Tinydancer's MBA Blog

I'm Still Alive!

2011-03-12T12:50:00.003-05:00

Hello dear readers. Are you still out there? I recently decided to check up on my blog and I've found that I have not posted since the end of first year! So disappointing. So much has obviously happened since then that I can't attempt to summarize it all. So how about just an update on where I am now?

I am still living in Philly. My post-MBA job will have me bouncing around a bit location-wise, but my first stop is right here in the city of brotherly love. Hubby and I moved out of the Wharton dorm we were living in (not really a dorm, just a popular Wharton building) and headed to another part of the city where Wharton students only occasionally trek for a restaurant or bar. Works for us - it's hard to remain in the city where we spent two fabulous years now that the majority of my Wharton friends have fanned themselves out all over the world. It would be much harder if I still had to see the students everywhere, dressed in whatever crazy costumes they've devised for the 80's Party, Walnut Walk, or Wharton 54. And know that I'm no longer one of them. Now I have to work on Fridays and weeknight drinking just makes me feel old when I try to get up in the morning.

We've upgraded to a two bedroom apartment. Such a luxury! I have to admit that getting that paycheck every two weeks still hasn't gotten old. During school it felt like we were hemorrhaging money. Which I guess we were. Now that I am paying back my loans I am constantly reminded of how much money we went through during those two years. I wouldn't trade it for the world, but it is nice to have a bit more normal cash flow situation these days.

We got a dog! We adopted him from a rescue and he is adorable and fun. He is such a joy to have in our lives. I don't want to get on a soapbox, but if you are ever thinking of getting a pet, please consider adoption. You'd be surprised how many wonderful dogs and cats of all ages are out there, many already trained, many still puppies if that's what you want, even purebreds. Every time you adopt, you save the life of your new best friend AND another pet who you make room for in the shelter. Ok I'm done preaching.

I still don't know what I want to do when I grow up. Yes I do have a job and it's what I wanted and I'm learning a lot. But I was also exposed to so many other things in school, I am constantly scheming what I might do next, or 10 years from now. If you are a fellow MBA grad you know what I mean. Those of you in the middle of your b-school journey or just starting your research, you should know- the journey doesn't end when you sign that full time job offer. It's really just the beginning. But now you have those fancy letters to add to your business card- M.B.A. Has a nice ring to it!

Quarter Four Insanity

2009-03-27T14:39:00.004-04:00

I just got done one of my craziest weeks ever at Wharton. So many things converged at once that I literally couldn't find an extra half hour for a meeting. Quarter four classes are definitely a big work load. There is a ton of reading every week, and professors seem to be a little more intent on doing little things to make sure we read everything before class. And this quarter we have sabre, which is a marketing simulation. Sabre has been really fun. It feels similar, at least theoretically, to what brand management will be like. You have your product portfolio, market segments, market research, and forecasts. And you have to make decisions wisely to try to increase your company's profits in the face of changing tastes, competitors' actions, uncertainty, and a limited budget. Reminiscent of first quarter Marketing cases, my team spent about 14 hours on sabre this week. Supposedly it will get easier in subsequent weeks since we won't have to get ramped up again .. I hope that's the case! At least, as opposed to case write-ups, working on sabre is actually fun :)

Oh yeah, and last night was Wharton 54. Totally insane.

This and That

2009-03-05T11:01:00.002-05:00

Man I haven't posted in a while! So, update on recruiting. I ended up with 2 offers, and declined several 2nd round invitations. So DIP was very good to me. In hindsight, I would not have applied to so many places. But I was scared - it's hard to know how successful you will be before you really go do all the interviewing. Most of my friends now have gotten offers. There are some still looking. I'm trying to help them where I can. I think everyone will have something in the end.

In other news, I've started listening to podcasts on my walk to and from school. My favorite is This American Life. Last week's episode (which I didn't listen to until yesterday) was particularly good. It gave a very easy-to-understand explanation for the financial crisis. For me, the discussion of why or why not to have the government take over the banks was really interesting. Check it out here, the title is Bad Bank. Warning - the explanations are pretty basic, so I don't recommend it if you think you already have a pretty good handle on it.

Finally, I'm heading to Japan on Saturday for spring break! So excited.

B-School Checklist

2009-02-18T10:27:00.006-05:00

Over the course of the year, I've come to rely on some essential items that help me get through business school with my sanity intact. If you are headed for b-school this fall, you may want to pick up these highly recommended items:

Smart Phone
I love my iPhone. Not only because it is cool, but because it really helps me navigate my crazy business school schedule. I can check my email, manage my calendar, and even sign up for interview slots while I'm on the go (or, er, in class ...). A few times, I was meeting a person I had never met, and I could easily look them up on Facebook to see what they looked like. If you are blackberry person, I recommend going for one that can get the real internet. It is truly life changing to have internet at your finger tips!

Wireless Headphones
If you are planning to live with a spouse or roommate, these will make your life a lot easier. We waited to long to get these, but once we did they were key! Now my husband can watch the game, while I still get a quiet apartment to work in.
Sennheiser RS120 926 MHz Wireless RF Headphones with Charging Cradle

Zip Fizz
Lack of sleep is par for the course in bschool. I found a great alternative to coffee called Zip Fizz. It's a powder combo of caffeine and vitamins that you mix with water. This stuff has a small but devoted following at Wharton. You can buy it cheaply at Amazon or Costco.
Zipfizz-Healthy Energy Drink Mix, 30 Tubes Variety Pack

Pandora
I have this on my iPhone, and it has been a lifesaver at times when I've been trying to finish a paper or study for an exam in a distracting spot. All I need is a good station to drown out the noise and I can focus.
www.Pandora.com

Take a DIP in the Self-Doubt Pool

2009-02-07T17:45:00.003-05:00

We've just completed the dedicated interview period (DIP), which is a two-week period when all core courses are cancelled to give first-years the chance to "dedicate" themselves to interviewing for internships. Most companies therefore come to campus for first rounds during these two weeks. To say that we have been dedicated to interviewing is a gross understatement. I swear my life has transformed into one long interview. I answer all questions in the STAR format, my wardrobe has consisted of nothing but 2 interview suits and 3 dress shirts, and I have memorized the artwork on the walls of every waiting area the McNeil interview dungeon.

For months we've been building to this point. We've been feeling good about ourselves for so long. We are here at Wharton, one of the most elite schools in the world, and we are proud. We are leaders, strategic thinkers, highly desired by recruiters from every industry and function. Despite the economic disaster that is palpable all around us, we were confident that our hard work, preparation, and passion would get us fabulous summer internships, which would lead to full-time offers.

Two weeks later, what a difference. We've all experienced rejection - whether it was a "you have not been invited to interview" or a "we will unfortunately not be able to move forward with you in the second round process, but we hope you will keep in touch with us" or a "while your qualifications and experience are certainly impressive, we regret that we are not able to offer you a position." Even though we knew it would happen, its still pretty tough to know that the company you've been building a relationship with over the last 4 months is just not that into you. It's a harsh switch - for months the companies have been inviting us to get to know them better, feeding us, inviting us to their offices, and generally wining and dining us. Then suddenly in that little interview room it is now us trying to prove ourselves to them. And they are interviewing 17 people for 2 spots. One single 45 minute conversation decides your fate.

There is definitely some good news to go around, but there has been a lot more disappointment. A whole lot of people are not going to be working in their first choice industry over the summer, let alone their first choice company. It's been quite a reality check. I am exhausted, but I am one of the lucky ones. I got an offer, one I really wanted! But so many of my friends didn't.

Guest Post: Bad Dancer gives it the old college try

2009-01-11T12:22:00.001-05:00

In my 1st, and only, post, I talked about how much fun pre-term was and how I was getting fat from drinking so much beer. Well, needless to say, 1st semester wasn’t quite the same party as pre-term, at least for her.

Now don’t get me wrong, the social scene at Wharton has been fantastic - between half-dressed pub crawls, happy hours, Thursday night parties and the Wharton Prom (at least I called it that), I had a great time. The major difference was how freakin’ hard Tiny worked, day-in and day-out. Not only was the rigor of schoolwork quite overwhelming, but between extracurriculars (Tiny has joined an MBA record 38 clubs), applications for internships, a variety of other random activities…man she worked her a$% off.

For example, Tiny and I are die-hard Phillies fans and we’ve been waiting for a season like this past one for almost 30 years. During our World Series run in October, it took everything in her power to take a 3 hour break from studying to watch each game. Tiny was even studying at a local bar before game 3, with dozens of other hammered Phillies fans around screaming and yelling and carrying-on! (note: she did take a few extra hours off to drink champagne on Broad Street when we won).

So, let’s get to me. Even though Tiny was working herself into a frenzy, I had a great 4 months. I played football with her Cohort and felt really welcomed by her classmates, we went to some great parties, had couples dinners with a lot of really interesting old, married people like ourselves, and I even started hanging out with a few of Tiny’s friends, even while she was home studying.

My experience was so good, I decided to apply. Last Wednesday, I hit submit and sent in my application for Fall 2009 admittance. Of all the great things I witnessed about Wharton these past few months, I’m not totally sure what made me decide to apply. Of all the excellent aspects of Wharton I’ve seen, #1 has to be the quality of people that Tiny is in school with. The amazing variety of personalities and diverse backgrounds, the good nature and intense bonding between classmates and how ridiculously brilliant most of them are, were all inspiring reasons to try and be a part of that culture (disclaimer: I am geographically challenged since Tiny will be in Philly for at least 1.5 more years and our long term plans are to stay in Philly, I couldn’t exactly explore the similarities of other great programs).

Now unfortunately, my GMAT score is nowhere near what Tiny’s was and falls slightly outside the Wharton middle-80th percent. Maybe I have a 5, 10, 15% chance of getting in? But I’m not worried – If I get in, amazing. If not, I’ll still get to share another year and change at Wharton with wifey and personally get a ton out of it.

By the way, the other reason I want to get in is so I can go on the Antarctica trek. I don’t give a crap about Finance, I want to hike across our southern pole and bring home a penguin as a pet. I’m sure it’d do well in the bathtub of our Center City apartment

What a Year

2008-12-31T12:12:00.006-05:00

Wow. So much has happened in the last year that I can't believe how far I've come. Last year at this time, I had just found out I'd been admitted to Wharton. I was trying to figure out what to do with myself for the next 6 months. Today, I'm savoring a much-needed break and trying not to worry about whether I will score an internship offer and how hard the next semester will be academically. Night and day. Let's do a little year in review, shall we?

Wharton: Since I didn't post much about Wharton at all this semester, it's difficult to sum up. But I'll try to summarize the highlights:
I drank a lot. Maybe even more than I did as a Penn State senior. And I dressed in silly outfits more than a person probably should.
I passed MGEC and Accounting! Still waiting on a lot of grades, but I think I managed not to fail anything (fingers crossed).
I dropped 13 resumes and so far have 1 interview (that I won in bidding).
I became hyper-involved. So much so that I probably overdid it, but I wouldn't change a thing.
I challenged myself to step out of my comfort zone.
I blew off way more than I'd typically be comfortable with. Being that busy meant a lot of things just didn't fit in. Like sleep. And laundry.
I discovered Zipfizz
.
I realized that even a somewhat scaled back social life is still pretty expensive.
I finally started to get the hang of this networking thing.
I learned a lot about business, which is what I am here for in the first place!

Sports: This year has been, by far, my best sports year ever. My co-ed softball team won the championship for the 3rd time last summer (although I missed the championship because I was taking the math test!). My cohort won the flag football championship. I won in fantasy football. Penn State finally beat Michigan and won the Big Ten Championship and is playing in the Rose Bowl tomorrow. The Eagles, despite a somewhat wretched season, managed to pull off an unlikely historic win against Dallas to sneak into the playoffs (and send the Cowgirls home). And of course, the Philadelphia Phillies ended a 25-year drought for Philadelphia to become the world champions of baseball. Ah, I loved 2008!

P.S. Hi Arthur!

Finals

2008-12-14T18:44:00.003-05:00

I just don't have the motivation I used to have for taking finals. I feel similar to maybemba, who said exams feel juvenile at this age. I definitely feel too old to be doing this. I am trying not to stress too much. I reached a high level of stress last week when I finally reached the end of my resume drops, only to realize that it was 7pm and I had an Accounting final at noon the next day (and had not studied at all yet). From that point I realized that stressing is not going to help me. Truthfully, grades mean little to me now with grade non-disclosure. I came here to learn and proving I've done so on an exam is just not important to me. So I'm just trying to do enough to pass. Or at least, I'm trying to get myself to treat studying that way, but I invariably stay up too late or start to get upset at points when I realize how much work I have to do ...
The nice thing is all my hard finals (accounting, linear programming) were last week. The remaining ones are open book or take home, so I just need to make sure I understand the concepts and get organized enough to be able to find stuff in my notes during the exam. My biggest obstacle is just getting myself to sit down and do it! I want to watch football and drink hot chocolate!

Applications

2008-12-07T18:08:00.004-05:00

Wharton has a cool system that allows us to apply to jobs online. Unfortunately, there are only a few days when applications are due, which means that they tend to clump together. Plus, many of the applications require filling out another application on the companies website. And we all know how un-fun those are. Ugh, I am not happy right now!

New Book Review

2008-12-03T11:24:00.005-05:00

The nice people at MBA Admissions Strategy sent me a copy of their book a long time ago, but I haven't had any time to post a review. In my opinion, this book is really great. I wish that I had it when I was applying. It has some really great insight into the strategies that you should use when creating your applications. It goes into everything from identifying your themes to approaching the most common types of essay questions. Other books are great for tactical advice (what to do when, how to go about it, etc), but this book mirrors my own personal philosophy about how you need to think about each step in order to create the best application for yourself. Highly recommended. In fact, I gave this book to a special someone that is applying this year. Check it out (link below to amazon where you can see the 5 star rating!)

Long Time ....

2008-12-03T10:49:00.004-05:00

... no Blog! Dear readers, I am so sorry to have abandoned you, as I am sure you missed hearing about my exploits here at Wharton. Well, I can only say that I have only been this crazy busy once in my life (during one particular consulting project), but this time it is a lot more fun. I've had an amazing semester. I learned a lot, met amazing people, made wonderful friends, and experienced a few inspirational victories. At the same time, I've experienced a lot of stress, wasted countless dollars on un-read bulk packs and text books, wondered why the hell I am doing this to myself, and thanked the Wharton gods for grade-nondisclosure. It has truly been a roller coaster ride, but I regret none of it.

I can't really express how busy I've been. A coworker warned me that a friend of his virtually disappeared for 2 years when he went here, but I figured it couldn't be that bad. I had majored in engineering, that was hard. This might be a lot of work, but it wouldn't be hard, right? Wrong! It IS a ton of work and it IS hard. The only reason I have time to write right now is because I should be working on a cover letter (ah, procrastination). But somehow, I have found a little time for "networking" with my classmates and, hopefully, my career activities will get me a summer internship. Of course, that assumes that the sky is not falling and employers will actually be hiring. Not a given these days. I've learned to ignore the bail-outs and the bank failures and the doom doom doom coming from the news. All I can do is keep my fingers crossed that I'm not flushing $150K down the drain ...

No, no, of course it is worth it even if I don't get a job. I think.

BLOG ACTION DAY: Poverty In America

2008-10-15T13:33:00.004-04:00

It's easy for those of us in the position to attend one of the best business schools in the world to forget sometimes how lucky we are. We all worry about our return on investment of our tuition money, whether we can afford that new interview suit, or how much to budget for party tickets and pitchers of beer. Economic downturns may have us questioning whether to take that ski trip over winter break or if we should really be spending money on those baseball playoff tickets (Go Phillies! Sorry, had to sneak that in).

But the reality is that we are lucky to have these "problems" to worry about. Millions of Americans worry every day about how they will put food on the table, or whether rising gas prices means they have to get a new job because they can't afford to commute to their current one anymore. Politicians may talk about how much they care about "Joe Sixpack" or the suffering middle class families. But they rarely mention the true desperation of our country's poor. Some say that as a country we are only as good as our weakest link. We, as Americans, need to step up and remember our neediest neighbors. The simple things often help the most: volunteer at a soup kitchen or a food bank, donate to charity, anything. At this election time, we need to remember that we are ALL Americans, and we all have a responsibility to help take care of each other.

Thanks for reading!

"Riding Out" Recession is a Myth

2008-10-12T15:41:00.002-04:00

It's an age-old concept. The economy goes sour, so thousands of professional go back to business school to "hide" and "ride it out" for two years. If this is what you are thinking of doing, you are in for a rude awakening. The idea that current b-school students had great timing and are unaffected by this downturn is false. Although we are obviously not fearing lay-offs for ourselves, everything that is happening right now in the economy does not paint a pretty picture for us.

Second years are interviewing right now for their full-time positions. As you can imagine, a lot of companies are canceling their recruiting or severely downsizing the number of positions they will offer (not to mention all the companies that suddenly don't exist anymore!). The fact that investment banking is typically a huge source of employment for Wharton grads is a serious concern for everyone. Even if you are not planning to go into banking, we all expect the competition for things like consulting and investment management to increase due to the migration of those folks to other opportunities. And when competition rises there, the trickle-down effect will almost definitely impact other career choices like marketing and general management. In other words, it's a total shake-up, and no one knows what to expect.

For first years, we start meeting recruiters this month. The typical schedule means that we'll be interviewing for summer internship positions in Jan/Feb. Does anyone actually think things will be better by then? Highly doubtful. What about by this time next year? Maybe (we can hope!) but it's looking less and less likely by the day. That makes the idea of getting an internship that will lead to a full-time offer more and more important. But when companies are reducing internship opportunities to try to cut costs, we're looking at a much harder job search that's going to require a lot more work.

