Rehashing Michigan Ross Pre-MBA1 Post

The first order of business is that if you have not gone to vote for the Clear Admit Best of Blogger Awards then you must go do so first before proceeding to read this post:  Here is the link (and yes I track it with a bitly!) My handle is Ellipser if you didn't know!

Last year in July when I was being frustrated over the GMAT, I asked one of my friends who had been admitted to Ross to write a blog post about what someone does before his first year of business school starts.  I didn't have any clue as to what one does in the summer.  Needless to say, I had a lot of questions.  I asked him to write this post: http://money9111.blogspot.com/2010/07/michigan-ross-pre-1st-year-student.html and as I was just reading back through it I realize how naive I was back then.  I can tell just from the questions I was asking him, but that's okay because now I can answer the same questions.

I'm also very curious as to what an MBA2 student does to prepare to enter back into the workforce, so I have someone else who is graduating in May preparing to write a blog post for me.

But back to what students do now... well I think Jonathan brought up some incredible points in his post.  I'm glad that things for me have come full circle and I do thank god every day.  I'll break down some of the things that I found to be very poignant from his post.  Even if you have not been admitted to a program, you can still find little nuggets in what I'm going to discuss.

Question 7.  How did you prepare to essentially be salary(less) for a full year until your internship?  A lot in savings?


His Answer snippet: "To be honest, I don’t feel fully prepared to go 11 months without a four-figure sum of money being deposited into my bank account every two weeks.  I did save as much money as I could for b-school, but I will still be taking out substantial loans.  Since b-school tends to attract students who have already been professionally successful and who plan on being professionally successful in the future, the adjustment to a student budget and lifestyle seems to be a common concern.'

My Comments: Every day this becomes increasingly harder for me to swallow.  The cost of business school is not what I'm struggling with.  That will come with a simple signature on the dotted lines when I get the financial aid papers.  But the whole... not getting a paycheck... is concerning to me.  I know it will work out and everything will be fine and dandy, but I'm not going to sit back and say that I've fully come to terms with that aspect of going to business school just yet.  As stated before, I have friends who obviously are good to go and are now traveling the world and more or less relaxing until August.  Am I jealous?  No not really because I need to keep myself busy as I get bored very easily.  But... every week I find out about something else that I need to pay for.  These "payments" will cease once I'm in school because that's when all of the loans kick in, but preparing for it is no fun.


Question 10.  What do you know now about the whole pre-MBA experience, that you wish you knew prior to applying?


His Answer snippet: "As a bonus, here’s one thing that I did know before I applied that I’m glad I knew:  Why I was applying.  Truly understanding why you want to go to business school, why now is the right time, and what you plan to do with an MBA are invaluable.  This insight into yourself will not only make selecting schools and writing applications easier, it will allow you to dive into the b-school experience from the moment that you’re admitted."

My Comment:  By now I would hope that you all know where I stand on this.  If you don't know why you want to go to business school... don't apply.  You need to have an idea because yes like he said, the insight into yourself will not only make selecting schools and writing applications easier, but it will allow you to dive into the experience from the moment you're admitted.  And let me tell you... once you're admitted and have decided that a school is the school you'll be attending... THE WORK STARTS!  

Don't mind me.. I'm not complaining about being in this position.  I did do my finances and put it all in a spreadsheet and was like "wow.. ok yeah I'm definitely working up until I move up to Ithaca."  ::shrugs::  no big deal I suppose hehe.  Ok I'm going to go watch all of this Royal Wedding stuff...  later folks

Dear New Applicants!

Dear New Applicants,

"This is the true story ....of 1 former business school applicant.....who chose to take the gmat.....blog and have his journey documented....read on to find out what happens.....when he stops being polite.....and starts getting real.... "   - yeah let's just say that I used to be obsessed with The Real World - which, if you didn't know, is where that opening is from.

In any event, I wanted to take this time to write a "letter" to you new applicants who are A.) just stumbling upon my blog and/or B.) all other folks who will be applying to business school this upcoming year.  This post is actually inspired by my friend who I can see going down the same road I went down.  Yes (MH) I am talking about YOU!   So I wanted to take this time to speak very very candidly to everyone as you prepare to go through what me and so many other folks went through last year.

