So you're telling me there's a chance... *YEAH!* :)

Mood:  Freezing. After having record highs (close to 100 degrees) in my PNW city this past weekend (passing up optimal outside bronzing time/floating down the river/Warrior Dash for GMAT studying), the weather has returned to normal and it is finally starting to feel like fall.   Unfortunately this means that our poorly-insulated old house in our trendy hipster enclave is going to transform from being an oven this summer into a refrigerator this fall aka, oh heating bill, it's you again.  

Musing:  I am less than 10 days away from turning the big 2-5, aka onset of the quarter life crisis (ha).  This is the final "hurrah" to cross...though not much will change (lower car insurance? yay?)  Part of me starts to panic - there are people who did amazing things by age 25.  Lady Gaga sold 13 million albums, Mark Zuckerberg created and launched Facebook, and I'm pretty sure Shakespeare wrote his first play before he turned 25. 

Then I watched this National Geographic video then this one about there being 7 billion people in the world and felt just a teensy bit insignificant.  

Who doesn't love National Geographic?

I'm definitely very appreciative of all my experiences up until now, but I also want to make sure that I'm taking advantage of all the opportunities that have been given to me and reflective of my choices.  I have always thought, why MBA and why now, but now more than ever, I realize how ready I am at this point in my life to go back to school. The video has been on my mind the last couple of days, and made me think about the inter-connectedness of the world and the potential for combining education + global impact. My international experiences in work and education have been some of the most memorable, and it would be amazing to have the opportunity to work and study abroad.

Moving forward with the application process, I'm now starting to narrow down my list of schools and realistically assess my chances.

First move was to submit my profile to Sandy aka the HBSGuru on Poets & Quants to get his opinion.  I figured if I needed someone to give it to me straight, it would be him.

Here's the profile I submitted, and Sandy's response, which I'm very grateful that he took the time to compile.

Key takeaways:

• Hardest news to hear: "For the reasons you mention–low GPA and lowish GMAT, plus non-blue chip firm—you’re asking them to blink twice or maybe 1.5 times, and they will take someone similar to you with better stats and schooling" Ahh. And there it is - the truth. *gulp*
• Most encouraging news to hear: "I like you, and my guess is, with real solid execution, which should be easy, given how smoothly your goals flow from your experience, you could be real strong candidate at Kellogg, Haas, Yale, and Duke."  *yay!* These are some schools that I am, also, very excited about.
• Alignment with my future goals: "The rest of this is just so solid. A neighbor of mine started an educational consulting company right out of Harvard Ed School, doing what seems like what your company does, and he had an HBS grad working for him." That sounds amazing and right up my alley.
  
• To end: "Explain the grades in some way and stress international do-gooder stories, and write back and tell me you made it to Harvard or Stanford." Check and check, and if I do, you can expect a manuscript :)

So basically what I got out of it was, your chances realistically at some schools are not very high, they care about numbers, but give it your best shot because you have some other things working for you.

What can I control? My GPA is history, and I don't have time to take additional classes now. I can focus on my recommendations, community service and essays, and getting that GMAT number up.

Immediately after I read his response, I felt like Lloyd in Dumb and Dumber shouting out, "So you're telling me there's a chance?!"

Hit me with it! Just give it to me straight!

So without further ado, here are my preliminary list of schools along with the percentage chance of acceptance that Sandy has "handicapped":

• Stanford (joint degree in School of Education): 15% to 20%
• Harvard Business School: 20% to 30%
• Berkeley: 40+%
• Yale: 50+%
• Wharton: 25% to 40%
• Northwestern: 40% to 60%
• Columbia: 40% to 50%
• Duke: 50% to 60%

Using what I learned about probability from my GMAT quantitative prep, the chances that I will get into ONE of the above schools is equal to 1 - the chances I get denied at ALL of the schools multiplied together (ha) or, 1-(.15*.20*.40*.25*.40*.40*.50) = .99976.  Now I will take this figure with a grain of salt...but statistically, I should get into at least one or two of the schools on the list.  I just need to put forth the strongest application I possibly can!
 

It's going to be helpful in breaking down my list of schools in each blog posting and digesting what I have to offer the schools and what they have to offer me in return.  Some might wonder, "Why aren't you applying to more safety/reach schools? The answer being, MBA admissions is not like college where you HAVE to go somewhere so you need "a safety school" in case all else fails.  I applied to maybe 11 different colleges, a mix of liberal arts schools and universities, public and private, in every corner of the US, and had originally planned on going to the school that offered me the best financial aid package.  Due to the generous policies of schools meeting all financial need, I was able to go to my dream school.  

