tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138432992024-03-23T21:16:00.571+03:00RusGirl @ LBSRusGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14115355333979590492noreply@blogger.comBlogger93125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13843299.post-10062345128702572742012-10-11T16:42:00.003+04:002012-10-11T16:44:05.604+04:00How to get a job at your favourite company<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
With MBA recruitment
in full swing, having been on both sides of the table now, I thought I’d share
some thoughts. This would be most helpful for those seeking Industry employment
because this is where I come from.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">On campus
recruitment is brutal. All the companies come at the same time and you have to
attend 5 presentations in one afternoon and then submit 10 applications in one
night. Career services gives you helpful, but often conflicting advice (“Focus
on what you want”, “Don’t put all the eggs in one basket”). But their goals are
slightly different from yours: they need as many of you employed as possible
while you want to get your dream job, whatever “dream” means for you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Why is it
that some of your classmates collecting multiple offers while others are left
with nothing? Because on campus recruitment is aimed at picking superstars (superstar
CV, superstar story-telling/analytical/case-cracking skills). This is bad from the
candidate’s perspective, and this is bad from the company perspective as well
(we are going after the same small group of people ignoring the larger pool of
brilliant folks who don’t know how to sell themselves).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">So – how do
you stand out?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">First, <b>think, in 20 years time, who do you want to be</b>? An automotive
executive? A clean-tech energy expert? A brand strategist? An entrepreneur (in
which field)? A partner at consulting firm? A retired banker? Pick a few if you
cannot decide and work backwards on what steps you need to take you there. I
know, this is not a quick fix. But you will have to prioritise. If energy is
not on your short list, don’t apply to Shell. Even if they have a great rotational program and pay above market rate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Second,
<b>research the sector</b>. Who are the main players, where the market is going, what
the challenges and opportunities are, who the disruptors are. People who work
in the industry live and breathe it every day, and your research (or lack of it)
will be very apparent in the interview. But we are not at the interview stage
yet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Third,
identify the companies. <b>Find the contacts</b> you may have in these companies
(friends, current students, alumni contacts, LinkedIn 2<sup>nd</sup> degree acquaintances).
What roles they have? What background are they coming from? Is there someone there
who has a similar background to you? Where do employees in the company come
from (which companies or sectors – is there anything you can do in the interim to
strengthen your CV)? Reach out to these people. Ask for a coffee or phone conversation.
Suggest you come to their office (you can get an office tour and it shows your
dedication). Don’t wait to reach out until you have an interview invite. The
earlier you do it the better. Alums often participate in CV screening.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><b>Don’ts</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li>Don’t send the same email to all the alums in
the same company. Personalise. Guess what? We talk to each other.</li>
<li>Don’t write a long email with a long list of
questions. You can outline 2-3 questions, but suggest a personal meeting (or a phone
call if they have no time). Give them a couple of options, if you have a
deadline – share it.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Fourth,
when you get to the meeting, <b>have good questions</b>. This is where your sector
research comes in handy. You are there to learn about the company and culture,
the application and the interview process, not to become their best buddies.
Get the best use of the time you have.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Fifth, let
your <b>career services know of your interest </b>in specific companies. They talk to
the company recruiters. Sometimes they can help get you on the shortlist
if you don’t make the initial cut.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Finally,
you don’t need to attend the company presentation if you have done the steps
above. By this stage you will know enough about the company and culture to be able to write a good cover letter. And half of your classmates will quote
the presentation anyway. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Oh yes, <b>good cover letter</b>. </span>If the
company asks for cover letter – write a cover letter. If you don’t, it will
come and bite you. Even if you get the first round interview, there is always
competition for the second round, and I bet the person who gets through have
written the cover letter.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">There are
brilliant cover letters, OK cover letters and bad cover letters. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Brilliant
cover letters usually have the names of people you’re spoken to, share your
personal connection and passion for the company, and (bonus points) are written
in the company style (i.e., using the language employees use). These are the
letters that get me excited. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">OK cover letters are usually the ones from the
common template: I am interested in position X. Here are three paragraphs about
my skills that you mentioned in your company presentation (you see – I’ve been
there!). I am interested in working at your company because you are X. These ones are respectable. If you have a strong CV these will not shoot you down. If your CV is not relevant to the company, you've missed your chance to get an interview.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Bad
cover letters are bad in different ways. Check for the do's and don’ts below.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><b>Do's</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li>Spellcheck. Not just MS Word, but actually read
it (and your CV too). Every third Spanish speaker is “costumer focused” (rather
than “customer focused”).</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><b>Don’ts</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li>Don’t write too long or too short cover letter.
Good size is between 1/5 - 2/3 of a page.</li>
<li>Don’t focus your letter on one specific topic.
Even if you are passionate about one specific product or recent news about the
company, mention it once and then use the space for something else. After all, you are telling your story, not reciting our press release.</li>
<li>Don’t extract a fact about the company from
1999 case from HBS and tell us that this is what makes us real innovators. In
fact, don’t play back the marketing message the company gave you – find out what
the company employees are actually focusing on and play that back.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Interview.
Probably worth a separate post, but to round it up. Things that make you stand
out: energy, passion and knowledge of the sector and company. And good stories
from your past experiences: where you succeeded and where you screwed up (and
what you learnt from it). Also, know yourself. If you are generally loud, tone
it down a bit (your interviewer has probably seen 5 other candidates before
you). If you are quiet, tone it
up: have some Coke, and don’t conceal your interest and passion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">If you don’t
get the job – seek feedback. Reach out to the recruiter, ask what you can
improve. Reach out to the contacts you spoke to. Some of them may be able to
get you an unofficial feedback. There will be other roles later – 6 or 12
months down the line (or even years – good research and contacts pay off, if
this is indeed the sector you want to be in long-term). Figure out what was
missing and try to bridge the gap by getting the experience in other companies. </span>After all,
your career is a long-term game. And this is just one step on the long and
successful roadtrip.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Happy job hunting!</span></div>
RusGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14115355333979590492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13843299.post-58831874068363940132008-06-13T00:33:00.003+04:002008-06-13T00:36:18.826+04:001st year is overHad my last lecture of the term today. Three final exams are still due. And after them, on Sunday morning I'm off to Switzerland for my summer internship.<br />I hope I will have time there to share my first year experiences: about LBS life, recruitment, study groups... if anyone is still reading, stay tuned! :)RusGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14115355333979590492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13843299.post-18471407797759892102007-10-23T02:10:00.001+04:002008-12-10T13:14:54.427+03:00Peacocks, BP and Kevin Bacon<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigtaBw0Y5vmEAfzZDhpFc4b-99FnD7ix2wXutyKC-2U6aikWgLa-W5r5EjpqMx4tC0xuEDxzcS2lojVrcVnxpl0Xju4n3GMUqCCTb6dHK9q6xqjx4-7ARpVPgFfzueTn3QIG8tVg/s1600-h/peacock3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigtaBw0Y5vmEAfzZDhpFc4b-99FnD7ix2wXutyKC-2U6aikWgLa-W5r5EjpqMx4tC0xuEDxzcS2lojVrcVnxpl0Xju4n3GMUqCCTb6dHK9q6xqjx4-7ARpVPgFfzueTn3QIG8tVg/s320/peacock3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124287105958307762" border="0" /></a>"Peacocks, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">BP</span> and Kevin Bacon" read one of the slides we used today in group debate on Corporate Social Responsibility.<br />Confused? Let me then start afresh.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Each Monday morning our stream has <span style="font-weight: bold;">Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility</span>. The best thing about the course this year is a group <span style="font-weight: bold;">debate</span> that is held each lecture on a separate topic.<br />For instance, last Monday two groups presented <span>pros and cons of</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> bribery</span> (should a company use bribery when it operates in a country where bribery is common practice). And though the "pro" group brought chocolates for the whole audience, they lost. Sorry, guys, I voted for you :)<br />It looked like touchy-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">feely</span> side won all the time. So when we gathered last week to prepare our presentation on the pro side of "The only social responsibility of a law-abiding business is to <span style="font-weight: bold;">maximize shareholders' value</span>" the general mood was: "There's no way we can win this, so why not have some fun?"<br />In order to prepare we had four group meetings, each time with a new central idea, including:<br />1) Milton Friedman (he is the father of "profit as the only social responsibility"),<br />2) The Godfather ("It's nothing personal, Sonny, it's strictly business"),<br />3) video with Warren <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Buffett</span> giving his money to Gates foundation not as a businessman but as a person,<br />4) wheel of fortune ...<br />...and somehow ended up with peacocks (all the credit goes to the <a href="http://wtlau.blogspot.com/">President of the Poker Club</a> who presented it to us late on Sunday evening between two deals).<br /><br />So what do peacocks, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">BP</span> and Kevin Bacon have in common?<br />Basically peacocks use bright feathers to attract peahens. And modern companies use social responsibility to attract customers. And everything you can think of, even social responsibility, can be linked in less than 6 steps to Kevin Bacon- ahem, to Profit Maximization.<br />The "good" team that prepared slides independently was arguing that businesses should be socially responsible. Why? Well, because it's profitable to the companies... gotcha!<br />For the first time this term in our stream, "bad" guys has won the debate :)</div>RusGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14115355333979590492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13843299.post-40694038211689552142007-10-01T02:57:00.000+04:002008-12-10T13:14:55.558+03:00Isle of WightTerm start on Monday with Ethics and Finance. This means that Pre-Term is over and we will get much busier.<br />Meanwhile I wanted to post a couple of photos from my weekend trip to the Isle of Wight:<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4rQmH05yctSN7Q0HN2oiNK7R3bKhqoXX_ppmGYfqeHTjnt6hikRwNe4BiDHUnbZH2-qUOeESXAS3SEokFHiGvAkkESQB9fAl5f3tnUYKR_ZUD0Q0ptXJIdqiYBQbQM700oej7BQ/s1600-h/b0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4rQmH05yctSN7Q0HN2oiNK7R3bKhqoXX_ppmGYfqeHTjnt6hikRwNe4BiDHUnbZH2-qUOeESXAS3SEokFHiGvAkkESQB9fAl5f3tnUYKR_ZUD0Q0ptXJIdqiYBQbQM700oej7BQ/s320/b0.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5116137358269507474" border="0" /></a>Beaches of Ryde during low-tide<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTwmJ2UaF6CZGChvnMdrXJz-7qTehRPaI9j75TQsPo2VlDZ0BInIZtH0cs8Badp25wahqftD_v-AsbXjJPO7SF5F6ndBL-vrtIJhZQTPjKKdlpbAhyphenhyphenQN2WgOnPG0xbLIlZuF7h8w/s1600-h/b1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTwmJ2UaF6CZGChvnMdrXJz-7qTehRPaI9j75TQsPo2VlDZ0BInIZtH0cs8Badp25wahqftD_v-AsbXjJPO7SF5F6ndBL-vrtIJhZQTPjKKdlpbAhyphenhyphenQN2WgOnPG0xbLIlZuF7h8w/s320/b1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5116138530795579298" border="0" /></a>A man and a gull<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho1Fn5UpSjLWKivs8lB0vU5ZYuFAy0OHkL-wiEn27qRkFotG-4EvLQsV6QpaR8ZauikhpjjAiU-WZQOjdgb7k1lNFrW59-T8YO-qOkfVTwG1wfgj8NoNdkch4kRv-WydXWc27zzA/s1600-h/b2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho1Fn5UpSjLWKivs8lB0vU5ZYuFAy0OHkL-wiEn27qRkFotG-4EvLQsV6QpaR8ZauikhpjjAiU-WZQOjdgb7k1lNFrW59-T8YO-qOkfVTwG1wfgj8NoNdkch4kRv-WydXWc27zzA/s320/b2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5116137190765782898" border="0" /></a>One of the famous white cliffs (near Sandown)<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">One evening I saw a lots of people on the esplanade: everyone was looking in their binoculars and making photos and videos. I asked a lady why were their doing that and she said, "That's the cruise ship, can't you see. It means that people are going on holiday. Come on, where's your camera? That's important!"<br />So I made a photo too :)<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgniOEDuoGpgnMkU7bze0mLIIj8IZZtwRsI4BCEyP2xm23AHBrlOOgCJUQq4o3jWow_5c0CX7ALCkglJeZXmPHCYDzo_sOMql6JSE4trGLEmuyNR_q9FddHVcXYdqdNb_eBrbWzLg/s1600-h/b3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgniOEDuoGpgnMkU7bze0mLIIj8IZZtwRsI4BCEyP2xm23AHBrlOOgCJUQq4o3jWow_5c0CX7ALCkglJeZXmPHCYDzo_sOMql6JSE4trGLEmuyNR_q9FddHVcXYdqdNb_eBrbWzLg/s320/b3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5116137122046306146" border="0" /></a>Cruise ship<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMmqDDsU8W1LXxf2SKIbwao5zAaB7WCd8RQCOZTbm7G2mUe1MB3QliVf3UtNsvvAuXm__vjQX1hWlWXw0A3M64DKtCzrtpUzUjEnrJAprM2P4QGX5EhtwKLoVdMmzZHiAe4PcRAg/s1600-h/b4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMmqDDsU8W1LXxf2SKIbwao5zAaB7WCd8RQCOZTbm7G2mUe1MB3QliVf3UtNsvvAuXm__vjQX1hWlWXw0A3M64DKtCzrtpUzUjEnrJAprM2P4QGX5EhtwKLoVdMmzZHiAe4PcRAg/s320/b4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5116137006082189138" border="0" /></a>Seaview<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin7ZdI6OAAMAqA30Guzm2JNmu_cKKKkYBYdFKzcwxZK3s8B-3dYrh7mWNI1vF5gCsskul-UMrFr9EXHK-4cWXOvUhHTV0VgQgNtO85iiyI8218M9E0W11V6iGTP2fw6KZCbJGEpA/s1600-h/b5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin7ZdI6OAAMAqA30Guzm2JNmu_cKKKkYBYdFKzcwxZK3s8B-3dYrh7mWNI1vF5gCsskul-UMrFr9EXHK-4cWXOvUhHTV0VgQgNtO85iiyI8218M9E0W11V6iGTP2fw6KZCbJGEpA/s320/b5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5116136920182843202" border="0" /></a>Isle of Wight penguin :)<br /></div></div>RusGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14115355333979590492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13843299.post-10628581971835114442007-09-12T02:28:00.000+04:002007-09-12T02:54:40.344+04:00Set your aspirations highLondon Business School offers a challenging assignment for the first years: it is called the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Shadow project</span>. The student has to observe an executive for up to 5 days and write a report about the experience. And since now it is optional (luckily, for many) people come with all sort of creative ideas. <span style="font-weight: bold;">One of my classmates</span> <a href="http://iwanttoshadowstevejobs.com/">wants to shadow Steve Jobs</a>! All I can say is "Wow! Good luck, man!" and will follow his route to the destination with great interest :)RusGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14115355333979590492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13843299.post-6222634926313579192007-09-05T15:20:00.000+04:002008-12-10T13:14:55.716+03:00Textbooks and most recommended books<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZPyctuMuPOiiMveqBw3t4UYBVvqyFKg1g4hqA-h6YxbQWGZTFMPbg2Mq7kbnd9GfPF9SW-9sZsyme6z6OXJefEkvgsv8gBbAoOyEdZfSRsPc2xyXc42ggtOChyphenhyphenVBAOCy0_-aViw/s1600-h/pic_bookpile.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZPyctuMuPOiiMveqBw3t4UYBVvqyFKg1g4hqA-h6YxbQWGZTFMPbg2Mq7kbnd9GfPF9SW-9sZsyme6z6OXJefEkvgsv8gBbAoOyEdZfSRsPc2xyXc42ggtOChyphenhyphenVBAOCy0_-aViw/s320/pic_bookpile.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5106686380830557234" border="0" /></a>Long-long time ago when I was applying to business school I wanted to find out which textbooks are used in the study process and what other reading professors recommend. If there's someone out there who is as curious for books as me, the following lists are for you.