write, rewrite, rewrite

Does anyone else find themselves constantly re-wording, rephrasing every sentence of their essays? Perhaps it is because I'm still on my first essay, but I'm having difficulty committing to any of my words!

Going Cold Turkey

I have a confession. Last year, I was addicted to the Business Week forums, in a bad bad bad way. When I should have been writing essays, talking to my friends, eating, sleeping, I was reading the BWeek forums and deciding that since I have never built and funded an orphanage all by myself I was never going to get into b-school. It sprouted intense paranoia and unnecessary stress, and since it was not the applicant community and support that I needed, I'm quitting! Instead, I'm going to read blogs - lots and lots of blogs.... :)

Updated list

I finally got dinged two days ago from Chicago GSB off of the waitlist. As far as I know, the entire waitlist has been entirely cleared out. It wasn't such a big surprise after their exceptionally high yield and overbooked class. In fact when I got the email, the whole thing was anti-climatic. I felt nothing except maybe a slight twinge. I'm planning on improving my Chicago GSB application this year (looking forward to the powerpoint slides actually!) and will hopefully move from that maybe to "heck yeah, come on down!" list.

I've updated my list of schools. I am planning on adding one one more round 2 school; I was debating two schools, but application burnout is a horrible feeling. And I think it was evident in my essays last year that got progressively more bland. How is everyone else researching programs?

The writing has commenced.

I have started work on draft one of my first reapp essay. I put together a time line of when I wanted everything to be submitted and it got my rear in gear. If I want to meet all of them, I should have started...oh, a month ago.

I'm a horrible blogger. Who finds these things interesting?

some decisions...

I'm still on the research trail. I am putting feelers out for friends of friends who go to the business schools I'm adding to my application list. I like Duke and Michigan a lot so I am pretty sure about those which just leaves one more school for my list.

I think I'm going to attack my reapplications first: Columbia and Chicago. I also signed up for an MBA tour at the beginning of September and then I'll start my Duke and Michigan apps since I'll be better informed at this point. I'm still a bit indecisive on what schools I'm applying to for R1 and R2. Most likely it will be Columbia, Chicago, NYU and Ross R1, Duke and maybe one or two more programs R2.

On a more fun note, I'm planning on prepping for a half-marathon in January. It'll be a nice contrast to the hell that is applying to MBA programs and hopefully a stress reliever.

Feedback!

I had a feedback session last week with Columbia. Like what I heard from some others out there, it was mainly "you were great; we just had a really competitive year." About 10 minutes into the conversation, the admissions officer eventually said that while my transition to my post-MBA goal was believable and defined it would have been more elaborated especially compared to my peers. I was glad to hear that since it is feedback I can use and apply to my reapplication effort.

I'm still researching programs. The maybes include Tuck, Emory, UNC, UCLA, Georgetown, Haas, Michigan and Duke. I only want to apply to six (maybe seven) programs so with Columbia, Chicago and NYU, I only have room for 3 more. Next up, scouring school websites and finding people I know at the maybe schools.

first up...

I have actually not decided whether or not I'm reapplying. The application process is emotional, demanding, and honestly not something I'm sure I want to repeat.

Why, you may ask?
1. I'm not entirely happy at my job and I'm not sure I can last another year there. Finding another job, I believe, would push me back another year at least in MBA terms. (a job switch so close to applying would probably come back to bite me when trying to explain my career career path thing in every Essay 1)
2. Am I that much stronger of an applicant than I was a year ago? Would I fare that much better? Or was I the "victim" of a nervous interview (yes on two accounts) or incomplete essay packages or undefined goals.

I have a feedback session with Columbia this week and I hope that will at least clarify number 2. On the more positive side, I did interview at every school I applied to and am hanging in there on the waitlist Chicago GSB. I think applying round to more programs would help out - as would just knowing the application process.