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2015 PhD Business Administration Admissions/Waiting/Sweating thread


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Program Applying to: Management/Strategy

Age: 29

GRE Scores: 322 ( 164 Q/ 158 V -4.0 AWA)

Undegrad degree / GPA: International (can't convert into 4.0 GPA )

Grad degree / GPA: MBA (Top East Asian School) / 3.73

Work Experience: IT Consulting, Social Enterprise, Co-founded a Non Profit Initiative , Presently in Sales at a Conglomerate

Teaching Experience: Nada

Research Experience: 2 papers in peer reviewed journals ( C- level journals)

LOR: 1 Dean of Business School (My Masters thesis advisor), 2 Profs who advised me on papers (All US top PhD Alums)

Research Interests: Social Networks, Innovation and Social Enterprise

Schools Considering to Apply to: 9 ( 2 in Top 10, 2 in Top 30, 5 in Top 100- As per Mays Ranking)

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This is the final push huh? Applications begin being due Monday. Good luck to all of the applicants this year!

 

I remember last year at this time I was sitting in Germany anxiously checking websites every chance I got. I discourage this activity for all current applicants. It provided no further insight and simply caused undue stress. Fun fact, I'm pretty sure my application is still "under review" at my current program.

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This is the final push huh? Applications begin being due Monday. Good luck to all of the applicants this year!

 

I remember last year at this time I was sitting in Germany anxiously checking websites every chance I got. I discourage this activity for all current applicants. It provided no further insight and simply caused undue stress. Fun fact, I'm pretty sure my application is still "under review" at my current program.

 

From what I recall there are a few due in early December, but the most of them are cluster around mid December and early January. Oddly enough I had a sense of relief once I knew it was out of my hands for awhile.

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This is the final push huh? Applications begin being due Monday. Good luck to all of the applicants this year!

 

I remember last year at this time I was sitting in Germany anxiously checking websites every chance I got. I discourage this activity for all current applicants. It provided no further insight and simply caused undue stress. Fun fact, I'm pretty sure my application is still "under review" at my current program.

 

Everyone who has been through the process discourage the constant checking of all of your applications... However it is advice that is rarely understood until after the fact. Regardless if you either never check the websites or you constantly check multiple times an hour... once applications are off your plate, it is best to try to enjoy some down time before results come in. Seriously find some extra time to get away on the weekends, go visit a neighboring city, or travel a bit further, and understand that in the world you are about to enter, there is very little moments where you are devoid of most of the responsibilities surrounding work!

 

Best of luck!

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Man for me, last year was as last second as you can get.

 

Middle of November - decided to look into changing careers while working as an expat in Asia

End of November - took GMAT (my previous score was over 5 years old)

Beginning of Dec. - Flew to California to meet with MBA Professors for my recs

Middle of Dec-End of Jan - Wrote 18 apps

 

LOL

 

Somehow I made it. I'm so happy I made this move. All those times you read somewhere to do what makes you happy and the rest will come later, I actually did it.

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Flew to California to meet with MBA Professors for my recs

 

Oh man, I wish I would have flown back to the East Coast to meet with some of my MBA professors in person. The thought didn't even occur to me. I guess I didn't understand the importance of LORs until much later in the process and I didn't want to take vacation time for that. I started studying for the GMAT way back in November 2013, so I had plenty of time... hindsight is 20/20.

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Oh man, I wish I would have flown back to the East Coast to meet with some of my MBA professors in person. The thought didn't even occur to me. I guess I didn't understand the importance of LORs until much later in the process and I didn't want to take vacation time for that. I started studying for the GMAT way back in November 2013, so I had plenty of time... hindsight is 20/20.

 

I never really talked to my professors except to ask really tough questions in class. Haha

 

It surprised me at how nice they were. I guess very few mba alums ask for recommendations too so it made them more than happy to do it?

 

I think i flew in and back to asia in like 3 days and used mileage. Thankfully the work culture in Korea is to work super hard, employment guaranteed, and vacations are highly highly encouraged. In the states I doubt i would have ever thought of this phd option for some reason. Dunno why. Maybe bc of more worrying from employment stability stress and the lower emphasis on education?

 

Oh yeah also if i didnt do well on gmat i wouldnt have flown to meet professors. I would have been embarrased at a last second request. Everything was so last minute and required every domino to fall to happen.

 

This site was very very helpful.

Edited by tradingplaces
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Not sure if I agree with the "vacations are highly highly encouraged" Bit.

 

Compared to the US finance industry?

 

Very much so. The CEO of my company used to send us company wide emails to take your vacations so you can be refreshed and work for a better next year.

 

In the states one time I was let go from a boutique investment bank because I had jury duty and missed a few days. Sure its not legal but i found in general workers have less rights here compared to 정규직 workers in Korea. Its more machine like in the US... Less human consideration

 

But on the other hand the financial markets in the US are much more sophisticated and higher paying... Tradeoff for more instability i suppose

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Agree with the finance industry bit.

