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ThePhDAspirant

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ThePhDAspirant last won the day on March 29 2017

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About ThePhDAspirant

  • Birthday 10/14/1982

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  1. Since BCB and Brazilian gave you some solid advice in terms of research interest-school-professor fit, GMAT score range, using your work and teaching experience to your advantage etc., I will focus on the second aspect of your question - advice on pursuing a PhD. I come with a very similar background as yours and have just been through the 1st semester of my PhD program. The first and most important adjustment you have to be prepared to face is on the monetary front. 15 years in the industry means that you might have a six figure salary and depending on the exact number, you have be prepared to live in 1/4th - 1/6th of your current salary. Choice of program based on interest-school-professor fit and the program's choice of you as a student means you have to be prepared to relocate. If it is a big city you move to, then managing in the stipend is something you have to be ready for and if you have a working spouse and school going children, your problems just get complicated (till your spouse can start supporting you again). Having been an 'Indian in the technology industry', I can make a fair guess of your lifestyle, and unfortunately have to say that even on this front you need to be ready to compromise. Since you completed your MBA recently, you might have lived such a life in the recent past, but remember that typical PhD duration (in strategy) is about six years. The journey does not end there (without financial constraints though). The academia is struggling with long publication timelines and high rejection rates in top journals. Tenure requirements mean that the grind continues for another 6-7 years after one graduates. I do not mean to discourage you at all but want you to know the things you have to be ready to put up with if you decide to be serious about pursuing a PhD. I was very sure I wanted to get one even though I knew it called for substantial adjustments. Second, this forum is very generous with solid advice, but on top of that I would suggest you look at your network, find connections who have been through this journey and speak to them just to get feelers. This exercise will force you to be somewhat clear about the field and topics you are interested in. This will lead you to some known names and their works in that field. Try to map these works to your work experience and you will see if there is an interesting phenomena you can have discussions about with those connections. When you decide that you are going to take the plunge, this will help in your SOP to a good extent. Third, and winding back into the advice you already received, apply widely if you are serious about making this switch. Go through previous threads and you will see year after year veterans have emphasized that the application process is a black box. So applying widely is the only wise strategy.
  2. Go ahead and apply to your shortlisted schools. Indians in management Ph.D programs in the US or elsewhere will largely have either an Engineering or Economics background. You have a decent GPA from an IIM. If you write your LOR well and get good reco's, you will get a serious look. By the way there is a reason why most prof's have a Psych or Soc background. You will figure out why so, once you start your coursework. For now, dont let that bother you.
  3. On a side note though, and this is not tested or proven, one can start the application on the school's portal and leave it unfinished. If you are contacted by a human from the school's admissions dept, then you can be somewhat sure that they want to give you a serious look.
  4. Guess you have the email(s) coming from schools in the US. If yes, then there is a reason for an increase in mass mailers this year. Though it is still early, schools that have deadlines in December might be seeing lower number of applications due to uncertainties on many many fronts. Of course this may not apply to T20 or even T30 schools. Does this mean an increased chance? My guess is - not really. Like tm_associate says, some standards have to be met for the school to give your application a serious look.
  5. You have rightly identified the weakness in your profile. Will you be able to get good LoR's? They might get you a more serious look despite the weakness in Grad GPA. Also you have to spell out your "purpose" in the SOP very effectively. Also if you are serious about applying - you should be clear about one out of Marketing vs Strategy PhD that you want to pursue. Finally, regarding your list of dream schools - applications are very competitive and highly correlated to your research interest and the department's research areas. Just as an example - you might get rejected by a lower ranked school while getting accepted at a top ranked school - purely looking at ranking based approach. Have you thought about research topics yet? You can PM me if need be.
  6. Thanks for your valuable suggestions StrategicMGMT and zshfryoh1. Students in my dept. have come together to reach out to the department head. Hope to hear some positive news soon.
  7. Thanks for the suggestion. I will look into the options under Medicaid. So far even the students who have kids are kind of clueless because this hike was just made public to us this week. By the way, congratulations Dr. YaS!
  8. Has anyone who starts this Fall or those who are yet to graduate heard of the massive increase in student health insurance rates (mostly applicable to those with 1 or more dependents) this year? I am seeing hikes starting from a minimum $100 for 1 dependent. In my case, I planned a cash flow based on the stipend amount in my offer. Now this sudden hike means I have to cut down somewhere else in an already tight budget. Moreover the university administration has declined to negotiate with the insurance provider. If anyone is facing a similar issue, how are you trying to remedy the situation?
  9. Thank you BrazilianPhD. I guess most of the paperwork is exchanged through emails in digital form for international students. I am not sure if local (meaning US) candidates experience any difference. Do you know if at any stage physical copies are exchanged?
  10. Wanted to hear from veterans as well as 2018 intake folks what the typical post acceptance process is and its timeline. Mainly, after receiving the offer of admission and confirming intent to enroll, by when does rest of the process of receiving detailed offer package with insurance, reporting date etc transpire?
  11. My stars seem to be aligned well today. Notification Type: Acceptance Institution Name: Fox School of Business Concentration: Business Administration (Strategic Management) Date of Notification: 23 March Type of Notification: Email
  12. Finally, an update with good news - thanks to replacement candidates (waitlist) - I moved from admitted with fees to admission with Fellowship.
  13. Notification Type: Acceptance Institution Name: Bocconi University Concentration: Management (Strategy) Date of Notification: Feb 26 Type of Notification: Email Comments: Admitted with fees.
  14. I was notified of being selected for interview by a faculty at one of the universities I applied to and was given time slots to choose from including 2 over the weekend. Though I replied within an hour of receiving that email with my preference and also reminded the faculty I haven't heard back at all as I wait through my preferred time slot!! Has anyone else faced this situation and how do I handle this?
  15. Notification Type: Interview Institution Name: Bocconi University Concentration: Business Administration and Management (Strategy) Date of Notification: Feb 16 Type of Notification: Email. Remarks: Given time slots to select from.
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