[MBA] Reception - Sloan

After going through the usual downtown ritual of getting lost while trying to locate unnecessarily expensive parking, I and a friend of mine finally walked into the Marriott center right on time. (Adcoms - would it kill you to have your sessions outside of downtowns?)

The Reception started with the usual slide show. The most interesting slide had results of a survey asking graduating students what the deciding factor was behind their job acceptances. I was really surprised to see that compensation ranked last on the list (6-9%) . So much so that I have forgotten what was at the top of the list (job content, growth opportunity or something like that). From friends who are in IB and sell-side finance, I have heard of the free for all that breaks out around bonus time. So either my friends are in bad environments, or Sloan students are different or they were not being entirely honest while answering this survey.

As for the admission process there are a few things which are different about Sloan. Since I am quoting from memory, the actual numbers may be slightly different.
1. They invite only 30-35% of the applicants for interview of whom around 50% get the admit. So if you get an invite you have already crossed a major barrier.
2. They have just 12 people who read the essays. And just 8 people who do the interviews. So if you have an off campus interview one of those 8 will fly out to interview you. This I think is something which is very unique (in a good way) about Sloan. All those horror stories about inconsistent alumni interviewers shouldn't apply to Sloan.
3. The interviewer will have full access to your application.

Ok, back to the info session. The slide show was followed by a short video made by current Sloan students. I watched the video, waiting anxiously for signs of Yetis (Indian Male Engineers). Didn't see any - except for one fleeting glimpse (further justifying the name). Maybe the people who made the video didn't have any Yeti friends. At least that's what I told my 'MBA applicant panicky' self.

The video was followed by alumni introductions and the networking session. The alumni were very enthusiastic about the 'Global Entrepreneurship Lab' as apparently back then it was one of its kind. But I guess that's no longer a unique factor about Sloan. Every school I have investigated so far (Kellogg, Wharton, Chicago) has something similar to offer. I was however really impressed by the vibes that the alumni displayed towards each other. It was almost like a college reunion for them. I have to go to a few more receptions before I can draw any conclusions from this.

The networking session wasn't very productive for me. I hadn't done too much research on Sloan, so had nothing to ask. And my attempt to benefit from other people's insightful questions failed as most people were focused towards professing their admiration for Sloan. To make matters worse in all my Geeky glory I haven't yet figured out how to end a bloody conversation. So I spent way too much time on conversations which had ended for all practical purposes a while back. Next time round, I'll either research the school and have some questions to ask or just hang out over there and discuss the affairs of the world.

I had already decided to apply to Sloan and this session only reinforced that decision. Next week it is Stanford. Unfortunately Tuck has scheduled a reception on the exact same day. Since I am planning to visit Tuck's campus I should have been able to skip this reception without a second thought. But the reception is going to be at a Tuck alumna's house! I am so curious to see how that's going to work out. But Stanford it will be eventually.

[General] The beginning of the end

Today on the way to work I noticed that someone had sprinkled white powder over Long's Peak. This is the beginning of the end of summer (screw labor day fanatics). Within the next few weeks the foothills will receive their 1st snowstorm and summer will be officially over.

There are people who waste their time making New Year's resolutions. I waste mine making seasonal resolutions. So here is the report card for my summer.

1. Learn to dance (guess who this came from!)
Miserable failure

2. Travel
Reasonable success. Just wish our travel plans had involved a beach - a real one with a sea. Lakes, however big don't count.

3. Set the cricket league afire
Failure. The start had promise but it all ended in a whimper.

4. MBA
No idea. At the start of summer I had a GMAT score and nothing else. After a circuitous, event filled journey I am back to square one. At least now I know what I need to do. That is until my 'laser like focus' wavers again!

Hell, it looks like I didn't exactly cover myself with glory this summer. Well, there always is winter and those elusive blue square ski runs of Colorado.

[MBA] Why Kellogg why

Right now I am going through essay writing hell. Everything I write comes out sounding like a kid bragging about beating his friends at a game of marbles or whatever it is that kids play now a days. When I try to compensate I start sounding like an apologetic loser. The cruelest of all essays by far is this one from Kellogg.

"You have been selected as a member of the Kellogg Admissions Committee. Please provide a brief evaluative assessment of your file."

Well, sure - here is my assessment.
"This candidate is the most amazing candidate I have come across in my short career as an AdCom. Let's admit him before some other school snatches him away from us."

This essay kind of brings out why essay writing is so tough. You have to carry off delicate balancing acts at multiple levels. Be honest and introspective without killing your candidacy. Spin without sounding like a windbag. Highlight your achievements without sounding like that kid above.

[General] Onion says it best

If you don't know what Onion is, you should be ashamed of yourself :)

This is from their latest issue

Televangelist Pat Robertson recently called for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. What do you think?
"This recalls a moral and ethical dilemma theologians have grappled with for millennia, namely: Is it right to murder people?"


Couldn't have said it better !

[General] Katrina

I have been shocked like everyone else not only by the extent of the devastation but also by the total ineptitude of the authorities in responding to this crisis. However some of the comments made by the foreign media, especially quotes from people of developing countries make me cringe. I sense a gloating which is totally and unconditionally unjustified. Yes, we (people of developing countries) have been at the receiving end of western condescension and moralizing for way too long. But that in itself should have made us wiser about not reacting to this tragedy this way. One should never kick someone when they are down. There will be a time for fault finding - and there is a lot of it to find really - but this is not it. Let the basic necessities of the affected people be taken care of. And then we can revisit this.

There was an article in Slate which mentions how media anchors are losing patience with prevaricating politicians and taking them to task on air. I was witness to one such confrontation on NPR between Robert Siegel and DHS secretary Michael Critchoff. Needless to say I am happy to see the media recovering from its 9/11 induced self-castration. This might look like a contradiction of the time-out policy I proposed above. But this media attitude has actually helped rather than hinder the rescue and rehabilitation efforts. So full credits to them.

[MBA] The curse of Indian IT

There is a discussion going on in a Businessweek forum (free registration required) about how Indian male IT applicants get shafted during the MBA app process. I have felt the frustration that many people on that board feel. After all that's one part of my application I can do absolutely nothing about now! I think part of this frustration has got to do with the difference in the way admissions work in India and in the US. In India you give some exams, do well in them and you are in. Be it engineering, medicine, law, administrative service or even business. However in the US, adcoms (supposedly) look at the entire package. So when some of us with impeccable exam taking credentials get rejected, we are lost. What the hell happened? How did 'that' person get in and I didn't. There is no way he/she has more knowledge than me. There is no way he/she has better analytical skills than me. There is no way he/she can work harder than me. So what the hell happened? And so we are back to the IT curse.

A friend of mine who is part of a BSchool's adcomm once confronted his director with this question. Why is it so difficult for Indian male IT applicants to get in? 'All of you look so same', was the reply. He was not referring to physical looks ofcourse. Infact he wasn't referring exclusively to our choice of profession either. He knew that in India engineering is not an option but a necessity for many. No, he was probably referring to life outside work as well. Aren't we monotonously homogeneous there too? Just imagine this. You and 5 of your friends from high school are meeting after a gap of 10 years. You are hanging out at your favorite joint sharing stories about what all you did during those 10 years. How varied do you think your experiences would be? Now imagine the same scenario with a group of Americans. You get the point.

This ofcourse doesn't mean that we seek homogeneity because of some genetic flaw within us. That's just how an Indian middle class person is brought up. Always seek safety first - that's what we are told. There is nothing safer than following the crowd. And that's what we do ever so diligently and successfully. That's what is slowly converting us into an IT and Biotech power. And that's what !@#$s us up when we try to get into elite BSchools.