Like everyone else, I do have a list of ten things I want to do before I die.
To get started, here is the list of monuments I want to see in my lifetime.
1. Space Needle, Seattle Washington : The Space Needle is a major landmark of the Pacific Northwest region of the United States and a
symbol of Seattle.
2. CN Tower, Toronto, Canada : The Canadian national tower (named after the railway company that built it) is a communications and observation tower standing 553.33 metres.
3. Burz Dubai, Dubai : The tallest building in the world !
4. Big Ben, London : It is the great bell of the clock at the northend of the Palace of Westminster in London.
5. Tower Bridge, London, UK : Often confused as London Bridge. This is one of the monuments that is recognized world over.
6. Eiffel Tower, Paris, France : The icon of France. Do I need to say more.
7. Opera House, Sydney, Australia : The Sydney Opera House is an iconic image of both Sydney and Australia. I have seen it in at least a dozen movies.
8. St Peter's Basilica : Vatican City, Italy : It is the symbolic "Mother church" of the Catholic Church and is regarded as one of the holiest Christian sites.
9. Museum De Louvre , Paris, France : This is the largest national museum of France, the most visited museum in the world, and a historic monument. Have seen it in the movie 'Da Vinci Code'.
10. Petronas Towers, KL, Malaysia : The tallest twin towers in the world.
[Source : google See
http://www.google.com/help/maps/streetview/gallery/#world-landmarks]
Here is a list of ten world monuments I want to see before I die. I have already seen the Golden Gate bridge in CA, USA, so didn't mention it here. If you think there is some monument I missed and you think I must see that, do let me know.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Next Step towards MBA – Applying for Loan
Even before the MBA applications started, I had started thinking about (at least created a spreadsheet listing all assets and liabilities) the investment I would be making for the MBA.
Here is how the Math looks like :
Cranfield Tuition Fees : 31000 GBP
Living and Other Expenses : 10000 GBP
Amount to be kept in Liquid/otherwise (contingency plan) : 10000GBP
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total amount : 51000 GBP
Total Loan needed : 37000 GBP
Total amount to be paid from personal expenses and kept for later : 14000 GBP
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The good thing about getting an admit at Cranfield is that you can get a loan from HSBC, UK without a cosigner.Many fellow admits have started applying for the loan and a bunch of them have got the approval as well, some within 15 days. So good news.
So need apply for that. Looking at the list of documents to be submitted along with the loan application, it will take atleast a week to get them all.
Need to show some assets in liquid form or otherwise to convince HSBC that I would be able to repay them. It is believed that about 30-50% of the total loan applied needs to be shown somehow.
Here is the list of documents that are needed for loan application. I gathered this from people who have already applied.
1 Loan Application Form
2 Copy of Cranfield's offer letter
3 CV
4 Copy of Driving License (Address Proof) - Any paid bill like credit card or bank statement will also do.
5 Copy of Passport - ID Proof. (Passport wont work as address proof as well)
6 Copy of degree certificates and transcripts
7 Copy of investment documents (LIC ,ULIPs, PPF)
8 Copy of Provident Fund statement
9 Bank account Detail over the period of last 3 months
10 Payslips for last 3 months
11 Income Tax Return of last 3 years
13 Wife's Bank Statement
14 Wife's Current Income Statement
15 Wife's other investments
16 MF Statement
17 PF Statements
18 Superannuation statement
19 Wife's FD Statements
On top of this one can provide parents income statements and assets as well.
Here is how the Math looks like :
Cranfield Tuition Fees : 31000 GBP
Living and Other Expenses : 10000 GBP
Amount to be kept in Liquid/otherwise (contingency plan) : 10000GBP
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total amount : 51000 GBP
Total Loan needed : 37000 GBP
Total amount to be paid from personal expenses and kept for later : 14000 GBP
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The good thing about getting an admit at Cranfield is that you can get a loan from HSBC, UK without a cosigner.Many fellow admits have started applying for the loan and a bunch of them have got the approval as well, some within 15 days. So good news.
So need apply for that. Looking at the list of documents to be submitted along with the loan application, it will take atleast a week to get them all.
