The deposit has been paid. New housing is being arranged. Our condo is being prepared for sale. My MBA journey is rapidly gaining a corpeal form; moving from good idea to an dramatic action that will greatly impact my family's life.
Butterflies are setting in. We have just agreed to expend the majority of our savings, go into more debt, and relocate 2500 miles to a foreign country in the gamble that this endeavor will bring us greater opportunities and a better life. This reality is spurring me to re-appreciate the quality of our current life. We make a decent living. The quality of living is high here. The city is relatively safe. The spring weather has allowed me to go onto my balconey and appreciate the tranquility of my city. Life is good.
The biggest enemy of change is the comfort of familiarity. It is that enemy I now face. As in business, when embarking on change, one must, first, charge forward and implement it. Then, and only then, can one properly evaluate the success of the decision. I made this life changing decision to round out my education, for the opportunity to be immersed around more technology companies and the chance to expand my contact network. It is my confidence that we fully considered this decision that drives me forward in defiance of the pangs of comfort.
Next weekend is UCI's Admit Weekend. I am driving down to Detroit to fly out on Thursday (If anyone is getting in Thursday night let me know). I will tell all about the experience when I return.
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Friday, April 21, 2006
Thank God They Gave the Little Girl the SUV!
I want to take a moment from the regularly scheduled program to note that finally justice has been served! Tim Hortons has awarded the disputed SUV to the 10 year old girl!
To bring the non-Canadians up to speed: Tim Hortons (affectionately known as Tim's) is a chain of coffee/donut shops that Canadians religiously attend with more frequency and devout fervor than their church. Unlike America's unhealthy obsession with pastries, in Canada coffee/donut shops are all about our unhealthy obsession with coffee (be careful America the chain and its addictive coffee are expanding into the U.S.). Tim's has an annual pagan ritual for its worshippers: "Roll Up the Rim to Win". Contrary to your first impression that it is some type of sex rite, "Roll Up the Rim to Win" is a contest where coffee drinkers can unroll the rim of their paper coffee cup and they can win anything from a free donut to an SUV.
You now have the context. Let me give you the situation. One of Tim's faithful finished his sacrament of drinking the coffee of Tim, but performed the heretical act of throwing away the coffee cup without rolling up the rim! The faithful follower was punished when a 10 year old girl (well-versed in the in the religious rites of Tim) picked the discarded cup from the garbage in order to roll up the rim. The girl had trouble rolling up the rim, so she asked her 12 year old friend to help her. The friend rolled up the rim to discover that the cup was a SUV winner!
It only goes downhill from here. In a concerted effort to demonstrate that we, Canadians, love litigation as much as Americans, the 12 year old's parents decided that they were entitled to the vehicle as it was their child who did the physical unrolling. At this point I should mention that there are unconfirmed reports that Tim's puts something in their coffee that make the Canadian population go stupid. The 12 year old's parents showed their resolve by taking the action to court. To take this religious nightmare one step further, the original Tim's faithful who consumed the product came forward, anonymously through his lawyer (for fear of being publicly stoned for not completing the rim rolling ritual), claiming that the cup and thus the SUV was rightfully his!
Tim's has finally ended the 10 year old's nightmare by officially awarding the SUV to her parents who will surely sell it or use equivalent proceeds to fortify the young girl's college fund. Now, the other parties can sue Tim's for their poor fortune. Sure, try to sue a god.
Read the ARTICLE.
To bring the non-Canadians up to speed: Tim Hortons (affectionately known as Tim's) is a chain of coffee/donut shops that Canadians religiously attend with more frequency and devout fervor than their church. Unlike America's unhealthy obsession with pastries, in Canada coffee/donut shops are all about our unhealthy obsession with coffee (be careful America the chain and its addictive coffee are expanding into the U.S.). Tim's has an annual pagan ritual for its worshippers: "Roll Up the Rim to Win". Contrary to your first impression that it is some type of sex rite, "Roll Up the Rim to Win" is a contest where coffee drinkers can unroll the rim of their paper coffee cup and they can win anything from a free donut to an SUV.
You now have the context. Let me give you the situation. One of Tim's faithful finished his sacrament of drinking the coffee of Tim, but performed the heretical act of throwing away the coffee cup without rolling up the rim! The faithful follower was punished when a 10 year old girl (well-versed in the in the religious rites of Tim) picked the discarded cup from the garbage in order to roll up the rim. The girl had trouble rolling up the rim, so she asked her 12 year old friend to help her. The friend rolled up the rim to discover that the cup was a SUV winner!
