Posts Tagged ‘Georgetown University’

My MBA Countdown Has Begun!

Thursday, July 14th, 2011

If you don’t know already, I’m starting my MBA this fall at Georgetown University. Today marks T-3 weeks until the start of my graduate school program, beginning with MBA Boot Camp. I didn’t expect to be breaking a sweat this early on but I guess I was wrong.

I’ve been back and forth between NYC and DC this past month looking for a place to call home for the next two years. I’ve got my heart set on Dupont Circle. Georgetown offers a free shuttle bus to campus so my broke behind can save on transportation fees. And also because I’m a 24-year old New Yorker who can’t drive. That’s actually not an anomaly.

  • Aside from apartment hunting, there are a few loose ends to tie up before I start this new chapter of my life.
  • Purchase short term health insurance since my insurance as dependent under my dad doesn’t kick in until January 2013. (Thanks, Obama!)
  • Order the required textbooks for the fall semester, which adds up to about, oh, $600.
  • Harass the financial aid office to ensure all my loan applications and approvals are in order.
  • Rent a U-Haul pickup truck to lug all my things down to DC. (I’m a little skeptical about it since I’ve read so many reviews about how terrible the pick-up, drop-off and customer service is at U-Haul facilities in DC.)

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Posted in Life | 16 Comments »

Happily Unemployed

Wednesday, April 27th, 2011

All rights reserved by G.M.B

There were 5 things I accomplished in the past 3 years.

  1. Studied for my GMAT.
  2. Took my GMAT. Twice.
  3. Got accepted in to business school.
  4. Traveled to Istanbul, Honduras and Madrid.
  5. Magically managed to maintain this travel blog.

It’s not bad list considering I had 50 hour work weeks and was commuting almost 13 hours every week. But it’s not great either, especially since being happy didn’t make it on the list.

Here are 5 things I’ve accomplished while being unemployed for the past month and a half.

  1. Saw my family, whom I live with under the same roof, on a week day.
  2. Found time to volunteer.
  3. Slept more than 6 hours a night.
  4. Learned how to cook. (Sort of. It’s a work in progress. I make a mean bowl of oatmeal. Seriously.)
  5. Be happy.

So what am I doing now that I am no longer a slave to a monotonous 9-7?

I’m currently volunteering for Support For International Change (SIC). I haven’t been so gung-ho about a project since I graduated. Why you ask? Because it’s stuff that actually matters. At least to me it does. No offense but designer dresses and vapid TV shows just doesn’t cut it.

I rather spend my time convincing you to buy a Tuko Pamoja Bag to support Tanzanian women living with HIV/AIDS than telling you to tune into another mindless reality TV show.

What’s to come in the next few months?

I’m going to be getting my first apartment!!! I’ve been hunting for a place I can call home for the next two years. I’ll be moving down to DC for graduate school by mid-July (ideally). Kelsey aka Drifting Focus has given me some of the inside scoop on places to live in and around DC. She even showed me her HUGE apartment for a ridiculously low price (compared to NYC standards) via Skype.

What’s to come in the next two years?

Getting my MBA at Georgetown University. Woot! School is the one place I know where I will always be challenged and I haven’t been mentally challenged in a very long time so I’m definitely looking forward to packing my noodle with knowledge.

Cheers to a new path!

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Posted in Business School, Life | 24 Comments »

Where Should I Go For Grad School?

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

Image via www.next100.com

Before I started my 9-7, family dinner was the only time during the day when we got to be a family. My mom would tell us how much she wanted to gag every time her smelly supervisor walked by. My dad would talk about how he labored over the cars that came into the shop. My sister and I would complain about the amount of school work we had and my little brother, whose half a head taller than me now, would whine about eating his fish and veggies.

Now, I come home to cold and left over dinners while everyone else is busy getting ready for bed. Family time isn’t every night anymore; it’s once or twice a week. I don’t know what goes on at home. I don’t know where anything is either. My mom would joke and say, “Did you just move in yesterday?” And honestly, sometimes it feels that way.

The last heart to heart conversation I had with my dad was right after I graduated from college. He asked me at the dinner table, “What’s your 5-year plan?” My sister said, “5 years? I don’t even know what I’m going to wear tomorrow.” But I knew. I’m a planner. I’ve always been that way. Whatever I have my heart set on, I plan to work for it every step of the way.

Most people would say I’m lucky I don’t have school loans to pay off. What I really want to say is, “You don’t know squat. It’s not luck. It’s hard work and sacrifice.” I busted my ass in high school so I could get a 4-year scholarship and I’m busting my ass now to save for grad school. It was always in my plan to work for two years before getting my MBA. I want to take out as little student loans as possible so I’m saving as much as I can now.

It’s almost a year since I graduated and now it’s crunch time. I’ll be taking my GMAT in April (hopefully) and I’ve already narrowed down a few schools, which will probably be updated after I receive my GMAT score.

  • UC Berkeley (San Francisco, CA)
  • UPenn (Wharton) (Philadelphia, PA)
  • George Washington University (DC)
  • Georgetown University (DC)
  • Carnegie Mellon (Pittsburgh, PA)
  • University of Washington (Seattle, WA)
  • Arizona State University (Phoenix, AZ)
  • University of Minnesota (Minnesota, Minneapolis)

UC Berkeley is my dream school but I’m having a hard time picking my #2 and #3. Granted, it all depends how well I score on my GMAT. I also plan on volunteering abroad before I start my MBA (more on that later).

What do you think are my chances of getting into the schools I’ve listed?

Here’s my resume which details my educational and professional experience. I’d really appreciate your insights.

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Posted in Uncategorized | 24 Comments »