Here we go (again)

Just when you thought it was all over, it begins anew.

I was so close to having written my last application, or so I thought. Now with 3 rejections and no certainty I'm climbing back on that horse. I've selected another couple of schools and I'm beginning to pull together my applications. The timing I suppose works well from my stand point as I'll have ample time to devote to applications. For my recommenders, that might be a different story. As the holiday season has set in, my recommenders have set off. I'm trying to get in touch with the second but he already is on vacation. As you can probably imagine, this is creating quite a bit of anxiety on my part. He has been incredibly helpful in the past; however, I'm sure his enthusiasm is beginning to wane. On top of it all, he recently accepted a new role within the firm. It's a great step for him but I wonder how this will impact his holiday and, more specifically, his time to devote to my recommendations. At this point, all I can do is wait and then make it as easy as I can on him.

From my side, the two applications don't seem too bad. The questions are fairly straight forward and I've already written almost all of them. Now it's just adapting that material to their prompt. Of course, I also need to learn more about them. I'm working my way through the clearadmit school guides (yes, shameless plug but they have been helpful). I'm hopefully that plus a couple additional data points more specific to my story and I'll be ready to attack the essays. Given the state of my essays, I'm optimistically looking to complete the two applications by early next week - too optimistic? Anyone want to put their money for or against me here? Anyone? Vegas will have the spread shortly but I'm willing to create some early action...

What now?

So much for a relaxing holiday break. After the sting of 3 dings last week, Tuck, Kellogg and Booth, I am trying to figure out my next steps. Although I have 2 applications still out to UCLA and Haas, I am nervous that by mid-January I will be sitting here without an acceptance AND without having submitted additional applications. As much confidence as I have in receiving a call from at least one, probably UCLA, nothing is certain. It's a weird position. My confidence is low due to three dings, yet I'm optimistic about the remaining two. I'm also not looking forward to pressing myself into researching and creating new applications to several schools (and defining which schools now). I chose the schools that excited me most, to begin again (ok, maybe not completely from scratch) is a bit daunting. Which schools would fit my needs best? And more importantly, which school would let me in? I am not willing to go through this process AGAIN and come back with a handful of dings. I guess, I'll begin with the criteria I began with and start narrowing it down. So the main things:

1. General management curriculum
2. Experiential learning opportunities
3. Community that is highly energized and involved
4. Opportunities to join a brand-name consulting firm post graduation

Ok so that leaves a fairly wide list, I've begun to narrow it down based on first impressions since I can't do them all. I've also pulled the essay questions (I think my material is still pretty good, I did have interviews at Booth and UCLA) to see where they overlap with my previous essays. From here, I still have a pretty long list below. Now the other question is how many schools I have time to apply to and how many I will need to. Given some of the deadlines, I could create the application and wait to hear from UCLA and Haas before hitting submit and spending the extra couple hundred dollars (then again, at this point what's a couple hundred in the grand scheme of this process). So without further ado, my new long list of round 2 possible schools:

1. Michigan
2. Duke
3. NYU - deadline is after UCLA/Haas decision
4. LBS - yup, international...could be an interesting option but I'm not sure I'm ready to move across the world for a few years and develop relationships/network/etc abroad; lots of positives to the program and gaining international experience though
5. USC - not thrilled as I have the impression their career services aren't stellar but TBD; also deadline is after I hear from UCLA/Haas so could be a nice just in case
6. UVA - not sure I'm the case method type, plus I've heard many people say "UVA students are just as good as HBS and we work harder to prove it" - not sure I want to join a program with inferiority complex

To me, the first three are fairly similar on the surface. I need a lot more research to understand which are best for me. Still a lot more work to be done but that's a start.

Ding #2

Well 2 up, 2 down. It's unfortunate. I am pretty disappointed but I need to keep my spirits up and focus on the 3 remaining schools. I'd be thrilled to attend any of them. If only I already knew.

I realize I still owe a post on my UCLA interview experience but I'm just not in the mood right now (I wonder why). I'll try to throw something else here soon. Tuck decision on Friday so hopefully that'll encourage me. At least a wait list? Wow, I never thought I'd say that but here I am.

First Ding of the Season

I'm not going to Kellogg. I found out yesterday morning, before their pleasant email told me to check my status.

It's really disappointing. On the one hand, I knew I wouldn't be accepted to all schools. On the other, I was really looking forward to some good news. Without a call from Booth yesterday I fear the worst there. The worst part is that if I don't receive an acceptance by the end of the week I have to decide whether or not to apply to more schools. At this point, I really don't want to enter the process for a third time, with diminished confidence. I could roll the dice and pray I'm accepted to UCLA or Haas, but that doesn't seem like a good bet.

With all this running through my head, I'm trying to wait out the week. It's just one school. I've already received interview invites from Booth and UCLA so now to keep things upbeat.

Congrats to all the admits already, I'm hoping to join you soon.

No news is...good (?) news..?

Well after the barrage of admits from Kellogg last week, I am still waiting. It's a bit tough to know they released so many decisions last week and I'm still on the outside. Now, of course, I don't expect to go 5 for 5 but the first one always seems to be the hardest. After going through the cycle last year without an admit, I'm a bit on edge heading into this week. Since three schools will get back to me by next Monday (Kellogg, Booth and Tuck), I'm freaking out a bit. Even if I am dinged by all three, I'll still have two in limbo. The problem is I won't hear from them before most round 2 deadlines. So if I'm not admitting this week I'll have to do some soul searching and gear up to complete a few round 2 applications (and try to decide which schools to apply to).