So... The GMAT!  Friggen exam was the bane of my existence last year, especially around this time.  If I remember correctly, and I don't feel like checking my blog to see exactly what I was doing at this time last year, but I was a week out from taking my first official GMAT exam.  I had prepared for four months and in my head I was telling myself that I was ready, but then in my heart I knew that I was not ready.   I do remember that the week before the actual exam my practice CAT scores were decreasing and I was losing hope.  Then essentially right before my exam I "gave" up and told myself that I would most likely have to take it again.  Sure enough... I had to take it again... AND AGAIN! But more on that later...

I wish back then I had someone telling me.... forget all of the business school information sessions and visiting schools and stuff.. focus on the GMAT and only the GMAT.  But of course I thought I had everything under control and had given myself enough time to essentially Beat the GMAT.  I will say that I did have one friend in particular who was telling me to block out everything.  Don't get me wrong, I definitely blocked out everything but I got more caught up in how to prepare for the GMAT than actually PREPARING for it, if that makes sense.  I thought that as long as I went through the motions and read the right books and all that stuff, that I would be fine.  Well, let me tell you!  THAT IS NOT HOW IT WORKS!  Not for me at least!  Actually not for most people!  The GMAT is the exam that will knock people out of the race immediately.  While yes people say "oh it's only one part of the application" (and they are right) it is still an important part of the application and one must do all he/she can to get the highest score possible... but more on this later.

As many of you know the GMAT was a year long struggle for me.  I did not have it easy at all, but the worst part is that I think that much of my distraught over the GMAT could have been avoided.  My advice to you guys now is to forget about everything else not related to the GMAT and then bang out the test in two months.

If you do this, you will thank me for it!  There is nothing worse than having to think about the GMAT during the summer.  Studying is not fun...studying in the summer time when you could be having fun is certainly not fun!  Now I know that you may be saying, "well if it has to do with my future then I won't mind doing it!"  and to that I say.. .yeah right!

The reaching out to current students and talking to professors and even your research into schools can all be done AFTER you take the GMAT for the last time.  Trust me it will be much easier.  You don't want to get into a situation where you're calculating the opportunity cost of writing and essay vs. studying for the GMAT because in all actuality they are equally important but you will inevitably slack on both by doing them simultaneously.  (don't say no you won't...because you will!)

Then god forbid you are taking the GMAT again in the summer and the outcome is not ideal, you'll have to take it again in the fall or late summer.  Now this is the worst because now everyone is back to working hard because summer is over.  Now you'll also be attending all of the school information sessions in your city.... Now you'll HAVE to be writing your essays because they'll need to get done... You'll have to visit schools... You'll have to start the conversations with your recommenders and sit down with them to keep them on track... Preparing to take the GMAT in the fall is horrible which is why I thinkthat everyone should bang it out in late spring/early summer!  I'm telling you this now because I would not wish the type of 4 months that I had in the fall on anyone.  Carrying GMAT books around is not cute... well maybe to other folks taking the GMAT but it's more like being hazed.  You know you have to do it because it's a necessary evil, but no one wants to do it.

When I commute to the city now for work I'll see people studying the official guide or carrying MGMAT books around and I get that empathetic look on my face and say "I feel your pain" and they automatically know what I'm talking about.  But then I proceed to tell them that by trying to get the GMAT out of the way now, they are in much better shape!

So with all that being said... the GMAT is not everything!  We've heard this time and time again and I can attest to that statement!  It is not everything!  I spent a year of my life preparing for something that is NOT everything!  Thankfully it worked out perfect for me, but imagine if it didn't?  If I had to do it over again I would study the CORRECT way going hard for two months straight!  Take the GMAT...and be done with it.  Now The CORRECT way is the key here and maybe that's for another post.  My life and my essays would have been 100% better if I could have worked on them all throughout the summer and the fall.

