First Fuqua Friday February 26, 2005
Posted by Simba in : Uncategorized , 8 commentsYup, yesterday was the ‘unofficial’ Fuqua Friday here at Mumbai. It was really amazing to meet a bunch of ‘loud’ enthusiastic guys. We were about 6 of us, mostly R2 admits and the entire discussion hummed around Fuqua, MBA, Funding and a lil bit of Fun 
. Attagirl, I sure missed ya, pal!!:-)
Some guys sure had a lot of confusing thoughts about which school to take - Yale or Cornell or Berkeley or ofcourse, Fuqua. Not that anything got decided but it sure felt good to be admitted to some of the best B Schools. For me, it was the least bit of worry, as u see, my choice is rather limited. LOL! We had a coupla drinks and sandwiches. Royally, we shared the entire bill… Ya, we better get used to live frugally! I am still awaiting for the pictures we took from the camera phone.. And thats about the first Fuqua Friday! 
The Wharton Interview February 24, 2005
Posted by Simba in : Uncategorized , 16 commentsRead the title clearly.. it is ‘The’ Wharton Interview… as in ‘The Mother of all’ kinds. But I surely had a great time.
I had scheduled my interview with the Adcom as a part of the Mumbai hub. The last 2-3 days, I looked around the entire Wharton website and poured into my application n times. I knew that having a Wharton call was no joke and I would be an a$$ if I take this thing lightly. As per my good pal’s suggestion, yesterday evening I sat with Montauk’s book and looked through the sections where he talks about ‘Essays’ & ‘What the School is looking for’. I introspected about the everything that makes me passionate about an Wharton MBA. I plowed through the normal set of questions ‘Why MBA’ & ‘Why Wharton’ ‘What am I gonna contribute at Wharton’ etc. I have never prepared for an MBA interview as intensely as I did for W. I almost knew the certain things that I had to mention during the course of conversation. I made bulleted points for ‘Why’ questions because I didnt want to rattle on aimlessly. I was just hoping to speak passionately without sounding as if I was reading a sermon!
Anyways, I was up at 5ish something & jolted myself with a steaming cup of strong coffee. I caught a Mumbai local & headed straight to The Oberoi, yes, the same hotel I had my Oxford interview. The same Business Centre and thankfully, not the same Lounge 
Actually, I reached there just in time, read the newspaper and started studying the paintings on the wall. I have a great desire to paint something abstract, but it eventually ends up in a riot of colors. Anyways, I was called immediately and the first thing I got to hear from the Adcom was “You sure have had a busy life”
The questions buzzed around the same set of questions - my career progress, the companies I worked for, the challenges and defining experiences, my future goals and my passion for community involvement, interests with regards to women-in-business etc etc. I think I was able to convey most of the things I wanted to and it helped that the bulleted points came out quite easily and fluently. We discussed a lot about Women - @ Wharton, in different fields, challenges that we face, S2S boards, Adm Blog etc and I passionately spoke about some of the issues and problems I have faced “the glass ceilings” and I sincerely hope that I made some sense! Attimes, I really blabbered and as soon as I realized I tried to move closer to the answer. I asked her a couple of things about the program and it was over. I was happy with myself when she said that it was amazing to meet people like me, yeah, she said that, she was happy that I was so passionate about so many things and she also said, “Its great because I hardly get to meet such people like you” So, I hope to have made a favorable impression on her but come to think of it, I think my candidature will now be looked upon in its totality and only then will a decision be made. So, another month’s wait…
Struggles of Life.. February 23, 2005
Posted by Simba in : Uncategorized , 3 commentsNo, I am in no mood to pen about some of the most difficult parts of my life but was just contemplating about life itself as I wait to blabber tomorrow in the Wharton interview. Pinch me, God, I am being interviewed by Wharton!! My mom can pronounce only this name correctly while she desperately tries to get ‘Fuqua’ right
I just finished reading ‘The Old Man and the Sea’ by Ernest Hemingway. It is definitely not a book that I would like to have if I was abandoned in a lonely island with nothing else to do. But in retrospect it talks about a lot of things we get to experience in life. It is a simple story about an old man who goes to the sea and manages to catch a BIG, rather HUGE, fish. It is about the struggle he makes to get that fish home while the fish on its part tries to live every ounce of its life. At the end, it does not end gloriously by showing that the old man wins but rather, he comes back almost empty-handed. He fights out with despairing days/nights and with a school of sharks to save his prized possession only to return back with the skeleton, the mortal remains, of a magnificent fish.
