2 weeks seem like a year! August 30, 2005
Posted by Simba in : Uncategorized , 8 commentsAhh.. I might start blogging in parts & keep it in draft till the date I complete the entry & publish my blog. 
I know its no big guess that I have my hands full. After the Orientation week, we had a week of Leadership & Ethics sessions conducted by COLE.
It was a damn hectic schedule with people running around all the time. Some interesting people talked about the Leadership & Ethical roles in a Multicultural environment. On the third day of the week, we had an outdoor session which was basically to break the ice between the team members & make them get closer to one another. Got to do some high-rope activities & some team building exercises. It was physically tiring & mentally rejuvenating! (hey, I can become a writer ^0^) After that, we had more team work & some case analysis. Haha, welcome to the ‘making of a business woman’. I like my team & Fuqua has kept its word of ‘diversity’ within our team.
I made the last 2 paras about 2 days back & now, I am completing this post. Everday I am kinda picking up something new and am absolutely loving it. I came here to figure out what I wanna do but you get so caught up with everything, that attimes u lose focus on where you were heading. Though I want to kick start something on my own, I am now being sensible enough to look at alternate careers & understand how an organization works in its totality. I attended a lot of ‘Undecided’ career sessions, they do help to an extent & I have been talking to anybody who is ready to spare me 2 mins. But the final decision is yours & time is running out! Now, I am walking through this maze of Consulting, Marketing, Entrepreneurship, General Management et al. Its great when you hear big big words about what the work comprises of but once you actually sit down & sit it at closer angles, its not all that glamorous! LOL! Yesterday, we had the Consulting Club kick-off & I was gaping at how nice it would be to work at the BIGGIES. But seriously though, I dont think I want to live out of my suitcases. Today we had the General Management Symposium and we had some speakers from various industries. I got to understand a lot about Strategy/Biz Development, also got a chance to personally talk to some of the executives. Getting a good feel… Haha, dont ask how long it will last!
Am rushing outta the library now, got a lot of work for tomorrow. Hope to keep writing as much/ little as I can! At times we underestimate the kind of things we can actually do in our present lives!
PS: Pardon the English/ Grammar - whatever!
Glimpses from the ‘O’ Week! August 21, 2005
Posted by Simba in : Uncategorized , 6 commentsOk, I know I am spoiling you guys horribly but I am just excited about the entire experience! I dont know how busy I might get later on - so, when I have the time, why not! I am not delving into the actual sessions but heres a peekaboo of the last week. Hey, I have a car too, LOL, the seller knows Simba’s blog! Its sucha small world!
Aug 14th - Sunday - we celebrated Independence Day. You see it is a matter of convenience! Many Indians were assembled in the Park at Morrisville, 1/2 hr drive from Durham. Of course, we get more patriotic once we get out of the country! ^O^ Accidentally, I bumped into some old friends and it was good to see them! There was a great canteen laid out - Maharastra/ Karnataka/ Orrisa etc stalls. Yum Yum!
Then the ‘O’ Week started & we didnt know what hit us. LOL! Gotto meet so many people which I didnt believe was possible within a week, I have met so many nationalities & have made some good friends. We all were segregated into different sections.. within almost 2 hrs, we started showing our Section Groupism! On Friday, we had Section Olympics & I happily participated in the events..haha, got the second place!
Then the ‘O’ week ended with a BANG..The 80s party. The theme was to dress up as in the 80s.. the spikes, the colors & jing-jang stuff! I wont definitely tell ya how I looked but it was fun! See the snaps…
Orientation Week! August 19, 2005
Posted by Simba in : Uncategorized , 8 commentsPhew, man, if this was Orientation, I dread to even think about the actual curriculum! From Monday, I have been attending so many sessions & conferences that I havent even had the time to assimilate all of them! One thing I am dead sure about is - Fuqua Rocks! Not for the infrastructure nor for the rankings but for the people! The attitude & the open minds are so invigorating! I have had the pleasure of meeting some very interesting people who I am sure are gonna light up the discussions!!
I really cannot jot down each & every thing that I have been through but it has been complete fun! We had the International Student Orientation & then we had the entire batch of 2007 orientation. With generous sponserers, we have been well fed & taken care.. Just when I was having fun & telling to myself - “Life is great!”.. We had the big day of Career Search today. Yeah, yeah, our official job-search starts today! Isnt that spooky, man I just got in here! Things really move so fast that at times everything seems so hazy. But then you hold onto yourself and try to enjoy the ride. We are being exposed to the Fuqua culture, team-working spirit & other nice things about this place!