I'm telling you guys this because I've been there.. my friends have been there.. the test is evil and stupid...but it must be conquered.  Get the GMAT out of the way as soon as possible.  Once the application essays questions come out in June/July - your focus will change to the applicant so you should get the test out of the way.

Sincerely, Yours Truly

Happy Birthday To Me

The first order of business is that if you have not gone to vote for the Clear Admit Best of Blogger Awards then you must go do so first before proceeding to read this post:  Here is the link (and yes I track it with a bitly!)

SECONDLY - Last year I was too busy studying for that stupid test so I didn't care too much what April 27th was... but THIS YEAR THINGS ARE DIFFERENT SOO......

Thank you all for being around for the ride in my 28th year.... but I can promise you that the 29th year is going to be incredible!  I'm looking forward to all that this year will bring...

BeatTheGMAT Scholarship

The first order of business is that if you have not gone to vote for the Clear Admit Best of Blogger Awards then you must go do so first before proceeding to read this post:  Here is the link (and yes I track it with a bitly!)

Now on to the Good Stuff!!!

Beat The GMAT is now accepting applications for the sixth annual Beat The GMAT Scholarship Competition, co-sponsored by Grockit, Kaplan, Knewton, Manhattan GMAT, Master GMAT, The Princeton Review, and Veritas Prep.  The Beat The GMAT Scholarship is one of the largest GMAT scholarship programs in the world and our community has distributed over $185,000 in awards to date. This year we have seven scholarship packages for seven people, valued at over $8,000! We accept applications up until May 24, 2011 and winners will be announced on June 1, 2011.

Funniest Website I've Found In Years

The first order of business is that if you have not gone to vote for the Clear Admit Best of Blogger Awards then you must go do so first before proceeding to read this post:  Here is the link (and yes I track it with a bitly!)

Now - As you all know I live my life online!  It's NOT ONLY my job BUT ALSO my escape.  After my stint with being obsessed with SushiWithMyGirls.com, which has slowly become stagnant, I have recently been put on to a new UGC (user generated content) website that's A-mazing.  (That's for you JSab!)

When I read this website for the first time I was crying at my desk from laughter.  It's called DearBlankPleaseBlank.com.  If you go to the site you'll understand the premise, but essentially people just make up stuff in the form of:

Dear _________,

Please.................

Sincerely, __________.

So for instance two of my favorite ones are:

Dear Noah,

We could have sworn you said the ark wasn't leaving till 5.  Sincerely, Unicorns

Dear scissors,

I feel your pain... No one wants to run with me either.

Sincerely, Sarah Palin

So with that being said, I decided to come up with DearBlankPleaseBlanks that are related to the business school application process.  Here goes nothing:

Dear GMAT Rate Problems,

Please stop asking me when two trains will meet.

Sincerely, As long as they're on different tracks it doesn't matter! 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Admissions Officers,

Process is holistic?  Really?

Sincerely, Your Avg GMAT increased 10 points.

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Dear Friends,

No I’m really studying, not on a date.

Sincerely, Support Me

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Savings Account,

I’m sorry you’re getting smaller as my debt gets larger!

Sincerely, Signing Bonus in 2 years

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear GMAT Tutor,

Thanks for teaching me quant.

Sincerely, I calculated your yearly salary

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Friends Who Called During DO NOT CALL DAY,

I haven’t forgotten!

Sincerely, You’re Dead To Me

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Me last year,

YOU’RE GOING TO JOHNSON!

Sincerely, If you only knew back then

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Dear Business School Ranking Publications,

Why are you all so different?

Sincerely, Confused

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Bschool application fees,

Where does all that money go?

Sincerely,  student w/o scholarship

____________________________________________________

Dear admitted students weekends,

Must you all be on the same weekend?

Sincerely,  I'd choose your school if I could rule out others

_____________________________________________________

Dear GMAT test prep companies,

Please tell me how many of your students dont score above 700.

Sincerely,  if it's 0 then somethings fishy. 

____________________________________________________

Dear GMAC,

Why must the GMAT be $250?

