Extremely Good News

I've been accepted to Wharton!

Second Decision

I have been wait listed at Kellogg. I don't know if anyone ever anticipates being placed in MBA purgatory, but here I am. To say that this is a disappointment would be understating how I feel. In general, I don't deal well with being in limbo. I process any maybe's as no's especially because I don't know what I can do to ameliorate any weaknesses that I haven't done already. I took [expensive] courses to augment my quantitative profile, performed well on the GMAT (my score is higher than their average), went through eight iterations of my Kellogg essays, and practiced for my interview. Perhaps my age has given cause for concern? I can't imagine there are too many people like me in the applicant pool. Sure there are other 700+ GMAT scorers from ivy leagues, but my career goals are pretty unique [so I've been told] and you just don't find too many people in my industry applying to business schools.

So, now I wait to hear from Wharton. Hopefully Tuesday will bring better news, but my hope has waned after two straight days of disappointment.

First Decision

I received my official Stanford rejection letter today and to my surprise I wasn't disappointed by the decision. I think I was more relieved than anything to close the door on one potential path.

In any event, congratulations to those who were accepted!

The Waiting Game Part Deux

I can't believe a month has flown by since my last update. Within the span of four weeks, I got an interview invite at Wharton, went to London, went to Paris, flew to Philadelphia, interviewed, wrote some first drafts, wrote some second drafts, went to a few holiday parties, and roasted a turkey!

I wasn't expecting to hear anything from Kellogg until next week, but I unwittingly looked at the gmatclub Kellogg thread to see that the school has already begun making admit calls. They've also started sending out dings. So now I'm on pins and needles hoping to hear something. I've checked my application status several times and nothing has changed. Is no news good news? I don't know, but I'm getting scared. What if I don't get in anywhere at all? I guess that's what R2 apps are for.

My nerves are shot to hades right now.

The Wait is OVA!

I've been anxiously checking my email everyday since 10/27, the day that Wharton began sending out interview invites. As I hadn't received anything and today was the last day they'd send out invites, I assumed that I would surely receive a ding today.

Imagine my delight when I checked my email at 1:15 PST, and saw an invitation to interview! Of course all of the SF hub interview slots are full and I have to fly to PHL and of course the most cost effective day for me to go is the day after I get back from my week long trip to Europe, but I'm not complaining!

I'm in a celebratory mood, but hunny bunny (my boyfriend) and I are sick, so I'll have to have a glass of champagne in the house.

Kelley School of Business

I went to a Kelley School of Business admissions event last night. It was awesome. Instead of sitting us down and giving a power point presentation, we had a cooking class led by two professional chefs. There was lots of wine and I got to know the alumni and staff very well in this informal gathering!

The chef is meant to be sending us the recipes from what we made, and I really need that recipe for the turkey sliders. They were simply phenomenal.

Waiting for a decision is pure agony!

A Year Ago Today

I took the GMAT. I had been studying diligently for three months and spent top dollar on a ManhattanGMAT Preparation course. The highest I had scored on a practice test was 710, but I could never duplicate that score again, so I resolved to score in the mid 600s on the real test and just take it again.

Looking back, I have never been so ready for game time than I had been on that day. The evening before, I decided to take it easy and go get a manicure, so my hands were looking quite pretty. When I got to the testing center, I was so ready to rock. I had played my game song for the GMAT on the way to the building so I was in the zone.

Halfway into the quant section, I knew I bombed the test. I got stuck on a particularly hard question and lost crucial time. I had to basically hack away at some of the questions so I could have a bank of time at the end to finish strong.

Convinced I bombed quant, I figured that verbal would be my saving grace as it's always been. But I felt like I was bombing that too at one point. I got to a particularly technical passage for RC, read through it twice, and still couldn't retain anything. I tried to use process of elimination, and wound up eliminating all the answer choices. I sped through the next few sentence correction and critical reasoning questions to make up ground so I wouldn't be penalized for not finishing.

When I got to the end of the exam, I was relieved to have finally taken the test and had braced myself for the 600 I thought I'd see. Imagine my surprise when I hit show me the score and saw a freaking 730. I had scored that high in quant before and that high in verbal but on separate tests! The moral of the story is don't cancel your score. Because the test is adaptive, the better you're doing, the more you'll feel like you're flailing because the test will give you harder and harder questions. The other moral of the story is to make the most of your GMAT prep course. I know folks who took them and didn't really do all the homework and take advantage of all the resources the company provides. I lived, breathed, ate, slept the GMAT for three months and I went from a 590 (practice exam) to a 730. It can be done, but it's not easy.

And finally, my GMAT theme song, Cosmic Slop by Parliament Funkadellic. It has absolutely nothing to do with overcoming obstacles or winning. It's actually just a really funky song with a nice bass line and guitar riff that always got me amped up to go through a 3 hour practice test.

