Study Abroad Blog

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, I don’t feel like I followed the most traditional path when I applied to ESADE. Nonetheless, a co-worker of mine who received his MBA from Duke gave me some excellent advice during the application process which I found immensely helpful. He said to me that he had received the same advice from former MBA grads when he went through the process, so to continue the chain of advice he encouraged me to help others out in the future should the opportunity present itself. Well, for what it’s worth, the following is an explanation of essentially the advice I received and hopefully whoever reads this will find it useful should you find yourself applying to B-School someday (and I’d like to think some of this advice carries weight for other Master’s programs as well).

Step 1: The GMAT (or GRE or LSAT or whatever other test you may have to take)
I decided to put the GMAT as step number one, because I think you should get this out of the way up front. When you’re working on application essays later on, you really don’t want to be worrying about your upcoming GMAT appointment. Also, I fully believe I would have done much better on this test fresh out of high school or fresh out of undergrad, but I had the wrongful impression the test wouldn’t include content like geometry, algebra, etc that I haven’t seen in over six years. Bear in mind the scores are only good for up to five years, but still, try to get it done early if you have even the slightest inclination to pursue your MBA.

As far as the test itself goes, there are plenty of books and study materials written on the subject, so I would certainly advise you start with that. I purchased the GMAC’s “Official Guide to the GMAT” and a co-worker lent me a copy of the Princeton Review’s “Cracking the GMAT.” The PR book had some good strategy advice, while the GMAC guide had a lot of problems to practice with. If you need more help than what these books offer, look into tutors for material you want additional guidance on. I feel most study courses are overpriced, but if you really just can’t bring yourself to study on your own, or it has been so long you really need a refresher in the fundamentals, this may be a good bet for you.

Step 2: Work Experience (for prospective MBAs, other Masters’ may not apply)
Some may not like this, but I would advise you start your quest for an MBA with at least two years of full-time, post undergrad work experience. Now, when I first heard this bit of advice during my senior year of college, my initial reaction was, “pshh, you don’t know what you’re talking about.” But please, hear me out.

The idea behind an MBA is to help people either accelerate their career, or switch from a non-business career into a traditionally business related position. In the classroom, you will likely be surrounded by experienced, high-achieving individuals and what you get out of the experience is largely influenced by what you and your classmates put in. If you head straight into an MBA program fresh out of your undergrad, you are essentially piling business theory onto more business theory. Without having applied any of these theories in the real world, you have little to no working knowledge as to how what you’re learning relates to the real world. You, and your classmates, will get much more out of the program if you have at least some work experience.

Additionally, you will surely be more competitive to even get into programs if you have at least some work experience. Most schools state a minimum of two years of full time experience in order to even apply, but if you look at the applicant pools, most MBAs actually have 4-5 years under their belts. It is certainly not impossible to get into an MBA program without experience, just bear in mind the things I’ve said. Also, know that you will be more competitive in the job market post-MBA with work experience as well, so don’t forget that! So, go get your work experience, and meet me at Step 3.

Step 3: Research, Research, Research!
So, you’ve got your work experience and you’ve decided you’re ready to pursue an MBA. Fantastic! What do you want to do? Who do you want to work for? Hoping to figure that out in B-School? That is fine, but these are things you should definitely ask yourself as you begin researching different programs. For me, I made a list of what I wanted to get out of the experience and it looked like this:

• Learn Spanish
• Study abroad (if not already abroad)
• Attend a school that doesn’t just use the case study method of teaching
• Find a program with at least a general management focus available, with the option to pursue Finance, Marketing, or any other area of specialty that meets my fancy
• Strong international reputation with at least AACSB accreditation
• Draws big named recruiters to campus

Once I made this list, I began scanning rankings like the Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, and the Financial Times and took note of high profile programs that looked promising in desirable locations. Eventually, I whittled my way down to ESADE as my top choice, as it met all of my criteria and more, but compiling a list of 3-5 schools is pretty normal.

Step 4: Make Appearances!
This is one area that is often overlooked by applicants, so if you have the opportunity to attend MBA fairs and visit campuses, do it! Especially in the case of visiting campuses, go, be seen, meet people, students, alumni, anyone to help you really get a feel for what the culture of the school is like. Sit in on classes if you get the chance. You may hear the term “fit” thrown around, and until you start to really meet people involved with the school, you will have a difficult time gauging whether or not you’re going to be a good fit for the program. Be prepared to write out notes shortly after your encounters, or even during, whatever makes you happy. This is important as it will provide content you will use later in your essays to show you made an effort to get to know more than just what a school says about itself on its website.

