[分享]我的Michigan申请经历

vagrant

"Think of the application process as a courtship. You are a suitor, and the B-school is the girl next door everyone has a crush on"

As I write this, it is very much autumn in Ann Arbor. The leaves are turning, the wind is cooler, and the University of Michigan is teeming with students going from one class to another. It has been nearly two years since I started the long, arduous (yet very fulfilling) MBA application process, nearly a year since that fateful day when I submitted my admissions packet to the University of Michigan Business School, and over nine months since I received that acceptance e-mail, which has changed my life forever.

Sentimental fool that I am, I have kept that e-mail in my inbox, as well as the short Flash presentation that animatedly told me, "You are a Michigan MBA!" Once in a while, I click on it just to make sure that I am the person to whom that letter is addressed. You'd think that it would all have sunk in by now, but it sometimes still feels unreal.

One thing worth mentioning is that UMBS will heretofore be known as the "Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan,"a mouthful that is affectionately (and practically) abridged to simply "the Ross."

It is a crazy season at the Ross right now, what with the first set of finals for the seven-week fall "A term" looming around us, and yet it seems the perfect time for me to sit down, push my books aside for an hour or two, and write about the journey that brought me here. While I have been planning to get my MBA since high school, the journey only truly started when I finally got my standardized-test-phobic butt down to the testing center to conquer the GMAT in early 2003.

First of all, do not obsess over your GMAT. It is not the end of the world if you cannot hit a 750. The first time I took the GMAT, my score wasn't a 700, but everyone I consulted said that was fine. While a normal person would've left it at that, I didn't. In my second attempt at the test I only scored within the standard deviation of my first score, and still not a 700. I kicked myself, but I eventually moved on.

I had a lot more to offer any B-school than my fantastic standardized test-taking skills. I have a business-economics degree from the University of the Philippines, the top university in my country. And, from my years in private equity and venture capital, I have plenty of relevant work experience to share with my future classmates. It was just a matter of letting admissions know this through my essays.

THE USUAL SUSPECTS.  I targeted five schools -- actually six, if you count one reapplication. The first wave of applications included INSEAD and the London Business School. My second wave included the University of Michigan, Northwestern (Kellogg), UC Berkeley (Haas), and then my reapplication to LBS. I got dinged by INSEAD and LBS on my first try. However, as a consolation, I was encouraged by LBS to reapply, something that doesn't happen so often. Otherwise qualified candidates to reapply if certain improvements are made in the candidate's profile. This could mean a better GMAT grade, additional courses in calculus, or more work experience. I received this semi-"ding" without any conditions, which reinforced my belief that applying to the "sudden death round" was not a good idea.

was crestfallen in the summer of 2003, and I began to doubt my ability to get into a top program. What if B-school wasn't for me? What if I wasn't good enough? Had my parents and my friends not been there for me, I would've played the "what-if?" game forever and completely given up on the whole MBA thing. But I had a great support system, [and they] showered me with chocolate muffins, ice-cream cakes, and "shopping therapy" to lift my spirits. Even my bosses and colleagues told me that I had their support. How could I not go on?

BRING IT ON!  Before I began my next wave of applications, I took my INSEAD essays and my LBS essays and analyzed what was wrong with them. I deduced that they were absolute crap. I was writing what I thought admissions wanted to read, instead of writing about me. That had to change.

I did my homework on the schools I applied to and carefully identified what [parts of] their programs were relevant to me. I highlighted three things: focus, fit, and future. I formed a concrete story of where I was coming from, what I wanted to do in the B-school, and how each B-school could specifically help me get where I wanted to go. I felt confident [when] submitting my essays that I did the best I could.

[此贴子已经被admin于2007-2-9 1:28:58编辑过]

vagrant

In writing your essays, I only give two tips: 1) Do due diligence. Do not rely on the rankings alone and on what you've heard about the school. Find out yourself what the school is really about. Visit if you can, and if not, talk to alumni. 2) NEVER recycle your essays. Recycling diminishes the substance in your words and also increases your chance for error. Oh, the horror stories of sending essays for one school to the admissions of another. Don't be fodder for BusinessWeek Online's B-school forums

Instead, think of the application process as a courtship. You are a suitor, and the B-school is the girl next door everyone has a crush on. She would be more likely to give you two seconds of her time if she felt that you were truly interested in her and not just in anything wearing a skirt. It's a cheesy analogy, but that's what it really is.

