Aug 3, 2012 – What is the best strategy for working people preparing for the GMAT?

I have been pondering over this aspect of preparation for a long time now. While I totally agree that many people prepare for the GMAT simultaneously while working it needs some neat planning to do this successfully. This entire planning is highly subjective and will need to be customized by every individual simply because even though we all might be working the nature of our jobs and work on the job might rarely be the exact same as each other.

I come from a more operations and support kind of job background which simply means that my work load and work hours are highly unpredictable and not steady/constant. Mind you that when I say unpredictable and not steady it is on the worse side i.e. at least 40 hours of per week will be devoted to work. In fact 45-50 hour weeks are usual. Above this if there are some issues with any of the customer deployments then the hours worked easily reach around 70 hours per week. Believe me that this is not an exaggeration.

All this led to all my plans to study regularly go haywire. The very basic of any plan is that there will be a steady number of hours spent studying every day. I am pretty sure that a large number of individuals might be facing a similar dilemma as I have been. It is not only the number of hours worked that affects the preparation but also the mental fatigue and impact that such heavy work load tends to have. There have been days when I have had the chance to spend 1-2 hours on a Thursday or Friday but my mind was simply so stretched and tired that either I could not focus or grasp the content I was studying or I was taking long time to solve problems or making lots of silly mistakes.

Personally, I have tried my level best to study every day and I have been able to put in a good effort in this aspect. However, like stated above I feel tired and this entire effort actually has a very bad effect on my performance. Effectively, I feel like I have not done anything productive in such sessions where I am fatigued. This has led me to identify a plan that suits my daily routine and study habits. I feel it is necessary to take a break for either a day or two mid-week. This break preferably is Thursday or Friday so that it helps to get back on the weekend plan with more vigor. Also, personally, I feel it is important to relax and enjoy. Go out with friends for dinner, see a movie that is being played in the cinemas and most importantly play the game that you like or work-out for 30-45 minutes every day. There is no point is getting exhausted and forcing oneself to study if the productive output is just not up to the mark.

Study when you really feel like irrespective of what time of day it is. In your office time, instead of avoiding the extra talk during lunch-time take a walk out in the fresh air. It will help getting in some activity in your schedule. Solve 1-2 questions which should not take more than 10 minutes of your time. The daily digests from the GMAT sites is a good option to subscribe to. The quality of questions might not be authentic GMAT level but there is something to be learned from every question.

A word of caution with attempting to follow this approach is that do not miss many days at a stretch without having any study. Do a bare minimum every day so that the mind is in the GMAT and study mode. I have been feeling fatigue and have observed that for the past 2 weeks my productive output has really dropped. I am planning on taking a break for the next 2-3 days and have a quick vacation to recharge my sagging energy and concentration levels. This is a much needed break.

I hope this post was a good investment of time and maybe I have touched a string in your schedule and study plan. Do let me know if there are any comments or if there are better suggestions.

July 05, 2012 – Thoughts rushing through a re-applicant’s mind

Being a re-applicant is not something that I say with pride. The fact of the matter however is that either that I made mistakes during the last application or that my application as a whole did not live up to the expectations of the admissions committee. What then am I supposed to do this time around to succeed is the main thought running through my mind rather than what wrong did I do?

I have been awaiting feedback and unfortunately I do not now see the point in getting the feedback since even if I am provided some genuine comments they would surely be generic in nature. So, I have decided to take my feedback into my own hands. Following are the points that I think are important from a re-applicant’s perspective.

i.                    GMAT

In my case, my GMAT score was really way below the average of the school. I took a chance with it and unfortunately it did not work out. So my task this time is pretty much set in terms of taking the GMAT. I know for sure that the feedback if at all officially provided will highlight this aspect. However the GMAT score for re-applicants with a score of ~700 can be a tricky aspect. A score in the range of 700 is really sufficient and I personally feel that putting in the efforts to raise the score from 700 to a 740 is going to be many times exponentially tough than raising it from 640 to 700. So then does a re-applicant retake the GMAT? While this can be a difficult question to answer, I personally feel there is no need for a retake. Putting in at least 1.5 to 2 months into the GMAT preparation again will be a daunting task in terms of the application. I believe this time can be better utilized in preparing the essays and building up the profile in terms of jotting down every small event / achievement that has happened in one’s career.

