OwenBloggers: Neeraj - MBA 2009

One More Month

As usual, time is absolutely flying by and it's hard to believe that in a few more weeks I'll be heading back to Nashville to start the second year of my MBA. The summer has been going well and I've absolutely been enjoying my internship. The company I'm interning at is growing like crazy and working there is bit like drinking from a fire hose. I'm glad to say that several of the classes I took during my first year have come in handy during my internship. I have had to build financial models, determine product costs, think about corporate strategy, make several presentations, and countless other tasks that my first year has prepared me for. Now I can't wait to begin my second year so I can continue to sharpen my skills and focus on getting even more out of Owen MBA experience.

In addition to the academic side of Owen, I'm really looking forward to seeing all my classmates again! It's been a bit strange going from seeing everyone all the time to not seeing anyone at all. The summer has given me time to reflect on my first year and appreciate even more all the connections I have made at Owen. While I may be happy about being able to use much of what I have learned in my first year, I know that the Owen network of alumni, students, and faculty is what truly has made my first year priceless. So with only one more month to go, I can not wait to get back Nashville to continue building and strengthening my ties with my classmates and with all the new AOA's.

It Feels Good To Be On The Inside

I've been at my internship for about two weeks now and it's amazing how in less than a year, I've gone from being in the bottom ranks of a company all the way up to the top ranks of a company...and I'm only an intern! Before starting my MBA at Owen, I was working in biotech research where I pretty much felt like I was hundreds of levels away from the executive level of the companies I worked at. I hated that feeling and it's one of the reasons why I wanted to go back to school. Now two weeks into my internship I couldn't be happier about my decisions to get my MBA.

This summer I'm working in the business development group at Illumina and already in the first two weeks of my internship I've had one-on-one meetings with most of the senior management about the corporate strategy and what the company needs do to stay ahead of the competition. My project for the summer is to develop a screening tool management can use to better assess strategic opportunities. I've been talking to people in all departments to get input on what criteria should be in the screening tool. In talking to everyone, I've gotten much better insight into how the company plans to continue to grow and compete.  Just a year ago I was in a lab with no real idea of what was happening at the top of the company. Now after only finishing one year of my MBA, I've done a complete 180. For the first time I'm an insider!

The Mobile MBA

As a business school student it's important to learn how to be mobile, and I don't mean learning how to walk around. Many of my classmates have traveled all over the country for their internship and job searches. There are also a good number of students who have flown all over the country for conferences and case competitions. Some students also travel to visit their sig-o's. In addition to the traveling you can do during the school year, there's also the challenge of relocating for summer internships. Some students get relocation assistance and some don't. Other students stay local for the summer and don't have to worry about relocating. So as you can see, learning to be mobile is very important part of your MBA education.

With all the traveling I've done so far (which pales in comparison to many other students) I've earned free tickets on Southwest and have become excellent at packing my suitcase in under 10 minutes. But while I've mastered the art of weekend trips, I have a much bigger task ahead of me as I try and figure out my logistics for my summer internship. I feel like I just got settled in Nashville and now I've got to move again for the summer. I'll have about a week to get out there are get settled before my internship starts which isn't a heck of a lot of time. Fortunately, as a mobile MBA student, I'm not too worried about it. You just get good at these kind of things as an MBA student.

The Owen Time Warp

In one of my many group meetings last week, we started talking about how different life was just a year ago. We were all working and eagerly awaiting to hear back from schools. I dug through my e-mail and found this:

Subject: Your Application Status

Dear Neeraj ,

Congratulations! The Admissions Committee has reviewed your application, and we would like to extend an offer for you to join the full-time MBA program. Various pre-program activities start in June and July and classes begin in late August -- specific dates and details are forthcoming.

An official admission letter and welcome packet will be sent to you by mail or courier shortly. Please allow sufficient time for delivery before contacting the MBA Admissions Office.

Welcome to the Vanderbilt MBA community -- we hope that you will be a part of the incoming class!

I remember getting this e-mail at work. What a great feeling it was! I went outside to call my family and tell them the good news. It was tough to go back to work after that because all I wanted to do a that point was get started on my b-school career. I was accepted in February and August seemed years away. I actually couldn't wait for school to start...I never thought I would feel that way!