I know business school is not like that, and financing my experience will be another posting in itself, but I definitely only will apply to schools that I feel I would genuinely be happy to attend.   If I don't get in, I'll want to know why and what I can do to improve my profile, whether it is work experience, a higher GMAT score, or better crafted essays and statements.  Not just because it is what a school asks for, but also because I want to be a well-rounded student when I enter. 

I was lucky enough to attend my "dream school" at my undergraduate institution, but am also realistic in having more than one "dream school" for B-School :)

Before I start, it might help to list out what I am looking for in an ideal school "fit" 

• Brand Name & Reputation.  Is that superficial? Let me clarify then - I don't necessarily mean the exact rankings, but one that is well-regarded and a record of taking credit for creating leaders.  ;)  There's a reason why schools have strong reputations - a degree from that institution carries a high value, and the experience and connections are priceless.  On the other hand, I'm not going to apply/choose a school that is ranked #10 just because it is ranked higher than #11.
• General Management Focus, not just finance-y or only known for being numbers heavy, but a school that aims to and has a history of producing real leaders.
• Social entrepreneurship connections - ideally they would be high up on the Beyond Gray Pinstripes rankings for social, ethical and environmental stewardship.
• Most Importantly, school culture and fit - students that are collaborative, positive and PASSIONATE, not just ambitious.  I don't want to be sitting next to students who only want to crunch numbers all day and earn the big bucks on Wall Street (though, I grudgingly admit we may need those people too), but also connected to those who are earnestly wanting to change the world (I mean GLOBAL impact) for the better.  I want to be around people who dream really, really big, and have the drive and talents to back it up.  On the other hand, I recognize that I would gain a great deal learning from those who have different skills than I do, and so what I'm really looking for is a BALANCED student body - one where I would naturally fit in. 

Icing on the cake:

• West Coast Location - okay, that is a definite plus so that I can be close to family, but I will live anywhere. Heck, I'll even suck it up for cold weather. I was raised in Alaska, so I don't mind walking around in a snow suit if I have to.  In fact, that would be probably very fashionably ironic and retro in my current city!  I picked my undergrad school partly based on the sunshine, but this is serious grad school stuff we are talking about here ;)
• Management Consultant Firms recruiting, or track record of sending a high number of students into consulting
• International draw or opportunities for study abroad
• Joint program with schools of Education
• Emphasis on recruiting women or a female-friendly environment, student organizations for women in business, strong female alums
• Fairly young student body - want to be going to school with students that are around my age, similar interests in starting up company and early in career.  Of course having older students to learn from different perspectives is always beneficial.
• Connections to entrepreneurship in general; down the road, I'd love to start my own company/organization.
• Balanced curriculum - I think I can gain the most from curriculum that is structured in that it has a solid foundation of the required basics, but also electives.  I have had a taste of the case study method and I do feel like it is very compatible with my style of learning.
• Oh and a beautiful campus sure doesn't hurt!

There's probably more...but those are some of the most important factors as of now.

So here we go: first school to break down on the list is the first school I actually visited (was in Singapore for business this Spring and coincidentally, was able to attend a Friday evening informational session):

INSEAD aka Innovative, eNtrepreneurship, Sexy (and Socially Impactful), European, globAl, Diverse

Pros: 

• Truly a global business school in terms of curriculum, diverse student body, companies that recruit,
• Highly ranked and great reputation (outside of the US would be stronger than within the US)
• Heavily recruited by management consulting, send many graduates into consulting, but also have strong entrepreneurial ties
• Visited the campus and expressed interest, love that you can study on both the Singapore and Fontainbleu France campuses
• Will only be forgoing one year of salary, though on the other hand, I'm not sure I can get all I want out of an MBA experience in just one year.
• #28 on Beyond Grey Pinstripes for social impact

I love Singapore as a city and living in a french chateau for part of a year could be really freaking charming.  *Pardon my French, literally, because it is non-existent and I'm pretty sure any attempt will butcher the language and result in me inadvertently uttering an expletive.  Case in point: I love the word pamplemousse, and when I first learned the word in High School, I repeated it incessantly, just because I liked the sound.  Little did I know it is also a slang term/insult, and learned that the hard way when I told a native french co-worker of my favorite phrase...good thing they understood my intentions..!

great word. even better great fruit, second only to mangos :)

As much as Insead may fit my interests on paper, I'm not sure the "chemistry" is there.  I didn't quite feel the "click" I was looking for when I attended the presentation, albeit I didn't get a chance to look around the campus or speak individually with many students (talked with a few).  If I may make another one of my far-out stretchy analogies that I am prone to doing, Insead in many ways is like Viggo Mortensen, who embodies what many might consider a "perfect" renaissance man:

Why the sudden Viggo interest?  One reason: Howard Shore's Lord of the Rings orchestra is coming to my city....and the repressed LOTR fanatic in me is very tempted to get tickets and geek out

 You are probably wondering who Viggo is.  Recognize him now?

