MBA Spanky

Apartment? Found.

2006-07-22T11:51:00.000-04:00

After 3 exhausting days of combing Craigslist, WestsideRentals, and the streets of Santa Monica, I found the place that I'm going to live in next year! It is a 2-bedroom 2-and-1/2-bathroom penthouse apartment in West LA, and I will be sharing it with another incoming Anderson student. While West LA doesn't have the charm of Santa Monica, it also doesn't have the high prices! You get a lot more for your money.

I originally thought that I wanted to live by myself near the beach in Santa Monica, but that proved to be too costly, especially since I will be bringing my dog. It also makes a little bit less sense for my first year of b-school, as it is a pretty long commute to school (~30 minutes), and I will likely be on-campus a lot. My new place will only be a 5-10 minute drive, I hope, and it is also only about a 2 mile bike ride. The only possible problem with living so close (yet not right next to campus) is that it will be harder for me to get a parking pass, as UCLA doles out parking passes based on your zip code. I may have to carpool for a while until I get my hands on one.

Anyway, the place is amazing. It is on the top floor of a 4-story building, and it is located on the southern border of the Veterans Administration, which means we will have a huge grassy expanse right next to the place. We will have very easy access to the 405, which means that I can quite easily shoot down to the airport to pick up Liane when she's in town. We're within walking distance of some decent shops and restaurants, although the area is nowhere near as convenient for stuff like that as are parts of Santa Monica and Westwood. It is bright and open, and, on a clear day, you can see the ocean a few miles away from the patio. We've got 2 subterranean parking spots, heat and A/C, modern appliances, and laundry in the unit. And the owner/landlord seems VERY cool and flexible. He is allowing us to start our lease in the middle of August and end it in the middle of June with the option of extending it month-to-month thereafter.

The kicker with this place is that the owner-landlord has offered to leave any or all of his furniture, dishes, art, etc, that we want! Talk about a money-saver! We've basically got a fully-furnished apartment. Now, I won't necessarily have to retrofit my car with a hitch and drive across country with a U-Haul trailer in tow.

House? Sold.

2006-06-13T17:45:00.000-04:00

Within 3 days of my departure from Durham for Minneapolis, we received an offer on the house, and it was a decent one! After some quick negotiations between my agent and the buyer's agent, we've settled on a final price, and final preparations are underway. The buyer wants to close on July 11, which sounds great to me, as all of the stuff inside the house will be getting moved on June 26.

The lady who is buying the house originally thought she wanted to live in North Raleigh, as Durham's school system leaves a lot to be desired. However, upon reflection, she decided she DID want to live in Durham afterall and just put her daughter into private school. Whatever works for her works for me!

We are very thankful that the house sold so quickly after we left, as we didn't have time to install timers on all of the lights so as to make the house "bright and warm" when potential buyers stopped in for a look.

What I'll miss about North Carolina

2006-05-31T15:45:00.000-04:00

The color green

Afternoon thunderstorms

Ability to drive and park everywhere

Cheap rent

Pork bbq

Hushpuppies

Sweet tea

Durham Bulls baseball games

College basketball fever

Running in Duke Forest with my dog

My house

My friends

Update

2006-05-22T11:43:00.000-04:00

The house is almost ready to go on the market -- hopefully, she'll go live on Wednesday. Liane and I have spent the last 2 weeks (at least) fixing her up so that she's nice and fresh. Lots of paint touchups and decluttering. Yesterday, we planted some flowers around the mailbox that look great. Why didn't we do that long ago so that we could enjoy them?

Last weekend, we met up with a couple of couples we met at Blue Devil Weekend for some Hog Heaven BBQ and a couple of drinks at Goldie's. One has already moved here, while the other was just in town looking for a place. Great people, and I'm sad that I won't be a Dookie with them next year. We'll definitely keep in touch nonetheless.

Liane heads up to Minneapolis on June 4. My last day of work in Durham will be June 9, at which time I will drive to Cincinnati, where Liane will have flown to meet up with me and drive the rest of the way over the weekend. Thankfully, my company is allowing me to work remotely for the rest of the summer. Very generous of them!

Why I'm choosing UCLA over Duke

2006-04-28T14:00:00.000-04:00

I was fortunate enough to gain acceptance into 3 great programs: UCLA, Duke, and UNC. Early on, by comparing only Duke and UNC, I eliminated the latter from contention, as I would pick Duke over UNC if given only that choice.

For the last month, I have been swaying back and forth between UCLA and Duke. As everyone around me can attest, the decision has been extremely difficult. I could definitely see myself having a great experience at either school, and it seemed like every 30 minutes, my gut was changing its opinion. Duke certainly has some enviable qualities that UCLA doesn't, but, in the end, UCLA trumps Duke, at least for me.

1. On-campus Recruiting Opportunities. This is perhaps what I would term the "deal-maker." Since I am looking to get into a marketing role with a technology, entertainment, or consumer goods company, I would be best served by heading to UCLA. Those types of companies are much more strongly represented on-campus at UCLA than at Duke. I'm not saying that I couldn't get a job at one of these companies coming out of Duke. I'm just saying that it would be much more straightforward to land one coming out of UCLA, especially if Liane and I decide that California is where we want to live.

2. Location. I've been living in Durham for the past 6 years, so it kind of has a been-there-done-that feel. Even though I grew up 2 hours north of LA, I didn't spend much time down there, nor have I really spent any significant amount of time back in California since I shipped off to Cambridge, MA, for college when I was 18. In addition to the newness factor, LA provides easy access to tons of companies that I think I want to work for. Even though it would be easier to stay in Durham and head to Duke, when have I ever done anything the easy way? Also, this change of scenery provides an even greater opportunity to have a truly "transformational" experience at business school.