LOL, and every single night, we have had some engagement! Some parties, some ‘Scavenger’ hunts, some movie-times, family get-togethers etc. People relax off at these times only to start running from the next day 8 am. Second years have been an asset! I have never seen/had seniors being so ‘helpful’… I mean, the seniors were supposed to be the BIG-BAD ones! Am I missing something here? The ofcourse there are the clubs where you can become members & take upon leadership roles. I have joined so many clubs that I have no idea how I am gonna manage my show..the first few days, everybody wants everything.. as the days go by, you kinda prioritize things & then move ahead! I wanted to be a part of career club, fun club & of course, the women club. But now, I am hanging in between to choose a career…I want 2 years to figure out what I wanna do! Not 2 weeks!! And we have had some amazing speakers too who just make it all worthwhile!
Also, theres always one thing on my mind - There are so many opportunities and it will be a waste if I cannot maximise my experience. Obviously, you cannot be the head of clubs, topper in class & the best job seeker.. etc etc which means you trade off things somewhere! For someone like me, an international student, all these seems so exciting & ofcourse, scary! Lets see how things will roll by…
The journey has begun!
An International MBA - Part 6 August 14, 2005
Posted by Simba in : Uncategorized , 1 comment so farI know it has been a while since I wrote but there are just way too many things that I am currently doing! Anyways, now that you have a lot of insight into the Application Game, you must be in a comfortable position to apply for the recommended deadlines. Now, as you work on those essays, it is wiser to dispatch off those links to the recommenders so that they can work on them.
Are you nuts? Who will recommend me?
Yeah, I know. I too felt the same way when I started off but trust me, it will be a lot simpler than you think if you know how to work around it. I suggest you start working on acquiring your recommendation early as it is one single thing that you don?t have a say in. Your recommenders may be too busy or too lazy to do a good job if you give them less lead time. When we talk about online applications, the recommendations will also be in an online format. Once you register and open an account with a particular school, you will have to dispatch recommendation links to your recommenders by entering their email ids. These recommenders get an email and they too get to access their online reco-form which does not require them to fill in one shot. They can take their sweet time and mull over a lot of things before they can press that ?final? submit button.
Recommendations are usually written by people who have worked with you on a professional front. They are used as boosters to your application. Your undergrad, GMAT, essays are all about you and your achievements but they are one-dimensional; the Adcom is interested in understanding how others feel about you. The recommendations should fortify your essays; they should prove that all your ?tall? claims in your essays are in fact true. Secondly, your managerial skills comes under scrutiny - choosing recommenders, getting them to offer their help, helping them to write something nice about you and insisting that they submit the recos before the deadline ? all these and more call for a lot of patience and follow-up.
Generally, all TOP Business Schools ask for 2 recommendations or utmost 3. Though 3 is a rarity, some schools may allow you to judge for yourself the need for a third recommendation. Now, if you are a software engineer and have worked under two different project managers, then you can wisely choose these two as your recommenders. It will be a boon if one of the managers can talk about your technical and managerial skills while the other can talk about your team-work and selling skills. However if you are over-enthusiastic and try to use your team-lead for your third reco, then your decision/ judgment will be questioned. As the third recommendation should be ?only? used when you feel that there is something special about you that the first two recommenders cannot comment about. Let us say, an international client with whom you have closely worked on an over-seas project which helped you overcome some challenging tasks and allowed you to extensively use your foreign-language skills. Something that adds extra dimension; talks about something spectacular ? it is almost like the decision you make for that ?optional? essay. Remember, that each and everything on your application is under close scrutiny, do not try to put a half-hearted effort into any one of the components.
In normal circumstances, only 2 recommenders will suffice. These two recommenders are usually from the professional side. Try to avoid the academic recommenders as much as you can because they tend to reiterate what is already visible on your undergrad scores/ transcripts. Do not use your parents, families or close friends as recommenders. Choose people who know you well, genuinely like you, really want to help you and who can safely grade you on the basis of your personality and intellectual ability. Only those who like you can go to the extent of seeing you in a Top B-school. And not everybody will be ready to spend some precious time to make your path to a school neat and tidy. The choice of recommenders you make will be closely studied by the Ad-com guys. The ideal recommenders should talk about most or all of the following ? your leadership abilities, managerial potential, analytical skills, team-working skills, creativity, confidence and maturity.
