MY ROAD TO MBA + INTERVIEW TIPS

Snazzy

I guess that it is the time for me to write something on my road to MBA in order to show my appreciation the help I got along the way in applying for b-schools at CD and to give those puzzled as I used to be some idea on how to completely change the situation and get into the dream schools.

Thank those who sent me messages asking for more information. I just post everything here in order to let more benefit from my ups and downs on my way to the business school.

=============================================

1,  WHY MBA?

I  am not a technical person, although I majored in engineering. That is the reason why I changed my profession to food industry where I found great interest. In fact, I started to think about MBA years ago. I bought books, attended MBA WORLD TOUR – BEIJING, … But I could not make the commitment as I had jobs which pay me money. Eventually, I found that I just can not advance in my career. Finding a job is not a big deal. But finding a decent one is very hard and nearly impossible. What’s the solution? MBA!!!

2, WHY MCGILL  IN THE FIRST PLACE?

After doing some research, I decided to apply for McGill. The most important reason is that McGill is located in Montreal, where French is spoken. I had learned French and I want to pick it up when I do MBA.  Of course, the rather low tuition and acceptable reputation of McGill are also lucrative. I  put two and two together and concluded that I should go there. When my friends told me the crucial competition in McGill, I didn’t pay any attention as I have been confident that I should be qualified for the MBA program. But later I found that I made the worst mistake – I put all my eggs into one basket.

3, WHY SCHULICH ON SECOND THOUGHT

In fact, I considered both Schulich  and McGill at the beginning. It is because of others’ misleading information that made me drop my plan to apply for such a wonderful school. And the wrong message was not corrected until I visited the school on April 28. The information I got there was so positive that I decided to apply for the school right away. I was first impressed by the facility, then the professionalism, and last its flexible program and general information. What’s more, Schulich’s international  exchange program will compensate for not being able to live in Montreal. I really regretted that I didn’t apply earlier. But I was still on the track.

4, I GOT NERVOUS

My job didn’t go well. It was not a bed of roses at all. The reality inspired me to speed up the process of my application for MBA. I have huge objections, although I have strong background. Firstly, my shitty GMAT score can be a bottle neck if the school does not conduct interviews as I will not have a chance to prove how good my English is. Secondly, I was very afraid that the school runs out of space as I didn’t start to apply until May 1, the deadline for domestic applicants, only hours earlier.  So, I had to struggle emotionally day after day.

5, I TOOK INITIATIVES

I have a lot of nerves to do things, especially when I have no choice. Realizing I might miss the boat, I started to take every step to move forward. As I didn’t decide to take MBA this year until late April. I resigned from work and spent 2 weeks on the preparation of Toefl. The result of two weeks later turned out to be good, unlike that of GMAT. That did give me a lot of confidence. By the time TOEFL score arrived at the schools on June 8,  the application for McGill was completed. But I was still waiting for the  2^nd recommendation for Schulich as I could not locate my previous boss, who is currently working in Korea. Time went fast; it was already June 21 when I learned Schulich received it. In the next a couple of days, I tried to follow up with the two schools about my applications. The response I got from the two schools made me more and more commit to Schulich. The response from Schulich has been positive and informative, while that from McGill is very little and reluctant. Schulich apparently appreciates the initiatives, while McGill doesn’t even want to listen to me. I knew what’s happening at Schulich, but my application for McGill just went dead. Every time when I checked my status, it was READY FOR REVIEW. It has not been changed in 6 weeks. Just don’t know what the hell is wrong. I would rather see DECLINED than see READY FOR REVIEW one time after another. How come a business school can be this inefficient? How can such a slow-moving school educate effective business leaders? I feel badly confused …

6, SCHULICH INTERVIEW.

Since my GMAT score is unbelievably low(by the way, it is only 590 ), interview is the only way in which I can prove myself. I called the two schools and got completely different responses again. McGill said: No, we don’t conduct interviews. What a cool school!  Comparatively, Schulich said: OK, let’s do it.

As I would like to have the interview as earlier as possible, the assistant set the interview between Ms. Interviewer– the admissions director, and me because the main interviewer was not available.

Unlike major job interviews, this interview didn’t make me nervous at all. The reason is that I knew I would be OK. (The details of the interview should come later) The fact is that when u feel relaxed, u will surely do well. This principle applied to me very well. Just as I told my friends, the interview was just a little bit less than perfect. I didn’t even expect to get the offer on the next day. But I got it. That was quite a surprise.

7, FINAL DECISION

By that time, I was still sitting on the fence. Shall I wait for McGill’s offer, or declination? Or, I should go ahead  with Schulich? Although I had already made my mind, I still wanted to hear some advice from others. I told my family and friends about my situation. My mother, my sister and friends all insisted that I go to Schulich, simply based on its ranking and reputation, not its sky rocketing tuition. Money should not be a major consideration when you know you will be greatly compensated later. By now, I have given up McGill. I discarded the endless READY FOR REVIEW. I feel rather released.

