almost because Toronto is a great city, but the school is not in a great part of the city and commuting might turn out to be a major hassle.)

Another wrinkle is that Jan 15 is Ross’ decision date, and this is also the deadline for Boston U, so I can’t wait to find out if I’m in before preparing the application (although if I do get in, I can save myself some money and not submit it). I need to write the essays and get the recommenders started right away. For Schulich I have until Feb 1, so there is a bit more time.

But I’ve saved the most interesting news for last. I’m going to go travelling down to the States for three weeks and visit my three top schools! Of course, I’m leaving Jan 15, so there is a chance that I might be visiting schools (Ross!) that I’ve already been dinged by, in which case I might just go to Chicago or something rather than letting them rub it in. Of course, I’m hoping that I will have a big decision to make when all three accept me, so I need to check them out for myself to be ready for that.

Anyway, that is the latest in my MBA world. I guess I will start preparing the BU application and keep trying not to obsess about why I haven’t received a Haas interview invite yet. Hopefully I will be posting with good news soon though!!

 

Back to reality

It’s always a bit sad coming home from vacation, isn’t it? I was away for just about two weeks so I can’t complain that I didn’t get a good break, but a part of me is still wishing it didn’t have to end. On the plane ride home I had the strange coincidence of being seated next to someone who is pursuing a remarkably similar career direction to me. He is currently studying in Finland, in a program that they don’t call an MBA but is clearly the same thing, and his concentration is on corporate governance, which is an area that I am very interested in, albeit on the nonprofit side. I gave him my email address and told him to let me know where he ends up working. This world is so small that I wouldn’t be entirely surprised to run into him again in the future!

Anyway, I’m back now, and I was certainly happy to sleep in my own bed last night. I sent off the acceptance and resume for the Michigan interview invite when I got in last night and this morning a response was waiting for me. The bad news is that their requests for alumni interviewers are up 300% and so I have to interview with the admissions committee. Since I have to interview by November 21 and I don’t live anywhere near Michigan this means I will have to interview by phone. I think that this is a disadvantage, for me at least. It’s so much easier to have a nice chat with a person you have never met when you can see their face at the same time.

I’m not quite sure when to book it because I am going to be somewhat jetlagged this week. I’m thinking of making it Monday, which will give me time to recover and prepare. Of course, I’d really rather get it over with sooner so that I have less time to worry about it, but I think that it’s smarter to make sure I am awake for it.

Before I left I was too busy to post much, between the final push on my applications, getting ready for my trip, and clearing the decks at work, so here’s a quick recap. I submitted Columbia and Haas on Oct 28 just a few hours before I left. I ran into a small snag with Ross in getting my transcripts scanned, and I had to get my dad to prepare and upload the file for me. He put the transcripts on up October 30 (but I wasn’t able to check them) I did the submission from an internet cafe on October 31. I was a bit worried about that one, so the interview invitation came as a relief.

Despite weeks of planning, the last minute is always the last minute for me. I didn’t get the Haas “why MBA” essay up to 1000 words like I had planned. After struggling mightily to edit it down to 500 words for Michigan, it suddenly didn’t feel like I had that much more to say. Out of the 14 essays I submitted I would estimate that about 5 were great, and the rest were various shades of acceptable. By the end, I was so essayed out that doing final readings was probably a complete waste of time.

I have returned to the usual backlog of work, so I plan to let the MBA quest remain dormant for the next couple weeks, except of course for the Ross interview. After I’m feeling more caught up, I will need to address the question of R2. Hopefully I get a R1 acceptance early enough to save me and my reviewers this extra work, but they don’t guarantee this so I will have to be ready.

I would like to thank everybody who has sent me interview congratulations. It’s so nice to have a community to share this journey with!

 

The countdown is on!

I’m leaving on vacation on October 27, so October 26 will be submission day (“S-Day”?) for my three round one applications. That means I am now entering my final week. Both of my recommenders have now made their submissions, my transcript requests are in, and I have filled out “most” of the online forms. What is left? The resume, and of course… the essays!

Out of 14 essays here is where I am at:

• Michigan (4): 4 drafted, 4 reviewed twice (I’m not counting the reviews from my parents, which consisted of “My, aren’t you wonderful, darling!”)
• Columbia (4): 3 drafted, 2 reviewed once, 1 not reviewed yet
• Haas (6): 5 drafted, 5 reviewed once

So I have two left to draft (the lengthening of the why MBA essays) and then three to get reviewed for the first time, but ideally I’d like all of them to go past at least two reviewers. And with only one week left, I’m suddenly worried. I’ve been taking it easy for several days now, since I finished the majority of the drafts, and I am now realizing that this is crunch time. Especially since time will become more and more limited as my departure date approaches. Yikes!