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">First-term textbooks:</span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Business Statistics</span>: <span style="font-style: italic;">Quantitative Methods for Decision Makers</span> (4th ed) by Mik Wisniewski</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Strategy:</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Contemporary Strategy Analysis: Concepts, techniques, applications</span> (6th ed) by Robert M. Grant</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Corporate Finance: </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Principles of Corporate Finance</span> (8th ed) by Brealey, Myers & Allen</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Financial Accounting:</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Financial Accounting</span> (6th ed) by Harrison and Horngrenn</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Managerial Economics: </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Principles of Microeconomics</span> (Version 4) by N. G. Mankiw</li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Most recommended books</span> (students' survey, top-15)<br /><ol><li><span style="font-style: italic;">The Goal</span> by Eliyahu Goldratt</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Good to Great</span> by Jim Collins</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">How to Win Friends and Influence People</span> by Dale Carnegie</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">The World Is Flat</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>by Thomas Friedman</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Liar's Poker</span> by Michael Lewis</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Competitive Strategy</span> by Michael Porter</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">The Innovator's Dilemma/Solution</span> by Clay Christensen</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">The New Business Road Test</span> by John Mullins</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Are You Ready to Succeed?</span> by Srikumar Rao</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Barbarians at the gate</span> by Bruan Burrough</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Blink</span> by Malcolm Gladwell</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Freakonomics</span> by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">The Pyramid Principle</span> by Barbara Minto</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">The Tipping Point</span> by Malcolm Gladwell</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">When Genius Failed</span> by Roger Lowenstein</li></ol>I have only read 6 out of the Top-15 list before, so long way to go! (keeping in mind that the whole survey mentions more than 250 titles)RusGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14115355333979590492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13843299.post-33410646561838030532007-09-05T01:59:00.000+04:002008-12-10T13:14:56.498+03:00Away Day<div style="text-align: justify;">We had our Away Day today: Streams A&B (~160 people) enjoyed the whole day of outdoor activities. I've been <a href="http://angelangie2008.blogspot.com/2006/09/escaping-comfort-zone-during-away-day.html">told</a> that it's gonna be great, but I could never imagine <span style="font-style: italic;">how</span> great!<br /><br />The <span style="font-weight: bold;">first</span> task we did was to <span style="font-weight: bold;">climb a 30 feet high pole</span> in a group of four, stand on top of it and lean backwards, holding each other (to form so called "flower"). I passed every single stage from "Never-ever" to "OK, if everyone's gonna try I want to try it too". It turned out that the hardest part for me was actually climbing to the top: my left arm ached, I had doubts about my security rope and couldn't help thinking "How am I going to stand on top?". Did I mention that the pole was very shaky? But once I clambered there (I decided to go second and it was a good idea because there's nothing better than a friend's helping hand) the rest became easy: wait for other people to climb, hold tight, lean and then let go. I loved it!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCB6CwTmofxaF9J1J9_fUg-zZN-TrsetA7BbWOrFx12uQXpOQQSZHdI3jQE4BARSIWGiEyTGZMVQKKJNvBnraK14NC8wDnsU6gRCdsvetmJfkP4RGcnagjf85XJjtX8MLiipuGww/s1600-h/away4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCB6CwTmofxaF9J1J9_fUg-zZN-TrsetA7BbWOrFx12uQXpOQQSZHdI3jQE4BARSIWGiEyTGZMVQKKJNvBnraK14NC8wDnsU6gRCdsvetmJfkP4RGcnagjf85XJjtX8MLiipuGww/s320/away4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5106879538394760322" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The <span style="font-weight: bold;">second task</span> was similar: we had to climb the pole in pairs and <span style="font-weight: bold;">jump</span> from it together to a trapeze. If I haven't done the "flower" exercise I would never thought of trying this one. We did a spectacular leap, but barely touched trapeze with the tips. And some of my groupmates undertook two or three attempts! Could you imagine? Perfectionists! :)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1n6UiSHwlGVu_F5GSebOl0P8HZyHC7klkpEHyUpOpM5sNEoccADwL_7zjUizWVMs6oIdTCeJwJOxYn62kxZm2P3aMf4WVXsXTB2KTfjPb8Yxrhq7DO-9HaeAaEwRcaX1u8QhKfQ/s1600-h/away1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1n6UiSHwlGVu_F5GSebOl0P8HZyHC7klkpEHyUpOpM5sNEoccADwL_7zjUizWVMs6oIdTCeJwJOxYn62kxZm2P3aMf4WVXsXTB2KTfjPb8Yxrhq7DO-9HaeAaEwRcaX1u8QhKfQ/s320/away1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5106877506875229266" border="0" /></a>The <span style="font-weight: bold;">third task</span> was to <span style="font-weight: bold;">walk on ropes</span> around a specially prepared area without touching the ground. In this case we needed to think of an algorithm since the necessary support ropes were in short supply.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9j5CfhAEy3MLHuz5lRmYirC7ptYbnIApwMGPf0buOORVbB8Dpc2hLzhTX1lMQX_zls1fcFKaOat1yCh6Au6a8iGm8Al7nU2ElE1oW4ZsBb9lQ62g0zSuoRkA7TCffwpoNXxUv0A/s1600-h/away2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9j5CfhAEy3MLHuz5lRmYirC7ptYbnIApwMGPf0buOORVbB8Dpc2hLzhTX1lMQX_zls1fcFKaOat1yCh6Au6a8iGm8Al7nU2ElE1oW4ZsBb9lQ62g0zSuoRkA7TCffwpoNXxUv0A/s320/away2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5106878194069996642" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">After</span> that we had to <span style="font-weight: bold;">assemble a puzzle</span> on time. The task was split: we had to figure out how to assemble the puzzle in the first place, then to make up a way of dismantling it and assembling back together and (last but not least!) do this as fast as possible. In the end we did it in 17 seconds, but I've heard there was another team who did it in 10!<br />And the <span style="font-weight: bold;">last</span> exercise was <span style="font-weight: bold;">getting a "solution" for a blindfolded "client"</span>. The solution was in the middle of the "acid lake" which noone could go in. The only way to get there was build a rope system, and guide the blindfolded client towards the answer. A very hard exercise indeed and I was amazed how well out team did it!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Sr3r-viG1-fstEFMbTmqUeHx8qro1LSMrgM6P70fmos-iQBcKbv_P3bVxoxskCrUrYt2Aka_zmLAbg2uAO1tNfECKcTnGfsjAEbOuVMVQvwLyw17M5rCu2-aB9PyPPNN-A9LGA/s1600-h/away3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Sr3r-viG1-fstEFMbTmqUeHx8qro1LSMrgM6P70fmos-iQBcKbv_P3bVxoxskCrUrYt2Aka_zmLAbg2uAO1tNfECKcTnGfsjAEbOuVMVQvwLyw17M5rCu2-aB9PyPPNN-A9LGA/s320/away3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5106878511897576562" border="0" /></a><br />We had very good briefings after each task and came up with insightful analysis. It was also very interesting to observe how people tend to react in challenging situations: some listen, some begin to express themselves (all at once), some take lead, some drop out, some propose the ideas, some just go and do it. Great way to find out more about your classmates (and yourself)!<br />This fantastic day ended with a training in juggling and a barbeque :)</div>RusGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14115355333979590492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13843299.post-87940927568810436592007-08-29T02:41:00.000+04:002007-08-29T02:49:07.772+04:00Final number of studentsFollowing my posts on <a href="http://rusgirl.blogspot.com/2007/05/r3-admission-statistics.html">admission figures</a> and since this was a "hot" topic for some of you, here are some interesting figures from today's presentation by David Simpson.<br />Last year London Business School received <span style="font-weight: bold;">about two thousand applications</span>. They <span style="font-weight: bold;">interviewed</span> about half of that number. I haven't got a clue of how many people were admitted, but now we have <span style="font-weight: bold;">315 students</span> in our class.RusGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14115355333979590492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13843299.post-32220828114288334532007-08-28T03:00:00.000+04:002007-08-28T04:02:04.898+04:00Orientation: day oneWe were at school for the first day today and the most exiting part of it was finding out which stream and which study group you ended up in. Nobody would have been concerned about that if it was not for the second very question in the F.A.Q. section of Welcome Pack:<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Q: Can I change my study group?