Additionally noted, if you meet people, get a card or email address and be sure to follow up with them and thank them for taking the time to meet and speak with you. Don’t bother these people by asking a ton of questions or badgering them about your application later, but definitely follow up and try to at least touch bases to keep yourself fresh in their mind. These individuals meet hundreds, maybe thousands of people just like you every year, so anything to help them remember you (in a good way) will be a plus.

Step 5: The Application
All applications are not created equally, nor should they be treated as such. Every school’s application is different, and while some may ask very similar essay questions, you should never completely recycle one essay from one school for use in another. That said, here are some things to keep in mind while writing your application essays.

You may know how great you are, your mom may know how great you are, your pet turtle may know how great you are, but never, ever expect the admissions folks at the schools you’re applying to to know how great you are; that’s why you’re applying. This means you and your entire being need to essentially be reduced to a few sheets of paper, a few paragraphs, upon which you’re trying to convince these schools why you will make a nice addition to their program. Are you up to the task?

First things first, you need a story. Before you even begin writing your first essay, you need to know what is it that makes you so unique, so special, that the schools you’re considering should even bother reading anything you write. This is a time for self-reflection. You need to really take a look at yourself and your accomplishments and decide what is the shining theme that has been running through your life. Listen to your heart moreso than your head and absolutely do not try to get inside the brain of the admissions reps and spew answers you think they want to hear…because they want to learn about you, not what you think they want you to be.

My approach to the essays was to take things I feel make me who I am and keep them as running themes throughout each essay. I wanted the admissions folks to pick up my application, read it, and come away feeling like they got to know me and what I am all about. I wanted each essay to build on the other and contribute to the overall effectiveness of the whole package. It has been said that the application is like the meat and bones of your candidature, and the interview is like your soul. Well, I tried to squeeze a little of my soul into my essays, and I’d like to think I accomplished that.

Other things to keep in mind and work into your essays include your experiences with the school and efforts to get to know what they are about. This doesn’t mean you should just start name-dropping, but if you could relate a story about a class you sat in on or some alumni you met that really made an impact on you, do it! Also, be sure to prove your case as to why you will make a good addition to the program. The reader should come away knowing who you are, what you’re about, what efforts you’ve made to get to know them and why you will be a good fit for their school. If you can do all that, you might just find yourself at Step 6.

Step 6: The Interview
So, you got called for an interview, congratulations, you’re almost there! Here is where you fill in the gaps. Your application, no matter how pristine, still leaves gaping holes into your being. Now is the time where you need to remain consistent with your application (know what you said in your essays and don’t you dare contradict yourself now!) and just be honest and act like yourself, not who you think they want you to be. By all means, prepare yourself for the various questions they may ask, but at the same time, be true to yourself and you can’t go wrong. If it turns out after the interview that perhaps you weren’t the right fit, take it as a blessing that you found out now and not a year into the program while you’re wondering, “what am I doing here?”

Step 7: Are You In?
The last step may leave you with a tough decision to make, or really no decision at all. You may get into more than one program, or just one…or perhaps none, it happens. At this point, if you have multiple offers to consider, know that only you can decide where you will ultimately go, and only you will have to live with that decision. Take this time to reflect on your experiences and what you’ve learned about the programs to this point and make the best decision for yourself. If it comes down to a money issue, like you don’t want to spend $X to go to a school, but you really want to go to the school, consider this; your education is arguably the largest investment you will ever make in yourself. So, don’t let money be too big of a factor in your end decision, because ultimately this investment is going to pay dividends for the rest of your life!

I hope this proves helpful to any future applicants who read this, and while I know it is certainly not all encompassing, I was just trying to give a quick breakdown of the process and some steps to take along the way. I also feel I should mention I’ve spent a fair amount of time on varous MBA forums (gmatclub.com & BusinessWeek.com) where I felt there was a pretty good network of people helping eachother out and sharing their knowledge on the admissions process; so I would definitely encourage anyone looking for a community of helpful individuals to try these great resources out! If you have questions or comments about any of this, please share and I will do my best to respond.

“Practice doesn’t make perfect, nor is it supposed to. Practice is about increasing your repertoire of ways to recover from your mistakes.” – Anonymous

It would be unfair of me to say that I fully grasp the immense emotional and mental strain the naturalization process puts on people, but I am pretty darn close. I feel the need to discuss this issue because to be quite honest, dealing with the INS (Immigration and Naturalization Services) has been far and away the most important aspect of my wife’s preparation to go abroad with me. I admit, this may not hold universal applicability to typical international students reading this, nonetheless, I still feel the need to speak up about our experiences.