So no more lollygagging around… it’s time to get to work! This weekend I will finish the two remaining drafts and do full reads of each set to look for internal consistency. I am going to brainstorm potential reviewers who may agree to look at them early next week, and get in touch with them or leave emails for Monday morning. Next week is all about review, check and double check, so that Friday I can hit the submit button without having a heart attack.

Seven days and counting!!

 

Is it all “too much”?

I had a very interesting comment from a reader today. I am pasting it below in its entirety:

My goodness, reading your blog entries made me cringe… there’s a little bit of “too much” in almost every step you describe. I hope you get admitted to your top-choice school, but at the same time I hope your top-choice school is not the school I will be attending. I imagine going to class (or, worse, being in a study group) with a few people like you… wow, no thank you. Good luck with your essays, though.

I had mixed emotions in reading this. Am I doing too much? What does too much mean? And why would this person not want to be a classmate or study mate of mine?

When I started on this journey, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I read the websites and blogs and was highly intimidated by the people out there who seemed to have it all together. Getting into a school is nothing like this in Canada. I knew that I was out of my league… yet I wanted to try.

So maybe I blog too much. Or maybe I think about my MBA essays too much. Or maybe it’s too much when I run up against something that looks big and intimidating so I try to break it down into steps. I don’t know…

But the cool thing is, I think this is a good sign. I have arrived. People read my blog and think I’m one of “those” super-candidates who have it all together. And if I can convince people like today’s commenter, then maybe I will convince the admissions committee!!

By the way, your comments on my blog are always welcome… positive or negative. Thanks for reading.

 

Break out the cigars!

My friend just had a baby this weekend, and I understand that the process of labour is very mentally draining, in addition to the obvious physical toll. So without an ounce of irony, I finally got my last essay drafted this evening and thought to myself, “This must be what giving birth feels like. Finally this thing is out of me!” I know that I’m not done yet, and there are many revisions to go before I can rest, but the reality of having something on paper for every essay feels like an achievement of great magnitude.

I want to share something that I read in an MBA admissions book that I found at the public library, completely by accident. The author points out that unless something extremely bad happens, like you cheat or fall prey to an addiction, nobody flunks out of an MBA. So, the final exam that really leads directly to an MBA is… getting in.

Wow. No pressure, right?

Anyway, things are truly rolling along now. One of my recommenders spent this afternoon submitting and I got the three emails to tell me he was done. And my list of things to do is slowly but surely getting shorter.

And maybe my craving for ice cream and pickles will subside now…

 

Progress update: I can see the light!

Yes, as I mentioned this morning the useful input from my last reviewer has certainly re-energized me with respect to this process. Here is a quick status update:

1. Michigan/Ross
   All four essays drafted and revised twice
2. Columbia
   All four essays drafted. Reviewed two of them. Once I review the other two I will be sending them out for external review.
3. Berkeley/Haas
   Two out of six essays drafted. Two others will be re-workings of essays from other schools. Two left to write from scratch.

I had wanted to be finished all my drafts by today, but clearly that is going to turn out to be too ambitious. However, I am still aiming to draft the two Haas essays that are all new content by tomorrow which will bring me to a stage of having drafted everything “almost”.

I had a great phone conversation with one of my references this past week, and the other one is on vacation but I have an appointment booked with her to go through the forms so everything is moving along on that front too.

I requested GMAT reports to these three schools last week too. Not knowing where I was applying at the time of the test sure cost me big! They have only sent out 4 score reports but I have paid an extra $84!!

Next up I need to take care of transcripts and go back to polish up my resume. Things look like they are staying on target for Oct 26th submission!!

 

Round One Game Plan

I have been feeling rather fuzzy-headed this week as I am in the throes of a classic September cold, but tonight I decided that I need to get going on the applications again. My deadline is October 27 as I am going on vacation for two weeks that day, so it all has to be done or my vacation will not be much fun! That leaves me 30 days to get those three applications in. No time to waste!!

Both my recommenders now know my official list of R1 schools and will be expecting the emails asking them to complete the forms.  I have been talking about my essays with a number of people who would like to read them: my parents, Kathy, Simon, Michelle, Aly and Gena. So my support network is ready and waiting… it’s time for me to deliver!