Need to show some assets in liquid form or otherwise to convince HSBC that I would be able to repay them. It is believed that about 30-50% of the total loan applied needs to be shown somehow.
Here is the list of documents that are needed for loan application. I gathered this from people who have already applied.
1 Loan Application Form
2 Copy of Cranfield's offer letter
3 CV
4 Copy of Driving License (Address Proof) - Any paid bill like credit card or bank statement will also do.
5 Copy of Passport - ID Proof. (Passport wont work as address proof as well)
6 Copy of degree certificates and transcripts
7 Copy of investment documents (LIC ,ULIPs, PPF)
8 Copy of Provident Fund statement
9 Bank account Detail over the period of last 3 months
10 Payslips for last 3 months
11 Income Tax Return of last 3 years
13 Wife's Bank Statement
14 Wife's Current Income Statement
15 Wife's other investments
16 MF Statement
17 PF Statements
18 Superannuation statement
19 Wife's FD Statements
On top of this one can provide parents income statements and assets as well.
Thursday, April 08, 2010
Questions in mind before accepting Cranfield MBA
There are a lot of questions in my mind regarding the Cranfield MBA. I must have thought about them before applying, but I think its not too late. Also got a mail from a fellow Cranfield admit who asked few of them, and now I am forced to think about them. I think I have concrete answers to them. Comment if you think otherwise.
"Concerns about post MBA job prospects & economy" - Well, I do have my own views on the job prospects and the economy. As suggested by many people in the industry, the job prospects depends on number of factors like the sector you want to work in, and the role/profile you desire. Since I do not have very clear picture of what I want to do post-MBA (except for the fact that I want to go into consulting) , I have not got very good picture of the job prospects.
But overall, one thing is clear, an MBA will give a lot of weight to my resume, and will definitely make me employable. One of my friends who works in UK says that with my profile (experience in IT software development) I can get jobs now even without MBA. So it means jobs are there. But with an MBA, I would like to get a job as a consultant, or a project/program/product manager in a niche sector, which might be difficult to get into. There are two main reasons for me to join Cranfield - to work in UK post MBA, and to get a quality education. And as I am not looking for a specific profile (as of now), I think I would be able to land a job.
"real ROI for people like us in IT industry." - About this, I think ROI should be very good. As IT is still a 'hot' industry and there are jobs around in the UK. And the ranking as per ROI being high in Cranfield helps, as it suggests ROI is indeed high, regardless of industry.
"Another concern is couple of top ranked Unis rejected my application due to my lack of management experience" - this happened to me as well, and I do not have answer as to whether its good to go for an MBA without managerial experience in the UK, as the course is for 1 year only and the class we will be attending will have quite a lot of people people with lot of managerial experience. It will be competitive, but at the same time there might (just slight) be a disconnect. I do not know.
"Also do u know which electives (specialization) is preferred by students at Cranfield?" - I did not do such research, but I am personally interested in Entrepreneurship, and electives related to IT only. As I do not want to move out of IT. Overall the course structure is very good with emphasis on personal and professional development, so I think the investment will be worth it.
"Concerns about post MBA job prospects & economy" - Well, I do have my own views on the job prospects and the economy. As suggested by many people in the industry, the job prospects depends on number of factors like the sector you want to work in, and the role/profile you desire. Since I do not have very clear picture of what I want to do post-MBA (except for the fact that I want to go into consulting) , I have not got very good picture of the job prospects.
But overall, one thing is clear, an MBA will give a lot of weight to my resume, and will definitely make me employable. One of my friends who works in UK says that with my profile (experience in IT software development) I can get jobs now even without MBA. So it means jobs are there. But with an MBA, I would like to get a job as a consultant, or a project/program/product manager in a niche sector, which might be difficult to get into. There are two main reasons for me to join Cranfield - to work in UK post MBA, and to get a quality education. And as I am not looking for a specific profile (as of now), I think I would be able to land a job.
"real ROI for people like us in IT industry." - About this, I think ROI should be very good. As IT is still a 'hot' industry and there are jobs around in the UK. And the ranking as per ROI being high in Cranfield helps, as it suggests ROI is indeed high, regardless of industry.
