Wharton Information Session Bangalore

Yes Guys, I did attend the Wharton Information Session this Wednesday at Bangalore. The information was awesome. Kathryn Bezella, Senior Associate Director of Wharton, was really impressive. I loved her way of presentation. Fortunately enough, we had 2 current students: Pushkar and Vaibhav and one alumnus: Anjali Gupta at the session too. I interacted with all of them but most importantly, I was impressed with Anjali. She was honest in her suggestions. Her answer to my one question made me her fan. I asked her, why did you apply to Wharton when you were considering to do your MBA. She replied that she was sure in her mind that if she had to do an MBA, it has to be in the top 5. Now, generally we find lot of answers to this questions but the manner she replied, I was floored by her truth. She did share her business card with me and I will definitely contact her in case I manage to grab my dream. Let me tell you one thing: I did googled about her and read a lot about her just from a single business card and she is just awesome: Wharton Dean’s Merit List, an Entrepreneur from heart and mind before she stepped into a business school too.

At one moment, I thought of including Wharton in my list. But the reality is I am from India and I can’t afford such a costly affair in addition to what I intend to spend. These are few of my observations and views that I perceived from the Session:

1. Wharton gives a lot of weightage to Academic Record, which may include your GMAT score too.
2. Wharton’s WEP is one of the best: Will highly recommend googling about it in case someone is planning to apply. Everyone does not stop praising WEP in the session.
3. Proximity to Wall Street makes Wall Street a hot destination for Wharton Graduates.
4. T-Group or something similar group is formed in the first t=year of coursework and people generally end up making best friends from this team. Amazing Diversity and team building.
5. One-third of the coursework is Case Study based, one-third in Lectures and another third in the form of Experience Learning.
6. Leadership Lecture Series every week is one of the biggest source of attraction for students and alumni (as shared by all Vaibhav, Anajali and Pushkar).
7. Kathhryn did mention that an application go through 3 rounds of reading before the committee decides to give an interview. Additionally, after the interviewer feedback, another 2 rounds of reading is done before the final decision is made.
8. One thing that concerned me was: All 3 of them: Anjali, Pushkar and Vaibhav were working in USA when they applied and I don’t remember but one of the current students, Vaibhav/Pushkar, seems to be from USA as he has done his BS from University of Berkeley.

Overall, I am impressed with Wharton but can’t consider it due to time and other factors like I have already 4 biggies in my list and I can’t afford to go for another one. Before I end, the one thing that surprised me was that I saw a lot of people asking Anjali and others to review their application essays. Boss, only people who know you can help you in reviewing your essay. Only those people can give honest feedback on your essays. I found it very silly and immature. In my opinion, one must not forget professionalism and attitude at any cost. One can score very high in GMAT but let me tell you, no b-school in this world can teach you this basics.

Guest-Blogged at marquisparker.com

Hi Guys,

This is going to be real fast and short post: basically, to shout out for my guest post at marquisparker.com. Marquis does not need any introduction. He is a well-known MBA and consultant blogger, an alumnus of Stanford GSB and of course, a very dear friend of mine. Over an year or so, I have been interacting with him and today, I proudly say that even though we have never met each other, we share so much common in our thoughts and interests that has resulted in a very strong friendship. I have followed him through the whole process of his migration from blogspot to self-owned domain. I must tell that it is always exciting and thrilling to work and talk with him no matter how small the matter is.

Enjoy the post and do feel free to share your views and comments.

Drafting your essays, watch this

Watch this video if you are thinking of starting to draft your application essays. The message is very clear and it is applicable when we tell our story to or B-School. For me, it is like lying to your parents to take their advantage. But in the due process, we miss the essence: if they find out, we may lose them forever even when they will be alive. If one feels deeply about his dream B-School, then for me it is like my family and I will be honest with my feelings and dreams and I believe, with that even though late but then I will be become their inevitable part forever.

Haas revamps its MBA curriculum

Well, let me tell you why Haas before I go further. University of California, Berkeley was one of the best moment of my life. I visited Berkeley Campus during my official HQ trip to USA in the Bay Area. The campus visit was one of my memorable ones. Though it was a holiday and I did not find any students int he campus but the visit and 5 hrs at Berkeley campus was enough for me to be part of the b-school when I decided to go for my MBA. Yes, I am going to compete for the Haas Business School with all my power.

Now that you know Haas is one of prospective B-School, I was thrilled and excited when I heard about the news of Haas revamping its MBA curriculum. Anyone aspiring for Haas might know that the school defines innovative leaders as individuals who drive growth by putting new ideas into action in every corner and every function of their organizations, and who do so responsibly. The differentiaiting factor of Haas is Berkeley Innovative Leader Development (BILD) and it seems that it runs through the breadth, height and length of the amazing years of MBA at Haas. oNe interesting excerpt from the article was:

As part of the strategic planning process, the school codified its culture into four defining principles:

– Question the Status Quo: Being able to envision a different reality, to take intelligent risks, and to learn from failure, as well as having the courage to speak our minds.

– Confidence without Attitude: Being able to make decisions based on facts and analysis, giving us the confidence to act without arrogance, leading through trust and collaboration.

– Students Always: Having a mindset of curiosity and lifelong learning, seeking personal growth, and practicing behavior that tells others we can learn from them.

– Beyond Yourself: Considering the long-term impact of our actions and the facility for putting larger interests above our own.

These four defining principles will be used in the selection process of MBA students, as well as be integrated into the curriculum in various ways. “These principles have always been the Haas heartbeat, but we have never articulated them until now and have never used them so deliberately to shape our students and graduates,” said Dean Lyons.

