Introspect with Kellogg Essays!

When I was suggested by fellow applicants and others to introspect to get started with my essays, I found it tough. I could tabulate all that I have achieved, both small and big through my life. But I failed to find the connection and relate things.

Midway through Ross essays, a friend of mine and a fellow applicant suggested that her Kellogg essays were the best and it helped bring out her true self. I am glad, I heeded to her suggestion and got started with Kellogg essays. These essays are pretty long and time consuming and hence was planning to keep it to the last. But the fact remains that once you are through them, the rest of the essays are managable.
Although I have just about started with the Kellogg essays, I am already thinking and yeah introspecting :-D

So all those folks who are struggling to get started with their essays, take a look at the Kellogg essays (Ofcourse, if you intend to apply to the school). If not write them, thinking about them will help you get started!

Good luck to all fellow applicants!

ROSS Essays - Alternate profession

Ross essays have very stringent word limitiations. Compressing all your thoughts and passions in 300 words is way too difficult..

I am stuck with one of ROSS's essays about the alternate profession. I know what I would like to do, but I am confused what and how to express in just 300 words. Do I write about how I came to like that profession or why I am passionate about that or what I would I do in that profession. Ideally I would like express all the three. But it is simply impossible to sound convincing and substantiate your statements in such a short essay..
Suggestions plssssssssss???????

The second part of the question asks "how the alternate profession will help solve multidisciplinary problems". What are multidisciplinary problems in the first place and what is that the adcom expects?
This is also within the 300 word limit! Phew...

What did fellow ROSS applicants do?

Miles to go before I sleep...

My first app and it seems quite a struggle. Time and again when I have discussed with people about my MBA plans, I was always told that GMAT is the easiest part of the whole thing, the apps drain you out thorougly and is the most difficult part. Although I didnt ignore their warnings, I truly underestimated the effort needed to achieve it. I was of the opinion that essays required spending 2-3 hours every day writing and rewriting stuff. As a part of the process you would introspect, reach out to students in the schools, peruse websites and forums. It didnt seem that difficult before i took the plunge. I thought 2 months post GMAT is a good amount of time to do justice to the 5 apps I planned.

Its 2 weeks since then and I barely have started. Infact I am rewriting my first essay (career goals essay) from the scratch undoing the mess I created with it.I went about it in a very organized manner. I religiously read all possible resources (clearadmit, gyan from the gurus, blogs of fellow applicants). I completed few relevant chapters of Richard Montauk as well. I created a Fact file, as recommended by Juggler in her post, listing out all the things and events I have been involved in the past 10 years. I have a lot of data, but in a form that makes no sense. And making this info sound like a compelling story is easier said than done. When I write my essays I see a disconnect in the content. It all seems a set of events or facts. They dont blend into one another. I am trying hard to make them do and there is hardly any progress. Having spent 2 weeks and not getting a single essay into shape, the road ahead seems tough.

Does everyone go thro' this phase?
Most of the fellow bloggers I interact have successfully crossed the R1 milestone and arechurning out essays for R2. Is there anyone who has started his/her essays recently
and is in the same boat?

And there is one advice I get from everyone. Introspect. Does that mean know yourself well? or Does that mean knowing your life in and out?

I know that the first app is the most difficult one and later on things will move at a faster pace. Hope to get past this phase soon..

Re-thinking on Schools

I am interested to pursue a career in Strategy and Consulting or General Mgmt post MBA. Based on my career preferences, I had decided to apply to these 5 schools prior to GMAT.
1. Wharton
2. Chicago
3. Ross
4. Darden
5. Duke.

I got just about a decent score in GMAT and was contemplating retaking it. But with 2 months to go and deadlines of schools for R2 in Jan, I decided against it. I have decided to work hard on my apps to offset for my not so good GMAT score (700). Yet, to get my AWA scores.

I have been thinking of dropping some top schools and choosing some lower ranked schools.

The choices I have been considering are Emory, McCombs, Tepper.

With less than 2 months to go, I would not be able to do more than 5 schools. Now, I am in dilemma of which ones to drop and which ones to choose??

Any suggestions??

Second Phase of my journey

I first started blogging couple of months ago when I decided to take on my MBA dream this year.
But it did not take off due to hectic work schedules, GMAT preps and the like.

I am done with the first phase of the journey, GMAT, and am looking forward to kick start the second phase.

Wish me luck!!