posted by John Osvald
10:49 AM
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Is a Hemingway book that I started reading, lost, and have never finished. I theorize the ending is about me getting a ding from Stanford. I wonder how he transitioned the story towards that end, but then again, he was a master. So I believe he could have done it. Damn. If i hadn't have left it at a Korean BBQ restaurant, I would have saved myself $200. Anway, today is the day I marked as the last for anyone hoping to get a Stanford interview invite. It's ok though. I am not upset. I am telling you, complete pessimism is the way to approach a b school app. I have had no anxiety about this one at all. Much better this way. And, according to FMBA Girl, I will continue to receive their applicant newsletter, which is all I was in this for anyway.
Everybody should go check out downlow's blog, which is not new at all, but is new to me. He announced 3 admits today, so have some fun reading something positive about MBA apps. And Joey, who seemed to stop blogging when I started, just got into Kellogg. Woah. Congrats.
As for my update, I am still sitting here waiting. At least my therapist is earning his money now.
Have a great weekend everyone.
posted by John Osvald
7:33 AM
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Does anyone else subscribe to the Harvard business review? A great publication for sure, but I think it is worth a subscription just to get your name whored out by their list brokerage. I swear since I signed up I have been receiving the best junk mail. I got an invite for a private test drive party at Mercedes- it came with this cool backstage pass thing - a $3k per spot Bill Clinton speech and, the sweetest brochure for private small yacht mediterranean cruises. Only 20K! I also get all these big envelopes from Sloan and MIT trying to get me to sign up for their pubs and invite me to their conferences. If I had an app in with them those trips to the mailbox would probably break my heart.
Damn Duke. Luvshack got the ding this morning. Sorry partner. Congrats to Potter on the MIT invite. I totally bet you are going to try the Max Mirinov 8:30 am interview trick. Damn. I really read too much of this crap.
4 more days I can switch my calendar to March. That's a little win in itself. At this point, I will take what I can get.
posted by John Osvald
9:39 AM
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After another session of searching/snooping the bweek forums of yesterday, I found some heartening Chicago news. It seems that although the decision deadline is March 19th, decisions (admits, waitlists and dings) start going out much earlier. In all the threads the decision date is a Friday (this round the 19th.) Don Martin always starts making his calls two weekends early. So he should hit the phones on March 6th, or at least March 8th, a Monday. That means my decision probably will not come the 19th. So I should know my Chicago fate ahead of Duke. Unfortunately, I have already pencilled "Chi-town D-day" on the 19th of every calendar that has crossed my path in the last month or so.
So I read a lot of Blogs. And now I have a new one, as I wrote about yesterday, and all the blogs have now picked it up. We are like a press corp! Anyway, I was thinking that I really do dig how Mark has his real name and pics out there and stuff, so, towards the end of this all, I am going to do that also. After I shake this paranoia that adcoms are lurking to discern my interest in their schools, of course. I really do wonder what everyone does, where you live, etc. Anyway, sympathy out to 3app, although he/she probably won't know it cause I don't think the 3 is a blog reader. A 2 ding night is some seriously bad shit. Sorry. Also, Naveen - reply offline if you like, but my buddy in LA who I am staying with when I am out there works for a big-ass aerospace company, and it would be a pisser if you knew him. Your aerospace bit today got me thinking about it. He works in OC. chunkypitbull@hotmail.com. Anyway, tomorrow we got Potter and Luvshack facing the Big Blue Devil. Good luck to both of you on that one. Maybe you'll end up hanging out in the Fox center together next year.
