Accepted ISB and Declined Duke !!!

I have been longing since forever to post this on my blog that Yeah - I have secured an Admit to a top business school. I have always kept my blog aloof from my B-school journey since I always wanted to writing MBA stuff once I secure an admit. However, I never knew that the day when I will declare the news on my personal blog, I will post in the title a rejection message for another kick-ass school. It was, perhaps, the toughest decision of my life to pick between ISB and Duke. Why did I pick ISB? I will cover that later. I am in mood today to write random and therefore, don't wanna touch ISB vs Duke decision since that pretty important and needs to be addressed properly. Okay, going little retrospective today.

It may sound bit presumptuous that I started writing this blog to create an asset and identity for myself on the web that will assist me in my MBA Application. But I actually did. I was of the opinion that writing blog will help me in two ways. First, If I write and maintain this blog well I can use this as a handle to showcase my wide range of interests in my MBA application. So this would serve as an additional data point for Adcom. Second, I choose to write here to capture my activities, interests, etc to better my writing skills that will assist in my essays. And it really worked for me since last 2 years. However, what I never planned or even dreamed was that this blog will serve as discussion point even during my ISB Interview.

During my ISB Interview, the interviewer opened my blog (I mentioned in hobbies section) and he questioned me on Decision Making Post about Grid Analysis. Maannnn- I took me sometime to realize when he threw question "So tell us more about Grid Analysis" and I was thinking "Where did that come from". The good part was that I somehow related myself during the brief silence to my post and was able to explain Grid Analysis. I started off by "Oh, so you are at my blog. Well, Grid Analysis is.....". Trust me, such moments will continue to stay golden for me forever. And even if they try to fade, I have my blog to help bring them back.

I am having hundreds of thoughts in my mind now that I have started writing about ISB and MBA journey. How many times I attempted, what made me stay persistent, why MBA, how to write good essays, why not to follow advise of your friends always, what happens when you are rejected, How can you be different...Numerous things.

And it's all gonna come in a mega-post I am planning on - "My Journey to ISB and what it means to me" - Thanks to Zorawar for the first topic for ISB Class of 2010's newly introduced "Blog War". I am ON !!!!

Check out details of Blog war at : http://isb-mmx.blogspot.com/2008/12/bloggers-war-kickoff.html