Accepted in UNC

Adds a little pleasure to see that I have been admitted in University of North Carolina as well. I considered this my backup and when I told people this, they grinned at me! Those of you who grinned at me, I have made it :)

Tuck Interview ( Conducted on 18th Jan)

Again, this is a copy of a mail that I had shooted to sept-2006intake yahoo groups. I am posting my Tuck interview experience as some of my friends wante d me to. I am a January round applicant ( currently waiting for the results ) and was interviewed by Ms.Kristine Laca. Here are the details:

My interview was scheduled at 2 PM Friday afternoon at Oberoi with Ms.Kristine Laca, Director of Admissions. I waited there at Oberoi for aroud half an hour and was surprised to see that she did not turn up! I was wondering if I had made a mistake in coming to a wrong place or had come in the wrong time. Finally, she came and I realised that the interview had been postponed to the next morning! I had not checked the email that had been sent the same morning! I offerred to come the next morning, but she accommodated interview the same day to avoid trouble for me! She asked me about my background, why mba and why tuck. I explained to her all these in detail. She had a few questions about my background and through these it turned out more of a converstaion. She wanted to find out how good were the Tuck Connections ( I had contacted a current student using this ). She mentioned how Indians from India brought differnet things to table from Indians from US. She told me of an event organised during diwali by the Indians out ther and the good fun they had there. Then she went on about what I do outside of work - I explained my hobbies etc.. Then she asked about how I would contribute to Tuck community. We had a good conversation about how things are in India - culture, tradition etc..

Then she asked if I had any questions. I asked her about three questions about Tuck alumni particularly in India, How does the incubator program at Tuck work? Are there any criteria? Can I join?

On the whole, I think it was a good interview. It was a great experience definitely and was nice to see her being so accommodative and considerate of other person's convenience.

ISB Interview ( Conducted on 27th Jan)

I am just posting my ISB interview experience as some people asked me to. I am an R2 applicant ( now admitted ) and was interviewed on 27th Jan at Taj Residency. This post is more of a cut-copy-paste from my earlier mail to isb-pgp yahoo groups.

My interview was scheduled at 12:00 PM. Reached venue at 11:30. got an essay topic to write for - "Why cant India produce great sportspersons" wrote down a few reasons and waited. I was called in for interview by Ms.Hema at about 12:05PM. There were two other people - Mr.Subramaniam ( I think current student) and Mr. Ajith RamaKrishnan ( I am not sure about his name ). Ms.Hema asked me about my career plans and goals - ( Because the career goals essay was very short, I could not elaborate more ). I explained to her about my plans and she asked me what kind of consulting firms would i prefer to jion. I said McKinsey, Bain etc.. Then she told me if Mr.Ajith were a McKinsey person, how would I convince him that he should take me and not others. To this I cited my background from small town, gender bias and mentioned that despite these I could come up. So I have passion and perseverance. This would be the intangible contribution apart from it other tangible contributions such as good techology background, good client exposure etc... He asked me to show my gender bias and rural background as +ve factors. I told them how negotiation, diplomacy, strategy and team skills come naturally to a girl because of upbringing and other cultural factors. Before I could get to the rural backgroud, he asked me to think outwards rather than inwards. So I mentioned about women and peopel from the towns and villages becoming the major consumer chunk and how I could help them in this regard. Then he asked me why I had not thought abotu this. I said I was more inward looking rather than outward looking because during discussions about the itnerview several ppl told me that the interviewers want to know what I am as a person. He said they wanted to see how we think.. and our thought process....

Then Mr.Subramaniam asked me why am I hurrying to do an MBA. I could wait longer and then do an MBA. I said I have enough maturity and the sooner I do my MBA , the more the time I will have to start myown firm. Then there was about what are you goign to do abotu funds and the huge investment. I said I intend to take a loan and copleteing it should not be a problem if I get into good jobs after ISB. After this, Mr. Ajith based on my background said why I wanted to join McKinsey, when I had earlier said I joied my company Emuzed a startup to undersatnd startup processes and characteristics. I told him I do not know currently abotu such startups. After graduating from ISB, if I come to know of it, I woudl prefer it surely. Then they asked me if I had any questions. I asked 2 questions.

1. How do the international student exchange progs work? What is the criteria for selction? do students prefer it?

2. As a ful time MBA studets, would I be able to take a few courses ni the executive programme.

On the whole, it was a nice experience. The board had evaluated the application thoroughly before the interview. They were trying to get information on issues they felt needed more information. The best strategy would be to go through your application, find the places where explanation/clarity needs to be provided etc... But the best part of the whole process was thatI could learn more about my own strengths and mistakes and think of ways to plug them!