One last note, thinking about picking up another Berkeley recommendation, from my first supervisor at my current job. I'd like to have something to send in at the end of March. And luckily, we are now friends so I can coach her through the rec, so I actually get some new information in there. I am just so worried that the WL reason was my quant abilities, and I have not improved in that area.
posted by John Osvald
10:19 AM
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I really have to stop reading anything about b-school. Stumbled on to this blog off a comment posted on Potter's site and feel like I want to throw up. Not in any judgemental kind of way or anything, they seem like great people. It's just that it is written by one of those elusive 83 people a year who actually are deciding between Stanford and Harvard. At the same time the dude appears to be in this really great relationship and his girl is going to go with him wherever he goes. He is probably rescuing puppies and turning it into a profitable business as I type. As long as he's on a streak, I say go all out, forget Stanford and Harvard and apply here. Anyway, welcome to the blogging community. You are not allowed to complain about anything though. Now make with the application advice.
Today is another complete non-event on the application front. Post on B-Week from a fellow Berkeley waitlister claimed that the interview has a huge impact on the admit decision. I think mine was A-ok, so I guess we'll see. I am actually trying to turn this into some kind of news and write about it, so I can update the only part of this damned application process that I have control of at this point, this blog. This blog which google ignores for some reason. I am about to sign an advertising contract with them... is it unethical to ask them to bump me up? They already have given some of the sweetest chachkies ever. A 32MB flash drive for the holidays, $5 at Starbucks for Valentine's, plus, I have this sweet google pen that lights up 3 colors. Fun.
posted by John Osvald
7:22 AM
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Got an email that said my UCLA app is now complete. I guess it just means that they matched my transcript to my application. The fact that it took 3 weeks to do that makes me feel like I won't be hearing anything else from them for a while. I have kind of tabled the UCLA worry for while. If I get in elsewhere, the wait for their decision won't be that bad. If I get dinged everywhere, the wait will be completely nerve wracking.
My current wait for Berkeley, Chicago and Duke and I would classify as totally nerve wracking. Seriously, I am really a mess. I honestly probably don't go much longer than 15 minutes without a thought of the upcoming decisions. The rest is pretty much filled with thinking about my failing relationship. Life has definitely been better. Work has been better.
On the upside, the weather is improving, and this past week I have started running again. And this weekend I hit the Met for a day, and saw Lord of the Rings. Great flick. I only thought about schools during a brief bladder-imposed intermission. So that's two solid 1.5 hour stretches. Also, movie popcorn and stadium seating both totally kick ass.
So a full work week coming up, and then a halfy and a trip to CA next week. By the time I get back from that, I'll be a week and a half away from learning a portion of my fate.
Duke R2 decision coming up for some folks this week. Good luck on that. I think Stanford will be a definite write off by this Friday for those with no interview invite. One week until I am at least in the Month where I hear decisions. Arggggggggg...
posted by John Osvald
1:20 PM
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I found out a few waitlist items today, none of which make me feel good.
1. I grabbed last year's BW week Haas waitlist thread. The first admitted applicant of the waitlist is March 28th. Blech.
2. There are currently 100 people on the waitlist. Got this from the Haas chatboard. That seems like a lot after 1 round with 700 apps.
3. Also on the Haas chatlist there is a subject about the next supersaturday, in March. It has 379 views. That seems like a lot. I hope the Round 2 applicants aren't infinitely more qualified or something (no offense Harry, Trip, Techie, 3app).
I have such a weird feeling about this Stanford application. I go on the b-week board. All of these people are freaking out about not getting an invite. I am totally calm about it. Maybe I am a bodhisattva after all. Or maybe I just got dinged in another life. Or maybe I was more nervous when I handed over my mega-millions lottery ticket to the gas station guy this morning. Guess what? I didn't win. I wonder what the chances are of winning your buck back are... probably 8%.
A moment of silence for all the hurt Wharton put on our blogging community today. As a result, I have been proselytizing my opinion of the city of philadelphia as a city of crap. And I am not doing this as an uniformed individual, like half the people who will tell you that New Jersey smells (no comment). I have spent some time there, and the sole redeeming "quality" I found was this bar called monks, where they had a slew of Belgian ales on tap and like 300 more in the bottle. That was sweet.
