Belated Round One Update

So it has been a few months since I have last blogged.  Instead of updating you all on everything all at once, I will take you back a couple months.  As of mid-December, I had already learned I was on the Sloan waitlist.  I had yet to be invited to interview at Yale or Haas, so I was not expecting positive news from those programs.  However, I felt my Kellogg and Tuck applications were strong and my interview at Kellogg went really well (I didn't interview at Tuck because they only interview reapplicants on-campus and I could not make it out there), and I was fully expecting an acceptance from at least one of these programs.

December 18th, D-day for Kellogg and Tuck.  By this point, I had already been dinged by Yale.  After having traveled out to Hanover last year to interview, and meeting the students and faculty members, Tuck was definitely my top choice.  There was so much I loved about the program, and I honestly had a hard time picturing myself going anywhere else.  I was hopeful, but as the minutes ticked away on the 18th with no phone call, a pit started to grow in my stomach.  Finally at 5pm EST, I got an email from Tuck saying there was an update to my application status.  Having not received a call, I knew the best case scenario was being waitlisted…

I’ll tell you what, reading those rejection letters never gets easy.  Not long after getting the official ding from Tuck, I received the same news from Kellogg.  It was a tough day.  Although I had started working on some round two applications, mentally I was not prepared to do it all again, for the third time.  Including my apps from last season, I was a depressing 0.5/7 (0.5 for the waitlist at Sloan), soon to be 0.5/8 after Haas’ released their decisions a few weeks later.  I took a few days to let everything sink in before I even thought about round two applications.  After receiving such positive feedback from admissions consultants on my chances at my target schools, no getting into a single one made me question a lot.  Man did December suck!

As hard as it was to accept not getting into my round one schools, especially after two years of trying, I realized it wasn't the end of the world.  The end goal isn't the school I get into, but the having transformative experience at b-school, and using that experience to help my succeed in my future career.  Although all the schools I applied to in round one would have helped me reach those goals, those weren't the only schools.  It was time to refocus and get back to the grind!

"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." - Michael Jordan

Mid-Round One Update

So, it’s has been a little bit since I last provided an update.  Life has just been busy, and I haven’t had a ton of time to blog.  It was been over a month since I submitted my last application.  Unfortunately, things have been a little quieter than I would like.  I am not a fan of all this waiting.  As painful as studying for the GMAT, writing essays, filling out apps, reviewing my resume were, at least I felt like I was in control.  There were still things I could do to improve aspects of my applications.  It’s strange hitting that submit button and feeling like, “That’s it.  Nothing else I can do at this point.”

Anyway, here is a breakdown of where I am at with each school.


Haas:
This was my last application submitted.  Overall, I was very happy and felt like I did really well on the essays.  I felt like I was able to paint the best picture of myself through the Haas application vs. the other programs I applied to.  This is probably because of the number of essays, but I also liked the essay topics.  As many of you know, I am a reapplicant to Haas.  I really struggled with the “If you could pick one song to describe you” essay last year, but this year, it was my favorite essay.  As far as interview invites go, I am still playing the waiting game with this one.

Kellogg:
I interviewed with a Kellogg alumnus about three weeks ago.  The interview went really well and got me even more excited about Kellogg and the MMM program.  I am hopeful with this application, but it's tough predicting how things are going to turn out since Kellogg tries to interview as many applicants as possible.  Whatever happens, I really don't think my interview could have gone any better.

As far as the application goes, I was really happy about it.  I was pretty nervous about the video essay question, but it turned out to be much easier than the questions I received in my video portion of the Yale application.

Sloan:
The 8th of November was the final day Sloan sent out interview invites (according to the Sloan admissions blog).  Although I have seen a few since that deadline according to some of the member of the GMAT Club.  I was on edge all day, and when the invite didn't come, I was a bit depressed.  Definitely makes you doubt your whole application strategy...  Well last Friday I was informed that I was offered a spot on the waitlist!  It's not an interview invite or an acceptance, but it's not a ding.  Since I was fully excepting to be dinged, it was some much needed good news.  Now I just need to work on putting together a good update and some supplemental materials.