3. Other. I am interested in some of Anderson's most popular club offerings, such as the Entertainment Management Association, the High Tech Business Association, and the Sports Business Association. These clubs are either underrepresented at Duke, or they simply don't even exist. Plus, I would be lying if I said that the in-state tuition, combined with some scholarship money, didn't play at least a minor role in my decision.

I am proud and excited to be a member of the UCLA Anderson class of 2008! Go Bruins!

Duke waitlisters rejoice!

Blog color change

2006-04-26T15:28:00.000-04:00

Since I will be heading to either UCLA (blue and gold) or Duke (blue and white), I figured I'd start getting in the mood by changing my blog colors from a green theme to a blue theme. Once I've made my final decision between the two schools later this week, I will be sure to update the color scheme accordingly.

Deliberating

2006-04-25T16:22:00.000-04:00

UCLA or Duke? Duke or UCLA? Which one is it going to be? By virtue of my $1500 deposit to Duke a while back, I have already secured a spot and some scholarship money there. If I want to keep the UCLA option open, I need to submit a $1000 deposit by May 1. I should probably try to make my final decision by then so as to only occupy an attending admit spot at 1 of the 2 schools.

Now that I've been to Blue Devil Weekend and A-Days, I feel like I should be able to make an informed decision. Unfortunately, neither admit weekend really called out to me as the perfect place to be for me. Both have their imperfections. It is now a matter of prioritizing which qualities mean more and which imperfections mean less.

Both Duke and UCLA have a vibrant, friendly student body. After all, that is why I chose to apply to these 2 particular schools. Whichever school I choose, I will be happy at. It is nice to be in a win-win situation, but, then again, it makes the decision that much tougher. Which of these 2 great choices will be better?

Here is how I perceive each school's distinct "best" qualities:

Why Duke? Awesome teachers. Great brand name.

Why UCLA? Awesome opportunities.

And here is how I perceive each school's distinct weaknesses:

Why not Duke? More of a traditional business school, in the sense that most graduates seem to go to big companies in traditional fields. I'm not one of those guys.

Why not UCLA? Professors seem too focused on research and not that engaging in the classroom setting. Potentially too unstructured learning environment.

UCLA reaches out

2006-04-25T15:59:00.000-04:00

Finally, UCLA reached out its big, light-blue-and-gold hand and extended me a pretty generous fellowship offer. That, combined with my qualification for in-state tuition there is very tempting. Now, I know you should really take money out of the equation when picking which shool you want to go to, but when 2 of them are so even otherwise, money can be a factor.

UCLA A-Days: Day 3

2006-04-25T15:03:00.000-04:00

Class Visit: Liane and I were assigned to sit in on Professor Bodapati's 2hr 50min One-to-One Marketing class. We lasted about an hour before ditching out to beat the LA traffic on our way back up to Santa Barbara. During that hour, though, some good concepts were presented (albeit at a painfully slow pace). My main gripe with the class, however, was that it was almost exclusively lecture-based. It would have been more beneficial to sit in on a case-based, interactive marketing class, but alas this was the only one available to us.

Final Thoughts: UCLA Anderson has a very laid back vibe to it. The current students and admits that we met were all very friendly people, all of whom I could see myself working and socializing with in the future. I was fairly disappointed by the lack of energy that the faculty showed (at least the ones we saw), as it was clear that they were more concerned with research than with teaching. The most compelling thing for me about UCLA Anderson is its location and the numerous opportunities that LA provides for hands-on learning. After all, the saying goes that it matters not what you know, but what you can do.

UCLA A-Days: Day 2

2006-04-25T14:03:00.000-04:00

Opening Session: Two Deans spoke, with the second one (Al Osborne) delivering a standout performance about entrepreneurship at Anderson. After the speeches, the stage opened up for the faculty panel. There were 5 or 6 professors up on stage, and their general attitude left something to be desired. It was clear that they were very focused on their research and on getting published, not so much on actually teaching the students. I was very disappointed that I was getting this feeling, and it made me worry about the other faculty that weren't even hand-picked for this panel. This was in stark contrast to the feeling I got from the Duke faculty, who were outstanding.

Distinctly Anderson: Liane and I headed to the Entrepreneurship and Applied Management Research Project panels. Both were very good. It is evident that an entrepreneurial spirit permeates the UCLA academic culture, which benefits everyone, not just future entrepreneurs. The AMR is a great Anderson distinguisher. Basically, a team of 4-6 students conducts a hands-on, real-world consulting project somewhere in LA during 2 consecutive quarters of their 2nd year. Your team can also choose to do the business creation option of the AMR, which is a great, risk-free way to test out your business idea.

In-N-Out Burger Lunch and UCLA Anderson Club Fair: The In-N-Out Burger truck pulled up next to the Anderson buildings, and we immediately headed over. It looked like they were just handing out a standard burger with lettuce, tomato, and special sauce to everyone. I can't stand the special sauce, so I asked for one without it. Unfortunately, the In-N-Out lady had been instructed to not allow special orders unless the person was allergic. I quickly became allergic to the sauce and got a special order :) Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to get a burger without pink mayo on it! After lunch, we walked around and talked to various clubs that sounded interesting. The variety and popularity of the clubs I was interested in was a big sales point for me. From the Sports Business Management Club, to the Entrepreneurs Association, to the Media and Entertainment Club, I was thoroughly engaged, especially by the latter. I talked to a girl there who landed an internship at Yahoo Fantasy Sports in Santa Monica, what would seem like a dream job for me! She also suggested looking into General Mills as a potential future employer, as it is located in Minneapolis, where Liane will be for the next 2 years, and it is a great company to work for given its work-life balance and family-oriented nature.