Yahoo! Acceptance from Michigan

It feels so relieved to get an acceptance finally and that too from one of the schools I loved and wanted to be in - University of Michigan the Ross School of Management. Well, waiting for the remaining with fingers crossed.

Ms.Lisa Hurst called me up late yesterday night ( March 8th) and told me the news.. I was so ecstatic I couldnt believe what I had heard... I repeated the same to her and she said yes! I was so so relieved..... In the happiness, I forgot to ask her about scholarship whether I had one too !

In the morning onlyI had gotten a waitlist from Duke and felt bad. I was worried and was thinking what I should do if I get in none of the universities I had applied to. Added to that, people told me, dont forfeit ISB and take such a huge risk. I had to pay acceptance deposit of 1.5 Lakh INR before March 14th. Well, now I can forfeit ISB :)

ISB Admitted!

I got an acceptance letter from ISB. For others, the results had come early, but as the admission committee had not gotten the GMAT score report from ETS, my result got delayed. I have to submit acceptance deposit before March 14th else forfeit my seat...


I am waiting with my fingers crossed for the other results. UNC and Michigan have announced notificaiton dates - March 13th and 15th respectively..... Waiting with baited breath!

A new chapter of my life

I went to my native place( Chittoor) last week. I had been planning this trip since long, but could not. Finally I could. I wanted to meet a school teacher of mine who had started a school for poor people working as labourers in slums. I was very happy to see his excitement and passion for social causes. He had earlier taken care of around forty handicapped students and had taught them various alternatives. Unfortunately, because of some operational and financial glitches, had to leave them back at their homes. Now, he started a school for poor people in a proper location. Government had relocated 10,000 families from slums to an area in outskirts of chittoor, built small houses and gave them. My teacher started a school in that location. I do not think he could have gotten better one.

Its so sad to hear that sometimes you take the brunt of other people's irresponsible behavior. But these obstacles are nothing compared to determination and passion of human mind. His passion and determination made me humbler! Initially, he had met a couple of funding agents from Europe and they too made a couple of visits to the premises of the school. The owner of the premises had agreed to promote the cause and allowed them to use a particular building. Soon, he changed his mind all of a sudden and decided he would not give the building! My teacher had to find some other suitable location and arrange for all things in just 3 days time for the arrival of funding agents for inspection. The funding agents had come with 40 lakh Rs to fund the school, if everything was good. Unfortunately, they saw that the school building was no longer the same and returned without giving a single penny. Meanwhile, he had promised several poor families that the school would provide uniforms, books, pencils etc.. and had motivated them to send their children to school. Despite all these setbacks, he ventured forth and put in his personal money for a while, took contributions from his relatives/friends/others for running the school. He also told the poor about the families about the problems at school and asked them to pay nominal charges ( 20Rs, 30Rs to 120 Rs ) per month for education. Some of them pay some of them do not. I was shocked to see the entire condition. The running of the school cost 1500 rent + 1600 for other operational expenses ( salaries + stationaries + others). My teacher's relatives had agreed to sponsor for the rent and half of the expenses were being funded by the fees. They were struggling hard to collect the remaining 800Rs and were trying to talk to relatives, friends etc.. The point also is that in a place like chittoor where people hardly get salaries more than 5000Rs, it becomes difficult for each and everyone to donate even 100Rs per month for such causes. I have seen the same with my parents. Though they wanted to do a lot for the poor, they could never do so. They could spend time, but not money.

Despite all these obstacles, the determinatino and passion of my teacher and his wife was unfazed! I was discusssing various options available, plans of funding etc.. then asked him why he could not contact go beyond relatives and friends. He told me that the main obstacle was that the school was English medium and people view that there is not much need for an english medium school. A school for poor people is "ok" if it is telugu medium school. But my sir was correct! This day in order to succeed and with globalisation,knowledge of english is highly essential for even little-paid-jobs. He wanted to truly impact people at the grassroots. He realised the need of today's jobs and corporate sector, went beyond the conventional thinking! No financial backup, operational hickups - each and everyday spent in convincing people and battling these obstacles, yet defying convention and thinking beyond the accepted thinking for making impact and transforming lives of students! Just one word for this - "Profound". I asked him how he could go on.. He called a student of the school ( His parents work as labourers ) , Vijay, studying in 3rd class. Vijay talked to me in english fluently. My teacher later mentioned that vijay had studied in a slum school till 2nd in a telugu medium school and in 6 months, he could learn english ( pls note he did not even know alphabets before coming to this school ). I was simply shellbound. My teacher then told me about such several examples with other children and told them that they motivate him. Very true, they are too very intelligent and bright... only difference no oppurtunities and no one to tell them the importance of education.