ii.                  Essays and Application

This is the biggest point where the hardest decisions have been made. So I applied after doing my research and by putting in my best foot forward. But it is pretty clear that it did not suffice. Now, do I approach someone professionally to help with my application and specifically my essays? This has been a dilemma for me. It is more to do with the fact that seeking help is sometimes looked upon by oneself rather than in view of others. What I personally need is someone to critically assess my essays and tell me bluntly where I am screwing up. If this can only be done by seeking professional guidance then so be it. After all there is no harm is asking to be directed properly if I do not know how to proceed ahead. This will always be a tough decision for any re-applicant and there is no easy answer to this. If you think it will help the application then do not think twice on it. Go for it. After all we are talking about precious time and years of one’s life. Research on the available help and I would personally advise that seek help from someone who is interested in knowing you and in helping you get to the dreams. As the famous dialogue from Jerry McGuire goes, you need to choose someone who says “help me help you” J

iii.                Recommenders

I have not researched a lot on what other schools do but the ISB allows carrying forward the recommendations from the previous application cycle provided one has applied in the immediate preceding cycle. The question then arises that should you retain the recommendations or seek new ones. Another toughie eh L Once again no correct answer to this one. I am 90% sure of getting in new recommenders this time, the reason being that they will bring in new information and a new perspective to me as an applicant. Also the previous recos will be with the school so they will surely review it when they review my application as a re-applicant. I have shifted jobs last June so ideally this is a good time to get in new recos from somebody I have worked with in the last one year. This will provide fresh insights into my new job related performance and achievements.

iv.                The re-applicant essay

The dreaded question of “how has your profile changed since the last application cycle?” Fortunately, I have had changes which are drastic in nature and on the better side. I have had almost a year of international exposure in 3 countries in 3 different continents since the last year. I have achieved a promotion and a title change in 6 months of joining my new job. Personally and professionally I very strongly feel I have grown by leaps and bounds as a person and my experiences have really been colourful and have helped me mature. Not everyone might have such drastic changes. It is then best to present whatever changes no matter small in the best artistic way possible. I specifically used the word artistic because it is all about presentation here. You might have only done one good project but then you need to show clearly that the project was effectively life-changing in terms of your betterment. You saw the entire thing through and had a 10/10 score. I hope I have conveyed my point.

v.                  Extra-Curricular

I have observed in a few forums that applicants tend to ask that how can the EC’s be improved. I feel 9 months since the last application is too short a time to work on this aspect and improve it. That said, I am sure each of us has EC’s. It is just that maybe we do not realize that it can be mentioned as an EC. So all I can say is introspect and find that 1 or 2 things that you think are great in you which you might have over-looked. All one needs to do here is introspect real hard thoroughly. I am sure something will come up as a EC that you simply missed the last time.

Right now these are the points that come to my mind. I will add and edit other points as and when I recall them. I hope my posts are at least informative and have been worthy of the 5-10 minutes that you have given to this blog. Please feel free to comment on the posts.

April 13, 2012 – Retrospective Introspection (Part 1 – Contemplating Future)

With things being pretty busy at work I did not make much headway into the deeper delve into what exactly I aspire of in life. Honestly, I have been trying to figure it for the last year or so and feel that it is not so easy or straight forward :( That said, I have come to this conclusion that one needs to have a broader aim set and take baby steps towards it. After all it is the journey in itself which is as enjoyable as the destination. Not sure if I am making much sense on this though.

Through the entire process, I realized that the joy that I got in resolving problems was personally satisfying. The very reason that I intended to approach the consulting profile is a step in this direction. As per my understanding of a consultant's profile this is the bread and butter of the job profile. The luring facet of facing something challenging on a regular basis is the real motivation for wanting the shift of functions. 

That said, I am pretty much aware of two things --:

1. That I might not possibly end up in consulting line even after a MBA since it is pretty competitive and number of people selected by the top consulting firms is pretty much on the lower side compared to the number of applicants. The alternative function / backup option I want to work on is Marketing. I was fortunate to experience and get a very slight feel of how the marketing side of things happens in an organization during my previous work profile. It was personally a really good eye-opener and also the quality of discussions in and around that particular vertical is also one of the main reasons of wanting to do an MBA. I firmly believe that one is only as good as the quality of one's discussions.

2. There is a chance that too many continuous challenges in the consulting industry can result in an imbalance in work-life balance and can also cause issues. Though this is a possibility that cannot be neglected and must be happening to a lot of consultants, this is something that I think might come into play a few years after being the consulting career and either ways it is a chance that I am willing to take.

I intend to have more discussions on this aspect of possible career verticals that are open to me with or without a MBA considering my exposure to a variety of technical aspects within the Telecom sector. I have presently discussed with a few B-School friends and also researched a few blogs on whether it is possible to transition to consulting / marketing vertical with a good brand without a MBA. The inference so far is that while it is not impossible to do so unfortunately it relatively rare and the people who do so have about 8-10 years of experience.