Teamwork At Anderson: While Liane was off on a campus tour with other Sig-O's, they split us into groups of about 18 people, and we headed off to various classrooms for team-building exercises. My group of 18 was then randomly split into 3 groups of 6, and we were tasked to create the tallest free-standing structure possible using only uncooked spaghetti noodles, toothpicks, and gummi bears. It was a nice glimpse into my future at Anderson (if I end up going there), as we basically had to immediately come together as a team and work productively on a crazy task. My team ended up winning the competition, as ours was really the only one that was left standing as time ran out. I immediately hit it off with one fellow in my group, which was reassuring that there would be people with whom I could easily bond at Anderson.

Career Paths: Liane and I chose to head to Technology Management first, but it wasn't that informative. Then we headed over to Sports Management, which was a good eye-opener, as we found out that careers in sports are not only hard to get into, but also they don't pay much if any at all. Maybe I'll just keep that passion as a hobby.

Alumni Panel: After a quick break, we headed back into the large lecture hall for an alumni panel, which ended up being a strong event. It became clear that the UCLA alumni network is VERY useful for getting jobs, especially in California, but really anywhere you want to go. The second-year moderator was a dude who is heading to Minneapolis this summer to start his full-time position with General Mills... someone with whom I will definitely be getting in contact.

UCLA A-Days: Day 1

2006-04-23T11:31:00.000-04:00

Apartment Tour: For the most part, the open houses we saw on the apartment tour were great, and the people who lived in them were very friendly. All of the apartments we saw cost about the same amount ($1000 with roommate, $1500 without), so it is really just a matter of tradeoffs. Do you want to live closer to the beach or closer to school? In my opinion, Santa Monica seems like the place to be, especially if you're just a couple of blocks from the beach. The streets are wider and have more grass areas, and you're still only about 20 minutes from school.

Opening Session: After a quick welcome video, Linda Baldwin, director of admissions, gave a "state of admissions" address that was pretty informative. Not only were applications up about 12-15% this year, but the overall quality of the applicant pool was at its highest (average GMAT of ALL applicants was 690, and the average GMAT of admitted students was 710). Interestingly, 10% of the admitted students made $200k or more before heading back to b-school. I want to meet these people.

Ice Breakers: While Liane was off mingling at the Sig-O wine tasting reception, I was in a meeting room with 7 other admits and 2 current first-years "breaking the ice." The exercises were cheesy, but they were good-intentioned. First, the 2 current first-years told us 2 truths and 1 lie, and we admitted students had to decide as a group which statement was the lie. We missed both times. Then, we broke off into pairs of 2 and told each other interesting stories about ourselves in an attempt to give the other person enough material with which to design a bumper sticker. I spoke with a girl from Virginia who played rugby at Swarthmore College. I chose to draw a picture about her team's yearly tradition of running through the administration building naked with paper bags over their heads while snatching dollar bills out of onlooking students hands. The event was a fundraiser so that they could throw a huge party. Each year they raised about $1000 in this way! Because of my artistic prowess, I was then chosen to represent our half of the room in a "Win, Lose, or Draw" challenge. We Lost. I mean, how was I supposed to draw "Beer Bust?"

The Real Deal panel discussions: After an abbreviated campus tour, I rejoined Liane for 3 consecutive 30-minute panel discussions. We chose to go to Student Life & Leadership, Financial Aid, and Academics. We learned the following: most people are super-involved in everything Anderson (and they love it), business school is going to cost a lot of money, and the first quarter of your first year is ridiculous, but after that things calm down a bit. The highlight of the Academics panel was when they threw up a PowerPoint slide that graphed "Work Hard" vs. "Play Hard," and Anderson was at the top-right of the plot.

California Dreamin Dinner: Free beer and wine were imbibed while we ate some deeelicious Mexican food. It is a bit interesting that Mexican food is the flagship of California "cuisine," but I'm not complaining! From chicken and beef enchiladas, to chicken, beef, and cheese tamales, to chips with guacamole and salsa, everything was extremely tasty. Liane and I inadvertently chose to eat at one of the stand-up tables (we didn't see the sit-down ones until it was too late), but it allowed us to meet more new people who kind of just rotated in to the empty slots at the table.

Night Out at Q's Billiards: Liane was understandably too tired, but I rallied and headed out to Q's in Santa Monica, where the business school had reserved the upstairs area. It took me 15 minutes to find a parking spot on a side street, which was annoying. My high school friend, Kenny, who is currently at UCLA Law, met up with me at Q's, and we caught up over a couple of drinks. I also took some time to get to know a few other admits and current students, including the second-year who interviewed me back in January. He was surprised that they let me in despite his interview report. Ha!

Pre A-Days II thoughts

2006-04-20T15:57:00.000-04:00

So, Liane and I are heading out to LA tomorrow for UCLA Anderson's admitted students weekend, A-Days II. We're hoping that our impressions of the program and the LA area sway us strongly enough in one direction or the other so as to make my decision between UCLA and Duke an easy one. The worst thing that could happen is that A-Days II is "just okay."

Before we head out for the weekend, though, I thought it would be a good idea to write down my current thoughts... for future reference.

Why I want to go to Duke:

Prestige of Duke University (more of a national brand)
Awesome marketing program
Fuqua Friday
Don't have to move
Low cost of living
"Forced" networking by virtue of there being no big city
Close-knit student body

Why I want to go to UCLA:

Easy access to SoCal "fun" companies (tech, entertainment, media, sports)
Great entrepreneurial program
Commitment to experiential learning
Close to family
Flawless weather
Try out a brand new place (greater opportunity for a "transformational experience")
Get me out of my comfort zone

UNC ups the ante

2006-04-19T14:23:00.000-04:00

I just got a call from the director of admissions at UNC. She said that they aren't in the business of purchasing students, but she wanted to make sure that finances aren't what is holding me back from joining her at Kenan-Flagler. Yep, she upped the fellowship offer to full tuition.

Very tempting to have 40k debt vs. 100k debt after 2 years!