To all those incessantly checking your phone/email, I'm with you. At least it's almost over...at least that's what I keep telling myself. I was in LA this weekend (interview at UCLA, more to follow) staying with a college friend who watched me unravel a couple of times. He also made fun of my constantly for my obsessive phone checking. It's nice to be outside the bubble once in a while and put it all in perspective. Then again, he's not in this position. Nor does he realize what's at stake, the effort that's behind applying to these schools and how much it does mean to me. Oh well, the ups and downs continue. It's almost over.

UCLA Invite

One more down! I was invited to interview with UCLA this evening (~6:30pm est). I was still at the office so it was a great morale boost on the first day back from Thanksgiving of what was a long day. I'm really excited to receive more positive news from my schools. Now if I can just get one more interview before I hear back from those couple of schools....anyway, UCLA. It should be fun, I need to do some more homework and hopefully plan a trip out to see it for myself. It might be tough as their open slots are bit limiting with the end of quarter. As I learn more, I'll keep you posted.

Booth Interview Complete

After my Chicago Booth interview I'm feeling pretty confident. That is, until I begin to think that UCLA and Haas are still silent. Not to dwell on the negative, but I realize there's nothing else I can do at this point in relation to Chicago Booth except wait for the decision to be rendered. I'm still hopefully that I'll have an interview with at least one of the two and MJ Shores (UCLA Director of Admissions) tweeted that invites should pick up.

However, this post is focused on the Booth interview. My day began with a class which was entertaining but very small (a positive in my eyes). It was an economics course on emerging markets. The class was engaging and a mix of lecture and case discussion. Overall, I walked away with a positive experience similar to my previous 3 class visits at Booth. I skipped the prescribed admissions events to meet with friends that are 1st and 2nd year students. These were helpful conversations to calm my nerves, get an insider's perspective and provided more materials to reference in my interview.

The interview itself was short and to the point. The 2nd year who interviewed me has several similar characteristics to my background and, in my opinion, were able to develop a good report and fall into a good conversation. As for the questions, vaguely and in no particular order:

- Walk me through your resume, which led to the natural break in my job/long term/short term goals and...
- Why an MBA? Why now? Why Booth?
- What do you hope to accomplish and learn while at Booth? What will you do to be involved?
- What's a weakness?
- Some more on my extra curriculars
- Any questions for her

Overall, it was a smooth conversation. I wonder if I included enough information around my background, specific skill set and what I bring to the class. I think I made some solid points and was able to demonstrate my interest in the program and that it's near/at the top of my school list. This to me was the most important part of the interview (hopefully they agree). With all that, I'm fairly confident but we'll see.

If anyone has specific questions about the interview, I'm happy to answer so just shoot me a message. Hope others enjoyed their Booth interview experience and good luck.

All quiet

Well it's been a while. I'm trying my best to check out of the whole mba process for the moment. It seems Haas and UCLA are trickling out interviews so I'm doing my best not to focus on those. It's tough but I'm confident I'll see at least one soon, before Thanksgiving, please please please. I'm hopefully I'll be able to do a little west coast two step but I'm trying to temper my hopes until it comes true.

On the Chicago Booth front, I've set up conversations with a couple students prior to my interview. On this one, I'm trying not to get too wrapped up in it until it's a bit closer. I'm confident I know my story and why Booth so what else is there? Practice. That's right man, we talking 'bout practice (had to give a little shout out to AI, if you don't know what I'm referring to see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGDBR2L5kzI or better yet, this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exOxUAntx8I). Enjoy. Well I'm confident I'll get my practice in this weekend and be prepared for Monday.

Chicago Booth Interview

Well all that worry was for nothing in the end. I just received an interview invite. It is quite a relief. As the deadline approached, I really began to wonder if I'd make it this year. Now it's time to rekindle that confidence, knowing that I put together a solid application (better than last year) and just show my love for Booth. That and get out there before the end of the month...not a problem at all. I'm excited to be heading back there in the next few weeks.

Stay tuned...

Size and quality of the applicant pool

With 2 days until the Chicago Booth deadline, I am becoming increasingly nervous/stressed/obsessive about the potential results. Last year at this time, I was scheduling my flights to Chicago for my interview. This year, I am anxiously waiting to hear from them. As I stalked people and blogs today looking for information that might help calm my nerves and illustrate that there are a plethora of invites yet to come or that no reapplicant has received an invite to this point I began to wonder: what's the applicant pool look like at this point? Last year, the pool was supposedly shrinking according to a number of those "in the business". Well their predictions were muddled at best. Some schools received more, some less. Some saw their pools shrink, yet became increasingly competitive. I remember reading that Haas saw a huge increase in application numbers while UCLA became much easier to gain a coveted admit letter. This year, I am seeking more information about the current pool. All the speculation I've heard (and done) has benefited me. The pool must be shrinking as the economy bounces back. Each applicant is applying to more schools which means they will all admit more students. Schools favor reapplicants...and on and on (OK, that last one benefited me more than speaking to the applicant pool). But as it stands, I have not found any concrete or compelling information about the competition this year. Sites like GMAT Club have provided data points here and there but are a self selective group which is believed to be above the bar. All this does is lead to more speculating and more nervous energy, at least for me.

At this point, it's getting late in the day and I'm tired of guessing. It's doubtful today will be my day to hear from any schools. However, if any of you have any information or thoughts on the applicant pool I'm all ears. Please do share.

