Bad Judgement

I think I did something bad. On the Business Week B-School forum, someone posted that they found a way to hack into Harvard’s site where they’ve posted some of the application decisions. Basically, if they read your application and decided to reject you, a rejection letter was posted. If they hadn’t decided to reject you, the page was blank, as they couldn’t make a decision until after interviews. SO, I think it’s a joke (the next poster was like, “that’s hilarious!” what was I supposed to think???) and need a good laugh. So I give it a try. I get an error message and a blank screen. Not really so funny.

A few hours later, I get an email from the HBS Admissions Committee that’s like, we’ve found out that someone has been hacking into our system (even though I wouldn’t call it hacking, they had NO security around their decisions site). Basically they said that they’re very disappointed in the behavior of “future business leaders” and are deciding what action to take against those who had visited the decisions site. I don’t want to get punished because I visited a website that I literally thought was a JOKE! Blah. Added stress to an already crazy week. I guess that’s what I get for being curious….

MSNBC: B-school applicants get help from hacker
MSNBC - B-school applicants get help from hacker

cold cereal?

so a couple of weeks ago, i got the exciting news....i got into kellogg.
i got the call on my cell phone while i was driving home from work. i almost crashed in my excitement. i honestly couldn't believe it was true. i had to check my cell phone 3 times that night just to make sure I dream it all up. Heehee. then I had to screen print the Congratulations Status page at work the next day, just to have physical proof.

so now the question is warm bay area hippiedom? Or, cold cereal?

thus far, 2 for 2! hopefully i'll hear some equally happy news from Wharton in a couple of weeks.

i am useless!

i am bored out of my mind at work. being part of a leadership development rotational program has been a fairly postive experience until this year...but over the course of the last 6 months i've learned that i have no interest in tax accounting, i can't work for a manager who treats me like a secretary, and i need to get out of this position quickly! i can't believe that i've worked for this company for 5 years and have lead entire company-wide initiatives, and now i am back to formatting spreadsheets and being treated like a child. i literally spend my days surfing the internet, and amusing myself on online forums. if i get one or two menial tasks to do a day, i'm ecstatic! anything to make the time go by more quickly.....with the lingering business school matriculation, i have so little motivation, too.

i think i should hear back about a potential promotion position within internal audit in the next couple of days. even though the job responsibilities sound less than glamorous, i would love the opportunity to be productive again. and for a 50% raise, well, yeah, it sounds more and more appealing....

reflection

so i went out to dinner last night with my old work group. my old VP was "asked to resign" from his position. apparently, it's due predominantly to budget issues, but everyone had pegged another VP to be the target of this financial crisis. the other VP was not performing well and meeting objectives - a reasonable cause for being laid-off. instead, my old VP successfully led many company-wide initiatives, AND delivered more than his objectives. so, how can this really be explained?? the whole situation makes me lose faith in the corporate system. i've worked for this company for nearly 5 years now. it's an old dinosaur of a company that rewards loyalty more than intellect. i've understood and accepted that fact since nearly my first day here. but, my old VP was quite possibly the most intelligent person i've met, EVER. he's well read, well spoken. he thinks about things from different perspectives, forms creative solutions to problems. and he's a phenomenal leader. honestly there are few people who i've encountered here who i've really respected and idolized, and he was one of them. i guess his problem was that he wasn't a "yes-man". he thought for himself, and expressed himself openly. i think that intimidated his boss. I’m just so sad that I work for a company that doesn’t see value in intelligence and standing apart from the crowd!

so, all of this leads me to question what really makes a person successful in the corporate world. apparently it's not intelligence. not creativity. is it doing what you're told? and following directions better than the rest? if so, why am i bothering to go to business school? i'm not really supposed to formulate my own thoughts, am i?

weekend, massages, and anxiety...

on saturday i treated myself to a hot stone massage. it was really relaxing. so much so that i completely fell asleep. the masseuse could have left the room, come back an hour later, and told me that the massage was over, and i wouldn't have known any different. :)

i'm starting to get anxious about the other schools. i haven't hear ANYTHING yet. i was hoping to at least year about a wharton interview invite soon. i know the last date that they'll send out invites is feb 17. that's really freakin' soon! bah! this whole process is going to give me an ulcer. i swear it....

my first admit....

i'm in at haas! i can't believe it!

i was at dinner last night, and my cell phone rang. i ignored thinking it was probably just a friend, nothing important. a few minutes later, i decided to at least look to see who was calling. it was a 510 number. i was so confused. i was asking everyone at the table what area code that was....convinced it was just a prank call, i almost put my phone away, again...but then i saw that i had voicemail. almost the instant that i started to connect what the message was about, my friend scream, "510! that's berkeley!" sure enough, i called back, and sharon joyce told me the good news! yay! my only round one school, and it's an admit!!! at least i know for certain that my future will not entail working at this company for much longer....

i haven't quite hit the euphoric state that i thought i would...i guess i don't feel like there's complete resolution yet. i still have 2 months, and 5 schools to go. but, still...it feels good to have direction, again.....

here i am...

after browsing these pages for oh so long, i decided it was time to set up my own page, and share a little of my own mba application experience. plus, i'm feeling incredibly unmotivated at work these days and welcome a distraction....

so, i finally completed all of my applications a couple of weeks ago. the official tally R1: Haas (Berkeley), R2: Kellogg, Wharton, Harvard, Stanford, and Michigan. I was so relieved! i was looking forward to kicking back and relaxing for a while, and regaining a handle on life. i've literally felt like i've been trapped inside my computer for hte past 6 months. i couldn't wait to run out and bask in the sunshine (or snow, as it is...) sadly, I got one weekend to celebrate my 27th birfday in DC (am I really that old???) and then it was interview time.

this past weekend i had my haas interview during super saturday. I went well, i think, but it was a bit of an odd interview. as luck would have it, i was one of the "lucky" few who interviewed with the admissions committee. the entire interview threw me off guard because i thought it was going to be a blind interview. the first words out of my interviewer's mouth was "i know your application well, and would like to start off with specific questions from it." as she flipped through the pages, i could see notes that she had written, and things she had highlighted. i could feel myself sinking lower and lower in my chair. overall, i think the interview went well...even though i did catch my interviewer looking over my shoulder and out the glass door at one point. ah, well...she did invite me to a happy hour that was supposed planned for the entire super saturday community, but was never announced to anyone.....

i had my kellogg interview in chicago on monday. i interviewed with a second year student. he was really nice, and offered up some great information about the school. the interview was pretty standard with questions off my resume, and general leadership, how do you deal with conflict type questions. it was supposed to be a half hour interview but lasted for an hour (maybe more of a testament to my ability to talk too much...) i think it went well. i have an annoying ability to overanalyze things after the fact, so i'm left wondering if i brought up all the stories and characteristics that i wanted to, but overall it was pretty good. i didn't get a good feel for the school while i was there, though, other than it was cold and very snowy. i had my interview and then sat in on a class (advertising strategy -- it was excellent!), but other than that i didn't get much time to meander about. i had a flight to catch! oh well, if i get admitted, i'll make another evanston trip!

ummm...yes. that's a quick summary of things as they stand today. i should hear back from haas on monday 1/31. kellogg, i'm not sure. and when interview invites go out for the other schools, i'm not sure. actually, i probably do know, but i'd rather not think about it...otherwise it'll be more sleepless nights and anxious days ahead....

i forgot to send a thank you note to haas. better get to that now...yay, another work distraction!