Apart from the GMAT and essays, the rest of the application was smooth sailing for me. I did most everything online. Thank god for the Internet. The only other aspect that had to be carefully taken care of was my recommendations. It was easy for me to choose recommenders, though. I asked my three bosses at work who had worked with me closely, seen me grow in three years, and known me at my best and worst. It helped that the industry I worked in was MBA-friendly, and that my plan to acquire an MBA was not a secret to anyone. Ed, the managing director of the company, even worked with me on my story and talked me through my reasons for doing this. Having my colleagues involved with my application helped boost my morale.

In the fall of 2003, I delivered my supplementary materials to the courier with a flourish, which signaled the beginning of the era of waiting...and waiting...and waiting.

IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU.  The anxiety of not knowing anything about my application pretty much eclipsed every other emotion I had for a good three or four months. If work weren't so interesting, and my family and friends weren't so eager to help me de-stress, I would have spent endless hours biting my nails and lurking for some ray of hope in the BusinessWeek Online forums. Thankfully, I did have other things to think of. And, before I knew it, the decisions fell upon me.

I received my Michigan acceptance first -- in January of 2004 -- and I was overwhelmed with the joy of getting into a top program and with relief in getting into my top choice, too. In the next few months other admissions/decline letters trickled in. Ding from Kellogg (sniff), Berkeley (hmm...), and finally, my reapplication to London yielded an offer (whoo!). I felt that these results were reflective of the effort I put into my application and my passion for getting into each school. They were all great programs, but I knew where I fit best.
That said, it was still tough making the choice between Michigan and London. However, going to Go Blue Rendezvous in April, 2003 made it that much easier. Everyone I met during that weekend was exceedingly down to earth, and I was impressed with the amount of energy and effort the students put into helping the admits get to know the Ross even better. Michigan was definitely it for me, and now, here I am, seven weeks into the program and happy as sunshine, even if my entire week is wrought with finals for accounting, applied microeconomics, business statistics, and corporate strategy.

READY OR NOT...   Despite being an international, I didn't need to take any English or quantitative courses prior to entering the program. I got a near perfect score on the TOEFL at 298, and took calculus in undergrad. Go me! I did, however, participate in the M-trek (www.mtrek.org), a student initiative, and chose to go to Costa Rica because I had never been to South America before. I also chose it because one of the Costa Rica treks didn't require any camping. I know, I'm a wuss compared to the 100-odd other students who participated in other treks, but going to an unknown place and pushing my exercise-deprived body through physically strenuous activities was enough of an adventure. I wanted my hot running water and my nice comfy bed at the end of a hard day bouncing around on the back of a horse or floating above a rainforest.

I had the time of my life with 15 amazing MBAs who are all unbelievably smart, accomplished, and ragingly crazy! We went hiking, horseback riding, whitewater rafting, canoeing, zip-lining, and got a bit of sun bathing and salsa dancing in, too. Our troop leaders, the MBA2s, introduced us to the teamwork, co-creation, and leadership that characterized the Michigan culture, as well as the "work hard, play hard" mentality that permeates the student body.

When you're sitting on the back of a rubber boat at the mouth of Class IV rapids, and one of your friends conveniently falls out into the river, you bet your booty leadership and teamwork instincts are going to kick in and get her out of there fast. Luckily, Suzanne, the aforementioned girl who fell out, survived that trip and is now happily settled in as well. This lovely Canadian got a special mention by Dean Robert Dolan during the Leadership Development Program (LDP), the Ross's version of orientation, for her fantastic whitewater rapid body-surfing stunt.