As a side note, I know these posts are becoming more rambling than I initially intended but I think it's a factor of the circumstances. Thinking about the process doesn't always lead to rationale thoughts and often the more I think about it, the less I want to which results in abrupt endings. I know I'm not alone here but felt compelled to share that piece of information.

Week ahead

Last week was very stressful, though I suppose it was unwarranted. For some reason, I convinced myself that I would hear from Chicago Booth about an interview. If not from there, at least somewhere would let invite me. Nothing came. As a result, I continuously checked the GMAT Club forums, school sites and random blogs to see how many invites went out, who they went to and how I stacked up. This proved futile. I really didn't glean much and I didn't hear from the schools themselves. I sat there, become increasingly anxious for no reason. This week will be different. Chicago Booth releases all invites or dings by Wednesday. Who knows what will happen between now and then. I'm trying not to think too much about it. I'm doing my best to keep myself in the game, counting all my positive attributes (such as receiving an invite at Booth last year, the improvement since last year, letters of support from students, etc). I'm also trying to remain calm and convince myself that this one school will not reflect the results of the remaining. Of course, that's much easier said than done. This weekend I distracted myself with friends, sports, and reading. For the most part, it worked. There were a few times I panicked and began wondering if I should be applying to another 5 schools in round 2 and if so, which ones. I'm still not convinced what I should do on that front. I fear that if I'm rejected from all 3 in mid-December I won't have the positive mentality or time necessary to complete my research and applications. At the end of the day, I'm trying to convince myself that I have until Thanksgiving/early December before I have to begin on these. So, I've basically told myself that if I don't have any interviews by then I should get to work...we'll see if I stick to that line as things are still very fluid. Even thinking about all of this again and typing it gives it more validity and more air time in my head, more than I probably should. With that, I'm signing off. Need to get to sleep early tonight as it's a big week. Good luck to everyone else hearing something this week. It's minor but does help to know everyone is going through this together.

The waiting is the hardest part

Well Haas and UCLA began sending interviews and Chicago Booth has one week to go. All my applications are complete but now I'm stressing about when and if I'll hear from any of these schools. That's pretty much all I have right now. The waiting is so distracting, I can't wait to hear something positive...come on...someone...?

Kellogg's Diversity

Almost forgot, I was very surprised by the diversity at Kellogg today. I'll talk more about this in a later post but I found it was worth mentioning. Most schools are rather diverse and advertise as such. But as I sat in the Q/A session with prospective students I was blown away by how diverse the audience was. Of the fifteen or so prospective students, more than 3/4 would probably be considered diverse by one measure or another. This was after being in a class where almost everyone was diverse in as well. Overall I think this is a positive trend; however, as a white male I'm not as thrilled with my own prospectives as a result.

Final note, each time I get an email these days my excitement level seems to jump. As if each email may contain that mystical interview invitation I so desperately seek right now. Only 2 more months of this anticipation...

Kellogg Interview

I am approaching this as a quick top of mind post with the idea that I'll post more in the next couple of days. Since I just completed my Kellogg interview today, I wanted to give my quick thoughts.

First, my interview was with an admissions committee member. Some of the others interviewing today did have theirs with second year students. It's interesting to think which is better. Though I have a few thoughts on this topic, they're just that: my thoughts. At the end of the day I never felt like I connected well with my interviewer. She was friendly and conversational but seemed more business like in the approach. This may just be my read and partially a result of my thought that she actually interviewed me last year as well which didn't help to calm my nerves. Further, some of the questions she asked seemed to be worded awkwardly (the leadership on in particular). Again, it could have been the way I understand or reacted to the question but it did just come out a bit odd which sort of dictates how you answer the question. Again, I'm sure it's fine but just a bit of an odd feeling to it. I think I was able to turn it around although I never got the sense that I was as structured as I had hoped to be. Hopefully this is just my initial reaction and once I reflect a bit more I'll have a better feeling of the whole experience. However, it's easy to say my Tuck interview was much stronger. It's also important to note that the interview is only one component of the whole process and I'm confident I did express several strong components of my candidacy. At this point, it's all speculation and I'm just hoping for another interview or two to refine my skills.

Waiting....

Chicago Booth began announcing interviews yesterday. I submitted my application a day ahead of the deadline so I'm hopeful to hear sooner than later. Going into this I convinced myself I shouldn't get an invite in the first day. Nor should I be stressed if I don't get one this week. Well that was wishiful thinking. Like everyone else, I'm refreshing my email every 60 seconds, especially around 9 and 10cst (which is the time most agree that Booth releases interviews).

I'm trying to forget about the whole process, and work has definitely kept me occupied, but it's not as easy as I remembered...

Applications are complete, but not the process

Well I guess it's been a while since I've posted. Although I've completed my applications my schedule hasn't opened up as much as I hoped/expected. It's been great to relax a bit, but leaves me wanting more. So what's kept me busy this week (aside from checking my application status, 3 are now complete per the schools, reviewing blogs and posts to determine when interview invites came out last year, and worrying about whether I should begin additional applications for round 2):

1. Begun to reach out to a few people at my target schools again - this should help if/when I have interviews and it never hurts since you could hit on a key alum willing to write another letter for your file...

2. Gotten back into the gym - yes, this is mostly to help with the stress/anxiety but it definitely calms me

3. Recommitted myself to my job - I work for a professional services firm and with applications a couple things slide a little bit so now is the time to hit hard again so people don't get the feeling I'm checked out, this will be critical later on...