I luckily do not need to completely re-tell our whole story, as I can simply pull excerpts from a letter I recently wrote to my local congressman’s office (George Radanovich) to help illustrate just what we have gone through over the last seven months or so. Bear in mind that while I may be new to this, Blanca has been dealing with the INS for over 13 years now. Most of the letter’s contents are as follows:

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On July 29, 2006 I married the woman of my dreams, Blanca Mendoza, who is a Resident Alien. Blanca was born 24 years ago in Michoacán, Mexico, and like me, has lived in the central valley for the past 13 years. She also graduated with honors from Fresno State in 2006 with degrees in both Criminology and Psychology. Blanca currently works as a Behavior Consultant with Learning Arts, an organization that offers personalized treatment for children with Autism.

During my undergraduate studies I developed a love for international business and decided, after three years of full-time work experience in commercial banking, to pursue my MBA. I have recently been accepted to ESADE, one of the premier MBA programs in the world, located in Barcelona, Spain. I will begin my studies in August of this year, and my wife and I have been diligently working to arrange our documents to prepare for the voyage since before I was even accepted.

This brings me to our current situation. As a US citizen, I have admittedly been oblivious to the hardships that befall non-citizens in this country seeking to obtain citizenship. My wife, a clearly accomplished and hard working contributor to society, has helped open my eyes as of late.

Shortly after Blanca and I were married, her younger sister managed to find her way through the gauntlet that is the Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS) to obtain her citizenship. She had applied nearly a year prior, and finally had her interview scheduled. When she arrived at the INS office for the interview, it was then the interviewer discovered that she had filled out the incorrect application form. At this point, she was told she needed to fill out a new application and wait again for it to be processed.

Two months after this incident my sister-in-law had her meeting and was granted her certificate of citizenship. This brings us to September of 2006. My wife, observing the struggles her sister endured, called the INS to ensure she would fill out the appropriate application. She mentioned the hardship her sister encountered, and was assured this would not be a problem.

After completing the forms, my wife sent off her application package in late October, and the enclosed check for $255 was cashed within three days. Meanwhile, I had just been accepted to the aforementioned MBA program and we crossed our fingers that her citizenship application would be processed in time to allow for her to apply for her passport, and then her visa to accompany me in Spain for the duration of the 18-month program.

Flash forward to January 2007. Blanca scheduled an appointment with the INS to check the status of her application and learned that they are currently backlogged one year. This news devastated us, however, she was informed she could schedule another appointment to petition for an expedited application, given our situation. We gathered all the information we could think of – my acceptance letter listing the date I need to arrive, a copy of the receipt for the $8,000 deposit I made to hold my place in the program, etc. After presenting the documents to the INS to petition, Blanca was told she would need to schedule another appointment in the future if she wished to find out if the petition was granted, as they do not answer questions over the phone.

This brings us to the events that transpired over the last week. Time is running out, the petition to expedite was granted, and Blanca had her appointment scheduled for Thursday, March 22nd to receive her certificate of citizenship. We experienced a rollercoaster of emotions after receiving notification that her appointment was granted, but this excitement was short-lived.

On Tuesday, March 20th, Blanca received a phone call from the officer in charge of her case at the INS. He informed her that he had just taken a look at her application and realized she had filled out the wrong form. Not only that, but the form she should have filled out is a petition for citizenship, as she achieved resident status just after turning 18 and thus is not considered a citizen, as was her younger sister. This was a blow we were not prepared to take.

So here we are, just over one month from our appointments to acquire our Spanish visas and we have this bomb dropped on us. I must ask, why did it take over six months for the INS workers to look at this application and realize it was incorrect? Why, two days before the appointment to obtain this dangling carrot called citizenship, were we told that the INS employee who ensured us six months ago we had the correct application was wrong? Why?

This has been the most degrading, insulting, and frustrating experience of my life and I would like to know what accountability these workers at the INS have? Who follows up? Who do they answer to? Is this story of two sisters receiving nearly identical treatment an anomaly or merely the norm? What is the solution? I feel as though we have been stolen from, and not simply in a monetary sense, but also of time, time that I will not have to spend with my wife when I relocate to Spain.

So, here we are now, Monday, March 26, 2007, and Blanca just had the appointment at the INS last Thursday where she was originally supposed to receive her certificate of citizenship. What did she walk away with instead? A new application to submit, this time that must be sent to Nebraska for processing – of course with another check enclosed, this one for $400.00 (Application was shown received on Saturday, March 24th at the INS in Nebraska, according to USPS tracking number). She learned that the process typically takes four months, which means had they instructed her to complete the proper application in the first place she would have already gained her citizenship by now. We also learned that it is going to be unlikely that Blanca will be able to come to Spain with me, her husband, for the entire duration of my studies and that we will now have to fund multiple return flights to accommodate for her continued efforts to get her Spanish visa.