Don't misunderstand - I am still optimistic. I'd rather be here at Wharton than many other schools. If companies reduce their number of offers, they will probably do so at other schools first. Many companies still see MBA recruiting as an investment, and therefore will make cuts elsewhere. Others may not have interviewed at Wharton before due to lack of interest by students, but they will come this year in anticipation of the shift I described above. Unless the bottom completely falls out of this economy, most of us still expect to have net gains from our time here.

So what am I saying? I guess the current situation just makes the whole ROI of the MBA that much more important. If you were unsure that you needed an MBA before this whole mess unfolded, you should be looking even more carefully at the decision. If you are convinced, as I am, that an MBA from a top school will help you achieve your goals, even if the job prospects are diminished from previous years, then you should continue with your applications. Just be careful not to view this as a 2 year vacation.

Essay Advice

2008-09-10T11:29:00.002-04:00

Many of you are working on your essays now for R1, or maybe you are thinking about them for R2 and beyond. While I am by no means an expert, I do feel that I am a good writer and I was happy with my essays. I don't think I was a "slam dunk" candidate (despite a high GMAT, it really is just 1 data point, albeit an important one), so I believe my essays were probably the differentiating factor for me. I also paid a lot of attention during the application process to what adcom's were saying about what they look for. So here is what I learned. I hope this helps some people.

1. Show IMPACT. Adcoms don't want people who are going to pass all their classes and that's it. They want people who are not only going to be engaged, but are going to have an impact on their classmates and into their careers. So don't give a laundry list of your job responsibilities. That's for the resume, and you don't need to repeat it in your essays. Show how you had an impact on your company, your project, your group outside of work, yourself. Impress them with your actions and your accomplishments, not your title. They've seen a lot of titles.
2. Focus on how you will contribute. Yes, schools want to know why you love them. You definitely need to show your fit with the program and why you are applying there. I believe this only gets you halfway there. Smarter applicants then link this to why the school should want them. Discuss the unique perspectives you'll bring to your classes. Discuss ways that you'll leave the school better than it was before you came. This is a great way to differentiate yourself from similar applicants that don't quite "get it". If you aren't sure how to do this, try putting yourself in the position of the reader, perhaps a student reader. Why is that student, who has his/her own impressive background, going to want you as a classmate?
3. Don't just describe your goals. Describe WHY they are your goals. Explain how everything you've done so far has led you to this point. Don't leave adcom wondering, connect the dots for them.
4. Tell good stories. Don't be afraid to open up. Remember that application readers are people, and all people like reading stories. If your essays are just fluffed up resumes, your reader will be bored. If you are an exceptional applicant with alumni parents that donated a building, this won't matter. But if you are not (and most of us are not), you need to differentiate yourself as much as you can. Try to write something that is enjoyable to read. But don't force it with gimmicks, like random quotes or dictionary definitions. Just try to be your authentic self, and the rest will come. You are interesting, show it.
5. Prioritize and make cuts. If you are a strong applicant, you have loads of leadership examples, extra-curricular activities, accomplishments, etc. You can't fit them all in, so don't try. You need to keep the best stuff that tells the best story in. Let the rest fall away or leave it to a brief mention somewhere in a data sheet. It's so easy to want to make sure the reader knows that in addition to starting a charity and running a professional club, that you also volunteered for the special olympics every year while you were in college. Of course these are all good things, but what value is the special olympics example bringing when you've already showed that you are volunteer-minded and a self-starter? Try to keep the law of diminishing returns in mind. Leaving some stuff out leaves you more space to reflect deeper on the most valuable points.

Guest Post: Three's a Crowd?

2008-08-31T12:46:00.001-04:00

Just call me BadDancer - Tiny Dancer's 'partner'

Nine months ago, when Wifey got into Wharton, I had a bunch of comments thrown my way by friends and family that gave me pause:

From my brother - "Ohhhh, now you'll have a Sugar Momma"
My friends - "You going to be a stay at home Dad?"
My grandmother - "What about grandkids? I'm not going to be around forever"
My parents - "How are you going to pay for this???"

While TinyD's post-Wharton salary would certainly surpass mine, I was totally cool not being the breadwinner. I also liked the thought of stay at home Husband, raising TinyDancer, Jr., with days full of watching SportsCenter, teaching TinyDancer, Jr. the minutia of a curve ball and learning to cook. (Just replace Sports Center with Oprah and I figured that's what stay at home Mom's do).

But as the start of pre-term at Wharton drew near and I learned more about our next 2 years of B-School, I got a little nervous. Move from our 2,000 sq ft house into an 850 sq ft apartment in Center City, full days of classes, hours and hours of group work and studying, tons of extracurricular clubs, interviewing for internships and full-time jobs, guest speakers, learning team retreat, winter break global treks, etc. etc, etc.

Holy crap. When again was I supposed to see my wife? Would she ever be home for dinner? How many frozen burritos could I possibly take? Would I be included in any of this stuff or would I want to be involved? How in the hell would we be able to afford $150G's in just two years??? It was a little scary.

I was beginning to think that three's a crowd. Wifey and I had a great life together and Wharton was going to be the third wheel. Yeah, long term benefits aside...the next two years might really suck and we'd be in major debt to boot. Then after graduation, Wifey would get some crazy cool job and we'd be up and moving again to a far away place and I'd just be along for the ride. Maybe I'd be the third wheel since she'd be spending most of her time with Wharton.

Now don't get me wrong, TinyD and I talked about this quite a bit. She told me it wasn't going to be that bad, she'd try and come home and make dinner, I could be involved in some of the fun stuff and she wanted to stay near Philly after graduation. I also was told about the Wharton Partner's Club and I could make friends with some of the other 'partners' (that word gives me chills, probably the subject of a future guest post if TinyD lets me write again). But going into pre-term, I wasn't convinced.

Well, I can say, Wharton passed the 1st test. I know pre-term is much less of a time commitment than the 1st Semester, but I had an absolute blast. TinyD worked really hard, but we went out and partied with her classmates ALOT, met some great people, did some really fun activities and loved living in the city. Honestly, I haven't drank this much or stayed up this late since College...and overall, it was great. It actually got to the point where I needed Friday or Saturday night to recover from parties from Tuesday through Thursday.

I'm sure my opinion would be different if I was a partner moving to Philly from far away or internationally, but not all that much.

To all potential future Wharton husbands - don't spend too much time feeling bad for yourselves that your wives are smarter, going to be more successful, etc. Enjoy the next two years for all that they are...and try and meet a really smart Wharton grad to hook you up with a sweet job and maybe Philadelphia Eagles club box seats.

Sidenote - I do need to start going to the gym. I'm going to get a major beer gut unless I start working off the extra liquid carbs.

Hello, My Name Is

2008-08-30T15:30:00.005-04:00

One of the best things about Wharton so far is the large number of name tags for different events I've accumulated. I haven't yet found a use for them, but I'm sure I'll come up with one soon. Ideas are welcome. Here's the list:

Explore Wharton: Diversity in Action (This is my favorite one because I wasn't sure if it was going to be the only time I had my name on something that said Wharton. Aw.)
Wharton Winter Welcome
Wharton Welcome Weekend
Wharton Health Care Conference
Wharton Pre-Term
Wharton Learning Team Retreat
And my fav ...
My shiny new professional Wharton name tag that make me look like I work in a hotel.

EDIT: Yes I know that I just identified two as my favorite. I can have two favorites if I want! It's my blog!

Calling All Bloggers!

2008-08-16T12:24:00.003-04:00

I just heard about a great idea called Blog Action Day. On October 15, thousands of bloggers around the world (including me) will speak out about poverty. Options are wide open, all you have to do is blog that day and make the topic poverty. I hope a lot of B-school bloggers will participate. I'd really like to read all of your thoughts.

Click on the graphic on the right to sign up!

My Body is Rejecting Wharton

2008-08-15T23:14:00.005-04:00

Too much bar food + too much beer + too many shots + not enough sleep + stress * (falling behind on homework in every class + "did I pass the math test?" + complete confusion over Stat waiver class ) = unhappy body

Let unhappy body = x
Let feeling of excitement and fulfillment in choice of MBA = f(x)
As x increases, y increases. But as value of x gets large, y is subject to diminishing returns. Recommendation: student should take night off, watch Olympics, and get extra sleep!

Yes, I passed the math test.

Busy Busy

2008-08-05T00:00:00.004-04:00

Wow. I can't believe how quickly everything got so busy. I mean, I was expecting it, but I still feel a little surprised. I guess I knew that I'd be going out almost every night, but I glossed over in my mind that we'd have real life classes during Pre-Term. Sure, there are no grades. But you still need to know the material because you can get tested on it in the Fall. Or, if you're trying to waive, the stakes are high because you need to pass that waiver exam.

Today I bought my first text books since undergrad. Actually, when I was in undergrad, I benefited from a sweet deal that got me free books each Fall. I was in the band, and a group of us performed in front of the downtown store on Friday nights before football games. In exchange - free books! I wish I could work out something similar here, but something tells me there will be no occasion to play my clarinet outside of the bookstore. At least, none that would inspire the owner to give me free textbooks ;)

Anyway, I'm already behind in my Math Camp homework (thankfully it does not get collected). I tried to read from my Managerial Economics book today, but I couldn't get through the chapter. My mind kept wandering. I used to be able to tear through this stuff once upon a time. I don't know why I'm struggling so much to turn myself back into a student. Sigh. I'm sure I'll get there eventually.

What are Wharton People Like?

2008-08-02T02:09:00.003-04:00

I feel like now that I've been here for a week+, I should comment on some of the things I've read about Wharton in the past. I guess every school has a reputation for what it's like, based on truth or perhaps not. I think a lot of what is said about a school can be true to some extent, but there's always more to it when you look closer. For instance, Wharton is known for being a Finance school. For sure, it is excellent in that area. But I feel like people decide not to apply there because they are not interested in Finance, and I think that's a shame. Wharton is so good at so many things, it's just that Finance tends to overshadow the rest and people don't hear about it. But I think "the rest" is actually still worthy of the Top 3 designation. I have zero interest in Finance, other than the necessity of learning what I need to know to be a good businessperson, yet I feel that there is no better school for me than Wharton.

Another thing that perplexes me is the tendency for people to say that Wharton people are a certain way. We are supposedly all "quant jocks" ... that is news to me judging by how many of us seem to be thoroughly confused by logarithms in our basic math class, but I digress. Also many of us are supposed to be super-competitive ... I'm also scratching my head on that one since the vast majority of students favor grade nondisclosure because they don't want to be competing with their classmates for grades. Oh, and many of us are a-holes. Seriously, I must be at the wrong Wharton. Yeah, anywhere you go, there will be some crappy people. But I am just not feeling an a-hole vibe here AT ALL. Everyone I've met is incredibly nice, rather humble, and eager to learn about their classmates. I have never felt that anyone was "sizing me up," as I read on a BW post. More often people are too busy commenting that they don't know how they got in with all the incredible students here.

I'm not trying to be a cheerleader for Wharton in this post. I just feel that I need to counter some of the stuff out there that might discourage some people from applying. If you have heard any of the above things about Wharton and you were turned off, I encourage you to take another look. Come visit us. See what our culture and students are really like. Do the same for other schools. I think there is much more to all of them than what you might expect.

Pre-Term is in Full Swing

2008-07-31T08:48:00.001-04:00

I know I've been light on posting lately. I haven't had much to talk about. Now I have a million things to talk about, but no time to do it! My days have been totally packed. Thank goodness for my new iPhone (wuhoo!) and always having my calendar on me!

I'll try to post again soon.

Wharton and Math

2008-07-28T00:23:00.003-04:00

I spent a lot of time this summer trying to brush up on calculus. Wharton has a math test during Pre-Term, which mainly includes calculus concepts applied to business problems. You have to pass in order to matriculate (but you get 2 tries). So I read a business calculus book because I last looked at calculus about 10 years ago, and I never had word problems. Then I did the assessment test on the web, which helps you decide which math review class to take to prepare for the test. My score was pretty horrible, so I was kinda worried. But then I asked around and found out that most people hadn't even looked at the assessment test. So I felt better, but also a little like a nerd. I need to chill a little, lest I become one of those poor souls who cares too much about grades!*

*At Wharton, and I suspect other schools that have grade non-disclosure (Wharton doesn't have GND as a policy anymore, but the student association votes to have it as a student policy), you will often see 2nd years advising 1st years not to worry too much about grades. As long as you pass, your grades really don't matter because they won't be a factor in recruiting. Of course, you want to learn, but there is no need to go for a super-high GPA for any reason other than an ego boost. GND fosters a sense of community and cooperation among students, because it theoretically stops people from scratching and clawing their way to #1 in the class. It also, theoretically, gives you permission to pry yourself away from academics enough to socialize and participate in clubs. But there are always some students who care very much about grades (many would argue too much) and end up studying way more than everyone else. These people miss out on stuff. I don't want to be one of those people. But as your standard-issue-overachiever-Wharton-admit, I have a feeling it will be hard to really convince myself "that grades don't matter."

So It Begins

2008-07-18T23:58:00.002-04:00

I can't believe it. Pre-Term arrives in a little over a week. People are already in town and planning get-togethers. It's a little strange to think about starting school in July. Friends and family keep asking me "When do you start?" and literally every time I tell them, the response is "So soon?" What can I say, Wharton is a little thorough about preparing us to start the program. I'm kinda glad. I'm paying a lot of freakin money for this degree. I want it to be a rigorous program! I'm not sure that I'll have the same sentiment as I sit down to the math test in August (readers attending other schools just thought "Math test?!?!" Yes. Math test.) But I'm not worried about the Math Test (well not TOO worried). There is a class that's meant to prepare me for it. I'm more worried about adjusting to the academics in general. I simply have not studied for anything other than the GMAT in 7 years. I think I forgot how.

Three book Recommendations

2008-07-08T10:24:00.006-04:00

During my time off, I've been trying to get some reading done. Somehow, I never succeed as much as I want to, but I have managed to finish a few books that I wanted to share with you.

All Marketers Are Liars: The Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a Low-Trust World

Since I'm interested in marketing, I've been reading a few books on the subject. This one really struck me as a good source for MBA applicants. First of all, very early in the book, the author Seth Godin admits that he lied with the title of the book. All marketers are not liars, he says, but the good ones tell authentic stories that we want to believe. From the amazon description of the book: "Every marketer tells a story. And if they do it right, we believe them. We believe that wine tastes better in a $20 glass than a $1 glass. We believe that an $80,000 Porsche Cayenne is vastly superior to a $36,000 VW Touareg, which is virtually the same car. We believe that $225 Pumas will make our feet feel better-and look cooler-than $20 no-names . . . and believing it makes it true." "Marketers succeed when they tell us a story that fits our worldview, a story that we intuitively embrace and then share with our friends. Think of the Dyson vacuum cleaner or the iPod." How can this help you with your applications? Imagine the readers on the admissions committee. They read hundreds or thousands of applications each year. How are you going to make in impression? I don't believe that it's through a couple of high scores and some A-list employers. No doubt these things might help your application, but I believe the most memorable applicants tell a good story. And not just good stories in each essay, but their whole application is a story that, put together, gives adcom a clear pictures of what that person is all about. How can you do this with your application? Well first, I recommend reading the book for inspiration. Imagine yourself as a "product" that you are "marketing" to adcom. Put together your elevator pitch - a few sentences that sum up the picture you want adcom to have in their head about you after reading your application. Keep it near you whenever you are working on a portion of the application, to make sure everything you write is consistent with that pitch. For instance - does your elevator pitch say that you are going to be a contributor to your class? You should probably show in your application how you are already a contributor in your job, your volunteer work, your extra curricular activities, etc. In other words, show that you are already living the story. Note: It's worth mentioning that I'm not advocating that you actually lie on your application. Not only is it unethical (obviously), but I think that adcom are very good at picking up on this. It is a rare person that can lie about themselves in writing and actually sound authentic. Be honest about yourself and who you are, and it will resonate.

You're So Money: Live Rich, Even When You're Not

I met the author of this book, Farnoosh Torabi, at the women's conference I attended at Penn State. Turns out my husband was in a group with her in his undergrad business classes. He was very excited to buy her book when it came out, but I ended up reading it first. I think I was in the perfect state of mind to read it, since I'm suddenly a lot "poorer" than I was a few months ago when I had a job and no huge loans! A lot of it is aimed more at those in their early twenties, but I definitely learned a lot and got some great ideas for how I can still have a fabulous life during this two years of less cash. And she gives you tips and tricks without seeming preachy like other personal finance books. She won't tell you to give up your latte, but she will challenge you to determine how important it is for you to have that latte AND the designer jeans of the season. There are chapters on buying a car, buying a cell phone, and buying real estate. There is also a chapter by Jim Cramer on stock speculation.

Secrets from Top MBA Admits

The author of this new eBook, Josh Hohman, a recent Stanford GSB grad, sent me an advance copy to review for possible interest to my audience. I read the whole thing last night, and I definitely think it could be a good resource for some applicants. The book is basically a report containing survey responses from recent admits from Stanford, Harvard, and Columbia. There are questions like "Describe the challenges you had in your application" and "What advice would you offer an applicant applying to your school." I think this book is a good supplement for the big application guidebooks you may be reading. It's not going to give you extensive advice and instructions, but it will provide you with some good profiles of successful applicants to give you a feel for what it takes to get in. There are profiles of students with low GMAT scores (below 650!), no work experience, non-traditional backgrounds, and some students who claim they had no "wow factor" but still got in. There is also a lot of advice and information specific to Stanford, which could be very valuable to those targeting this school. (There is nothing about Wharton though - Josh should definitely expand to Wharton and other schools in his next edition!) If you follow the link to the website, www.ExpertCollective.com, and provide your email address, Josh will send you a free preview copy that lets you see the questions that are included in the survey with a some examples of responses. If you like it, the full version is available for purchase.