4. Saw some friends - yup, after weeks/months of hibernation I saw a few people and had some week night fun, shocking

5. Who knows where the rest of the time goes...I know there's more but for me those were the more important things on my mind. After the next couple of weeks, I'm sure I'll get back to a more normal routine and begin to define my next steps a bit more, I'll keep you posted.

DONE!!! (well almost)

It's official, I've submitted my 5th application of round 1. I'm done. Now to begin prepping for my next interview (hopefully of a couple at least). It's quite a relief, although it's a strange feeling. At this point, I have no control over my application. All I can do is sit back and wait...hmm...this is tougher than I remember and it's only been 10 minutes.

The almost is referring to the Tuck Scholarship application. It's something that I, like most people I'm sure, put off until tonight or tomorrow morning. Don't get me wrong, I'd love a scholarship to Tuck. At this point, I'd be thrilled by an acceptance though. I do my best work in the morning so I think I'm going to celebrate and let myself get to sleep. Then I'll work a bit more on it in the morning, I mean how hard is it to write 500 words about myself with all the great material I've submitted over the past week, right?

Last one...

Everyone had always told me that the last application is the easiest. You had all this material to work with. You've defined your themes and key messages. Now it's just molding all of it to fit the next group of questions. I approached this last first round application as a simple task. I knew exactly how to sum up my candidacy and the points I wanted to hit. But here I am, days away from the deadline and not confident in the package. The biggest issue I have is that I've repeated my story so many times now that I don't want to bend it. It is what it is. They should either accept it or not. Well, unfortunately, that's not how this all works. I need to prove to them that I want to go to their school. That I'm committed to them. And the best way to do that, provide a convincing application that is tailored to their school and answers their questions...ok, back to recrafting this thing. Devoting the time now will be well worth it. No regrets.

Four submitted

Four down. Yesterday I spent all day editing essays and data forms. By end of day, I had submitted 4 completed applications. I've now applied to Tuck, Haas, Kellogg and Booth. My recommenders, after a bit of a panic, completed the recommendations for these schools. Now there's nothing left to do but sit back and relax until any potential interviews. Well, aside from UCLA of course. It's a bit surreal, I can't believe it's completely out of my control at this point. I almost wish I still had something to do, some piece to control...instead I had to accept the uncertainty and just wait. I suppose I should get to UCLA.

In the mean time, any book recommendations? I have a few sitting beside my bed that I've been meaning to get to. With the extra time on my hands, I'm trying to develop a new reading list so suggestions welcome.

One down!!!

Well it's official. I'm done with one application. It's off and there is nothing more I can do. That is except continue to meet students and alumni who might be willing give my application a little push toward the top of the pile. I already have a couple extra notes in this application file so I feel pretty confident with it. OK, there's my celebration. Now back to it.

A quick lesson too, I've had some difficulty with the applying program at Kellogg. I'm a reapplicant so it was difficult to set up a new application. I contacted the IT support but it took a day or two for them to respond, in the mean time I created a new gmail account and used that to open the application. Now I'm having trouble with the submit function. As a reapplicant I don't have to submit essay 4, instead writing a reapplication statement which is a bit over the word limit (15%ish) so I don't want to seem overly needy with my word demands. So I've uploaded all my essays and transcripts and went to submit/pull up the package in pdf format to review. I keep getting an error message that I have no answered question 4 which is optional. I reached out to the IT support mid-afternoon yesterday and I'm still waiting for a reply. I suppose I', fortunate the deadline is Thursday and I did this early enough to wait for the IT support but it's incredibly frustrating this close to the deadline. My advise to everyone reading this, check your system now! Make sure you don't run into this sort of trouble with only hours until the drop dead minute. Trust me, it'll save you the stress.

Proof reading

Well with days until the deadlines I feel like I've read and reread my essays hundreds of times by now. Despite this constant checking and rechecking, I'm still not quite ready to give up control over this process. I know I'm not alone here. Though at this point, my story is sound. The content is there. I've put my strategy into use. I've had it validated by several people, including those from a couple of my top choice schools who do not know me (very much appreciated, and I will pass it forward next year). All this to say, I'm on track by have yet to hit submit. With each passing hour, I am trying to convince myself to just give it up...if only it were as easy as hitting a button. Oh wait, right.

Alright, back to proofing these pages and pages. Hope everyone else is feeling confident and marching toward submitting "when they're ready". Good luck finalizing those round 1 applications.

One week to go...

For four of the round 1 five applications there is about a week to go; hence the slow down in posts. My mood keeps swinging between the "oh wow, I'm almost done. This is great. I can't wait to hit submit and just sit back and wait because I'm confident this year will be the year" and the "Oh god, how am I ever going to pull this all together in time". I don't think I'm alone by any stretch of the imagination. As I sit here before heading into the office, cleaning up another essay, I'm in good spirits. A couple applications are more or less done. With some editing this week/weekend I should have a stress free week next week. Well, aside from the panic that hitting submit brings.

On a side note, I attended another presentation for UCLA last night. At this stage, most of these presentations are becoming rather repetitive. There are always the nuggets I pull out but for the most part, my research has tipped me off the key themes of what they offer and how the differentiate. I'm scheduled for another one tomorrow night with Tuck but since I've already been to three or four such presentations I'm inclined to skip it to work on my applications. It's amusing if you take a step back. Why should I go back and forth about this? It won't impact my candidacy (aside from standing up in the front row and yelling obscene remarks and making sure my name is known at the time) yet I'm still on the fence. Funny anecdote about that: I called Kellogg to reschedule my interview due to work demands. When I called to check availability I was cut off at the end of the conversation. There was nothing more for me to say by then except "Thank you, I'll be in touch soon. Have a good day." Yet, I contemplated calling back to say just that as my mind raced to thoughts of him marking my file with a note of "rude, hung up on me". When I took a deep breathe I realized how insane that sounded. Pulled my hand off the phone and walked away. Catching the same guy the next day, I was able to joke about it all. Point of all this: To all of us control freaks, take the deep breathe. At the end of the day, most of these little interactions will have no bearing on your application. So take solace in it and enjoy the ride.