</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">A: NO, man! You are stuck with those people for the whole Year One!<br /></span>And it went on and on for three more pages about how you should resolve conflicts in your group, how you should manage it and how you should survive it... No wonder some people were keeping their fingers crossed and prayed for nice groupmates. I was not among those since<br />a) no point in worring about things I have no impact on, and<br />b) I believe that all people can get on well together as long as they are ready to compromise (the latter can be a problem, yes).<br />Funny thing: three LBS bloggers turned to be in one Stream! I hope there will be more bloggers joining the club because we will need the diversified views on the LBS life ;)<br />After the Sorting we had a class photo taken then a barbeque and after that most people headed off to a nearby pub. Do we really need to start classes? I will enjoy some more parties, definitely!<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span>RusGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14115355333979590492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13843299.post-65150592415615752492007-08-24T15:35:00.000+04:002008-12-10T13:14:56.865+03:00Settling in LondonIt’s been a week and a half since I am in London. And what a time it has been!<br /><br />I arrived at Heathrow late on Monday evening and headed off to Russell Square for a weekly stay at the International Hall (I’ll write a comparison of that one to the International Student House in some later post, but shortly, if you can choose, pick International Hall). On Saturday I’ve signed the contract and moved to <a href="http://angelangie2008.blogspot.com/2007/04/thank-you-for-ipod.html">Angie’s place</a>. Thanks to her, I’ve been saved from viewing a dozen of flats a day, like some of my classmates are doing right now. Talking of flat hunting: London Business School students organize pre-term fortnight of <a href="http://community.livejournal.com/pubcrawl2007">FlatHunters’ Pub Crawl</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7us9GYi1Xc7XHB2hbp8627UVi8SXVI252M27ehRYveLaYXuND7NyOcfdYK0Wl0hFXpf0uXDa0kckOucgLc3c_OB_jopF6XXHoj_UXaMUb5vdaDvXcuYplkJfySCJnrRg70iIsTw/s1600-h/pimms.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7us9GYi1Xc7XHB2hbp8627UVi8SXVI252M27ehRYveLaYXuND7NyOcfdYK0Wl0hFXpf0uXDa0kckOucgLc3c_OB_jopF6XXHoj_UXaMUb5vdaDvXcuYplkJfySCJnrRg70iIsTw/s320/pimms.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5102229888404489218" border="0" /></a>What it’s like? It is two weeks of partying, meeting your future classmates (some 50-70 people show up every night), discovering new types of drinks (for instance, I tried Fruli and Pimm's, the latter is on the left), and practicing English. Yes, of course, people look for flatmates (we have nametags and those who are looking for flatmates draw a triangle on it) and share flat hunting experiences (like what agents are the best, how high the rent is this year). The strongest ones even go to a club afterwards: I know people who were doing that several nights in a row! Everyone seems to find flatmates really fast: last Tuesday there were lots of people looking for someone to share with – and most of them had flatmate when I talked to them on Wednesday.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEfwbRg17ChBW0JRetEmsQ05ti8du0kGtLpsD_fdaAmx6S6EUIMEDlPenYS8ey0kohhvnMJYv_xh3D5wM1h4Vjr-AlROB7adLinMa0hgN5MyhLofEMybydAO611CwjvSGakvFm1A/s1600-h/for+blog+-+vase.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEfwbRg17ChBW0JRetEmsQ05ti8du0kGtLpsD_fdaAmx6S6EUIMEDlPenYS8ey0kohhvnMJYv_xh3D5wM1h4Vjr-AlROB7adLinMa0hgN5MyhLofEMybydAO611CwjvSGakvFm1A/s320/for+blog+-+vase.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5102230335081088018" border="0" /></a>The weather in London is rather cool and rainy (I haven’t used my umbrella during any of the previous visits – now I need it a lot and cannot help wondering if last ts I’ve only seen the “marketing” side of London, you know). But due to that I decided to go and visit some museums. So far I’ve been to the British museum (enjoyed the Asian collection there ad briefly visited others), National gallery (added Claude and Turner to the artists whose works I like) and Science museum (it’s awesome and also a paradise for kids).<br /><br />What else?<br /><ul><li>Bought a computer – Lenovo T60 with WinXP. I’ve relied on IBM laptops all my working life and never had any problems (so far so good).</li></ul><ul><li>Opened an HSBC bank account: my appointment was scheduled a week after than my call to the bank and the whole process was nice and smooth and took about an hour.</li></ul><ul><li>Had an assessment at LBS Fitness Centre and swam my usual 3km per week.</li></ul><ul><li>Registered with the police.</li></ul><ul><li>Found out how to make free calls to Moscow.</li></ul><ul><li>Took an accounting textbook from the library and will make myself read three introductory chapters before the course start (but there are so many things happening here that I simply don’t have much time to sit and read).</li></ul><ul><li>Tried Indian food for the first time and liked it!</li></ul>Despite the fact that there are still some things to do (like registering with a GP), I’m feeling "all settled".<br />Orientation starts next week on Monday!RusGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14115355333979590492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13843299.post-22157926510093787362007-08-11T01:25:00.000+04:002008-12-10T13:14:57.332+03:00LBS reference verification checks process<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5MgH7wcTuZCVXyHUqmmt1mR_L6VJfVoCn38n33F7PhtXVqVzATkeXC3TKoXmYiUM7tSZHma4aQ6pXDWASQkNPv0JHDpN0MId_tJiFRCQWfXN0o8y2NINfXo4RiNmIZDKRHR_vAg/s1600-h/SherlockSmall.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5MgH7wcTuZCVXyHUqmmt1mR_L6VJfVoCn38n33F7PhtXVqVzATkeXC3TKoXmYiUM7tSZHma4aQ6pXDWASQkNPv0JHDpN0MId_tJiFRCQWfXN0o8y2NINfXo4RiNmIZDKRHR_vAg/s320/SherlockSmall.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097194376423709650" border="0" /></a>London Business School performs reference verification checks for all of the admitted students. This year they sent e-mails to recommenders in the end of July.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">To my mind this is strange because of two things:</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">1) July-August are holiday months, so most people are away and unable to reply promptly.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">2) It's too late to perform any actual checks. Suppose they find something about someone - and the person has already paid a big amount of fees, resigned from job, got visa, moved to London...</span><br /><br />This process is not advertised and I only discoverd that because one of my recommenders had changed a job, so his e-mail was no longer valid and I got a request of his current address from admission officer. I submitted the new e-mail and of course wrote\called all of my four recommenders.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">You may wonder why am I talking about four recommenders while the school requires just two recommendations? And no, my recommenders don't do extreme programming ;) (for eXtreme Programmers a common practice is to work in pairs). I got two recommenders last year and two more the year before that. That's probably why some schools do not like reapplicants - they have to perform double amount of checks on them :)</span><br /><br />Two recommenders replied to the school, before they got my e-mails.<br />Two others returned from holidays, made a heroic attempt to scan their "in" and "spam" folders (you may imagine how many letters a high-level manager would have after two or three weeks away) and... haven't found anything LBS-confirmation-related there. Both of them were the recent recommenders... you see the pattern too, don't you?<br />So I wrote to admission officer asking [for trouble] her whether the remaining confirmations were needed, and she sent the long-awaited e-mails. Hopefully the replies will fly back next Monday - the same day when I head to London myself.RusGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14115355333979590492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13843299.post-39061930408305060242007-07-21T18:39:00.000+04:002007-08-11T01:58:14.846+04:00Exemption exam in Business Statistics<span style="font-family:verdana;">Small number of posts lately doesn't mean nothing interesting is happening with me. Just the opposite! That's why I'm finally posting this after midnight on Sunday :)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">This time I wanted to write about exemption exams at London Business School.