update from nyc

Hi friends and readers - whoever may still be out there:

I have been hesitant to update this blog since starting school - its been a complete whirlwind.   I feel like I can barely describe everything I have experienced, but I'll try.... 

Orientation was intense. Long days of CBS's IBS and PSI curriculum, followed by evenings of corporate sponsored boozin' - all in the name of networking, of course.  We spent the majority of our time in our clusters.  It goes without saying that my cluster is the best, of course.

Classes are intense.  I had my first midterm last week.  With CBS's new flex core curriculum, several classes were shrunk to half semester courses - so that means midterms happen only 4 weeks into the semester.  The adage is that "grades don't matter," but it is hard to undo 20-something years of nerd guilt.  I spent copious time in the library - the upside was bonding with clustermates in good ol' Watson Library.  I'm also spending quite a bit of time emailing, conference callin' and librarying with my learning team.  (I'm the only female in my team of 5)

Clubs are intense.  I'm applying for AVP positions left and right.  Supposedly there is "leadership inflation" at Columbia ie enough leadership positions so that each person can have multiple.  While that may be true, certain ones are more sought after than others and, at least now, it feels like it is important to try to get one in your professional club of choice.

So there you have it - its been intense.  In summary, I love it here.  I'm busy, barely sleeping, not running (there goes "mbarunnergirl"), not even really eatting appropriately, but I love it.  Everything has exceeded my expectations - the workload (hah), my cluster, my professors, my new friends, the imploding of Wall Street.... I hope to continue blogging, but I am trying to be realistic in terms of my workload.  Those applying to Columbia can reach out to me with a comment or via my email listed on this blog and I'll do my best to respond.

back home... for now

I'm back from Australia - what a beautiful country! I think the beauty of Oz is how different it is. I got a small sampling of a few things it has to offer - desert, rain forest, urban living, wildlife. I'll post a few pictures after I sort through them all. I know consulting is not for me as I'm already tired of airplanes and hotels after two weeks (and two more shorter trips in the upcoming weeks) June is looking to be wide-open so I'm debating how to fill the time with things other than reading and being a big gym rat. My father asked if I wanted to consult on a technical project for his company, which does not interest me at all. I'm even considering retail to get a big discount on clothes though perhaps that is not the most valuable way to spend my free time :)

Thanks to the blogosphere for voting me into the top 10 of MBA applicant blogs this year. It was certainly surprising and unexpected. Subsequently, I was asked to be one of the judges for Accepted.com Beautiful BSchool Photo contest, which was a lot of fun. There were some pretty neat pictures in the group so it was harder than I expected! The winner should be announced in a few weeks.

really?

I was nominated for Clear Admit's best of blogging award among applicant bloggers. I am pleasantly surprised, and feel that I'm in very good blogging company.

Thanks Clear Admit for the shout out! :)

the deed is done

Thanks to everyone who weighed in on my "when to tell them" dilemma. I decided to give my company one month notice before my final day, which I did earlier this week. I really couldn't have asked for it to go any better. I was pretty nervous; it took me 2 weeks to draft the "perfect" resignation letter. I've worked at the company since graduating from college and I've developed a really strong community. Most of my friends, the people I hang out with on the weekends, are from work. In short, work, even outside of work, is a big part of my life. So, I approached the meeting with my manager with both sadness and apprehension.

When it came down to the actual talk, my manager was a bit surprised, but very encouraging. He expressed a bit of jealousy and told me that I should follow my dreams. It was a more emotional and whimsical response than I expected from my technical-minded boss.

As news has started to spread throughout my area, all of the managers have stopped by and expressed congratulations. They've also been really accommodating in terms of finding me an assignment to fill my time for the next month; I actually have more on my plate now than I did a few weeks ago! So, I guess I just worried a whole bunch for nothing. :)

Hi friends in the blogosphere... I didn't forget about you, but in all honesty didn't have anything interesting to post lately. Work is still going smoothly and pretty quietly as well. There have been tons of budget cuts and projects have been delayed. As none of the management team knows of my plans to leave, things are a bit sticky for me. I had a project close last week. There are a few things still open that I can work on that should keep me busy for a bit longer, but there are no new projects expected to open until mid-April. My last day is slated for April 25th. I was hoping to give at least 4 weeks notice, but with not a whole lot going on, I wonder if my manager will just tell me to leave. Thoughts from any of you out there? For those who did not have a current manager write your recommendation, how much notice are you planning on giving before your last day?

I did attend Open House at CBS last weekend. With the vast majority of the admits thus far being Early Decision, most of us were bound to attending, which really excited me since I know I'll be seeing most of these people in August. Initially I was really overwhelmed by the number of people and ongoing events, but after I got acclimated and into a networking groove, I had a really good time.