7, GET READY FOR A NEW SCHOOL LIFE.

I sent out my first deposit in two weeks. Money matters have been arranged. I am going to quit at the end of this month and have a vacation, enjoy a lot of fun in August, get myself and my backpack ready. I will be back to school just in weeks.

[此贴子已经被作者于2004-8-2 2:11:32编辑过]

soimfriend

Great! Thanks for your detailed introduction for the process, and especially for your personal feelings.

I am wondering whether or not to apply for Schulich because I got no idea after I read its brouchure. I did not find anything to beat me as I did in reading Ivey or Queen's or McGill pages. Since you chose Schulich, could you please share more about this school, again, especially your personal feelings? Thanks.

tsljz

Thanks for sharing your great experience. Would you like to tell us more about Schulich? Thanks

ruiyu25

好文章! 谢谢分享并恭喜!

Snazzy

Thanks, guys, for your interest. Here are some of my personal perspectives.

I don't choose a business school simply on a single factor such as ranking.  On the contrary, I think you have to look at a whole picture. How is the program? How are the faculty?  How is networking, one of the most important things in business schools? How are other opportunities such as learning a 3rd language? How is school life? ...

Ranking, like a brand of a company, of course, is a major factor when considering the most likely biggest investment in my personal life. I don’t' think you will be surprised when I tell you that I trust giant brands such as Nestle, Coca-Cola, etc. In a sense, business schools are just brands. I think business schools and companies are very alike in a number of areas: names, hiring, interviews, profit,... That's why a business school is completely different from a regular graduate school. The ranking of Schulich is on the rise. The sky rocketing tuition - a market value  tells me that the school is in  a good shape, although I hate paying tens of thousands of dollars.

Money really matters, even if it is not the sole factor to decide things. I have not been to the other business schools. But I did visit Schulich, a school which impressed me so much in this aspect. You can not neglect the $100-million worth building and brand new everything when you are there. Money can keep the best professors. Money can provide good opportunities for students. Money can help us grow in a healthier situation. (I HEARD McGill doesn't have much money as before. Some professors have been lured by the other business schools. --- WARNING: The information could be wrong!!! It has not bee verified!!!)

Information session is very important. I would recommend that you take it whenever you can. You can get tremendous information from there. The most important thing is that you can ask questions in your concern and hear the questions from others and figure out whether this school is the one which can help you grow and advance in your career. Unlike the information session of the other business schools, the one of Schulich did convince me that it is the right school for me. Bear in mind that a good business school may not be good for you or some individuals. As tomorrow's business leaders, we've got to be realistic as getting into a top business school is just our short-term goal. We need to have a bigger picture.

Like companies which want to hire new employees, business schools, in my personal opinion, should conduct interviews in order to know the candidates better. It's not only give the chance for the school to find out whether you can be successful in future but also give the chance for applicants to know whether the school is the right one which can help in career advancement. I really look at a business school as a company.

Professionalism is essential in business world. At Schulich, from operators, assistants, to the interviewer, I feel it strongly, not only when I call the school, but also when I was there. WE all know people can be influenced by the environment we are in. Only in such a school can I learn how to be professional. My goal is not to just find a job, otherwise I am not willing to spend 2 years and face losing hundreds of thousands of dollars in a business school.  So professionalism is very crucial to me.

Schulich has s very flexible program. A successful company would operate in the same way. You can change from full time to part time back and forth to meet your personal situations. You can even go to another country for a term. This is really to my interest. When I look for a job, I think about the same thing. Who would like to work for a stubborn company with all stubborn people?

The questions asked at the interview at Schulich were very thoughtful. I have recalled all the questions and studied them. I know what's important to the school. Teamwork, for example, is a great concern for the school. I strongly agree that it is badly needed in business world. I need that badly too. And I know I can learn it at Schulich.

Overall, Schulich is the best in my situation. I am so excited that I can not help starting the school year. Of course, there must have some other good business schools out there. Different people may have different perspectives.  I wish you folks all the best to get into your dream schools.

[此贴子已经被作者于2004-7-28 22:31:19编辑过]

dreambox

thank you for these valuable personal experiences

Snazzy

Thanks to the encouragement from some folks, I would like to add more personal thoughts here:

Another aspect I take into account when I choose a business school is that I look at the experiences of the students. I wish I could learn as much as I can from not only the faculty but also those fellow students. Of course, the experienced students must have far better perspectives on the real business world. And they certainly can contribute more in solving  business case dillema. After working in different companies in different countries for several years, I know how I should make full use of the 2 years in the business school. Just don't want to miss anything. I can not afford it.

Here is a  new friend's shocking story. She is my buddy's friend who worked for HSBC. When I contacted her last summer, she was ready to go to the business school. And she explained her way to MBA. At that point, I was very shocked by her choice: She chose Concordia over McGill. She got offers from both schools. But she told me that McGill has too  many students without work experience. (There are some other points she mentioned to me, but can not remember it) I was first shocked by her decision, and then by the fact in McGill. Months ago, I talked to her again. She told me that she was very satisfied with the pragram at Concordia. It is very pratical. She said she had made the right choice.