 

I am in a more traditional industry (read heavy industry) , where 군대 culture is highly prevalent.

And people generally feel proud that they have not taken their 하기 휴가 and all.

 

 

Yeah... u get way better 회식s nowadays haha... Its been a red ocean in finance for a few years. I forgot this is a phd business thread. >.

 

Good luck w strategy/ intl managment! Let me know if you need any questions answered~~

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Yeah... u get way better 회식s nowadays haha... Its been a red ocean in finance for a few years. I forgot this is a phd business thread. >.

 

Good luck w strategy/ intl managment! Let me know if you need any questions answered~~

 

 

LOL..never thought I would meet a fellow expat and talk about Hwesiks here.

Will definitely ping you if I have some doubts ~~

 

Thanks !

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  • 2 weeks later...
All those who are waiting avidly on results of admissions...

 

 

Have a Merry Christmas, and enjoy time with your friends and family, or what I call Framily! (friends like family, family like friends) :victorious:

 

Hope we get some good action going on in a month or two...:)

 

Wishing everyone a very Happy 2015.

Hoping for peace, prosperity and an institution with an excellent overall fit for everyone :)

 

Thanks guys! I really appreciated the bit about "an institution with an excellent overall fit for everyone." That's all I really wanted for Christmas anyway.

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Program: Marketing (CB, some quant)

Age: 21

GRE: 170 Q 170 V 4.0 AWA (1 attempt)

 

Undergrad: Basically a double degree in math and psychology. T10 Canadian Uni. BAD GPA years 1 and 2 (~3.0), GREAT GPA years 3 and 4 (~3.9). No excuse except for poor work habits.

Grad: None, just 1 course in behavioral econ.

Work experience (as unimportant as it is): N/A, unless paid research assistant counts.

Teaching experience: N/A, unless tutoring counts

Research experience: ~2 years as a volunteer assistant (running studies). Currently writing up a paper (second author) with a grad student and prof. Also completing honours thesis

Letter of recommendation: 2 extremely positive (both psych, 1 is thesis advisor, other is PI of paper), 1 positive but less personal (management sciences from a class). No Marketing dept. at my uni. Only PI of paper is likely to be known by adcoms.

 

Research interests: Consumer choice, especially in terms of repeated choice, customization, choice under constraints, choice overload, etc...

Schools in consideration: 6 T10, 6 T30, 2 T50. Would have applied to more lower down, but no research fit.

 

Other Notes: I have a significant technical skills (e.g. stats, programming) and general quant skills. Also was a multi-sport varsity athlete each year (incl. captain on one). I feel like I'm going to have to rely heavily on "potential" to get me in somewhere-I think I need more tangible stuff to get into any of the top schools. I'd be happy to get into any of the "lower-ranked" schools though, and some are actually a better fit. Also not happy with SOP because I feel like I don't have compelling reasons for why my interests are what they are. Also hoping I'm not too young.

 

TL;DR "Potential". Sweating more and more each day.

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Program: Marketing (CB, some quant)

Age: 21

GRE: 170 Q 170 V 4.0 AWA (1 attempt)

 

Undergrad: Basically a double degree in math and psychology. T10 Canadian Uni. BAD GPA years 1 and 2 (~3.0), GREAT GPA years 3 and 4 (~3.9). No excuse except for poor work habits.

Grad: None, just 1 course in behavioral econ.

Work experience (as unimportant as it is): N/A, unless paid research assistant counts.

Teaching experience: N/A, unless tutoring counts

Research experience: ~2 years as a volunteer assistant (running studies). Currently writing up a paper (second author) with a grad student and prof. Also completing honours thesis

Letter of recommendation: 2 extremely positive (both psych, 1 is thesis advisor, other is PI of paper), 1 positive but less personal (management sciences from a class). No Marketing dept. at my uni. Only PI of paper is likely to be known by adcoms.

 

Research interests: Consumer choice, especially in terms of repeated choice, customization, choice under constraints, choice overload, etc...

Schools in consideration: 6 T10, 6 T30, 2 T50. Would have applied to more lower down, but no research fit.

 

Other Notes: I have a significant technical skills (e.g. stats, programming) and general quant skills. Also was a multi-sport varsity athlete each year (incl. captain on one). I feel like I'm going to have to rely heavily on "potential" to get me in somewhere-I think I need more tangible stuff to get into any of the top schools. I'd be happy to get into any of the "lower-ranked" schools though, and some are actually a better fit. Also not happy with SOP because I feel like I don't have compelling reasons for why my interests are what they are. Also hoping I'm not too young.

 

TL;DR "Potential". Sweating more and more each day.

 

 

Wow that's some nice stats- haha I was really shooting for a 170-170 on a GRE too-

Best of luck, as your research interests seem to quite coincide with mine :)

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Things must have started moving. Received an email to interview with a Top 20 uni later this week. This is for a PhD in Finance by the way.

 

I'm excited since it's my first interview, but very nervous too. I was not expecting to receive any replies from universities so soon in the new year. Hope others have replies too.

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