I realize this. I am already thinking about course waivers. For the record, I haven't worked on my financial aid paperwork OR the essay. But someone posted last year's waiver guide on eTalk (the S2S for admitted students) and I have been obsessing over it.
A few Wharton alumni gave me this advice: waive any core courses you can. However, the tone of the Waiver guide is much more cautionary. It seems to say: you better be darn sure before you try to waive these classes, or you will regret it! Yikes.
Here's an example. I took three semesters of probability and statistics in undergrad, which were taught from an engineering perspective. Surely I should be able to waive the business statistics course, right? First of all, forget about waiving by credentials. Seems like you have to have a statistics degree to do that. Ok, so the waiver exam. There is even a preterm course to prepare for this. Slam dunk! But wait. Waiver Guide says students who pass the exam usually have taken a course in regression in the past 2 or 3 years. Hmmmm, I took mine 7 or 8 years ago. Also, "the focus of their course work has been the interpretation and critique of statistical methods rather than the memorization of formulas and grind-it-out calculation." Well, to be honest I don't really remember what the focus of my course work was. For that matter I am not positive I remember what regression is. This could be bad then: "they are familiar with multiple regression in particular and some features of the analysis of variance." And finally, there is this warning: "the Statistics Department and the Wharton MBA Program Student Advisory Board strongly discourage using STAT608 as a “crash course” to pass the waiver exam. A solid grounding in statistics will be expected in the remainder of your courses at Wharton. Passing the exam without that solid background will only cause you academic difficulties later." Wow. The Statistics Department AND the Wharton MBA Program Student Advisory Board? Am I jeopardizing my entire MBA experience by waiving statistics? Or are they just trying to scare me. Hmmmmm .....
There are also three operations courses that I think could be targets given my undergrad degree, Industrial Engineering. They are Quality and Productivity, Decision Models and Uncertainty, and Supply Chain Management. I’m pretty sure that I’ve had most of the subject matter covered in one of my undergrad classes, but spread out among many classes. To qualify for a waiver by credentials, it seems that I’ll have to provide course descriptions, syllabi, assignments, and maybe even exams so that the powers that be can decide if the topics match. Luckily, I am such a dork that I actually kept that stuff. Finally, my horrible habit of hoarding everything that ever comes my way might actually pay off!
So here’s what I’m grappling with. There are many pros and cons I can think of for waiving one or more classes. Right now I’m not sure where I lean.
Arguments against waiving: If all I do is review the subjects enough to pass waiver exams, am I really going to remember the material? Maybe a good review will be helpful and will prevent problems later. The material might be presented in a completely different way for a business class vs. an engineering class. Shouldn’t I take every opportunity to ensure that I really learn the core subjects Wharton has decided are important? Aren’t they the experts? Besides, since I’ve had some or all of the material before, maybe these classes will be on the easy side for me, and I’ll have a chance to be one of the people who can contribute in class because it’s not a completely foreign subject (unlike, say, Finance).
Arguments against waiving: Who am I kidding? This is Wharton, of course it’s going to be hard, even if I know the material. And if it’s somehow not hard, it will still be a lot of work. And what is the point of spending my hard-earned money and forgoing two years of my working life to get my MBA? Not to be a refresher for material I’ve already learned. Shouldn’t I take every opportunity to free up space for additional electives that really interest me and are new material?
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
First Matriculation Check Marked
My Kroll background check has been completed successfully. Phew! Not that I was worried or anything, I just wanted it to go smoothly so I wouldn't have to go through the hassle of tracking down any additional information. Plus, I think it's kinda like when you see a cop and you get nervous, even though you aren't doing anything wrong. Just glad to know they aren't digging into my background anymore!
Financial Aid
We went to our tax accountant on Friday to get an estimate on our 2007 taxes so that I can use it for financial aid paperwork. Even though I consider myself relatively good with numbers, I always come away from meetings with the accountant feeling glad that we pay someone to do this. I've used Turbotax and such before, but it feels like our taxes get more complicated each year, and our accountant just flat-out knows what she's doing.