Sincerely, why don't you take my other arm and. Leg too? 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear GMAT,

It is my belief that since I finished both AWA's in 15 minutes and still got a 5.5 that I should be allowed to use the other 30 minutes for the Quant section.

Sincerely, I didn't even spell check

Clear Admit Best of Blogging Contest!

So on the left side of my blog you'll notice a new b-school related tag.  I've been nominated for the Clear Admit Best of Blogging Award.

While I won't campaign for votes because I know that my fellow bloggers worked just as hard as I did this year, I will tell you guys that there is a contest going on.  Should you want to vote for me... I'm "Ellipser"

All of us would appreciate it if you could go and vote here on the
  Clear Admit Facebook page!

Here are the prizes that one can win:

1st Prize - 32GB iPod Touch or a $300 Amazon.com Gift Certificate
2nd & 3rd Prize - 6 month subscription to the Economist or Business Week magazine.

Not too shabby huh?

The Countdown to Johnson Begins!

You guys know I love countdowns by now... okay maybe you don't and actually I really don't care for countdowns... I can take them or leave them .. BUT...  Life for me right now is still incredibly hectic.  Sure it's slowed down a bit, but there are still things to accomplish.

So April is pretty much the month for admitted students weekends.  I only attended the one @ Johnson but I have friends who attended many.  There are basically two components to these weekends.  The school is still in "selling" mode trying to get those who have not deposited to choose their school over another.  The school is also trying to get those who have deposited in the right mindset for what is about to occur over the summer and the next two years.  Since I was a part of the 2nd group of people I can speak to that and hopefully it echos with those who are in my shoes.

Deposit - The first thing you have to "worry" about is the deposit.  Sure it's only $1500 and I definitely planned for that once I got my acceptance, so that wasn't too bad.  I actually sent in my deposit before DJ because I didn't want to have to think about and/or accidentally spend that money!  You know.. a crazy night out celebrating and then all of a sudden $1500 is gone from my bank account.  I'm just joking though!  A.) I would never keep that kinda money in an account that's linked to a debit card that I would take out to a bar!  B.) see A.

So my deposit was out of the way.. then I had to worry about making sure that the financial aid department had all of my necessary information.  That was easy once I got some things sorted out.  But.. then in the beginning of June there's another deposit due!  Lol.... #NeverEndingStory

Housing - Then there's the issue of housing.  So during DJ a lot of people found housing and roommates as I'm sure occurred at many of the admitted students weekends.  I knew where I wanted to live but I didn't have a roommate.  I wasn't too too concerned about finding a place to live 2 weeks ago just because I knew that there was still another round of applicants that had not even received decisions yet so I had some time before places would start being scooped up.  Luckily last week I responded to a post on the Johnson social networking site and was able to hook up with a roommate.  I've been getting information over to the management company... lots of scanning... emailing.... calling.. checking... etc etc.  Again not really a big deal, but just something else that needs to be done.  EXCEPT... the depost.  So that's another $800 that I was not expecting to shell out in April that needed to come out of my account.

I can tell you that a couple months ago I thought that once I got my deposits in... I would be able to party for 2/3 months and then just amble on up to school and start.  But I go out less now because I have no money to go out!


Internships - So we touched on housing.. what could be next right?  Well.. haha... so we've all heard of Internships - but no one really talks about Externships.  Right now people are looking for both.  I don't really know the difference per se but I could deduce some definition - but I won't.  There are programs out there for students entering their first year in B-school.  P&G has a brand camp...  Millercoors has something... Deloitte has two things...  There are things out there to keep people busy.  I'll know tomorrow if I can apply to the P&G Brand camp - I may have another opportunity that I can take advantage of.

Scholarships - Another thing that people (myself included) are occupied with are scholarship applications lol.  Yes there is STILL money out there to be had.  I have a friend who just got 1/2 tuition from a Top 10 school after going to an event.  I also have other friends who are finalists for some other scholarships.  I think they're both going to be very successful!  No I'm not bitter or jealous lol... maybe when I have to start making loan payments I will be... but right now I'm not!  Hey... the more "Fellows" I can have in my network the better right?  At least that's how I'm looking at it.