[此贴子已经被作者于2005-3-13 0:08:20编辑过]

vagrant

GETTING TO KNOW YOU.  Speaking of orientation, the Ross recently made some major changes not only to the curriculum but also the orientation program. The LDP ran for two weeks this year, instead of one, and featured breakout sessions and talks on leadership, communication, global citizenship, and corporate responsibility, led by top professors of the Ross and executives from major companies. We also had exciting field projects which brought my section (2: The Deuce!) to downtown Detroit, where our section worked with the Motor City Blight Busters (www.blightbusters.org) to clean up an abandoned house and start off a rehabilitation project in the neighborhood. Other sections worked with Habitat for Humanity (www.habitat.org) and Focus: HOPE (www.focushope.edu) among others.

One of the things I loved most about the entire Michigan community during my first few days at the Ross was how open and friendly everyone was, while still keeping it real. Not everyone had to be my new best friend, but I got along with most everyone I met and found everybody interesting and engaging. I was afraid I would feel detached or lost in a crowd, but there was none of that. Members of the faculty and the administration were often available, joining students at lunch or just hanging out after a long day of activities to chat over wine and refreshments.

Apart from the networking and the leadership activities, there were optional quantitative-skill workshops to bring people up to speed on the basic math and calculus needed to get through core courses. There were also team-building activities that brought us out of the classrooms and into the warm sunshine of Palmer Field, where we wrestled with mind-boggling challenges and our own Type-A personalities. It was an eye-opening introduction to what very well may be the dynamics we will face when graded group projects are on the line, but it was all in good fun.

WRAPPING IT UP.   As a prize for good behavior, at the end of each day social activities abound as people unwind at any one of the quaint college bars in Ann Arbor or at a house party hastily put together by someone who just felt like dancing the night away with some new friends. Me? I couldn't throw a party at my place because I didn't get to move into my furnished apartment until Sept. 1, the day classes officially started. I forgot the minor detail of orientation starting before September, and never thought to negotiate for an early move-in date. I didn't do the Nob Hill or Woodbury Gardens thing that a majority of people did. These two places were the most popular with MBAs, but I opted for having the B-school within walking distance. To me, walking distance in the winter meant 10 minutes or less of trudging against the wind and snow, and it only takes me about seven minutes to walk to school.

When I finally moved in, it was one of the happiest days of my life. I had a place to call home, and my parents were there to help me settle in. Yes, you read it right, my parents helped me move in. I'm a lucky brat. My wonderful, amazing parents, Primo and Lisa, who braved a 16-hour flight to Michigan just to be with me, helped me buy additional things for my new one-bedroom apartment, and helped me clean it, too! I've said it once, I'll say it again: Nothing beats a great support system to help you get through the MBA experience.

And, nothing expresses more support than having your mom rearrange furniture and go grocery shopping with you, and having your dad help assemble your bed and teach you how to clean the vacuum, when they could be back home in warm, sunny Philippines playing golf, shopping, and enjoying their retirement. I love my parents. I couldn't have gotten here without them and couldn't have gotten through my first few weeks without them either. They've inspired me to achieve so many great things because of all the great things they have achieved. When they left, I'm not ashamed to say, I bawled like a baby.

The one thing that eases this loneliness is knowing I will be going home for Christmas with all these great stories about school, classes, and my career to tell. I promised my mom I would take pictures of the turning of the leaves and promised my dad I'd be a good girl. I also promised them I would make them proud, and I know that I will do my best to live up those promises.

As September breezed in, the semester began and I had to get ready for my first set of classes and the enormous task of getting back into the swing of being a student. Going Blue has so far been one of the best choices I've ever made in my life, and in retrospect, I was truly excited to get started. Right now, I think I need to get back to my books.

[此贴子已经被作者于2005-3-13 0:09:24编辑过]

sunnyrain

good stories, thanks.

hsWang

以下是引用LANDER在2005-3-13 22:30:00的发言： 文章有点长了

刚好可以练习阅读，呵呵

lizhihuantu

thanks for sharing!

grasses

很好，顶一下!

goldensun

英文看得太累啊

WalkByFaith

many  thanks !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

asasasas1

ding !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!