Oh yeahhh. The orcs have nothing on you :)

Much like Insead, he's got humor, charm, intelligence (he writes books! he paints! he photographs!), is socially conscious (started a publishing house for non-traditional authors), is bold (Aragon! Fight Scene in Eastern Promises!), plus is fluent in 5+ languages (you need to know how to speak 3 languages as a student at Insead), and is undeniably European too, Danish to be exact (cultural differences keeps things exciting!)

But chemistry-wise?  Yep, as dreamy as Aragon is, realistically Viggo is probably (and by probably, I mean definitely) not the guy for me.  There's also that whole age thing, aka he is twice my age (average age of Insead students entering in is 29, I'd matriculate at age 25) aaaand I'm pretty sure that he doesn't even know I exist :). Insead on the other hand - I hope they do - I made sure to RSVP and sign in!

From my visit and looking around at the prospective students around me, and the student panel in the front, my immediate feeling in the room was; I feel SUPER American and SO young - which might not necessarily be a bad thing. Is adjusting to living abroad going to be difficult at the same time as I'm learning 2 years worth of MBA curriculum in one jam-packed year?  Plus a European MBA may be very different than an American one in terms of the doors it opens and connections to students who will probably go on to work globally.  As much as I would love to be an expat for a short period of time, I don't think I would want to live internationally the rest of my life....

In other news, I am now aiming for Round 2.  When I initially started, I thought I would submit to schools for R1, but after spending so much time on the GMAT and traveling for work, things have gotten pushed back.   I don't think it will hurt my chances as much since I've read that many R1 applicants are typically the "traditional" candidates such as Management Consultants or I-Bankers who have others helping coach them through the process, they have everything in top-shape early on.  Hopefully my profile, despite being in "consulting" as the broader industry, would be considered more "nontraditional" or "atypical" and I can still get by with R2.  Plus that will give me enough time to build solid essays and enhance my work/community experiences. 

Okay. Time to snooze.  I can't believe my GMAT re-take is just a few days away...and this time, I really hope it will be my last!

Au Revoir, (one of the only other french phrases I know...)  Somehow I have a feeling I'll be dreaming of Joey learning French from Phoebe..

Mango


Bucket List Continued:

28. Work and/or study in a different country for at least a few months.  Soak up the language, culture and grub.  Challenge myself outside of my comfort zone so that I can be truly adaptable to all situations.  Come away with a better understanding of how I fit into the global fabric and how I can contribute.

Why apply to B-School? The events of last weekend

When I think back to how I arrived at this decision to apply to business school, 2 key events stand out in my mind. 

Numero Uno: Halloween 2010. I was dressed up in a home-made costume as a certain creature from my country of origin, and I happened to talk to the only guy at the party not wearing a costume.  I was unenthused, which takes a lot (c'mon, what kind of person cannot find a ratty t-shirt, pair of khakis and belt, a random purse lying around, sunglasses, fake plastic baby, grow some facial hair, and go as Zach Galifianakis from the Hangover?) but intrigued because he was wearing tweed.  

I remember two main things from the conversation.  One was that he kept bringing up his employer (OK i get it. You work for a large, powerful corporation hQ in the PNW. You work with numbers. You like Excel.)  When he mentioned he was in the process of applying for an MBA, my mind started to wander.  Living in the PNW, I do not often encounter people my age applying or giving much thought to the MBA, as the attitude in my city is quite laid back and anti-corporate big-business and mainstream things. 

I had gone back and forth with the idea of an MBA earlier, but never gave it serious thought because I didn't know whether it was a right fit for me.  I'm pretty far from that stereotype of a wall street hotshot iBanker, though I like my suits and power lunches.   I also recalled needing something called "work experience", but I was 2+ years into my job.   Here was some guy who obviously, was not creative enough to put together a Halloween costume, yet he was applying to the top programs?  The tiny competitive side of me that I typically suppress kicked into gear, and I told myself that as soon as I got home, I would start my research.  This began Phase 1 of my contemplation towards applying, involving checking out numerous books from the library, running up late fees on said books, visiting school websites, visiting schools themselves, asking people questions, and doing internet research.