Although I keep talking to students at my junior college and encouraging students to study further, I realised that my efforts were miniscule compared to his! Probably by the time I am as old as he, I would have earned enough support to undertake such things on a big scale....

After seeing all these I formally joined as a committee member of the school - Gabriel School and as a volunteer in the trust under which the school operates .

Apart from promising a small sum, I will now be an active contributor to the school. I intend to take up the cause and find out details of funding agents through internet and visit the school regularly and motivate students , encourage students etc... Some day a few years down the lane, some student would say - Your contribution made a change in my life :) A new chapter in my life begins, which will definitely bring me a lot of satisfaction.

My UNC Interview Experience

Here goes my UNC Phone interview experience, which was done on 29th January 2006 ( 10:30 PM IST). Dont curse me writing this so late... though late, better than never :) Also, if it helps, I had jotted down most of the questions and my responses, so not many chances that I have forgotten or missed out.

One good anecdote that I happened to hear is that "A good interviewer will make you go home with a feeling that you have done well". I def. know that my interviewer, Ms.Peggy Tate, was a very good interviewer. I hope I was good too! Waiting with my fingers crossed.

The interview started with her stating that my work profile and background was impressive and told me that she wanted to know more about me as a person and my values, beliefs , motivations behind what I did etc.. I explained to her my background, why I joined the company that I had ( it was a startup when I joined, though now it has been acquired by Flextronics ). I then went ahead and explained my career progression. She seemed satisfied with it. She asked how I found out about the company and how I could take up some of the initiatives that are generally within the purview of senior or middle management. It was very nice to see that she had gone through my resume in detail and was well prepared with the questions. Then came "why mba" - I was waiting for her to ask why_unc but she did not. she asked me how i caem to know of UNC - i told her through businessweek initially and ten through a couple of currrent students.. I metnioned how helpful they were in reviewing my resume etc.. thats probably the reason why she did not ask me the why_unc question!

She then asked me which leadership experience would I consider the most challenging, why and what sort of challenges I faced. I explained to her a leadership role that I had at work.

The next question was about what my passions were outside of work - I mentioned about my hobbies and my extra curricular activities. She asked if I had questions - I asked 3 questions.
1. About the branding of UNC in India.
2. How good is the UNC alumni network in India for Entrepreneurship ? How many of them in India are entrepreneurs approx? - She did not hvae an exact idea but mentioned that several of tehm are planning to come back to India as oppurtunities are picking up in India. Though its just starting, but there are several people who have contacts in India, I would be able to leverage the indirect benefits in India.

3. Has anyone been offered placements in India? How many jobs are offereed in consulting in Asia? She mentioned that consulting is becoming stronger in UNC and was improving. With India doing well, several consulting jobs in India would be coming up as well. During the latter part of the conversation, because she ad nto asked the question, I felt it was my duty to show her that I valeud UNC. I showed her that I had done good research on UNC.

Some tips/things that I missed out in the interview
1. Use the advantages of a phone intvw - write notes.
2. UNC wants leaders who can contribute to society. She seemed interested in community work.
3. Smile during the interview. They do hear it!
4. Sleep , eat well before the interview ( though not to an extent that you fall asleep ).
5. Go to an open, quiet place.
6. Make sure you can make the ISD call if need be.

On the whole, the experience was great. I was initially sceptical of the phone interview , but the advantages were very good - I could keep my own notes during the interview and could speak slowly. A lot of efforts went into it by both the interviewer as well as me.

True to Montauk, adcom members are well prepared and the interview went well coordinated and was concise. It lasted for about 40 mins. Finished the conversation with a good feeling as at the end, she said "You have a good balance of values, technical work and management work." While discussing about collaborative culture, she said "It is not a buzz word, I could see more when I go there". Am I reading too much or did she genuinely like me? Well, again as I said, she was a great interviewer. Waiting with my fingers crossed!

Done with my apps! Yahoo!

Today I managed to complete apping to all the universities I had wanted to. I knew it would be exhaustive, but this much, I had no idea. Whats the use of having known it anyways.. I just had to zoom ahead! So the past 2 weeks meant continuous night outs for me! Not just that, the past 3 months have been very difficult too managing both my office, my interests ( read stocks, business and economy news ).. Hmm... Thank god its over now! I dont think I would have been able to continue a little further! but yeah.. who knows if I had to apply to one more university, I would have been able to garner energy to proceed :)

I could never complete my application two hours before the deadline. The maximum was 1 hr and the minimum was 3 mins! Yeah right! And I made it through all the deadlines because of my friends, my family and most importantly my recommenders :) Sounds strange to me that its difficult to manage recommenders. One of my recommenders bought a grammar book to remove errors in his reco. ! Before my apps, as I thought about the quality of work, I was thinking about postponing the ordeal for the next year. But I had given my recommenders all the info and it was difficult for me to ask them to stop :) Once my recommender who never comes to office in the early mornings came to the office for my reco and completed it! Wow.. what an amazing gesture. I realised I would stupid enough not to capitalise... In addition, my career progress has been great till now. I have been able to contribute and make impact on my organisation, a startup. Now that our company has been acquired by a bigger one, the growth prospects are slimmering down! So, in one year my average efforts would be low.. I suppose its the same with everyone.. The first few years are of steep growth curves while it slows down later....