Speaking of complicated, the financial aid process is confusing and a lot of work! US citizens have to do a federal form and a school form, plus Wharton asks for a 500 word essay:
Describe what you see as the value of fellowships/scholarships to students. [Fellowships and scholarships are valuable to students because they give them money. Money is good. ] Why should you receive one? [You mean getting in isn't enough of a feat? Ok then, I should get one because I'm awesome and I need money! My husband is ready to have us eating ramen noodles in a studio apartment with all this debt looming. Please give me some cash!!] What impact will it have on you and/or your Wharton experience? [Any amount that I can reduce my debt burden will afford me more opportunity to choose the job that I really want, not the job that will help me pay back my loans the fastest. Hmm, I think that was too honest - they want me to get a higher salary don't they? Ok, how about this: any amount that I can reduce my debt burden will afford me more opportunity to give back to the Wharton School of Business so that future MBA students will be able to enjoy the same or better opportunities as me. Beautiful!]
Seriously though, I thought I was done with essays! And this one is weird. I'm not really sure how to approach it other than stating the obvious (as above). If anyone has any advice, please comment.
Speaking of complicated, the financial aid process is confusing and a lot of work! US citizens have to do a federal form and a school form, plus Wharton asks for a 500 word essay:
Describe what you see as the value of fellowships/scholarships to students. [Fellowships and scholarships are valuable to students because they give them money. Money is good. ] Why should you receive one? [You mean getting in isn't enough of a feat? Ok then, I should get one because I'm awesome and I need money! My husband is ready to have us eating ramen noodles in a studio apartment with all this debt looming. Please give me some cash!!] What impact will it have on you and/or your Wharton experience? [Any amount that I can reduce my debt burden will afford me more opportunity to choose the job that I really want, not the job that will help me pay back my loans the fastest. Hmm, I think that was too honest - they want me to get a higher salary don't they? Ok, how about this: any amount that I can reduce my debt burden will afford me more opportunity to give back to the Wharton School of Business so that future MBA students will be able to enjoy the same or better opportunities as me. Beautiful!]
Seriously though, I thought I was done with essays! And this one is weird. I'm not really sure how to approach it other than stating the obvious (as above). If anyone has any advice, please comment.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Another "Recommendation"
Wow, that last post was really long! Here's a nice short and sweet one.
If any of you are waiting for R2 results and need a distraction, or you are waiting for 2009 application season to begin, I recommend Lost. If you haven't watched this show from the beginning, go get the Seasons 1, 2, and 3 DVDs. Then catch yourself up via ABC's website to season 4, which just started airing on Thursday. This show is AMAZING. You will not be disappointed. For added blow-your-mind goodness, check the web for the easter eggs that people find in each episodes. The writers are geniuses!
That is all :)
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Choosing and Approaching Recommenders
Since I was applying to two schools, and both required two recommendations, I chose only two recommenders. I figured two recommendations for each wouldn't be too much of a burden!
Recommender A: The first obvious choice was my current boss. I've worked for him the whole time I've been at this company.
Pros: He got an MBA at a top ten school, so I knew he would understand the magnitude of what I was doing and be familiar with the importance of the recommendation to my application. He is also a good writer and is great about seeing the "big picture" in things. I wasn't too worried about whether he could translate my skills and performance into a recommendation for a top business school.
Cons: He is a bit of a procrastinator. Sure enough, he submitted Kellogg a few hours before the deadline (albeit before I did). Also, I don't do a whole lot of work directly for him: there are people under him that I do most of my work directly for, although I do meet with him weekly to go over things. So I was a little worried that he might not have enough in the way of specifics. Finally, I was worried about spilling the beans about my plans to go to school. But this worry dissolved in July before I started my application. I received a promotion (yay!) which meant that I would not be jeopardizing a chance to receive one after my plans were revealed. Also, when my boss told me about the promotion, he told me that management was discussing rotating me to another team to get some different experiences and exposure. This was also good news from the recommendation perspective, because it meant that my boss was likely going to "lose me" anyway soon.
Recommender B: For my second choice, I considered approaching another manager on my team that I've worked with extensively. But instead, I decided to approach a manager at my former consulting company.
Pros: I worked with him three separate times. We worked together really well and his reviews of my work were strong. We were also part of a team that was very social, so I can say that he knows me on a personal level probably more than anyone I've ever (or will ever) work for. I even went to his wedding! He is extremely articulate and I knew he could convey my strengths and weaknesses clearly and eloquently.
