My First Bschool Submission

Wow..I did it! After pulling an all-nighter, I laid down 235 hard-earned smackers and finally (and nervously, but anxiously) hit the 'submit' button, relinquishing my fate to the hands of the HBS adcoms at exactly 10:22:22 AM E.S.T. I just thought I'd document this moment before I take a nap and then return to Stanford apps. So, 1 down and 2 more to go for this week, 1 for next and 2 more for a month out before I'll be officially done and crossing my fingers to score an interview. Whew!

Tis the Season: Holiday Parties=Free Food.

Just got back from my friend's holiday party at a ritzy dim sum place in SF and I gotta say I'm glad she invited me. You see, every year, my office throws a holiday shindig too, but since I telecommute for work, I'm a plane ride away, which in turn means that I also telecommute for the party..catch my drift? With the budget crunch this year, I told my boss I'll opt out from the party thing...but then there's a piece of me that misses it. Thank goodness for awesome friends who invite me to theirs..thanks ladies! Next week, another lunch that's not on me. So, how can I not love the holidays? Free booze, food and entertainment.

So, the interesting part of the whole night had to be seeing my friend's face light up as she opened her gift from the office..that's right, folks..it's called a bonus, something that is all too foreign for me to envision. This brought me back to filling out my MBA apps. There's usually 2 boxes: one to indicate your salary and the other to indicate your bonuses. It was pretty sad (okay, I lied..it was downright depressing) as I placed a big fat "0" in the latter box b/c the entire time, I kept thinking: "Damn, other people get bonuses...unless you work in the public sector where there ain't no $$ to be had." So, I guess it's good that I'm blogging this moment b/c years from now, I hope to be perched on the other side of the fence..one can only hope, right? Yes, hope seems to be the only thing I can bank on right about now.

Up at 4am...it's all good!

"Yours is the kind of love, makes nothing else feel good enough and I'm never gonna give you up...No, no!"

Okay, that's what's in my head right now. It's 4:04 am, I'm listening to Natasha Bedingfield's new album and it's going to be okay. I've got my brain juices flowing and I'm working on my Stanford essays...yay yay! I know it's been a while, but trust me, I can explain:) And you haven't slipped my mind b/c I've still been checking the ClearAdmit blogs every week...yup, still alive and kickin, guys!

It's been a week of nocturnal behavior as my days turns into nights, nights turn into MBA essays and sleep is during the days for me. What the heck? I know, many of my MBA aspirants out there can understand what I'm experiencing right now. I feel like I'm in college all over again studying for finals, but this is good stuff. It makes me feel hopeful that my future's in the works and it's going to change for the better.

Oh, before I go any further, I just wanted to say "Congrats!" to all of you who've been accepted to your choice bschools. You must be sooo excited! (I know I would be!). And for those who've receive less than steller news, don't worry..hang in there--we will all have our moments to shine (at least that what I've been told..no, but really, it's true) At first, I felt like crap for not being so diligent in submitting my stuff in R1, but now, I'm okay and I feel that I'm going to hammer out kick-ass essays to really make it count. I've decided not to take my GMAT and I know it's going to come as a disappointment to you bloggers out there, but I put some thought into reading Tiny Dancer's post many moons ago and I think she makes a valid point of not sacrificing the essence of everything else in my app just to raise my GMAT. In any case, I've got 1 month to get my apps into all my top 4 schools since I'm leaving for a cruise to Mexico come mid-January. I'm going to take it as an early celebration of surviving the grueling app process b/c if this is the hard part, I'm thinking bschool should be just fine.

So, in case you're wondering where else I've been..I went to NYC!! Yup...my hubby ran the NYC Marathon and I got to be a bandit for the last 2 miles...at least I can lay my claim that I did run part of it, right? It was too tempting to resist, but the trip did solidify (once more) my plans of applying to East Coast schools. Who does not looove the City?! It was such a packed weekend, but I did visit Columbia, except the school was closed since it was Saturday. Darn....I know, but it's all good since I've been there before and already fell in love with it since. I was in the NYU neighborhood, and I've got to admit that in terms of culture and vibe, I really enjoyed the NYU campus. Well, being a foodie...you just gotta love all those good, cheap college eateries nearby....what better way to study for finals, right? Haha....anyhow, catchya later. I'm going to get back to work on my essays and possibly go to bed at 5 in the morning.

Barack the VOTE!

After a near-month hiatus, I just couldn't help but blog this moment down in history (as I'm sure whether or not the outcome is in my favor), everyone will remember November 4, 2008 in the books. Yep, so I am happy to report that I did my civic duty and for the first time in my life, I've never been so elated to see a line...at the polls, that is! My hubby (first-time VOTER ever since he blossomed into a U.S. citizen) and I cast our ballot and with that, made our own mark in history as the 207th and 210th voters, respectively, at our polling station.

Yes, I did VOTE for CHANGE, but regardless of who you ended up voting for, I hope that each one of us realizes just how important this election is for generations of folks who've fought and perished for this historic moment as well as our own future sons and daughers, mothers and fathers, and brothers and sisters. For me, it's a resounding call for what progress truly embodies. Nonetheless, I do believe that the man who can deliver this progress comes in the form of hope and by the name of Barack Obama.

Early this morning, my friend text me this message and I hope you'll join me in passing it on:

" Rosa sat so Martin could walk...Martin walked so Obama could run...Obama is running so our children can FLY! Keep the progress going...we can only go up from HERE!"

Reinvigorated by a Website? Can it be?

Yes, I'm alive and running! Just finished another half marathon (whoo hoo!) and I guess I needed this physical journey to re-energize my run for Bschool. I'm happy to report that I rocked the entire 13.1 miles with a steady running pace...something I never thought I could ever do!