Tuck:
Tuck has been on my short list of schools I would love to attend since I started researching MBA programs.  Last year I went out to Hanover for a visit and an interview.  Unfortunately I was not admitted, but I was encouraged by the admissions committee to reapply.  Over the spring I met with an adcom to review my application and talk about areas I could improve.  During the past several months, I have focused on those areas and have done my best to make those weaknesses strengths.  Unfortunately, due to some unforeseen circumstances, I was unable to travel to Tuck this year to interview.  I recently discovered that Tuck generally does not re-interview reapplicants unless they go to Tuck for a applicant initiated interview.  My mind was put at easy knowing that I still have a chance to get in without an interview, but it definitely does stink not having any idea where I stand until D-day.  Crossing my fingers.

Yale SOM:

I haven't heard anything from SOM yet.  I still have some hope, but with D-day quickly approaching, it's tough to be too optimistic.  Still, I am crossing my fingers.  I felt pretty good about my overall application.

Well that is that... until next time.  Good luck to all the other round one applicants out there!  On that note, here is a pretty hilarious Foot Locker commercial... enjoy!

Halfway Point

So, my Sloan and Yale SOM applications are done.  I finally completed the video response portion of the Yale application two nights ago... that was fun.  I think I sat in front of the computer for about an hour practicing.  In the end, it wasn't too bad.  I was pretty nervous on the first question.  The second the clock started counting down and the camera started rolling, I felt my heart rate jump.  But by the third question I was feeling a bit more comfortable.  I just hope I didn't say anything too stupid :)

Well, I have just a couple more applications left for round one.  Just putting the final touches on my essays.  All my recommendations are in, so it feels nice to have that stress be gone.  A couple more weeks and it will be on to interview prep.  Hopefully be then I will be able to blog a bit more and be able to give an in-depth recap of my round one experience.  But as of right now, I feel a bit guilt if I don't spend every possible minute working on my applications.  I can see a light at the end of the tunnel.  But as Metallica would say, I just hope "the light at the end of [my] tunnel isn't just a freight train coming [my] way."

Good luck to everyone else out there finishing up their round one apps!

MIT Sloan Application Resources

I have spent a lot of time research, prepping, writing essays, and finishing my applications.  MIT Sloan with their round one deadline just around the corner is one I have been focusing on a lot lately.  I thought I would just share some of the resources that have helped me put together my applications.  I hope they help!

General Information:
mbaMission's MIT Sloan's Insider Guide (I was able to get this for free when they were doing their daily giveaways, but worth $25 if you need a lot of information and don't have time to arrange meetings with current students, alumni, etc.)
MBApodcaster: Getting into MIT Sloan
Clear Admit's Interview with MIT Sloan's Career Services Director

Application and Essays:
MIT Sloan Admissions Blog
Beat the GMAT's Writing like and Expert Series: MIT Sloan
Admissionado's MIT Sloan Essay Analysis (I personally think Admissionado's essay analyses are the best out there)
mbaMission's MIT Sloan Essay Analysis
Clear Admit's MIT Sloan Essay Analysis

I am sure there are other resources that have helped my along the way, but these were the one's I could think of.  If I remember any others, I will add them.  What resources have helped you with your applications?

MIA

I have knee deep in writing, revising, and re-writing essays the past month. I am getting ready to submit my first two applications next week, Sloan and Yale SOM. I am pretty close to being done, but it’s hard not to second guess myself. I want to put my best foot forward, just like anyone else, but many is it hard to do with just a couple essays. I am actually looking forward to the Yale video essays. I will post an update once I am done with that and let you all know how it goes.

 In other news, I submitted my personal defining principles for the Haas contest. Hopefully one of them resonates with one of the adcom, it would get great to win an essay review session with a member of the admissions committee.

Well, back to essays.

“When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.” - Franklin D. Roosevelt

Interview with Accepted.com

Hey everyone, I had the chance to be interviewed by Accepted.com.  Check it out!  Here is the link.  Below is the actual interview.

Accepted: First, can you tell us a little about yourself? Where are you from? Where and what did you study as an undergrad? What is your current job? 