Cons: I hadn't worked for him in over 2 years, and we'd kept in touch but not extensively. Also, when I left the company, I was working for him at the time. I didn't think there were hard feelings, but I still worried there may have been. I also worried a bit about the fact that I was very friendly with him on a social level. Anyone who has worked in consulting has probably been on a project where everyone works hard and plays harder. Frankly, the man has seen me (and everyone else on that project team) drunk many times. Again, I didn't think it would, but I hoped this wouldn't cloud his ability to comment on my professional abilities. Finally, he had a new baby and both parents work, so I knew he was probably crazy busy.
I had read Your MBA Game Plan and liked the idea of putting together the "Game Plan" and sending it to the recommenders. I included details like: where I was applying, why, what I wanted to do with the MBA and why, and what I knew about each of the schools and what the adcoms look for in applicants. I felt this would help them say things like "Tinydancer plans to enter the pharmaceutical marketing field, and I believe she will be succesful because ..."
I decided to ask Recommender B first. I'm not sure why I didn't just call him in the first place, but I sent him a carefully worded email first, then waited. For two weeks ... nothing!! So of course I freaked out and convinced myself that he didn't want to do it and was blowing me off. My husband talked me down, and I called and left a message. He called back and said yes, he'd be happy to write me a recommendation, and sorry he hadn't seen the email (duh, I thought, he never read my emails when I worked for him either!). I sent him the details in an email and signed him up on both application sites so he could see the invitations. I also attached the old reviews he had written for me so he would have them handy, my game plan, my updated resume, and a sample recommendation and some recommendation tips from one of my books. Again ... for several weeks I heard nothing. I was worried, but I knew he was very busy. I called once and left a message to say I was just checking to see if he had any questions. About 3 or 4 weeks before the due date, I got notifications that he'd submitted. Phew. He also sent me (short) emails afterwards to confirm. The lack of communication concerned me a bit, but I knew that was probably just him and that it didn't mean anything about what he wrote.
I approached Recommender A a week or so after B. I was really nervous. It felt like the "I'm taking another job" conversation, but a little less bad since it was actually "I'm possibly leaving the company in a year and not for another job". I asked him to have lunch with me, and I'm sure he was ready for the "I'm taking another job" talk, so I think he was relieved when I told him what it was really about! He was really excited for me, really supportive, and best of all, told me he thought I had a great chance to get in. Now, if I were him I would have told me that even if I didn't think it, so I took that with a grain of salt! But I left the conversation feeling very comfortable with having asked him. As I said, he definitely procrastinated, but I wasn't afriad to remind him almost daily in the weeks before the apps were due and he didn't seem to mind. I sent him the same materials I send B, and he said it was really helpful and showed resourcefulness and commitment on my part (yay!)
So, for those of you that are mulling an application run in 2008, here is my advice on approaching the recommendations:
1) Consider how many of these your recommenders will have to write and how spread out the due dates are. I only applied to 2 schools and it seemed like plenty of work. Granted, the second is probably a lot easier since questions may be similar and they can cut and paste to a degree. But you may want to consider different recommenders for different schools so that you know they can devote the time required to write good ones. Or, potentially spread your applications between rounds so you can can spread things out for them. I did warn mine in the beginning that if I didn't get in to my top 2 choices, that I may apply to more schools in the 2nd round.
2) Put together something like the MBA Game Plan that your recommenders can reference to provide details related to your goals and what you like about each school. If you recommenders can say "Tinydancer will fit in well in Kellogg's team-oriented environment because ..." or "I am confident that Tinydancer will be a strong contributor to her Wharton learning team because ...", it will add a little something extra to your application and show that you have truly thought hard about your school choices and shared this information with your recommenders. Doing this also helps them understand your motivations for pursuing an MBA in the first place, which I think can make a big difference in the tone of their writing.
3) Choose recommenders that can really speak to specifics about your skills and abilities. Schools say that they don't want you to choose impressive names for your recommenders just to try to impress them. They say they can see right through this, and I believe them. If your recommender can only speak in generalities, you leave the adcom to draw no-so-good conclusions about your judgement, and perhaps determine that you didn't have anyone that could speak positively about you AND provide specific examples.