Disclaimer: The author did offer me compensation for linking to his book. However, I would definitely not recommend this to my readers if I did not think it would be a good resource. I recommend downloading the free preview and checking it out for yourself.

Ode to Philadelphia: Living Here

2008-07-03T10:54:00.006-04:00

I can't believe it's been more than a month since we moved in. I guess the move and post-move activity was so intense that it's only really be a few weeks since we've been "settled." We're still unpacking, but that's another story.

Anyway, I thought I'd resurrect my Ode to Philadelphia series now that I am a real live resident at last. Let's get the bad stuff out of the way first, so we can end on a good note!

The Ugly: As easy as it is to get complacent once you are used to your environment, every once in awhile you get a reminder that no matter where you are, you have to be smart about safety. There was an attempted rape about 3 blocks from my apartment the other night. A woman was returning home from a party alone, late at night, and a man followed her. Normally, this is a really safe area, so of course people are very upset and police are warning us to be smart and careful. I think the important takeaways are: 1) Never get lazy about safety. Women shouldn't walk home alone late at night in ANY city (or any town or rural college campus for that matter). No matter how safe it seems to be, there can be crazy people anywhere. Cabs are plentiful - it's worth the $5! 2) In a weird way, this actually makes me feel better about the neighborhood. Let me explain: this wouldn't be getting so much attention if it were not so rare of an occurrence in this area. All evidence points to an isolated incident, so I'm going to take precautions and not worry about it.

The Bad:

Some of the typical city stuff - sirens, honking horns, etc. Although I'm pretty much used to those by now.

Philly is an old city, and much like New York or any city in Europe, it can be kinda smelly. Not everywhere, mind you. But every once in awhile you are reminded that you just walked near a sewer grate. Especially in the summer. I won't elaborate.

Also an old city thing - the roads are narrow. Trying to get around by car (and even by bike) is difficult and frustrating. Rush hour is to be avoided at all costs!

The sidewalks are kind of a mess. I mean, they are solid and certainly adequate. But they tend to slant in different directions in different spots, which is a nightmare for someone trying to walk in heels. My husband has not noticed this, by the way.

The ~4% wage tax! This doesn't affect students, obviously. But for those of us with working spouses, this is a really tough expense to swallow. This tax applies to anyone living in Philadelphia, even if you work outside of the city, like my husband.

Ok, Now the Good:

Fabulous Restaurants! There are so many within walking distance (and so many more within a short cab distance) that I want to try. From Five Guys Burgers and Fries to Le Bec Fin, pretty much any taste and budget can be satisfied here. I've mentioned it before, but it's worth telling you again that BYOBs are a fantastic way to save money on a night out.

Bars! There are so many great ones. I'm looking forward to the Wharton social life.

Shopping! Well I can't really afford to do it now, but there are plenty of interesting places to spend your money along Walnut and Chestnuts streets. I can't wait until I have my internship salary ;)

Center City Sips. This is a summer thing in Center City. Restaurants and bars all around CC have really cheap drink and appetizers for happy hour on Wednesday night. It's a great way to try out an expensive place, like Brasserie Perrier, without spending a lot of money. Student friendly!

Walking to Everything I Need: The bank, the library, the post office, the grocery store. Everything is within walking distance, and many things are even just within a block's walk. I love it!

The Atmosphere. I'll just give you an example. Last night, when Hubby arrived home, we started hearing curious sounds outside. We opened the windows to listen, and determined that there must be a concert somewhere. We decided to take a walk and check it out. We got downstairs and started strolling. There were people everywhere, walking along with shopping bags, sitting outside at bars and restaurants, walking their dogs, etc. We walked over to Rita's Water Ice to get a little dessert, and noticed that across the street there was a small group of teenagers playing jazz music in between two casual restaurants where people were sitting outside. We decided this wasn't what we heard from our window. We headed toward Broad Street. We noticed a band playing in the lobby of the Kimmel Center. We kept going and finally found our source. It was a pre-4th of July event. At least 3 bands were playing on different blocks along Broad Street, and various food and arts and crafts tent lined the sidewalk. We took it all in, then headed back to Rittenhouse Square. The park was loaded with a diverse range of people and dogs enjoying the lovely night. A bit reluctantly, we returned home to attend to our mundane evening chores.

So yeah, I'm really loving our new digs. It's tough to have a small apartment, and I'm kinda missing my garden a little. But it's so much fun to be here in the middle of all the excitement of the city. I really recommend that anyone who is thinking they might not like living here for two years just give it one visit. I believe you'll be pleasantly surprised!

The Economist It Is!

2008-06-27T13:53:00.002-04:00

15 out of 20 voters said I should subscribe to the Economist instead of BusinessWeek. Though this is hardly a representative sample (see, I'm brushing up on my statistics!), I'm still going to go with the majority and put in my order for The Economist.

This Year's B-School Scandal

2008-06-25T01:17:00.003-04:00

It seems like every year there is a scandal in the MBA world. A few years back, it was the Harvard application decision "hacking" scandal, where students who followed the advice of a BW poster were able to modify the Apply Yourself website to see their decisions early. Harvard rejected them all due to their poor ethical choice (debatable, but I'm not going to get into it). Last year it was the Duke cheating scandal, where several students were expelled for collaborating on an individual take-home test. This year, it is the GMAT cheating scandal.

It seems that a site called Scoretop (which has since been shut down) was selling actual live GMAT questions to potential test-takers for $30. Then the questions were discussed on the site in a forum. Presumably, the MBA hopefuls that bought the questions may have seen them on the actual test, which means they had information that others didn't. GMAC won a court order to shut down the site and claims to have a hard drive that they are searching to discover the identities of those who purchased the questions. They will cancel the culprits' scores and notify the schools that they sent the scores to. So far no schools have come out and said that they would take action against those students, but it's within the realm of possibility that some students may have their offers revoked or get kicked out of programs if they are already enrolled. A ray of hope for waitlisters, perhaps (wink wink)?

In all seriousness, this is scary stuff. I wonder how many people purchased access to the questions without realizing that what they were doing was against GMAC's policy? I doubt Scoretop disclosed that little tidbit. Some people probably didn't even realize they were live questions and may have thought they were buying practice questions similar to those provided by other legitimate companies. I guess ignorance is not an excuse, but I feel bad for those people. On the other hand, I'm sure the majority of people that paid the $30 knew exactly what they were doing. Regardless of whether it actually helped them, I think they deserve whatever punishment is handed down to them, although I'm sure the harshness will vary by school. I guess we'll just have to watch and wait for the fallout.

New Book Alert: The Best Business Schools' Admissions Secrets

2008-06-20T14:29:00.005-04:00

I got an alert from Amazon today about a new book, The Best Business Schools' Admissions Secrets: A Former Harvard Business School Admissions Board Member Reveals the Insider Keys to Getting In. It comes out on July 1. I haven't seen the book yet, but it sounds like a good resource. I'm an advocate of using whatever research you have time to use! If you are planning to apply this year, you might want to check it out.

As a reminder, I've got a list of recommended books on the right side. Except for this new book, my recommendations are all based on my personal experience using the book.

BusinessWeek or The Economist??

2008-06-19T23:06:00.004-04:00

I got a thingy in the mail today inviting me to use my American Airlines miles to subscribe to magazines. I don't have enough miles for a ticket, so I figure I should sign up for one mag just to keep my miles from expiring for a while. But if I'm going to do it, it's gotta be something useful.

Hence, my poll. Should I get BusinessWeek or The Economist? Which will be more useful in keeping me up-to-date on the business world while I'm working on my MBA?
Please vote in the poll on the right!

Officially Unemployed and Poor (Sorta)

2008-06-19T22:13:00.003-04:00

Well it was certainly a wake-up call. The very first day of my unemployment, my bank account went negative. Ouch. It was really just an accounting error (I forgot about a payment I'd set up), but it really hit home the fact that I no longer have a salary. I know I will have loans, but I don't actually have any of that money yet, and I won't for several weeks. So now that I actually have some time to enjoy myself, my funds to do so are quite limited!

And as I've mentioned, we are contemplating borrowing less than Wharton's budget for first-years since my husband's salary will likely cover a lot of the room and board expenses. It's really hard to decide how much to borrow. I want to take advantage of these two years as much as possible, and there are a lot of expenses associated with that (i.e. social activities, travel, club membership, business wardrobe, etc). But at the same time, I don't want to live too far beyond our means, because that will just cost us more in interest in the long run. My husband is lucky enough to have never been in any kind of debt besides our mortgage, so all of these dollar signs associated with my education are pretty scary. We both know it will pay off in the long run, but it's not like I'm planning to go into investment banking or consulting so my pay off period is going to be longer than many of my classmates. I guess we both just need to get over that now. This is about my education, not everyone else's. Right ...

I keep thinking back to a mantra that was heard over and over from the students that hosted Welcome Weekend. "It all works out in the end." They said this so often, about so many subjects, including class waivers, tuition, technology, learning teams, academics, feeling overwhelmed, etc, that it started to become funny. But they all said it really is true. So I will go with it. It will all work out in the end ....

Nearing the Finish Line!

2008-06-14T22:08:00.002-04:00

Monday is my last day at work. Why Monday? Well, long story short, it's all about how you leave. Every year, I am responsible for putting together a lot of data from my team for the annual budget process. In order to do this, we get inputs from other groups. Those inputs were due on Friday, so I volunteered to stay for an extra day to make sure I had all the inputs ready to go for them so they could proceed to the next step. I wanted to minimize the impact of my departure as much as possible. I guess part of it is just from pride. I don't want them thinking "Man, Tinydancer really left us high and dry here." The rest of it is keeping bridges intact. I don't know if I want to come back to my company directly out of school, but I want to stay in the industry, and it's a small industry.
Of course, as expected, not all the information came in on Friday. Not sure if we'll get it on Monday, but it probably won't matter for me because I have too much other stuff to take care of, including exit interview, transitioning all my other projects, and cleaning out my desk. I've done my best to have everything in the best state that I can get it before I leave. That's all I can do. I really wish that I had a replacement to train like Julydream, it would be so much easier! I've already had to deflect many last-minute requests to do more work and I've had to say no. Not sure what kind of superhuman they think I am!

Kellogg MBA Application Advice

2008-06-12T21:02:00.001-04:00

Today a reader asked me for some advice about applying to Kellogg. I realized my reply could help others that are thinking of applying, so I decided to post it here. Enjoy.

Here is what I know about Kellogg, which should help you frame your essays:
-Teamwork. This is hugely important to them. They want to know that you are a team player and want to see evidence of this. They want to know that you understand how important it is to them and that is why you are applying to Kellogg (they consider this a major differentiator between them and other top schools).
-Community. This is a tie-in to teamwork, but they want people who are going to be very involved in the community of the MBA. Play up any community involvement you have in your background. Volunteer work is part of this and is important, but also they like to see any other activities you might have such as a recreational sports team or alumni club or maybe you organize a family poker competition (see what I mean, look everywhere for evidence of this). Even if you have done some extra-curriculars at work, this will show that you are going to be someone that will contribute and not just attend and go home to study. It will probably help to discuss what clubs and activities you specifically want to be involved in
-Leadership. This is a new focus for Kellogg, but they definitely want to see that leadership learning is a priority for you. But the leadership focus is within the teamwork concept. Show that you've been a leader in a team situation (so it doesn't have to be where you supervised people, but any situation where you took the lead in helping a team make a decision would work).
-Personality. It helps to visit so you can see it for yourself, but the typical Kellogg student is very outgoing and "fun". This is probably a result of the aspects of focus above. It probably matters more for your interview, but you want to show that you are not only smart, but nice to be around and will be an asset to any team you are on.
-Uniqueness. There is an essay question from last year that I would expect to be there again, since it has been there for a long time. They ask what makes you unique and what will you contribute to the class. This was the hardest question for me, and requires a lot of self-reflection. I think you need to think about what makes you unique in all aspects: work experience, extra-curriculars, interests, etc. Sure, many people may share any of these with you, but no one is the same combination of all of these as you! Show that you understand how every aspect of who you are will help you contribute to the experience of everyone else. And they really do want to know who you are.

3 more Days

2008-06-11T21:50:00.002-04:00

I only have three more days of work! You'd think that I'd be winding down and finishing up a few things here and there while I leisurely clean out my desk. You'd be wrong. In classic fashion, my company only started recruiting for my replacement a week ago, so of course there is no one for me to train and transition my work to. So I need to get all my open projects into a state where they can sit for awhile without anyone attending to them. Meanwhile, my managers are panicking and trying to unload more work on me, presumably so that they won't have to do it once I'm gone. It's getting stressful because I have less and less time left to get it all done. I'm so tired! I'm gonna go to bed early tonight to try to get some energy back.
Can't wait till Tuesday when I will be officially unemployed!

Time for Financial Aid Decisions

2008-06-08T14:08:00.002-04:00

I finally received information from Penn on how to apply for loans. The Stafford loan application is extremely easy. Just pick a lender and send the info to Penn and they take care of the application. According to many news sources, there are a lot of lenders dropping out of the student loan business. But Penn still had more than enough options, with what I thought were decent opportunities to lower costs through interest rate reductions and other benefits as rewards for signing up for auto-pay, paying on time, etc. One lender definitely came out on top in terms of the benefits, so that's what I went with.

I am lucky to A) have some money put away and B) a spouse that will be working full time while I'm in school. Therefore, I have some decisions to make about how much money I really need to borrow and at from what sources. The Stafford loan is a no-brainer, but I am not sure if I will take a Grad PLUS loan or an alternative loan. Grad PLUS has a rate of 8.5%, which right now is really high. Alternative loans have lower rates (assuming you qualify), but they are variable. You can find many predictions for what rates are going to do in the future, but who the heck really knows. Another option we're considering is a home equity loan or line of credit. We've got a little bit of equity in our home and the rates might be pretty good, especially if we can get fixed rates. We'd have to make payments during school though, which is a consideration.

Sooo, Hubby and I have a lot of work ahead of us to figure out our budget, how much money we really need to borrow, and what type of loan. Lots of fun on a hot day.

Hope all readers on the East Coast are finding ways to keep cool!

Welcome New Bloggers! Plus, a Rant.

2008-05-25T23:13:00.008-04:00

I have been trying to catch up on reading my blogs now that I have a little downtime. I realized there's a good crop of new applicant blogs popping up and I didn't even know about it! Welcome Happy Bunny (well, you I knew about), MBA Veggie, Soni, V2B-School, Samantha, and Veni Vidi Vici. I'm sure there are more of you out there. I'm gonna try to get better with keeping up. It'll be easier when I'm done working because Hella's page is blocked at work like everything else!

I was reading Samantha's blog and she was discussing women in business. She touched on something that is also my pet peeve and I've been wanting to discuss:

I also want fellow women to get their acts together. Maybe it's me being
too critical, but I do it out of love! I want women to succeed. The 50s-ish
woman with the wardrobe left over from the 80s with bad, unconfident posture,
the women my age who say "like" waaayy too much ... sexy wrap dresses, nails
painted red, skirts with high slits, twirling hair, chewing gum, tucking your
shirt in and not checking your backside at home so I can see your thong through
your pants, being overly demure and quiet in meetings, overusing !!!, the list
goes on and on. Of course I'm not perfect, but women need to realize how much
work we have to put into our professional appearance/demeanor in order to be
taken seriously and sometimes I just want to smack some sense into people.

I couldn't agree more! My company has a business casual dress code that is actually on the rather formal side. But I see so many women, young and old, that act like it doesn't exist. I work with a woman my age who wears sundresses to work that I'd wear to a brunch. Women wear flip flops and open-toed shoes all the time in summer. They wear capri pants and skirts way above the knee. We all want to look good, but I wish women would think like men for five minutes when they get dressed in the morning and realize that dressing sexy or casual creates distraction and takes attention away from the work you are doing. It's the same as that one guy that wears golf shirts when all the other men are wearing dress shirts. People think that guy doesn't get it. My company has a few fundraising events during the year where you can wear jeans to work if you donate $5 to the cause. I did it once or twice until I realized that I never saw a man doing it. I bet the men probably didn't even know there was a reason we were all wearing jeans and who knows what they were thinking of us. Please understand, I'm not saying that women need to emulate men because they are men. I just think men are better at obeying the dress code and making it work for them. (Granted, it is easier. All you need is a closet full of white and blue shirts). We women need to get better at projecting competence and separating how we dress for business from how we dress socially. This goes for communications too. Please stop firing off emails full of !!!! and misspelled words and lack of punctuation. Again, this does not project competence. It doesn't take that long to write out complete, grammatically correct sentences and it makes you look SO much better. And finally, I know this sounds funny coming from a paragraph full of complaining, but women need to stop complaining so much. I know there are men that do this too, but at least where I work, I notice so many more women always complaining about their job, their boss, the company, etc. No one likes a whiner! And when was the last time the whiner was chosen for that high profile position? Women have come a long way in business so far, but we still have a long way to go. We need to help the rest of the business world see us as the professionals we are!

Lovely Long Weekend

2008-05-25T17:46:00.003-04:00

We got a lot done yesterday! We unpacked a bit, but more importantly, we installed some great shelving in our kitchen which frees up some cabinet space so that we can store food (and it's no longer in boxes on the floor in the living room). They look really cool too. Thanks Ikea!

