anticipation

I believe today is the official day for round two announcements at the GSB. It seems odd given that technically it is spring break here. But I guess sometimes that is just how it works out.

It can be so nerve wracking. But I guess it is better than the old days sitting by the mailbox, hounding the mailman to check his bag AGAIN. And of course for avoiders like myself, standing outside debating whether to open the box had to be a sight to anyone who chanced by.

Once you had the envelope in your hand, did you tear it open, or drop it like a hot potato? Rumor was thin envelopes heralded bad news. Of course that wasn't entirely true. Have to wonder how many people chucked acceptance letters into the trash without looking?

The whole process is so cruel if you think about it. Pour your heart out in 1000 words or less. Attach a list of numbers that somehow say something about you. Air any dirty laundry that might be hidden in your past - open those old wounds. And after all that sit and wait and wait.

Of course being on the admissions side isn't exactly a cake walk either. I think the hardest thing has to be preventing someone who seems like a good candidate from being admitted because deep down all indications are they really aren't a good fit, and in the end wouldn't be happy in the program. There is nothing worse than letting a "storm cloud" become part of the class. It is just bad news for anyone who comes in contact with this person. Not only those who are forced to work on projects with said storm cloud, but also those who engage in any form of conversation in which it becomes clear how unhappy he or she is with the decision to join that class.

But they are hard to spot sometimes. People write what they think the admissions committee wants to hear. In interviews they play nice and again say the right things, although have no idea what they are getting themselves into. They leave the important bits out. Things like how their wife won't be able to join them or will be traveling most of the week. They will miss their family and friends back home. They had no idea how rigorous the program would be. The culture shock was too much. And so on.

At any rate, good luck to all those waiting. Do your homework, and for your own sake don't go to a school where you aren't a good fit. You are making a 2-year and over $100K investment along with the rest of your classmates. You should be happy wherever you end up.


currently reading :: Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life