"Another concern is couple of top ranked Unis rejected my application due to my lack of management experience" - this happened to me as well, and I do not have answer as to whether its good to go for an MBA without managerial experience in the UK, as the course is for 1 year only and the class we will be attending will have quite a lot of people people with lot of managerial experience. It will be competitive, but at the same time there might (just slight) be a disconnect. I do not know.
"Also do u know which electives (specialization) is preferred by students at Cranfield?" - I did not do such research, but I am personally interested in Entrepreneurship, and electives related to IT only. As I do not want to move out of IT. Overall the course structure is very good with emphasis on personal and professional development, so I think the investment will be worth it.
MBA Volunteers
Came across MBA Volunteers, who help MBA aspirants in providing feedback on their MBA application in-exchange for a donation to a non-profit organization.
http://www.mbavolunteers.org/
Neat idea. People volunteering come from a diverse background and are ex and current students in top B-Schools in the world like INSEAD, Harvard, Kellogs ...
And the proof that this idea is indeed good - this idea was a Runner-up: The Good Idea Competition 2008, London Business School.
How it works:
1. Check for availability of the volunteers by mailing them,
2. Make a donation to the charities listed on their website (they are real non-profit organizations and not fake). You must make a minimum donation of $175 USD per application.
3. E-mail your application materials to them and get a feedback in 4-5 days.
Note that they will not actually write the essays, or fill the application for you, but you will get an idea of how you fare in terms of the target b-schools, GMAT score, profile, essay quality etc.
[Disclaimer]
I have not personally used their service, so I don't promise or guarantee any satisfaction, value for money etc. I am not associated in any way to this group and hence I don't have any motive behind publishing this here. Its all in good-faith. Do spread the word if you like the idea or the service.
http://www.mbavolunteers.org/
Neat idea. People volunteering come from a diverse background and are ex and current students in top B-Schools in the world like INSEAD, Harvard, Kellogs ...
And the proof that this idea is indeed good - this idea was a Runner-up: The Good Idea Competition 2008, London Business School.
How it works:
1. Check for availability of the volunteers by mailing them,
2. Make a donation to the charities listed on their website (they are real non-profit organizations and not fake). You must make a minimum donation of $175 USD per application.
3. E-mail your application materials to them and get a feedback in 4-5 days.
Note that they will not actually write the essays, or fill the application for you, but you will get an idea of how you fare in terms of the target b-schools, GMAT score, profile, essay quality etc.
[Disclaimer]
I have not personally used their service, so I don't promise or guarantee any satisfaction, value for money etc. I am not associated in any way to this group and hence I don't have any motive behind publishing this here. Its all in good-faith. Do spread the word if you like the idea or the service.
Creating your own brand - courtesy Gaurav
Read this interesting post in Gaurav's blog - http://brandfizz.wordpress.com/2010/04/07/how-to-create-a-positive-brand-image-in-social-media/
Quite interesting. And I like the idea of creating one's own brand and maintain it.
I think I also need to create a brand, of myself, for this blog, and for the work I do. Game on !
Quite interesting. And I like the idea of creating one's own brand and maintain it.
I think I also need to create a brand, of myself, for this blog, and for the work I do. Game on !
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
Got the XLRI offer letter today
I received the XLRI-GMP offer letter today, and it makes it the first physical offer to knock at my door. Too sad I have to turn it down, would have loved to attend the program.
Here is the timeline of XLRI-GMP :
1. Application submitted -Dec 12th ' 2009 (last date jan 10th'2010)
2. Confirmation of application received - 22th Dec 2009. (by email)
3. Interview Invite received - Feb 2' 2010 - with questionnaire to be filled (essays to be filled online) before 15th March.
4. Interview (Chennai) - March 6th'2010 - Read interview experience.
5. Interview results - March 26th' 2010
6. Hard-copy received by blue-dart - April 7th 2010.
7. Acceptance, or otherwise to be notified by post by 20th April 2010.
Here is the timeline of XLRI-GMP :
1. Application submitted -Dec 12th ' 2009 (last date jan 10th'2010)
2. Confirmation of application received - 22th Dec 2009. (by email)
3. Interview Invite received - Feb 2' 2010 - with questionnaire to be filled (essays to be filled online) before 15th March.
