Well, last Monday I was sitting in a bar with a lady-"friend", trying to explain that there is no reason to be angry with me when the phone rang and Haas called to admit me to the class of 2010!!!! Yeehaaa.
Well, she was the first person to hug, so I hope she didn't misinterpret. ;-)
Somehow our conversation was going on very well from that moment on.
So I am in at the school that has always been the dream school - although I cannot pinpoint the exact reasons anymore. I guess researching so much about Michigan and the entire application process, opinions from people on forums etc. have influenced me in a way that has somewhat taken Haas off the pedestal. I have now spoken to alumni from all schools to which I applied. Obviously noone ever said they did not like their program. But I must say the people from Michigan and Tuck I spoke to were by far the most enthusiastic.
By the way, I really appreciate your comments. It's always helpful to get different opinions that help you put things in a different perspective.
So now I have a Ross admit with 20k/y and a Haas admit with no money. Now what? Although Haas does carry the better brand name in my home country, I find it very hard to forfeit $40k...(although in euros it's not that much any more)
Thoughts anyone? This post may sound less exhilarated than one might expect. And I am indeed not as psyched as I maybe should be. I guess a little love in the form of cash would make my decision for Haas a lot easier.
Also, I need to keep in mind that I have two more decisions outstanding. I really hope Kellogg makes up its mind sometime in February and not at the end of the R2 round in March.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
The Waiting Game... not getting easier
Let me tell you: Getting accepted to one school will not make you that much more relaxed when it comes to waiting for decisions from other schools.
Cal started to call people...I wouldn't even know this if it weren't for the infamous forums out there. One of the downsides to reading them is knowing too much sometimes. Although I wish I would have started to read forums like gmatclub earlier on. I might have applied to Stanford after all.
So here I am waiting for a decision. Going through a lot of "what ifs" in my mind.
Got the Ross admit binder this week, though. Beautifully made. Those guys really went the extra mile and left a great impression. I am sure Michigan would not be a bad choice if I don't get in anywhere else. Ann Arbor must be great and the new building looks fantastic, too. Nevertheless, Ross doesnt have the international brand name that Haas or Kellogg have, something truly important for my future career.
Oh well...one step after the other. Now it is just time for the Haas people to spread some love. :)
Cal started to call people...I wouldn't even know this if it weren't for the infamous forums out there. One of the downsides to reading them is knowing too much sometimes. Although I wish I would have started to read forums like gmatclub earlier on. I might have applied to Stanford after all.
So here I am waiting for a decision. Going through a lot of "what ifs" in my mind.
Got the Ross admit binder this week, though. Beautifully made. Those guys really went the extra mile and left a great impression. I am sure Michigan would not be a bad choice if I don't get in anywhere else. Ann Arbor must be great and the new building looks fantastic, too. Nevertheless, Ross doesnt have the international brand name that Haas or Kellogg have, something truly important for my future career.
Oh well...one step after the other. Now it is just time for the Haas people to spread some love. :)
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Haas Interviewed
That's it. Application season is over for me. I finished my last interview with a Haas alum and now that will be it. No more essays, interviews, GMAT preparation for me. Looking back though, it was an interesting time. To everyone who is about to begin their MBA journey: See this time as a challenge not as a nuisance. Especially the GMAT and the essays. I think you do learn something throughout the entire time.
Anyway, how did the interview go?
Well, honestly, it could have been better. I guess there was no trouble with the questions. After speaking about my career so far, he wanted to know why I wanted to pursue an MBA despite a previous business degree. What I wanted out of the degree. Then we moved on to what I would give to the program, why they should admit me. We spoke a little about a possible weakness and then I had time to ask a few questions. All in all the whole thing took around 45mins.
It's not that anything went wrong throughout the interview, but I still am not thrilled about it. Especially it didn't strengthen my enthusiasm for Haas. When I started out on my MBA journey, Haas was my absolute no.1 choice. I am becoming less and less convinced about that. It could have been that there was no real chemistry between that guy and me. But then again, isn't the way you feel around the alums a decisive factor as well? The alums from Kellogg and Tuck have been phenomenal.
Well, maybe I won't have to think about it in the first place as I am not sure how I will be rated after that interview. I think I made a convincing case why I need the MBA, and why from Haas but as we all know decisions are influenced by personal impressions. Having the Ross admit under my belt makes it a lot easier to wait for Cal's decision.