MBAreapplicant84: I was born in Japan and lived there for a total of about eight years. My mother is Japanese and my father is from the US. We moved back and forth between Japan and the US quite a bit, but when I was about 10 years old, we settled down in California. I went to Brigham Young University as an undergrad and studied Japanese. I hadn’t spoken Japanese since I was 10, so I had forgotten most of the language and really had a desire to relearn it. Currently I work at Goldman Sachs as a Senior Operations Analyst.

Accepted: When did you first apply to b-school?  

MBAreapplicant84: I applied to b-school for the first time last year. I only applied to a few schools that I really wanted to go to in Round 1. I was interviewed at Tuck and Kellogg, but ended up getting dinged from all the schools I applied to. I was very disappointed to say the least. For awhile, I thought of applying to some safety schools, but the thought of giving up and going to a school I knew I wouldn’t be happy at made me a bit depressed. So I decided to wait a year and try again. Looking back, I am very glad I did. I have grown a ton in the last year, and I know I made some serious mistakes on my apps last time around. Also, when I was denied at Tuck, they actually sent me a letter saying that I was in the top 10 percent of the candidates that got rejected, but that they saw a lot of potential and encouraged me to apply again the following year. I was even able to sit down with one of the admission officers and go through the strengths and weaknesses of my application. It was pretty cool of Tuck to do that, and it has helped a lot.

Accepted: What do you think went wrong that time and what are you doing this time to improve your candidacy? 

MBAreapplicant84: The first thing is I waited till September to take the GMAT (second attempt). Because I was so focused on studying, the rest of my application, especially the essays suffered. Also, when I talked with the adcom at Tuck, she mentioned that she wanted to see a little more growth in my current position at work (at the time I applied last year, I had only been in my current position for about six months). I think there were a few other small things too, like lack of clarity on goals. This time around, I have spent almost a year prepping for essays, better understanding my career goals, and growing at work. I have been promoted once since last applying and am set for another promotion in January. I also took the GMAT one more time and improved my score a bit. I have also taken on a few leadership responsibilities outside of work.

Accepted: Where do you plan on applying this time? 

MBAreapplicant84: This time around, I am planning on applying to Tuck, Haas, Kellogg, Sloan, and Yale SOM.

Accepted: What stage of the application process are you up to so far? What has been the most challenging step and how did you work to overcome it? 

MBAreapplicant84: Currently I am working on my essays, which I also consider to be one of the tougher aspects of the application. I know, at least for me, I really needed to do some deep introspection to figure out why I really want/need an MBA, what I want out of my career, and what stories in my life best illustrate who I am. Aside from that, the hardest thing has just been the actual length of the process. I started studying for the GMAT almost two and a half years ago. It’s exhausting. I know my wife is ready to have me back in the evenings.

Accepted: Do you plan on staying in your current industry post-MBA, or changing to a new field/career?

MBAreapplicant84: I plan on staying in operations post-MBA, but I want to switch from the financial industry to the consumer products or tech industry. I want to be somewhere like Nike or Google where there is a bit more freedom to be innovative. The financial industry has been great to me, but because of the amount of regulation, I feel like there is not as much room for significant innovation.

Accepted: Why did you decide to blog about your experience? What have you gained from the experience? What do you hope others will learn? 

MBAreapplicant84: I decided to blog about my experience mainly to have a periodic outlet. I don’t really know if there are people out there that really care what I have to say, but it has been almost therapeutic to be able to get my thoughts about the whole process out there. Blogging has helped me to be able to take a step back and better analyze how I am doing in the process this time around. I hope others will understand that applying to b-school isn’t something that you just do at the last minute, it is a process. If you don’t take the time to really dig deep and understand yourself and why you want and need an MBA, you might end up wasting a lot of time and money. However, if you do put the time and effort into it, the process of applying to b-school itself can be very rewarding.

Haas Facebook Contest

If you don’t know already, Berkeley Haas is definitely one of the schools on my short list.  There is a ton I really like about the program – general management strength, social impact focus, location, the program’s Four Defining Principles, etc.  All of the interaction I have had with Haas students, alumni, and admissions officers has been very positive.  Recently I entered an essay into Haas’ Facebook Value of an MBA Essay Contest.  About a week ago I heard back from the admissions office that I was one of four winners!  Unfortunately I didn’t get my application fee waived like the last contest winner, but I did get a sweet custom Modify watch!