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Rejected, but not down

August 4, 2011 By 2 Comments

Rejection, by Mouse

I didn’t get the Tippie Tweet scholarship.  I got the rejection in an e-mail lastnight.  My reaction was better than Iwould have thought.  I just looked at it and thought, “Huh.  Well, that decision is made.”

If I had gotten the scholarship I would have had two weeksto get my act together and get to Iowa.  That would have meant immediate notice for my bosses, somehow tracking down a place to live, packing up my stuff (leaving behind a whole lot), finding a way to pay for living expenses, and leaving my husband and dogs for an undetermined period of time.
During the four days I waited to find out, I said I wasn’t going to worry about all that, but I fretted anyway.  I surreptitiously checked on houses and apartments, thought about what cookware I’d bring with me (“Thank heaven I have two blocks of good knives,” I thought to myself—like Alex ever uses a filleting knife.), and wondered how in the heck I’d get my stuff there and into a living space without any help.  Alex and I even had a small tiff over what would happen to his eating habits if I left.  (He said he lived without me before and would be fine.  I know he ate nothing but junk and whatever he could heat up or deep fry.)

So, I guess you could say the rejection resulted more in relief than disappointment.  Don’t get me wrong—I’m disappointed.  I would love to
have had a whole year of school paid for, and the program ranks pretty well, so I would have had a good name behind the MBA.  But Iowa City
was never my first choice, and I never liked the thought that Alex might not be able to join me there.  If the contest had been for fall 2012 and I had time to plan, I think I would have been much sadder about the results.

But, I made it through one application process, so I can make it through more.  I got an interview, so I know I was a contender and that makes me feel pretty good.

The next step is writing all those application essays for October.  It’ll be good to do them in a month instead of a week.  Oh, yeah, and I
get to pay attention to my personal stuff again.  Things are looking up!

 

P.S. – After writing this I read the little article Tippie posted on the winner.  I now feel totally inadequate and not the contender I thought I was.

Note to self: Don’t do that again.

 

 

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Tippie Tweet: B-school Entry Blog Post

July 25, 2011 By 14 Comments

 

University of Iowa, by Anthonylibrarian

If you read my last post you know that I’m applying for a business school that has presented a rather unusual possibility.  Instead of writing one of the two essays required for admission, you can tweet it.  The tweet has to answer the question, “What makes you an exceptional Tippie Full-time MBA candidate and future MBA hire?” (Tippie is the business school at the University of Iowa—it’s well-respected and has a good program.  It is by no means a joke school.)  At first, I thought it was kind of silly, but the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea.  After all, distilling a 450-word essay down to a 140-character tweet is quite a challenge.  You have to cut through a lot of the usual, flowery back-patting and get to brass tacks.  Plus, the rules state that you can be creative and link to video, pictures or a blog.  I decided to take a chance and link to my blog.

Anyone who cares to browse my blog will see very clearly just what kind of person I am.  The past year and three months has been an incredible challenge for me, and I’ve tried to approach it realistically, but with humor.  I’ve stuck with it, made the best of my situation, formed a new plan for the rest of my life, and set out to make it a reality.  I don’t have thousands of readers, but the ones I have are supportive and loyal—you can’t ask for much more than that.

I’m linking this post in particular for the admissions staff to view, so pardon me if I do that bit of flowery back-patting I referred to earlier. (Don’t worry; I’ll be brief.) 

I work hard, especially when I really believe in what I’m working for.  My interest is in helping museums adapt to the future and change the way they are run for the better.  I’m interested in innovation, thinking outside the box, and being the best steward of my future employer’s financial situation.  I have years of workplace experience and have felt the impact of both success and failure.  I want to succeed, and I want Tippie to help me get there.  In return, I promise I will contribute as much as I can to the Tippie experience and help others through the process.

If any of my regular readers have a particular post that they think might be good for the admissions staff to read, I’d appreciate it if you’d note it in the comments. 

Thanks, everyone.

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A word on my math skills, or lack thereof

May 25, 2011 By 3 Comments

Math Matters, by Simona

My recent spate of studying for the GMAT was extremely frustrating.  I went on the official site and downloaded their study materials so I could get a couple of different ways to re-learn all the stuff I have clearly forgotten.  They make a point of telling you on the site and in the materials that the math on the test is low-level high-school math.  I was heartened by this comment until I started to plow through the stuff.

Here’s the thing; I did fine in math in high school.  I had some problems with geometry that were quickly cleared up with a little private tutoring, but otherwise I was pretty much an A student.  I did better in math on the ACT and SAT than I did the other subjects.  It wasn’t my favorite, but I made an effort while in class.