I could go into more details about the actual application process by discussing the incorrect and out-of-date instruction “guides” that accompany the application, but that would be too tedious. I will just say we are uncertain what these checks we have been sending to the INS have been contributing to, but we feel it is safe to presume it is not being put toward updating forms or customer service training.

In the end, I feel it is a sad realization I have come to as of late, seeing the struggles of ordinary contributors to our society, like my wife, who simply want to become naturalized citizens of this country they have been living in for some time now. It is no wonder in my mind why we have so many “illegals” in this country, as it is clear to me that they simply don’t want the troubles of dealing with our system. It is also sad to me that I have strongly considered the prospect of permanently relocating to Europe after my MBA, as I have grown bitter knowing that a portion of my tax dollars have been funding the ongoing, ridiculous practices at the INS.

In closing I must say I feel helpless at this point and have decided this is the last place I can turn. I do not know what, if anything, can be done to remedy our problems. Nevertheless, I am willing to give anything a try at this point, as I struggle to find answers to the poor treatment my wife and I have received.

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When I hand delivered this letter to Radanovich’s office it was read immediately by a woman who deals specifically with these issues. The initial response was what I can only describe as defensiveness, however when I made it clear I simply wanted to find a reasonable solution to our problem the tide seemed to change.

In the weeks that followed Blanca’s application was processed and she has her appointment next week to get her fingerprinting and background check. After this is done, she will have to wait for an appointment to have her interview/test. From here, assuming she passes, she can take her oath of citizenship and may apply for her US passport.

We are convinced that there simply isn’t enough time for her to get through all this in addition to applying for her visa, so our objective at the present is to simply get her passport so she can travel with me to Barcelona as originally planned, but just before classes begin she will return to Fresno and apply for her visa. It will likely be a two-month process, however once it is complete she can return to Barcelona and we will be able to be together for the remainder of the 18-month program. We have only been apart one other time, and that was for just over three months while I attended Credit College in New York. It is a painful prospect to have to do it again, but I’m confident we can handle it and will come out stronger than ever when all is said and done.

I’ll make my next post soon and provide a description of the process I have gone through to prepare for my visa appointment with the Spanish consulate.

“God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things that should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.” – Reinhold Niebuhr

My first draft of this 4th chapter of my bio was twice as long as it is now. After much contemplation, I decided to hack out over half of it, as I felt the detail was just too much. Hopefully I did the right thing, now please enjoy!

Chapter 4: Closure, and a New Beginning!

Re-Entry
Upon my return to the US I underwent a slight re-adjustment period. I felt like I had so much to tell everyone I hadn’t seen in eight months, yet, I was often disappointed because I continuously found myself ending stories with the much dreaded, “I guess you had to be there.” I was offered a warm welcome home, don’t get me wrong, it was just that I found difficulty relating to my friends and family right away. Eventually school found it’s way back into session and I began to get back into the swing of things, but even then I knew I was a changed person.

Senior Year and Graduation
Two notable incidents occurred during my senior year and include my being elected President of the Craig Scholars and, most importantly, meeting the woman who would later become my wife, Blanca. Graduation came in May of 2004 and I graduated Summa Cum Laude with a 3.97 GPA (got one stinkin’ B…but I’m not bitter) and was awarded the Outstanding Graduate in the Department of Finance. I thought I had a job lined up after graduation, but when that fell through I scrambled to find something new and stumbled into a Loan Analyst position at a local Farm Credit office.

My First and Second Full-Time Jobs
Let me just say I knew next to nothing about agricultural lending, and after a few months of rotating around the various departments within the office, I settled into my position and got into a groove similar to that which I felt around the time I started investigating studying abroad opportunities in school. My job wasn’t complex, I didn’t feel like I was being challenged or given much responsibility, and after some contemplation I began considering making a change.

I used my contacts I had made during school to get some names at local commercial lending offices where I might be able to find a new position. I wanted to get in with a bigger bank with more resources where I would hopefully find better training opportunities while being exposed to different types of credits. I managed to land an interview at Citibank, and after being offered a position I left Farm Credit after ten months. I have been at Citi now for just over two years and will have just over three years of full time work experience as I start my MBA.

Credit College
During my time at Citi I have had some wonderful experiences. Worth noting among them was my participation in Credit College, which was held mostly at the Citigroup Center in New York. During this intensive, seven-month Credit boot camp I got to spend four months living in lower Manhattan while working alongside some awesome people. Many of my co-workers/classmates had MBAs from top US programs, and I used this time to pick their brains to help me strategize for when I decided I was ready to pursue my MBA. A lot of these co-workers encouraged me to pursue my MBA as soon as possible, so I took this advice and began discussing this prospect with Blanca.

