Maybe I should be studying for the GMATs instead.
Sunday, July 30, 2006
I started to prematurely draft my first essay, mainly just to gather some ideas around one of the general essay questions. I feel that most applications have some from of the prompt, "Describe a time where you exhibited leadership," so I figured that I could probably use a derivation of this essay for more than one application. I started writing about the time I pledged to partner with the WHO to form an organization to help treat orphaned children in Ethiopia. It brought back a lot of hard memories, but I knew that this would be a fine topic to write about, especially since my second child was adopted from Ethiopia. Hopefully, this would show both my leadership and my humanitarian side.
When I finally sobered up and realized that I wasn't writing an essay at all, but just reading the wikipedia entry on Angelina Jolie, I was kind of bummed because I thought the essay would have been killer. I became more bummed when I realized that my proudest exhibition of leadership was probably that time I made everyone do shots of tequila at a seedy bar that gave us all hepatitis from touching the bathroom door handle.
I tried to back up a step and just brainstorm a list of all the times I managed to con or cry my way into a leadership role and seeing how my list was about 2 items long (including the above example), I understand that I may have to take a slightly different approach to this than I thought. I do not have as many applicable, professional leadership experiences as others, so perhaps I need worry less about the magnitude of my leadership and focus more on the effect it had on those around me.
posted by mbahunt @ 10:23 PM,
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People lie...
Friday, July 28, 2006
...or at least I hope they do. I was lurking over at the Wharton student2student bulletin boards, which I promised never to do because people who contribute to online boards are jaded and bitter, and I saw a posting where applicants who were 'dinged' would talk about their vital stats. Dinged is apparently a euphamism for rejected and furthermore DWI is the more devastating, dinged without interview.
Now, reading through the list of stats for dinged applicants (GMAT/GPA/Ugrad School/Experience), it was obvious that Wharton has enough qualified candidates to say, "Fuck off, please," to what also seemed like very qualified candidates. Those with 750+ GMATs with 3.7+ from Ivy League schools and half a decade of solid experience have been rejected (and boy are some of them angry about it).
At this point, I'm compelled to say that people inflate their stats to save face, even though they are voluntarily posting the fact that they were nixed. At least, that's what I tell myself to scrape some of that confidence off the floor and put it back into my mouth, where I puked it out from.
posted by mbahunt @ 12:03 AM,
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Life just wasn't hard enough.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
For some insanely stupid and unknown reason, I decided to switch my keyboard to the Dvorak layout. I'm still not sure what possessed me to do this, but I did it. It was pretty rough to go from typing about 100 words per minute to about 4. Needless to say, my productivity at work dove off a cliff and trying to maintain a simple conversation was near impossible. Smart move? Absolutely not. Interesting? Without a doubt.
My brain was being raped on a daily basis as I struggled to relean how to type. I swear that 5 year-olds across the country were laughing at me as I became a relative waste of space. I cheated a lot and flipped back to QWERTY when I had really important deadline or needed to actually communicate over IM. It took about a month in a half, but I'm back up on my feet as a functioning member of the workplace at about 75 words per minute. Interestingly enough, the Dvorak layout is better than QWERTY and just makes more sense.
The reason I'm bringing up this inane topic is because I just realized that I have to type a couple of essays on the GMAT. There a pretty damn good chance that I won't be able to switch the keyboard at the testing center. Fuck. I have to relearn QWERTY. Back to 4 words per minute.
posted by mbahunt @ 10:26 PM,
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Can you write 43 recommendations for me?
Monday, July 24, 2006
Nobody I work with currently knows that I'm interested in applying to b-school. I would prefer to keep it that way, especially if I bomb this little process and end up with a big ol' goose egg come next April. Unfortunately, I guess I'm going to have to let my boss it on my little secret if I want some recommendations from him. I've been formulating strategies for this, and here are my top winners so far.
1. Alcohol solves many things.
I could take him out to happy hour, get him really sloshed and then spring my need for some letters on him. Perhaps, I could even bring my laptop and have him write them right there at the bar. Grammar and punctuation would suffer, no doubt, but I'm willing to bet that the AdCom would appreciate the emotional honesty. Why did this guy say "I love you, man" 14 times in this rec?
2. I have a hot sister.
Listen, before you start judging, I'm no pimp. This would only include some harmless lap dancing and open-mouth kissing. (All legal where I'm from.) I figure she could seduce him in his office and then while he's distracted by her gyrations, I'll ask him for the recs. I saved her from her last pimp, so she owes me big time.
3. People are always willing to help those in need.
We're getting to a rather intense stage in our project, so people are starting to stress out a bit at the office. Maybe I could fake a heart attack during a rather dramatic part of a meeting and while the paramedics cart me off, I could ask him to write the letter to help me achieve one of my dreams before it's too late. As an added bonus, I bet I could score some sweet painkillers before the ambulance leaves me on the side of the road because I've been wasting their time.
posted by mbahunt @ 2:41 AM,
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Not so bad after all.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Turns out this GMAT thing isn't so bad after all. It took a couple hours of "ohhhh, yeahhh... that's how that works again," but I'm getting more questions right than I am getting wrong. Don't laugh. I count that as a moral victory, and after enough moral victories you usually get a bittersweet sense of good effort and unrealistic, but unachieved goals.
I still can't seem to read a question properly worth my life, but I knew I'd have that problem from the start. Apparently, you have to read every word of each question to give the right answer, but I think that takes too long and would rather choose randomly from the 5 choices in a premature and chaotic fashion.
One of the biggest problems I'm having is with the Data Sufficiency section. I am often replacing the question "Is there enough information to solve w + x = 43?" with "Does w + x = 43?" I'll do the problem with the given info, find the answer to be no, and then triumphantly slam the circle that says Statement (x) is not sufficient, not realizing at all that I've answered the question. You tricky GMAC bastards!
posted by mbahunt @ 2:25 AM,
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Getting back into the swing of things...
Monday, July 10, 2006
God damn, has it been a long time since I've taken a standardized test. Things seem to have changed just a little bit since my days of SAT tests. So, I have to sit there in a huge room and listen to the click clack of other people's typing? The computer keeps a running tally of my current score and adjusts questions on the fly? What do you mean I can't go back to a previous question I've already answered? That's some shit, I tell you.
To be honest, it's not this now format that's gonna kick my ass. It's the fact that I can't remember any formulae from my 9th grade geometry class that will destroy my score. Instead of reviewing the knowledge I will need to reacquire, I decided to take the diagnostic test first. Poor idea. According to the scoring chart in the "Official Guide for GMAT Review, 11th Edition," across all sections I averaged between "comatose" and "mentally handicapped." Here's hoping I just need to shake off the rust.
posted by mbahunt @ 4:21 PM,
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Too early?
Friday, July 07, 2006
It seems the average age at the top MBA programs tends to range from 27 to 29. I'm hypothesizing that I will be one of thousands of other arrogant foetuses who think that a bachelor's degree and a handful of years at a consulting firm or i-banking firm is more than enough to go to
Seriously though, while I may not readily have the best reasons for why I want to go to an MBA program now, I really don't have any reasons for why I should wait a couple more years, other than, "It would make my application more competitive." Am I wasting my time and money?
I have coworkers who are starting to hit their mid-30s who have contemplated business school, but state that they can't afford to take a $150K hit, plus the lost wages for 2 years of not working thanks to families and such. So, they merrily continue a job that pays well in dollars, but rather poorly in sanity and mental health. That is troublesome and seems like a pretty damn good reason to apply now.
posted by mbahunt @ 2:11 AM,
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