It only goes downhill from here. In a concerted effort to demonstrate that we, Canadians, love litigation as much as Americans, the 12 year old's parents decided that they were entitled to the vehicle as it was their child who did the physical unrolling. At this point I should mention that there are unconfirmed reports that Tim's puts something in their coffee that make the Canadian population go stupid. The 12 year old's parents showed their resolve by taking the action to court. To take this religious nightmare one step further, the original Tim's faithful who consumed the product came forward, anonymously through his lawyer (for fear of being publicly stoned for not completing the rim rolling ritual), claiming that the cup and thus the SUV was rightfully his!
Tim's has finally ended the 10 year old's nightmare by officially awarding the SUV to her parents who will surely sell it or use equivalent proceeds to fortify the young girl's college fund. Now, the other parties can sue Tim's for their poor fortune. Sure, try to sue a god.
Read the ARTICLE.
Friday, April 14, 2006
California, Here I Come!
Well, it is official. I am going to UC Irvine's Paul Merage School of Business to complete my MBA. Located in the heart of the O.C., I am eager to see how my life of wearing no-name clothes and driving economical vehicles will mesh in the world where you are only as good as the label on your clothes. Of course I joke, but this will be a definite culture shift and I hope I can find my place there.
As I mentioned earlier, I feel that UCI has a plan to become a top 20 (or top 15) business school. They have a way to go, but I love the big picture and in my brief interactions with Merage I can see the plan moving ahead:
1. Bring in new dean to develop and execute plan;
2. Focus on a niche to specialize in that will be in demand (such as Information Technology);
3. Secure a large endowment in return for naming rights;
4. Use that endowment to upgrade facilities and attract top faculty and students;
5. Aggressively create ties with the corporate community;
6. Put in place an aggressive, applicant responsive recruitment team;
and there are others I am sure. I love the plan and I love the way they are executing it. I think it goes back to my childhood and watching the A-Team. I can hear Hannibal saying, "I love it when a plan comes together." The sentiment has shaped me.
As I mentioned elsewhere, within a week after interviewing me, UCI had accepted me and offered me one of their premier scholarships (this is their normal turnaround speed). I am not sure about other schools, but the way this scholarship is constructed impressed me. The offer included (copied from their email):
"As a Merage Fellow, you will be provided with the following support:
1) A $45,000 scholarship ($22,500 in each of your two years),
2) Top priority for a research or teaching assistantship in the second year;
3) An executive mentor from a leading company in the Orange County community;
4) The opportunity to meet monthly with the Dean and other Merage Fellowship recipients to discuss the strategy for the Merage School and to review your own career objectives; and
5)Guaranteed housing in an on-campus apartment"
The dollars are equal to resident tuition each year. Regular meetings with the Dean is a nice touch and shows that he wants to be in tune with the feelings of the student body (when I visited UCI, I confirmed that these meetings were occurring and had resulted in changes at Merage). The guaranteed housing is also a nice perk because at UCI the on-campus family apartments are up to 33% less expensive than similar apartments off-campus (saving my family up to $500 per month).
This is an exciting, yet scary time, for me and Lindsey. This is a good time in our lives for a change. The scholarship and 2nd year T.A. position means that I will come out my MBA with an acceptable amount of debt (none if Lindsey works or if I can generate some side revenue). Lindsey got her wish to live near the beach in a sun-filled region. Yet, California and the O.C. is a strange land to us. They have an actor as governor, seem completely focused on illegal immigration, don't have universal health care, and like high-end shopping (maybe we won't come out of this debt-free). No matter how worrying it seems, we are committed to crafting a new chapter in our life together and this will make for an eventful story.
The remainder of this blog will be dedicated to our experiences in moving to Irvine, California, living in Irvine, and going to business school. I hope everyone found this information informative. If you have questions leave a comment and I will respond.
In the meantime, I would love to hear from other Merage students and recruits. Leave comments.
Cheers.