UNC Experience Weekend

2006-04-10T10:13:00.000-04:00

UNC Experience Weekend was this past weekend, and I decided to attend it despite my predisposition to pick UCLA or Duke over UNC. I did apply to the place, after all. Plus, it is only a 10-15 minute drive from my house.

So, Friday night, Liane and I headed over to the scholarship recipients dinner at the Carolina Club on UNC's campus. After some schmoozing, we all sat down in our assigned seats at our designated tables. It became quickly apparent that the seating assignments were very deliberate. I was seated between a marketing professor and Liane. Liane was seated between me and a current partner, who was seated next to another incoming partner. Basically, all of the incoming students were seated between a current student and a professor or their partner and a professor. In addition, everyone at the table that wasn't an incoming student or partner had read the incoming students' resumes and, therefore, proceeded to probe into our documented history unannounced. A bit creepy, if you ask me. Dinner was a crab cake and a steak filet -- very tasty. One thing that Liane and I noticed was that almost all of the scholarship recipients were from North Carolina. You would have thought that UNC would have doled out the cash to the out-of-staters, to try to lure them in with a lower tuition. Either none of them made it (or maybe most of the out-of-state scholarship recipients were internationals, and thus couldn't make the weekend), or UNC heavily favors in-staters in terms of scholarship money.

After the scholarship recipients dinner, we all headed over to the DuBose House in Meadowmont for the welcome reception to which everyone was invited. This is where we got to meet all of the out-of-staters, a refreshing experience after seeing all of the in-staters at the scholarship dinner. The DuBose House is usually home to the UNC Executive Education program, so, needless to say, it was niiiice. Lots of little rooms everywhere with food, desserts, and drinks. Everything we ate was delicious, and everyone we met was very friendly and down-to-earth. At one point, I remember beginning to seriously consider UNC as a contender, as the incoming students were so easy to talk to. Alas, this sentiment would be gone by the next day.

Early Saturday morning, I headed over to Kenan-Flagler for the welcome breakfast and Deans' speeches while Liane headed out to volunteer at the Girls-On-The-Run 5k. After the welcome speeches, it was time for an alumni panel, which was pretty interesting, especially when the host (the current student body president) said something to the effect of "Tyler Hansbrough is your god." For those of you who don't know who Tyler Hansbrough is, he was the freshman sensation on the UNC basketball team (arguably the top freshman in the country), and he recently announced that he is going to come back for his sophomore year. Tar Heel fans rejoice!

Liane joined me at lunchtime for the club fair and a boxed lunch, after which we headed into a marketing class simulation. We were treated to the first lecture by the new marketing department head, but most of the information was stuff we already knew. Plus, the class discussion just wasn't that stimulating. I took this as a bad sign.

Overall, I really liked the incoming students and the professors, but I was less impressed by the current students (many of whom are still looking for internships and/or don't know what they're doing after graduation). Don't get me wrong, I think Kenan-Flagler is a great program or else I wouldn't have applied. I probably just met the wrong 4-5 current students. Regardless, I think Kenan-Flagler would be a lot of fun, but I don't think it is the right place for me for the next two years.

Duke Dollars

2006-04-04T14:27:00.000-04:00

So, tomorrow is the $1500 deposit deadline to secure my Fuqua scholarship money. And I'm going to submit the cash.

No, I haven't decided to go to Fuqua, but I haven't decided to go to Anderson either, so I figured that I might as well make sure I can still go to Duke if I choose to do so. The way I thought about it was like this. At this point, I have 4 potential outcomes:

1. Deposit $1500 to Fuqua, choose Duke, win-win situation.
2. Deposit $1500 to Fuqua, choose UCLA, lose $1500.
3. Don't deposit $1500 to Fuqua, choose UCLA, save $1500.
4. Don't deposit $1500 to Fuqua, choose Duke, lose big scholarship.

Basically, if I deposit the $1500, I can either be in a win-win situation or lose $1500. If I don't deposit the $1500, I can either save $1500 or lose a lot more than $1500. If you look at the expected value of each situation, it makes way more sense to deposit the $1500 as I am not 95% sure I want to go to UCLA. In the long run, $1500 is worth the comfort of keeping both options wide open.

Hopefully, attending A-Days II in a couple of weeks will allow me to decide which place is right for me. I really wish I had gone to A-Days I back in the beginning of March, but, alas, I was in Hawaii, and it was totally worth it.

Blue Devil Weekend

2006-04-03T11:22:00.000-04:00

I left work on Friday a bit early and headed down the road to the Washington Duke Inn to check in for Blue Devil Weekend. After grabbing registration packets and goodie bags for Liane and me, I walked over to the activities fair at the Fox Center. I chatted with members of the Business Technology Club, the Entrepreneurship Club, the Golf Club, and Fuqua West. All conversations were pretty light and informational.

Liane got off work and joined me for the BDW Kick-Off session with welcome speakers and lots of cheering. Then, it was time for Fuqua Friday -- a relaxed mixer-type event that happens in the Fox Center every Friday of the year, complete with food (usually pizza or wings) and free beer and wine. This one was a little more special than usual, so we actually had a full dinner (delicious pork bbq). Oddly enough, we were assigned to sit at a table with a girl who is also from Durham. In fact, it turns out that she lives just down the street from me in my neighborhood! Weird. After dinner, people loaded the buses for a night out in Durham (yippee). Fuqua had rented out the G-Loft, which is right next to George's Garage, so that was the hotspot for the evening. G-Loft got quite packed, though, so it was a bit loud for my taste. My buddy Kevin joined Liane and me for a couple of drinks at G-Loft and Sirens Lounge before we departed from the Fuqua crowd to hit up Chapel Hill, where we met up with an old friend that was in town. Even though we left Chapel Hill earlier than most of our friends, we still didn't end up falling asleep until about 2:30 AM. Needless to say, we were NOT looking forward to getting up at 7:00 AM to head over to Duke for the day.