Today we're at my parents' Jersey Shore house, enjoying some lovely weather, a Phillies win, and we're heading out to see Indiana Jones shortly. I hope all of you are enjoying your weekend too!

I've added a Twitter application to the page so that I can add short thoughts without writing a full post. That way I can still add some content to the site even if I'm busy or unable to get on Blogger.

My Rational and Irrational Fears about B-School

2008-05-23T10:37:00.005-04:00

A while back I asked you guys what I should blog about. Linda asked

are you having any uncertainties? what will you fear/dread/not like very much
about bschooL?

Ooooh yes. I have many fears and uncertainties about B-School. Some rational, some not.
First, while I am definitely certain that my matriculation at Wharton is the right decision for me, at times I realize the enormity of the decision to leave my job and spend lots of money for this degree and it hits me like a ton of bricks. Not only that, it's just going to be such a huge lifestyle change for me. I haven't been in school since 2001. I think I forgot how to do it. It feels a little like standing on the edge of a cliff getting ready to jump.
Speaking of money, I'm definitely worrying about my budget. With the additional temptations of living in the city - endless restaurants, drinking establishments, awesome shops, etc - downgrading from the professional lifestyle to a student lifestyle is going to be really hard. I'm worried about finding a balance between putting myself in massive debt and missing out on the social life of school and living in Philadelphia.
Another subject I have been discussing a lot with my husband is the pressure I feel to make the most of this opportunity. I am so excited about everything I'm going to learn and the networks I'm going to build. But two years feels terribly short. And actually, considering the recruiting schedule in the second year, I have far less than 2 years to figure out what my post graduation job will be. I have an idea of what I want to do, but I want to keep my options open as much as I can. But how to fit open options into the recruiting schedule?
Welcome Weekend was great, and I met so many great people that I can't wait to call my classmates. But one thing I've been thinking about is the size of Wharton's class. At 800 people, it's just too big to be able to know everyone. I know that I will make plenty of friends, but I wonder if the size of the class will make close friendships difficult to find? Also, as silly as it is, I am really hoping that the friends I've already made will be in my cohort. But I'm sure most of them won't be - the chances are too small. This makes me sad.
Finally, probably my biggest concern is how I'm going to fit in all the activities I want to do and still get decent grades. There are so many clubs and activities that I want to be involved in that I am overextending myself before I even start! Prioritization will be key, but I've never really been very good at that ...
I think those are the biggies. There's definitely not anything I'm dreading (well, maybe exams?)or thinking I won't like. I'm sure some dislikes will come up once I start, but for the most part I'm really looking forward to getting started. Pretty much can't wait, actually!

Movie Stars Everywhere! Plus Sushi

2008-05-20T22:12:00.004-04:00

Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, Jennifer Aniston, Demi Moore & Ashton Kutcher & Family, and Parker Posey were all hanging out in Philly this week. No, I didn't run into any of them ... yet!

Tonight we went to the Viking Cooking School in Bryn Mawr for sushi class. It was so fun! My first roll fell apart, but after that I got the hang of it and did pretty well. It all tasted very good too :) Hopefully I'll be able to find a good store in Chinatown to procure sashimi grade fish and other supplies.

Long Time No Blog

2008-05-19T23:06:00.003-04:00

So it has been many days since I was able to blog. We had about 5 days to pack our whole house and move to our comparatively tiny apartment. Then we had about 6 days to make repairs and get our house ready to be rented. I am happy to report that we are now officially finished moving and finally have working internet! The apartment is still a mess and is definitely a struggle to find places to put things. Our kitchen is very small, and even though we put a lot of our kitchen stuff in storage, we're still having trouble fitting everything into the cabinets. Also, my house had a huge walk in closet in the bedroom. This apartment, not so much. I've got to either seriously downsize my clothing collection or find very creative storage solutions. Sigh. But the apartment is cute and has a great view and a great looking kitchen (even if it is low on storage space). We're right in the heart of the action here in Center City. I'm really excited!

I've decided that my last day at work will be June 16 (a Monday - long story). Meanwhile, I found out that my company doesn't pay out remaining vacation days when you leave, so I have to either use them or lose them. Naturally, I'm trying to use them. It's actually harder than you'd think, because I have jury duty next week (fun) and various meetings that I can't miss in the next 4 weeks. I'm taking a lot of half days to fit them in. Oh yeah, and I have to figure out how to get all my work done too. With the economic situation, I'm not sure that they will replace me right away, so I feel obligated to make sure that my team is all set to cover my projects when I leave. It's not just that it's the right thing to do, but it's also a matter of pride. When I started, there hadn't been someone in my position in a few months, so I had to figure out how to do everything by myself. So I did, and over time I improved the processes significantly. I don't want all that progress to get ruined!

I hope I'll have time to blog more now that we're semi-settled. But I still have a LOT of unpacking to do so I can't get to distracted by the internet ;)

I Hate Moving!

2008-05-05T23:02:00.001-04:00

I hate packing!

That's really all I have to say.

Top Ten Applicant Blog, Yard Sale, Moving Update

2008-05-03T21:37:00.004-04:00

Two unrelated things to blog about today:

I was voted into the Top Ten Applicant Blogs in Clear Admit's Best of Blogging 2007-2008! I am really happy with this accomplishment, especially considering that I didn't start this blog until December. Thanks to my fellow bloggers and the celebrity judges for the honor! And thanks to my readers - this would be no fun without you! Congrats to Julydream and m@ and all the other winners!

Today we participated in a neighborhood yard sale at a local elementary school. It was cold and windy, so we had a disappointing turnout. Still, we were able to make about $150 and say goodbye to a good amount of clutter. It was strange, some things that I totally expected to sell were ignored (like picture frames and bestseller books) but other things I never expected to go sold for a decent amount of money (like my old karate pads and this awful computer desk I've had for 10 years that most recently held tools in our garage and is missing several parts).

Meanwhile, I have been thinking that I jinxed our house renting situation by blogging about it. After our prospective tenants' realtor told us they wanted it, a two weeks went by and we still haven't seen a signed lease or a check. This is quite vexing to say the least, since they want to move in May 17! We are putting ourselves out a lot to make this quick move happen, and they are either stalling or lazy or I don't know what! If we had another option I would tell them to forget it, but despite continuing traffic no one else has come forward with a check. FINALLY today we got a call that the lease is signed and we'll have it tomorrow. I'm not holding my breath but I hope we close the deal this weekend. At least then we'll know for sure when we are moving.

I hope to blog during the madness, but it may be impossible. If only I could blog at work!

I Love eBay!

2008-04-30T10:03:00.004-04:00

Since we are downsizing our space considerably when we move, we've been trying to attack the clutter in our house and get rid of as much as possible. At the same time, I really want a shiny new iPhone for school. So I've been trying to make some money off of some of our old treasures. So far I've sold about $30 worth of stuff on eBay. Not bad, not bad. But it's about to get a lot better because I listed an old piece of electronic equipment that I never use this week and guess what! It is currently bid up to $132!! I'm almost half-way to that iPhone!!

The other service I've been taking advantage of is my selling account on Amazon. It's great if you have books you no longer want, because you just list it and when it sells, Amazon takes care of the payment and you just package it up and send it away! Amazon deposits all your revenue into your bank account. Lately some of my favorite authors have released new books in hard cover. I don't really like to keep hard covers unless I really love the book, so I buy them, read them, and then sell them to get a good chunk of my money back.

Lastly, my mother-in-law got us a table at a local flea market this weekend. Hopefully we'll be able to free ourselves from the rest of our junk then and see it all go to nice homes! Anything left over is going to get donated.

I can't wait!

Here we go!

2008-04-27T18:20:00.003-04:00

Dear readers, I must apologize for the lack of posts lately. I've been under the weather for the past week, but I'm now starting to get back into the swing of things.

Unfortunately, my posts are likely to continue to be few and far between for the next several weeks because .... drum roll ... we have (nearly) rented our house! I say nearly because we don't technically have a lease or a deposit yet, but have been assured that they are forthcoming. The catch is, they want to move in May 15! So today we began packing and pricing items for our moving sale. Luckily, there is an apartment available now in our building of choice in Center City, so this just might work out. It's going to be a logistical nightmare, since we have a lot of junk and various pieces of furniture to get rid of or store between now and then, not to mention figuring out how we're going to move the few items that are making the cut for our new high rise lifestyle.

Sooo ... while all this is going on, I will try to post. No promises though. The plus side of the situation is I will be nice and settled in to my new digs well before Preterm starts, so I should have plenty of time to blog then. Wish me luck, and I'll see you on the other side!

What Should I Blog About?

2008-04-22T08:54:00.002-04:00

I've reached a point in my blogging where I'm not really sure what to write about. Just waiting for school to start creates a bit of a lull in interesting stuff to share. I've got a few topics in my back pocket, but I thought I would pose the question to my readers. What would you like me to blog about? Any advice you are looking for?

It's An Honor Just to Be Nominated

2008-04-16T21:42:00.003-04:00

Thanks Clearadmit! I have been nominated for a Clearadmit Best of Blogging award! Really, it's an honor just to be nominated. I'm not even thinking about winning. Well, maybe just a little. Actually, I'm pretty excited. I wasn't really sure if this blog was going to go anywhere when I started. Good luck to all the nominees!

Funny story, the email address to request a ballot is bob@clearadmit.com. So I started out my email "Hi Bob," .... and then I realized. Oh. It's BOB for Best of Blogging. Ha.

Forecast

2008-04-15T22:55:00.003-04:00

Hooray! The weather for Welcome Weekend is supposed to be fabulous! Looking forward to seeing my future classmates and NOT carrying an umbrella around on the tour. I think the campus looks a lot better in the sun :)

Ode to Philadelphia Series – Philly is the New Hollywood

2008-04-14T22:49:00.005-04:00

It may come as a surprise to many readers, but Philadelphia is actually becoming a popular place to shoot movies. In fact, several full production studios are being built in right here in the Philly area to attract the best movies and TV shows.

Sampling of major movies that have recently filmed here or will be filming soon:
The Lovely Bones (Peter Jackson) – Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz
The Happening (M. Night Shyamalan) – Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo
Our Lady of Victory – Carla Gugino, David Boreanaz
Transformers Sequel
The Dream of the Romans – Jeff Daniels, Lauren Graham
Tenure – Luke Wilson, Gretchen Mol
Major TV Shows Shot Here:
“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”
“Cold Case”

So what does this mean to you? Celebrity Sightings! I mean, how cool would it be to have a beer at Roosevelts with Mark Wahlberg, who always seems to be shooting movies here. Also, movies always need extras so you could have a chance to be in a movie! I heard you even get paid!

Also, if you would like to get a good flavor for the city through cinema, there are plenty of ways to do so. I’m sure everyone knows about Rocky and Philadelphia, but there are many other great ones that can give you a good feel for the culture and scenery. I personally recommend:
Invincible – the neighborhood is South Philly, don’t worry you won’t be living there. But the portrayal of Eagles fans is dead on !
National Treasure – Featuring many landmarks of Philly
The Sixth Sense

Finally, “The Colbert Report” is in Philly (at Penn actually) filming all week. Tune in if you can!
For everything you ever wanted to know about the Philadelphia film industry, plus job postings (get your headshot ready!), visit the Greater Philadelphia Film Office at http://www.film.org/

Is the Weekend Over Already?

2008-04-13T22:40:00.007-04:00

It's getting tougher to blog these days. Since I'm now blocked from doing so at work, I need to find the time to do it at home. And I just haven't been there all that much lately! Plus I think of so many more topics at work (since I'm so painfully bored, but that's a blog topic for another day). I should write some posts in a Word doc or something and upload when I get home.

This week I was busy with something every night. Charity meeting Monday, had my brother over for dinner and later met a friend from my old consulting job on Tuesday, did volunteer work on Wednesday, and traveled into the city for a Philly admit happy hour on Thursday. Friday I crashed. The weekend was filled with projects to prepare for the move and cleaning the house in an attempt to impress potential renters. Exhausting!

Speaking of meeting the friend from my old job ...
One of the perks of a consulting career, especially with a big firm, is that you will meet people from all over the country and potentially the world. You will probably make more friends than you would at any other job because you will be working closely with people for longer hours. And since you are all on the road, probably socializing with them after work too. The unfortunate drawback of this is that all your friends are from all over, and they will go back to those places when the project is done. I got to meet one of my best friends from my consulting days for drinks on Tuesday since he happens to be in town for a project. It was so great to see him and catch up. It makes me sad that I so rarely get to see him or any of my old buddies anymore. I have a feeling that business school is going to be similar. We'll all make a lot of great friends from all over the world, and then everyone is going to spread out again after the two years are over. I know it's naive to hope that many of my new friends will stay in Philly after graduation, but I do hope many head for NYC since it's just a little train ride away. And I guess having far-flung friends can be nice when you want to travel to visit them!

Big Brother Strikes Again!

2008-04-09T21:10:00.003-04:00

My employer is pretty tight with restrictions on our computer systems. Besides the fact that we are woefully behind in technology (I have a 6-year-old laptop with Windows 2000 and Office 97. Yes 97! It's 11 years old!!), we are also severely restricted in the things that we can do on our computers. We pretty much can't install anything ourselves; it has to be requested from IT. No IM software is allowed whatsoever. They even block Google Talk!

And every social networking site you can think of is blocked. Myspace, Facebook, LinkedIn. Youtube is blocked of course. And now as of today, the final straw - blogging sites are blocked!! I was so sad when I tried to log on today :( The reason the evil blocking page gives is the website may have "dangerous software." BOOO!!!

Yeah yeah, I probably shouldn't be blogging at work anyway, but this is ridiculous! I feel like I'm going to regress technologically and be lost when my classmates start talking about twittering or something (yes, twitter is also blocked).

A Note on Scholarships

2008-04-09T21:06:00.002-04:00

I got a few questions in the comments so I wanted to just address them quickly.

Unfortunately, I didn't really save the info for any scholarships I found that I didn't qualify for. Sorry! But, to answer another question, I didn't have any inside info on places to look. I really just googled as many phrases as I could think of, like "scholarships for MBA," "MBA scholarships for women," "grad school fellowships," etc, etc etc. So if there is something out there for you, I don't think you should have a problem finding it either through a) googling b) using the information your schools send you and c) googling some more! Definitely go through the hassle of registering for the websites that allow you to search. I think they all have a somewhat different selection of scholarships in their databases.

Good luck!

Scholarship Search - Disappointing!

2008-04-08T09:23:00.003-04:00

Other than my grant from Wharton, I have been completely unsuccessful in my scholarship search. You would think that there might be a lot of money out there for women pursuing an MBA, but I have not found anything to even apply to. Yes, there is the Forte Foundation fellowship, but your school nominates (or doesn't, in my case) you for that. There were a few others that I saw which had deadlines in December. Who knew you had to be applying for scholarships before you even knew if you got in (2008 applicants, take note!!).

It seems like there is a lot of money out there if you have critical financial need and/or are a minority demographic or international student, which should be good news for many of you. Just doesn't seem like there is much out there for my particular profile. Oh well. I wanted to have a smaller debt load, but I can handle it. Maybe in Year 2 I will find something!

P.S. If anyone knows of any scholarships I may have overlooked, please drop me a line!

I've Received a Grant from Wharton!

2008-04-03T21:56:00.003-04:00

It is so small (I mean tiny) that I started to wonder if it's something everyone gets. I must admit that I was hoping for more, but hey, it's something right? The letter is short on details so I'm not sure who or what sponsors the grant, but I suppose I will find out soon enough!

Are Women MBAs Doomed to Divorce?

2008-04-02T15:32:00.005-04:00

I am a fan of the Naked MBA blog, which bills itself as "the bare truth about what to expect from business school." Today I saw a post title that made my stomach drop: "For women, MBA = Divorce." I quickly clicked on the feed link to see what the heck this was about. The first sentence reads "The numbers are in and they don’t look good. " "Oh crap," I think. Then comes the obligatory next thought, "Well my marriage is strong. Business school and a good career aren't going to change that." I continued to read, cautiously. Ok, here's the main fact driving the title of the post: "Women MBAs are twice as likely to get divorced than the men with whom they graduate." Yikes. That is not good.

Hold on, here's the actual statistic: "12% of women MBAs reported having divorced or separated as compared to 5% of male MBAs." Um - 12%? Yeah it's a lot bigger than the male number, but still, 12%?? Maybe I'm crazy but that's still a small number to me. I'm not fearing for my marriage over 12%. The article goes to discuss that women think they can have it all but it's just a myth, etc etc. To an extent I agree with that, but don't you think we're jumping a bit to far to say that MBA = Divorce?

I clicked through to the WSJ article the post is referencing. More similar discussion.
"For women, a professional degree is often hazardous to marital health."
&
"'Unlike men,' she says, 'women can't have it all because there is a social stigma to having or being a stay-at-home spouse.'"
And then this statistic: "Women with M.B.A.s described themselves as divorced or separated more often than women with only bachelor's degrees (12% of female M.B.A.s compared with 11% of women with only bachelor's degrees) "

I stopped there. A 1% increase with an MBA is hardly anything to fret over. Sure, the difference between the statistics for women vs. men should be explored, but why do we have to jump to panic mode and imply that women are sabotaging their personal lives by pursuing advanced degrees?

Wharton Penn Key

2008-04-02T13:30:00.006-04:00

I got my letter to set up my Penn Key yesterday. The Penn Key is basically your login authentication for Penn systems and is also your email ID. So I go to the site and input my setup code. The system gives me a list of letter combinations that I can choose for my key. Nice, except my name is apparently really common because my choices were all horrible!

