ISB submitted- YaY!!

ISB app was finally submitted on 11 sep. 3 days before deadline. There was a bit of a last minute drama when my second recommender went absconding and it took me 3 days to track him down. Also, when i sent my first essay to one of my friends, she told me that i have written it very vaguely and have not given any specific details. I had to spend the next 2 days polishing them again.

Finally decided not to send it to more people and uploaded them. I would have read each essay about 40 times in all!!!!

Some of the things I learnt as a part of the process-

1. Essays are the most difficult part of the application.Spend time on them.
2. Get your recommenders on board sooner than later. you dont want surprises there.
3. Dont rush your application. A more confident application in round 2 is better than a weak one in round 1

Next up, either INSEAD or Harvard depending on which one I want to submit in round1. And of course, the long wait for ISB results starts.

Reliance Ding!!

Reliance industries Limited have told me that I have not made the cut for the Stan scholarship. Apparently they had around 1400 applications for around 50 positions. Well!! I am definitely applying to Stan with or without the scholarship though of course it does feel disconcerting that I might not be in the top 50 applicants from the country. Anyways, have decided to let it pass. No use brooding over it now. 

Plan for this week- 

1. Freeze essays 1 &2 for ISB. 
2. Work on HBS application and fill in all the information fields. 
3. Start Stan application atleast the personal and professional information part. 
4. Speak to my second recommender and ask for the reco for ISB (toughest part!!)

ISB essays on at full swing- but why do I feel so rattled??

Ok!! These essays are like way too harder than I thought they would be. I mean I thought ISBs would be the easiest as they were to be short.(300 words). Now that seems to be my undoing. How the hell am I supposed to explain to the adcom that I deserve a place in the CO2010 in just a total of 900 words (3 essays of 300 words each)

Anyways, here are a few updates-

1. Essay 1 (give 3 reasons why ISB should take you ) is done. I am sticking to my thought plan of 1 academic, 1 professional and 1 extra curricular reason.  It has come to around 299 words. Just about there!!!
2. Have given the email ID for one of my evaluators and have told him about the mail. He is my co-worker with whom I have worked closely in many projects. Hopefully he will write good things about me.
3. Have started working on the 2nd essay- the ISB president campaign speech. Is shaping up well.

One learning from the whole exercise is that the essays are the hardest part of the application process. GMAT was a breeze compared to this. God!! I have Harvard and Insead essays to complete not to forget Stan if I get through the Reliance scholarship.