Oh I almost forgot this item, but as of now I really, really, really want to get into Duke. I was in the bathroom today, and this dude that is essentially my boss's nemesis got the urinal next to me and struck up a conversation. Which is odd becuase he is usually too full of a combination of himself and shit to make any conversation at all. But, it turns out, he heard I was applying to schools, and that he went to Duke. So I want at the very least to get in there. I am positive that if any Duke adcom member finds their way here and reads this reasoning, they will now surely admit me.
posted by John Osvald
10:24 AM
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How many posts can I complain about waiting? I really can't fathom all this fricking time between now and March 18th, 19th. DAMN IT. I need a fast forward button for my life at the moment.
Looks like the Stanford interview invites are starting to flow now. I think the bulk will be out by the end of the week. I wonder if they changed their interview policy, as last year they claimed to have interviewed 45% of the almost 6000 applicants. That's a lot of discussions of you career choices and why you want an MBA now and why specifically with Stanford.
Some dude posted the interview invite on a b-week forum. I appreciate that, it's helpful. And the other day, 3-app posted one of his essays on his blog. That was sweet too. I was wondering about this... who keeps the intellectual rights to your essays? Are they the property of the schools? Because I have found example essays very unhelpful. They are either great because the answers are obvious to the people answering the question, or suck so so bad. It's always like the "What unique perspective do you bring to XXX" question will have an example "good" essay that is from a blind orphan with one leg who won an olympic medal using an artificial leg of his own creation which formed the basis of the company he started and sold for 100M. Thanks that's very helpful! I exaggerate, but seriously, the Bweek Fuqua perspective essay is from a girl who grew up in Columbia. Who the hell does that help? Who is actually sitting there wondering what to write their essay on, and is then like, "oh, you know what? After seeing this, I now think I may somehow be able to work in that I was born and raised in Bolivia, and regularly travel back and forth to conduct business in both countries... maybe that could work. That or I should write how good I am with people and how I have a good sense of humor..." The Montauk book is even worse. I think they had a leadership essay written by Norman Schwartzkopf. And the bad are always so bad. I think they write them using those refrigerator magnet sets. Anyway, the point is it would be very helpful to other applicants to post all one's essays post-decision. I don't know if that's allowed somehow. Anyone know?
Anyway, got a few folks waiting on Wharton interview invites. Luvshack, Naveen, Trip, Techie I am pulling for you. This is a weird phenomenom, this little blogger community we have going here. I really feel like a win for you folks is a win for me. Realistically, it's not, but who cares? FMG, I really feel like you are going to Wharton. Reading your blog, (me along with the admissions committee) it sounds like you are writing a book titled "How to get into Wharton". If you ever do, please put some extra thought into the example essays portion. But seriously, you sound like you are kicking ass.
Anyway, good luck everybody. I'll rub my pitbull's (large, fat) belly for you.
posted by John Osvald
12:41 PM
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A few accomplishments today. Berkeley personal statement sent off priority mail. So week 1,2 and 3 of my WL I have hit them with something. Additional rec, interview and now this. And I think it is grade A essay writing. Ended up 2 pages, single spaced. Printed about 20 copies and had my fountain pen explode on my hand and mouth to get my best signature.
Who you calling a psycho?
Number 2. FAFSA sent off.
Good thing too. If I do get into Berkeley, someone pointed out in reference to my last post that they just raised tuition considerably. Instead of 22 out of state, 10 in state, tuition is now 16 in state, 28 out! Dammmmmnnnnn. That is a serious hike. Please insert your own Arnold movie reference joke here< >.
Potter did a countdown today. I like that. Here's mine:
Berkeley - Only god & the adcom knows.
Duke - 31 Days to go
Chicago - 30 days to go
Stanford - 37 days to go
UCLA - Uhhhh. Like 3 frickin months. WTF?
posted by John Osvald
10:34 AM
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I am sitting at home right now casually going about a lazy day, enjoying the fact that I work for a bank. They just love throwing days off in there. I think we get Arbor day and Festivus off this year.