Recruiting Events - Who would have thought that recruiting actually occurs BEFORE business school?  I mean I knew that in some instances, Orientation Program (OP) through Consortium, occurs in June.  But I just received an invite the other day for an event tomorrow hosted by National Black and sponsored by Google and Sirius XM here in NYC.  There will be recruiters from both companies there I assume, so I am looking forward to making some good contacts.  Google I know like the back of my hand.  I mean I deal with them everyday.  I was just at the Google offices on Monday working on this new initiative for work, so I have many Google contacts.  BUT - I do not know any recruiters who work there - YET.

ROMBA Conference Application - I feel like people reading my blog now are different from those who were reading back in September/October.  But in any event, this year when I go to ROMBA I want to be a session director aka. a panel moderator.  In order to do so, I must submit an application, with essays,  that is due next month.  Here is the Reaching Out Website in case you want some more information on it.

Hhmm let's see.. what else is going on?  Oh.. the biggie...  QUITTING!  Unlike some of my classmates, I will not be quitting any time soon.  I'd like to have some spending money before I go to school. So I will be working right up until the week before Math Camp.  I'm also planning a trip to visit my friend in Michigan.  He'll be doing his internship and preparing for his 2nd year @ Ross but we need to relax before school starts for the both of us.

I've also organized another Happy Hour for us Johnson admits for next friday!  Right now it doesn't look like the turnout is as much as the first time but I think that will turn around.

I also want to organize just a brunch or something - possibly a booze cruise around NYC for all of my friends who have been accepted to A business school.  In an ideal world we would all wear shirts representing our schools... lol  I got that idea from a random episode of The OC that I watched on Saturday afternoon.  They were on the beach of course...

I'm looking forward to that as it will serve as my pre-mba vacation.

Reviewing One's Candidacy

aaannnnddd I'm back!  I have to give a shout out to someone's mother because I'm told you're an avid blog reader  ;-)  You've got an incredible son and I'm glad that he and I met.  We will be lifelong friends!  He helped me with my essays without asking for anything in return and for that I am forever indebted to him.  I know you're very proud of him.  I will have to properly thank everyone who helped me this year in a later post.

As for now.  I need to make a blog post before people kill me.  I can make something up though hehe...

As the new round of applicants begin stressing over the GMAT and applications, I'd like to make this post about what I've recently learned.  So without calling anyone out I want to say that the other day (yesterday) I was reached out to by a blog reader who wanted me to read over his/her essays, letters of recs, and resume to see if I could figure out why he/she did not have much luck this year in terms of acceptance to business school.

Now at this juncture many of us have gone through this crazy application process, so initially when I agreed to read through this persons application I thought it would just make some essay corrections and send back my notes.  BUT what happened was very eye opening.

When I started reading the essays I was very critical - as I always am - but then as I read more and more essays I started to compile a, dare I say it, holistic view of this applicant.  Needless to say that after three essays, a resume, and 2 letters of recs... I could definitely see why this person may have not had much luck.  The two best pieces of the application that I thought were one of the essays that really gave me a great sense of who the person was... and then the 2 letters of recs.  The weakness was in the "Why MBA?" type essays.  I didn't feel any passion for what the person wanted to go in to.

(btw - I wrote all of these comments to this person, so I'm not blowing up his/her spot!)  I have a non-disclosure agreement that I hold myself too!

In any event... it was very interesting for me to "feel" for the applicant after reading the letters of recs.  And for us applicants this is not a piece of the pie that we are able to see.  Well... I guess we could see if it we check that box in the application that we want to see it - BUT YOU SHOULDN'T!  After reading the letters of recs I was wishing that the essays were more informative because then I would really advocate for the applicant if I were an admissions officer.

