MBA Dreamz moves to its new domain

Hi Guys,

Whats up? As I prepare myself to re-apply this year, I am moving MBA Dreamz from wordpress blog to its new domain: http://deepakpanigrahy.com/mbadreamz.

Sp, get your feeds updated. I have written to almost all where the MBA Dreamz feeds are active but I, also, take this opportunity to ask ClearAdmit, Accepted, The Art of Applying, Beat the GMAT, Stacy Blackman, MBA Crystal Ball  and Hella to kindly update the feeds.

So, do visit the blog, where I take on another year to my journey towards my MBA.

~ Deepak

PS: Posts from hereon will come only on http://deepakpanigrahy.com/mbadreamz and I will be deleting this blog in sometime.

GRE vs GMAT

I guess a lot of you might have already started thinking about this. GRE goes for a makeover this August and for the first time, comes closer to the pattern and format of GMAT. Why is this important?

A lot of you might already know that GRE is accepted by almost 400 b-schools, including some of the biggies like Yale, HBS, Stanford, MIT, Insead to name a few. I am sure with this change, more b-schools might consider accepting GRE scores. Basically, ETS is going for a makeover with the change in GRE format. According to Clearadmit, the follwoing changes in GRE are significant:

Quantitative Section
• More data analysis
• Less geometry
• The introduction of numeric entry questions that require test takers to provide a specific answer rather than select from multiple choices
• An on-screen calculator, which could mean more complex math questions

Verbal Section
• No more antonym or analogy questions
• The introduction of in-context questions designed to test both reasoning skills and vocabulary
• New “strengthen/weaken” reading comprehension questions, similar to those on the GMAT

Does the above changes sound similar? Yes, GRE is coming closer to GMAT. It would be interesting to see how GMAT responds to this change when it goes for a makeover next year. As of now, it is good for the applicants if more b-schools start accepting the GRE scores.

But here is one catch. It seems that people taking the GRE test in august won’t be able to get their scores till November. Personally, I feel that it is not fair and I would like to take this opportunity to appeal on behalf of all test-takes from August to all the b-schools accepting GRE scores or are planning to accept, kindly make some changes to your deadlines to accommodate special cases like this for the current year. I feel that any step by b-schools to address this concern of applicants would play a big role in their fairness to the system and the candidates.

I would also request my readers to support this appeal by just clicking on the like button or sharing this post across. Additionally, I would also request the admission consultants and Admission Committees of all b-schools, if they are reading to consider the applicants taking GRE in August fairly and not to discard them right away just because they are yet to get their scores.

Source: http://blog.clearadmit.com/2011/02/important-information-for-prospective-mba-applicants-considering-the-gre/

Happy Thanksgiving :-)

Wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving. Belated but it was there and I did not want to miss out this opportunity.

I started my journey on this blog when I started my journey to pursue an MBA. After that it was on and off but I was sure I am going to do this. Nevertheless, this post is not about me. Its about you, guys.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone:

My Readers: You are the best. Without you, I would not have come this far. Thank you again. I would also request request all my silent users to speak and regular readers to speak more and let me know how I can help you out guys.

My special friends: Marquis Parker and Kaneisha Grayson. Thanks a lot, Marquis. Without you, this journey was very tough for me. Hopefully, I am going to fly to Chicago one day to meet you in person soon . Let me tell you, I can’t wait to do so. Thanks Kaneisha for your kind words and help. You are always sweet. may The Art of Applying reach the heights you have dreamed of.

MBA Consultants: ClearAdmit, Accepted.com, especially Linda Abraham, Beat the GMAT, special mentione to Eric Bahn and David Park and of course, Art of Applying, you guys are amazing and I would like to thank you for featuring me time and again in your blogs. I would also like to thank you all for recognizing my small tiny contributions to this MBA blogging community by giving me precious moments, some of which I shared on the blog back again.

Finally, last but not the least, Hella. I remember that the first time I mentioned you on my blog, I referred you as “SHE” and you corrected me by your comment. You were one of the first persons to comment on this blog, Hella. Thanks Hella for including me in your database, without which I would have never been able to reach such nice people in my life, some of whom have become my life-long friends now

To everyone, we might have problems in our lives. We might be tensed about what is going to happen to our applications. Some of us might be worried about our GMAT preparations. Honestly, I know how it feels because I am in the exactly same state. But still, I would like to urge all of you to take some time off, go back to your friends and families and ENJOY!!! Thank GOD for this wonderful LIFE, thank your friends and families without whom we would be as lonely as the only person on this planet. Because what one can do has been done and now only we can do is believe in ourselves, in our applications and hope things work out. May all of our Dreams come true

Happy Thanksgiving Again, Guys!!!

MBADreamz-10K hits Milestone

Thanks for all the support and assistance. The blog hit the 10K mark since its inception . The journey has been very good till now and I hope you enjoyed reading my journey as much as I did in reality.

Thanks for all the readers who have supported me through my good and bad times. MBADreamz is an effort to share the information and my voyage to a B-School and no voyage is joyful and entertaining without enthusiastic people on board like my readers- you all.

A Special thanks to my friends, especially Marquis, who has been with me throughout.

Thanks to all the MBA consultancies-MBAMission, TheArtofApplying, BeattheGMAT, ClearAdmit and Accepted.com-for featuring my article from time to time and giving me a unique exposure. Thanks Hella, ClearAdmit and BeattheGMAT for thinking me worthy enough to be in your database. It could not have been possible without your support.

I vow to keep on writing, writing my story to a b-school and thereafter also, if at all I make it, which I am definitely hopeful of.

Let this community grow and stay as a closely knitted family just like the alumni of a school stay

Sherlock Holmes tips on GMAT

This is an amazing article by ClearAdmit. It quotes Sherlock Holmes:

“When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” – Sherlock Holmes

Did you find the link between the quote and the GMAT. In short, GMAT, to certain extent, is all bout making strategies and eliminating all possible wrong answers till you find the right answer. Don’t we follow the same logic while answering questions of GMAT. Irrespective of whether it is the quantitative section or the verbal section, process of elimination is a handy tool. If we are in confusion, it helps in increasing the probability of answering the question correctly, If we know the answer, it helps in answering the questions faster by eliminating the obvious errors.

The article concentrates on this aspect exactly. A Must read for GMAT aspirants. In fact, the logic applies to all competitive examinations such as  GMAT, GRE, CAT, SAT and many more you can name. Enjoy reading the article: http://blog.clearadmit.com/2010/09/gmat-tip-what-sherlock-holmes-can-teach-you-about-gmat-inferences/

Blog featured in ClearAdmit

This is going to be a quick short post. MBADreamz featured in ClearAdmit for its review post of Harvard Business School Guide.

Thanks again for the kind words, ClearAdmit and I, truly, feel the guide is a gem possession for me.