My Berkeley personal statement has gone through one round of edits and is out for another. I hope to send it out tomorrow. Looks like it will end up at about 2 pages, single spaced. I think it is good stuff, hope they read it all and everything. After that I'll be preparing for CA. Flying Orange County to Oakland only cost me $66 bucks on Southwest, btw. Again, I hate retail. Related to both of these statements is the fact that I hate the OC, which I was forced to watch again last week. Truly, this show is complete and utter tripe. It is kind of like watching one of those videos of a fireplace going for an hour, except that instead of a fire with flames jumping, it is a pile of crap with steam coming off it. With worse acting no less. I am coming up with something this Wednesday I swear. I will not be here.
But about CA, I got a note back from a UCLA student who will be taking me to class with him. Turns out he used to work for my company too. Man, we are like the government. I guess that's why we get President's day off.
Yankees got A-Rod. HBS should send some folks over to the Red Sox organization. That or they need a voodoo priestess or something. I mean, damn. How long can you lose.
posted by John Osvald
11:09 AM
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Quant is not my strength. My little math-exercise is totally skewed:
PeteJohnsonHaas (Dec 17, 2003 1:21:38 PM)
Go-bears, we don't have a fixed number of individuals that we place on the waitlist each year, so it varies. Last year, about 24% of the applicants who were waitlisted ultimately received an offer.
So 24% is my chance. Considerably less than 75, 52, and even less than 27. This is weird though. B-week said that 309 WL, 82 enrolled. 26.5%. How could less than that receive an offer? I guess it doesn't really matter. I still have some essay to write. This dude posted on the Round 1 board today to say he interviewed on Monday, and was admitted Thursday. So I thought maybe I could get a call soon. But he was an international with a late interview, not a waitlister.
I am really digging that all of us bloggers seem to read each others blogs and make comments. Techie Dude suggested that we all get together on his blog this morning, and I think that would be awesome. Logistically difficult, but good times. I'll be the last to add congrats to Naveen on the UCLA admit. Sweet. Good luck to Trip on the Yale interview this weekend. 3app, sorry to hear about the Stern ding. You should hook up a comment board on your blog.
I am adding some more stuff to the Cali trip. Lunch with a student and a class visit to UCLA, and lunch with a student and an info session at Berkeley. Gotta go all out.
posted by John Osvald
4:05 PM
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Last year Berkeley interviewed 16% of applicants and admitted 13%. Of that 13% 92% were interview-admits. That means they interviewed 595 people, and admitted 483, 444 of which were interview-admits.
So, of the 595 interviewed, 444 got an offer and 150 did not.
That being said, since I have now interviewed, I have a 75% chance of being admitted.
Want to argue with this logic? Please don't.
3:30 PM
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I had thought that my shot at Berkeley was now around 27%. 82 applicants enrolled off a waitlist of 309. But it is better than 27%. Let's say Berkeley's waitlist had the same pull through as the regular admit pool, 51%. That means if 81 were enrolled off the wailtlist , then 160 were admitted. That means my chance is more like 52%. Niiiice.
10:24 AM
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You can then also meet the real chunky pitbull. She's a dog, she is fat (it's my fault), and she is named after Elvis's birthplace (also my fault). It is really hard not to feed her. She was homeless. That's what I keep saying. "Ohh, you want a milkbone? You were homeless...I'll just leave the box." I think I'll need to post a pic once I figure that out. She actually is losing weight at the moment so maybe I'll do a before/after pic set, and claim she was on trimspa.
Anyway, if I get into Berkeley I will have shared custody of said dog. Not to heap some more pressure on this. Maybe I'll bring her to my class visit. It would be hard to turn me down then, right? I mean for god's sake, she was homeless! How could they say no? I mean, they are supposed to be liberal right? That plan could go bad though, as she looks like a jackal, and her jaw is misaligned so her teeth get stuck on her lip, and she looks like she is growling a lot of the time. She is friendly as hell but I walk down the street and people yank their children off the sidewalk. Ladies cry. Big men, wearing work boots, flannel and dirt daintily leap to the side.
