etc and etc...: Twelve months later...

Saturday, January 20, 2007

Twelve months later...

I started my investigation about GMAT, US MBA and everything related to these terms in early February 2006. Today, January 2007, I am here to sum up my MBA application journey. No more speaking about all these tests or schools. So i thought i'd put everything in one place and get a move on. From now on, thou shalt hear about Chicago GSB and only about Chicago GSB :)

For info reg GMAT and TOEFL, please click the respective labels :)

GMAT prep books:

TOEFL preps:
I did not do any preps. Just read the TOEFL info booklet and got myself familiarized with the test, practiced with the sample tests and took THE test.

Before getting to the applications themselves, here is a dump of all the websites, each of which i must have visited at least a 100 times during those days. Note that i said "at least" :)

Now to all my applications. Again, click on the Apps label to trace my MBA application journey. To summarize it all in one sentence, i applied to five schools(H/S/W/Chi/K), got interviewed by Chicago GSB and Kellogg (not the usual guaranteed one. My interview was waived initially and i was invited later after they evaluated my application) and got admitted into Chicago GSB.

This has been a long journey, often tiresome and frustrating. I am sure that after the 12 long months, i have re lived my previous 25 years of life and probably planned for the nest 25 :) No one but a B school applicant can make a statement like that. No one but a B school applicant can understand that :)

From now on, i'm gonna trouble all ya folks with info on how i tackle the next few months, when i am probably gonna sign more documents that i've done all my life and definitely gonna sign up for loans which will push me to great new heights (or rather depths) of debt :) More on these as and when they happen.

15 comments:

SNB said...: Hey man, I've been reading your blog for some time. Congrats on GSB! Sure, sucks you only got a 20% acceptance rate, but who cares? You're going to a great school, which is #1 on my list. I still have a long way to go (2-3) yrs before I apply to grad school, but I'll definitely be tuning in to hear (or rather read) how the experience is. And of course, I'd love to get some tips!

Congrats again!; 9:34 PM
Anonymous said...: I hope you'll keep blogging about your progress at Chicago. I can't believe you're only 25!; 10:27 PM
Anonymous said...: Iday,
That's a really helpful post. All the best for your journey to GSB. I really wanted to thanks you for all your effort to share your knowledge. Besides this blog, i regulalry follow your posts on PG.

Glad that ure going to the school of ure dreams.. As they say good things happen to good people...:)

Keep blogging.; 6:48 AM
asiangal said...: Looking forward to hearing more about your prep for Chicago. =); 6:53 AM
Anonymous said...: I will be starting my MBA in the Fall of 2007 and I'm in the same boat as you - filling out financial aid forms and getting ready to loan more money than I can imagine. I look forward to hearing about your preparations to go to Chicago. It's nice to hear that I'm not alone in this process.

Best of luck and look forward to reading more on your blog; 1:52 PM
Iday said...: @bury:
Thanks for your wishes :)

@anon:
I'd surely be blogging my GSB experiences and anything else related to B school :D

"Only 25"?!?!? I already feel old ;)

@asiangal"
Sure :)

@anon:
Isnt all this paper work insane??? You are definitely not alone. There are loads of us around.

BTW - which school will u be attending?; 10:21 PM
Anonymous said...: Response to: "which school will you be attending?"

I will be attending Stanford GSB and I'm real excited AND nervous at the same time. I've already sent my deposit to hold my spot, and I'm trying to get all my financial stuff set up so I can start the financial aid forms....but it's more time consuming than I imagined. Best of luck to you and I'm sure we're going to be talking about all these loans/paperwork for the next few months.; 10:45 PM
Iday said...: @imjimmy:
dunno how i missed u earlier :)
Thanks for your reallu kind words and all your wishes :D

Bloggin will continue for sure...

@Anon:
Stanford is a great school with very limited seats :)

I have to send in my deposit as well. I'll be doing that some time this week. I've started looking at loans and other stuff - looks like a really long process. I wish i can simply fast forward to July/August :); 12:50 AM
Anonymous said...: hi..have a look at this..Useful one:GMAT - http://gmat-mba.blogspot.com; 12:16 AM
Vinod said...: Hi Iday,

Vinod here, Im an MBA aspirant who just started my MBA mission and I have been watching ur space 4 quite sometime and felt really intersting. I need a lot of help from you regarding GMAT and Good thoughts should be a click Away so, I have tagged you in my blog !!!

Vinod; 10:19 PM
Anonymous said...: I am sure that after the 12 long months, i have re lived my previous 25 years of life and probably planned for the nest 25 :) No one but a B school applicant can make a statement like that. No one but a B school applicant can understand that :)
i can understand because i lived such life vicariously :|
I started my investigation about GMAT, US MBA and everything related to these terms in early February 2006. Today, January 2007, I am here to sum up my MBA application journey.
I think its enough of me reading blogs / researching and commenting on forums.. goodbye.
I am quitting; 3:54 PM
AR said...: Chennai to Chicago
Wow... sounds great.. COngratulations.... i have started to check blogs and write one...
yours has loads of info... that is great...
am also from chennai, living closer to Chicago... i wud be glad if i go to UCLA or GSB...
Cheers; 12:30 AM
Excalibur said...: This has been a long journey, often tiresome and frustrating. I am sure that after the 12 long months, i have re lived my previous 25 years of life and probably planned for the nest 25 :) No one but a B school applicant can make a statement like that. No one but a B school applicant can understand that :)

Hey Iday,
Congrats for the GSB admit!!!
I got goosebumps when I read these lines of yours. Just WOW..

I have just started of with my GMAT preps & I have been following your previous posts in PG to strategise. I know it is a very long & difficult path ahead, but posts like this really reinforce my belief that the slog will be worth it.
All the best & henceforth, you will be hearing from me quite frequently. :); 1:02 AM
Siddharth Garg said...: Hi,

i just wanna know the living in city of chicago. i am not comfortable in cold weather conditions, apart from this, everything else attracts me to chicago GSB. should i consider this school or not.
gmat 770, 85% eng, MIT manipal, 2 yr IT, few year part time family business realty sector.

thanks,
Siddharth; 4:02 AM
shivrajk said...: Hi Iday ,

I have to admit I had the best read of MBA saga from you ! Congrats for all the success you had after slogging so much . I am in nascent stages of my MBA prep and truly inspired by your writings. Juggler and you are simply awesome.

Although I am commenting after two years of post, your posts will be inspirational for MBA aspirants even years down the line.Looking forward to read more posts in your blog.

Cheers
Shivraj; 4:12 AM