Change in co-ordinates

The 2 year journey has finally begun. This past week, i have moved to Philadelphia and after a hectic first few days, begun to settle down in a new city with new surroundings, people and whatever this change brings with it. Even though I am already missing my familiar territory in Seattle, there's enough excitement and social meetings around me to keep me busy and entertained. Pre-term @ Wharton, according to my seniors, is the most relaxing fun time of the 2 years here. After that, the train ride becomes wild, with more fun and adventure. :-)

Change ...

I have been wanting to change the theme of this blog for some time now, was low for the past few weeks because of flu and now I have to begin packing for the move to Phily. For the past year, I have written about my experiences during my bschool applications. Hopefully my thoughts are helping others who are currently in the same process. Now I plan to write about my bschool experiences.

My background (education and work experience) has been in software technology. In my early school days, I had used the computer to develop a system that solved a problem in my school. That made me realize the power of technology to make a difference in people's lives and pushed me towards the field of software technology. During the past few years, while working as a software engineer, I also got involved in creating IT and growth strategies for small businesses and entrepreneurs. These experiences propelled me to think about my career goals. I thought about in terms of what kinds of problems exist, what I would like to solve, and what knowledge I would need to solve these problems. Business school education would help me in pursuing my goals. So I applied to the bschools.

I have spent the past few days talking to people from industry, entrepreneurs, VCs, recent Wharton alumni gaining insight into MBA education and careers. I feel that the decision to pursue MBA education is the right one for me. My current interests revolve around technology business, entrepreneurship ideas, venture capital, emerging markets, microfinance and some things in the web 2.0 space. I hope to channel my wharton activities around these things and having fun, while learning new things, meet new people and blog about these things.

Waitlist Strategy

Waitlist Process
When the admission results are announced, some people are either suprised or frustrated to find themselves on the Waitlist. After all the effort, all you get is a waitlist! Don't despair. If you are really interested in that school, there's many ways you could demonstrate that to the school and convert your waitlist entry into a admission. This is what I found out when I was trying to convert my MIT Sloan waitlist into an admit, but ultimately sent a different letter to them, because I decided to goto W.

The bschool generally wants to admits those students from the waitlist, who will accept their offer. Therefore, you have that you really want to be there.

1) Get in touch with the school and find out their waitlist process. Most schools will ask you to send an additional letter or an essay indicating your interest in the school. Some might also permit an additional recommendation letter or a reference letter from an alumni. Follow the school's guidelines.

2) Visit the school, if you haven't yet visited the school. Meet the students, professors and see what you like. Did you find a good match between your interests and what the faculty does? Or are you excited by some programs that the school has? Mention that in your letter.

3) What have you done since the admission decision? - any new projects, charity work, or anything that adds to your leadership - mention about this in your letter to the school. The school wants to know about these updates.

4) Some other interesting things that I found while reading these blogs - one student made a support group from a set of current students, whom he knew, to make a case for him and send a recommendation letter for him.

5) Be creative - the more you learn about the school, the more you could write about what impact you could have on your classmates and the school community if you were admitted to the school.

Finally, be persistent about the waitlist and interacting with the adcom. But like any other, if you don't make it, it is not the end of the world. You could apply next year with whatever you have learned through the experience, or decide to move on, to work on your goals without doing an MBA.