Here is a list of the essays I need to write:

• Career goals/why MBA essay (Michigan:500, Haas:1000, Columbia:750)
• Haas innovation (250)
• Haas accomplishment (250)
• Haas MBA school research (250)
• Haas dinner guest (250)
• Haas leadership (500)
• Columbia 21 century (500)
• Columbia entrepreneur (500)
• Columbia passion (250)
• Michigan accomplishment/leadership (500)
• Michigan alternate career (300)
• Michigan challenge/personal growth (300)

As you can see, this is quite a daunting list. I have decided to tackle them in order of quantity, which will be Michigan (1600), Columbia (2000), Haas(2500).  I want to get the first set of essays fully drafted by Sunday, the second set by Thursday, and the third set by the following Sunday. This is a very aggressive target, but it allows lots of rewrite and review time.

On a side note, I believe that one of the biggest benefits of blogging is that I am used to turning out written content on a regular basis. Writing gets easier with practice, just like any skill, and it is less intimidating to face a blank screen when you have the confidence that comes from having a track record of being able to create something from nothing. (This is my second serious blog, so I’ve probably written 150 posts this calendar year.)

So it’s time to set fingers to keyboard and see what comes out. Wish me luck!!

 

Fit vs. Diversity

As a 32 year old full time MBA applicant, I am highly aware of not fitting the traditional student profile. Being older, there are some specific issues that apply to me, and I recently came across this very useful summary on Accepted.com of some potential concerns and how to address them in the essays.

There seems to be a fundamental contradiction inherent in all admissions processes: a clash between diversity and fit. I asked this question of the admissions officer at HBS when I visited Boston and the answer seemed to indicate that fit came before diversity. In other words, they want to first weed out those that can’t succeed in their program and then choose a diverse selection from the remaining candidates. This makes a lot of sense to me, and also raises a warning flag for writing the essays. It is critical to ensure that you have addressed fit and not just diversity.

For most applicants, one or the other will be easier. I’m considering using the optional essays to hammer home how well I will fit since I think I will have diversity well covered (female, international, older than average, math major, non-profit MBA focus). For those that have fit nailed, you may want to work on your unique characteristics in this essay. Either way, ignoring fit or diversity is at your own peril!

 

Admission timeline strategy

Well, it’s pretty much September 1st, and the deadlines start in October, so I don’t feel that I am fully able to wait before getting started on applications and strategies. There are a few elements that need to be included in my strategy:

1. Safety – I need to make sure that I get in somewhere.
2. Pacing – I don’t want to burn out myself or my referees.
3. Grouping – I want to receive admission results that compare to each other together.
4. Quality – Every application should be top-notch, or I shouldn’t bother with it.

In order to submit a quality application, I figure that I need to write 5 essays at 4 hours each, spend three hours with the online form, spend two hours preparing and two hours communicating with each of my referees, spend two hours tweaking my resume as needed, and three hours pulling everything together. This works out to roughly 35-40 hours per application… no wonder this is starting to feel like a full time job!! 

At 40 hours per application, I think that 2 apps in a month is my maximum. Or, to think of it another way, the deadlines should ideally come at least two weeks apart. Fortunately, I think that the number of hours per application should decrease as I start to have a little library of essays and answers from previous applications to pull from. 

This analysis makes it easy to determine how many schools to apply to in each round. Since Round One basically goes from October 2 – November 5, I think that I only have time for three quality submissions in Round One. Round Two covers Dec 5 – Jan 9 and could allow for another three submissions. The Canadian schools typically have later deadlines and could be submitted after I get Round One feedback (Feb 1 – Mar 15). 

In summary, I am looking at six American schools and then Canadian schools as backup if I’m not getting acceptance letters.

So the last part is the grouping. Here is an idea I just had that seems reasonable:

• Round One: Shoot For the Moon… HBS, Yale SOM and Stanford GSB
• Round Two: Good Non-Profit Schools… Kellogg, Haas, one other
• Late Round Two: Canadian Schools… Rotman, Schulich, McGill

I like this grouping because I feel that I will be able to compare decisions against those that are likely to arrive around the same time. I should be able to accept any early decisions without wanting to wait for a later one and hopefully stop applying when that happy day arrives. 

I also like this because I can now stop floundering and start focusing on Round One. My trip to Boston will still be useful for information gathering, but the only decision that I need to make there is who will be my Round Two schools.