Anyway, how did the interview go?
Well, honestly, it could have been better. I guess there was no trouble with the questions. After speaking about my career so far, he wanted to know why I wanted to pursue an MBA despite a previous business degree. What I wanted out of the degree. Then we moved on to what I would give to the program, why they should admit me. We spoke a little about a possible weakness and then I had time to ask a few questions. All in all the whole thing took around 45mins.
It's not that anything went wrong throughout the interview, but I still am not thrilled about it. Especially it didn't strengthen my enthusiasm for Haas. When I started out on my MBA journey, Haas was my absolute no.1 choice. I am becoming less and less convinced about that. It could have been that there was no real chemistry between that guy and me. But then again, isn't the way you feel around the alums a decisive factor as well? The alums from Kellogg and Tuck have been phenomenal.
Well, maybe I won't have to think about it in the first place as I am not sure how I will be rated after that interview. I think I made a convincing case why I need the MBA, and why from Haas but as we all know decisions are influenced by personal impressions. Having the Ross admit under my belt makes it a lot easier to wait for Cal's decision.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Admitted to Ross!
Yep, here comes the love. I got into Ross on Friday. And they really seem to want me judging by the 20k/year they want to throw in on top.
Cant tell you how happy I am. I am just wondering what I am going to do if I get into either Kellogg or Haas without a scholarship. Those two carry the better brand name in my case. But turning down that much money will be tough...
Cant tell you how happy I am. I am just wondering what I am going to do if I get into either Kellogg or Haas without a scholarship. Those two carry the better brand name in my case. But turning down that much money will be tough...
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
The subprime crisis explained... great video
...had to share this. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
"no price is too high for that...mature wisdom..."
Monday, January 7, 2008
Kellogg and Tuck interviewed, Berkeley postponed
Shortly before Christmas, I had my two interviews with Tuck and Kellogg. Both on the same day.
Although I was wondering if I would get myself into too much trouble doing two interviews in one day, it ended up being a relatively smooth ride as both alumni I talked to were incredibly friendly and made sure to hold the interview in a relaxed environment. (a cafe in both instances)
The Kellogg interview was rather short and about 50mins in time. We were chatting in our native languages about my previous work experience. It felt more like a conversation with someone interested in you, rather than a interview. This also holds true for my second interview that day. The alum was again very friendly, and took the first half hour to speak about Tuck, show me pictures of his class and professors and generally sell Tuck to me before I could even start selling myself. This really put me at ease. We ended up speaking for about an hour and a half with some classic questions on why MBA and why Tuck. However, he didnt ask me any particular hard questions.
I think both of these interviews went quite well, unless something happened that I am not quite aware of. However, I dont think so.
At the end of the day, I think for the international alumni it is also in their interest to sell the school to you as they profit from an extended alumni base in their home market. So, I think an interview really is a mix of selling the school to the applicant and vice versa.
My Berkeley interview of today had to be postponed one week until next week as the alum had a change of plans. Oh well, I hope that will be fine with the Haas AdComs, but I think it should.
Wish me luck! :)
Although I was wondering if I would get myself into too much trouble doing two interviews in one day, it ended up being a relatively smooth ride as both alumni I talked to were incredibly friendly and made sure to hold the interview in a relaxed environment. (a cafe in both instances)
The Kellogg interview was rather short and about 50mins in time. We were chatting in our native languages about my previous work experience. It felt more like a conversation with someone interested in you, rather than a interview. This also holds true for my second interview that day. The alum was again very friendly, and took the first half hour to speak about Tuck, show me pictures of his class and professors and generally sell Tuck to me before I could even start selling myself. This really put me at ease. We ended up speaking for about an hour and a half with some classic questions on why MBA and why Tuck. However, he didnt ask me any particular hard questions.
I think both of these interviews went quite well, unless something happened that I am not quite aware of. However, I dont think so.
At the end of the day, I think for the international alumni it is also in their interest to sell the school to you as they profit from an extended alumni base in their home market. So, I think an interview really is a mix of selling the school to the applicant and vice versa.
My Berkeley interview of today had to be postponed one week until next week as the alum had a change of plans. Oh well, I hope that will be fine with the Haas AdComs, but I think it should.
Wish me luck! :)
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