When the alarm went off at 7:00 AM Saturday morning, Liane and I were not happy. But, we consoled ourselves with the idea of fresh waffles, eggs, and bacon at the free breakfast at the Washington Duke Inn. Fuqua was going to do it up right, no? No. The breakfast entailed little more than some fresh fruit, pastries, and orange juice. I'm sorry, but we wouldn't have woken up so early for that. We were already there, though, so we grabbed some grub and sat down at one of the tables. We were joined by a nice couple from Georgia, a girl from Vermont/San Francisco, and another nice couple from Hawaii. The couple from Hawaii had the most interesting story, as they had just up and moved from Honolulu to Durham the day before, sight unseen. Their belongings were being shipped, and their car was on a boat somewhere. Talk about gutsy!

We all headed over to Fuqua for the 9:00 AM Dean welcome, then it was class time. The first class I sat through was marketing. The professor was an assistant professor, but he was still on point and engaging. Meanwhile, Liane was at the Partners' reception. She then joined me for the second class: financial accounting. This professor has been awarded "Outstanding Teacher" awards from Business Week and the like, and it showed. She was awesome. Both Liane and I were VERY impressed by the quality of the professors at Fuqua, at least that of the two we saw.

By the time classes ended, it was lunch time, so we all headed back into the Fox Center for some delicious sandwiches. Each table had one current student who was there to talk about a different aspect of life at Fuqua, such as your first year, life in Durham, life as a partner, and various career paths. Liane and I joined in two different conversations: "life as a first year" and "entrepreneurship." The former wasn't very informative, as much of the conversation revolved around Durham logistics, which we're already pretty comfortable with. The latter was better, with the dude at that table giving us great information on which electives I should take, how I should pass out of as many core classes as possible, and the opportunities available for entrepreneurs at Fuqua.

After lunch, it was back into the big auditorium for sessions on financial aid and the Career Management Center, both of which were mildly informative. Then, it was back into the classrooms for career panels and "life outside the classroom" panels. First, we went to a General Management career panel, as neither of us really knew what General Management really was, at least in terms of the career path you take to get into a GM position. It was interesting to learn about these very structured functional rotations that various companies offer to get you trained in several disciplines in preparation for becoming a GM.

At this point in the day, both Liane and I were dragging from the lack of sleep the night before, so she headed out to Starbucks while I went to the Marketing career panel. Currently, I think I want to get into Product Management after graduation, which falls under the large marketing umbrella, so I wanted to find out what other opportunities there are that are similar. Overall, the career panels were just a "medium" on both the informational and stimulating scales.

Liane returned with Starbucks, and we contemplated ditching out on the "life outside the classroom" panels in favor of a long nap, but we decided against it, as we only had another hour or so until there was a 1.5 hour break (when we could really take a nap). We went to two different leadership-related panels, which were also just somewhat interesting. However, it does sound like there are tons of opportunities to get great leadership training and experience at Fuqua, which would certainly be useful in any future career.

Finally, it was nap time, which we took full advantage of.

The closing dinner was again nice, and this is where my opinion of Fuqua really perked up, as both Liane and I really hit it off with the people who were at our table: a couple from DC, a dude from Romania, and a dude from Philly. We ended up hanging out with the couple from DC, the dude from Romania, and the afore-mentioned couple from Hawaii for the remainder of the night at the closing party. Speaking of the closing party, it was held at the Nasher Museum of Art on the Duke campus. The venue itself was wide open, which turned into a bad thing once the music started playing and everybody had to yell to hear each other. Plus, the music itself was bouncing off all of the walls and mixing with the yells, so it was quite cacophonous. Grant Hill's private collection was on display, which was cool.

Highlights: the professors, the food, the gorgeous weather we had this weekend (although we weren't really outside to enjoy it), and definitely the fellow admits

Lowlights: the Friday night -> Saturday morning turnaround, the acoustics in the party venues

As for how BDW has affected my upcoming decision between Duke and UCLA, I have to say that it didn't really sway me one way or the other. I could definitely see myself there next year, but it wasn't like I felt like I absolutely had to go there. A-Days II, coming up in 3 weeks, will hopefully clear up my decision one way or the other.

Stanford decision

2006-03-30T20:17:00.000-05:00

Well, after all of that, no love from Stanford. No offer of admission or waitlist for Spanky.

I don't quite understand the last minute interview invite just to reject, especially after the stellar interview! Ah well, bigger and better things lie in the near future.

Now, the decision will be between Duke and UCLA, and it is going to be a tough one. I'm sure I'll try to hash out my decision on this blog, so bear with me. Your input is welcome.

Time to go celebrate the end of this portion of the process with the girlfriend!

Blue Devil Weekend starts tomorrow.

Stanford call?

2006-03-30T12:43:00.000-05:00

Only a few more hours left in this waiting game. Will Spanky get The Call from Stanford before it is too late? Can he pull off another improbable 4-point play at the end of regulation to win it?

Only time -- what little we have left -- will tell...

Carolina sweetens the deal

2006-03-27T21:00:00.000-05:00

After not receiving any scholarship money from UNC in the first review, I was a little disappointed. However, I was just notified that I have been selected in a subsequent review for a partial tuition scholarship! Since I am already down at the in-state tuition level at UNC, this scholarship is pretty hefty, covering more than 50% of tuition per year!

While this money is certainly tempting, I think I will fit in better at, and more doors will be opened by, UCLA or Duke... or Stanford (pending the arrival of a phone call on Wednesday or Thursday).

Stanford interview complete

2006-03-19T13:11:00.000-05:00

That was probably the most relaxed and conversational interview I've ever had. What a pleasure.

My interviewer and I really hit it off, and we had a great conversation about our lives, our careers, and Stanford. She, like every other GSB student/alum I've talked to, absolutely loved her experience at Stanford, which just further excites me about the prospect of doing my b-schooling there.