Saturday Morning

Well typically I'd be settling into the couch, potentially after a work out, to watch some college gameday on ESPN and determine which were can't miss games for the weekend. Or prepping for a golf tournament I can't attend (particularly bitter about this one). This week, like the last few, that is not the case. I'm sure everyone else feels it too, but I just want my life back or some assurance it'll all pay off come mid-December. Anyway, I sprung out of bed (probably more from anxiety than excitement) to get going on essays. It's only 10am and I've already edited 3 essays and 1 additional statement (which I'm not sure I'll use). You know what, that brings me to a question to all of you out there reading: are you using an extra statement to explain anything additional to the adcom? My example, my GPA improved each year except my senior year. I took 3 courses (2 at a higher ranked school across town-note, I went to a top 50 so not much difference), worked 20 hours a week and applied to law school. Justified? What's your extra story, if you have one?

That was a nice distraction. I'm sure I'll be back later in the weekend. Until then, happy essay writing everyone.

Countdown begins

Well first round deadlines for 4 of 5 schools are fast approaching. I can't believe in two weeks I'll be done, except for one. I thought I was on top of everything until I realized September's over. Anyone else having this feeling?

It hit me hard last night when I first realized that I couldn't get to the gym because I had to be head down on essays. Well that plus waking up early each morning this week to draft essays before heading to the office is taking it's toll. I've realized I much more productive in the morning and have fewer panic attacks during the day because I've done something on my applications. Those two with the fact that I completely reworked my leadership essay all resulted in a little bit of a panic.

But I'm better now. I think the essay is stronger and I've made good progress over the past couple of days. Only two more weeks!!!

Hello again my friend

I'm long over due for a lengthy post; unfortunately, I don't think this is going to be that catch up I owe you. Since I last posted, I've devoted myself to the Tuck application and interview process. I'll give you a couple of quick highlights before diving into more depth (or at least hoping to come back to it). So here we go...

Tuck application is almost complete. I've had a number of people I trust read over my Tuck application, including the Tuckie who interviewed me last year. At this point, I have on essay to go. Everything else is teed up and ready to rip. The one essay is giving me some real trouble though. It's ok, I still have time.

Now that I'm confident that one application is almost done, I've spread my focus. This weekend I knocked out first drafts of my Haas reapplication, excluding the what I've done to learn about Haas essay. I'm not as confident in that one because I've spoken to a number of people but that's about it. I suppose I've also been poking around their YouTube channel and listening to podcasts but those don't hold as much weight in my mind. Anyway, Haas is on it's way. I've also started on Booth. The Tuck material fit nicely into this application once I had my positioning down. I know a second year there who gave me some motivation and feel fairly confident I'm heading down the right path. Not sure I mentioned this previously, but I did get an interview at Booth last year which also gives me some hope. UCLA is still untouched. Oh well, I can't be everywhere at once right?

My recommendations are now out. I've had one follow up conversation that went very well. I'm hoping to get in front of the others this week. I've prepared a three pager about my positioning, the overlapping questions and specific examples for each recommender. I've also given them two essays (career goals and what I bring to Tuck) and my resume. Hopefully this will make the process painless for them and supporting of my positioning. I'm confident in their ability to write positive and helpful recommendations. Helpful is the key; anyone can write a positive rec but it must reenforce your positioning to really work for you.

So that leaves me with the Tuck interview. I've realized through this process that I am a morning person. I'm most productive and efficient in the morning. With that, I scheduled my interview for 9:15. It worked well for me, avoided the traffic and arrived after watching the sunrise over the foothills. It was a great way to start the day. I met up with a Tuckie I'd been in contact with for roughly the past year. Ironically, he was actually slated to interview me. Of course, that wouldn't be fair (nor would his additional letter of support be as impactful) so he didn't have the liberty. Instead, I lucked out with another Tuckie who I felt I connected with. Now the important part: the interview was very informal and conversational. It seemed to go fairly smooth, hitting the typical Tuck interview questions:

- Walk me through your resume
- Why MBA, why Tuck, why now? / this led to career goals and how to achieve them
- Team experience
- Difficult team
- What I'd do at Tuck/excites me about Tuck
- Questions for Tuckie

I actually think that was it. I also fit in some global, leadership experiences. Also got to explain how my background is application, which I think was pretty convincing. It seemed to go by very quickly and at the end of it, I didn't really want it to end. As I learned last year, you'll never check off everything you wanted to during the interview. And that's OK. Overall, it was a great experience. I highly recommend having your interview earlier than later. I then went to class, toured the campus, had lunch with students and through it all I felt relaxed. Since Tuck is all about the community and experience I found it's easier to absorb it when you're not stressed out about an interview. Therefore, just get it out of the way.

Wow, this turned out to be a lot longer than I anticipated. It's amazing how much I have to say about this whole process. I saw a bunch of friends this past weekend and tried to keep myself off the MBA application topic. It was difficult but I think I succeeded. Now I turn that question to everyone. Where are you in the process and do you find that the majority of what you're thinking about and discussing is the application process? Just a quick sanity check. Now back to my Booth application with a little Monday Night Football in the background and bed soon...remember, the whole morning thing...

