Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Scholarship
I am still waiting for my admission package to arrive by mail, but the news has reached me ahead of time: I'm granted a scholarship, which will allow me to smoothly process my student visa application without showing any additional means of financing but a loan. Wonderful news :)
Checklist of things to do in next two months, as I see it:
Checklist of things to do in next two months, as I see it:
- Place admission acceptance deposit
- Apply for I-20
- Research the accommodation matter
- See if there is a need for obtaining medical forms etc.
While I cannot do anything about processing of documentation yet, I took some joy in researching the relocation questions. They say, there is no rental accommodation shortage in Charlottesville, and there are different kinds of property available to graduate students, from dormitory to townhouses and apartments. Descriptions of the college halls community are attractive; also, many admitted people among my future classmates look for sharing an apartment with one or two other graduates, so, there is a broad list of options with regard to accommodation. Anyway, I figured out for myself that I am sort of too old now for sharing bathrooms and coming home on my tiptoes late at night ;) Now, I have to decide what is better for me: having more exposure to the community through cohabitation with another student or enjoying the advantages of mastering my own den.
Important dates:
- August 9: Mandatory orientation session begins
- August 20: Start of the program
Friday, March 23, 2007
And The Game is Over
I had six bullets in my cartridge, and all of my shots but the very last one was blank. That's my festive song :)
It's D-Day in Darden Business School, and the news is that I've got an offer. Here I am in my office trying to reach my relatives and friends to tell them that the course of my life is practically predetermined for next two years, and none of them is picking the phone :)
The first thing to do is to log in and re-read the offer message, since I feel like I missed all its sense except for the first line ;D But before I do that, I want to say big great hearty thanks to all of you guys who were my companions in arms during this pretty long ride.
Now, give me some time to digest it :) For so long I was adjusting to a thought that I am not gonna make it!
It's D-Day in Darden Business School, and the news is that I've got an offer. Here I am in my office trying to reach my relatives and friends to tell them that the course of my life is practically predetermined for next two years, and none of them is picking the phone :)
The first thing to do is to log in and re-read the offer message, since I feel like I missed all its sense except for the first line ;D But before I do that, I want to say big great hearty thanks to all of you guys who were my companions in arms during this pretty long ride.
Now, give me some time to digest it :) For so long I was adjusting to a thought that I am not gonna make it!
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Off Topic
Which European nationality should you have?
You scored as Polish.
Which European nationality should you have created with QuizFarm.com |
Friday, March 09, 2007
Research Your MBA Destination :)
Thanks to the Chronicles of Paisano blog (highly recommended to all people capable of reading in Russian), I came across the following useful link:
City Profile Report
Check it for snapshot info about your next destination in the US: demographics, criminal statistics, cost of real estate, climate data etc.
Things I learnt about Charlottesville ;)
- Women: 53%
- Median age or residents: 37 y.o.; age distribution: very even
- White collars vs. blue collars: ~80% vs. 20%
- Level of education: over 18% of residents have a graduate degree
- Weather risks: notable risk of storms of various types (hurricanes, tornadoes etc.)
- Average home sale price in Virginia (as of 2004): $266,428; homes owned vs. homes rented: 57% vs. 43%
- Preferred method of transportation: driving (91%), average distance to work: 15 minutes
City Profile Report
Check it for snapshot info about your next destination in the US: demographics, criminal statistics, cost of real estate, climate data etc.
Things I learnt about Charlottesville ;)
- Women: 53%
- Median age or residents: 37 y.o.; age distribution: very even
- White collars vs. blue collars: ~80% vs. 20%
- Level of education: over 18% of residents have a graduate degree
- Weather risks: notable risk of storms of various types (hurricanes, tornadoes etc.)
- Average home sale price in Virginia (as of 2004): $266,428; homes owned vs. homes rented: 57% vs. 43%
- Preferred method of transportation: driving (91%), average distance to work: 15 minutes
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
MBA World Tour in Moscow and Info About HEC
I have attended to the QS MBA World Tour in Moscow this Monday, March 5th. This time, business schools represented in the tour were mostly from Europe. A few were from Australia and Asia-Pacific; it was interesting to learn more about programs in the region that presents strong interest for me in terms of future career progress. Unfortunately, the main issue with applying for MBA in Australia and Pacific region - absence of loan programs for foreign students - remains unsolved.
I decided to use an opportunity suggested by HEC Adcom and met with the Admissions and Development Director for a face-to-face discussion after the Tour. As I do not apply for this autumn, the discussion mostly went around the school, though the Director asked me a few questions about my CV, academics and goals. She provided me with a resume book of Class 2006, which I studied after the meeting, and I must say that I was really impressed with the content. It showed sound evidence that the diversity is not a mere marketing slogan in HEC. Pre-MBA experience varies a lot in terms of both length and specialization. Financial professionals make a big percent of the class, though the most students come from industry. I knew that the average age of students in the school is a bit higher than in American business schools (traditionally, European schools set tighter requirements towards length of professional experience of MBA applicants), but the age dispersion in HEC still was a surprise: it is from 21 to 40 or so, and when you see short biographies of students behind their names, you really feel what these figures mean.
Along with French students, the majority is Asian (mostly Taiwanese). It reflects the situation with post-MBA recruitment: the percent of job offers coming from Asia is not much below those of Europe and the US.
The former Soviet Union is represented in HEC by at least 5 students, which makes 2,5% of the class. According to the Director, there are about 15 Russian students in the school in 4 current intakes.
My main questions to the Director were about difficulties Russian alumni face worldwide due to visa restrictions, as well as about current options of financing MBA for foreign students. You may probably know about the issue that led to decline of Insead's popularity some time ago: the fact that European banks mostly do not provide loans to non-EU citizens without a European co-signer. With regard to this matter, the Director informed me that HEC is in the stage of finalizing agreement with BNP Paribas for provision of no co-signer loans to students. There is a hope that the agreement will be concluded this year. Good news for applicants :)
I decided to use an opportunity suggested by HEC Adcom and met with the Admissions and Development Director for a face-to-face discussion after the Tour. As I do not apply for this autumn, the discussion mostly went around the school, though the Director asked me a few questions about my CV, academics and goals. She provided me with a resume book of Class 2006, which I studied after the meeting, and I must say that I was really impressed with the content. It showed sound evidence that the diversity is not a mere marketing slogan in HEC. Pre-MBA experience varies a lot in terms of both length and specialization. Financial professionals make a big percent of the class, though the most students come from industry. I knew that the average age of students in the school is a bit higher than in American business schools (traditionally, European schools set tighter requirements towards length of professional experience of MBA applicants), but the age dispersion in HEC still was a surprise: it is from 21 to 40 or so, and when you see short biographies of students behind their names, you really feel what these figures mean.
Along with French students, the majority is Asian (mostly Taiwanese). It reflects the situation with post-MBA recruitment: the percent of job offers coming from Asia is not much below those of Europe and the US.
The former Soviet Union is represented in HEC by at least 5 students, which makes 2,5% of the class. According to the Director, there are about 15 Russian students in the school in 4 current intakes.
My main questions to the Director were about difficulties Russian alumni face worldwide due to visa restrictions, as well as about current options of financing MBA for foreign students. You may probably know about the issue that led to decline of Insead's popularity some time ago: the fact that European banks mostly do not provide loans to non-EU citizens without a European co-signer. With regard to this matter, the Director informed me that HEC is in the stage of finalizing agreement with BNP Paribas for provision of no co-signer loans to students. There is a hope that the agreement will be concluded this year. Good news for applicants :)