There are always innumerable doubts with regards to using your current supervisor as your recommender. From my own experience, I can say that current boss recommendation is ideal as it portrays your present working skills and is also highly regarded by the Admission guys. However if the recommendation from your immediate boss is risky, then don?t try it. Like you might be risking your job, a bonus or a promotion, then it is better to make a wise decision and choose someone more appropriate. Maybe a client or an ex-boss. The Admission guys are humans too and they do understand when you say that your current supervisor cannot be your recommender. In such a case, don?t forget to talk about your choice of recommenders in your optional essay. They need to know why you have not chosen the most-appropriate man. If you are working in a family business or if you are an entrepreneur, try to use some external references like your customers, your advisor etc who can provide some objective views. It is important for the recommenders to understand that this MBA application is important to you.
Some of the recommenders might be way too busy to write anything and might ask you to write it. Be wary. Admission people have been in this business of reading people in and out and after reading your 1000 word essays, it is not difficult for them to see that you yourself have written your recommendations. You will be axing your own foot in such a case. Encourage your recommenders by giving small write-ups about you, so that they can use it as a base and elaborate on them. Try your level best to keep up with them on a regular basis so that they can finish off each application before the deadline. Once they submit the recos, automatically the status in your online application changes but you won?t be able to read the contents of the recommendation form.
Assuming that all your recommendations forms are submitted in time (if they are not, it is your duty to get the recommenders to submit them!) then do not forget to thank these people. They have taken time off to write something good about you. Send them a small memento or flowers to show that you appreciate their concern and help. God forbid, you might need them for next fall. 
Anybody here!? August 9, 2005
Posted by Simba in : Uncategorized , 7 comments:-) I know its been a while since I blogged!! No, I havent busy but have been so over-whelmed with so many things around me. I moved into Durham about 3 days back & was kinda feeling shut out from the world. Durham is a small place with very less public trasportation & so, it kinda gets a lil scray if U have no means of ur own!!! Me & my roomie - AttaGirl kinda moved into the apartment but life without a cell, a car, a net connexion is pathetic! I now wonder why people worry so much about accomodation. It is really no big deal. At the end of it, if you can afford it, go ahead else choose alternatives! Here, for us, its almost like you have no place to go & nobody to take us along. So, all along, have been hitch-hiking with people & so landing in all kinds of places. But its kinda weird calling up people to ask for help… So, on immediate agenda - BUY A CAR!! But Durham is beautiful with loads of trees & greenery.. like a get-away. Any takers?
Other than that, things are ok. I was way to taken aback for the first coupla days but now armed with a cellphone, I think I will survive! LOL! School begins next Monday & I need to settle down well before that. Once thing I have noticed here at Duke is - people go out of their way to help others & that is truly refreshing! Ok, am I sounding homesick… Er.. Gimme sometime to get used to this place!!
All safe at this end! August 3, 2005
Posted by Simba in : Uncategorized , 11 commentsYes, I am indeed safe & sound. I flew BA from Mumbai. The rains could not keep me out & I landed in the London airport on time. As I did not have any friends flying with me, I managed to make some of them on my flights. Many were flying to US for the first time (like me!) but for their MS degree. I had almost 3 hrs in transit, so did a lot of window shopping!! Then I wanted to call home and did not have any pounds with me. I went into a mall & bought a nice cadbury chocolate so that I could get some pound change… haha, sadly that thing was some 50 odd pence & I didnt get any change for my 1$ bill. Then I picked up a hotchocolate & was able to call home!! I always thought I might find myself in a very odd place, kinda home sic et al.. but to my own pleasant surprise, I was pretty much at-home thro out!! And people everywhere are very helpful!! International flights are real smooth & for a first-timer like me, everything looked smooth!! Have really come a long way, huh!?
Watched Monster-in-law movie on board and was also able to start & finish off a small book - Tuesdays with Morrie. Nice small read. It was something that I had talked about & lived upto for a while so no extra-gyan got from the book as such!!
Touched down in Washington DC and immigration was not at all a hassle. The second half of the journey was a lil stressful as I was kinda waiting to crash into sleep. I also felt a lil uneasy as they feed you a lot of stuff on-board & with no idea what-so-ever of the time, I kept eating & I was stuffed till my nose when I got down! LOL! Have tried valiantly to beat the jet-lag & am doing pretty well till now. I am staying at Maryland for a while & will be driving down to school in another 3 days or so. More jabber later on…