However, I have not done any factoring of equations for over twenty years.  And somewhere along the line, I forgot most of the geometry I worked so hard to master (I remember how to get the area of a square, a cube, and a circle – that’s it.)

Now, I can appreciate that all the math I learned way back then helped me with logical thinking.  (Ok, that’s debatable, but think how much worse I could have been without it.)  I also appreciate that when dealing with math, there is usually one correct answer, and that’s it.  Your grade does not depend on agreeing with the teacher, or what kind of mood he or she was in that day. 

Despite my high school math teacher’s continual assertions that I would need it, I have yet to find a practical use for advanced math.  In my twenty-odd years since my last math class I have never had the occasion to solve for x, figure the square root of a number, or calculate the mass of an object outside of the occasional trivia question.  The only reason I’m trying to learn this stuff again is because the GMAT is required by the schools I’m applying to. 

If I had done this right after college, it would have been no problem.  I’d still be in the study-regurgitate mode, and only four years away from high school math.  But, I’ve been in the real world a long time now and my brain has decided to remember other things – like commercials I enjoyed in 4th grade.  I can’t help it; I feel somehow penalized for not rushing into a degree I didn’t know I’d want or need when I was younger.

I want to get into business school, and I understand that business requires math for things like accounting.  I also know that if I get in a program I will have to take business math classes because I did not take them in college.  Even if I slam dunk the GMAT I will still have to take those classes.  So, what does it matter? 

Hell if I know. 

I’m fairly convinced that if I manage to get a decent score, get into grad school and make it through all the business math, I’ll still use only basic math and programmed formulae on computers once I start a real job.

Meanwhile, I’ll plug along feeling brain-dead and stupid, humming old tunes I haven’t heard in thirty years.

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The GMAT:taking the plunge

March 8, 2011 By 3 Comments

Test Well, by Cobalt123

After much back-and-forth, I’ve decided to go for my MBA.  The pros are outweighing the cons; I just have to make it work for me.  I still don’t have the money, but I decided that the first step is to actually see if I can get in somewhere decent, then figure out how to pay for it.

It’s been a long time since I’ve taken a standardized test, and longer since I thought about any math other than the balance-the-books type.  So I asked around to see if I needed to go to a GMAT prep class.  A good friend who advises students suggested I just go for one of the myriad of prep books.  If that doesn’t get me ready, then I’ll take the class.  I took her advice, especially since the book cost $40 (with computer disks and all sorts of stuff) and the courses run anywhere from $1200-1500.  Added attractions were a Groupon I bought and a newly rediscovered gift card Alex found buried on the desk which brought the price down to something like $10.

I’m really glad I got something because it’s a pretty crazy test.  Way back when I was taking standardized tests in the dark ages, you got an answer sheet with bubbles you had to fill in (with a no. 2 pencil!  God help you if you didn’t bring several sharp no. 2 pencils.  I preferred Ticonderoga brand.)  Now, it’s all on a computer.  This wouldn’t be a problem for me, but you can’t skip a question and go back later to review.  In fact, the test has this algorithm that gives you increasingly difficult questions as you get answers correct.  If you miss a question, it gives you something easier.  So, your score not only depends on correct answers, but how hard the question was.  Screw up early on and you’ll get the powder puff questions and rank lower even if you ace the rest of the test!  AIEEE!

There’s a whole section of math problems that don’t actually ask for the answer, they just want to know if you could get the answer with the information you have.  Right.  Ok.  Got it.

And just to add some spice, there are apparently several questions in each section that are “experimental.”  This means you could get all worried and stressed over a question you can’t figure out, waste a ton of time  AND IT WON’T EVEN COUNT!!  Not that you’ll know it.  What are they experimenting for anyway?  Do they have cameras to see how many people go into fits and barf when they see it?  If everyone gets it right do they cut it?

Who are these devious test-makers?  I think they must be the same people who decided to make Moby Dick required reading for high-school seniors and demanded it be taught in minutiae for several weeks.  They bill it as some sort of “classic” when in fact, it is a terrible book designed specifically for torturing young souls.

At least my timing is good.  The books recommend studying now, taking the test in June or July, writing the essays in August and September, and then applying in October.  All this for fall 2012!   I admit it, I’m intimidated.  I suppose they want you to be – it certainly cuts down on the selection process if half the people who are thinking about applying don’t.

So, now you know.  I’ve got a goal and it’s very out there so I actually have to do something about it.  Anyone want to post a goal for everyone to read?  I’ll keep on you to get it done if you keep on me.

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