MBA 2005 ..Move on

I have been out of blogging for a while now. I promise myself to be more regular now. I have two priorities right now which should end by August (One is work related and the other is personal). I will kickstart MBA apps in August (I have my GMAT out of the way). The way I look at it, I need to get couple of things squared away:

1. Talk to manager and a colleague for recommendations. I am still in a dilemma whether I should tell my Manager about my B-school plans. One side of me says that he may support me for good (plus he is a Stanford alumni which is a good deal), a second side says that it may hurt me in case my B-school plans don't go through. The second recommender is from Columbia and a peer, so shouldn't be a problem. I have a couple of back-up recommenders. One was a prior B-school professor who now works in our company...he may be a great person to ask recommendation from (plus he seems to be really friendly guy). The second is a Stanford-Berkeley alum, who may or may not have the time for a recommendation.

2. Get my priorities squared away. I have been thinking of different career choices post MBA, and now I think I am finally developing a vision. I need to be in a school which provides me with (a) Brand value (b) access to entrepreneurship cells and like-minded people, and (c) Strong ties to Engineering and science departments. This basically means that my big 5 would be: MIT, Stanford, Kellogg, Wharton, and No.5. I am tempted to add Harvard as No.5, because one my post-MBA goals is to be VC, and Harvard is the top-name for a VC firm. The other choice for No.5 is either Tuck, Berkeley or Chicago.

3. Application priorities: Round 1: Kellogg, Stanford, Wharton
Round 2: MIT, No. 5

4. Honestly, i have been a little concerned that I may be concentrating only on the top schools. But really, I have a great job right now (maybe not as high paying but very interesting and exciting). I am a little concerned that I may be throwing away everything I have as of now to be thrown into a rat-race (once) again. It has to be, in the end, worth the sacrifice. Five years ago, I would have applied to Schools like CMU, Texas, Indiana and UCLA (great schools btw), but now, at this point, its Top 5. My back up plans still remain in case I dont make it in these schools next year : which is to get a one year MBA.. from IMD or INSEAD.


5. Fine-tune my Extra-curriculars. I am going to be organising a major seminar as part of the Professional organisation, which I am a part of. I am very excited to be a part of this.

6. People to proof-read my essays. I already have one lined up: My brother in law who has an MBA as well as an English degree. He will have to patiently read through my essays. I also need a native speaker to take a look at my essays. I am not sure at this point who that may be.