As I mentioned earlier, I feel that UCI has a plan to become a top 20 (or top 15) business school. They have a way to go, but I love the big picture and in my brief interactions with Merage I can see the plan moving ahead:
1. Bring in new dean to develop and execute plan;
2. Focus on a niche to specialize in that will be in demand (such as Information Technology);
3. Secure a large endowment in return for naming rights;
4. Use that endowment to upgrade facilities and attract top faculty and students;
5. Aggressively create ties with the corporate community;
6. Put in place an aggressive, applicant responsive recruitment team;
and there are others I am sure. I love the plan and I love the way they are executing it. I think it goes back to my childhood and watching the A-Team. I can hear Hannibal saying, "I love it when a plan comes together." The sentiment has shaped me.
As I mentioned elsewhere, within a week after interviewing me, UCI had accepted me and offered me one of their premier scholarships (this is their normal turnaround speed). I am not sure about other schools, but the way this scholarship is constructed impressed me. The offer included (copied from their email):
"As a Merage Fellow, you will be provided with the following support:
1) A $45,000 scholarship ($22,500 in each of your two years),
2) Top priority for a research or teaching assistantship in the second year;
3) An executive mentor from a leading company in the Orange County community;
4) The opportunity to meet monthly with the Dean and other Merage Fellowship recipients to discuss the strategy for the Merage School and to review your own career objectives; and
5)Guaranteed housing in an on-campus apartment"
The dollars are equal to resident tuition each year. Regular meetings with the Dean is a nice touch and shows that he wants to be in tune with the feelings of the student body (when I visited UCI, I confirmed that these meetings were occurring and had resulted in changes at Merage). The guaranteed housing is also a nice perk because at UCI the on-campus family apartments are up to 33% less expensive than similar apartments off-campus (saving my family up to $500 per month).
This is an exciting, yet scary time, for me and Lindsey. This is a good time in our lives for a change. The scholarship and 2nd year T.A. position means that I will come out my MBA with an acceptable amount of debt (none if Lindsey works or if I can generate some side revenue). Lindsey got her wish to live near the beach in a sun-filled region. Yet, California and the O.C. is a strange land to us. They have an actor as governor, seem completely focused on illegal immigration, don't have universal health care, and like high-end shopping (maybe we won't come out of this debt-free). No matter how worrying it seems, we are committed to crafting a new chapter in our life together and this will make for an eventful story.
The remainder of this blog will be dedicated to our experiences in moving to Irvine, California, living in Irvine, and going to business school. I hope everyone found this information informative. If you have questions leave a comment and I will respond.
In the meantime, I would love to hear from other Merage students and recruits. Leave comments.
Cheers.
The Also-Rans Strike Back
Well, it is time for me to eat humble pie. All this time when I was (gently) critiquing UW and UC Davis, they were able to have the last laugh by dinging me. You can all laugh now.
I am slightly confused by this result. When I look at my credentials (GMAT: 730, Tough Undergrad 3.3+ [with all maths 3.7+], completed law school, started own law practice that worked with tech companies, 5 years of work experience, particpated on board of directions for a non-profit) I fit well within their class profiles. The fact that my decision to pursue business school this year was a bit last minute likely had an effect on my reference letters, but I can't believe they were that bad. It likely came down to the interview.
That makes me even more confused when at UC Davis I asked my thermometer question, "What challenges do you foresee me having at UC Davis" (I use this to gauge the interviewers perception of my candidacy), the interviewer responded "Nothing, from what I can see you have everything to excel here!" (this is paraphrased from memory). When I hear that kind of response I am feeling good about where I stand. The UW interviewer responded that she felt the only challenge I may have is learning to work with a team given most of my experience as a lawyer is to take the lead in a problem.
So, I felt pretty good at the time. So, what happened? I am wondering if my early acceptance to UC Irvine and the accompanying scholarship offer made me, subconsciously, a bit presumptuous that I would be accepted at UC Davis and UW and this attitude came out in the interview. It wouldn't be the first time that my head has gotten a little to big for my britches.
Second, I believe I really messed up in asking about the possibility of early acceptance responses. The interviewers inevitably began digging into why and asked further questions to elicit the extent of my scholarship offer. One of my weaknesses is sometimes being too honest. Now, I wish I would have kept quiet about the scholarship at both interviews.
Oh well, live and learn. It is not a huge deal, because if you hadn't noticed I was already well on the path to choosing UCI. Nonetheless, I would have been nice to at least have the option of selection UW and living in Seattle.
The experience is done and I thought I would give some lessons that I learned during this process.
APPLICATION LESSONS:
1. Really evaluate why MBA is good for you right now. Decide what you want to get from an MBA and use that criteria to select schools where to apply.