Then I began thinking how hard it must be for admissions officers to read through thousands of applications every year where there is one or two parts of the application that are detrimental.   I almost wanted to read the essays again looking for any nuggets of information that I missed or to see if I got the totally wrong impression of the candidate the first time I read the essays.  I didn't do this because I was on the bus and my stop was coming up, but I wanted too.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that I know the reason why the outcome was as such, but if me... a 3rd party can read through a whole application and see holes in it.. then I have to imagine that it would be the same for an admissions officer.

So with that being said... for all of you new folks to the game this year... when it comes time for you to get letters of recommendations and write essays make sure that they give a full holistic view of yourself.

1. Give your recommenders a packet (i can go into what I included in mine at a later date) and sit down with them and review it with them.  They should be your advocates!

2. Start and finish your essays early to the point where you have like a full month to just let them sit.  Then revisit them.  I didn't get to do this but I wish I had the time too.  #ItWorkedOutAnyway ;-)

3.  When you think you've finished your essays and your resume - read them OUTLOUD and in a row. Make sure that you are not being redundant in your essays and resume.  You want to be able to give the admissions committee as much information about yourself as you can.  It's amazing to see what you're conveying vs. what you want too and I think the only way to do this is go through your application just as the admissions committee will.

4.  After that... give your essays and resume to a 3rd party to read through and make comments... Here, you don't have to necessarily make all of the changes they suggest because remember you've done your homework and know what you want to convey, but do not take their comments lightly because there may be 1 admissions officer who sees things their way.

Preparing for Business School

Okay Okay Okay I'll write another blog post!  hahah it's funny that the people who get "mad" at me and tell me to write another blog post are the folks who I talk to all day every day either via gchat or text message.  I feel like to those people I'm reiterating things that I write here.  To combat my assumed redundancy I honestly had to take a step back and remember where I was this time last year.  About this time last year I scheduled my first GMAT exam.  So I need to remind myself how I've come full circle.

The reason for my apparent absence isn't because I don't feel the need to blog anymore but I guess it's because before there were specific processes that I could blog about.  Whereas now there isn't anything specific in terms of getting IN to a business school.  But what's interesting is that I think back to all of the students whom I spoke with last year and they all said "once you're accepted it doesn't stop."  Of course I didn't believe them nor care to digest what they were saying.  I just wanted to get accepted first and then worry about the rest of the stuff.  I mean what could be more hectic than applying to business school right?

Well let me tell you... things just accelerate and and start going a mile a minute.  You know how when you're applying to school you're just focused on the deadlines.  Well now I'm focused on other things.  Let me back up a bit first...

So Destination Johnson Weekend...  let me just say that this whole business school thing, finally set in and hit me this past weekend.  It was a very humbling and empowering weekend.  I'm glad that I got to meet many of my future classmates - who are all amazing.  Like I stated in my last post, I'm not going to go into detail what all went down at DJ, but just know that we all had a blast and were completely exhausted by the end of it.  I'm not sure how people can go to 2/3/4 admitted students weekends.  They are so draining.

It was interesting texting my friends who were attending ASW's at other schools to get their perspectives.   I had a different experience from the experiences of some of my friends at other ASW's.  I think if you go into an ASW still trying to decide on a particular school, you'll have a completely different experience.  I've had so many conversations with friends about which schools they should attend... but basically tell them all that they will get that ZEN feeling when they're at the school that they are supposed to end up at.    I know it'll work out for them but in the back of my mind I'm glad that I've already been able to invest fully in Johnson since I know I'll be attending.

I will say though that for anyone debating between two/three schools.  Really take a look around at the 1st and 2nd years and ask yourself if in 5 years you'll be able to reach out to them.  If you don't think that the current 1st and 2nd years will respond to you, then how do you think the folks who have been out of school for 10+ years will respond?  During DJ all of the 1st year students ended with "we will be here to help you guys..."  That's very powerful as cliche as that may sound, but hey... it's true.  It's also one of the reasons I wanted a small school.

Another thing I realized is that I need to start preparing for the school year now.  I have about 4 applications that I need to fill out for things that will impact my first year.  There's so much to do... so little time!  OP is around the corner....hopefully CTLS is around the corner... I have to move to Ithaca in July... MBA Math is in the summer...hopefully the P&G brand camp is in the summer... Johnson Math Camp is in the summer... and then school starts!