So I am currently gearing up to write a killer essay. It is all laid out in my mind... so ready to get started Saturday. Rec 3 should have arrived by now. The interview write up will be there too, my interviewer told me she would send it right away. They said the earliest I'd hear back is a month. I have this fantasy that they will admit me, but then see that I am on the schedule for a class visit, and tell me in person when I arrive. Then we all congo line around the admissions office, I have a big sombrero. Awesome.
Let-me-do-some-actual-work-now. Right after I do one last forum check.
posted by John Osvald
4:07 PM
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Talking about Berkeley makes me want to go to Berkeley so frickin bad. I think they might have moved up to number 1. That's right. 1. Above Stanford. Like I'll really have that choice. I really think of it as a Haas vs Chicago example. I dunno which I'd pick. Berkeley I think.
Anyway, I feel good, now I am just nervous about writing and absolutely sparkling personal statement. I am looking for a literary achievement in the field on this one.
Saturday. Coffee House. Here I come.
7:12 AM
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Haas interview today. 6 45. Got on a brand new suit. Feeling good. If anyone reading this has had a Haas interview, please post some comments, tips... anything. Or email me -chunkypitbull@hotmail.com.
Accepted.com Haas interview reports totally suck.
Man, I really want in.
I have been reading the BW Chicago forum and it sounds like apps are down at UC this year, which should pump up the acceptance rate. I remember when I first bought the US News ratings, I think it was 2000, Chicago stood out among the top tier schools because the acceptance rate was 30%, and GPA was 3.3. It dropped to 15% last year of course, but it seems like maybe it is normalizing a bit. Good stuff to hear.
I made yet another change to my California trip... I am leaving Monday so I can attend a Haas class. Unless they ding me first, in which case I'll switch back. Uggh. This feeling in the pit of my stomach is starting feel normal. Like I have been on a first date for 5 months.
posted by John Osvald
10:39 AM
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Man, I am really starting to feel cagy about this whole Berkeley thing. I want in bad. There was this string on B Week forums where they were trying to apply a baseball batting analogy to admits, rejections and waitlists at various schools. My at-bat analogy for the Berkeley waitlist? You take Barry Zito's 2-1 pitch and knock it into the upper deck, just slightly foul. So you are still at bat. Everyone know you have some power, but are waiting to see if you have the finesse to get on base. The first strike is equivalent to one of the reviewers probably wanting to ding you. The balls are the other two that were in some favor. Next pitches are interview, recommendation, personal statement.
Problem is I suck at baseball. I struck out repeatedly playing softball a few years back. Crap. I should really choose my own analogy, one that I can really see myself sucessful at. So I take all that back. My Berkeley waitlist is really more akin to Pong on the Atari 2600. How so? Because I kick ass at that game, that's why. Wooo! I am so in. California here I come.
Haven't been too worried about Chicago lately, mainly because I feel helpless. Everything is done. Nothing more I can do. Just wait. Bleh.
Gave my boss recommender a gift for helping out with 5 long recommendations today. I ebayed everything. He's a big sports fan so I got him a Manchester United golf shirt, and a Yankees Program for 1953. It all went over very well. My only question is if it is really possible for me to have appeared to be kissing anymore ass in the office this morning. I think I set the bar pretty high. Whatever. Hopefully I am leaving anyway.
Just realized I have Monday off. That's just awesome. Add that I am seeing Mos Def Saturday night at the Blue Note, and you really have the makings of an awesome weekend.
Berkeley interview tomorrow... more excited than nervous. Poker game after.
posted by John Osvald
7:10 AM
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Back from my trip to NC this weekend. I drove down Friday which a "wintry mix" extravaganza. I believe I travelled under the same terential downpour rain cloud the entire trip. What are the chances I just spelled "terential" correctly? Probably about the same as the chance that I made it in under 10 hours. Not likely.
But Saturday I woke up to clear, warm Carolina skies. Fuqua is literally one building, located on the corner of the Duke campus away from everything else. It was pretty nice though, as far as a building goes. They had a brand new student center, which I found fairly pleasant and impressive. 8 classrooms, 35 meeting rooms, cafe... c'est Fuqua.