Now here I am, one year later. Almost done with Mod 3 and so close to being done with my first year. It's funny to think how far away last August seemed at one point, but now I feel like I have been in a time warp since then. I swear that time has actually sped up. I remember when there used to be 24 hours in a day, now there only seems to be 2.4 hours in a day. Where the heck did all those hours go? With so much to do and so little time, 24 hours just isn't enough!

Well fortunately, I have my last exam today and then I'm off on spring break. It's snowing outside but my mind is already in Cabo. Hopefully spring break will be like a speed bump before Mod 4 begins and I can actually enjoy all 24 hours in the day!

Coming Home With The Big Check

I got back last night from Philadelphia where we competed at Wharton in the VCIC Case Competition. Our team came in second place and won $1000. This was my first case competition and it definitely has been one of my best learning experiences at Owen so far. The competition itself is fast and intense, but I have learned a tremendous amount about evaluating business plans, creating term sheets, and how VC's evaluate potential investments. You can learn about these things in the classroom, but there is nothing quite like standing up in front of 4 VC's and getting grilled about the reasoning behind your choices.

The Owen team consisted of two first years and three second years. We prepared for the competition by
reading everything we could about term sheets, calling up venture capitalist, talking to alums who have competed before, and getting as much information as we could out of Bruce Lynskey. When we received the business plans before the competition, we holed up in a library study room and white boarded out the pros and cons of each plan. The night we arrived in Philadelphia, we commandeered a conference room at the hotel, got some beverages and pizza, and figured out our strategy for the competition the next morning.

We arrived at Huntsman Hall at 8AM Friday morning tired but with plenty of energy to kick some butt. The next eight hours were a blur as we grilled each entrepreneur about their business plans, worked furiously to come up with our term sheet, presentation, and executive summary, and did our best to knock it out of the park during the Q&A after our presentation to the VC's. Once all the teams presentations were over, we nervously waited outside the room while the judges made their decision. I was convinced we were going to get 1st place, but the judges had other ideas and awarded us second place. We got feedback from the judges and somethings I agreed with, others I didn't. Regardless, the whole experience was awesome and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Our team had a great time during and after the competition. We hit the town and partied like b-school rock stars in Philly Friday night. The next morning we headed over to South Street and went to Jim's for some great artery clogging cheese steaks. The whole trip was without a doubt one of my best b-school experiences so far. It was funny walking through the airport and putting the big check through the x-ray machine. So many people congratulated us on the way back making me feel proud and lucky to have represented Owen at the case competition. I'm definitely looking forward to my next chance to participate in a case competition again!

"The Waiting Is the Hardest Part"

Plenty of prospective students are desperately waiting to hear about decisions from b-schools they have applied to. I remember this stage of the application process well...in fact I think it was the worst part. At least when you were working on applications you had something to do to keep you busy. But once you send off the applications, there's nothing to do but worry. Well my advice to all prospectives students is that while you can't avoid thinking about when you're going to hear back from schools, you can avoid worrying more than necessary.

I had a bad habit of checking the Business Week forums every five minutes to see if I could glean any sort of information from other people on there. There really wasn't any useful information other than the occasional students who showed up on the boards to answer questions and assuage applicants fears. So if you can, avoid reading the forum boards. You're not going to figure out your chances of getting in by reading the boards either. People obsessively ask for stats or post their stats in some sort of effort to see if they have a chance of getting in or not. Here's the truth: there's no way to determine your chances of being accepted just by comparing your stats with other people on the forum boards! If the application process really were that black and white...what the heck would be the point of an application process then?

Most schools either have set dates that they will notify you on, or they notify you on a rolling basis. So until the notification date comes around, or you get that e-mail about your application status, just try and relax. You've already worked hard on you applications and when you get into b-school, you're going to work like you've never worked before. In the meantime, enjoy the fact that you have achieved a huge milestone of even applying. If you have heard back from schools, make sure you do yourself a favor an visit the schools before accepting if you haven't already. Visiting a school is the one most important things you can do as you decide. Try and meet faculty and students to get a sense of the environment you're going to be in for the next two years. Kudos to all you prospectives who are planning to be here for Discover or Welcome Weekend.

If you have any questions about the application process, ask an Owen Blogger or other current student. That's where you're going to get a straight answer. Don't waste time trolling the forum boards for answers when you can get much better information right here.

Sizing Up Other B-Schools

I was at a wedding recently and struck up a conversation with a guy who had just graduated from a top business school. A few of my friends graduated in the same class as him and I asked him if knew them. He said he didn't know one and he thought he might have heard of the other person. I was expecting him to know them for sure because at Owen, I feel like I pretty much know most people in my class. I would feel especially strange if by graduation time I didn't know everyone.