It is a strong book about the struggles we go through in life, not necessarily winning all but definitely growing stronger by the experiences. Growing wiser and more matured. It is so strange that once you see things in that perspective, you feel, ‘Is that all life is about?’ Now, let me not get thoughtful and philosophical. After all, I have a small ’struggle’ coming tomorrow.
Icky and Goody Feeling February 22, 2005
Posted by Simba in : Uncategorized , 4 commentsThe whole of yesterday morning, I walked around office with a red nose. I had a bad cold..not the one which makes ur voice all husky and sexy but the one which leaves u with a bad headache and a Icky feeling! Its so damn cold out here in Mumbai, something unheard of in this coastal region!
Anyway, at the end of the day, I got some goody news when my grandma called to say that something real heavy has come home And I rushed from office to check out the BIG package from Fuqua! Yoohoo! I for one cannot open a gift slowly cos I cant wait.. so, I tore out the envelope and lo, started pouring over the contents of the package. Hooo, it is official now and I also have proof. I have been admitted to the Fuqua School of Business. Cool things but couldnt digest a lot of things in there.. And I need to spend a lot of time over the Financial section!
Hey, against Additional preparation in spoken and written English, it says ’strongly recommend’ BooHoo, it must be that darning GMAT score. I wish I could tell them that my English is OK.. Ask all the people who know me.. Knock Knock, Ask my fellow bloggers too.. Oh, I wish I could pass on this blog link and tell them to verify my English usage. YaadaYada.. I attimes nag about everything, Dont I?!
Oxford in Mumbai February 20, 2005
Posted by Simba in : Uncategorized , 8 commentsYesterday was definitely a weird, weird day! And dont ask me how my interview went ‘cos I don’t know whether I was interviewed or not See, I had confirmed my interview schedule for 10:30 am and I was in the Business Centre of the Oberoi Hotel at 9:00 am. After freshening up, I gave my name at the reception and the man informed me that my name was not in the interviewee list. Huh! I asked them to pass on the confirmation email print-out to the Head of MBA programmes (the interviewer himself!). And as I was just getting comfortable on that nice looking leather sofa, the interviewer came out and was highly apologetic to this abrupt twist. He told me that he was not expecting me at all and he was not aware of my ‘file’. Boohoo! So, he just did a random chat and almost asked all the standard questions. He kept saying ‘Sorry’ and he spoke to me for half-an-hour. He also said that this might not be an interview, but he would try to sit with me again or ask an alumni to sit with me in the evening!! Hhhrrrmmmph… What was this then??!!
Then, I had nearly 8 hrs to kill till the information session in the evening. So, I sat on almost each & every couch in the Lounge area Every hour, I would get up and slowly move towards some better looking piece of furniture!! I also stepped out to pick up a small bite and by the time I got back to the hotel, my feet in the new-shoes were killing me. By mid-afternoon, I was so sleepy and even though I had finished the book I was reading, I kept it on my lap and pretended to read rather intensely It was really boring!!
In the evening, an alumnus came by and said that he would like to ‘interview’ me. So, we again went to the same Lounge area (by now, I even knew the mean distance between 2 couches!) Another session of conversation, by now, I had become a shriveled leaf and was tired of doing nothing! Then, started the Information Session, the Alumni talk etc etc. The Head of MBA Programmes turned out to be a surprisingly nice man to converse with. And my pal talked him to doing a small interview for our PaGaLGuY portal. So, in the Info Session, I was sitting and preparing a set of questions to ask the ‘Head of MBA Programmes’ at the Said Business School. And later, we were able to complete the interview. Ahem, I was the interviewer now! Now, I need to script the whole thing and put up the article fast.
Complacency sets in! February 18, 2005
Posted by Simba in : Uncategorized , 5 commentsI know it’s bad! But still after the Fuqua admit, I have become complacent. Yesterday night, I was supposed to sit and get prepared for the Oxford interview but gosh, I just sat there and did nothing! See, it is REAL bad. Tomorrow is the interview and I have absolutely no idea what I intend to talk there. No, it wont be easy as I will be meeting the head of MBA Pogrammes! And I am sure I will make a big a$$ of myself by talking way too much and putting my damn foot in my mouth!!
Oxford is a great school. No doubts about that and had I been dinged yesterday, I would have been a dejected mess by now. And I am still not sure how I would manage the finances this year but, this moment, Fuqua is taking No.1 position in my heart! One absolutely great thing about Oxford is, the value for money. One year, you are done with a great MBA program and ‘branded’ for life. Ok, I just need to do a lil bit of home-work tonight and give my best shot tomorrow!