The interview was more probing and intensive than my last one. -- Give three attirubutes about yourself, Talk about an instance when one was challenged. What role do you take on a team? Describe a situation when you acted that way. What will you find most challengin if you come to school here? ---It all took about 50 minutes. All in all, I don't think I did all that great. I answered the basics solidly (Career desc, Why MBA, Why Duke) but wasn't as strong when I was working on the fly. I am also not sure I built a great rapport with my interviewer.
I think my problem was, after arriving there, taking the tour, and walking around the rest of the campus, I really was not feeling like I had a fit. It was hard for me to step back and act completely like this is the school for me in the interview. And when you read about Duke, a top 10 school with a low yield, the fit and eagerness of the applicant is one of their top criteria, especially for the interview. So I walked away with a sense of semi failure. Also the semi feeling that I had rejected the school also. So it is kind of mutual failure. Glad I went though. Duke is very beautiful - small, gothic architecture. There is also a hint of entitlement around I picked up on a bit, and didn't really dig. I think I might be more of a public university kind of guy.
Team Fuqua - have you read about it? From what I can discern, all of the feelings they describe are real... everybody down there really has them. They are an extremely tight knit, small, collaborative community. Hell bent on helping each other, and the school succeed. Again, this is one of those things that I looked at, thought was pretty cool, but then again, just couldn't really feel or get into.
If Duke was the only joint I got into, I think I would still give it a shot. Otherwise, I think our relationship is pretty much over.
Got my Stanford application under review email. I expect that is the last I hear until March 31.
Berkeley recommendation got mailed today. Interview Wednesday. Will write the personal statement later this week, aim to get it mailed next Monday/Tuesday.
posted by John Osvald
1:31 PM
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Bummer huh? Going to DUke, can't get my mind off Berkeley. Crap, no real time to be writing this right now, but have to get it out, and everyone I know is sick of hearing about it.
So I leave for Duke tomorrow am. Still have to get the ol' Civic some new oil and a bit of air in the tires. At least I won't be bored by the drive alone... it seems I will spend at least 4 hours of my day off on conference calls. It's ok... I went to school in VA so I already have like 3/4 of this drive burned to memory. I am not going to "miss" any scenery.
But, all I am really thinking about is my CA trip later on. Have a new plan. Still flying into LA Weds night. Still interviewing on Thurs. But, instead of a cab back to the airport I am going to jump into a rental car and head up to SF for the weekend. I'll hit Berkeley and Stanford for a visit (no class :( ) and spend the rest of the weekend with ym best friend from high school, who just settled down in Vallejo CA. Yay. My Berkeley optimism is still stting me up for a huge letdown. Thinking about where I would live this morning. UGH. Cut it out now boy, I warn you.
Oh, and, I started thinking, as I have no savings, I better apply for some loans!! Any tips towards that end would be greatly appreciated.
Also, I bought yet another b-school book yesterday, causing a work friend to tell me I had a problem. Wall Street Journal seems a little cracked out. Stanford ranked #30? C'mon now. And it's funny, all of the "negative" ratings that they got have to do with things like elitist grads, and not wanting to leave CA. I mean, if all of there graduates are obnoxious that sucks, I would rather not hang out with obnoxious people and everything, but really, is that what you are gonna rate a business school on? Crap.
Also, please check out these sites for mindless drivel>
Yahoo most emailed . where your local news & howard stern get their news:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=index2&cid=964
Cruel.com > often very sick, twisted, entertaining. Blocked by my firewall, but if you check out google's cached version you can still get to the sites. Enjoy.
posted by John Osvald
11:15 AM
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This mood is killing me. I actually feel like I have a shot at Berkeley. I am getting my interview and personal statement together in my head, and it sounds good to me. I asked an additional recommender, and she agreed.