Good Idea/Bad Idea

My boyfriend has gone home to Los Angeles to attend the CAL vs. UCLA football game. Initially I thought it was a good idea for me to opt to stay at home this weekend and work on MBA applications, but now that I've been sitting in this coffee shop for two hours, working on an essay for USC Marshall, I am starting to think about all the fun going down at the game. Tailgating. Touch downs. On-side kicks. Cheerleaders. Hot dogs. Beer. Man, I'm missing out.

I've tried to refrain from looking at the MBA message boards while Wharton is releasing decisions and focus my attention elsewhere, but I just can't. At least over the weekend, I won't have to worry about anything coming in. I'm afraid that I'll get a rejection notice while I'm at work and be in a sour mood for the rest of the day. I honestly don't know how I'd respond. Will I cry? It's very likely. I am a big crier and am known to cry at sappy engagement commercials and have cried everytime I've watched that cheesy movie The Notebook. Or will I be relieved to finally have an indication as to where I stand and be able to use that indication to formalize a round 2 strategy. One thing's for sure, although there is a weakness in my profile, I'm feeling very optimistic. Not just about Wharton, but about my future in general.

I've had two shots of espresso, and am contemplating a third in another hour or so. My energy is insane right now, so it's time for a dance party!





Beyonce Get Me Bodied

So, tell me about yourself?

Today I had my Kellogg interview, and I do think that it went well. There were two questions that I probably could have answered better but I'm happy with how it went. After having written so many essays, I actually had quite a few stories at the ready for some of the behavioral questions. I also think that I made a great case for Why Kellogg and I loved seeing how my alumni interviewer had very strong ties to her alma mater. Hearing her talk about her experience at Kellogg and her experience as a Kellogg alum reinforced my desire to attend. Now I cross my fingers and hope for good news come December.

Party's over

On Tuesday, I celebrated being done with R1 with a few two dollar Martinis, and now that I've got the fun out of my system, it's time to turn my attention back to my apps. Focusing on R2 apps will also take off some of the anxiety of waiting to see if the R1 schools want to interview me.

I need to get a version of my HBS R2 essays to my reviewer by Monday. Since HBS is a last minute addition, I still need to do some research on the school, so it's taking me longer than I thought to complete the career goals essay. Outlines for Setbacks and Achievements are chugging right along, and I have a few ideas for the question I wished they had asked me.

I am also going to try to make the 11/15 R1 deadline for consortium schools. This gives me about a month to make things happen, and if it doesn't happen, then I'll at least be halfway done for January submission.

The other day I had an ingenious idea for Booth's power point pages, and I made a sketch of it so that I won't forget it.

Full steam ahead!

Kellogg is in!

YES YES YES! As of today, all of my R1 apps are in and submitted. More champagne for everyone!!!!

Stanford is in!

Congrats to everyone who submitted a Stanford app. I might have to pop a bottle of cheap champagne when I get home. This one took a lot out of me!

The Stanford Data Form

is not a game. I was on it for 3 hours today and am still not finished.

Congratulations

Congratulations to everyone who submitted Wharton or HBS applications today!

Wharton due Monday

Come hell or high water, this Wharton application is getting submitted. I considered putting the app off until round 2, but I've been on this b-school journey for over a year now and I'm really ready to get this party started already.

I spent last night clarifying my career goals in my professional objective essay. I like it. It sings. I've just got to cut out some extraneous words, and that's a done deal.

I spent most of today redoing the interpersonal essay. In my earlier versions, I felt like I didn't own up to my mistakes in navigating this experience so I gave it a minor face lift to reflect these mistakes.

I spent the last few hours overhauling the innovation essay, and am still at it.

Through this essay writing process, I've learned two things -- 1) you have to choose who you're going to take your feedback from and how you're going to use it and 2) you can get feedback until the end of time so at one point you have to create a plan and roll with it.

As far as my other applications....

Tuck -- I visited campus and loved it. My interview with the student ambassador went well. No hard ball questions and I am happy with it.

Kellogg -- got some encouraging feedback so now I'm going to rewrite two of the essays. One is completely done and I'm not changing a thing. The career goals essay needs a bit of clarification. This app is on hold for the moment in light of the two deadlines that are more pressing.

Stanford -- I have been neglecting this baby. Actually that's not entirely true. I've done some good work on the last two behavioral questions and my career objectives were all but set in stone until I had a stroke of genius on the plane ride to Cambridge. I started the career objectives over from scratch and sheer brilliance was flowing through these fingers here. Of course that computer crashed, and along with it, the brilliance. I think I can get into that zone again. It was truly the realest thing I ever wrote (cookie to anyone who got that Tupac reference). I have a draft of What Matters to Me Most, but I'm not confident with it and don't think it's an accurate reflection of what matters to me most.

My boyfriend is out of town this weekend so I have no distractions outside of the 4th season of Mad Men on netflix. I'm on episode five and it's getting quite good so I have to resist. I've been listening to a lot of Prince to power through this....

