Life after GMAT

I finally got done with the GMAT 10 days ago after about 7 weeks of preparation and managed to get 700. Had I managed my time better on the Verbal, I would have done much better. Nevertheless, its done and I feel ok having crossed the 700 barrier. Its not a great score for my target schools but it wont keep me out of the race either. If I can manage to do a decent job with the essays, I should have a reasonable shot. The last 10 days have kept me busy with work, personal stuff, the US Open amidst which I have spent some time writing essays, working on the resume, mapping out my extra-curriculars and so on. A couple of first drafts went out for review to multiple people and came back with more or less the same feedback - "Nice ideas, but lacking in presentation." I guess the good news is that my reviewers felt the choice of my subject matter was fine, the bad news is that I am way over the word limit, have spent way too many words on unnecessary details and overall the essays are not flowing as well. The next few weeks will be crucial to get my first application done on time. I am glad I spent soem time with my recommenders also and gave them a good enough overview on the process, my goals, Why MBA? Why this school? and so on. They have verbally assured me that they will submit their letters on time so as of now looks like thats the only component of my application that might get done on time.

Columbia admissions event on campus

I attended the Columbia on campus event yesterday evening. The event didnt start until 6:30pm so I took advantage of the 45 minutes that I had before that and took a self-guided tour of Uris Hall.

Uris Hall has a very positive energy about it and you feel that the moment you walk in. In the entrance lobby there were 2 giant flat screen TVs, notice board with upcoming classes, electives and seminars displayed, groups of students huddled together going over documents together and discussing various things. As I walked in further, I saw the display of books written by CBS alumni and it is quite a stock.

I had the CBS MBA brochure in my hands, so it might have been obvious that I was a prospective candidate. Some students having seeing that were kind enough to approach me and ask me if I was lost or if I needed any help. I politely mentioned I was just taking a tour and would appreciate if someone gave me a 30 second overview of what was where. A second year student told me quickly how to get where and then rushed to meet a professor. People were generally friendly and helpful and I felt at ease walking around the place.

After my 30 minute tour, I headed back to Amsterdam Avenue, filled in more quarters to the meter and headed back to the event. At the entrance, I briefly talked with a few current students, exchanged background information and then took a seat. The place was packed with about 250-300 people in there. There was no slideshow or presentation. There was a panel comprising of 3 alumni members and 1 current student. Dean Hubbard gave a 5 minute opening talk about CBS and then Linda and the alums took over answering questions from the audience.

The one thing that came across very clearly was the alumni loyalty and their passion towards CBS. It was obvious that the network is solid, people can bank upon each other and the alumni will try and help out CBS grads as much as possible. Some more general applications related questions were answered and around 8pm the group was split to interact with individuals in smaller groups. I spent some time talking to a few other fellow applicants and some current students as the alums and admissions officers were totally surrounded by prospective candidates.

If yesterday's visit is anything to go by, the campus and environment can simply be described as 'high-energy', 'action-packed', 'interactive with full of outgoing people.' I have visited the Columbia campus over a dozen times before but this was my first visit in the last 2 years. It was a gorgeous day and walking by the brick paved pathways was just a nice feeling.