I'll give you a hypothetical example. Say your name is Sarah O. Johnson. Your choices for your prestigious Wharton email ID would probably look like the following:
sarjo
joso
sarojoh
josar
ojs
ojsa
And that's it! You can't even try to make up one that maybe makes more sense. Seriously, who's going to remember that Sarah Johnson's email address is joso@wharton??

Ugh. I picked the best of the list but I still hate it. Consider yourself lucky if you have a unique name.

UPDATE: So, it seems the Penn key is NOT your Wharton email address. I stand corrected. Remains to be seen if choices for Wharton email address are better than Penn Key. Fingers crossed.

UPDATE: I was right! Your Penn Key user ID is also your Wharton email ID. Hopefully we'll have the ability to create an alias or something, but I'm not holding my breath!

Ode to Philadelphia Series: Philly is Good for You!

2008-04-02T10:50:00.003-04:00

Back in 2000, Men's Fitness Magazine declared Philadelphia the fattest city in America. Oh no! Perhaps it was all the cheesesteaks and soft pretzels? But don't worry. We got to work and turned it around. Now Men's Fitness says we're good! (Guess who's still bad: New York and Chicago! Haha, take that!). Also, Cooking Light apparently thinks we're great because they said we're the #9 Healthiest City in their April issue last year. Yay!

You might not have known it if you attended the Saturday night Winter Welcome party where people were smoking, but Philadelphia has indeed banned smoking at *most* restaurants and bars. Unfortunately it's not a complete ban because places that derive at least 90% of revenue from drinks (i.e. don't serve food) are exempt, which I guess includes the club where the party took place. Hey, at least we got most of the way there. And if you are a smoker then you know where to go!

Also, we weren't gonna let New Yorkers be the only health nuts so we decided to ban trans fats too! Yeah, there aren't really any penalties set up and there are exceptions for places that make wedding cakes and stuff (apparently wedding cakes are artery-clogging death on a china plate but you can't make them without trans fats). But again, it's something!

And finally, lest you think a trip to the ballpark must mean as many dollar dogs as you can eat, you should know that last August PETA said Citizens Bank Park was the #1 vegetarian-friendly ballpark! Don't worry meat eaters, there are still plenty of Dollar Dog Nights. Just be careful when Dollar Dog Night intersects with College Night. It's a perfect storm.

Ode to Philadelphia

2008-04-01T13:48:00.003-04:00

I'm sure there are many of you out there that may be considering Wharton but aren't sure if you want to live in Philly for 2 years. Others may be wondering whether to apply for the same reason. I'm a believer in fit being one of your biggest reasons for choosing a business school, and certainly location is a factor in fit. You probably know that Philly is a short drive or train ride from New York and DC, and Boston's not to far away either. I guess people tell you that in case you're thinking you'll want to leave every weekend to go somewhere cool. Well you can, but I happen to believe Philly is pretty cool, and if you go to school here you may just want to stick around most weekends. So I would like to take this time to tell you why I think Philly is a great city, and why I believe you'd not only survive for two years here, but you might just love it too.

I have lived in Philadelphia for most of my life. Scratch that, I've lived around Philly, but never actually in the city limits (until July that is!). I did work and stay in hotels there for about 6 months. So this probably doesn't make me quite an expert, but I believe I'm qualified to give you my opinion on the city. Now I have a lot to say, so I think this is going to end up being a series of posts. I'll try to give you a good picture of life in the City of Brotherly Love: the good, the bad, the ugly, the quirky, and anything else I can think of.

If all you know about Philly is Rocky and that Eagles fans are crazy and eat too many cheesesteaks, well you have a lot to learn my friend. Back in October 2005, National Geographic Traveler declared Philadelphia the Next Great City (Next Great City: Philly, Really). Many people probably thought that was strange, but Philadelphians have been noticing for awhile that the city is becoming cool again. People are moving back into the city, big beautiful condo complexes are going up, retail is moving in, fringe neighborhoods are up-and-coming cool, and the restaurant scene is getting really good. And we got Live 8, how awesome is that? (I went, it was incredible). Read the article, it will tell you more.

Here are some things you might not know about Philly:
-Philly is relatively cheap. Wharton students mostly live in Center City near Rittenhouse Square. Guess what, this is the nicest part of the city. How many other urban business schools can you attend where you can actually afford to live in the nicest part of the city?
-Because of PA's arcane liquor laws, it is difficult for restuarants to get liquor licenses. Therefore many of them are BYOB. So you can bring your own bottle of wine to many nice places, and it really reduces the cost of a night out.
-Philly has Fairmount Park, which is one of the largest urban parks in the country. It's great for running, especially along Kelly Drive near Boathouse Row.
-Jon Bon Jovi is a part-owner of the Philadelphia Soul, the arena football team. Richie Sambora is too and just bought a sweet pad in Philly. Imagine that! Potential star sightings in Philly!
-Compared to other schools not in the South or in California, the weather here is actually pretty good. It's typically about 5-10 degrees warmer here than Chicago or Boston (people from those cities will tell you that's not true, but I've lived in all three. Trust me, they are colder. Or don't, check the statistics yourself!). Philly also doesn't get as much snow. What we do get are a lot of wintry mix storms where are not fun, but it's a lot easier to get to class in than snow.
-You probably aren't going to bring your car to Philly, which is fine because you won't need it and parking is a nightmare anyway. But maybe you want to take a trip to Ikea or to visit someone in the burbs? You can rent a car for cheap from Philly Car Share or Zipcar!
-And finally, Philly just recently declared itself the nation's best beer drinking city. Maybe you disagree? Well it will be fun to find out for sure won't it?

Abundance vs. Scarcity Mindset

2008-03-31T14:14:00.005-04:00

If you have ever read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, you may remember the discussion of the abundance vs. the scarcity mindset. I haven't read it in a while so I am paraphrasing here. But the gist of it is, if you have a scarcity mindset, your view of the world tells you that opportunity is limited and that you need to compete with others in order to achieve success. If you have an abundance mindset, your view tells you that there are plenty of opportunities available to you, so it will not hurt you to help others along the way.

One of the sessions I attended at the Penn State Powerful Women Paving the Way Conference this weekend was a panel session called "Discovering your Leadership Style." In it, a woman in the audience discussed her fears that today's women are entering the workforce with a competitive attitude and are stepping on each other to achieve success. Her fear is that this creating an environment for women in business that is worse than the male-dominated environment it is replacing. Some women disagreed, but I was one who can see her point. I have been lucky enough to work in an environment where the women supported and helped each other, to the benefit of all. I have also worked in an environment where the women were cliquey and where I felt that I had to "watch my back."

I am not sure if this phenomenon is truly unique to women (think Mean Girls), or if we just notice it more or take it more personally because we don't expect women to be competitive with each other. Either way, I believe a competitive environment can create a toxic situation. Let me be clear though, I think "competitive" can carry both a positive and negative connotation. The positive meaning suggests that someone is capable and driven to succeed. I'm referring to the negative meaning, which suggests that someone views their coworkers as adversaries to be beaten in order to achieve personal success. I can tell you from my experience that it is not fun to work in such an environment, and it can hamper productivity.

Where does this scarcity mindset come from? Many people probably have a tendency to approach the world from one mindset or another to begin with. But I also believe that much of it comes from leadership. The team I worked on where the women supported each other? The leader of that team fostered an environment where the team's goals were all of our goals, and our individual accomplishments needed to support that goal. A failure of any one member would have meant failure for the team, and we were encouraged to help each other. The job where I felt the other women were competing with me? The leader of that group did not work to foster the team spirit. As cheesy as corporate team-building can sometimes feel, people notice when it is absent and make assumptions about leadership's priorities. Our goals were structured based on our leader's goals, and as a result people realized that individual accomplishments were what got you ahead. I assume many of these people felt that helping others achieve their goals would be to the detriment of their success.

So readers, I believe it is up to us, the future business leaders of the world, to make sure that we are fostering an abundance mindset at school and at work. Don't let Mean Girls happen to your team!

Powerful Women Paving the Way

2008-03-30T15:31:00.009-04:00

This weekend I attended a conference at Penn State (my alma mater) hosted by the Smeal College of Business and the Women in Business Club. I wasn't sure what to expect since it was the event's first year, but I really enjoyed it and I felt that every session had some relevance to me and my career advancement goals, which I think means it was a great success.

The first speaker was Michelle Austin, an entrepreneur who founded the Fluidity fitness system. You may have seen her infomercial with the free-standing ballet bar. She showed a case study of her company, including how it took her 6 years to raise capital and how much she had to learn about in order to protect her intellectual property and structure good deals with investors. In addition to making me really want to be on Donny Deutsch (click here for Austin's Interview) one day, it made everyone there want the Fluidity bar :)

The second speaker was Anne Weisberg from Deloitte. She is one of the authors of Mass Career Customization: Aligning the Workplace With Today's Nontraditional Workforce. According to Anne, the reason why most flexible work arrangements don't reduce attrition rates or otherwise don't live up to expectations is because they are always set up as exceptions to the norm. Also, tradeoffs such as reduced pay that come with the arrangement usually aren't clear to those outside the arrangement, so it can breed resentment among other employees. Deloitte is implementing Mass Career Customization, which allows each employee to customize their career-life balance across four areas: pace of work, workload, location/schedule, and role. The tradeoffs for "dialing-down" one of these areas are clearly stated, and the choices are incorporated into the employee's performance expectations and review. For example, if you are going to work 80% of full time hours, it will be clear to everyone that you are also receiving 80% pay and your goals will reflect the reduced hours you work so that your performance rating will be fairly assessed. I think it's a great idea and I'm encouraged to see that a big company like Deloitte is giving it a try. I hope other companies join in, because once the baby boomers start to retire in large numbers, companies are going to have trouble finding and keeping good knowledge workers. I think a system like this could help keep people who might otherwise leave. There is an activity on the website where you can customize your own career/life preferences, check it out.

Other than these two, my favorite speaker and a big part of the reason I attended was Sue Paterno, wife of legendary coach Joe Paterno. Sue is very involved in many philanthropic activities, including the Special Olympics and Libraries Advisory Board, among others. She and her husband also donated a significant amount of money to build a library on campus. She discussed the benefits of giving back in any small or big way that you prefer. It was a great way to wrap up the conference: although we are all going to work hard on making our careers the best they can be, it is important to remember that giving back creates valuable rewards for both giver and recipient.

One last note for anyone considering Penn State's Smeal College of Business for their MBA. I got to visit the new Business Building on campus and it is really nice. Smeal was recently ranked #1 by Princeton Review for best business school facilities and I completely agree! The program itself seems to me to be a good up-and-coming second tier program with a very small class size (<200). If that sounds like a good fit for you, I encourage you to check it out. The campus atmosphere and town are beautiful and the football experience can't be beat. I love my alma mater and I've met few fellow alumni that don't feel the same way! It was great to be back this weekend.

Decision Day X 3

2008-03-26T14:03:00.003-04:00

Looks like Wharton released R2 decisions a day early, so Chicago, Harvard, and Wharton all notified on the same day.
Congrats to all those who were admitted! I hope that I see you in July in Philadelphia!
To all those who got disappointing news, I wish you luck in getting off the wait list, reapplying, or moving on to your next adventure. Remember there is always more than one way to achieve your dreams.

Girl Stuff

2008-03-26T10:47:00.006-04:00

Sorry guys, this post pertains mostly to the ladies.

Being a woman in business is hard. We are surrounded by men in most cases (I am the only woman on my team, and I am the lowest pay grade too). And usually when we actually see a woman promoted to a position of considerable power, I don't know about all of you but I catch myself thinking "well I'm not as confident/powerful/smart/capable/whatever as her so I can't do what she did." Meanwhile, I have always been confident in my intelligence and ability to lead, so why do I always have these thoughts? My only explanation is that maybe women are so outnumbered in my field that I struggle to find people that I can relate to that have succeeded so that I can picture myself in that position. I think that's where I need to make the internal connection: by being able to confidently picture myself achieving success, I will set myself up to take the actions I need to take to reach it.

Lately I have found two things that are helping me make those connections. The first is a magazine called Pink. Its tag line is "A Beautiful Career, a Beautiful Life." I think anything directed at women these days discusses the work/life balance that we all try to achieve, and this magazine certainly addresses it. But it also focuses a lot on career issues, particularly issues that affect executives, like how to avoid the "glass cliff" (i.e. being set up for failure by becoming CEO during a rough time for a company), how to entertain clients, how to manage employees, etc. Every issue has profiles of women that own or run companies. It really doesn't focus much on women just starting out in their careers, but women that are already in management or higher, which is what I really like. It helps me create that vision for my future. They also have a lot of articles that focus on entrepreneurs, something I hope to be some day. It sounds silly, but just seeing examples of other women that have been able to do it helps me change my mindset and say, "yes, I can do that too." I highly recommend this magazine to all female MBA hopefuls.

Another thing I've gotten into lately is the new pair of TV shows highlighting women in business. Alex Fleming recently recommended Cashmere Mafia on his Wharton diary*, so I decided to check it out. I also started recording Lipstick Jungle, which is a similar premise (I think I like Lipstick better-it's better written and executed, but both shows are good). Both shows surround a group of girlfriends that also happen to be successful and powerful in business. They are billed as next generation Sex in the City shows, but I think they provide something more, because the plot points go into issues that any woman that has aspirations to be an executive knows she may face: men that try to undermine her, managers that seem to overlook her achievements, struggles with balancing family life, husbands that experience jealousy or resentment for her success and the time she commits to work, feelings of guilt over the same, etc. Of course it's all super-dramatic and unrealistic in the way it plays out. It is TV after all! But it's good to have a pop culture reference point for the issues which have never really been focused on before. Lipstick Jungle just had their season finale and Cashmere Mafia hasn't come back from the writer's strike and appears to have been canceled (BOO!). But you can watch all the episodes of both shows on their websites - click on the links at the top of the paragraph.

Not to worry, I will now return to gender-neutral posts ;)

*Which I was going to link to but now I can't even find the diaries. Are they discontinued??

Sometimes Statistics Can Be Cool

2008-03-24T11:18:00.003-04:00

Check out this post on Freakonomics by Justin Wolfers, a Wharton professor. Really interesting. I'm still planning to waive Statistics though :)

My Plans for the Next Few Months

2008-03-21T13:42:00.003-04:00

I've got a lot to get done the next 4 months before Preterm.
Shift Work-Life Balance: I'll be honest here - this has already happened. As soon as I knew I was heading to Wharton I started sticking to a 9-5 schedule, which almost no one in my department does. I'm committed to getting my work done, but I refuse to give this job any more of my free time than the standard 8-hour day now that my end-date is within site. For it's part, my employer has nearly stopped giving me anything remotely interesting or challenging to do. Instead, it feels like they tried to think of every awful and boring thing that they don't want to be stuck with when I leave to throw over my cubicle wall. Not that I blame them, but they can't blame me either for cruising out of here when the clock strikes 5!
The Great Unclutter Project: I have already discussed my purging plans. Things are going well on that front so far. I have filled 2 boxes with stuff to be donated, filled 1 trash bag, and filled 4 or 5 boxes of stuff to be sold on ebay or at a yard sale before we move. I fully admit that I've deemed some stuff keepable that really isn't. Baby steps ... I will get there eventually.
Reading: I really want to get in some good reading-for-pleasure before I switch over to all reading-for-school.
Developing Better Habits: I am hoping that if I get better at getting consistent habits of sleeping well, eating well, and getting enough exercise, it will be easier to keep it going (to a point) once the onslaught of B-school activity hits. I understand that I am dreaming here.
Shopping for Furniture: I've become obsessed lately with searching for affordable furniture designed for small living spaces. Although I have confidence in my ability to downsize appropriately (even if my husband doesn't), I know storage and the footprint of furniture pieces is always going to be an issue. The truth is, we've never lived in a place as small as the typical Center City one-bedroom, so it's going to be a challenge no matter what. But I am excited to find some cute stuff from Ikea, Container Store, etc to make it a little easier. If anyone has any ideas, feel free to comment.
ENJOY LIFE! I plan to hit the beach as soon as the weather gets warm and stay there as much as I can until preterm. I also plan to attend as many Phillies games as I can and drink plenty of beer!

If At First You Don't Succeed ... Go Back to the Easy Trails.

2008-03-18T10:19:00.007-04:00

Just got back from a mini-vacation. Went skiing in Colorado. It was very fun, but I got a little too confident and ended up at the top of a trail looking down, terrified, and knowing I had no other way to get down than to just do it. Which I did, and crashed pretty bad. Wish I could say that it was worth it to try and fail, but I know I was feeling a lot better when I was rockin the easier slopes. So I went back to the flatter part of the mountain to end my day on a positive note. I think there is a life lesson in there somewhere ...

Next Project: Uncluttering!

2008-03-07T13:45:00.007-05:00

I am addicted to stuff. I admit it. I cannot get rid of things. I keep things because a) I think maybe someday I will use them b) they were a gift and I feel guilty and maybe I should try to use them c) I know I won't use them again, but I can't throw them away because they might be worth something! or the classic: d) they have been in this box for so long that I forgot I had them, but now that I remember that I do I don't want to get rid of them!
But if all goes according to plan, we will be downsizing from our townhouse to a Center City 1 bedroom, which means we'll lose about 1000 sq. ft. of space. I deeply desire to keep the space we do have clutter free. I don't want all this stuff holding me back anymore. In other words, I must downsize!
So this weekend I will start my journey. I have started researching on blogs and other internet means to get ideas, but I will not buy any books! No more stuff, even if it is stuff that helps me reduce my stuff!
I've drawn some inspiration from this post on unclutterer.com. I think it's easy for me to feel that I am not moving very far in distance, so therefore I have more leeway with what I can bring. This is not true! With the exception of furniture, I should pretend that I am moving overseas and approach my project accordingly. I need to ask myself the tough questions, like “Is it absolutely essential that I put this item into storage or should I give it away?” and “Does this item represent who I am today or is it who I was yesterday?” and for me especially "Does the person who gave me this as a gift even remember that they gave it to me? If not, why am I keeping it??"
I know some people are very good at keeping things simple when it comes to their possessions. I am just not, so this task is feeling very daunting for me. Wish me luck in my quest!