The conversation was supposed to be over lunch at the Chapel Hill Country Club, but I found it quite hard to eat and talk at the same time, so I didn't get to eat much. I'll have to go make myself a sandwich shortly. Also, at several points, her friends and neighbors stopped by the table to say hi and chat, which further added to the relaxed nature of the "interview."

She didn't drop the Stanford-standard "what is the last book you've read and what did you learn from it?" question bomb on me, which was a little surprising, but not unwelcome.

As we parted, my interviewer told me that she really hopes that I get in. Me too!

Berkeley trolley

2006-03-17T19:35:00.000-05:00

Ding-a-ling, Berkeley doesn't want Spanky.

It's all good, though, as I've already got 3 solid admits (Duke, UCLA, and UNC) and a potential rock-star admit from Stanford.

Stanford interview is this Sunday over lunch with a local alum... I can't wait!

Dook sweetens the deal

2006-03-17T15:19:00.000-05:00

What do you know? Duke apparently really wants me to come to Fuqua. I just received an email from the admissions office informing me of a scholarship that they've awarded me. It's not a full scholarship by any means, but it certainly would soften the blow and bring the tuition down to a more in-state-public level.

This is great news! However, to secure my scholarship award, I will have to submit my enrollment deposit by April 5 now, instead of May 1. This means that I will not have gone to UCLA Anderson's admitted students weekend by the time the Duke deposit is due... decisions, decisions.

This may all be moot if I get a call from Mr. Derrick Bolton (Director of Admissions at Stanford) on March 29 or 30!

Stanford, you sly devil!

2006-03-15T17:23:00.000-05:00

Holy crap. I just received an interview invite from Stanford!!!

I'll admit that my optimism for Stanford had been waning lately, as there are only 2 weeks until DECISION day, and you need to get an interview invite, conduct the interview, have the interviewer submit their feedback, and leave enough time for the admissions committee to factor the interview feedback into their decision.

Interview needs to be completed by 3/23.

Butterflies.

Carolina In My Mind

2006-03-13T07:18:00.000-05:00

Today is UNC decision day!

Today is my last day in Hawaii :(

Kenan-Flagler is "delighted" to offer me admission, and they "eagerly" look forward to having me join their MBA Class of 2008.

Liane and I are "disheartened" that we have to leave, and we "regretfully" look forward to returning to work tomorrow.

No Malibu shots at 7 AM, though, unfortunately (or, is it fortunately?)...

Doooooooook

2006-03-07T17:34:00.000-05:00

Well, it is just another day in paradise. Being in Hawaii certainly has its advantages (aside from the obvious ones of climate, views, sand, waves, whales, snorkeling, etc): you're 5 hours behind EST, so you don't have to wait all day long to find out your fate at the b-school deciding your fate that day!

Well, today, that b-school was Duke.

According to my sources on the BW Forums, Fuqua was possibly releasing their decisions yesterday, a day early, like they did in Round 1. I checked my email and application status last night at the Cyberbean Cafe again, but there was no news. So, this morning, when we got up at around 8am, I checked again from Liane's pokey dial-up here in the condo. Still no news, and it was 1pm EST! Duke sure was waiting until the last minute to release their decisions!

I took my cell phone with me on the way out to snorkeling just in case Duke decided to call me with some good news today. Call it wishful thinking. Well, we snorkeled for about an hour, then we checked out this isolated little beach that our guidebook told us about. Apparently, my cell phone rang while Liane's dad was parking the car, as he told me out on the beach that I had missed a call. My curiousity perked up, and I immediately got suspicious that it was a call from Duke.

When we got back to the car, I saw that the caller had left a voicemail, always a good sign, and that the number was a 919 one that I didn't recognize, another good sign. Upon checking the voicemail, a huge smile came over my face as the lady on the other end informed me that I have been accepted into the Fuqua class of 2008!!

Now back at the condo, Liane and I kept up our tradition of celebratory shots upon me getting accepted into business school. This time, however, we didn't have to pay Wolfgang Puck ten bucks, and, instead, we downed a cold shot of Malibu.

UNC decision to come next Monday...

Ding Dong! Kellogg is dead.

2006-03-04T20:05:00.000-05:00

Sitting here in the Cyberbean Internet Cafe in Maui, I knew that my chances of getting into Kellogg were grim when I saw a "Status Update" email from them sitting in my junk mail folder from yesterday. I logged into the status check site and saw that my fate in Evanston had been decided. It was a partnership not meant to be.

But I am in Hawaii, I am already into UCLA, and I still have hope for 4 other schools, so everything is good!

Duke decision to come in a few days...

Maybe I'm waiting for an email

2006-02-28T16:43:00.000-05:00

Recently posted on Kellogg's Status Check page:

Round 2 decisions will be made by March 20th for applicants who met the required deadlines for interviews and submission of materials. All decisions will be posted on this status check page. We will send an email informing you that a decision has been rendered.

Apparently, I shouldn't be holding my breath for a caller ID "Unavailable" cell phone call after all.

Deafening silence

2006-02-27T09:32:00.000-05:00

It has gotten really quiet around here. The entire month of February has almost passed by with nary a word from Stanford or Berkeley (the two remaining interview invites). I will keep my fingers crossed and my hopes up until at least mid-March, though.

Northwestern (Kellogg) has been releasing decisions on a rolling basis for a week or two now, so every time my cell phone rings, I secretly hope that the caller ID is "Unavailable" and that the caller will bring good news. No such luck. Yet.

Liane and I are off to Hawaii on Thursday morning for 12 days, which means that I will find out my fate at both Duke and UNC while I am on a beautiful tropical island. Good news will be even better, and bad news won't be so hard to take. This Hawaiian vacation also means that I won't be able to make UCLA Anderson's first (of two) admitted student weekends, A-Days I, which is March 10-13. I will instead have to wait until late April to head to A-Days II. I'm thinking that A-Days I is probably better to go to than A-Days II, since most of the R1 and R2 admits will be at the first one, but Hawaii takes priority in this case.