2. Proof read your essays three times, then give them to at least to other people to proof read. It is amazing what errors you will miss.
3. If you can, ask the admissions department questions (by phone if possible). It will show interest and help build a relationship.
4. Give your references ample to time to craft a letter. Give them detailed examples of your experiences, have someone proof read the letters. I only gave my references about 1.5 months and this was not enough.
5. Try not to overanalyze! You will go insane.
I am slightly confused by this result. When I look at my credentials (GMAT: 730, Tough Undergrad 3.3+ [with all maths 3.7+], completed law school, started own law practice that worked with tech companies, 5 years of work experience, particpated on board of directions for a non-profit) I fit well within their class profiles. The fact that my decision to pursue business school this year was a bit last minute likely had an effect on my reference letters, but I can't believe they were that bad. It likely came down to the interview.
That makes me even more confused when at UC Davis I asked my thermometer question, "What challenges do you foresee me having at UC Davis" (I use this to gauge the interviewers perception of my candidacy), the interviewer responded "Nothing, from what I can see you have everything to excel here!" (this is paraphrased from memory). When I hear that kind of response I am feeling good about where I stand. The UW interviewer responded that she felt the only challenge I may have is learning to work with a team given most of my experience as a lawyer is to take the lead in a problem.
So, I felt pretty good at the time. So, what happened? I am wondering if my early acceptance to UC Irvine and the accompanying scholarship offer made me, subconsciously, a bit presumptuous that I would be accepted at UC Davis and UW and this attitude came out in the interview. It wouldn't be the first time that my head has gotten a little to big for my britches.
Second, I believe I really messed up in asking about the possibility of early acceptance responses. The interviewers inevitably began digging into why and asked further questions to elicit the extent of my scholarship offer. One of my weaknesses is sometimes being too honest. Now, I wish I would have kept quiet about the scholarship at both interviews.
Oh well, live and learn. It is not a huge deal, because if you hadn't noticed I was already well on the path to choosing UCI. Nonetheless, I would have been nice to at least have the option of selection UW and living in Seattle.
The experience is done and I thought I would give some lessons that I learned during this process.
APPLICATION LESSONS:
1. Really evaluate why MBA is good for you right now. Decide what you want to get from an MBA and use that criteria to select schools where to apply.
2. Proof read your essays three times, then give them to at least to other people to proof read. It is amazing what errors you will miss.
3. If you can, ask the admissions department questions (by phone if possible). It will show interest and help build a relationship.
4. Give your references ample to time to craft a letter. Give them detailed examples of your experiences, have someone proof read the letters. I only gave my references about 1.5 months and this was not enough.
5. Try not to overanalyze! You will go insane.
Monday, April 03, 2006
Memo to Admission Staff: Small School is not a Differentiator!
As my MBA program search winds down, I want to bring to the attention of MBA admission staffs everywhere that a small school is not what makes a program special! On my trip it came up more than once and I am sure many other schools spin it (Hell, Stanford with 350+ students calls itself a small school!). It is a practice that needs to stop.
When an applicant asks "what sets your program apart?" the small school response doesn't cut it. I recognize that a small school may allow the whole admin staff and student body to know you by your first name. That's a warm, fuzzy feeling in the cockle of my heart, but doesn't tell me why your students, or your faculty, or your program shines against all competitors.
Frankly, it can be argued that a small school means that it can hire less faculty, offer a lesser variety of high quality courses. It has less resources to build and maintain cutting edge facilities.
When my software company sells software, we do not use as our flagship reason to use us is that we are smaller and more attentive than our competitors because it will not sell. Now, I am not saying we don't use the line, but it is number four on our list.
Therefore, MBA Admissions offices everywhere I suggest you take my advice when I say there are better reasons why your program is unique than size. Spend some time and create a marketing strategy and sell us!
I'd love to hear other applicants thoughts on this point.
Cheers.
When an applicant asks "what sets your program apart?" the small school response doesn't cut it. I recognize that a small school may allow the whole admin staff and student body to know you by your first name. That's a warm, fuzzy feeling in the cockle of my heart, but doesn't tell me why your students, or your faculty, or your program shines against all competitors.
Frankly, it can be argued that a small school means that it can hire less faculty, offer a lesser variety of high quality courses. It has less resources to build and maintain cutting edge facilities.
When my software company sells software, we do not use as our flagship reason to use us is that we are smaller and more attentive than our competitors because it will not sell. Now, I am not saying we don't use the line, but it is number four on our list.