I'm on a Roll!

2008-03-07T09:35:00.004-05:00

I submitted the FAFSA last night. It was so easy compared to Need Access! I also submitted the matriculation form. All I have to do now is send in the deposit check, the first of many checks I will be writing to Wharton. Then it's another waiting game to get my letter from the Fellowship Committee.

Later I'll have to go through the whole loan application thing, but I don't want to think about that right now!

Dear Wharton, Please Please Please May I Have Some Financial Aid?

2008-03-06T10:15:00.006-05:00

I finally faxed my resume and fellowship essay to the Financial Aid Office. I don't know why, but I had so much writer's block for the essay. Once I got going I pounded it out within a day, edited the next day, and then sent it off. I wish I had gotten the inspiration to do that months ago! Hopefully it's not too late to get some money (if they deem me worthy). It shouldn't be since R2 isn't finished yet. But less than half of the class gets something so I'm not getting my hopes up too high.

In case anyone did not attend Wharton Winter Welcome and is wondering, the amount for the financial need grant is less than the range of amounts for fellowships. So if you feel like you have true financial need, you might still want to make a case for merit in your essay. I believe they consider you for fellowships first, and then grants if you don't get a fellowship. You can't get both.

Also, you can use estimates for the 2007 financial numbers required in the Need Access form if you haven't done your taxes yet. If the numbers change I think you just need to tell the financial aid office. It's better to get the forms in rather than wait until you are absolutely sure about the numbers.

For Fun - Movies You'll Make Your Kids Watch

2008-03-03T10:16:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd take a break from the MBA-related topics and talk about something random I've been thinking about. Did anyone else's parents make them watch movies that they loved as a kid? My dad made me watch Ben Hur and Spartacus. All the buzz for the new Indiana Jones movie has got me thinking about the movies I loved as a kid and what I'd want my kids to watch (and really hope that they actually like, unlike me with my dad's movies). Here's my list:

Indiana Jones Trilogy +1
Star Wars (the original trilogy)
Goonies
Back to the Future Trilogy
Ghostbusters
Karate Kid (1 & 2)
The Princess Bride

Can you tell I grew up in the 80's? What's your list?

Another Check Mark Complete!

2008-03-02T20:30:00.007-05:00

I finally finished the financial aid paperwork for Wharton last night. The form is used for both determining financial need for grants and for inputs to fellowship decisions. I am still reeling from the amount of information they asked for. It is far more than the FAFSA! I spent a lot of time adding up medical expenses for my husband and me for 2007 and then estimating for 2008. You have to estimate nearly all your financial numbers for 2008 which wasn't easy. I also had to call my mom and see if she remembered how much I received in scholarships for undergrad (11 years ago!) Somehow, she remembered. I certainly didn't. I'm surprised they didn't ask what I am planning to name my future children, when I expect them to be born, and how much I expect them to cost between birth and college.
I know I really shouldn't be complaining, because this part of the process is easy compared to the applications. And it's good that they are very thorough with this process to ensure that it's fair. I just didn't anticipate that it would require so much legwork to complete.
Now, time to write the essay! (No, I haven't started it yet).

Preparing to Apply

2008-02-28T09:35:00.006-05:00

If you are thinking of applying to schools for Fall 2009, there are definitely some things you can be doing right now. Presumably you have already started researching since you are here reading my blog, but I will assume you haven't done much more than that and start from the beginning.

Usual disclaimer: my opinions are based on my personal experience only!

GMAT. If you haven't taken it yet, take care of this first. You have time. I started studying in February last year and took the test in May. If I wasn't happy with my results I still would have had time to retake at least once before application season. If you think you need help studying, you also have plenty of time to take a class with Manhattan GMAT or Kaplan, etc. I didn't do this, but it seems like a great way to keep yourself motivated by having a structured way to go about relearning high school math and grammar (because honestly, who remembers this stuff?)
Research. After the GMAT, or in between study sessions, this is a good time to start researching. The Clearadmit blog is a good place to start. There you can find rankings to help you figure out the types of schools you are interested in. From there you can read some of the postings with news and facts about each school to start to get a feel for them. Each school has a personality, if you will, and it's important to understand it so that you later show these schools how you are a good fit. There are also links to blogs of applicants and students. These can be fun ways to read about other applicants and students and will help you wrap your brain around how the process works by "watching" others go through it. There are also a number of books out there that are good. Montauk's is a great one, and I also liked Your MBA Game Plan.
Reflect. This is a really important step in the process that I think many people overlook. I can't stress enough how important it is to have a solid understanding of yourself when you begin writing your essays. Schools say it over and over: they want the essays to help them get to know you. Well to be able to write those essays, you need to go through some honest self-reflection. It's best to do this well before you plan to apply so that you are not under pressure. How to do it? I'm sure it will be a different process for everyone, but I recommend asking the following questions: what is my story? (i.e. how did I get from high school to here?), what have I accomplished so far?, what motivates me at work?, in what aspects of my life have I made an impact, and how? what am I passionate about at work and outside of work? what are my goals for my future? The passion factor is really important. Schools really want to see this in your application because it shows them that you will also approach the MBA experience and your subsequent employment (and hopefully alumni involvement) with passion, and that your fellow classmates will be able to learn from you because you are able to share your passion. It is also very important to understand your goals. If you aren't sure about your short term & long term career goals yet, that is OK. You have time to explore, but you need to have something at least directional when you apply. Try to link your interests and passions to what you might want to do post-MBA. Don't be humble in this step. Top schools want to see that you dream big (within reason of course). The thing about attending a top MBA program is that career tracks that may be unrealistic for you now will not be once you graduate, so you might need to recalibrate how you've previously thought about your career. If you aren't sure, current students and alumni are a great resource, which brings me to my next topic.
Network. Start talking to people. People in your company that work in areas (finance, marketing, etc.) that you might want to work. Alumni at your company or within your professional network that went to an MBA school you are interested in (or any MBA school for that matter). Current students if you know any. Use any social or family networks you have access to also. Ask people to lunch or coffee and talk to them about career paths, advice for applying, industry trends, and who else they think you should talk to. You will be surprised how much this helps you increase your knowledge, and it will be invaluable once you sit down to write those essays. Especially if you are contemplating a career change, it's important to show that you've done some legwork and understand what you are aiming for. Schools don't want to get the impression that you picked a career out of a hat and said "yes, that might be fun!"
For the sake of an example, here is what I did: Talked to my dad's friend who went to one of my target schools for undergrad. Turns out her nephew just got in to the MBA program and she helped him with his application (and yes, she was more than willing to help me with mine). Talked to someone in marketing at my company that I'd been introduced to once. Found out about types of jobs that MBAs get when they come in, and what schools my company recruits at. Joined an industry group for women. Met someone else from my company who met with me later to tell me more about marketing. In a company announcement email, saw that a grad from one of my target programs just got hired in marketing. Sent her an email to see if she'd had lunch with me. Got insight on the school and more marketing insight. On a visit to a school, got a name of the recruiting coordinator at my company. Invited her to lunch to talk about the school. From her, got the names of two others and set up coffee dates with them. Talked to a friend who just graduated from a target school. When I went for a campus visit, he set me up with some 2nd years that he knew that were more than willing to discuss the school with me. Talked to my husband's uncle who hires MBAs, found out a cousin works at one of the schools. Talked to her and she gave me the number of her boss who is a prominent professor. Talked to him and it turns out he used to be a faculty admissions advisor (back when that group existed) and had some advice for applying. My father-in-law found out his golf buddy when to one of my schools and I reached out to him. He talked with me too and offered to send an alumni letter of support.
Now obviously, everyone's network is going to be different. But you can see that it really only takes a little legwork and the network begins to grow.

Wharton Health Care Business Conference

2008-02-24T17:49:00.003-05:00

I attended Wharton's Health Care Business Conference last week. The Thursday night keynote was Jim Yong Kim and Michael Porter from Harvard. Yes, THE Michael Porter! It was a really interesting talk on how applying business skills of strategy and execution can help corral the hugely fragmented landscape of world health initiatives in developing countries. Fascinating. Michael Porter's enthusiasm on the topic kinda reminded me of Quentin Tarantino when he talks about movies. The event made me think I may want to consider an international trip that has something to do with world health while I'm in school.

The next day had many more speakers and panels, including the Commissioner of the FDA. The overall theme was Innovation, and many of the speakers talked about how health care needs to evolve to be more personalized or segmented based on DNA, not just demographics. Depending on the speaker of the moment, the industry will be going through a revolution, an evolution, or a revolution of evolution (huh?). A highlight for me was the Focus on Innovation session. Health care related start-ups gave brief presentations on their companies' products and research and why they need and deserve venture capital investment or partnerships. I realized that a lot of the companies operate in the Philly area. In fact, 2 are located in my town! I had not really thought about focusing on the start-up route for my MBA recruiting, but now I think I may at least leave it open to exploration. Surely it will be a vastly different experience than the big pharma world, but the added risk may be worth it with the added excitement.

Finally, I have noticed a few other bloggers mentioning the swag they have received from their schools. I admit I have been a little disappointed to have received nothing swaggy from Wharton, just glossy brochures and informative packets*. That's no fun! But the Health Care Conference came through. We got a nice gym bag full of goodies, including a nice coffee mug (which my husband stole right away), various pens, and a strange t-shirt with a skeleton on it. Very fun :)

*Yeah, they did provide several lovely meals, cocktail parties, a bowling party, etc. I guess if I had to choose, a good party beats branded swag. ;)

America in Six Words

2008-02-21T12:35:00.003-05:00

I'm a big fan of the Freakonomics blog on the New York Times website. It's definitely worth the time of anyone interested in business and economics. The book is also a must-read.

This week they have a contest for the best 6 word motto for the USA. I think they are all awesome, but I'm partial to #5 myself. We Americans are certainly a sarcastic bunch!

Planning Ahead Becoming Murky

2008-02-20T11:36:00.003-05:00

I remember when I was a consultant, if friends wanted to plan a trip or get-together and it was beyond the roll-off date of my project, I had to completely bow out of the process since I had no idea where I was going to be physically and if the workload of the project would allow for a social life.
It feels a little like that now. I went to the dentist this morning (one of my least favorite activities to begin with, plus I found out I have two cavities ... but I digress). I'm due for my next cleaning in August. Usually I just schedule the next appointment on my way out the door, but this time I was stumped. In August I'll be smack in the middle of pre-term. I have no idea if I'm going to be busy non-stop during the normal hours of most businesses and health care professionals, or if perhaps I'll have an odd afternoon free. Plus, I'll be selling my car, so I have to figure out if I'll have enough time to take the train out there or if I'll need to do Philly Car Share. Maybe I should get a new dentist in the city to avoid the hassle? It's not really a big deal, but I guess my point is I haven't felt this kind of uncertainty about my availability in a long time. Thankfully it is for a good reason!

Wharton Winter Welcome Debrief

2008-02-17T18:59:00.006-05:00

Last week was Wharton's Winter Welcome for R1 admits. It was a whirlwind, but really fun. I met a ton of really cool people, but didn't even sniff meeting everyone at the event. But I am certain that the class of 2010 is going to be really good based on the people I did meet.

Some random thoughts:
-Philly cooperated in true Philly fashion by providing a "wintery mix" storm the night before the event began. I personally had a horrible time getting home from work and ended up with a migraine for my efforts. I'm sure those flying in from all over the world had a lovely time trying to get in to our lovely airport.
-Thomas Caleel has some great ties.
-Follies is really funny and provided a great student view of the MBA life. Even though we didn't get half the jokes, all the admits were quite entertained. It also showed how talented Wharton people are and how much fun the next 2 years are going to be.
-The Financial Aid presentation generated the most questions of any session the whole event. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one confused.
-The curriculum seems designed to make you want to kill your learning team in the first quarter, only to decide you love them by the third quarter. I swear every first year had this same story.
-A club that demands 2 hours of your time a week is not considered a big commitment. I guess that makes sense in the scheme of things, but then you realize that most people are in 5+ clubs and the hours really start to add up. I'm going to have to be careful to prioritize and balance my commitments between academic-related activities and fun ones like Dance Studio (hmmm, hip hop or salsa?)
-Someone at the first Wharton event I attended told me that Wharton is extremely organized and well run in almost everything they do. This was certainly evident during the Winter Welcome. It seemed like they thought of everything. They even put a list of attendees and contact info in our folders so we wouldn't have to scramble to collect it as we met people. My only complaint was the bar for the last party was a bit too loud and crowded and wasn't very good for socializing with people you'd just met.
-I am horrible at remembering names.
-Warning to April Welcome Weekend attendees: the schedule does not allow for a nice 8 hours of sleep each night. Plan to be exhausted by the end.
-Preterm actually sounds really fun, despite the existence of Math Camp.
-Commuting into the city was not fun. I felt like Cinderella having to be home by 12 (because of my train schedules). And my morning commute required getting up a lot earlier than if I lived downtown. We went out on Saturday to look at some Center City apartments. It was really fun and we're both really excited to live in the city. Though it's gonna be tough to downsize from an 1800 sq. ft. townhouse to a 800 sq. ft. apartment.

One last note. I have wondered how anonymous I am going to be once I start to meet people. As it turned out, at least 2 people figured out who I was right away (and there might be more that didn't tell me). Clearly, I give enough personal info on here that anyone I meet and tell my "story" that also reads this blog is going to make the connection. And I'm ok with it. I don't say anything on here that I wouldn't say to my friends. So I'm just going to assume that if you have met me, that you now know that this is me! I'm not going to totally reveal my identity quite yet though ...

Good Point, Anonymous

2008-02-07T12:41:00.000-05:00

Thank you anonymous commenter:

The 1st yr I spoke to said I shouldn't waive too many courses... otherwise
I wouldn't have any friends. probably cause the other 1Ys will be taking
core classes.

You are playing to one of my biggest irrational fears about business school - that I won't have any friends! I will add this to my list of arguments against waiving courses. And yes, you can sit next to me in statistics. But since we are both anonymous, this may be difficult logistically.

[Edited 2/11 to include key omitted word: "fears"]

I Am Jumping the Gun

2008-02-06T15:21:00.000-05:00

I realize this. I am already thinking about course waivers. For the record, I haven't worked on my financial aid paperwork OR the essay. But someone posted last year's waiver guide on eTalk (the S2S for admitted students) and I have been obsessing over it.

A few Wharton alumni gave me this advice: waive any core courses you can. However, the tone of the Waiver guide is much more cautionary. It seems to say: you better be darn sure before you try to waive these classes, or you will regret it! Yikes.

Here's an example. I took three semesters of probability and statistics in undergrad, which were taught from an engineering perspective. Surely I should be able to waive the business statistics course, right? First of all, forget about waiving by credentials. Seems like you have to have a statistics degree to do that. Ok, so the waiver exam. There is even a preterm course to prepare for this. Slam dunk! But wait. Waiver Guide says students who pass the exam usually have taken a course in regression in the past 2 or 3 years. Hmmmm, I took mine 7 or 8 years ago. Also, "the focus of their course work has been the interpretation and critique of statistical methods rather than the memorization of formulas and grind-it-out calculation." Well, to be honest I don't really remember what the focus of my course work was. For that matter I am not positive I remember what regression is. This could be bad then: "they are familiar with multiple regression in particular and some features of the analysis of variance." And finally, there is this warning: "the Statistics Department and the Wharton MBA Program Student Advisory Board strongly discourage using STAT608 as a “crash course” to pass the waiver exam. A solid grounding in statistics will be expected in the remainder of your courses at Wharton. Passing the exam without that solid background will only cause you academic difficulties later." Wow. The Statistics Department AND the Wharton MBA Program Student Advisory Board? Am I jeopardizing my entire MBA experience by waiving statistics? Or are they just trying to scare me. Hmmmmm .....

There are also three operations courses that I think could be targets given my undergrad degree, Industrial Engineering. They are Quality and Productivity, Decision Models and Uncertainty, and Supply Chain Management. I’m pretty sure that I’ve had most of the subject matter covered in one of my undergrad classes, but spread out among many classes. To qualify for a waiver by credentials, it seems that I’ll have to provide course descriptions, syllabi, assignments, and maybe even exams so that the powers that be can decide if the topics match. Luckily, I am such a dork that I actually kept that stuff. Finally, my horrible habit of hoarding everything that ever comes my way might actually pay off!

So here’s what I’m grappling with. There are many pros and cons I can think of for waiving one or more classes. Right now I’m not sure where I lean.
Arguments against waiving: If all I do is review the subjects enough to pass waiver exams, am I really going to remember the material? Maybe a good review will be helpful and will prevent problems later. The material might be presented in a completely different way for a business class vs. an engineering class. Shouldn’t I take every opportunity to ensure that I really learn the core subjects Wharton has decided are important? Aren’t they the experts? Besides, since I’ve had some or all of the material before, maybe these classes will be on the easy side for me, and I’ll have a chance to be one of the people who can contribute in class because it’s not a completely foreign subject (unlike, say, Finance).
Arguments against waiving: Who am I kidding? This is Wharton, of course it’s going to be hard, even if I know the material. And if it’s somehow not hard, it will still be a lot of work. And what is the point of spending my hard-earned money and forgoing two years of my working life to get my MBA? Not to be a refresher for material I’ve already learned. Shouldn’t I take every opportunity to free up space for additional electives that really interest me and are new material?