Numero Dos:  Last Saturday, I attended a diversity event at the Stanford GSB, which I had been accepted to several months prior.  I was working overseas for the last two weeks and unsure if I'd be able to attend in time, as my flight arrived home late Thursday night, and generally being very indecisive as to the point of not making travel reservations.  On the trans-pacific plane ride back, I made up my mind that I needed to go.  Friday morning at 8am, I check the Delta Skymiles website to see if I can redeem my miles. What would have cost 45,000 miles when I checked weeks ago now only cost 25,000. Was this a sign? I think it was!  Rental car was only $39 including taxes...this was looking pretty good.  Friend in Bay area is cool with me crashing on couch? check!  12 hours after booking the ticket, I was headed to the airport directly from work.

I was counting on this experience to help me decide, once and for all whether getting an MBA and getting one now would be the right timing.  It's silly to think that one day can really sway you towards one direction or the other, but this experience did not fail to deliver.  From an amazing alum speaker, to student panels, a joint degree program that was a perfect fit, a lively class experience, super cool alums and just being on campus, I was wooed. The opening presentation hit me hard right away - innovation. idealism. Do you want to change the world? "Yes that's me!" I wanted to jump up and say, and probably about 90% of the other attendants did too....the coffee had not kicked in for the other 10%.

I guess when it comes down to it, I had three main reservations:

1. How will an MBA help me in what I want to do?  My background is in education and I've always dreamed of running an educational organization, but I wasn't convinced that an MBA was the RIGHT path for me; it was just one route of many.  BUT it was a darn good one.

2. $$$ and time. Calculating the ROI and wages forgone, I estimated I was giving up two years salary and adding another two years tuition & costs, a grand total of, in my mind, close to $300,000. Could I get to where I wanted without the MBA and living as a starving graduate student?  I heard horror stories from Readers Digest as a young, impressionable child and did not want to subsist on cans of tuna for two years.  I had become accustomed to the life of nice things, travel perks, and eating un-expired food.  BUT I guess I have my whole life to enjoy those things ;)

3. Leaving my job and the PNW. As those close to me know, I love my job dearly. I love what I do, I love the ideals I hope we're working towards, and I love my company and co-workers and clients. BUT something inside of me is convinced that this is not the right place for me long-term, and my industry is so niche that I'm unsure of whether I'd be able to easily and successfully transition to another career in a different field.  

So that all seems a bit gloomy, until I pondered the 3 reasons why an MBA and NOW would be right for me on the plane ride to California

1. No matter what, an MBA will open up doors for me. Regardless of what job I pursue, it will teach me how to manage PEOPLE and RESOURCES.  If I ended up working at a school, it would help. If I ended up directing a non-profit, it would help.  If, somehow, I end up in Corporate America, well. Let's just say I'd have one more thing to chat about over lunch in addition to college basketball.

2. I've been working at my company for 3 years, 4 when I apply. I've had some amazing experiences, but it will be much much harder to leave when I'm older.  Not to mention there's a ton I want to do before settling down and starting a fam.

3. I miss school. I miss learning, meeting people, exploring ideas, everything that comes with being in school. I'm an experiential learner, while I love to study and abstract concepts, I learn by action, projects and doing. I want to meet equally enthusiastic people who have big dreams of how they will shape the world.   I want to travel the world with classmates, have summer internships again, learn about entrepreneurship, and maybe even attend the occasional theme party (they have those right?)  To be given a problem and be asked to find a solution.  This all sounds a bit idealistic..but well that's me!

So in the 1.5 hour plane ride, which a half hour was spent reading over the case study for the mock class, jotting down notes in the margins (nostalgia!) and highlighting (oh highlighter my dear, I've missed you so!) I came to a realization.  It was a mini-epiphany, one of many I had on the trip.  California is only 1.5 hours away. It is in the same time zone as my current city.  I could even drive my belongings down, and I would have no excuse to call my mother or friends.  In short, it was really, not that far or distant!

Now who knows where I will end up, for all I know I could end up on the East Coast or Midwest, or even Singapore/France.  If my job has taught me anything, it is that flying is really really quick in the grand scheme of things.  I could be asked to fly out to Asia, book my tickets the next day, and be there two days later (this exact same thing happened a few months ago).  While I may be leaving my dear city in the PNW, its the same thing I've been used to doing on my trips, only this venture would be a bit longer (1 year, 51 weeks to be exact).