Moreover, I'm really excited about the changes that are going at Columbia. The entire website has been reskinned; as a software developer, I was pretty frustrated by the design, which could/should have been a lot better. It is now :). Columbia is also starting to write their own cases called decision briefs, which will have less information and more uncertainty which will hopefully mimic reality closer than a detailed case. And the new curriculum will be inaugurated with my class, allowing even those who do not exempt out of core classes, to take two electives second semester. Pretty cool!

head in the clouds

After a thoroughly relaxing holiday -- including watching all of Season 1 of Heroes in about three days, I am back at work. But work is no big deal. I spend a lot of the time daydreaming. All I can think about is the perfect New York City apartment, going to Australia with my best friend, and my last day of work, which has already been picked out.

*big smile*

Happy New Year!

Best wishes to all of you out there as we begin 2008! And good luck to those of you working on applications for those upcoming R2 deadlines!

The way the cookie crumbles

So time to 'fess up....

I actually got an admit to Columbia the week before I heard from Chicago. Given the timing (per the binding Early decision agreement, I have two weeks to send my deposit to secure my spot at Columbia) I decided to wait it out and see what Chicago said. I was SHOCKED with an acceptance. After last year when I went 0 for 4, I got accepted at my top two choices. I'm still actually flabbergasted at the thought.

For the last week, I've been struggling with whether or not to break my word to Columbia and go to Chicago. I consider myself a very ethical person, even when it isn't always easy. Having just visited Chicago and loved it... it was a big temptation. Several times I thought I had made a decision and then immediately changed my mind. Last night it became very clear to me that I should go to Columbia. I wish I could say it was some major revelation, but it wasn't. It felt like it was the right thing to do for me. (I do realize the impossible situation of making a bad decision in this scenario. I hear the world's smallest violin playing right now.) This morning Columbia got my deposit (with probably no time to spare) and I've secured my spot as a member of CBS Class of 2010.

So, all you GSB waitlisters out there, I hope one of you get my spot. BschoolDiva, you think they'll swap one Texas girl for another? I remember the pain of being on the waitlist; I was waitlisted through two rounds until August before the semester started. Just keep sending those meaningful updates and let them know that you heart Chicago GSB. And if you make it, sign up for a Random Walk for me because that was one of the things I really wanted to do.

YES!!!!!!

I got the admit call from Chicago this afternoon!!!! The only way to describe my feeling right now is pure elation.

When I step off cloud nine, I'll blog more.

counting down the days

As I wait to hear final decisions, I'm spending my time

• Playing in a work intramural kickball tournament: we won it tonight. rock on!
• Christmas shopping: I am at the point where amazon won't cut it any more so I will have to face the crowds.
• Moving: my roommate moved out so I'm moving slowly in the master bedroom.
• Recommender presents: a good time to get them thank you gifts with the holiday season. I'm planning on getting them spa gift certificates since they are both very busy women who need some "me" time. Last year, I got gift cards to a popular restaurant in our area and that went over very well also.
• Nursing my running injury: I haven't run in weeks and I think the half marathon in February will probably not happen. I may try for a 10k and half-marathon relay instead.

columbia interview complete!

I did an alumni interview with Columbia on Monday. Seeing as it was so soon after my Chicago I was a little nervous I would say Chicago instead of Columbia in some of my answers, but luckily I avoided that. Overall, I felt less nervous but lacked a real "connection" with the interviewer. We didn't have much in common, but I enjoyed our conversation. He got a good feeling of my goals, reasons for wanting to go to Columbia and my personality so in that sense it was a success. We met at a Starbucks and luckily I was able to pick up the large corner table so we were able to have something resembling a private conversation. For those of you doing an interview in a public place, I would recommend getting there early to acclimate, get used to the noise level and relax a bit.

I was pretty thrilled to receive the news that Chicago's notification date was moved up to December 19th. I wonder whether they will call admits as they did last year... Two weeks left! The motivation to complete my R2 two applications is low... anyone else feeling me out there?

chicago interview

I went up to Chicago GSB this weekend to interview at Super Saturday. All in all, the interview went well. I had an alumni interviewer - he was very relaxed and laid back. He asked a few of the standard questions, but after a while it became more conversational. He seemed to appreciate my genuine Why Chicago. A question I am getting very used to is "Why not Kellogg?" as I want to go into marketing. At that point, I am glad I have visited programs and can say "I didn't feel a fit at Kellogg because of a, b, c, but I did at your school and here is why." While I enjoy a conversational interview, it is harder to get in all of those points that you want, but, in the end, I was pleased with the interview.

What this Texas girl was not pleased with was the frigid snowstorm. It started to snow at the beginning of the scheduled lunch with first year students and by the end of it, was really coming down. The temperature was in the 20s (probably teens with wind chill); that is a 50 degree differential from what I am used to! Unfortunately my flight was canceled on Saturday, and a friend offered to house me and drive me to O'Hare the next morning. While I tried to enjoy the extra time in Chicago and spend some time seeing the city, the cold eventually got the best of us and we sought solace inside my friend's condo.

Now I only have one more month until the January 3rd notification date. I really want to get in as every time I visit the campus I just fall a little bit more in love with the program.

happy turkey day!