Therefore, MBA Admissions offices everywhere I suggest you take my advice when I say there are better reasons why your program is unique than size. Spend some time and create a marketing strategy and sell us!
I'd love to hear other applicants thoughts on this point.
Cheers.
A Note About UC Davis
My recent posts have primarily discussed UC Irvine and UW (with a brief commentary on Stanford). ldalrymp commented that I may have overlooked UC Davis. I thought I may address Davis.
UC Davis is a program that is better than its reputation (which isn't bad). I think they just need to do a better PR job. They should really sell the assets of their school. There is a tonne of research coming out of this school, they do a good job integrating MBAs with other disciples, and they have a strong program in entrepreneurship and technology. Davis is a great community. If quiet, small university town life is what you crave, Davis has it.
While close to Silicon Valley, it feels a bit removed from the hustle and bustle. I understand that the Careers office does a great job linking to this community, but a student is more of an outsider trying to break in, as opposed to contributing member of a hot technology community. That is my drawback. I want to be located in the heart of an booming technology area.
That being said, Silicon Valley is expanding out towards Sacramento for many reasons. By the time of my graduation, it could be a booming tech area??? But, I am not sure.
Second point, is that it is about two hours from the ocean. Coming from a central province and being the sentimental guy I am, the ocean is a draw. Nonetheless, I could very easily go to UC Davis and be very happy.
Hope that was a good plug ldalrymp.
UC Davis is a program that is better than its reputation (which isn't bad). I think they just need to do a better PR job. They should really sell the assets of their school. There is a tonne of research coming out of this school, they do a good job integrating MBAs with other disciples, and they have a strong program in entrepreneurship and technology. Davis is a great community. If quiet, small university town life is what you crave, Davis has it.
While close to Silicon Valley, it feels a bit removed from the hustle and bustle. I understand that the Careers office does a great job linking to this community, but a student is more of an outsider trying to break in, as opposed to contributing member of a hot technology community. That is my drawback. I want to be located in the heart of an booming technology area.
That being said, Silicon Valley is expanding out towards Sacramento for many reasons. By the time of my graduation, it could be a booming tech area??? But, I am not sure.
Second point, is that it is about two hours from the ocean. Coming from a central province and being the sentimental guy I am, the ocean is a draw. Nonetheless, I could very easily go to UC Davis and be very happy.
Hope that was a good plug ldalrymp.
Saturday, April 01, 2006
A Quick Thought About Stanford
I realized in my midst of my two massive posts today, I glossed over my ding from Stanford. I would like a few more thoughts.
One, I am disappointed that I am not going to Stanford (I am not going to pretend otherwise). Stanford is the heart of ecomm. It spawned the likes of Google and other amazing internet businesses. To be in that creative vortex would be very exciting. Also, the student are highly intelligent. That being said, they get 4000 applicants and accept less that 400 per year.
Those numbers dictate that processes and procedures that will not get to know at least 50% of the applicants. They are really trying to fill class profile slots. My guess is that they have extensive experience and data about what makes their ideal class make-up. If an applicant doesn't fit in that slot - they don't have time to learn more. If an applicant fits a slot but the initial ranking has them 7 best when they only interview top 5, then their reject isn't really an indication of a poor candidate, but of a candidate that they cannot make the time for.
So, in summation, it would have been an honour to be accepted to such a program, but I do not take as a reflection that I am lesser than the other candidates. I just did not fit the profile of a tough process.
One, I am disappointed that I am not going to Stanford (I am not going to pretend otherwise). Stanford is the heart of ecomm. It spawned the likes of Google and other amazing internet businesses. To be in that creative vortex would be very exciting. Also, the student are highly intelligent. That being said, they get 4000 applicants and accept less that 400 per year.
Those numbers dictate that processes and procedures that will not get to know at least 50% of the applicants. They are really trying to fill class profile slots. My guess is that they have extensive experience and data about what makes their ideal class make-up. If an applicant doesn't fit in that slot - they don't have time to learn more. If an applicant fits a slot but the initial ranking has them 7 best when they only interview top 5, then their reject isn't really an indication of a poor candidate, but of a candidate that they cannot make the time for.
So, in summation, it would have been an honour to be accepted to such a program, but I do not take as a reflection that I am lesser than the other candidates. I just did not fit the profile of a tough process.
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