My personal statement plan. I have some good stuff to talk about. Since I submitted my my Berkeley app, my marketing plan was submitted and approved. My programs are planned to account for a load of cash next year. So that sounds good. Then, I can also mention that I got a bonus. I'll leave out that I spent it on credit cards, atari, and a printer/scanner for my girlfriend who kinda can't stand me at the moment. Next, I started a new volunteer project with a new company. It totally ties into my whole entrepreneurial thing, and plays up my social responsibility committment too. The CEO is my new recommender. Last, I feel like I did a much better job of explaining my MBA desires in later essays, so, I want to offer that clarification PLUS add more about why Berkeley. I basically love Berkeley because I feel they have a good mix of general management excellence/entrepreneurial focus/social & corporate responsibility. So I am going with that.
But seriously, this feeling of optimism is kind of knawing at me. I was so resolved to the fact that Haas gave me an outright rejection, that it has taken a few days to really accept that I still have a chance at all. Now, I am looking at myself and thinking I have a good chance. To walk away with a ding now is like being the dude who gets kicked out of survivor the first night. I can placate myself by thinking that they gave me the WL strictly based on my GMAT quant score, and I won't be improving that. Then my optimism fades a bit. And I stop thinking about taking my pooch into the muir woods. Man that would be amazing.
And really, I have to get my stuff together for this Fuqua interview that will be staring me squarely in my 9.5 hour drive-tired eyes in a few days. The blue hills are beautiful too, I suppose.
You know what I really have to do? Some fricking work around here. Unless my title changed to "Personal MBA Admissions Consultant" and I picked up myself as a client, I think I may be slacking a bit.
A large congratulations to Future MBA Girl, who will hopefully solidify her place as Future Wharton MBA Girl after the interview she just got invited to.
posted by John Osvald
6:14 PM
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9:15 AM
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Looking forward to getting the hell out of dodge this weekend. Leaving Friday am, meeting up with a friend I grew up with who now lives in Raleigh. Going to meet his baby daughter. Saturday, Duke tour, interview, over at four. Then I am driving to Richmond to spend the night with my buddy from college. The only guy I have ever met named Forrest. That gump movie made his life hell for a few years. I am very psyched to see them both.
posted by John Osvald
12:24 PM
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So, when I approached the whole application process, I really had no idea if I was even in the ballpark. I thought maybe I was, but hell, I didn't go to an ivy, a lot of my experience was with start-ups... who the hell knows what they are going to think of that stuff?
So, while this is just a waitlist, it does mean that my app was in the top 22% or so of the R1 Berkeley applications. So finally, I have evidence that I am "in the Ballpark". For that matter, I'm currently in the Pac Bell parking lot, looking for a scalper. Or maybe I am in a canoe in the bay, waiting for a homerun to fall into my boat. I believe this is what they call "pushing the ballpark analogy" though.
I totally stole that last joke from Jerry Seinfeld. Sorry bout that.
And you know what's really great? Now I have a personal statement to work on! The last few days have been kind of strange. Sure, I tried to stress about my Duke interview, but it was no use, I really am not that worried about it. I tried to act angered that I had missed Janet Jackson's nipple show because I was walking my dog, but it didn't take... I don't really care. There was no reason to got to the cafe and drink too much coffee and write anything. Now I can pull it together. I need a new recommender (or two), another interview, a personal statement AND could I possibly have to worry about retaking the GMAT or a statistics course? So many choices. A smorgasbord of things to worry and be pessimistic about hath been laid at my feet. And you'll hear about all of them.
So 1. Accepted spot on waitlist. 2. Started scheduling interview. Was willing to travel to SF but the interviewer said that interviews were weighted equally so I took the alum option. Mistake? Don't know. Step 3. Don't know.
9:20 AM
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Hmmm. Are you sure it was me?
I think you may be mistaken. What do you mean it is right here on this page? I am on their waitlist I'll have you know.
Well that would just be stupid. I love their admissions process.
Now that's it. The nerve of you. Accusing me of having some kind of rant prepared to post today. Honestly.
Waitlist at Berkeley = temporary elation for Chunky Pitbull.
7:19 AM
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