A Ph D Offer from one of top ten US b-schools - ChaseDream

这个教授现在以教书为part－time，自己开公司，还帮政府做分析，一个2，3pages的report可以赚3万。

RenZhen老兄将来估计比他还牛，加油。厚积薄发，中国的哲学倡导的。

我觉得Renzhen的经历很鼓舞人的。这两天在看一本介绍归国MBA的书，心一下子飞得很高很高。

我在思考一个问题：为什么不再积累一下，为什么不把目标再定高一些，也许可以去美国最好的学校。那本书上有一句话：机会和贵人只会降临在那些吸引她又不辜负她的人身上。

自己是女孩子，在本科即将毕业之际，原本觉得去一个还可以的学校，回国做个普通白领，一切就可以了。现在才知道，奔跑是一辈子的事。这是一场交易，好东西就是高价钱，普通东西就是普通价钱。把握好自己的心态，路终是自己选的。

还有，谢谢qiqi_cola的热心帮助！你是一位优秀的版主！祝你有个美丽的未来！

along,其实CHASEDREAM优秀的斑竹很多,我不算什么的啦.能尽自己的能力帮助别人一点点，我也会觉的很快乐.

还有一句很好的话，我想跟大家分享, 人生不是一次长跑,而是一系列的短跑.

我也准备攻读Strategy，在国内文科，数学统计学得一般，后来在CUHK( 香港中文大学)读了个M.PHIL in Marketing，回国来在各行业都干了干，做到上市公司的CFO,也开过自己的咨询公司，但实在讨厌国内的商业环境，准备弃商读PHD，因为PHD一直是我的梦想,以前是一直没有钱。

在国内本科时根本就没学过Metholodgy，也不喜欢marketing的各种模型，离商业实践实在太远；加上我在国内Corporate Finance, 我觉得可能还是Strategy容易生存，也符合我的兴趣。你能推荐一些学校吗？好像top 25里专门设Strategy的比较少，你能推荐一些学校吗？sunli@excite.com

还想问个问题，小弟本科成绩平平。想从现在亡羊补牢，还不晚吧。

因为实在太多人强调本科成绩了，我都开始觉得象我的gpa“只有回家放猪的份了”（我老妈如是说）。

Chinese ancestors said: "To plan and execute is up to you, but to succeed is up to god (or heaven)".

The correct phase should be: "Man proposes, and God disposes". I hope there is no native here visiting.

Strategy: (Definition in economics) is a complete contingency plan of actions for all the scenarios given the information available. There are two major approaches in doing the research in strategy field: 1) from sociology and psychology perspective: Many of those papers are not so good since the researches from this perspective generally lack of solid and rigorous proof. Certainly some who have set up their academic fame can publish this kind of papers more easily or get the support and recognition more broadly. 2) From economic perspective: Mathematics and econometrics are essential. The empirical method is very much based on the collected data, applying statistical analysis, controlling for the various factors and making conclusions with certain statistical significance. Another field very much involving dynamics is concerning the game theory. Remember the movie "A beautiful mind" - telling the story about Prof. Nash who created Nash equilibrium on which the whole game theory has been built upon? Again, math, logic, and probability are the keys here.

may I ask you........how do you think of differencies and relationships between strategy and finance areas? and do you consider that your background in finance study wil help you focus on doing financial strategy? Also, what kind of job can do if you have had your Ph.D in strategy?

可否跟大家具体讲讲你Campus visit的故事啊？一开始如何和教授套的词并要求visit的？on-campus visit的时候是如何征服教授的？HBS的deadline是12月，你11月就visit了，是不是visit以后，一般在review的时候就不interview了，当作已经interview过了？你知道例如HBS这样的学校一般什么时候发interview invitation? 是不是所有感兴趣的candidate都要interview?

抱歉问了这么多问题，还请不吝赐教！另外说说这学期来的感想也好啊。

楼主的BACKGROUND实在是太强了，去哪里都不为过. 应该中的应该.

对于我们这些凡夫俗子而言，这样的好事是不可能轮到我们的。

Renzhen, glad to see you are back to the forum. I actually noticed this post last year when I haven't really made my mind to apply for a PhD program. Now I've submitted all my files to business PhD program. I hope I will have chances to exchange ideas with more people like you who had been through the same struggle, waiting and glory or even failures.

Very curious about whether you are right now in the PhD you mention here or you didn't come?

Thank you very much for your warm and encouraging words. I try to answer the questions posted early in an aggregate manner and hope it helps to you.

1) For Valarie: I am in the Ph D program. Very nice to hear that you have not only made your decision but also taken the action! Good luck to you!

2) For Thinkpad: Congratulations to your admission! You asked about the campus visit and contacting professors. I think that is pretty important step if it is feasible. A solid background and an excellent application package are always the core of Ph D application. However, there are approximately 100-200 applications on average for a major in a school. Probably no one has paid any attention to your application even if you are super. So first, your scores have to be high - otherwise, you will be out at the 1st round when some assistant was filtering. Someone says that the scores are not important - this is not true! Without high scores, you do not have the ticket to the beauty contest hall. Second, if you get the attention of some professors, the probability of your application is to be read or ready carefully is getting greater. Some professors who are teaching or taught you can be the bridge. With their permission, you can use their names to contact the professors in the school you are applying to. Remember, only use the relevant one name but more so that you do not confuse others. When contacting professor, it is not necessary to discuss about academic question because you are miss-leading and soon it cannot continue anymore if you do so. I would suggest you to say that you are interested in the Ph D program and find his/her research topics are of your interest and ask whether he/she takes students this year. Mentioning that Prof. xxx suggested me to contact you will generate reply at least. When you have more mutual interests, the natural communications follow.

