school shopping
I have decided to concentrate on only two things for now - school selection and GMAT. I am hopeless at multitasking and would rather concentrate only on finishing up my GMAT. But I also know that a specific list of target schools will motivate me much more than just an amorphous vision of a top B-school. So here's my approach to school selection:
1. Number of schools : 5 - 6. A minimum of 5 because I want to increase my chances of getting into at least one of the schools. More than 6 seems like a lot of application effort, and more worryingly, my recommenders might get tired of eulogizing me :-).
2. Back up (safety) schools? No way! I am not investing all this time, money and effort to get into a 2nd rung school. If not this year, I will try again later, but I won't settle for anything less than the best.
3. Shortlist:
Stanford - my dream school! No matter what happens, I am applying to Stan!
Michigan - geographical proximity makes a strong case for Ross. I have many friends in Ann Arbor, so Ross is a shoo-in.
Tuck - curriculum and school culture seem great, but it also has the smallest class size -> tough to get into. Will definitely consider.
Columbia - 3 words .. location, location, location! I have to check up on the school strengths and curriculum before deciding to apply.
Sloan/Harvard/Kellogg/Wharton - will apply to one or two of these, not finalised yet.
Yale/Stern/Darden - not sure
Chicago - unlikely.
Cornell/Duke/UCLA/Haas - very unlikely.
So I have decided on Stanford and Michigan and these were the easy picks. Choosing schools is probably the most important (yet often neglected) part of the application process. I plan to ride to NYC, Boston and Dartmouth in July to visit the schools located there. Unfortunately there won't be any students around at that time but I guess it's better than not going at all. I might also be able to meet an admissions officer and have my questions answered.
1. Number of schools : 5 - 6. A minimum of 5 because I want to increase my chances of getting into at least one of the schools. More than 6 seems like a lot of application effort, and more worryingly, my recommenders might get tired of eulogizing me :-).
2. Back up (safety) schools? No way! I am not investing all this time, money and effort to get into a 2nd rung school. If not this year, I will try again later, but I won't settle for anything less than the best.
3. Shortlist:
Stanford - my dream school! No matter what happens, I am applying to Stan!
Michigan - geographical proximity makes a strong case for Ross. I have many friends in Ann Arbor, so Ross is a shoo-in.
Tuck - curriculum and school culture seem great, but it also has the smallest class size -> tough to get into. Will definitely consider.
Columbia - 3 words .. location, location, location! I have to check up on the school strengths and curriculum before deciding to apply.
Sloan/Harvard/Kellogg/Wharton - will apply to one or two of these, not finalised yet.
Yale/Stern/Darden - not sure
Chicago - unlikely.
Cornell/Duke/UCLA/Haas - very unlikely.
So I have decided on Stanford and Michigan and these were the easy picks. Choosing schools is probably the most important (yet often neglected) part of the application process. I plan to ride to NYC, Boston and Dartmouth in July to visit the schools located there. Unfortunately there won't be any students around at that time but I guess it's better than not going at all. I might also be able to meet an admissions officer and have my questions answered.
posted by FSM | 8:42 PM
2 Comments:
I'll let you be the guinea pig. Once you've visited the schools sans classes and students you'll have to write about it in detail! Then I can decide if it's worth going in early August or if I should wait until September when classes start :-) Thanks for being so on top of things, it helps us fellow b-school applicants/indecisive bloggers out :-)
What kind of bike are you riding? I just learned how to ride my friend's Honda Shadow. Although, he wouldn't let me get out of 1st gear. He's such control freak! ;-)
I have a Yamaha V star. Riding a motorbike is my only addiction :-)
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