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The School gives us 4 options:</span><br /><ul style="font-family: verdana;"><li>Managerial Economics (by Masters degree in Economics)</li><li>Financial Accounting (by an appropriate professional qualification in Accounting)</li><li>Business Statistics (by eligibility test)</li><li>IT for Business Value (by exam in Autumn Semester)</li></ul><span style="font-family:verdana;">All current students <a href="http://commitment.es/mba2008/2007/07/16/spam-exempt-as-much-as-you-can/">recommend</a> to exempt as much as you can.<br />I cannot get away from Economics and Accounting, so I applied for the Statistic test in the beginning of July, was one of the first to get it and started solving right away (only two weeks time for the test).<br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">I didn't have a text book (Mik Wisniewski <span style="font-style: italic;">Quantitative Methods for Decision Makers</span>), but I was armed with *rusty-dusty* prior knowledge of statistics and internet connection.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">If you are (or will be) in the same shoes, have a look at the following links:</span><br /><ul style="font-family: verdana;"><li>Useful <a href="http://davidmlane.com/hyperstat/z_table.html">Java applet</a> to check your Z-table figures</li><li><a href="http://www.stat.sc.edu/%7Eogden/javahtml/power/power.html">Hypothesis test</a> (also with Java applet) and one more <a href="http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/stata/dae/t_test_power.htm">explanation</a></li><li>Calculation of <a href="http://learning.mazoo.net/archives/001385.html">portfolio variance</a> (my favourite task so far)</li><li>Regression applet in MS Excel: <a href="http://www.jeremymiles.co.uk/regressionbook/extras/appendix2/excel/">how to work with</a> and <a href="http://www.ukzn.ac.za/Biology/Uploads/dc6317ea-0076-4803-a38b-50af6cd3d118/Interpreting_Regression_Output_in_EXCEL.ppt">how to interpret</a> (*.ppt)</li><li>And <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page">Wikipedia</a> for every unknown term</li></ul>To my *mathematical* mind the test was rather hard. Results will be out in the end of August and I'll let you know how I did.RusGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14115355333979590492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13843299.post-17468708010818445482007-06-26T18:11:00.000+04:002007-06-27T15:30:10.164+04:00London Business School HSBC loan<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">The second most important thing in pre-MBA is finding money to finance the course. When I first met a number of admits couple of years ago they were all saying: “Don’t worry about money, get in first, and finances will be sorted automatically”. Yes, upon acceptance to Stanford you fill a questionnaire and the bank says: “You will need the following amount of money. Here you are”. But things are not like that in Europe. Loans are harder to get and scholarships are scarce (in LBS this year ~25% of the class got a scholarship – “only” or “whole” depends on what side of the fence you are). Thus you should start thinking about money before you secure the place in the next class.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Disclaimer:</span> I will write everything I know about the HSBC loan scheme so it is no use asking me for additional guidance. This information is true to the best of my knowledge and up-to-date in June 2007. If you have any other questions, you’d better contact the program officials.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;" >Features:</span><br /></span><ul><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Maximum amount is £50,000;</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">No co-signer or guaranties required;</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Repayment starts 6 months after the course completion;</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">No penalties for early repayment.</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Myth:</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Insert-your-country-here</span> nationals have particular difficulties in getting the loan and are often refused.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Truth:</span> Only the nationals of Myanmar cannot benefit from this scheme (this has something to do with the list of money-laundering countries). People from all other countries will have no difficulties in receiving the loan once they apply wisely and provide all the necessary documents.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;" >Drawback #1: How much can you apply for?</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Take two thirds of your net income (take the past 12 months figures without bonuses<span style="font-weight: bold;">*</span> and divide by 12). This is what HSBC will consider the maximum amount you’ll be able to repay after getting a job post-MBA.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-family:verdana;">*you’d better clarify if bonuses should be included or not, because I am not sure<br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">Based on current interest rate of 7.75% and repayment period of 84 months (7 years) for two-year MBA program HSBC gives the following figures:</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Amount £20,000 - monthly repayments: £371</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Amount £30,000 - monthly repayments: £557</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Amount £40,000 - monthly repayments: £743</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Amount £50,000 - monthly repayments: £928</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Don’t ask me how they got those figures. I tried to check, but the method I was taught at university is not working here, so I will probably have to get an MBA to understand this.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;" >Drawback #2: You cannot apply for the maximum amount</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I know people whose salary allowed applying for £50,000, who applied for it and were rejected.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Actually in borderline cases the bank takes into account multiple things apart from your current salary: likelihood of getting employment in the UK once graduated and other financial commitments.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:verdana;" >If you know a safe maximum amount to apply for – you’re welcome to write it in comments.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;" >Drawback #3: You need to show the bank how you will pay for the rest of your course</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">For example, you apply for £40,000 and after estimating all costs you need another £40,000 for living. You will have to show the bank that you have secured those £40,000.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;" >What documents you’ll need to apply for the loan:</span><br /></span><ul><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">A copy of passport main page (this is for identification purposes. I applied for the loan with one passport and exchanged it after that because it expired – this is fine)</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Copies of all bank statements for the previous 3 months (take care and do not have any overdraft on your accounts)<br /></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Evidence of earnings for the previous 12 months (salary slips or tax documents or a letter on original letterhead from your employer)</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Proof of current residential address</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Proof of permanent residential address for non-UK residents if different from above</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Other evidence for any funds you have to put towards the cost of the course</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Filled application</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">The photocopy of everything above (to use by LBS)</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;" >Other useful things:</span><br /></span><ul><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">All the documents should be issued in English or officially translated.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">There is a question in the application whether you own a property or assets and the estimated value of those. Your words will be taken for granted if you won’t use this property\assets towards the cost of the course. Otherwise you will have to provide a recent valuation.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">It is assumed that you will provide the bank statement from which your salary incomings will be clear or explain why you cannot provide this statement.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">By the way, I found that explanatory letters work very well. Read your complete application out loud and if there are some questions remaining spend one more piece of paper to address them.