Been sometime, since I last posted.

Have wandered through various options and am back to where I started, but more decisively.

At last I have decided (4% undecided), that I will only apply to ISB this year.
I could easily follow the herd and apply to some US B-Schools also. Just the herd mentality I guess.
But personally, none of the US B-Schools would make my life easier. I would have a loan of around 30-40 lakhs of loan and then pursue my own opportunities in India. It is going to be an uphill battle. Whereas an mba from ISB would exactly position me in the market I want to go. I could easily pay off the fee from my savings. Good brand leverage in India.

Its like, Richard Gere and Govinda, releasing a movie in India. Richard Gere is Richard Gere, but in India, Govinda is the superstar.
If my future goals were global, a US B-Schools would make a lot more sense. INSEAD has always been my radar, but my slight deficiency in INSEAD is pulling me back. If I have to re-apply to ISB next year, then I will certainly apply to INSEAD also.

Probably I am putting all my eggs in one basket this year. But if just one basket will help me make it to my destination, then that is what I will go by.

I have been in contact with International Admission Consultants as well as Indian ones. They helped me by showing more options and confusing me further.
The best advice I have received has come from ISB alumni. they are a very helpful bunch. Down to earth and informative. Many have been through the same situation I am in now.

I have received very specific information on the exact roles offered to guys with similar work experience, the interview process, etc.

Now I am in the process of shortlisting my relevant achievements, and taking some help in positioning my profile.

Received some critical resume feedback form Sweta, (old friend and an ISB admit). I was so much in love with my resume that I failed to notice the glaring flaws in it. Will have to entirely reconstruct the resume, to make it more professional.

Mom's last 2 days in Arkansas. Have been fishing almost every day, with a little luck. Probably will stop fishing for a while, after she goes to Dallas. Woke up at 5:00 am this morning, to watch the sunrise from the top of Mount. Nebo. Immediately went over to the lake and started fishing. no luck today. Had a good sized catch yesterday and left a fish yesterday.

Let me see how the process goes from here. Been in the MBA research process for over 4years. Now in 5 months, it will reach a culmination. The last school I wanted to study was ISB. That is the same school I am applying to.

Just 60 days for the deadline...

********************************************************************************************************
26 yrs, Male, India

Manufacturing Background
MS Industrial Engineering, University of Arkansas (3.3 GPA)
BS Mechanical Engineering, in India (3 GPA)

Professional Experience
2.5 years work experience as Manufacturing & Projects Engineer in a private firm with 135 employees. (3.5 yrs work exp at matriculation)
Selected this company, as I wanted to learn all the aspects of running an industry. I am a big fish in a small pond here.
Directly report to the CEO and advise him on new product development technologies and continuous improvement.
Our company runs thin on resources, so I wear several hats including those of developing new product ideas, product design, continuous improvement, process improvement, product strategy, pricing, etc.

Proposed changes in our operation and convinced supervisors, with 20 years of experience in the same company, to change.
Lots of people management skills.

Made a significant impact on the company's culture for the better. Had a vision when very few believed me and now we are half way there. Hit many brick walls on the way.  Everyone is glad we started the journey.
Made a difference to the bottom line to the tune of $350,000 per annum.

Term Goals:
Passionate about the mfg industry. Get a management role in top multinational mfg companies like Ford, Nokia, Caterpillar, Procter & Gamble, GE,  etc.
Set up my own industry in the long term.


GMAT: 720

Extracurricular:
Play racquetball tournaments
Into Thai Kickboxing, may have my first fight this year.
Designed and fabricated a washing machine that runs on pedal power, during my undergrad. Won the second prize at the national level.
Like acting and have directed and acted in number of stage plays during my Masters and job.

*******************************************************************************************************

Been sometime since my last post.
Spent most of the last three weeks in researching the top 25 schools and eliminating one by one.

The list is now down to the top 9.
Still needs some research to cut down the list to 5-6 schools.

The main criteria for selecting schools was:

1. Had to go back to India, immediately after MBA, due to family reasons.
2. The MBA program should have enough brand recall and leverage in India.
3. The debt on my back, post MBA should be as low as possible.
4. This is where schools with high chance of scholarships come in.
5. I am interested in a general management program, inclined if possible towards operations.

My school list looks like this:

1. ISB
2. Ross
3. Tuck
4. Darden
5. Duke 
6. Cornell
7. Duke 
8. Kellogg
9. MIT LGO program

Obviously an ISB admit would make life far more simpler, in getting back to India and starting a career afresh.

In the later posts I will explain in detail, why I chose each of the above programs, and the reasons for rejecting the other 10-12 top programs.

Gave my CEO a hint that I may consider applying for an MBA, this year. Need to remind him again in a month to drop a hint about Recos. I would also have to drop the bomb on my manager. My CEO, did not express any surprise. He himself is an MBA, so I asked him how much did his MBA degree help him. He agreed that, coming from an engineering background the MBA coursework certainly helped him and advised that it would be pretty beneficial for me.

Now got to get hold of a student or alumni from each of the above programs and ask them about international career opportunities post graduation.

Let me start with Tuck today.


Cya...

Work was fun, inching slowly ahead on each of my projects.

The MBA front still perplexes me. Haven't been able to narrow down any more schools other than ISB.

I really like Ross's MAP program and it excites me. It would give me select a project in India and build up some connections there for the prospective job. But its fee pulls me back. Especially with my constraint of working in India immediately after MBA, it would be decades before I completely pay off the loan.

After speaking to a friend at INSEAD, I think the only chance I have with the school is woth another year of work exp. So I have decided to apply to INSEAD next year, only if I dont get through ISB this time.

I know my vision is not the most clear one in the worl right now, but I am just wading through the muddy waters, confident that "In the End, it doesn't even matter..."

Found this informative website: http://www.admissions411.com

If you have time on your hand, you could research about applicant profiles for hours.

It has ratings and reviews for all the admission consultants, profiles of the applicant pool for each individual school, an informative blog and a forum.

I did not find so much information on any one website.

Watching "The Million Dollar Baby" as I am researching this site.
Morgan Freeman's voice over is one of the best voice overs. The tone is so deep, the bass is so high, that it symbolizes loads of experience and you don't have an option but to sit up and listen to him.

Lots of introspection going on.

Probably this will the single most crucial decision of my career. Which schools should I apply to?

Asking myself some fundamental questions:

• Where do I want to be, post MBA? India, US, UK..?
• What do I exactly want to be doing long term? General management in a big manufacturing company, entrepreneurship ?
• I had dreams of having a global career, bouncing in different countries, etc, but do I want to go for that or just settle in India..?