Back to school

• Reception hosted by two current students of Chicago GSB in Moscow this Monday was very nice. I must confess that by now I had a chance to attend to info sessions of only two schools - Chicago and Columbia (Stanford will be added to the list tomorrow), and there is not enough ground to make a rating, but alumni and students of Chicago really "burn": they are so positive about their experience in the school that can encourage anybody. In my original list of five schools to apply to, Chicago was on the modest fifth place ;) But only till a fresh alumnus of the class 2006 hosted an info session and described all the cookies Chicago can offer. P.S. I would also like to add that, in my opinion, essays of Chicago are the most creative. P.P.S. Well, Stanford's "what matters" is a lot of fun, too.
• I am enamoured of application process. I took one or two brief looks at Harvard's site and today decided to add the school to my list :) If I will be in time to apply to five schools, the sixth one will not kill me, right? :) Harvard has a small hidden question that can puzzle an applicant and should not be left for the last moment: "In what context are you currently reading, writing, and speaking English? (250 symbols for each skill)".
• Kellogg stuck a knife under my rib: it's the only school in my list that requests academic transcripts to be delivered by courier mail instead of online submission. It's OUCH. Fortunately or not, submission of The Academic Transcript Request Form "is strongly encouraged but not required", which means that I won't ruin my application completely if will not waste another week on visiting 2 schools in order to get the Forms signed and sealed. Still, I will have to waste some time to mail the transcripts. Overall, this news is not good.
• Now my target list consists of six schools (bad, bad unfocused girl). It means that I will have to request additional score reports. Btw, Harvard accepts IELTS as an option to TOEFL.
• Last week GMAC accidentally spread notifications about availability of AWA results among those applicants who passed the test in early September. I was dancing all over the provided link, but could not get through. Today I was informed that notifications were sent by mistake and results will be available next week. False start :)
• Online application system of Columbia still fights through technical imperfection. Content of previous series: in August I could create new accounts, as many as I wanted, but could not relogin after the first session. Since the beginning of September I can login to my application, but it's for January accelerated program, and whatever I do, I cannot switch to regular one. Funny. Good that Columbia has rolling process.
• My second recommender is on vacation again. Luckily for my nerves, this time I am on vacation myself, till next week. I hope that all my recommendations will be provided by the end of September.

That's it for today :) Will keep you posted.

# posted by Nat4mba : 5:32 PM