Days Off

With my Tuck interview tomorrow, I'm caught up between wanting to work all night and drive my applications to completion and just chill for the rest of the day. It's quite a conundrum. I've found that when I try to relax like that I feel guilty that I'm not making progress on my applications. At this point, I've updated all my essays for Tuck and I think I'm almost ready to call it complete (I'm nervous to say that). With that, I can focus my attention on bringing the content and adapting it to the other four schools. Since I'm a reapplicant, this mean Haas is almost complete, Kellogg just needs me to tailor my Tuck essays to them, Booth needs a ppt and Anderson wants to know more about my character. Doesn't sound too bad considering I have just over three weeks to go. I think Tuck, Kellogg and Haas could be complete in the next week and a half. Then I'd still have a couple weeks to bang out the last two. Not a bad place to be.

This weekend, I actually was able to accomplish a good bit without locking myself away until I came out productive. One of the things I realized is that it's important to read each essay independently. By taking a step back and asking what does this essay say and how does it say it without another essay clouding your judgement you can get a better read of the content. By doing that this weekend, I was focused on the task at hand. Today, in beginning my Booth ppt, I began to look at my application as a whole. What are the messages I'm trying to communicate to the adcom. What did I tell the Tuck adcom through 4 essays and a couple short answer questions. By looking at the messages, and ensuring there isn't too much overlap in specific content, I was able to quickly pull the headlines for my Booth ppt. Simultaneously, this enable me to ensure I was "on message" for Tuck. Overall, it proved very useful to ensure that both the big picture and specifics were coming through in my application. It may not be the easiest thing to do, but I don't think I did a great job with that piece last year. Hopefully this year that and adding specifics to the essays will make a difference which leads me to...

my Tuck interview tomorrow. As an aspiring consultant, I am trying to remember a couple of key things. First, take a minute. Silence is ok (in moderation) as long as you utilize the time to clarify your thoughts and come with a structure answer on point. Next, not every answer needs a detailed personal story of how I reached my answer. Ok, this does kind of contradict my specifics point earlier. It's close but it's a fine line. I need enough specifics to get the point across without burying my interviewer into a convoluted story that doesn't really bring him to a clear point. If I can do that, I'm confident. I know the school, I know my reasons for a Tuck MBA and future goals, I know how I'll contribute and be involved as a Tuckie. What more is there...? Not cocky, just trying to be confident.

Ok and with that, I'm basically done for the day. A last minute review is likely and a relaxing evening.

Reapplicant

It's about time I start working on my reapplicant essay, you know the one where I saw here's ALLLL the amazing things I've done to further myself as a candidate, and more importantly, a person since we (adcom and I) last spoke. This always seemed pretty formulaic to me for some reason. You gave me feedback (or didn't depending on the school) which came down to four areas: essays/career goals, involvement/leadership, quant abilities and GMAT. Out of those categories, I decided to work on 3. I left the GMAT alone as I had a 700 (90th percent) with roughly an even split with both above the magic 80th percentile that seems so critical. So that's the outline for the essay. Now it's just plugging stuff in, right? Wrong as usual. I'm once again overthinking it and trying to word each achievement or piece perfectly. Instead, I should just block an hour and bang it our (remember my earlier post on this, just get it on paper then edit, much easier).

With this in mind, here we go:

Goals/Essays - worked hard but also talked to lots of students and alumni to understand what the life is actually like. Through this I learned more about the schools and career path I'm hoping to achieve (please see essay 1). It solidified my interest in the career and school since all your alumni are amazing at continuing the dialogue and explaining the positives and negatives of their choices.

Involvement/Leadership - this is the place I have the most fodder: joined two sports leagues (an old passion), took on nearly double the number of client assignments which forced me to become a project leader, was more client/market facing over the past year, developed several large internal projects (one global in scope), joined another volunteer activity (great cause my friend introduced me to), became much more involved in my undergrad alumni association (including two new events linking current students with alumni to create a local mentorship network), couple more things I believe but you get the idea

Quant - took an online math for management course and earned an A-; ok, not the A I was aiming for but considering all the distractions, I guess it'll do

So there, now I have it and just need to plug into essay format. Done.

Feeling behind here

It's been a while since I've posted and I think I've promised a couple of posts at this point (which I promise I will make up eventually). Among work, applications, networking, school events, family and friends, gym and everything else I feel like I'm constantly running and tired. Needless to say this blog has been neglected. On a positive note, I'm made great progress and am closing in on finalizing my Tuck application (yea, I don't know if I believe it either). From there, I'm confident I can pull together the rest. Next Tuesday I'm heading up to Hanover for my interview. Although it's a stressful event, I'm really excited since I'm going to see a couple people I've had multiple conversations with, plus the beauty of the upper valley. Finally, I think I've made some good connections at all the schools, more on this to follow (I promise).

I know this is really jumbled and quick, but I'm tired and need to wake up early to write another piece of my application.

Submitted!

Well it's official. I've submitted the first application of the season. Oh the excitement, anxiety and nerves all rolled together. Ok, so it was just the data forms and resume for Kellogg so I can request an interview but still! The pressure that comes when you're about to hit submit is amazing. Should I check it again? Well I just checked it for the 14th time. So with that thought process, I finally hit the button. A bit of nervous energy rushed over me and I wonder if I should review one more time. It's probably not a good idea, especially since I would inevitable find one or two words I COULD change, buts now it's too late. Nope instead I'm going back to my essays. And that's that.