Duke MBA - Admitted! February 17, 2005
Posted by Simba in : Uncategorized , 22 commentsI just got back home after downing a cold coffee at 11:30 in the night. And the great news just came tumbling in about a couple of hours ago. I have been accepted to the Class of ‘07 in the Fuqua School of Business at the Duke University. No, it still hasn’t completely sank into my system but I haven?t stopped grinning and nodding to all the people I have talked to since then. It?s an awesome school and one of my favorites and this news means a lot to me.
After so many debacles and fights, I have proved that any effort will see its day only if there is a true passion deep within! It has not been an easy ride ever and I only thank the people who believed in me and put their faith in me. Thanks! I would have not been here without the support and encouragement that I got through out my travails. Now, let me not get over emotional and ruin my keyboard.. .. So, Chin up and grin at the world! Hey, I am coming…
Awaiting Fuqua results February 16, 2005
Posted by Simba in : Uncategorized , 8 commentsMy My, Time flies! It just seems like yesterday that I sent in all my applications and now I am waiting for a couple of final results too. The first judgment will be passed on 17th Feb (Ok, for me it will be 18th Feb!) and that too for my favorite school, Fuqua. I am not really sure about anything. I might get dinged or get admitted but knowing about my Wharton interview call makes it no easier. Actually if I get dinged at this point, I will go all depressed and get into that ‘good-for-nothing’ mode and I am 100% sure that I will dig my own grave before the W interview. Sheesh, why talk about the negatives. Lets be positive and guys, just cross your eyes… err, I mean your fingers!
Yesterday I met a good ol’ pal of mine. He works for a ‘O’ company which is basically a small firm but I was shocked to hear his recent experience at the US Embassy. He was supposed to fly to the US on some training purpose and hence was required to acquire a B1 (Business) visa. It so happened that the training letter that the company had initially given him was dated for Aug ’04. And when he was about to leave, the management just ‘corrected’ the letter and made it ’05. How frivolous! And this man also accepted that letter and went to the Visa consulate. Heights of stupidity! There he was not only denied the visa but was also reprimanded for ‘tampering’ with the original documents. This is such a grave crime and I am not sure whether the company or the individual is to be blamed for this. Visa documents are so vital and this individual did not even have the courage to fight back with his firm to give him the correct letter and try to apply again, hence try to set the records straight. It might be a definite permanent damage and my heart goes out for his na?vet?. Some companies can be so darn insensitive!
W..W..Wharton calls… February 15, 2005
Posted by Simba in : Uncategorized , 27 commentsWooooHoooooo… I am so thrilled!! I have been called for interview from Wharton. I cannot stop grinning and people think I have lost it. I was about to tell the ‘Rickshaw’ guy (~ cab-driver) to take me Wharton instead of my office!! HeeHeeHee…
The last 3 days have been havoc for me. I was so down and upset that I didnt think I would survive the coming week. It reminds me of Geetu signature, “When you have hit the rock bottom, the only way to go will be UP!” This great news has just given me some fresh air & hope.. I have scheduled my hub-interview on Feb-24th in Mumbai.
Last night, I went to watch the much talked about hindi movie - BLACK It is a very intense movie. I loved the way the first half of the movie opens in front of you… the story, the drama, the acting. But the second half of the movie is an absolute letdown. It’s almost like the director was in a great hurry to finish up the movie and move on. It would have been a great movie had it been like one of those 4hr epics… it sure would have been a masterpiece. But it is still highly watchable. Most of the movie being in English, it has some real high-spirited acting. Young Michelle and the Teacher roles are just BRILLIANT!
H.Berry… February 14, 2005
Posted by Simba in : Uncategorized , 2 commentsWow! That is the only word I could think of whenever I saw her. Now, I have all the more reason to say “WoW”…
The day before yesterday, I was just reading one of those glossy supplements you get along with the Times. I normally dont find the time to read these but somehow I chanced upon this article of Halle Berry. Yeah, she was at her ravishing best! I was really amazed to read that she has had some real tormenting days in her closet. She has had a sad childhood, a sick teenage and an abused life throughout. But still she carries on with a lot of spirit. Gosh, she is 37!!! Oooh!! ^.^ … Amadoo summarizes quite succinctly - “The embodiment of incongruity—a black woman with a white mother, a sex symbol whose husband is working through sexual issues, a truth teller who makes her millions in a world of pretense—Berry nods knowingly at the incongruous serenade.”
So, coming back to the interview I was talking about, something she said in the interview made a lot of sense to me personally. She says “What doesn’t kill you, just makes you a lot stronger”. Yeah, So true!!
BTW, Happy Valentines Day.