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">If the bank decides you asked for too much – they will reject your application.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">If you secure the loan for tuition fees you will not be able to use it towards any other purposes (e.g. living expenses).</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">LBS takes the administration fee of 1% of the loan. This fee is only charged if you agree to take the loan (because you may apply, secure the loan and then find other sources and decide not to take the loan – in this case administration fee is not charged).</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Success story:</span> I initially gathered the documents for about three months – the time was spent on budget calculation, providing evidence of other funds and official translation of the documents.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I sent the pack to school by courier in the end of April. In two days I got an e-mail with confirmation of delivery and additional question from financial aid officer. After we clarified the question she sent my application to the bank – and in less than a week there was a positive answer.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I suppose that if you apply later, say in August, it may take longer to get the answer, but all in all the decision process is rather fast.</span><br /></span>RusGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14115355333979590492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13843299.post-64349854246808324112007-06-12T23:36:00.000+04:002007-06-12T23:40:45.395+04:0015 advices for public speakersCheck out this <a href="http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2007/06/speaking_as_a_p.html">Doug Lawrence post</a> on Guy's blog.<br /><ol><blockquote><li>Circulate with your audience.</li><li>Command attention. </li><li>Snarl. </li><li>Bite your tongue. </li><li>Always perform a sound check before you speak. </li><li>Use your eyes all the time. </li><li>Move away from center to make your point. </li><li>Get quiet. </li><li>“Underline” certain words with a pause or repetition. </li><li>Take a risk and be vulnerable. </li><li>Tee it higher. </li><li>Know when it’s time to go. </li><li>Use Q and A as an “encore.” </li><li>Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. </li><li>Perform for a hero.</li></blockquote></ol>RusGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14115355333979590492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13843299.post-16709921916079627512007-06-08T20:18:00.001+04:002008-12-10T13:14:57.479+03:00Getting Things Done<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJbv0cuBzbeZlQ8ET1tGQWza3CVQhoS6Ouius4hxGjL1E2GKm3mUIu6egZnmWC5WF-SdgDSU6jSIEnCITFWw0ClGf01EFFJA4vJotSPF2QHAQ_gc28BQcu9EXIk-2IJCh8hoxYg/s1600-h/gtd.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJbv0cuBzbeZlQ8ET1tGQWza3CVQhoS6Ouius4hxGjL1E2GKm3mUIu6egZnmWC5WF-SdgDSU6jSIEnCITFWw0ClGf01EFFJA4vJotSPF2QHAQ_gc28BQcu9EXIk-2IJCh8hoxYg/s320/gtd.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5073728789155152098" border="0" /></a>After <a href="http://www.abigpond.com/blog/2007/05/28/getting-things-done">Al Martine’s post</a> I’ve decided to finally read <span style="font-style: italic;">Getting Things Done</span> by David Allen. And... thank you, Al, that’s a very useful reading for future MBAs!<br /><br />What I took from the book:<br /></div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Free you mind </span>for creative thinking by organizing your commitments: write them down and don’t rewind them over in over in your head</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Create lists</span> of what you should do, whom are you waiting for reply, what you may want to do someday</li><li>Write <span style="font-weight: bold;">actions</span>, e.g. “call to book the table” instead of “birthday dinner”. Always ask “what’s the next action?”</li><li>Instantly do things that you can accomplish <span style="font-weight: bold;">in less than two minutes</span>. If it will take more time, add them to your lists</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Review</span> the lists regularly<br /></li><li>And a lot more…</li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;">I’ve reorganized my lists in Backpack (see <a href="http://rusgirl.blogspot.com/2006/08/get-things-done.html">earlier post</a>) and the methodology is now working for me! Two lists are my favorite: what I am waiting from someone and Projects - to get a higher perspective on what’s going on.<br />If interested then check out this <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getting_Things_Done">Wikipedia entry</a> for more details and tools to implement this methodology (I’d like to try the Lotus Notes tool next).<br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">UPD:</span> <a href="http://commitment.es/mba2008/2007/06/09/first-days-gtding-a-couple-of-metrics/">Patxi</a>'s impressions of the book.RusGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14115355333979590492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13843299.post-85362178446348671992007-06-03T20:04:00.001+04:002008-12-10T13:14:57.704+03:00Booz Allen Hamilton Sponsorship Program for Women in Europe<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >What a fun it is to write on some topic other than “why the scholarship committee should consider you for ZZZ scholarship?”!</span><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >I decided to post eligibility criteria and documents required for the Sponsorship application for future applicants because the only other way you can get this is write to the organizer.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /><a style="font-family: verdana;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCsBfAa2rF5ZZt1HCniHFA35GTy4m2uCAYCIIGz1nmeA4Y3lZa7Tfz-8XJVamFvHCntysu-qrnVg8NV5MJzUr6JBaPit8hqfq4WQ0hOUwhqTpINDDlvOyJl0hSM_juiPuJDR_Gqg/s1600-h/booz.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCsBfAa2rF5ZZt1HCniHFA35GTy4m2uCAYCIIGz1nmeA4Y3lZa7Tfz-8XJVamFvHCntysu-qrnVg8NV5MJzUr6JBaPit8hqfq4WQ0hOUwhqTpINDDlvOyJl0hSM_juiPuJDR_Gqg/s320/booz.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071871766229328466" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >To be <span style="font-weight: bold;">eligible</span> you should be female, willing to work in a European office of Booz Allen and be admitted to one of the top MBA programs (Columbia, Harvard, IESE, IMD, INSEAD, Kellogg, LBS, MIT, Stern, Oxford, Stanford, Chicago, Wharton, Tuck).<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Deadline</span> is 3 months before the start of your program: 1 June for September intake, 1 October for January intake.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Required documents</span>:<br /><ul><li>Current CV (1 page);</li><li>Copy of undergraduate university transcript;</li><li>The original or a notarized copy of the letter of admission to business school;</li><li>A letter of motivation explaining your interest in management consulting and Booz Allen Hamilton (1-2 pages);</li><li>Two letters of reference (1-2 pages each).</li></ul><br />I found out that reference is needed in the beginning of May, called one of my recommenders to discover that he was flying away for a three-week holiday. Surprise-surprise :)</span>RusGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14115355333979590492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13843299.post-74890814671147227792007-06-03T15:31:00.000+04:002008-12-10T13:14:57.980+03:00Moscow: Women in Leadership forum<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">The month of May passed by under the title of “Scholarship deadline is coming”. Thus I was writing a lot, but not blogging. Meanwhile a couple of useful posts formed in my mind – so I decided to start with a useless one instead :)</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Last Thursday (31st of May) I’ve been at the <a href="http://www.qsforums.com/">Women in Leadership</a> forum. Of all the presentations I was able to visit, I liked two most: by BCG and by SAP.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">BCG uses a zero-risk approach: the firm collects a bunch of consultants and lets them tell stories. Plus the presentation was focused on the older level of the auditory apart from all other firms that were telling about opportunities for undergraduate students.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">SAP guy didn’t tell me anything I hadn’t knew before, but, again, he entertained us with a bunch of vivid stories. For example, this one:</span></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKNVobfitUjSqGGSuTJYZYRzy1zwZGH5xQdpvL9bRhpHNsTDmyjNR59yKOHCi_23n008Fq0CgUQR_D1pJ02QuOkQu5aDTiVT2VFMEcYZrWl6UNZKwsLH4l-gAPEkt-qze3qAB6zw/s1600-h/mission+go+to+gap+buy+pair+of+pants.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKNVobfitUjSqGGSuTJYZYRzy1zwZGH5xQdpvL9bRhpHNsTDmyjNR59yKOHCi_23n008Fq0CgUQR_D1pJ02QuOkQu5aDTiVT2VFMEcYZrWl6UNZKwsLH4l-gAPEkt-qze3qAB6zw/s320/mission+go+to+gap+buy+pair+of+pants.