My Stanford essays suck but are in good shape

Quite a paradox. How could this possibly be? My Stanford essays currently aren't worth the paper they're printed on yet I consider them to be in good shape. Everyone says that Kellogg's essay questions are the hardest, but I wouldn't know it. Stanford is kicking my behind. These word limits are the bane of my existence right now. I'm having a difficult time distilling my behavioral essays to their essential parts so that they fit into 300 words. 300 little words.

I received confirmation that the stories I want to tell are compelling, so in my opinion, they're in fighting shape. I have a starting point (well not quite, since I've rewritten these things multiple times), and know how I can improve them. it's just a matter of sitting down to do it.

In other news, I am feeling confident about both my Wharton and my Kellogg essays. My resume has been sealed with a kiss and I do not forsee additional alterations. I do not have the mental bandwith to think about Chicago's application or essays right now. They only have two essays and a power point presentation, so it's much less writing intense than Kellogg's essays, but the esoteric "leadership" question has me at a loss. I'm sure I can dig deep and find some jewels, but until I get Stanford to a point where I'm just fine tuning things, I don't think focusing on Chicago will do either school justice.

It is late, and I've spent my day off writing essays. Although there is no rest for the weary, I'm going to lay my head on my pillow.

Writing Everyone's Essays But My Own

Before I get started, in honor of Mondays...




One of my colleagues in the Management Leadership Tomorrow program remarked that I am probably having an easy time right now because writing is one of my strengths. He's right, but then he's wrong. He's right in that I have an easy time with grammar, word use, etc, and that I can see for myself where an essay needs work. He's wrong in that I'm going to have to write just as many drafts as everyone else will. I'm not so cavalier as to think that I've got the essays in the bag. That type of hubris in this process is what results in rejections. In fact, the bar will probably be higher for me as an English major who works at a publishing company.

I do enjoy the essay writing process more than the studying for the GMAT process, though. I like to write and always have. You may be surprised to learn that I never wanted to be a fiction writer. The few times I've tried my hand at fiction, I have found myself bored and never felt compelled to see my work through to completion. I'd stop at the first draft and just lose interest. Non-fiction is where my heart was/is. At one point in my life I wanted to be a journalist so that makes sense. I love to recount true stories and find the symbolism, pathos, and humor in things that normal people do on a daily basis. Even still, my attention span has never allowed me to see any of my non fiction work through to the end (but I would love to write a biography of my grandmother -- she just refuses to be interviewed). Sure, I'm a decent writer, but my real talent (I think) is for bringing out the strengths of other writers. Kind of like a writing coach (or editor).

That same colleague sent out an SOS and asked me to look over some of his essays this weekend. He had received the same feedback multiple times and when he thought he was improving, his reviewer told him he hadn't made any progress. I looked them over and what had happened is that the treasure was buried deep, deep in the essay. Several paragraphs into a 750 word essay. He meandered through the essay making a few claims and never substantiating them or introducing ideas and never reconciling them. He had some cool ideas for metaphors but needed a coach to help him make the metaphors work and sing. I went through and helped him create a structure and develop a theme.

I also have a friend applying for medical rotations and she asked me to help her with essays for those programs. Unlike my colleague, She had so many treasures in one essay that readers were getting overwhelmed and she failed to connect the dots for why she wanted to go into radiology in a way that we could understand. So I helped her with creating an outline that kept her on track as she rewrote the essay. We have all of her treasures connected with a central theme that we laid out in the beginning of the essay.

While I was doing all this essay help, I avoided rewriting my own Kellogg essays. It did not help that I can now stream all four seasons of Mad Men on Netflix.


I spent Saturday watching Season 1 and pretending to write. To my credit, I did manage to finish a first draft of my Wharton essays at 2 AM last night and I'm glad that I got my ideas on to paper. As much as I preach about the benefits of outlining, I totally winged it on my career goals essay and wrote what I felt as it came to me.

Got my Kellogg Essays Back

I'm happy to report that my essays were in better shape than I thought they were. I am awesome at those Situation Task Action Results essays. Simply awesome. Where I am much less awesome is the Career Goals and Why This School essays. I've actually decided to alter my career goals. More on that later.

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

Recently, I got hooked on a series of blog posts wherein an admissions consultant was sizing up an applicants chances for a variety of schools. Though entertaining, I found myself a bit demoralized after reading these posts and started second guessing my accomplishments, chances, and choice in schools. I know that my GPA is low and am prepared to overcome that hurdle, but the emphasis on working for a big name firm is what got to me. Am I wasting application fees here? I know that it's unlikely that I'll be accepted everywhere I apply, but I do want to have a fighting chance at the school's I apply to. Now is not the time to lose faith in myself, so I decided to tune the self-doubt out and stop reading the series. I will instead channel that energy into fuel to produce stand out applications.

So my theme song for the day...