Few questions that immediately came to my mind was whether there will be some serious changes in the application essays this year considering the fact that the curriculum has changed. But never mind, I am sure people like me who are genuinely interested in Haas will be able to pull it through. So, keeping my fingers crossed and awaiting the Haas application eagerly.

Source: Forbes Article on Haas

How to think like an AdCom?

MBA Game Plan carried two interesting blog posts on “How to think Like an AdCom?” I enjoyed reading both the posts. Some of the key points are:

• there’s a critical first “moment of truth” — the first 60 seconds or so when an application reader picks up your application and starts to immediately form opinions about your candidacy
• some applicants forget that their “brand” is not what they present, but rather whatadmissions officers perceive in their applications. Ex: applicant may think of himself as the “motivated banker who does Habitat for Humanity and wants to get into consulting,” but admissions officers might see a “pushy banker without any community impact with ill-defined career goals.”
• Whether or not they’re thinking about it consciously, the question that runs through MBA admissions officers’ minds essentially boils down to this: “How much time should I devote to this application?”
• MBA admissions officers are constantly asking themselves the “Worth my time?” question as they move from one application to the next, trying to find the best ones to recommend for further evaluation.
• Objectivity is very important here, especially when asking yourself why an admissions officer might want to choose you over someone else who looks very similar to you on paper. This is also where another pair of eyes can help, ideally from someone who doesn’t know you too well. Your friends and family are biased… They think you’re amazing, but they’ve known you forever! An MBA admissions officer doesn’t have such an advantage.

Well, I am neither an expert nor a part of admission committee. But at the same time, while some of them are true, certain things have been exaggerated. I don’t believe that the Admission Committee’s of top B-Schools do follow them strictly. After all, they also know that a single candidate like that of Barack Obama in their school can develop the courage to change the world even though he does not have the courage to do it now. I feel it is a give and take policy. What can we contribute back to the school when we are studying and after our graduation matters the most to them because AdComs definitely know these high class B-Schools can give back to these students during their 2 years and after that.

Additionally, I completely agree with the Branding theory and the biasing factor our relatives, families and friends. This is where the choice of Reviewers come and could leave a major impact. I would suggest not to worry and hold on to your nerves even though one has a couple of hiccups in their applications. After all, we are human beings and are bound to make mistakes but then learning from those mistakes is what is going to matter towards the end.

Source: Part1 Part2

A Responsible Manager

As I stumbled upon this article, my memory of meeting and interacting Prof. CK Prahlad got fresh. I will talk about my encounter with one of the greatest Indian Marketing guru sometime later. The thing I liked about the current article was the following:

• Humility in success and courage in failure are hallmarks of a good leader.




• Due process matters. Team members seek fairness, not favors – decisions don’t have to go their way but the process has to be fair and transparent.




• Accept human weaknesses, laugh at yourself — and avoid the temptation to play God. Leadership is about self-awareness, recognizing your failings, and developing modesty, humility, and humanity.




• Balance achievement with compassion, learning with understanding.




• Understand the importance of nonconformity. Leadership is about change, hope, and the future. Leaders have to venture into uncharted territory, so they must be able to handle intellectual solitude and ambiguity.




• Managers must remember that they are the custodians of society’s most powerful institutions. They must therefore hold themselves to a higher standard. Managers must strive to achieve success with responsibility.

Honestly speaking, I, too, believe in the above rules of Prof. Prahlad for being a responsible manager and I can assure you that I will strive my level best to stick to them in case I become one at any moment of time. But till date, I have not seen any manager following such principles but would love to work under one after my MBA.

2010 BoB Winners

Hearty Congratulations to the winners of ClearAdmit Best of Blogging Award. Though I did not make it, but I kind of not expected it considering my bumpy roller coaster ride with my blog. A special shout for Orlando and I must say this guy rocks the floor and is a great great ambassador for Kellogg Business School. Congrats to BraveHeart, DreamChaser and Windsor. you guys inspire and rock!!! I feel privileged to have been nominated among you guys all. Will definitely join you guys back again in 2010-2011 for sure.

Elected to Secretary of TM

Oh Yeaah!!! Last week, I successfully ran for the post of secretary to the Central Committee of the Toastmaster Club of our company at Bangalore. I will be taking the charge from the current secretary on 1st June for a period of 6 months. I am really excited and thrilled and looking forward to my tenure eagerly. One of the few things that surprised me was my popularity. I never knew that after I successfully started the shadow club of my company at my own building and increased the membership from 1 to 10 in a span of 1 month, I could become a NAME among the people of other buildings too. I take this opportunity to thank each and everyone who came forward and helped me through all this. I feel proud of my achievement especially when I am just 2 months old in the TM and have finished two Project levels till date and going to attempt my third one next week. These small things make this election so special to me.

On the other side, GMAT preparation is on its way and going forward, it is going to be purely exam mode from this month. Building the patience for 4 hrs of exam is going to be the key this time. There is one another surprise in bag but I would like to keep it secret till it is revealed. So keep guessing. And yes, ClearAdmit BoB results are due this week. I guess it is 4th May.  Best of Luck to All the nominees (including me ).

From the Reliance-Stanford Fellowship Application side, I finished up filling up the basic information on the website and have started working on my resume. I am also brainstorming how differently I can put the things that I mentioned or missed in my last year application. Honestly, if you would ask me, the admit to Stanford GSB matters to me the most than this fellowship. It does not matter if I get this fellowship but it will  matter a lot if I don’t get an admit at the end of the year. So, keeping my luck and fingers crossed for the bigger battle ahead.