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071799516289475074" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-family:verdana;">A picture worth a thousand words</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">I’m not sure that every woman goes like that, but… great difference in the attitude, isn’t it? The man did as he was told, but the woman took creative approach and (there were no constraints, right?) spent as much money as she could :)</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Once in my child days mom asked me whom I like to go shopping with more. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">“Of course, with you”, I said. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">“Why?”</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">“Because when we go with dad to buy bananas, we buy bananas. And when we go with you, we can buy strawberries, pears, apples, and not even buy bananas in the end. Shopping turns into an adventure and fun”.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">I have a rule to take something useful from every book that I read and every event where I go. This time was not an exception. I got this:</span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLL0HKlHP2W3V0-pnZ9qSc5X_AIiqP31Czvcb9tGOQ1pCvg20FY1R0CGV1bo3IAQs1HH7A_p1B8A1ggdN40fEZThyphenhyphenKaJOnHcmYfnh9HXeFVdY-Bni7r0iMdI0V7kByefg-W4O5UQ/s1600-h/pen1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLL0HKlHP2W3V0-pnZ9qSc5X_AIiqP31Czvcb9tGOQ1pCvg20FY1R0CGV1bo3IAQs1HH7A_p1B8A1ggdN40fEZThyphenhyphenKaJOnHcmYfnh9HXeFVdY-Bni7r0iMdI0V7kByefg-W4O5UQ/s320/pen1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071799761102610978" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:verdana;" >Pen&torch from Cisco</span></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Most interesting and innovative thoughts come to you at any place. For instance, in the evening when you’re lying half asleep. You have to get up, turn on the light and write it down. How many thoughts have you lost due to laziness or scribbling in the dark? What a great idea to make such a pen!</span></span><br /></div>RusGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14115355333979590492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13843299.post-34586493203763409512007-05-16T11:07:00.000+04:002007-06-06T10:12:52.600+04:00R3 Admission StatisticsIt seems that R3 Admits have been added to the Portal (congratulation by the way to all newcomers!).<br />The number is now 349.<br />Female rate: down to 24%<br /><br />Statistics for previous rounds are here: <a href="http://rusgirl.blogspot.com/2006/12/r1-statistics.html">R1</a>, <a href="http://rusgirl.blogspot.com/2007/03/lbs-r2-admission-statistics.html">R2</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">UPD</span>: the number dropped to 338.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">UPD2</span>: The official admits number for this year will be 316 (information from program manager by Anonymous).RusGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14115355333979590492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13843299.post-69385531251544667382007-04-27T13:37:00.000+04:002007-04-27T13:43:42.804+04:00The world works funny<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:10;" lang="EN-US" ><o:p></o:p></span><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:10;" lang="EN-US" >Lately I’ve been searching through the LBS booklets I have at home. In one of them I found a letter (“thank you for you interest in…”) which I received about two years ago. The “Ref. Number” on it seemed strangely familiar. I’ve checked it with my acceptance letter… and it turned out that that is my current student number! (Wow! Who could have imagined that all the history is stored?)<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:10;" lang="EN-US" ><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:10;" lang="EN-US" >Another funny story is about my application for Chevening Scholarship. I applied for it in two subsequent years. First year I got my rejection straight in November, with original of my diploma. This year I didn’t have a straight feedback. As time went by and all deadlines passed, I understood that this year application was not successful either. So I wrote a number of e-mails to British Council officer asking to send me the rejection letter, which I will need as a proof for future scholarship applications.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:10;" lang="EN-US" >In beginning of April I phoned the lady and begged her to send me the letter.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:10;" lang="EN-US" >I got it yesterday (exactly when I no longer needed it), but the letter itself was quite interesting. It contained my diploma and some other docs from my application which meant that they haven’t sent me this letter earlier and it hasn’t been lost in the depth of Russian post office which I always blame (ah, this reminds me of an anecdote I will post as a footnote). But the letter – the letter said: “Thank you for <b style="">your interview</b> for Chevening scholarship. However, we are sorry to inform you…”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:10;" lang="EN-US" >I haven’t received an interview invitation, neither attended one. And it makes me wonder – who were they interviewing and why this person did so badly and haven’t won me a scholarship? :)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:10;" lang="EN-US" ><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:10;" lang="EN-US" ></span></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Verdana;">--- anecdote ---<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Verdana;">A week before Christmas a post office received a letter addressed to “Santa Claus”. Since there was no address, the officers opened it and read:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><i style=""><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Verdana;">‘Dear Santa Claus,<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><i style=""><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Verdana;">I leeve in orphanage and now winter came and I have no worm clothz. It is very, very cold now and I can not play with my frends outsaid. Pleaze, can you brin me a Christmas prezent a coat, a hat, glovz and boots? Thank you, thank you, thank you…’<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Verdana;">The officers were so touched that they chipped in for the present from their low wages and were able to buy a coat, a hat and boots for the boy. They send that as a present from Santa Claus and a week later another letter came from that very boy. They all gathered to read it out loud:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><i style=""><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Verdana;">‘Dear Santa Claus,<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><i style=""><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Verdana;">Thank you very mush for you prezent. I am warm now I got yor coat and boots and hat. I have not got glovz, but this is sure becoz bad guyz at the post ofis stole them…’</span></i></span></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style=""><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:10;" lang="EN-US" ><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>RusGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14115355333979590492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13843299.post-68898245245505875662007-04-25T14:03:00.000+04:002007-04-25T14:26:09.803+04:00Made it to the Top10 Best of Blogging Applicants!<a href="http://blog.clearadmit.com/2007/04/best-of-blogging-2006-2007-results/" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.clearadmit.com/images/bob07.gif" alt="Clear Admit BoB" border="0" /></a><br /><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >My blog is named 6th in the Best of Blogging competition! Many-many thanks for everyone who voted for me and to ClearAdmit for organizing the competition!<br />It was a great opportunity to vote for the blogs I love, and I am glad that my voice counted.<br />Congratulations to <a href="http://angelangie2008.blogspot.com/">Angel Angie</a> and <a href="http://rungee582.blogspot.com/">Rungee</a>!!! You both got the well deserved awards for great blogs and effort you put in them!</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >Angie, thanks a lot for <a href="http://angelangie2008.blogspot.com/2007/04/thank-you-for-ipod.html">offering the Room Of Inspiration</a>! I appreciate that ;)</span>RusGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14115355333979590492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13843299.post-74861785187661843202007-04-22T22:50:00.000+04:002008-12-10T13:14:58.107+03:00Loan, accommodation and other things<span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb9HQKdiOHyF8EiY0P0clsRr_HW0atTCbpEstfxyuNhgzCYhN15EY8XmMBXI55FuNxG3VFBXxEYAPYcj70fbFHmv33dIRWpeV10I8oVW7Zpqia0YW42VMvPdcPX8ilGeRbbsTGJw/s1600-h/1.