Now to schedule that interview...

Productivity!

Well I'm publishing a quick post to update everyone on where I stand. It's also a technique for me to take a step back and look at my accomplishments for the weekend thus far. I've found one of the keys to successful navigating this process is to take stock of how far you've come every so often (and not let the impending deadlines get to you). So with that being said, I've made progress on several of my essays, completed the Kellogg data form (one more review tomorrow and then submitting) and all but a couple of math homework problems. Overall, not bad for the weekend thus far. Still a good bit to accomplish tomorrow but I'm now confident I can tackle it.

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to kick this cold yet...oh well. It's not going to keep me down. More tomorrow.

This is going to be a big weekend. It has to be. Wedding season is over. Deadlines are just over a month away. Not to mention that info sessions begin in full force next week, coupled with connecting with current/former students at nights and all of a sudden each week is almost full until the deadline. This must be a productive weekend. That also means prioritization is critical, so here are my goals for the weekend:

1. Finish math homework for the week and begin FINAL EXAM - yup, scary considering my need for an A/A- in the course and how much farther away I am than I realized
2. Finish data forms for all applications - I have Tuck basically done so how hard can it be to flip the information into the others while I need a mental break
3. Edit all 4 essays for Tuck - this is the most daunting, yet most important
4. Draft my outline of improvements since last year's application
5. Make sure I'm on top of all my networking and no one has fallen through the cracks.

Doesn't sound too bad when it's broken out like that. When I consider that my resume and data forms are more or less done and my essays will be a lot closer by the end of the weekend I feel OK. Now to ignore the other applications...it's amazing how much overlap there really is (Kellogg ~+= Tuck).

I guess this post was more to lay things out for myself. I'll try to give more insight once in the middle of things/update on my mental state through it all. Hope this is helpful to someone out there...

The Ups and Downs

I had an interesting ride home tonight. It was one of those stop and go traffic nights which allowed a lot of time for reflection. During this reflective period I was able to think of all the progress I've made before the calendar even flips to September. However, I then thought to my self, "oh sh*t!! It's September! How will I ever get everything done before the deadlines." My ride progressed back and forth like this for almost an hour. This is nothing new but I'm trying to find concrete ways to ease my own insecurity and pressure. At the end of the day, I've learned I cope well when I definitive time frames to work against. So I started laying them out so I won't feel guilty if I don't get a ton done before this weekend (especially since my work day lasts well into the night most days).

I guess my point is that when you have these moments, it's completely natural. This is that time of year where freak outs will occur every few days. It's completely normal but by creating check lists and action items I will keep my self calm and on track to complete all 5 applications in the first round.

Hope this helps and happy essay writing.

Draft Weekend Day 1 (Rounds 1 and 2)

In retrospect, I wish I had done a Simmons-esque draft diary. Unfortunately, I didn't think so that until sitting down on the Tuesday after what I've now dubbed draft weekend...well, let's try to recapture the magic and give it a whirl anyway. And away we go:

Saturday 9:37am - Hello and welcome! The lights are on, snacks are out and I'm ready to get down to business. This is the inaugural draft weekend with the publicity, last year the event occurred over a much longer time frame. Following the lead of the NFL, this is how it must be done.

9:48 - With the overview and outline of my first essay Tuck essay reviewed, I'm ready to get down to business...and we're off!

9:57 - OK, still white page in front of me. Another coffee should help.

10:33 - yup, that must have done the trick. I now have 850+ words of dribble. It's well beyond the suggested 500 words limit but at least it's a start. And to have one draft in just over 30 minutes must be a record. Anyone out there beat me on this one?

10:52 - After such a great showing, I've bounced back to the next version of my resume. Since I applied last year and had what I felt was a pretty solid final product I didn't anticipate too much effort here. Five versions later and I'm finally honing in on an adcomm ready product. I'll summarize my key learnings at the end of this post but I must admit this is much better than last year. By focusing on quantifying my results (especially where you don't think you can quantify) the end product is much stronger. Now you can quickly see what I've accomplished. The other lesson, in many cases in this process less really is more. By limiting my entries, such as cutting my internship on the Hill to a one line bullet point under my education, I've focused on my current role which is much more impressive.

1:48 - After a much needed break for some food and plugging away at my Math for Management online homework it's time to get back to business.

2:11 - I think I'm slowing down a bit as reviewing my initial comments and quickly jointing down my outline took a lot longer than I anticipate. This leads to my next lesson of the day: my style is best when I physically write my highlights down. For some reason I get into the flow of things, my excitement builds and I clarify (to some extent) what I'm trying to say. With these all fresh in my mind, I'm ready to hit the keyboard.

2:32 - And I'm done! My next version is complete. I know what you're thinking, that can't be. How could I just bang out two pages on my leadership experience in 20 minutes? Well, this is my biggest lesson of the day: JUST WRITE! Don't worry about what you're writing. Get it on the screen. Last year, I don't think I had a version I was willing to call a draft until October. October! This was because my perfectionism took over and every couple of lines I wrote were immediately erased with the thought that I could do better and/or the adcomm had no interest in reading it. This year, I don't care if I have typos, grammatical errors, sentences that trail off, paragraghs without a topic, it just doesn't matter because I'll have something to edit. I can find questions, clarify and pull the themse to the top in the next round. Now I have a great sense of accomplishment, something to build from and the rest of the afternoon.