First Matriculation Check Marked

2008-02-05T22:09:00.000-05:00

My Kroll background check has been completed successfully. Phew! Not that I was worried or anything, I just wanted it to go smoothly so I wouldn't have to go through the hassle of tracking down any additional information. Plus, I think it's kinda like when you see a cop and you get nervous, even though you aren't doing anything wrong. Just glad to know they aren't digging into my background anymore!

Financial Aid

2008-02-05T13:18:00.001-05:00

We went to our tax accountant on Friday to get an estimate on our 2007 taxes so that I can use it for financial aid paperwork. Even though I consider myself relatively good with numbers, I always come away from meetings with the accountant feeling glad that we pay someone to do this. I've used Turbotax and such before, but it feels like our taxes get more complicated each year, and our accountant just flat-out knows what she's doing.
Speaking of complicated, the financial aid process is confusing and a lot of work! US citizens have to do a federal form and a school form, plus Wharton asks for a 500 word essay:

Describe what you see as the value of fellowships/scholarships to students. [Fellowships and scholarships are valuable to students because they give them money. Money is good. ] Why should you receive one? [You mean getting in isn't enough of a feat? Ok then, I should get one because I'm awesome and I need money! My husband is ready to have us eating ramen noodles in a studio apartment with all this debt looming. Please give me some cash!!] What impact will it have on you and/or your Wharton experience? [Any amount that I can reduce my debt burden will afford me more opportunity to choose the job that I really want, not the job that will help me pay back my loans the fastest. Hmm, I think that was too honest - they want me to get a higher salary don't they? Ok, how about this: any amount that I can reduce my debt burden will afford me more opportunity to give back to the Wharton School of Business so that future MBA students will be able to enjoy the same or better opportunities as me. Beautiful!]

Seriously though, I thought I was done with essays! And this one is weird. I'm not really sure how to approach it other than stating the obvious (as above). If anyone has any advice, please comment.

Another "Recommendation"

2008-02-03T10:17:00.000-05:00

Wow, that last post was really long! Here's a nice short and sweet one.

If any of you are waiting for R2 results and need a distraction, or you are waiting for 2009 application season to begin, I recommend Lost. If you haven't watched this show from the beginning, go get the Seasons 1, 2, and 3 DVDs. Then catch yourself up via ABC's website to season 4, which just started airing on Thursday. This show is AMAZING. You will not be disappointed. For added blow-your-mind goodness, check the web for the easter eggs that people find in each episodes. The writers are geniuses!

That is all :)

Choosing and Approaching Recommenders

2008-02-02T19:29:00.001-05:00

Since I was applying to two schools, and both required two recommendations, I chose only two recommenders. I figured two recommendations for each wouldn't be too much of a burden!

Recommender A: The first obvious choice was my current boss. I've worked for him the whole time I've been at this company.

Pros: He got an MBA at a top ten school, so I knew he would understand the magnitude of what I was doing and be familiar with the importance of the recommendation to my application. He is also a good writer and is great about seeing the "big picture" in things. I wasn't too worried about whether he could translate my skills and performance into a recommendation for a top business school.

Cons: He is a bit of a procrastinator. Sure enough, he submitted Kellogg a few hours before the deadline (albeit before I did). Also, I don't do a whole lot of work directly for him: there are people under him that I do most of my work directly for, although I do meet with him weekly to go over things. So I was a little worried that he might not have enough in the way of specifics. Finally, I was worried about spilling the beans about my plans to go to school. But this worry dissolved in July before I started my application. I received a promotion (yay!) which meant that I would not be jeopardizing a chance to receive one after my plans were revealed. Also, when my boss told me about the promotion, he told me that management was discussing rotating me to another team to get some different experiences and exposure. This was also good news from the recommendation perspective, because it meant that my boss was likely going to "lose me" anyway soon.

Recommender B: For my second choice, I considered approaching another manager on my team that I've worked with extensively. But instead, I decided to approach a manager at my former consulting company.

Pros: I worked with him three separate times. We worked together really well and his reviews of my work were strong. We were also part of a team that was very social, so I can say that he knows me on a personal level probably more than anyone I've ever (or will ever) work for. I even went to his wedding! He is extremely articulate and I knew he could convey my strengths and weaknesses clearly and eloquently.

Cons: I hadn't worked for him in over 2 years, and we'd kept in touch but not extensively. Also, when I left the company, I was working for him at the time. I didn't think there were hard feelings, but I still worried there may have been. I also worried a bit about the fact that I was very friendly with him on a social level. Anyone who has worked in consulting has probably been on a project where everyone works hard and plays harder. Frankly, the man has seen me (and everyone else on that project team) drunk many times. Again, I didn't think it would, but I hoped this wouldn't cloud his ability to comment on my professional abilities. Finally, he had a new baby and both parents work, so I knew he was probably crazy busy.

I had read Your MBA Game Plan and liked the idea of putting together the "Game Plan" and sending it to the recommenders. I included details like: where I was applying, why, what I wanted to do with the MBA and why, and what I knew about each of the schools and what the adcoms look for in applicants. I felt this would help them say things like "Tinydancer plans to enter the pharmaceutical marketing field, and I believe she will be succesful because ..."

I decided to ask Recommender B first. I'm not sure why I didn't just call him in the first place, but I sent him a carefully worded email first, then waited. For two weeks ... nothing!! So of course I freaked out and convinced myself that he didn't want to do it and was blowing me off. My husband talked me down, and I called and left a message. He called back and said yes, he'd be happy to write me a recommendation, and sorry he hadn't seen the email (duh, I thought, he never read my emails when I worked for him either!). I sent him the details in an email and signed him up on both application sites so he could see the invitations. I also attached the old reviews he had written for me so he would have them handy, my game plan, my updated resume, and a sample recommendation and some recommendation tips from one of my books. Again ... for several weeks I heard nothing. I was worried, but I knew he was very busy. I called once and left a message to say I was just checking to see if he had any questions. About 3 or 4 weeks before the due date, I got notifications that he'd submitted. Phew. He also sent me (short) emails afterwards to confirm. The lack of communication concerned me a bit, but I knew that was probably just him and that it didn't mean anything about what he wrote.

I approached Recommender A a week or so after B. I was really nervous. It felt like the "I'm taking another job" conversation, but a little less bad since it was actually "I'm possibly leaving the company in a year and not for another job". I asked him to have lunch with me, and I'm sure he was ready for the "I'm taking another job" talk, so I think he was relieved when I told him what it was really about! He was really excited for me, really supportive, and best of all, told me he thought I had a great chance to get in. Now, if I were him I would have told me that even if I didn't think it, so I took that with a grain of salt! But I left the conversation feeling very comfortable with having asked him. As I said, he definitely procrastinated, but I wasn't afriad to remind him almost daily in the weeks before the apps were due and he didn't seem to mind. I sent him the same materials I send B, and he said it was really helpful and showed resourcefulness and commitment on my part (yay!)

So, for those of you that are mulling an application run in 2008, here is my advice on approaching the recommendations:

1) Consider how many of these your recommenders will have to write and how spread out the due dates are. I only applied to 2 schools and it seemed like plenty of work. Granted, the second is probably a lot easier since questions may be similar and they can cut and paste to a degree. But you may want to consider different recommenders for different schools so that you know they can devote the time required to write good ones. Or, potentially spread your applications between rounds so you can can spread things out for them. I did warn mine in the beginning that if I didn't get in to my top 2 choices, that I may apply to more schools in the 2nd round.

2) Put together something like the MBA Game Plan that your recommenders can reference to provide details related to your goals and what you like about each school. If you recommenders can say "Tinydancer will fit in well in Kellogg's team-oriented environment because ..." or "I am confident that Tinydancer will be a strong contributor to her Wharton learning team because ...", it will add a little something extra to your application and show that you have truly thought hard about your school choices and shared this information with your recommenders. Doing this also helps them understand your motivations for pursuing an MBA in the first place, which I think can make a big difference in the tone of their writing.

3) Choose recommenders that can really speak to specifics about your skills and abilities. Schools say that they don't want you to choose impressive names for your recommenders just to try to impress them. They say they can see right through this, and I believe them. If your recommender can only speak in generalities, you leave the adcom to draw no-so-good conclusions about your judgement, and perhaps determine that you didn't have anyone that could speak positively about you AND provide specific examples.

4) Luckily for me, my recommenders didn't ask me to write my recommendations. If yours do, I strongly suggest that you don't. Besides questions of ethics, the adcom is going to have a substantial writing sample for you in the form of your GMAT AWA and your essays. They are good at what they do and they will be able to tell if the same person wrote the recommendations. If your recommenders insist, I suggest that you compromise and write an outlined answer for each question with short phrases to suggest subject matter but leave the narrative to them. For example, for a question that asks how the applicant has shown leadership potential, write "ABC project and the way I pulled different groups together, Improvement of XYZ report for management, etc". If they still won't do it, get new recommenders. This is your application and only you will suffer the consequences if they can't devote the time to write a thoughtful document.

5) Give your recommenders plenty of time! 1 to 2 months should be plenty of time, but if you talk to them on the early side, be sure to check in every once in awhile to make sure it stays in the front of their minds. They are surely busy people and may forget when deadlines are, etc. A week or so before the deadlines, remind them again. Make yourself available in case they have questions.

6) Thank them appropriately. I sent B a gift basket ($50 value) and gave A a $50 gift card for a restaurant I know he likes. They will appreciate the gesture and they will remember it if you happen to decide to apply to more schools or need your boss's blessing to attend interviews or other MBA-related events.

7) Keep in touch. When you hear from schools, tell them! They will want to know and might be hurt if they aren't high on your list of people to inform, especially if the news is good. Afterall, they were probably instrumental in the results!

Why Wharton Part II

2008-01-28T22:40:00.000-05:00

School Brand & Alumni Network:
Wharton: I evaluated this in terms of the brand in the geographical area in which I want to live and work post-graduation: Philadelphia metro or Mid-Atlantic. As I already mentioned, around here Business School = Wharton. Most people are also aware of Harvard, but it's probably not the first business school they think of. I believe part of the reason for this is the quality of Wharton's undergrad program and its popularity in the area. Once I got in, I could not believe how many people I knew had Wharton undergrad degrees that I didn't know about. My husband's family in particular is full of lawyers and businesspeople that went to Wharton, and those that didn't are doctors that went to Penn. (And when they found out I got in, it was like I had just joined a secret club. Suddenly everyone wants to have lunch with me or talk to me about business. It is surreal!) Layered on top of that are the Health Care Management alumni and Wharton alumni clubs, which are very strong locally despite the fact that most graduates don't stay in the Philly area. Apparently those alumni that do stay here stay very involved, which is important to me.
Kellogg: Well, it hardly seems fair to compare Kellogg to Wharton in Philadelphia. Having lived in Chicago, I can say that I believe Kellogg's brand is similar to Wharton's in that area (at least based on what I experienced). However, I don't plan to live in Chicago long term, so it doesn't do much for me. That's not to say the brand isn't good here. It is just limited in reach to those in the marketing field, which at this point is my chosen field. There is an alumni club in Philadelphia, but they don't have any upcoming events so I'm not sure how active they are.
EDGE: WHARTON

Cultural Fit:
Wharton: I attended an event at Wharton in September entitled "Explore : Diversity in Action." (As I woman, I fit into an "under-represented demographic" in the MBA world) The event was great. It was really informative and definitely showcased Wharton's strengths well. Another thing I liked is that it didn't feel pretentious. There were several student panels as well as an alumni panel. Everyone involved was very impressive, but at the same time approachable and down-to-earth. There was no feeling that I might not belong, which I was afraid I might feel. I also met with staff and students from the Health Care program and discovered that, somewhat like Wharton's Lauder program, the HCM students have a community within Wharton that provides an additional level of camaraderie. Bottom line, it just felt right.
Kellogg: I made sure to schedule an on-campus interview so that I would have a chance to visit Kellogg and get a feel for the place. A friend of mine who recently graduated set me up with a bunch of 2nd years that he knew, and I was able to schedule time with all of them to discuss the school. I definitely felt that I would fit in with the student body. Everyone I met was enthusiastic about the school and even more so about the experience. Kellogg is definitely a very social place and I'm sure it is a really fun place to pursue an MBA. Somehow, however, I just didn't get the same feeling of fit that I did at Wharton. I felt that I would have a great experience if I went, but it was still just a close second for me in terms of the feeling I got there.
EDGE: WHARTON

So there you have it! Kellogg is an awesome place and I was really excited to get in. BUT, once I found out about Wharton, I knew I would not be able to pass it up! But before I jump in with both feet, I'm going to attend Wharton Winter Welcome and meet some of my potential classmates. If you are one of them - I can't wait to meet you!

Excuses, Excuses ....

2008-01-22T22:33:00.000-05:00

I know I promised a continuation of my "Why Wharton" post, and I still intend to do one! But the universe was conspiring against me, or at least against my blog ;)
First I got a horrible cold that knocked me out for several days. Even though I was home from work, I just didn't have it in me to put together a thoughtful post. Then, the wireless card on one of our computers went kaput. Hubby has been working very hard on his GMAT studying, which means he needed to use the one computer that did have wireless and that I was out of luck for internet access. Finally, we have procured a new wireless card and I am back online! But, it is getting late so "Why Wharton Part II" will have to wait for another day or two ... sorry!

The reason I have to get to bed early is I have a meeting with The Bob's in the morning. Yep, my company has hired a Top Management Consulting Firm to "find" some money for us, which means we have to go in and convince them not to put our names on any lists. I'm not too worried, but I should get some sleep and actually get to work on time (which I admit has been a challenge lately with the winter duldroms in full force). I wonder, should I ask them if any of them went to Wharton? Haha.

Why Wharton? Part I

2008-01-15T19:08:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm 99.9% sure that I will be matriculating at Wharton. Here's why I am choosing it over Kellogg, based on the aspects that are important to me.

Location:
Wharton: I live in the Philly suburbs, Wharton is in Philly. Hubby and I grew up here, and want to remain here after graduation. One consulting gig a few years ago gave me the chance to work and live (out of a hotel) in the city, and I kind of wished that I could have a chance to live there. But, since we wanted to buy a house, we couldn't afford the nice parts of the city. Wharton would give us a chance to live in the city for 2 years, as long as we can rent our house in the suburbs. Also, staying here will allow Hubby to stay at his current job and will keep us close to our family and friends.
Kellogg: Hubby and I lived in Chicago for 3 years after college and loved it. The idea of being able to go back there for a few years is definitely enticing. We still have many friends there, and there are plenty of things we never got to do while we lived there. However, Kellogg isn't quite in Chicago, although Evanston isn't too far. Students say they rarely leave Evanston though since there is so much going on there in the Kellogg social scene. Moving to Evanston would definitely be more of a hassle than Philly for us. Finally, Philly isn't exactly warm, but Chicago is darn cold in the winter!
EDGE: WHARTON

Health Care Curriculum:
Wharton: One of the first things I liked about Wharton is the Health Care Management major. It is really everything that I want out of my MBA experience from an academic perspective. I will have the chance to learn about the entire industry, which I really need to understand to be able to operate effectively in pharmaceutical marketing. Also, the program is solid and established with a great reputation in the industry, an extensive and tight alumni network, and additional career services on top of the regular MBA career services (the program puts out a glossy resume book each year). They really make an effort to create a community within Wharton, through special health care events and by building learning teams that are health care only. Health Care students must apply specifically for the major, and must interview with the coordinator to make sure the student and program are a good match. Yet, health care students are not separate from the rest of the MBA community.
Kellogg: Kellogg also has a health care major (called Health Industry Management). While the coursework seems comparable, it doesn't seem to have the structure that Wharton has. When I inquired about Wharton's program, I was directed to the program coordinator, who sent me hard copy materials and invited me to come in and meet with her. When I went to Kellogg for my interview, I inquired about the HIM major and was told they didn't have any materials. I managed to find a map of the building and wandered in to the HIM office. A secretary handed me a small packet containing a course syllabus, but that's all they had. I have to admit that I was disappointed. If I hadn't had such a great impression of Wharton's program, maybe I would have been more impressed. But unfortunately for Kellogg, Wharton set the bar pretty high. One other thing - Kellogg's program is open to not only 2-year MBA students, but also part-time students. This means that, not only is the community therefore more fragmented at Kellogg, but it also means that many of the classes are only offered in the evening - not exactly a selling point for me!
EDGE: WHARTON

Marketing Curriculum:
Wharton: I think I saw Wharton ranked 2nd for marketing somewhere at some point, but now I can't find that ranking. Regardless, most people I've talked to that went to Wharton believe that its marketing program is probably under-rated. With the school being so well known for finance, it is natural that something like marketing would be overshadowed. Many people also told me the marketing curriculum is probably more quantitative and data-driven than at other schools, but I have no way to really substantiate this. I did sit in on a couple marketing classes and I was impressed.
Kellogg: Kellogg is as well known for marketing as Wharton is for finance. In marketing circles, it is widely regarded as the best. I sat in on a class here too, which was great. "Brand" (as in brand management) is one of the top careers students choose, and many companies recruit there specifically for that reason. Also, while I was there, the marketing club was in the middle of the annual marketing competition, where students compete to market real products to their classmates. There were advertisements everywhere, and it seemed really cool environment to be a part of.
EDGE: KELLOGG

Ok, I've got to cut this short so I can watch some American Idol (Philly auditions!) I promise to continue this ....