Happy long weekend to all of you out there! I started my time off today and I'm hoping to be very productive with the days off, completing a few drafts of the Michigan essays and prep for my Chicago interview next week.

In update news, I got an invitation to interview at Columbia this morning. I had been told that reapplicants who interviewed the previous year often do not re-intervew so the news was a bit anticlimatic as I expected a final decision. I'm trying not to analyze too much why I was asked to interview again, but see it as an opportunity to ace it.

3 down!

With just over three hours to spare, I submitted my NYU application tonight, which closes up my Round 1 efforts. Next up is Chicago interview prep and Michigan essays. I hope to make a big dent into Michigan over the Thanksgiving holiday.

In running news, I aggravated my plantar fasciitis this past week so I haven't been running. Just lots of ibuprofen, stretching and icing my left foot while writing. Hope I get better or I may change my blog to mbalimpinggirl.

i've finally arrived!

So I'm a little bit of a dork, but I was really excited to merit a mention in Clear Admit's Friday on the Frontline. I've been reading the blog for months so I got a little giddy when I read it this morning.

My nose is to the grindstone as I work on my two NYU essays (standard essay one and a "how have you improved since last year" essay 4 for reapplicants) I am finding it difficult to simply refactor what I already have for these essays, but I am determined to get them done and good despite a nagging cough and an out of town wedding tomorrow.

Those of you who may be struggling with NYU's essay 3 (or even Chicago's ppt), think how you express yourself to your friends and family now. Without giving away what I did last year, I will say that I did not think it was that creative (though it was a tangible item that I sent in versus an essay) but it got the feedback "This is so you" from my close friends. This was exactly what I was going for (yay) Look for something that is truly representative of the awesomeness that is you - like your love of tennis, travel, basket weaving, and knitting tacky holiday sweaters. Good luck!

Scheduled Chicago interview

I decided to go ahead and fly up there and do the campus interview thing. It was difficult to pick a date with trying to finish up NYU and wanting enough time to properly perpare, not to mention factoring in Thanksgiving week as the worst time to fly. Anyway, I chose December 1, the round 1 Saturday interview date, which will serve my purposes since I've visited many a time.

I'm stoked except for cooooold in Chi-town. My friend told me that the lights should up on Michigan avenue by then, which is fun news for a retail junkie like me.

nail biting...

With only two applications out the door, I'm constantly checking my email in hopes of word from Columbia. I saw a former roommate at a wedding this weekend and she is a first year at CBS. She just got me even more stoked about the idea of going there. NYU is coming along slowly. I should make the November 15th date without a problem, but work has been manic and I come home drained.

I had lunch with a friend and co-worker yesterday. He is considering applying next year, but is very early in the game. No GMAT, no short-term, long-term goals - he just knows that he wants to be doing something else. It was great to coach him a little bit on how to determine his goals and how to approach the MBA application process. I'd like to think I've learned something in the last 18 months about applying to business school.

events of today

Today I....

• Got a full LASIK consultation and scheduled my surgery for January. I can't afford any down time while working on R2 apps.
• Got a tooth filling
• went to work with my eyes dilated and numb mouth (yup I was a mess!)
• went to a wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner
• went to work briefly for a software release

But must excitingly.... I GOT MY CHICAGO INVITATION TO INTERVIEW!!!!! :) *High five to all of you out there*

Now I just need to decide whether or not to interview on-campus. I've visited GSB twice last year, but the closest alumni interview is about an hour away - and I think the same person I interviewed with last year. Thoughts anyone?

my dog hates application season

because he doesn't get quite as much play time as normal. With my roommate gone on a vacation, he just sits and watches me type away.

As of today, one week before the deadline, I put Michigan to Round 2. Now I can just breathe a little bit and can focus on NYU due November 15th.

How to convert a .ppt to a .pdf

So, Chicago says that your powerpoint must be less than 10MB to upload into the system. Mine is right over 5MB and refused to upload. The alternative is to convert the file into a .pdf file which will be considerably smaller. Warning: I had a little difficulty since I had some cutesy labels that were tilted - most of these solutions mangled my cutesy label!

Some solutions for those even more last minute than me (or I suppose R2)
1. createpdf.adobe.com - sign up for an account and you get 5 free chances to convert your file to a pdf.
2. www.pdfonline.com/easypdf - This one was pretty good, and kept the tilted labels in the right place. However, with the free trial, there was a small logo on the bottom right hand side and my photos were a little fuzzy. I also though the one time usage fee of $15 was high.
3. www.go2pdf.com/download.html - POS. Don't bother.

My solution after trying all of these? I uploaded my file to www.transferbigfiles.com. My friend who has macromedia 8 downloaded it, converted to pdf and sent it back to me. My tilted labels stayed tilted. One of the pictures ended up looking fuzzier than I wanted it to, but I noticed all solutions resulted in degradation of quality.

Good luck!