Oh and also...  the money coming out of one's bank account does not stop after you've been accepted!  Just FYI for those who have depleted bank accounts.  Trust me... it's tough.  I feel like I need to take out a loan just to pay for the stuff leading up to business school.  Unfortunately, I won't be able to quit my job in the next couple of weeks like a lot of my counterparts.  I'm jealous of them!

::sigh::  I'm tired just thinking about it, but it's definitely going to be another fun ride!

Shout out to the Johnson Class of 2013!!!

On Cornell Bus Going To DJ

Hey Hey everyone!  I just wanted to write to let you know that right now I'm on the bus going up to Destination Johnson!  This weekend and next weekend seem to be big weeks for admitted students.  I know that this weekend is Cornell, Chicago, Indiana, Michigan and some others I'm sure.

But right now I'm on the bus and should arrive at Sage hall in about an hour.  I'm sitting in the back of the bus with my new classmates.  ALl of whom I met at the Happy Hour that was organized two weeks ago.  We played cards essentially the whole time on the bus.  It was fun times.  I probably won't be blogging about my experience at DJ just because I A.) Don't feel like it and B.) want to really get to know my classmates without thinking "Oh I can blog about this experience later."  Which seems to happen on occasion.

I will say that I am looking forward to this weekend and cannot wait for it to begin.  I wish everyone well and safe travels if you are traveling to other ASW's.

BEST... oh... feel free to follow me on twitter @ money9111

Why I Didn't Do MLT

So I got either a comment or an email (too lazy to check which one) not too long ago asking why I didn't do MLT.

My reason is simple but let me first start out by saying what MLT is since I've mentioned it numerous times.  Yes I'm going to steal a quote right from the MLT website.  So MLT has a couple of programs but when I refer to it I'm refering to the MBA Prep program.  Yes, this is different from the Consortium.  The easiest way to explain the difference between the two is easy.

MLT = Admissions Consultants + you become an MLT Fellow and get the lifelong network
Consortium = B-school application system.  Literally the system where you enter your information and essays.  Also, you become a Consortium Fellow and get a lifelong network.

MLT = Management Leaders for Tomorrow

Why Participate in MLT MBA Prep?

The road to business school is complex. MBA Prep guides Fellows through the application and interview process and shows them what it takes to be successful in business school and beyond. MBA Prep includes:

Application roadmap: MBA Prep demystifies the application process with cogent goals and been-there advice. Admissions officers and MLT clarify the process and debunk myths.

One-on-one coaching: Our Fellows benefit from a dedicated relationship with an MLT coach, who guides them through our curriculum and helps develop actions plans and solid application strategies.  Our team includes graduates from top business schools who have successfully navigated the MBA application process and gone on to lead both corporate and non-profit organizations.

Unprecedented early exposure: Participants build meaningful relationships with representatives from outstanding business schools and corporations several months prior to matriculation.

Unique skill development curriculum: Our curriculum is delivered in partnership with leading business schools, top corporations and non-profits who seek the best talent. The Fellow experience includes seminars on business school campuses and boot camps that are led by organizations including PepsiCo, Google, Citigroup, McKinsey and Teach For America.

Lifelong alumni network: MBA Prep alumni share immeasurable resources, knowledge and influence with the entire MLT community, furthering our mission to change the leadership landscape.

So... the reason I didn't apply for MLT is simple like I stated above.  I found out about the program too late in the game.  I didn't find out about it until about November of 2009.  The deadline to take the GMAT to add to your MLT application was in January and I was just not ready for that.  Had I been ready I would have definitely applied.  The program is amazing and I've been fortunate enough to meet and befriend about 65% of the NYC cohort.  

So there's not much to that story.  I know it's not exciting haha but hopefully I can still become an MLT fellow by being nominated by Johnson.  They can nominate incoming students if they think it will help them in recruiting.  

I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll ask one of my MLT friends to write about his/her experience.  This will provide some more color around MLT for those of you who don't know.