Round and Round and Round

Source

I now understand what it means when ‘they’ say “apply when it is RIGHT for you”.  I am torn.  Right now, I’m on track for R1 submissions and initially thought that I was going to split the rounds especially since I am consider applying to some Consortium schools.  However, I am currently in the midst of a financial accounting class, possibly getting a new role (within my company), STILL considering if I will re-take the GMAT and also working on a project for a month off-site (therefore extensive travel).  Also, personally I have a few things going on with baby showers, weddings, birthdays and really need time to take it all in.  Futhermore, right now my list of schools is at 10…and I must reduce that properly and not haphazardly.  I do not want to feel rushed/pressured in that regard.

Long story short…I have A LOT going on.

So I struggled, but I realized that perhaps R2 is best for me.  Also, it will be nice to have my dings and acceptances all at one time, instead of trickling in between both rounds, and possibly stressing me out even more.  I felt kind of disappointed that I have been waiting for this exact moment for almost a year and I am still not prepared!  But on the flipside, this gives me a chance to visit some schools, attend some diversity events and develop more relationships with people at the school.  I’ve also thought about taking ONE more class and starting to clear out my apartment (since I’m moving in 2012 due to Bschool..and I have A LOT of things)…so once again…A LOT is on my plate at the moment thus R2 seems like a better fit :-/

What do you think? R1? R2? R3? R4 (yes I have seen R4….)? Splitting the rounds? What is your plan?

-Motown

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What the...!?

So as we have been writing this blog and posting it on Twitter and talking about it with friends…  I’ve gotten a few questions.  So I may not be the best person to speak on some of the things that we may mention in passing…but hopefully I can direct you to the right resources.  So here's a few answers from some things we have mentioned…but not really clarified:

What is the Consortium?

It’s basically a group of schools that desire to support the Consortium’s mission which is to increase diversity in b-school and corporations (I’m extremely paraphrasing…).  Anyhow, they do this through providing a streamlined to apply to their partner schools and also providing scholarships to those that qualify.  To learn more about it check it out here.   The Consortium

What is MLT?

MLT stands for Management Leaders of Tomorrow.  There are several programs that MLT offers, but I’m primarily referring to the MBA Prep Program.  It’s an org that also guides diverse candidates process to business school.  To learn more about it, check it out here. MLT

What is “your story”?

Your story is YOU beyond your numbers.  Your short and long term goals and your path to get there.  It is your path you took to realize your goals and how you plan to accomplish them.  It is also a hard look at your strengths and weaknesses and the [interesting] stories to explain them.  (There are plenty of resources about this…but here is one)

I hope this helps our readers and I’ll continue to periodically explain terms.  Are there any other terms that are unclear?  Anything else I SHOULD know?

-Motown

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Book Recommendations

Have you all ever went to amazon and looked at all the bschools books out there? Well if you haven't there are soooo many books! With all these books how do you find the great ones. I'm all about reading reviews and blogs to find the most helpful books but still there are quite a few with great reviews. I need some recommendations so lets share bookshelves.  I have a few books that  helped me out tremendously. Here they are....

GMAT Prep 

• Official Guide - This is a no brainer,  must have!!
• Manhattan GMAT sentence correction
• Vertias Prep Probability-  probability was a major weakness of mine, I found this book to start back from the basics which helped a WHOLE lot.

Random Goodies 

• Tell to win by Pete Guber

Essay/Application Prep

• I still haven't found one I can swear by any suggestions?

What books are on your bookself?

Ms.HR

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My Bschool Checklist

I LIVE for checklists. When I start my week I create a list of things I need to complete before the end of the week.  Yes I'm OCD when it comes to checklists. Sooo it's only natural I have a checklist for this whole bschool process.  I created this list when I first started and have been adding to it ever since. The list is supposed to be of things that I need to complete before I start any applications. I'm worried that my detailed list will show you how OCD I really am :)...... So here's a high level look at my list

• GMAT
• Address any gaps I see in my profile -by this I mean if I'm weak on volunteering, get involved in something I'm passionate about.
• Set budget and save for bschools application process 
• Research schools
• Finalized schools which I'm planning on applying too
• Revise resume and get professional feedback on it
• Think about and finalize recommenders list
• Decided which recommenders will do what school 
• Make timeline of application deadlines and plan for execution
• My brand - this bullet point deserves to have its very own post

Short list but I still have some work to do before I can say this list is complete. Whats on your checklist or is there something you would add to this one?

-Ms.HR

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Storytelling with Friends

Over the 4th of July I had the chance to hang out with Motown and MktgBadger. These 2 are hilarious!  Everything we did became a conversation on how it could be used to answer an essay question (some were jokes and others would actually make good essays).

Honestly before that weekend, I had not really done much self reflection on what life experiences I could pull from to show a specific characteristic for essays. After hanging with these two I catch myself thinking more about situations that are unique and how I can pull pieces from those situations to put together essays.

Another insightful thing we did is list our personal traits. I definitely think this is something you should go over with a friend who knows you well. It was interesting to hear some of the traits that the  two of them suggested for me. For example, I believe it was Motown who said I was persuasive, which is something I would have never listed for myself.  Since Motown and I  go way back she had stories on how I showed that personal trait.  It was also very interesting to hear everyones stories that backed up their personal traits. If you haven't already take some time to storytell with friend :)

-Ms. HR

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Ross Essays

We would be remiss if we did not annouce the Ross Essays on our blog.  Enjoy!

1. Introduce yourself to your future Ross classmates in 100 words or less.
2. Describe your career goals. How will an MBA from Ross help you to achieve those goals? What is your vision for how you can make a unique contribution to the Ross community? (500 words)
3. Describe a time in your career when you were frustrated or disappointed. What did you learn from that experience? (500 word maximum)
4. Select one of the following questions:
• What are you most passionate about? (300 word maximum)
• Describe a personal challenge or obstacle and why you view it as such. How have you dealt with it? What have you learned from it? (300 word maximum)
5. Optional question: Is there anything else you think the Admissions Committee should know about you to evaluate your candidacy? (500 word maximum)

Anyone thinking of applying to Ross?  Any thoughts about the essay questions?

Good Luck!
-Motown

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