the trials and tribs of an MBA hopeful!

Come join me in coffee shops, hiding in conference rooms at work, and generally giving up my entire social life as I work on my MBA applications!

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

As the dust settles...

Wow - January has been quite the whirlwind between good news from schools, finishing up the rest of the applications & re-entering something resembling a social life! This is the first week that i feel this sensation i think is called CALM. No stressing about hearing from schools (until Stanford starts sending out interview invites at least!), no juggling friends/boyfriend with essay writing, and even the "sooo? which one are you going to choose?" questions have died down a bit thankfully! (although, expect a post on that whole choice thing soon).

I've been very impressed with the level of contact I've gotten from both Kellogg & Harvard in the past few weeks. They both have SF events in the next couple weeks, admit weekends have been booked (poor poor credit card bill), and even the admitted students in SF are rallying for unofficial get-togethers. The admittance calls were very personalized from both schools, and an HBS 1st year called & emailed today to say congrats and see what questions i have. So needless to say, I'm excited! and still relishing that calm feeling - it's like 1000 lbs have been lifted off of my shoulders. (However, i can attribute some of that to not lugging around my super-heavy bag to coffee shops everyday to work on essays!)

The other thing I'm thinking about now is: when to quit work!!!! (wow i hope my manager doesn't pop into my cube now!) right now i'm considering end of may, and then bumming around for 2 1/2 months. having ~4 months left of work makes every day a little more manageable :)

Anyway, just some random thoughts on a slow wednesday afternoon!

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

IN at Harvard!!!!

OMG! i am in a little bit of shock right now!!! And trying to act normal since not everyone around me knows I am applying to HBS!!!

It hasn't quite sunk in yet, but wanted to share the good news!!! :) :) :)

Hope to hear good news from everyone else hearing today!

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Freeeeeedom!

i'm not lying, i just did the running man (yes, the 80s dance move) across my entire apartment. followed by a fist pump or two or three. admittedly kinda strange, but it felt so right! ;)

D-O-N-E! D-O-N-E! Yeaaaaahhhh! Submitted Stanford and Columbia this afternoon from the comfort of my couch. And my oh my, it feels just as good as i was imagining it! Freeeeeeee! ok, i'll stop...soon.


Today I submitted both Stanford and Columbia. After I heard the good word from Kellogg on Monday, I had decided not to apply to Columbia. So, last night, I was finishing up essays at my boyfriend's apt as he made me dinner for the umpteenth time in a row so I could keep plugging away. It hit me - if we are going to do this b-school thing together and make it work, it would be a lot easier for him to get a job in NY. Columbia is one of my top choices, and I'm not sure what I would do if it came down to Kellogg and Columbia. (if i could be so lucky to have options!) I just was in such a rush to be done, and this seemed like an easy way to finish even earlier.

Submitting columbia felt right today, and it didn't hurt that i was already 75% done.

And now...it's over! Celebration dinner tonite, but the real festivities are sure to begin Friday at happy hour :)

Good job to everyone who submitted Stanford and Columbia today! Iday - make space for me in your club!!! ;)

Monday, January 08, 2007

IN at Kellogg!!!!

I'm sooo happy - call didn't come until almost 5pm in Cali (7pm in Chicago)! But I'm in with an extra bonus of some money coming my way! This has been a nerve-wracking but wonderful day :) :)

I'm in shock but sooo happy! Just have to finish up Stanford (not applying to Columbia in light of the news) and its over. And i'm going to business school! YAY!

Good luck to everyone else getting apps in and hearing from schools this week!

Saturday, January 06, 2007

Countdown to apps completion: final weekend

This weekend officially marks the last friday, saturday, and sunday that i will spend holed up in a coffee shop!!! It's the last weekend that i will utter the words "I love Fridays because the coffee shop is open until midnight!" (although i must say - i get my best work done friday nights!) And it's the last weekend i will be obsessed with checking my status on a certain school that begins with a K. (But c'mon - what is my luck that i am finding out on the last day possible??!! Oh well - Monday is right around the corner, I know...)

Another good thing about this weekend is that my Stanford essays have finally taken some sort of shape. I'm about 85% there, and actually like my Essay A. Stanford has taken me the longest to write BY FAR! This one will certainly be the most fulfilling app to finish - can't wait to press the submit button next week. I went to lunch with a GSB 2nd year today, and she made me even more excited about the school!

OK - enough procrastinating. Back to my last wonderful essay weekend finishing up Stanford & Columbia! Good luck to everyone finishing up R2 apps (and those still waiting to hear from Kellogg!)

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

All quiet on the kellogg front

First of all, happy new year to everyone! I actually managed to put aside my obsessing for a week or so and enjoy the holidays :) Hopefully everyone else was able to do the same. (of course it's all back in full force today, but i'll take my small victories where i can find them!!!)

So - still no word from kellogg. I go back and forth wondering what this means - WL? make me wait so long and deny me? an acceptance so i can stop working on columbia? (oops, did i say that out loud?)

Anyway, the wait (and the apps!!) will soon be over. regardless of the decision, looking forward to joining the "i'm all done with apps" crowd - seems like a good place to be :)