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb9HQKdiOHyF8EiY0P0clsRr_HW0atTCbpEstfxyuNhgzCYhN15EY8XmMBXI55FuNxG3VFBXxEYAPYcj70fbFHmv33dIRWpeV10I8oVW7Zpqia0YW42VMvPdcPX8ilGeRbbsTGJw/s320/1.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5056327159346212546" border="0" /></a></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" >Instead of having a week holiday during which I planned to complete my loan application, I spent two weeks in bed with quinsy. Speaking of the bright side – this reminded me that most of the pills and medicine in London can only be bought with a doctor prescription. Thus I compiled a list of my favorite medicines to take with me. Mental note: I will also need to think of a list of all other things I will bring to UK and squeeze it to the minimum (postpone until July). </span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">I haven’t submitted the <b>loan application</b> yet, but I hope to send it next week. It turned out that the account statement couldn’t be notarized if the officer who signed it didn’t write her post. So I had to take the already translated document back to the bank (in another city), find the lady who signed it and ask her to put a stamp with her post on the paper. And then take it back to the notary and wait for another couple of days…<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">I have also thought about <b>accommodation</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">As one of the first year students pointed out, LBS offers 33 places in London University accommodation. The biggest minus is lack of cooking facilities in most of the rooms (I prefer not to eat in a dining room – been there, tasted that, didn’t like it).<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">Since I have no more than 10% chances of getting the university accommodation, a backup is needed. Flathunter’s Pub Crawl will help – and I have joined the group of volunteers who will organize it!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">There are a lot of things going on the <b>LBS Portal</b>. The most interesting one is the topic called “Getting to know you!” where my fellow classmates give a short presentation about themselves. Judging from it I will study with a group of very interesting and diverse people!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><span style="" lang="EN-US">Looking ahead there are three things I have to start thinking about: </span></b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">short term accommodation, flight and visa.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">I can book <b>accommodation</b> right now. London University International Hall offers rooms for 18 pounds a day. But if I postpone this until later, I can only count on other universities and the price will be 30 pounds a day. Or maybe I will be able to have a sublet room from one of the fellow students? (Any offers for 13-26 of August? ;))<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">I can <b>fly</b> with Aeroflot or British Airways. Aeroflot flies at a convenient time (arrival on 1 p.m.), but only allows 20kg of free baggage. BA flies at inconvenient time (arrival on 6 a.m. or 11 p.m.), but allows 32kg of free baggage. As far as I understand I won’t have student discounts yet since ISIC will be valid from September 2007.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">I will apply for the <b>visa</b> as soon as my passport is ready. I have confirmed with fellow students that I do not need to show the consulate the money for the whole course (fee + living expenses). This means I do not need the outcome of the loan and scholarship applications.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">Speaking of <b>scholarships</b> I really need to start writing the essays. There’s only one month before deadline left (OMG!). But I use every opportunity to procrastinate (like writing this post!)<o:p></o:p></span></p>RusGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14115355333979590492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13843299.post-48790594969712120322007-04-04T15:06:00.000+04:002007-04-04T15:16:09.236+04:00New Order Business School (by Seth Godin)Check out the following article <a href="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2007/04/nobs_the_end_of.html">NoBS, the end of the MBA</a> by Seth Godin. It is Seth's thought exercise that might be useful to:<br /><ul><li>MBA-haters ("aha, Seth too says that MBA is dead!")</li><li>MBA-aspirers ("if I get an MBA from *** it will be my silver bullet")</li><li>MBA-about-thinkers ("what other options have I got? What will I get from the degree?")</li><li>MBA-admits ("find out what it all about")</li></ul>And it is also an interesting read!RusGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14115355333979590492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13843299.post-56027997559430819452007-03-29T12:27:00.000+04:002008-12-10T13:14:58.440+03:00Reflections on LBS R2 admission statisticsAs a follow up to my post about <a href="http://rusgirl.blogspot.com/2006/12/r1-statistics.html">R1 admission figures</a> I decided to post some R2 admission figures and to think about how many places are left for R3 & R4 (please keep in mind that I am not a member of adcom so my suppositions may be completely wrong).<br />As one of my future classmates pointed out, admits are not be allowed to disclose the actual figures and other information from the portal (I've skipped the agreement first time I logged in, because I wanted to see the portal itself), so I put up some diagrams without any figures.<br /><br />In R1 and R2 nearly an equal number of people were admitted:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVWgXdXjOhZ_oj2BOHz8RdIeK_5_NA-9WLtC8qx36wPULzVZlb52sn2luFnfvH7IrsZ-pN_Fwrz_LYb2CbXXtRRhf4TnNufSGDZ7hvJuzM7NwZgJkZKONbK22AeNGdi03Id8dcwA/s1600-h/R12NC.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVWgXdXjOhZ_oj2BOHz8RdIeK_5_NA-9WLtC8qx36wPULzVZlb52sn2luFnfvH7IrsZ-pN_Fwrz_LYb2CbXXtRRhf4TnNufSGDZ7hvJuzM7NwZgJkZKONbK22AeNGdi03Id8dcwA/s320/R12NC.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5048021008123425954" border="0" /></a>If we compare the actual number of people who confirmed their R1 admission (including those from waitlist) with the number of R2 admits, the diagram will change:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW2eyQwEWU7Q_pkJzli8kx4C-mm85e9BLtX2Ej3-KMCtCuzh-SiUCRh_FxLeWGlOIXn3AUi6NjwzENbZYvTBWARXF7B1QyItolC2Bl-LxyCYvk42y0MGUV2xC5yX3bq8kx8d8mxw/s1600-h/R12C.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW2eyQwEWU7Q_pkJzli8kx4C-mm85e9BLtX2Ej3-KMCtCuzh-SiUCRh_FxLeWGlOIXn3AUi6NjwzENbZYvTBWARXF7B1QyItolC2Bl-LxyCYvk42y0MGUV2xC5yX3bq8kx8d8mxw/s320/R12C.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5048024912248698066" border="0" /></a>So... let's suppose that the yield of R2 will be, say, 60%... and no one from R1 & R2 defers their admission... and the class size will be 320... then the number of places for R3 & R4 applicants will be as following:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJekkA84pO0VEXFY5lHGSKcA88QauXhPhT5axRbi_AgmDebj4cCXWyNP9-NuyQcDcuelgkdNLneubqa8qgg8iNxe6NfXafnoP2CiohIEmvqA2Oasg8dje2zhbxaUIClghIS6i4CQ/s1600-h/R1234.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJekkA84pO0VEXFY5lHGSKcA88QauXhPhT5axRbi_AgmDebj4cCXWyNP9-NuyQcDcuelgkdNLneubqa8qgg8iNxe6NfXafnoP2CiohIEmvqA2Oasg8dje2zhbxaUIClghIS6i4CQ/s320/R1234.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5048022154879694018" border="0" /></a><br /><br />By the way, current female rate is <span style="font-weight: bold;">26%</span>.<br /><br />UPD: <a href="http://angelangie2008.blogspot.com/2006/05/lbs-admissions-statistics.html">Last year figures</a> in Angie's post.RusGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14115355333979590492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13843299.post-66143596003245763472007-03-24T18:50:00.000+03:002007-03-24T19:05:24.118+03:00Congratulations to R2 LBS admits!London Business School issued decisions on the R2 admits yesterday and I would like to say "welcome!" to everyone who is in. Special greatings to <a href="http://mitokondrion.blogspot.com/">Mitokondrion</a> :)<br />And I hope more LBS blogs & bloggers will appear soon ;)<br /><br />Congratulations to <a href="http://nat4mba.blogspot.com/">Natasha</a> who has been admitted to Darden - you've earned that admission, girl! Well done :)RusGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14115355333979590492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13843299.post-33677417093537753352007-03-09T12:38:00.000+03:002007-03-31T13:57:14.744+04:00I have a mentor nowLondon Business School has a practice of assigning mentors to the freshly admitted students.<br />I've got a letter today (been wondering about who my mentor would be from the mid-January)... and... guess, who is it?<br /><br />Hints:<br />1. She is from the same country (this is a good common practice)<br />2. She is a blogger<br />OK-OK you've probably already guessed: this is <a href="http://absent-mindedmba.blogspot.com">Genie</a>!<br />:)RusGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14115355333979590492noreply@blogger.com