4. Interview (Chennai) - March 6th'2010 - Read interview experience.
5. Interview results - March 26th' 2010
6. Hard-copy received by blue-dart - April 7th 2010.
7. Acceptance, or otherwise to be notified by post by 20th April 2010.
Plans for Srinagar in July
Received an email from Kapil, confirming the Srinagar Plan in July . Copying the whole mail.
-------------------------------------------------------
Dood,
Jana kahan hai , Leh ya srinagar or both
Won't recommend leh as july is peak monsoon and flights usually get cancelled/ diverted
Have chalked out the following itinerary considering all the scenarios:
PLAN A: If Messers Geelanis, kayanis, the Jaishs, & the Lashkars ( The Olive Tree co. & rabble rousers co. ) are busy elsewhere
10th -- Srinagar arrival
11th & 12th Pehalgam 100km from srinagar nite stay on 11th
13th Gulmarg 50km from srinagar same day return
14th Sonmarg 100 km same day return
15th & 16th Srinnagar city -- places to visit - Dal, Mughal gardens, nagin lake( backwaters),Pari Mahal , shankracharya etc.. and khan paan -wazwan, kashmiri delights/ gourmet ,shopping etc
17th Marraige .
18th Return
In case there is a strong urge to visit Leh , then we can change r plan .
Leh is 250 km from sonmarg , if we start early we will reach the same day but it will take time to get acclimatized . pang gong lake is further 170km from leh which means that we need at least 5 days for the leh expedition.
PLAN B: If the aforementioned great fellas decide otherwise,
We will go straight to Sonmarg on 11th, spend a nite there and proceed to Leh the next day and come back to srinangar two days before marriage and if possible visit pehalgam one day .
PLAN C: If kayani becomes adventurous after a successful coup with the blessings of uncle SAM before July ,
Then we must all visit Mata ka Darbar and pray for peace & tranquility
. We can visit peaceful locs like patni tap, sanasar etc ( to get a kashmir like feel ) after that we will go to srinagar by road for a day attend the marriage and return the next day . Undersigned would be previleged to play the role of the host & guide.
Pls revert with ur suggestions ...
Regards,
Kapil Nijhon
----------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------
Dood,
Jana kahan hai , Leh ya srinagar or both
Won't recommend leh as july is peak monsoon and flights usually get cancelled/ diverted
Have chalked out the following itinerary considering all the scenarios:
PLAN A: If Messers Geelanis, kayanis, the Jaishs, & the Lashkars ( The Olive Tree co. & rabble rousers co. ) are busy elsewhere
10th -- Srinagar arrival
11th & 12th Pehalgam 100km from srinagar nite stay on 11th
13th Gulmarg 50km from srinagar same day return
14th Sonmarg 100 km same day return
15th & 16th Srinnagar city -- places to visit - Dal, Mughal gardens, nagin lake( backwaters),Pari Mahal , shankracharya etc.. and khan paan -wazwan, kashmiri delights/ gourmet ,shopping etc
17th Marraige .
18th Return
In case there is a strong urge to visit Leh , then we can change r plan .
Leh is 250 km from sonmarg , if we start early we will reach the same day but it will take time to get acclimatized . pang gong lake is further 170km from leh which means that we need at least 5 days for the leh expedition.
PLAN B: If the aforementioned great fellas decide otherwise,
We will go straight to Sonmarg on 11th, spend a nite there and proceed to Leh the next day and come back to srinangar two days before marriage and if possible visit pehalgam one day .
PLAN C: If kayani becomes adventurous after a successful coup with the blessings of uncle SAM before July ,
Then we must all visit Mata ka Darbar and pray for peace & tranquility
. We can visit peaceful locs like patni tap, sanasar etc ( to get a kashmir like feel ) after that we will go to srinagar by road for a day attend the marriage and return the next day . Undersigned would be previleged to play the role of the host & guide.
Pls revert with ur suggestions ...
Regards,
Kapil Nijhon
----------------------------------------------
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