OK, time is out. I've got to stop here. In the next edition, I would like to talk about my bitter experience with  GMAT.

Snazzy

As a so-called BAN ZHU of GMAT  SENTENCE CORRECTION part, I feel shameful that I didn't contribute so much to the function. I especially regret that I failed twice in GMAT and got a lowest-ever score at CD. I know that this part must have least value for most applicants as Chinese students are really good test takers, but it may still be helpful to those whose English is good and who just can not pass the hurdle of GMAT.

My bitter journey with GMAT started last November. With the encouragement and accompanies of the CD folks, I spent 2 months on the preparation and took the test in Janunary. The result was so heartbreaking that I just could not believe it. 540?!!! 100 lower than what I got no Kaplan and Prinsten,  an exactly example for irregulation. Passing a hard day, I countinued my journey. It's impossible, my English doesn't deserve such a low score. 2 months later, I did it again. This time, I was even more stunned by the score, 590. Disappointed enough, I decided to stop here and apply with this score anyways. I knew that I would be able to prove the score to be wrong at the interviews. I am confident with my English.

Not too much to say, just want to mention that the weakness can always be compensated by something else. I will elabrate how I overcame the obsticle at the interview.

Snazzy

INTERVIEW PROCESS

Since I got such a historically bad GMAT score, it is crucial to get the interview where I can show my English is good. As I mentioned earlier, I took the initiatives and the interview was set for 11:00am, July 7.

On the day of the interview, I was nearly running later. I had wanted to leave my place at 9:30am, but I didn't hit the road until 10:00am. I was kind of nerveous. Hell, I really hate myself for being late in such an important interview. I was afraid that I would be caught in a traffic jam. Being late is the worst thing you can do to damage your image. I know that, but I was still running the risk.

I had to rush and press the gas peddle to the floor. Hell, I was vialating the rules. But there was no choice. Getting involved in an accident is another concern. It would definately block me from going for the interview. Thanks Lord, the highway was pretty clear. But I was stuck a little bit on the local road where the construction was going on. I felt released as I knew I would be able to change routes from there.

Lucky enough, I arrived at the campus at 10: 40am. Thanks to my last visit, it didn't cost me any extra time to find parking and the admissions office. 10:45am, I was outsie the office, facing a great change in my life. I sat at a table, watching around and trying to relax before stepping into the office. At 10:50am, I walked into the office and went to the big reception room where 4 assistants were working. I went to one of them who was identified to have booked the interview for me. I thanked her and was granted a seat to wait.

In the next a couple of minutes, I was scanning the magazines and searching the information about Schulich. 5 minutes later, a lady came out and walked to the reception. I smiled to her and said HI. She responded. There was a point that I thought she could be my interviewer. But I was not sure. She walked back with some documents.(God, those are mine! I didn't know it at that point at all) I realized later that the interview had already started from that point. I am so glad to greet her and give her a smile.

At 11:00am sharp, the lady came out again and walked to me. I stood up. "Snazzy?"(supposing it is my name) "Ms. Interviewer?"(Her name) "Glad to meet you." "Glad to meet you." "Come with me." " OK.Thank you."

Walking on the hall way, I tried to say something. She asked, "Was it easy to find here?" (What a good ice breaker and friendly person! By the way, I found it was a golden opportunity to mention my last visit and give my perspectives on the school. I could not lose it.) "Yes, very easy. Actually, I came here for the information session last month. I was very impressed by the school and its building." (I guessed that she must have been impressed by my answer. I created some sort of repport. I have successfully past the first and very important impression test.)

After walking into her office, she offered me a seat at a round table. I hesitated a little and sat at the same time with her as she closed the door. (Never sit down before the interviewer does.  NEVER! -Quoted from a ficilitator of a job finding club)

"So, Snazzy, you called us and asked for an interview?" (What a good opportunity to mention my interest in the school and my qualifications for the program!) "Yes, Ms. Interviewer, ..." (I basically explained how I did research and what I got from my visit. I told her my impression about the school. The most IMPORTANT thing is that every word is from my heart. Nothing can be more convincing than the words from your hearts.) " I believe that I am qualified for Schulich MBA program." Added I.

"Good. Snazzy, you are interested in our exchange program, aren't you?" (Another good opportunity to explain one of the reasons why I am interested in Schulich. This time, I told her what inspired me to study French years ago. I told her that most senior managers of the first company I worked for can speak French. I am sure speaking a 3rd language will open another door for me in the future. Ha haaaaaa, I just hinted her and I am bilingual already, an advantage over those English native speakers. I will be trilingual soon...)

I am running out of the time. More questions are coming later ...

流沙

楼主继续啊，等着看呢。。。