In a previous post I wrote about how great of a resource the Owen alumni network is and current students are no exception. Here's an example: I recently had some internship interviews through the West Coast Forum and I was talking with a classmate of mine who also got selected to interview with the same companies. As soon as he found out I got the same interviews he immediately started telling me about who I should talk to learn more about the companies, where I can find sample interview questions, and even offered to setup study times for us to help each other prepare for the interviews. It just goes to show how students here don't compete with each other, they support each other.

I know prospective students have either been accepted or are awaiting a decision. My advice to all of you as make your decisions is to really think about what kind of environment you want to be in for the next two years of your life. Also keep in mind the network you'll have after b-school. These are the aspects of business school that you really only begin to understand once your actually in a program. I know what kind of environment I wanted when I made my decision about where to go...what kind of environment do you want?

Owen Alumni Are The Real Deal

While trying to get into business school, I visited several schools and one of the big selling points I consistently heard was how valuable the alumni network was. Some schools had huge alumni networks, other had small alumni networks. Some had alumni in 150+ countries and  others had alumni in only 10+ countries. There was no way to really figure out what the true value of these networks was, but they all sounded great.

Then I spoke to a student at a top 5 school. He said the alumni network at his school wasn't very useful and if an alumni didn't already know you, they wouldn't help you much. He said it was like this because with such a huge alumni network and so many students, it was difficult for alumni to help students out in a meaningful way.

This is not the case at Owen.

I'm deep into my internship search and I can't say enough about how helpful Owen alums have been. Every one that I have contacted has taken the time to help me in a significant way. Many have met with me in person to talk about my career, others have reviewed my resume and passed it on to recruiters at their companies, some have referred me to other alumni who they thought would be good to speak to. Owen alumni have been awesome and I can't thank them enough for all the help and guidance they have given me so far. So take it from me, the alumni network at Owen is not just a selling point, it's the real deal.

'Tis the Season To Be....Busy?

Finals are over and the long awaited winter break has begun. I finally have some time to decompress, relax, and tune out for a while before Mod 3 begins, right? Well...not exactly.

Winter break is a great time for normal people to go on vacation, spend time with loved ones, and think about New Year's resolutions that last only for a week or two. But for us first year MBA's who are far from normal, it's a great time to work on the internship search because once the break is over, internship season kicks into high gear.

Some first years already have internships lined up, some have interviews lined up, and some have nothing lined up. Once the new year rolls around though, the majority of companies begin their summer recruiting. Us MBA students then have to begin juggling classes and our internship searches...and I get the feeling the internship search may be the priority for most students. It'll be interesting to see what happens.

Over this break, I'm spending time researching companies, preparing for interviews, and talking to as many people as possible to learn about companies and positions I'm interested in. So while I wish I could be roasting chestnuts over an open fire (does anyone even really do that?) I'm instead working the phones, e-mailing, and reading the Vault Guides to Everything to get ready for internship and interview season. After all , with my MBA career already 25% over in the blink of an eye, I've realized how precious time is. 'Tis better to take advantage of time than let time take advantage of you!

How I Can Find You?

We're well into Mod II at Owen and I still find it funny that there are some people in my class that I've never seen or met. Owen is a relatively small school, but despite that there are still some people who manage to stay off the grid. It's a pretty amazing feat to accomplish in b-school considering all the group work we do, but some people pull it off. It's a truly impressive skill.

Fortunately at Owen we have our own version of "facebook" where you can see everyone's picture. It's great a tool for identifying those otherwise elusive students. But beyond that, there's not much else it's good for. Some thing else we have here at Owen that I find really useful is tons of students and faculty with impressive backgrounds and experience. On the Owen website you can read faculty profiles and on the intranet, you can search the alumni directory and find out where they are now. What's oddly missing though is a database for current students to connect.

There needs to be a way for students to learn more about other students beyond what they just look like. It would be really helpful to know what industries other students have worked in or what contacts other students may have. It would even be good to know what projects students are working because you just may be able to help them out or vice versa. All of us students are so busy as it is that we may never know the person sitting next to us in class worked at company we're interested in. Or maybe one of  us needs help with a business idea but we have no quick of finding out who can help us.

We definitely need a better way to connect and discover each other talents and I'm going to start working on it. If you have any ideas or suggestions, let me know.