4) Luckily for me, my recommenders didn't ask me to write my recommendations. If yours do, I strongly suggest that you don't. Besides questions of ethics, the adcom is going to have a substantial writing sample for you in the form of your GMAT AWA and your essays. They are good at what they do and they will be able to tell if the same person wrote the recommendations. If your recommenders insist, I suggest that you compromise and write an outlined answer for each question with short phrases to suggest subject matter but leave the narrative to them. For example, for a question that asks how the applicant has shown leadership potential, write "ABC project and the way I pulled different groups together, Improvement of XYZ report for management, etc". If they still won't do it, get new recommenders. This is your application and only you will suffer the consequences if they can't devote the time to write a thoughtful document.
5) Give your recommenders plenty of time! 1 to 2 months should be plenty of time, but if you talk to them on the early side, be sure to check in every once in awhile to make sure it stays in the front of their minds. They are surely busy people and may forget when deadlines are, etc. A week or so before the deadlines, remind them again. Make yourself available in case they have questions.
6) Thank them appropriately. I sent B a gift basket ($50 value) and gave A a $50 gift card for a restaurant I know he likes. They will appreciate the gesture and they will remember it if you happen to decide to apply to more schools or need your boss's blessing to attend interviews or other MBA-related events.
7) Keep in touch. When you hear from schools, tell them! They will want to know and might be hurt if they aren't high on your list of people to inform, especially if the news is good. Afterall, they were probably instrumental in the results!
Recommender A: The first obvious choice was my current boss. I've worked for him the whole time I've been at this company.
Pros: He got an MBA at a top ten school, so I knew he would understand the magnitude of what I was doing and be familiar with the importance of the recommendation to my application. He is also a good writer and is great about seeing the "big picture" in things. I wasn't too worried about whether he could translate my skills and performance into a recommendation for a top business school.
Cons: He is a bit of a procrastinator. Sure enough, he submitted Kellogg a few hours before the deadline (albeit before I did). Also, I don't do a whole lot of work directly for him: there are people under him that I do most of my work directly for, although I do meet with him weekly to go over things. So I was a little worried that he might not have enough in the way of specifics. Finally, I was worried about spilling the beans about my plans to go to school. But this worry dissolved in July before I started my application. I received a promotion (yay!) which meant that I would not be jeopardizing a chance to receive one after my plans were revealed. Also, when my boss told me about the promotion, he told me that management was discussing rotating me to another team to get some different experiences and exposure. This was also good news from the recommendation perspective, because it meant that my boss was likely going to "lose me" anyway soon.
Recommender B: For my second choice, I considered approaching another manager on my team that I've worked with extensively. But instead, I decided to approach a manager at my former consulting company.
Pros: I worked with him three separate times. We worked together really well and his reviews of my work were strong. We were also part of a team that was very social, so I can say that he knows me on a personal level probably more than anyone I've ever (or will ever) work for. I even went to his wedding! He is extremely articulate and I knew he could convey my strengths and weaknesses clearly and eloquently.
Cons: I hadn't worked for him in over 2 years, and we'd kept in touch but not extensively. Also, when I left the company, I was working for him at the time. I didn't think there were hard feelings, but I still worried there may have been. I also worried a bit about the fact that I was very friendly with him on a social level. Anyone who has worked in consulting has probably been on a project where everyone works hard and plays harder. Frankly, the man has seen me (and everyone else on that project team) drunk many times. Again, I didn't think it would, but I hoped this wouldn't cloud his ability to comment on my professional abilities. Finally, he had a new baby and both parents work, so I knew he was probably crazy busy.
I had read Your MBA Game Plan and liked the idea of putting together the "Game Plan" and sending it to the recommenders. I included details like: where I was applying, why, what I wanted to do with the MBA and why, and what I knew about each of the schools and what the adcoms look for in applicants. I felt this would help them say things like "Tinydancer plans to enter the pharmaceutical marketing field, and I believe she will be succesful because ..."
