Welcome back to another installment of Clear Admit’s Fridays From The Frontline! Last week we looked in on the ever burgeoning MBA blogosphere while simultaneously preparing to announce the nominees for this year’s Best of Blogging competition. This week the nominees have been announced and bloggers are abuzz. Nominees have been quick to congratulate their peers and seem to take the competition with the spirit of fun and lightheartedness that we here at Clear Admit intended.
For those concluding their application cycle for the year, their issues went from how to get a good GMAT score and/or write a compelling essay to matters more logistical in nature. Kellogg ’11 D.G. had a harrying but ultimately successful day at the US Embassy and had the visa to prove it. Helen was experiencing FAFSA confusion. The.Grey.One. reflected on how America’s banking crisis differs from the banking troubles of India. Samantha, much to her surprise, found herself enjoying networking and outlined a number of useful observations on how to be a successful networker. IIMC ’11 MyNameIsNeo was sure that his first two weeks at the school were relatively easy compared to what was coming. Goizueta ’11 Ahembeea was pleased to find himself a BoB nominee, though he still had to walk the line between being lean and mean. Columbia ’11 Maxwriter was also pleasantly surprised to be a nominee in this year’s competition, but still hadn’t received any news from Columbia about issues related to visas and scholarships. Kellogg ’11 Mike prepared for his move to Evanston and considered how he improved his application this year. Goizueta ’11 MissionMBA was another with finance concerns, though he was happy about his BoB nomination as well as his role as judge for a b-school photo contest.
Wake Forest ’11 Omne had a hard week, having attended two funerals, but congratulated his fellow BoB nominees and found a trace of solace in Easter’s deviled eggs and ham. UC Davis ’12 Chandara decided that Davis was the school for her and thanked Clear Admit for her BoB nomination. Stanford ’12 PaloAltoForAwhile met a promising venture capital mentor and saw that person’s journey as inspiration for her own business apsirations. Chicago Booth ’11 Soni officially had a place to lay his head in Chicago and expressed his appreciation for his BoB nomination. Yet another BoB nominee, Lauren, shared her thoughts on her first day at Fuqua’s Blue Devil Weekend. Fuqua ’11 Choc Heaven may have missed the recent Devil’s Weekend, but she did solidify her intention to attend the school, promised a detailed account of her time in Ghana and expressed gratitude for her own BoB nomination.
First year students, having finally adapted to the b-school lifestyle, looked forward to all they would achieve this summer and in their second and final years. Marshall ’10 Andrew discussed how being the President of the school’s Net Impact chapter would help him get out the message that “sustainability is good”. Darden ’10 JulyDream, a repeat BoB nominee, was excited about her summer sublet and internship in Atlanta. HBS ’10 Rob weighed the pros and cons of hosting a luncheon instead of a presentation and shared photographs from the recent HBS talent show. McCombs ’10 Paragon2Pieces missed the first round of bidding for the next semester’s classes because she was on a plane, and suffered for it. Paragon2Pieces wasn’t alone in her frustrations, McCombs ’10 Metal was also stressed by the bidding system. Darden ’10 Mechanigal saw Thomas Jefferson on campus. Kellogg ’10 La Coguette gave her official and unofficial takes on the recent Kellogg GIM trip in which she participated, and went to a Kellogg-subsidized Cubs game.
For those in their final years of b-school, travel and goodbyes were the predominant subjects of the week. Darden ’09 Anand couldn’t believe he was graduating in a month and was immensely excited about his impending train trip through Europe. Chicago Booth ’09 MaybeMBA said goodbye to the blogosphere but made sure that the whole of her perspective on the MBA experience was accurately summed up. Darden ’09 Mandy was going without blogging while in the Bahamas.
There certainly has been a lot going on since we last checked in with MBA bloggers, and we wouldn’t want it any other way. We hope that all bloggers, nominated or not, continue to allow us to read about their experiences in the classroom, during the application process or anywhere in between. We can’t wait until next week and encourage those nominated for the BoBs to get their ballots in as soon as they can!