On Plagiarism, and Other Tidbits

2008-01-06T19:28:00.000-05:00

I just caught up on my blogs after the weekend, and found this. I can't for the life of me fathom why someone would plagiarize a blog post. What could be gained?? It's just so odd to me, and yes, concerning to see proof that people like that may be in the same applicant or student pool as me. Creepy actually.

Hubby has decided to take the Manhattan GMAT class and take a stab at the GMAT in the Spring. I am very excited for him. His plans have yet to play out, but he's going to take advantage of this little lull in our lives to give it a shot. Good luck hubby!!

I just pulled out my Montauk book again to check out the chapters "What to Do Once You are Accepted" and "How to Get the Most Out of Business School." Two things jumped out at me:
1) He mentions a strategy of asking for a deferment from your second choice school, even if you get into your first choice, just in case something goes wrong with the first choice. That seems like a strange and rather unethical plan. I have heard of people doing this when they don't get into their first choice so that they can reapply to their first choice the following year, which I think makes a little more sense (but still isn't really ethical, but I'm not judging). I guess what struck me more is ... what does he mean by something going wrong? Should I be concerned??
2) Montauk recommends several books on each of the typical core MBA classes so that those from non-business undergrad background can read up before school starts. Wharton students on S2S have repeatedly said this is not necessary, unless you have no calculus background (I have plenty). I am confused about this. Should I use the time I have to prepare myself to hit the ground running academically? Or should I instead focus on completing some other priorities in my personal life (like downsizing all my stuff so I can squeeze into a student budget-friendly apartment, reading the novels and other fun books I have been eyeing since I won't have time come Fall, immerse myself in my hobbies, etc). Anyone out there able to speak from first-hand experience? Anyone receive good advice on this subject?

Good Luck Round 2 Applicants!

2008-01-03T21:58:00.001-05:00

I just wanted to give big GOOD LUCK to all R2 applicants!

I know first hand how nervous you are/were to hit that submit button, and how hard it is now to go into the waiting phase. Some will say you should relax, because (other than your interview) it is all out of your hands now. For me, and I'm sure most applicants, that is exactly why it's so hard!! If you had some control you could at least DO something!

I'd say you should take this opportunity to catch up on some good TV. But if you live in the US, there isn't much to look forward to with the writers strike going on. Of course, during this one period in the next several years when we'll actually have time to watch TV and there is nothing on, right?! Except, of course, American Idol (blah) and a little bit of Lost (yay!).

In all seriousness though, the only thing that got me through the waiting game with some sanity was to keep myself distracted with other projects. I recommend you try to do the same :)

How I Chose My Schools

2008-01-03T21:12:00.000-05:00

When I first got my GMAT score, people immediately started telling me: "You should apply to Wharton!" I live in the Philly metro area. Around here, business school = Wharton. At first all I could do was tell myself to keep an open mind. I was so ready to go to a local part time program that it took some time to break myself out of that mindset.

There were a few reasons I eventually came around and decided to apply to full time programs:
1) I like my job, but I don't love it. People told me when I got into this supply chain function that I would get tired of it, and I feel like I am getting to that point. The path forward from here is to either get deeper skills and more responsibility, eventually leading to senior management, or try to break into another area. My industry, however, really seems to value specific experience over potential. It would be theoretically possible to move into, say, marketing, from where I am by networking hard and making a few strategic moves. But it wouldn't be easy or fast. I do like pharmaceuticals though, and I want to stay in it.
2 ) I've been successful in my current role, but I have not felt a lot of upward movement since I left consulting. It seems that one needs to be a "teacher's pet" to really go far in my department. It's just not in my nature to try to position myself that way.
3) I began looking through Wharton's website and found two things. One: While banking and consulting are the overwhelming majority of post-graduation jobs, there is a strong contingent of grads going into marketing and/or pharmaceuticals. I'd been there, done that with consulting, and I have no desire to try anything relating to finance! But I hadn't really considered something like marketing .... Two: The Health Care Management program! I was amazed to find that Wharton has a very strong program focusing particularly on the industry I am interested in. Cool!

So I began researching further. I wanted to stick to top schools only, because for me it would not be financially worth it to forgo two years of my salary otherwise. For so-called Tier 2 schools, the post-graduation salaries are too close to what I already make.

The only other school I could really see myself at was Kellogg. It also has a Health Care major (Health Industry Management). It's also obviously very strong in marketing, and it's located very close (though not in) a city Hubby and I used to live in and absolutely adored. And I really liked Kellogg's focus on teamwork.

So I decided to move forward with 2 round 1 applications, telling myself I would regroup after submitting and pick some round 2 schools.

Reflection

2008-01-01T14:23:00.000-05:00

It's January 1st, an appropriate day to reflect on the year past and the year ahead. It's also a good time to catch up on some neglected items, such as the RSS feeds in my Google Reader!

One blog I subscribe to is lifehack.org. It's a cool site that focuses on productivity. One post I read today I think speaks to both the theme of New Year reflection and links well to my personal experience with the MBA application process, 20 Questions to Help You Reflect the Past Year. The post discusses 4 facets of prosperity (material, spiritual, physical, and social) that you can evaluate for yourself by asking some key questions.

I can honestly either answer yes to many of the questions or at least say that I made some concerted efforts to make progress in those areas last year. I believe one big reason for this is the MBA application process. Simply acknowledging to myself that I want this, and I'm willing to go for it, and following through gave me a great feeling of satisfaction that I believe I still would have maintained even if I didn't get accepted to the programs I wanted. That is because I believe I've learned that the process of taking action toward a goal is much of the battle in terms of remaining in control of my happiness. In other words, success lies in the journey, not the destination (as they say).

Another unexpected benefit from the process is the huge amount of self-reflection that is necessary to craft a good application. I realized I hadn't thought back on my college accomplishments in a long time. I actually had to pull out old resumes to find activities that I had been involved in because I'd forgotten about them! I also realized that there are many accomplishments and worthy pursuits that I've accumulated since college that have truely impacted me and my happiness that I've never really reflected on. The end result, in addition to the essays, resumes, and completed application packages, is the confirmation for myself that I really do have a great life. Even before I heard back from schools, I felt lucky for what I have, proud of what I've done, and excited about the future. It's a really great feeling.

The Other Half

2007-12-22T10:51:00.000-05:00

Applying for business school is a little different when you're married. Choosing schools becomes as much about fit for us and our lifestyle as it is about fit for me and my goals.

The biggest element that is probably higher on my priorities than single folks is location. I don't want my husband to have to move somewhere that he doesn't want to go. Before this whole thing started, I said "honey, where would you be willing to move?" He said Chicago, Boston, and maybe New York. We've lived in Chicago and absolutely love it, I lived in Boston for a short time and we liked it there as well. New York ... well I know hubby kinda hates to visit New York because it's so busy, but I'm sure living there would better, albeit expensive. So, that narrowed down my school choices a bit (i.e. no Duke, no Michigan, no Tuck, no California schools).

Next, the concept of a safety school was thrown out the window. If my husband is going to be working while I get my MBA, I need to be getting an education that is totally right for me and that is going to really propel me in my career. It's not worth it and not fair to take two years off and go to a school that is only a partial fit or that I applied to just so I would have somewhere to go. It's all or nothing! (Well, not nothing ... my backup plan would be to stay in my job, which is a good job, and get a part-time MBA.)

Finally, the way a school treats "partners" is very important to me. My biggest fear is for my husband to feel cast aside while I gallivant around with my new friends and my new social life. That's an exageration of course, but I want to go to a school where the culture embraces significant others and includes them in the social fabric of the school. Obviously I will not be able to spend as much time with him as I want. And since he's a businessperson himself, there will surely be things I get to do that he'd love to do himself. But it's really important to me to know I can bring him to parties and other events and know that my classmates will be inclusive. Incidentally, Kellogg is phenomenal in this regard. Partners are encouraged to attend the KWEST trip with the students, are invited to join any club (regardless of whether the student is a member), are allowed to lead clubs and events, are allowed to audit classes, and are just generally encouraged to take part in the entire experience as if it is their own. I really liked that. Wharton doesn't seem to be quite as organized, but I was assured by many married students that their SO's were very involved and were, in fact, better friends with some of their classmates than they were.

In At Wharton!!

2007-12-20T13:39:00.000-05:00

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesss!!!

I was so nervous this morning, I thought I was going to throw up multiple times. Finally my status was updated. I must have read the word "admitted" about 5 times before it sunk in!

The Waiting Is, Indeed, the Hardest Part

2007-12-19T09:52:00.001-05:00

T-minus 24 hours until Wharton decisions are released. I feel like time has never passed slower! The nice thing about decisions coming out during this week is that many of my colleagues are already on vacation. So I won't feel so bad checking my email every 5 seconds. The bad thing about decisions coming out this time of year is that it is so slooooooooow. Nothing is going on, there are no meetings to break up the day. Every hour feels like 10.

Making matters worse, my husband had to go out of town for work. He's only going to be gone for one night, but it is THIS night. So I'm going to have to distract myself for an entire evening alone. Plus, I usually have trouble sleeping when he's not around anyway (I know, I'm an annoying married person) so I can't imagine what it will be like tonight. Perhaps I should drink a bottle of wine to *ahem* help me sleep?

The Wharton S2S folks are hosting an all-night chat tonight. I haven't decided yet whether to participate. On the one hand, it would be nice to commiserate with the only other people who know what I'm going through right now. On the other hand, would it be better to try to think about something else as much as possible so that I don't drive myself completely insane? Maybe I should pull out a classic chick flick like Bridget Jones or Love Actually. Hmmm ….

Things to do to distract myself until Wharton decision date …

2007-12-13T22:55:00.000-05:00

- Finish reading Getting Things Done
- Attack pile of hand-wash only clothes in closet. For that matter, attack needs-to-be-ironed pile and laundry mountain.
- Socialize (it is the holiday season after all!)
- Brave mall to finish Christmas shopping (gulp)
- Wrap presents
- Go through huge pile of catalogs that I can't afford to order from now that I have to prepare for the student lifestyle but that have lots of fun things that I'd love to order
- Go through huge pile of mail and other paperwork and file it
- Watch all Planet Earth episodes on DVR that I didn't have time to watch because I was busy with applications
- Begin actually using that Netflix subscription

Hmmmm … I have a lot of piled up tasks (literally) that I neglected while I was busy applying to business schools. I think this is probably too much for one week, but maybe that is a good thing!

The Cat's Out of the Bag

2007-12-13T22:09:00.000-05:00

So we had an "end of the year review" tonight (read: holiday party masquarading as a meeting so as to be able to spend money from the company budget). My boss's boss came up to me and said "So I hear you are applying to grad schools. Where did you apply?". GULP! I tried to play it cool, but I'd just drank a large glass of wine and I'm sure I looked like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar! [My boss knows of my plans and wrote recommendations for me, but I had the impression he had not told anyone else.]

Anyway I couldn't lie ... he was going to find out anyway. Unfortunately, when I told him, he looked surprised. Oops. He probably knew about how I was planning to apply to part-time programs, but that information is several months old. He was nice about it and told me about the guy who'd had my job before me and went to Kellogg. Then he asked if I'd heard from either school yet. I said no. I haven't even told my boss I got into Kellogg yet. End of year ratings and raises are coming out soon. I'm sure nothing would change if they knew I was leaving for sure, but I still feel like I need to hold on to the information for a little bit longer. He said they would fully support me and that if I got in, they would try to hook me up with an internship or full time position. So, no harm done I suppose.

Ugh, but it was so awkward!

My GMAT Experience

2007-12-12T11:27:00.000-05:00

My GMAT experience is probably going to be pretty different from most applicant bloggers, but I thought I would share anyway in case it is helpful to some folks.

Back in February I started thinking about getting an MBA. It seemed like the smart thing to do competitively, since most people in my department either have one or are working on one. A majority of people did their MBAs part time. In my area, there are many choices for good part time programs: Drexel, Villanova, St. Josephs, Penn State, etc. I decided I'd better get started, since these programs can take 3 years or more, especially for those with non-business undergrad degrees who can't waive many of the core classes. I attended some info sessions and picked out some target programs.

I decided to get started on the GMAT and aim to get my applications in for the Fall semester. The average GMAT for these schools ranges from 550 to 620, so I wasn't too worried about getting a suitable score. However, scholarships are generally based on GMAT scores, so I decided to aim for a score in the mid to high 600's so I would have a better chance of getting some money. I ordered 3 books, and ended up using two of them for the majority of my studying:
The Official Guide
Princeton Review (Cracking the GMAT)
Kaplan GMAT 2007

I started with Kaplan, but stopped after the introduction. There were a ton of typos, and entire sections were repeated on different pages! I thought, if they can't properly edit this book, can I really trust them as a study guide? So I ditched Kaplan and started in on Princeton Review. I really liked PR. Their approach is to teach you tricks based on their extensive knowledge of the test. While I didn't use all the tricks all the time, it really helped to have them in my back pocket for questions that I didn't know how to approach. The tricks especially helped me for the verbal section, where I tended to overthink my answers. There was really only one thing they got wrong: they said the GMAT never requires you to calculate standard deviation, they only ask questions that require you to understand what the standard deviation is. Well - I got a question that required calculating it! I think I guessed on that, but I don't really remember anymore ;) PR's method for AWA is also great. It allowed me to spend only one day practicing my templates so I could spend valuable time on other stuff.

The Official Guide was great for practice questions. Indeed, this is the only book with actual GMAT questions. I actually got a couple questions on my test that were repeats from this book! Both PR and OG have great practice exams you can do on your computer to simulate how the actual test works. This was really important for me, because I discovered I had to really concentrate on moving quickly through the quantitative questions ... otherwise I wouldn't finish! If I knew I could solve a question but that it would take longer than 3 minutes, I had to make an intelligent guess and move on. I tended to practice one section at a time, so the only full practice test score I had was a 670.

So finally it was test day. I was a little nervous, but not too bad. I brought a can of Coke and an oatmeal bar to keep my energy up inbetween sections (which I ended up really needing!). Once I was finished, I took a deep breath and requested my score .... Holy crap, a 760!!

The PROFILE

2007-12-11T22:27:00.000-05:00

If you are new to the MBA applicant pool, you will soon become accustomed to the concept of the profile. Your profile consists of your demographic and geographic information, GMAT score, undergrad GPA, and number of years of work experience. The specifics can vary, but if you visit message boards you will often see people type their profile something like this:

White Female / US / GMAT 760 / GPA 3.7 / 5 yrs WE

Incidentally, that is my profile. (Oh, and WE stands for Work Experience). People will also refer to this line of text as your "stats". Now, I will not dispute that these factors are all important in the admissions process. But as you go through this process, the first thing you will notice is there are plenty of people out there with seemingly awesome stats that still do not get into the school or schools of their choice. This is because there are 2 other very important factors that contribute to your candidacy: your execution of the application and the quality of your work and extracurricular experiences.
So here is a bit more information about me to round out my profile. My first 3 years of WE were with the strategy arm of a large consulting company. I was part of a group that focused on the procurement side of supply chain operations for our clients, which ranged across many industries. It was a great job and I loved it, but I couldn't stand the weekly travel anymore. So I left to join a pharmaceutical company and joined the world of the daily commuter.
I truly love the pharma industry, but I want to move away from the supply chain management track I'm currently on. My ideal post-MBA job would be in pharma/biotech/med device marketing.
Also, I am married with no kids, and live in a suburb of Philadelphia. My husband and I grew up in this area and would love to be located here for the foreseeable future once I graduate. Luckily, there are many pharmaceutical and biotech companies nearby!

Wharton's Outsider Essay

2007-12-08T16:31:00.001-05:00

Wharton has a new essay this year that has given a lot of people trouble:

Tell us about a situation in which you were an outsider. What did you learn from the experience? (500 words)

I think the best way to approach this question is not to try to think of a situation that is profound, like a crazy culture shock situation or a time when you stood up to a murderous gang, etc. Use it as another chance to tell the admissions committee something you want them to know about you. For instance, I used a story that wasn't really monumental, but was a good segue into a discussion of my volunteer work and why I do it.

This question reminds me of a day back in high school. It was AP English, and we had our first Blue Book essay exam on The Odyssey. Our teacher wrote the question on the board: "Explain the role of dramatic humanism in the Odyssey". Well, "dramatic humanism" isn't something we'd ever discussed and no one know what it meant. Everyone in the class raised their hands, but all she would do was write one word on the board. COPE. So I did what I could. I made up a reasonable definition for the term and went with it. I got an A.

I think the admissions committee may be going for a similar angle with this question. It's a little oddball, not something any other school asks. Applicants aren't going to have a model to go by. Therefore, they are going to have to come up with something on their own, and maybe it will give the adcom a chance to really see how the applicant thinks. So I guess that's my advice for Round 2 applicants ... COPE!

Of course, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe they are just looking for insight into how you deal with uncomfortable situations or your attitudes about diversity. What do I know, I don't even know if I got in yet! ;)

Here it goes!

2007-12-06T10:14:00.001-05:00

It is with slight trepidation that I post this. I've been reading MBA applicant and student blogs for months now, sometimes wondering why I haven't started one myself, sometimes feeling that I need to keep things to myself.

So why am I starting this now, at a point where all my applications are already done? I guess I feel that I have something to add to the pool of knowledge. I'll use this blog to share my experiences and provide unsolicited advice about the process: what worked & what didn't, what I used and liked, and what I learned.

I hope this helps others the way that other bloggers helped me navigate the MBA application process!