Horrible ending to a great weekend

2006-02-14T11:19:00.000-05:00

From last Thursday night to last night at about 8pm, Liane and I were having a great time visiting campuses, sights, and friends in the San Francisco area. That all came to an abrupt end last night when we went to return our rental car to the airport and head home.

After visiting Berkeley yesterday, we had several hours to kill before we needed to catch the red-eye from SFO, so we decided to head over to Fisherman's Wharf for dinner. We parked the rental car down by Ghirardelli Square and proceeded to have a great time sampling chocolates, walking along the water, and taking in a delicious meal. When it was about time to go, we jumped back in the car and headed for the airport with plenty of time to spare.

When we stopped for gas, Liane decided to take the opportunity to change into her more comfortable jeans. When she didn't see her clothes bag in the back of the car, she got a little panicked and asked me where her bag was. I told her that we probably just put it in the back seat instead, so she looked there. It wasn't there either. Now I started to get panicked. What happened to her bag? Did we leave it on the sidewalk back in San Francisco? We then realized that not only was her clothes bag gone, but also her backpack was missing! And my laptop bag was nowhere to be found either! Now in full oh-my-God-we-just-got-robbed mode, we were overcome with shock. Both of our laptops? Gone. Her Visa and passport? Gone. The jewelry that her mom got her in Australia? Gone. And the list goes on.

We couldn't take the car into the police, so we will have to file a report today either online or via the phone. Let's hope that homeowner's insurane comes through!

I had never been robbed before, so I had never experienced that feeling of utter helplessness and emptiness. I was sick to my stomach.

Berkeley visit

2006-02-13T17:00:00.000-05:00

First up was the "tour." I think that this is a generous term. Basically, the student ambassador walked a group of about 8 of us from the admissions office down the hall, through the library, and out across the courtyard to the faculty club for lunch. This "tour" took all of about 5 minutes and pretty much zero new information was conveyed.

Next up was the lunch at the faculty club. I guess they were trying to impress us by taking us to the faculty club vs. the regular old cafeteria. We didn't mind. Plus, grad students have access to the faculty club anyway, so we could technically eat there as Haas students. This information exchange was a bit more meaty, as I sat right next to one of the 2 student ambassadors and peppered him with questions. His summer internship and career goals were remarkably similar to what I want to be doing, so his insights were very helpful.

Then, it was time for the information session with 2 other student ambassadors. This was a fairly informative 45 minutes, so I was glad I went. I had to duck out a little early to get to the class I was scheduled to visit, though.

The class I visited was Behavioral Finance. Apparently, this class is completely unlike any other class at Haas in that it has too many students enrolled in it, so it can't fit in the regular, intimate classrooms. Instead, the class is held in the large auditorium, so there is much less student-teacher and student-student interaction. While the professor was really good at making a dry subject interesting, I don't think they should offer this class up for prospective student visits, as it is not representative of the Haas offerings. Oh well.

All in all, I was satisfied with my Berkeley visit. In terms of "rolling out the red carpet" for my visit, they fell somewhere between UCLA (no carpet) and Duke/UNC (miles of bright red carpet). My interaction with students was just all right, and only my class visit escorts struck me as particularly outgoing and friendly. My main interest in Berkeley, however, lies in its small class size (only 240), its geographic location (so close to Silicon Valley) and the companies that recruit there (top Tech/Internet ones). Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely interested in going there. However, this visit didn't do anything special for me to make it stand out from the rest of the schools I'm considering.

Kellogg application status updated

2006-02-11T21:06:00.000-05:00

My Kellogg application status has finally changed to "All the required elements of your application are complete... The application has been submitted for review to the admissions committee. The next status check update will be the admission decision (Admit, Waitlist or Deny)."

Let's root for option 1.

Speaking of Northwestern's Kellogg, one of Liane's friends who was on our hike this morning is applying there too. We had some great conversations about the whole b-school application process as we walked along one of the many trails in Rancho San Antonio Park. With any luck, we may both end up there next fall!

Stanford visit

2006-02-10T14:46:00.000-05:00

Wow. Beautiful campus, perfect weather (75 degrees today), and amazing student body. Remind me again why I didn't go here for undergrad?

I started off the morning by meeting up with a current 2nd year with whom I've been conversing over the Internet and on the phone. He took me to his Sports Business Management class, where they were discussing sports, technology, and the impact of wireless technology on the industry. Two guests were in attendance: the CEO of Sony USA and a higher-up at CBS Sports. At one point, the conversation was focused on technology's impact on sports broadcasts, and you can imagine my surprise when my current company's name came up in the conversation! I wanted to give a little shout-out, but I refrained. All in all, the class was very well taught and engaging. As this was an elective class (unlike the previous core classes I have visited at other schools), I think that there was naturally more student participation.

After the class, I chatted for a bit with another current 2nd year who is the son of one of my dad's friends, and he directed me to the room where the information session was going to be held. For the first five minutes, it was just me and the admissions officer in the info session room, but the other 3 people showed up after a while. Even if it may have no impact on my candidacy, I can't help but feel like this was a great opportunity to get some good face time with an admissions officer, especially at this crucial time! The woman conducting the info session gave an extremely thorough and well-choreographed presentation of all things Stanford GSB, from the application process, to the curriculum, to the career services, to the amazing alumni. She was also very helpful in answering all of our questions, as she was a graduate of the GSB in 1999 herself.

Then, it was time for lunch, so I met up with Liane and we headed down to the GSB cafeteria. I got a delicious "Chicken.com" sandwich with gobs of guacamole, and Liane got a huge taco salad. Since the day was so nice, we headed back upstairs and ate our lunch outside in the afternoon sun.