The other mini-epiphany I had, in addition to wow, Alaska Airlines is really punctual compared to United and wow, their snack cracker mix is kind of addicting was that I missed, dare I say, studying.  The case was okay - modeled after an Indian tech company but the issue at hand - how to retain their talented employees was fascinating.  I felt a curiosity spark running through, and I couldn't wait for the class.


There were many other mini-epiphanies throughout that visit that culminated in one grand, awesome feeling that I still can't shake.  The realization of all the wonderful opportunities and doors having the MBA could open, as well as an extensive network of like-minded people, who apparently also like to get married (they recounted stories of attending lots of each others' weddings as the one thing that makes GSB unique).  Random coincidences relating to my undergrad alma-mater which made me wonder if this was a sign.  Understanding at a much more heightened level what such programs could offer me, and what I could offer them in return.  In short, I came to understand that people who apply and are accepted into top MBA programs will still do amazingly on their own, no doubt about it, they already have!  Having such a degree and experience just accelerates that trajectory of success, and makes it so much more intense.


Sometimes I chide myself in being impulsive, in buying that crazy pair of shoes because they are marked 85% off and because they could be fun to wear in a few months when it's warm out, in ordering something without knowing exactly what kind of meat (or substance is in it) but because I like the way it smells, and in choosing my cat from the shelter without evaluating all the other options (Samuel if you are reading this, I have no regrets).  But this was one impulse decision (booking the last minute ticket) that was really not that impulsive after all, but a wonderful build-up of events, and perhaps a slight nudging from somewhere (thanks for listening to my prayers, God!!) that will motivate me to get serious about this journey!


So it begins....!!!!

*DEEP breath....here goes something!*

Hi All,

First off, I am elated that the rich text editing toolbar offers "Georgia" as a font.  This font is very dear to my heart as it is the font I used for my very first blogs (Xanga then livejournal) in High School.  Back then, I mostly talked about cute boys, clothes, crazy adventures in the city, studying, and school applications...so nothing much has changed :) I've since made the switch to Garamond, but will always look back at this font with nostalgia. So here we are united...via Blogger!!

Okay. I'm getting off topic. So this is supposed to be an prospective MBA applicant blog...as I started doing my research (aka google searches), I discovered that there were countless such blogs floating out in the blogosphere. I do love my blogs and was fascinated by these thoughts people had and their obsession with getting into a top MBA program.  It was just like college applications all over again!  Some made me laugh (http://omgmbaapps.blogspot.com), some made me excited about motherhood (http://tombaornot.blogspot.com/) and others made me wonder the sanity of people who I might be locked into spending 2 years with...(those need not be mentioned).

They were all so smart, driven, accomplished, yet in pursuit of this one thing that was uncertain. As in, there was never a guarantee whether or not they'd be accepted in their program of choice.  It's this uncertainty that sparked my interest.


So here I am...semi-anonymous. A few facts about me, which hopefully will not reveal too much of my identity.  I'm a proud inhabitant of the PNW (thats Pacific Northwest) and I currently spend most of my time working as a consultant, traveling extensively, contemplating the meaning of life, taking and posting pictures, being semi-coordinated in gym classes, talking with strangers and stuffing my face with delicious food.  I've calculated a good portion of my life is spent on an airplane, longer than the time I spend showering, eating meals, petting my cat, riding the bus to work or brushing my hair, hence the airplane themed background.

With that said, I am hoping to be raw on this blog, as it will chronicle my hopes, fears, musings, ramblings, rants, and anything else that comes to mind. I'm talking sashimi-just-imported-first-class-from-Japan toro tuna raw. Okay, maybe not that raw since I have been told that filters are good, and I should use one, and not just for my house....

I'm supposed to be up in a few hours at work...but while it's on my mind here's what I hope to capture through this blog:

My admission process (from choosing schools to the GMAT, writing essays, asking recommenders, all that good stuff)


Funny stories from work/life on the road.  Travel tips. Identifying details will be removed and key parties left anonymous. 


Questions about the application process, which I hope YOU can give me your 2cents (or fiddy cent to get me through the GMAT studying..)

and of course, Por qué MBA?  In other words, why am I applying for an MBA program now in my life? What am I looking for in a MBA program? and the eternal question....Is an MBA program the right path to my life goals?  

Any thoughts and comments are very welcome!