Another thing I never thought I'd ever do was add another Bschool to my current list. However, after speaking with a few people regarding my career goals and the infamous WHY MBA question, they each suggested Stanford. Up to this point, I've known Stanford has a very reputable program, but the only thing that's been preventing me from seriously considering applying to the program has been my own logistical thought process. I've been so consumed with the how the heck am I going to make it happen question that I've pretty much brushed Stanford off my shoulder. But after hearing so many people suggest this school to me, I'm going to take it as a good omen. As such, I've been rigorously perusing their site and omg...I think the folks who wrote it had people like me in mind: People who consistently doubt their own potential even after everything that's already been accomplished. Maybe that's my own fatal flaw...self-doubt.

If you read through the Stanford admission criteria (Intellectual vitality, leadership and personal qualities/contributions), you'll see what I mean--they're really trying to get folks to apply who aren't just quantitatively savvy, but also understand the inner crux of their own passions and motivations and how that applies to an MBA. I love how they reiterate that intellectual vitality is not measured through grades alone and I wholeheartedly agree with that notion. How many times have we met geniuses in their discipline only to realize these people are only good on paper? I know I'm stealing lines from "Sex on the City," but Carrie Bradshaw knew what the heck she was talking about. So, I've come to the conclusion that my saving grace will be my words...the power of my pen.

1st GMAT Attempt: DONE!

Yes, it's official...I've survived the GMAT and you know what? It wasn't so bad after all. Being an over-prepared nut like myself, I wandered to the test site yesterday as I was getting my car serviced(as it happened, the two places are just down the street from each other) just to get a feel for where I'd be headed on my happy and glorious test day. I'm so glad I did b/c as I was driving against the glare of the horrendous early morning sunshine today, I could barely see anything, much less street signs. Luckily, I remember landmarks and got to the test site with 30 minutes to spare amidst the early morning rush hour commute.

I have to say I'm pretty fortunate to have taken the test at such a clean and professional site--it makes all the difference in the world for anxious test takers everywhere. And not only that, but the room was cozy, carpeted and as luck would have it, set at a perfect temperature. The night before, I took it easy and looked over a few math concepts to refresh my memory, but other than that, I told myself that if I didn't commit any formulas to memory by now, God knows that shit won't be happening in a night. In any case, I did manage to memorize the MGMAT testing timetables to pace myself throughout the exam and yes, it helps a great deal!

So, after going through all the security mumbo jumbo that comes along with taking any standardized tests, I was left to my own accord. The 2 AWA essays were a complete joke and nothing that I even attempted to study for, but I was glad it dealt with current issues that were very much close to my heart. On one of them, it felt like I was writing an op-ed for a newspaper, so that left me with some comic relief. I really wished they'd grade and factor our AWA scores into our overall GMAT score for if that were the case, I know my crystal ball would give me a shot at seeing the likes of a 700. Aside from that and after excusing myself for my first allotted 10-min break, the quant portion wasn't anything I hadn't expected. However, the thing that did surprise me was that my MGMAT CAT exams seemed A LOT more difficult than the one staring at me on the screen. Of course, I did the best I could. I opted out of my 2nd break and instead, felt pretty good to head into my verbal portion. My biggest issue with verbal going into the exam was the careless time I spent sketching the long reading comp passages only to get half the questions correct. I decided to cut my losses early and instead, focus my attention on problems I knew I could correctly answer, namely the sentence completion ones. Otherwise, I'd be fighting with time and please believe I'd lose that battle in a heartbeat.

All in all, the final verdict wasn't bad (I'm good enough for my last choice school) but it also wasn't "WHOAH! HBS here I come great!" In other words, my final score was well above average but well below the median at the top Bschools and I'll just leave it at that. The silver lining on this cloud is that it gives me hope that I can definitely increase my score 2nd time around, which I intend to take full advantage of. For me, this is great b/c after taking 2 CAT exams from MGMAT, my scores were so dismal, I was so disheartened through it all b/c even though my learning curve peaked, my performance had much to be desired. Thus, my overall GMAT score has left me content for the amount of effort I've put in, but it also leaves me with the knowledge that I am capable of a lot more than what I initially thought possible for myself. Essentially, the GMAT is far from being a precise mechanism for measuring one's aptitude, but rather, a measure of how well one can perform under pressure when equipped with lots of studying, content knowledge, test-taking strategies and an intense desire to pursue an MBA. Go figure. That's standardized testing for ya!

And just for the record (and also so I can hold myself to this later), I will schedule my next GMAT for early November. Gotta stay committed!

Where Have I Been?

Alright, I gotta come clean. I've been up to my neck in studying for my GMAT that is coming up (much to my chagrin) in 3 days..Sept 5 is D-Day! I'm nervous, but in a way happy that I've gotten much of the core MGMAT content areas covered. I finished my MGMAT sessions about 2 weeks ago and was very pleased with both the instructors and their teaching pedagogy. I will blog my review later, but it's suffice to say that if you want a great experience preparing for the GMAT, please consider this reputable company. There is a ton of work, but it is well worth it!

So, about my MIA: Basically, I told myself that I couldn't get too bogged down with blogging and B-school research unless I could dedicate my studies to GMAT since I can kiss my chances at the top B-schools goodbye if I don't do well on this exam.

In any case, I will keep this post short since I am trying to remedy a cold before this Friday and will have to hit the gym to boost my immune system for the time being. Wish me luck (good Lord knows I'll need it) and oh yeah, before I go, just wanted to give a shout out to Clear Admit for the lovely "project" they threw my way. You guys are awesome! And thanks to Tiny Dancer's guest blogger (her hubby) for the insightful post.