I decided to ask Recommender B first. I'm not sure why I didn't just call him in the first place, but I sent him a carefully worded email first, then waited. For two weeks ... nothing!! So of course I freaked out and convinced myself that he didn't want to do it and was blowing me off. My husband talked me down, and I called and left a message. He called back and said yes, he'd be happy to write me a recommendation, and sorry he hadn't seen the email (duh, I thought, he never read my emails when I worked for him either!). I sent him the details in an email and signed him up on both application sites so he could see the invitations. I also attached the old reviews he had written for me so he would have them handy, my game plan, my updated resume, and a sample recommendation and some recommendation tips from one of my books. Again ... for several weeks I heard nothing. I was worried, but I knew he was very busy. I called once and left a message to say I was just checking to see if he had any questions. About 3 or 4 weeks before the due date, I got notifications that he'd submitted. Phew. He also sent me (short) emails afterwards to confirm. The lack of communication concerned me a bit, but I knew that was probably just him and that it didn't mean anything about what he wrote.
I approached Recommender A a week or so after B. I was really nervous. It felt like the "I'm taking another job" conversation, but a little less bad since it was actually "I'm possibly leaving the company in a year and not for another job". I asked him to have lunch with me, and I'm sure he was ready for the "I'm taking another job" talk, so I think he was relieved when I told him what it was really about! He was really excited for me, really supportive, and best of all, told me he thought I had a great chance to get in. Now, if I were him I would have told me that even if I didn't think it, so I took that with a grain of salt! But I left the conversation feeling very comfortable with having asked him. As I said, he definitely procrastinated, but I wasn't afriad to remind him almost daily in the weeks before the apps were due and he didn't seem to mind. I sent him the same materials I send B, and he said it was really helpful and showed resourcefulness and commitment on my part (yay!)
So, for those of you that are mulling an application run in 2008, here is my advice on approaching the recommendations:
1) Consider how many of these your recommenders will have to write and how spread out the due dates are. I only applied to 2 schools and it seemed like plenty of work. Granted, the second is probably a lot easier since questions may be similar and they can cut and paste to a degree. But you may want to consider different recommenders for different schools so that you know they can devote the time required to write good ones. Or, potentially spread your applications between rounds so you can can spread things out for them. I did warn mine in the beginning that if I didn't get in to my top 2 choices, that I may apply to more schools in the 2nd round.
2) Put together something like the MBA Game Plan that your recommenders can reference to provide details related to your goals and what you like about each school. If you recommenders can say "Tinydancer will fit in well in Kellogg's team-oriented environment because ..." or "I am confident that Tinydancer will be a strong contributor to her Wharton learning team because ...", it will add a little something extra to your application and show that you have truly thought hard about your school choices and shared this information with your recommenders. Doing this also helps them understand your motivations for pursuing an MBA in the first place, which I think can make a big difference in the tone of their writing.
3) Choose recommenders that can really speak to specifics about your skills and abilities. Schools say that they don't want you to choose impressive names for your recommenders just to try to impress them. They say they can see right through this, and I believe them. If your recommender can only speak in generalities, you leave the adcom to draw no-so-good conclusions about your judgement, and perhaps determine that you didn't have anyone that could speak positively about you AND provide specific examples.
4) Luckily for me, my recommenders didn't ask me to write my recommendations. If yours do, I strongly suggest that you don't. Besides questions of ethics, the adcom is going to have a substantial writing sample for you in the form of your GMAT AWA and your essays. They are good at what they do and they will be able to tell if the same person wrote the recommendations. If your recommenders insist, I suggest that you compromise and write an outlined answer for each question with short phrases to suggest subject matter but leave the narrative to them. For example, for a question that asks how the applicant has shown leadership potential, write "ABC project and the way I pulled different groups together, Improvement of XYZ report for management, etc". If they still won't do it, get new recommenders. This is your application and only you will suffer the consequences if they can't devote the time to write a thoughtful document.
5) Give your recommenders plenty of time! 1 to 2 months should be plenty of time, but if you talk to them on the early side, be sure to check in every once in awhile to make sure it stays in the front of their minds. They are surely busy people and may forget when deadlines are, etc. A week or so before the deadlines, remind them again. Make yourself available in case they have questions.
6) Thank them appropriately. I sent B a gift basket ($50 value) and gave A a $50 gift card for a restaurant I know he likes. They will appreciate the gesture and they will remember it if you happen to decide to apply to more schools or need your boss's blessing to attend interviews or other MBA-related events.
7) Keep in touch. When you hear from schools, tell them! They will want to know and might be hurt if they aren't high on your list of people to inform, especially if the news is good. Afterall, they were probably instrumental in the results!
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