For Jillxiong: I am married and happily live since thereafter :-). My experiences in many senses are due to my age. So you are "old" enough, surely you have a lot of experiences if you have not wasted too much of your past. I have seen some young Ph D students, mainly from Qinghua, Fudan, and Shanghai Jiaoda, with strong math ability, in the dapartments that mainly use math methods, for example, operation management. So if you are in China, applying to that major will increase your chance. If you keep trying without success, you will be gradually generating more and more experiences. If you do not forget your goal, one day you will succeed and will live happily since thereafter. (Remember all the same endings for a fairytale.)

For miaxis: strategy does not need too math quantitative methods if you are in Corporate Strategy program. However, industry organizations (IO) and Business economics (BE) also deal with strategies from different perspective - one from game theory, and another extended to a broader scope, do need a lot of math. By the way, if you want to be a star professor, you'd better do lot of math.

For lyle: If you undergraduate gpa is not good, you'd better go to some master program, for example, in China first because you need do the admission test well only. Then you can have a good gpa with your master program. That is one, maybe the only, way to make up the weakness of your undergraduate gpa if it was really low.

For all others wrote to me: Thank you very much for your support and apologize for not replying you quickly or not at all. I am very glad to read that some of you have got the offer and some of you are waiting for or working on. No matter what status quo, we all look forward to the future with our today's hard work!

I am a research associate in HBS, working with a faculty in Strategy group. I am very interested in research on strategy. Look forward to meeting you in Cambridge.

If I ask myself: "Have you done your best?" My answer surely: "Yes!"

If I ask myself: "Have you reached your top goal?" I may say: "No!"

If I ask myself: "Do you have regret?" Surely: "No!"

In sum, I am not a very bright person, I mean, very smart or clever. However, I work very hard. I admire those people who have achieved remarkable accomplishment when they were still young. I have achieved something remarkable as well but it takes longer than some true talent and hard-working people. I will keep going ahead to pursue the excellence I may never reach. That is the beauty of Confucianism - No one is perfect and that is the reason one can take perfection as a life-long goal even though no one can truely reach that goal. It is a concept. It is a glory.

这兄弟在字里行间透露出的那种执著向上的精神确实太让人佩服了！很少有人能这么让我佩服！估计应该是33-35岁左右的人了，还能毅然决然的放弃一份很好的工作而去追求自己真正的梦想，想想我30岁，但总是觉得自己年龄不小了，总是在犹豫是否应该去读个博士，实在惭愧啊！

以下是引用iwantfly888在2005-2-15 21:19:00的发言：

对于我们这些凡夫俗子而言，这样的好事是不可能轮到我们的。

看了这个帖子我除了恭喜你外，没有别的想法了。唉

congratulation

and wish Renzhen can improve himself greatly in pursuing the PHD degree, being able to reach your top goal!!

I do not think the achievement made by Renzhen can not be obtained by us. As some friends said above: Renzhen deserves what he got because he work hard and stick to his goals! And the most important is that he does not regret what he did( that is what I need to learn

Suddenly, I remember someone once told me that if you were not able to pursue the Ph.D. abroad four years after your graduation, it was not worth continuing and the possibility in succeeding is small. But after I learned about the experience and background of Renzhen, I profoundly realize that as long as you keep your belief all the way in your mind, time is not question, age is not question too and you will succeed in the end.

Thank you! Renzhen. Congratulations! May you a brighter future( Although your future is bright enough!)!

就算永远上不了哈佛我也不会放弃自己的理想，相信同样也能成功。这个一年前的老牛贴能让我体会到的就是这句话。

以下是引用RenZhen在2004-4-1 5:32:00的发言：
I would like to share some of background and thoughts for your reference and hope it is helpful to at least some of Ph D applicants.
Chinese ancestors said: "To plan and execute is up to you, but to succeed is up to god (or heaven)". My interpretation is that I do my best and then have no regret no matter what the consequence is.
GMAT: all sections >90th percentile, TOEFL 650
M.Sc. (nothing relevant to business) + MBA (finance)
Some publications in the major of M.Sc. (irrelevant to business but can be used to prove research ability)
Strong recommendation letters from professors and one person who knows me really well.
Strong work experiences: around 10 years + mgmt position in the world No. 1 company in one industry.
Rich international experiences: visited, worked, and studied in more than 15 countries.
Strong spoken English: English as work language. Teach in English in some B-schools.
Excellent statement of purpose: very logic and with expression of my true research interest, checked by native well-educated English speaker.
Campus visit: contact professors already in last Sep. and visited them at the end of last year.
If I ask myself: "Have you done your best?" My answer surely: "Yes!"
If I ask myself: "Have you reached your top goal?" I may say: "No!"
If I ask myself: "Do you have regret?" Surely: "No!"
In sum, I am not a very bright person, I mean, very smart or clever. However, I work very hard. I admire those people who have achieved remarkable accomplishment when they were still young. I have achieved something remarkable as well but it takes longer than some true talent and hard-working people. I will keep going ahead to pursue the excellence I may never reach. That is the beauty of Confucianism - No one is perfect and that is the reason one can take perfection as a life-long goal even though no one can truely reach that goal. It is a concept. It is a glory.
Wish we all the best!

我记得楼主去年就在坛子里发帖子说收到了HARVARD PHD全奖的消息怎么去年没去今年又申了其他学校吗