Wharton Interview R2

Hies...

back to the blogger.. though late to indite my interview juggernauts but the storm hasnt lulled yet...

anyways i had my HUB interview in delhi on 19th. Though there was a alumni in bangalore but I chose to go for HUB interview as frnds at wharton said its always good to go to a adcom for an interview rather than an alum. So i packed my bags and travelled to delhi. Interview was in the Mckinsey office and I soon realized than the interviewer is also an alum...haha first sneak into my strategy...anyways i thought let it be...

then my interview started some 15-20 min earlier...may be as I reached earlier and Jennifer( THE interviewer) finished the first interview early. So we went in, sat on a well cushioned chair and then she asked for tea or coffe... though i wanted to have tea and biscuits but thought thats not the right place and the right person to ask for that...just kidding...

so the interview formally started and I gave her my resume.( i had taken a print out on a decent 85dpm executive bond paper) . She started glaring at it ...and gave 2 positve comments one on my MS from US and other that I was ranked 1 in lawn tennis is state..

Then she asked me about my resume. I started talking on some stuff and before I cud move to my professional experience she changed the course and asked me So why MBA. I gave points and left a trigger on whioch I wanted her to ask me more... but she didnt. then she asked do you have anything the adcom shud be aware of... i said some stuff. Then came the bomb. i guess it was just 7-8 min in the interview and she said Ok Anshul that is all do you want to ask any questions... I was still thinking of questions like Why wharton and other standard questions, but this question hit me hard. I asked her a question and she said something for 2-3 min. Believe me I do not remember a word what she said as I was just thinking what i have done wrong and I was desperate to see the watch.

But i thot i wont leave unless i talk more, after all i travelled from bangalore to delhi for this. I asked her I want to talk about my professional experience. She asked a couple of related questions of this. Then I could manage to sneak at the watch and thot that I am still around 20 min in the interview. I asked her again if we have time I want to talk on my blah blah blha...she responded Ya i am also interested in knowing that ....why the hell she could not ask me that if she was also interested in knowing that ... I think it was all planned.. Than i talked about that and had a good discusion on that.. next i thought lets not push to much and finish by asking couple more question. But the lady was smarter she just stood up and said Anshul thanks for coming and then we exchanged cards.

She was decent enough to drop me till the exit and i very humbly said It was a pleasure meeting with you, though i wanted to say it was 25 min fuill of surprises meeting with you.

Then i came out and asked the guy who got interviewd before me and he also had the same story.. so i thot Jennifer had her plans and in retrospection i thot i did well.

i guess now i cant do anything that to wait for 22march. Havent heard anything from Ross but waiting and lets see what happens.

SWAANS

Packing bags

so finally packing my bags... i hope I can write a blog starting with "so finally packing my bags to go to wharton"... but today its time to pack and go for the interview...may be to get my entry ticket stamped by Wharton adcom. There have been several views where people say that interview is just another weightage criteria and is not the second level filter.. i dont know whatever it is i dont think it will affect the way one prepares for the interview. Esp some people who know they are sure shot in ( belive me i know some people who think that way and i also know they are correct in their view) . For me as I dont beog to that bandwagon that puts more 100kg weigth on me to prepare well and give my best. I recently read on s2s ( after scoretop, my new love) that if one overprepares the interviewer can easily make this out and starts asking questions which will make you feel coackroaches in your seat...what a yukkie way to put this.... Anyway i certainly dont want that.

so just watching the cricket match and enjoying the saturday afternoon. Will prepare once more on some questions and then I think i want tot read more on some stats on india, GDP, population and such things. This is because in one of my answers I want to take the interviewer in this direction. Anyways more on this after the interview.

i am still not vey sure on the question : What other schools have you applied". I am more scared about the follow up questions , if any. Lets see what I will do on that.

so best of luk to myself.

5 days to go

felling dizzy... but at the same time lot of confidence also that atleast i got the opportunity to feel dizzy.. haha. so its 5 days left to my interview@wharton. lets see how it goes,,,i am trying my best, have made aanswers to some of the standsard questions and i believ my myh wharton answer is pretty decent. I think this si one of the most important answer of the intervier along with the Why Now and Why MBA questions.

anyways the preparations are giving me deepar and deepr insights about the school and more i read more I dream of strolling in the wharton campus. I read al lthe student diearies today and realized that there are hell lot of things to be a part at wharton and ya studies are also is a part of that plenty things... every time i search for some things i get to know somethign new about wharton...

with each day passing by i am feeling closer to wharton ( atleast i can think so), when i had applied to wharton i had thouigh that my chances are pretty bleak but now i think i have fair enough chances. I think what i need to efficeintly communicate in the interview is that though i have less experience i am pretty sure of what i am doing what i want to do and what i am expecting from wharton.

one of my reviewers had very well put all this " you shud convey that there is somethign already waiting fo ryou after you MBA, its just that wharton is a ICE( worlds fastest train) as opposed to indian rail to reach there".

so lets see how the countdown zero treats me..

Quest continues

so the quest continues... of late i have been using this word quest alot and why not it is such a sweet word... i had even use this aggresive word in my essays. So for me the quest continues as I got my first MBA invite for an interview form Wharton. wow what feeling after days of cheking and checking mails finally i saw the mail and read the subject "Wharton Interview Invite". I had not even deleted my spam and thrash folder since long in apprehension that by mistake i might not have deleted the million dollar mail. I am sure the confirmation mail wil a billion dollar one.

So the preperation fever again. I am just delving deeper and deeper in Wharton's website again in quest of more and more info. Primararily to get answer of the most talked about question "Why Wharton". Till 2 days back i used to think why there is so much talk of this question. After al lis there any huge difference between harward and difference other than the way one spells it. But with every click I make I am realizing there are so many suttle differences. Moreover I think this answer is aksed more to see that you are a research freek rather than finding the literal answer to the question. And this is also my intention to find points about wharton which i feel will be unique.

I hav estarted reading Knowledge@Wharton and just liking it. I read lot of topics in the entrepreneurship column and thinking that when I will be there. I know mere thinking wont take me there, I not only have to build the track to go there but also have to develop my own engine to pull the train. I am sure if I do this much the feul and passengers will be no dearth.

lets see what happens. the I-day is on 19th of Feb in Delhi.