I really hope I make into the top univs.. The worst thing is that Harvard and Stanford schools are the first ones! ( I did not apply any in Round1 ). So my trials were with Harvard and Stanford, my first choices. Out of these two, I ruined my application for stanford :( , my dream school! I still have not run out of hope!!

Apart from my recommenders, I cannot thank enough my friends and family. I honed my management skills during the application process than while I mentored juniors for a product in my company :D I remember for Stanford application, 5 of my friends and my recommender were strugglign to make it on time. I had given the job to fill forms to one of my friends based on what I had filled for Harvard, the second reviewing my first essay ( whats your passion and why essay ), the third helping me write my second essay (Yeah! Unbelievable, yet right.. I wrote second part of my second essay right the same day.. But still I have hope! Does it sound over-optimism? May be.. but i care a damn! The reason is I spent just the same time as much writing my first essay. Sounds weird is it? No, it actually does not.... The first essay would be easier if you have a strong theme and content. So, it was really very very easy for me and my reviewers really praised the essay.. So the confidence...) another friend of mine verifying my transcript and my recommender, unable to get a stable internet location, was searching for a cafe at 11:00 PM in the night! I needed a lot more management skills to manage all these tasks.. the advantage was everyone "wanted to" help me. I realised the need to infuse so much interest and passion into an organisation and work. The task of a manager ( who then becomes a leader ) becomes all the more simple and easier! The people issues if sorted out genuinely, will remove most of the thorns in the path. There have been many great moments ( All the moments were great just knowing that there are around 10 people willing to help you and take time for you despite your schedules! Amazing feeling ). There were several moments too.... In another instance, when discussing my strengths with my recommender, I saw that he wrote a strength of mine that I had too written! It was sheer coincidence. I really never believed in coaching the recommenders. Whatever they had written had to go in. I felt so great seeing the coincidence!

When I think about the time, efforts and money I have spent on this entire process, I shudder at the thought of what would happen if I dont get an admission in any of these! Lets hope for the best! But the best thing is even though I do not get an admission in this entire process, the process has reformed my life! Given me a perspective about where I intend to go, what my passions are etc.. Even in college, when I was given an offer to pursue Research Excahnge Programme and go to CMU for PhD, I did not take it because I was not sure of my dreams and whether research is my passion! I was forced to ponder and assimilate lot of information in order to do my apps... Thank you ! MBA process. I am a much better person professionally and personally. The apping process has been a steep pondering and learning curve for me. It has given a lot of maturity in thought, improved my relations with friends, recommenders and family, made me think about my future, my interests, my passions, ingrained in me the need to plan and structure life properly etc...

I might get in or not.. But cheers to the procedure! This makes me go back to my earlier post... IIMs, please change the pattern!

IIMs - Please change the pattern of selection!

The CAT exam for admission into the IIMs are supposed to tough. They consist of objective questions a huge number of them. You need to get correct the maximum number of them in 2 hours duration.

A very pertinent question is : The students are never going to use the work-time or arithmetic progression or remainder theorem when they become managers, then why is CAT trying to evaluate in the students? Many people replied is stress handling ability. It is trying to guage how well you perform in the exam in a short duration and a lot of pressure given the immense competition. This might be true long back!

The format of the paper earlier might have ensured that people need good stress handling ability toanswer a huge number of questions with good accuracy. Now its not so. The coaching institutes, come up with short cuts almost for each and every topic. All you have to do now is take up classes from a coaching institute, mug up the short cuts exhaustively and leave those you do not have short cuts for and you would fare well.. To increase the number of attempts, the institutes basically eliminate the need to "think" during the exam!! Keep the stress on your mind down so that you can think if you need to ( With the kind of such exhaustive short cuts they give, does one ever need to think in the exam? )

The CAT question paper setters need to be more careful now. To beat this, they need to devise mechanisms that would force the people who mug up to think in the exam and perform under pressure and provide a level playing field for all students. But can they do ? I doubt. The result is that people who are good at mug-up but average would get into the coveted institutes whereas people with good credentials and good analytical abilities might not.