4:17 - OK, I didn't really take the rest of the afternoon off. I'm now struggling with the data forms. How can I explain what I currently do in 300 words? Don't they already have my resume? Why do I need to fill this in? I'm floundering.

6:03 - After starts and stops, I finally end my session. I have a good base for my data forms. I think they're close...enough to have reviewed at least

6:15 - Well that's the end of the first two rounds of the 2010 draft. I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have. Now to recap the key lessons before day 2:

1. Just write! Remove that blank page with ANYTHING, you can then edit and refine which is the most important part. There are now ~6 weeks to do it so don't worry what it looks like today as long as it has your ideas.

2. Everything in this process takes more time than you'd ever imagine. After last year, I was hoping certain pieces (resume, data forms) wouldn't be as intense. I was wrong. Start early and allow yourself the required time.

3. Quantify your results. Probe to what the outcome was; how did you have an impact. These questions, when you're honest with yourself, will go a long way.

4. Enjoy the process. Yup, I'm guilty of hating it too but try...

Over committed?

I created this blog to keep track of my progress, push myself, share whatever knowledge I have and see what comes from it. In my attempt to make progress I've neglected this blog. A couple of times this week I've attempted to schedule in a post but just never got around to it. It's amazing how quickly time passes as I start to put my head down. Here's a quick recap of what I've been up to and where I stand.

Math class - yup, it's back to high school. Even though I crossed the 80th percentile in the quant section, the feedback from Tuck was to demonstrate my quant abilities once again. I see the validity here, I took accounting, econ and stat (C+) in college. That C+ is a huge red flag which I understand. Unfortunately, it was because the professor put me to sleep if I were there and most classes I just didn't go...oh well. Anyway, I'm getting close the end of the online course which is quite a relief. I'm excited to not be doing math homework a couple mornings each week.

Resume - this is one of the first pieces I tackled because it was only a matter of updating the version I sent last year, or so I thought. Right now, I'm on version 5. The quick and easy piece has become a grind. Even though I think I could have stopped at version 3 and been satisfied, each version is better than that last and in the end, I am really happy I continue to push on this one.

Goals essay - I have a solid version but no where close to final. I'm lucky to have a pro editing all my stuff this year (incredibly helpful from a psychological and results perspective). This weekend I'm taking a break from the goals section as I just completed the newest version this year which leads me to...

Remaining essays - the outlines need to be converted to full drafts this weekend. It sounds like a lot but I think it should be manageable given the completeness of the drafts.

Data forms - a couple of my target programs have their applications live now so I have started to put my information in while I'm "relaxing". Right, there's nothing better than watching John Lester get shellacked and filling in contact info.

Networking/Interviews - scheduled one on campus interview and reached out to a handful of students at my target programs. Last year I connected with what I considered a lot of people so I think I'm ahead of the game on this one but I know I'll want to know more and have stories prepared for the Why XX School and interviews so I'm off and running on this one. I'll post separately on this later.

So I think that's it for my progress but there are a handful of tips I want to highlight from the last month or so of application work:

1. Utilize ever minute. Even if you only have 20 or 30 minutes and don't feel like you'll be able to get into the flow, do it! I'm getting better at this which leads into....

2. Nothing is final until you hit submit. These two points mean spend those few minutes even if you're only added two or three sentences to an essay, that's a little less you'll have to do next time PLUS you've captured those thoughts somewhere and will continue to think about it throughout the day. This second point will also allow you to feel more comfortable/confident that the slow progress will amount to something

3. Take time off. You have to find ways to "do you". Whether that's going out one night a week, cooking, a movie, gym 5 days a week, do something to get out of the groove

4. It's still August!!!! If you've made progress already, you're well on your way. Last year, I kept thinking and thinking and thinking but never really amounted to much until the very end of September. Then it was a full on sprint to the October deadlines of 5 schools. This year, I'm taking little steps and breaking things into chunks and making sure I accomplish a few pieces each week. By doing it this way, my anxiety is (relatively) under control so far and I feel confident that the 5 applications will be complete well in advance of the deadlines this year. Of course, it helps that I'm a reapplicant and have done this once before...

And it begins

It's that time of year, to once again buckle down and focus on my next steps. Even though the calendar still reads July, first round deadlines in October are right around the corner. Last year they snuck up on me even though I felt well ahead of the game. That feeling lasted right up until the hours (yes, the deadline countdown became hours). With those memories and the fear that I could have done better if only I had more time, I have challenged myself to get my applications in WELL ahead of time. Though I have not yet set deadlines, this is the time to begin.

The MBA admissions process is immensely time consuming. You don't realize it until you're in the thick of it and every minute seems to count. So I have begun to set tasks. In my opinion, there are three things that will set the structure of all my applications (of course, this after the reflection process and listing EVERYTHING you've accomplished or could consider as an accomplishment)

Since applying to school last year, only a few months ago, my goals have not dramatically changed. My experiences are largely similar, which indicates my resume should not be too far off. With those thoughts and a desire to feel one piece complete, my first tasks are set. And off I go...

Success...

Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm - Winston Churchill

In our lives we inevitably are met with successes and failures. Each personally defined in our own way. Over the past two years I have created great successes and great failures through the business school application process. Unfortunately, the successful end eluded me last spring. Now I reengage with newfound enthusiasm for business school and the application process.

This year I will use this blog to track my success, failure and everything in between; chronicling for myself, sharing my learnings and (ideally) celebrating in the end. Although I've been through this process once before I again feel at a loss for what is to come...either way, it'll be quite the adventure.

Much more to come.