After lunch, we just walked around campus for a bit and took a few photos. We stopped into the bookstore, where I picked up a Stanford shirt. I was tempted to get more gear, but I will hold off on that until I actually get accepted! I don't want to get too far ahead of myself.

All in all, I came away from my Stanford visit even more excited about the prospect of enrolling there next fall, which I didn't even think was possible. There was just this amazing laid-back, yet sharp and driven, vibe that I picked up on. I can definitely see myself there next year.

UCLA wants Spanky

2006-02-09T23:30:00.000-05:00

So, I was reading the BW Forums earlier today when I saw that someone had just gotten the call from UCLA and had been admitted from Round 2. Now, the decision deadline for Round 2 isn't until March 24, so you can imagine both of our surprises. In her message, the lucky poster noted that she submitted her application on the same day I did and that she interviewed on the day after I did. Needless to say, I was a little bit jealous :) I quickly sent her a congratulatory email and wondered aloud if she was some amazing "slam dunk" candidate or something. She got back to me with a "I'm not really that special. Don't get me wrong, I'm good, but not some out-of-this-world candidate" 'ish response. I was encouraged.

Then, Liane and I left for San Francisco. When we landed in our stopover city of Cincinnati, I noticed that I had two voicemails on my cell phone. That was odd. I normally don't get TWO voicemails in a span of an hour and forty-five minutes. I got a funny feeling inside that one of the voicemails was going to contain good news of some sort. And I was right. UCLA wants me! I've been accepted to the Anderson class of 2008!

Liane promptly ordered up a round of Jager shots (the Wolfgang Puck bar was out of pretty much everything else), and we cheers'd to my first admit (of hopefully many)! Note: if you're looking for the priciest shot in America ($9.49), look no farther than the CVG Wolfgang Puck bar! It was worth it, though.

Previous campus visits

2006-02-07T15:02:00.000-05:00

UNC
Very outgoing and friendly students and staff. Class participation (at least in the class I visited) was less than I would have liked to have seen, but the professor was great -- I believe she was the head of the marketing department. Parking sucks, as all first-years are forced to carpool with 3 or 4 other students. I think they knock it down to 2 or 3 for your second year. Not cool. Clean and new-feeling buildings. It was a beautiful day (70 degrees in January).

DUKE
Despite the rain, I came away from my Duke visit with a very good feeling. Just like at UNC, the students and staff at Duke were very outgoing and friendly folks. The participation in the class I visited was much better than it was at UNC, and the professor was also solid. Parking at Duke (at least for Fuqua) isn't too bad, as you can get a solo parking pass fairly cheaply that gets you a spot in a lot within walking distance. High-tech facilities. Very social student center where it seems like everyone eats, meets, and works.

UCLA
Absolutely gorgeous weather. Absolutely horrible traffic. LA, of course, is a nightmare in terms of driving and parking. As an Anderson student, you pretty much have no chance of getting a parking pass, especially if you live within 5 miles or so of campus. The Anderson buildings were modern and situated at the Bel Air edge of the sprawling UCLA campus. The Anderson admissions office was noticeably less outgoing than those at UNC and Duke in terms of welcoming me and "rolling out the red carpet" for my visit. I sat in on a very engaging class with a great professor, though. The students seemed genuinely interested in the subject material. Anderson lacks a social student center, as I think most b-school students there just spread out across the UCLA campus for their eating, meeting, and working.

Stanford & Berkeley visits scheduled

2006-02-06T15:26:00.000-05:00

Despite not having heard from Stanford and Berkeley yet, I have decided to visit their respective campuses this weekend. This trip will serve several purposes: (1) relax on a vacation, (2) get to a warmer part of the country, (3) hopefully get me even more excited about the prospect of enrolling there next fall, (4) give me a good foundation from which to speak in my potential interviews. Oh, and I also get to meet a bunch of the wonderful people that my girlfriend is always talking about.

The itinerary is as follows:

Thursday 2/9: fly to SFO after work.
Friday 2/10: visit Stanford (sit in on a class, attend an info session, chat with current students, have lunch, walk around campus).
Saturday 2/11: check out Palo Alto and hang out with girlfriend's friends.
Sunday 2/12: check out San Francisco and possibly Berkeley. Try to squeeze in a visit with Grandma.
Monday 2/13: visit Berkeley (sit it on a class, attend an info session, chat with current students, have lunch, walk around campus). Take the red-eye back from SFO.

Stanford application status updated

2006-02-06T11:26:00.000-05:00

Uh oh. The butterflies have been stirred up into a frenzy. My Stanford application status just changed from simply "Submitted" to the more wordy "Your application is complete and currently under review." May the Stanford MBA Admissions Gods be pleased with what they see and choose to extend an interview invite to me!

Welcome

2006-02-03T15:00:00.000-05:00

I realize that I am a little late in the MBA Blog game, but I need a place to vent my thoughts and ease my anxiety. From the excessive GMAT preparation to the innumerable essay drafts, this whole MBA application process is extremely taxing on one's mental health. And just when you think you're in the clear after you hit that submit button on your online application, the real fun begins -- the nerve-wracking wait for interview invites and admissions decisions. In the words of Susan Powter, "Stop the insanity!"

To get you up to speed: I started the entire process back in August when I cracked open my GMAT study book. By October, however, I didn't feel that I had prepared enough to take the test, so I scheduled my test for the end of November to inspire me to really get serious about studying. The plan worked, and I kicked the GMAT's little butt. I then had a couple of weeks to prepare my first application (Berkeley - Haas). I would not recommend trying to do your first b-school application in only a matter of weeks! Luckily, I had another month+ to complete the other five applications, and I feel that I was able to better convey my "story" in those applications. Unfortunately for me, Berkeley is one of my favorites, so I hope the fact that they were my first doesn't hurt me too much.

I'll update this blog whenever something changes or whenever I can't take the nervous anticipation any more.