Support System
Blanca has been astoundingly supportive through all of this and I know I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for her. When I told her of my plans to apply to pursue my MBA for the Fall of 2007, she was behind me. Even when I began to fantasize about studying in Spain where I could learn Spanish and still attend a top MBA program, she believed in me. I graduated from Credit College in the middle of July of 2006 and Blanca and I were married July 29th, about two weeks after I returned from New York. We had a beautiful wedding and afterward took an amazing honeymoon cruise to Alaska. Upon our return to the real world I had a whole new mindset and all I could think about was fulfilling my vision from my semester abroad and pursuing my MBA in Spain.

The Ill-Advised Method of Getting Into a Top MBA Program
After researching all the top Spanish MBA programs, I ultimately decided ESADE would be the best fit for me. I liked the alumni I had met, the admissions reps, the teaching methodology, the language school, and just the prospect of spending 18-months in Barcelona…well, you get the picture. Once I had made this my target school, I decided to put all my eggs in one basket and only apply there. This isn’t necessarily the most advisable approach to prospective MBAs, but the way I saw it was that I didn’t want to go anywhere else, so why spend a lot of money on application fees if I didn’t have to?

In addition to my narrow application focus, another unadvisable practice I employed during the MBA application process was my sorry excuse for studying for the GMAT. I ordered the GMAC’s “Official Guide to the GMAT” and basically reviewed problems for about 45 minutes a day, 4-5 times a week for the four weeks leading up to the test. I had no strategy…well, I did, I just didn’t employ it, and when the big day came I about cried during my break after the math section of the test. I managed to pull myself together and somehow squeaked out a total score in the 80th percentile, which hardly gives me bragging rights, nevertheless I know I should thank my lucky stars that it didn’t turn out worse!

Shortly after I took the GMAT I scored an admissions interview in Los Angeles the day before ESADE officially began taking first round applications. This meant I was fortuitous to have the opportunity to hand my application package to the admissions representative personally. The interview was unique, as I was asked a number of questions I’d never been asked on an interview before, but I felt as though I fielded them all honestly and did pretty well. I found out for sure on October 23rd when I received my acceptance letter, and I was ecstatic!

Since gaining admission I’ve undergone a potpourri of emotional states including, but not limited to disbelief, shock, giddiness, pride, fear, and probably a dozen other states I’m not even aware of. A lot of emotion has been caught up in the seemingly never-ending process that has consumed Blanca and I with regard to her attempting to gain US citizenship, but I’ll get into this more in the next post as I discuss all the logistics behind getting my Visa and all that jazz. I will say my family and friends have all been extremely supportive, and thankfully my co-workers have been as well when they learned I will soon be leaving.

Little More About Me
All that said, I do believe I have covered a number of important events in my life that have led me to where I am presently – waiting in eager anticipation for the start of my MBA program! To add a little more context to my character beyond the classroom and work realm, here are a few little additional tidbits I might as well share about myself:

In my spare time, I enjoy reading, traveling, spending time with family and friends, and martial arts. When reading, I typically stick to business related books, so getting into that would likely bore most people. Traveling and spending time with family and friends, well, those are fairly self-explanatory, but I will add that I love cruises! Martial arts, well, I’ll start a new paragraph for that!

I have had the wonderful opportunity to have trained, off and on, in various martial arts since I was five years old. I have about eight years of experience in Shito-Ryu Karate, about a year in Kenpo Karate, a little over four years in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and most recently, about six months in Boxing. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is probably my favorite art I’ve trained in to-date, however after tearing my meniscus and having knee surgery a year ago, I haven’t had the courage to get back on the mat. So, I’ve been Boxing for the past six months or so, and have really taken a liking to that. Martial arts provides my stress relief in life. It’s one of the only things I do where I can remain focused on one thing and keep my mind off whatever else is going on elsewhere, and I love that! I’m hoping to find a place to train some art in Barcelona, but I guess I’ll have to wait and see…I do know Robin Gracie has a Jiu Jitsu gym somewhere around town, so maybe I’ll check that out.

That’s All Folks
So, there you have it, my biography in a rather verbose nutshell. Hopefully it was at least an enjoyable read and will provide context for my posts to come. I’m looking forward now to getting into the meat of this blog and hopefully some of the upcoming topics will prove to be a valuable resource for future international students. I guess that is all for now, and thus concludes my bio!

“From the moment I picked your book up until I put it down I was convulsed with laughter. Some day I intend to read it.” – Groucho Marx