INSEAD and K

Back in '06 when I first decided that I wanted to do an MBA, I started by reading a couple of blogs. If I remember correctly, the first blog I read was Finance Monkey. I even met up with L'optimiste. I think, at some point in time, a majority of the MBA blogs were INSEAD blogs - for some reasons or another, INSEADers were big on blogging.

Back then, after a while, I decided not to apply to INSEAD due to the lack of a loan arrangement program. They used to have a deal going on with ABN AMRO but that was cancelled a while back. I remember though, the first time I read about INSEAD, I thought about applying there, but I've always preferred a two-year program for networking reasons and a chance to do an internship.

But for some reason, this year, I applied to INSEAD. Over the next month of so, I'll be having my interviews with them. I've come a full circle. I wonder whether I'll get into INSEAD? And if I do, how am I going to finance it? :)

Kellogg says please hold on, sit tight and stay on the waitlist. So, there I am. In my past 3 applications, I've gotten interviewed 3 times, rejected once (Chicago), waitlisted once (Kellogg) and who knows, admitted once? ;)

What's up dude?

Not much is up, well actually, quite a bit is up.

My personal life seems to have changed a lot, but being my personal life, I shan't talk about it.

My career seems to be progressing, I'm looking at being posted abroad - it'll be a great experience - and taking on more responsibilities at my job. I may also be moving into corporate finance if things go well. But that, is still at the discussion stage, so I'm not counting my chickens before they hatch.

My MBA progress.

Yes, there has been little progress in my bid to apply for an MBA this year. With the changes happening in my life, I've neglected Kellogg's essays while my application partner has gone full on and been prepping for the GMAT again, reading application books and mapped out an application strategy.

If I get that corp. finance job, I may not do an MBA. Well, actually, it would be even more compelling for me to do an MBA in the sense that I would have very interesting work experience, developed plenty of technical skills and actually have the money to apply to school. Even more so that I would need the skills that an MBA would give me, as well as the networking that a top school offers.

But I'm so distracted now.

:(

Kellogg Essay 1 draft version 0.19

Still work in progress, but I'm pretty happy with it. I think all this while, I've been ignoring the strongest and most intersting facet of my career and myself. It is true, you shouldn't write what you think they want to hear, but write what you think is yourself.

It shouldn't be much longer before I'm satisfied with it. Maybe another 2 more weeks of fine tuning and it should be good. I hope that they don't change the fucking essay though. That, would be bad... real bad.

I would like to start working on Darden's essays, but they change them every year. So that sucks for my early preparation approach.

On another note, looking at the economy, I guess it's only going to be more competitive to getinto business school for next year. Apps will easily be up 15% overall and top schools will be getting heaps of attention. Even "backup" schools such as Ross, Yale, Darden, NYU will probably be getting a lot more applications. :( One can only hope to get in... it gets more random with so many qualified people.

I just want to set my mind and heart free of things. So many things on my mind, but I guess it's just the matters of priorities.

Why do I want an MBA? It's really all about me and my ambitions. Maybe once upon in time my reasons were based on being able to provide and make another person happy, maybe I thought that was what the other person would have been proud to see me do. But things change, people change. Over the past few weeks, I've come to grasps with my ambition, and I realize that an MBA is what I want because it would allow me to pursue careers in areas that I can only dream of now.

Maybe it is possible to pursue a career in corporate strategy/strategy consulting with an undergraduate in advertising and marketing. But I have yet to hear of any success stories. However, to be totally honest, my interest is in developing businesses, and so there comes my ambition to do strategy. But building businesses is not necessarily doing strategy, so much more comes before doing strategy - things like bringing in that first deal, setting the right processes, negotiations. But regardless, I do need a sound solid business education that I can rely on - I've experienced setting up a company, developing a department, handling finance, worked in a bank - and there is just so much more that I don't know.

For 2 years I've applied to business school, I've interviewed with one of the best schools, been accepted by a second tier school and now will apply once more again. And as you know, they always say, 3rd time lucky. But beyond that, I think that it's a matter of being prepared. And I am prepared. I've learnt how to write, how to interview, I've had career progression (I'm now heading a team of 5 people), I've got very decent extra curriculars. I believe that this year will be the year, the year that I get accepted into a top school that I WILL attend.

My Last Hurrah

Onward ho and into the future

Kellogg
Ross
Darden
Judge
SMU
NUS

4 R1
2 R2

Nothing ventured nothing gained, it's time I get down and focus on my priorities.

It's been a while, but am I back for more?