Tepper School Interview and Visiting

I have been back from Tepper School at Carnegie Mellon University for two days already. I didn't get chance to input my interview experience because my son got high fever to 105F. He is better today.

I drove to Tepper on Sunday night. I supposed to leave home at noon and arrive there by 5pm. But I happened to visit shopping mall to return an item, I found a very good big sales in Lord & Talor store, my favourite store. It was amazing that I shopped for 4 hours. I didn't do much shopping for myself this year since the house has tight budget. But I figured I should at least get a decent handbag for interview. It is an investment also. I found a good business suit a week ago, which almost 70% off. And it is nice and suits me well. I decided to wear business suit to be professional. Anyway, because of shopping, I left around 5pm. The map said it will take 4 hours and 44 minutes to get there.

Driving 4 hours straight in the highway is a pain. But I used to long drive already. The road is so curved since Pennsylvania is a mountain area. There is one thing to reminder that there is a long drive without gas station on 76 west. I almost ran out of gas and drove for almost 40 minutes, I didn't see any gas station. When I was panic, the gas station finally came up. I drove fast about 80miles/hour. Finally, I got to the town in 4 hours and 20 minutes. But I lost. The drive direction I got from maprequest is not correct. It was 10pm already, I still hang around to find my motel Day Inn. When I stopped at a tunnel, there is a black guy walking out of the office and came up to me, and he said he can lead me to the motel. Thanks God. I could not find the motel without his help. It is a new city to me. Next time, I won't go shopping again before doing important things. Hi, I cannot change shopping habit since I am traditional female. But next time, I will definitely need leave home early and arrive in the day time for a new city.

It was a good stay alone. I wanted to have a good rest for the interview day. The second morning, I arrived Carnegie 20 minutes before 10:30AM, my interview time. It is a small campus. The admission receptionist Ms Carol is a super nice lady. I was surprised that she arranged everything for me for a day, a free T-shirt, and a free lunch, a class visit and campus tour. I closed my cellphone. Since then, I was so busy to around so tight arrangement. My interviewer is Ms. Lauren, a new officer. I met her in Philadelphia Inside MBA. She is a nice understanding person. I chose her because I felt easy talking with her. I didn't prepare for interview that much since I can remember every piece of information on my resume. I have rewrite it for more than 50 times! I just want to be myself. This is a whole spirit I have for this MBA application process. I know my strength and my weakness. I just want to try my best and be myself. I know I am in old age group, but I think the best thing I can do is to be myself. If the school appreciate my experience and my strength, then I am lucky. If no, I won't feel regretted. Because most of female at my age won't take so much efforts to go back school again and give up a very good stable job in a top ranking global company. Am I realistic? I asked myself. I do not care. It is my dream and it is time I can try. I will just try. So I didn't really make much preparation.

The first question came up is asking me to go through the interview with her. Since I have read many interview experience on line and know what they possible want to know from interview. I tended to explain more in deep about what I did, what is my leadership and what impact I have done. I have many special stories which took up long hours. At the end, since I will join an information section, she said I have all the answers, just told me what other things you do outside your work. I told her my hobbies, and my charity. She wrote down many things on a piece of paper. At the end, she even didn't find place to write. The last question is "what questions you have for me?" I just asked about scholarship since many information is already online. It went one hour and 10 minutes. I figure I have talked too much about my experience. But I guess she took the useful information out of my talking already. Next time, I will time it better with short explanation about what happen to me during my schools and emphasize on the current work. Since she will read my application in the future, although we didn't get too much time to talk about my current work, I think it is fine, I have not much things to talk about in US anyway. It is a regular job for 5 years. routine, I was tied by this company because of green card. so..anyway. it went well and relaxed.

An half an hour information section is just repeating the information i already know. Two Indian students came to lead us for a lunch. There were three visitors including me that day. The young Indian girl said she already got job offer from her intern at the beginning of second year. The other one said he applied 7 schools last year, and received one offer. He was on waiting list of Tepper. But they emphasized that do not lied on your application. The school will assign an international agency to inspect everything you put on your application. That is a little scared. Since some start and end day for old employment might not 100% accurate since I forgot. I figure it is fine, I will need call to find my previous boss before they call then. They also mentioned that never write a recommendation letter yourself, it will put yourself to death. I am not sure how the officers valuate this. But we definitely guided our recommenders about what they should write and what should emphasize. I have given them some key points. anyway. I have submitted my application. I cannot do anything now. just let it go.

Class visit is not very excited. Maybe because it was a first or second class. The professor mentioned a lot about registration and check in etc. Then he started to ask about economic questions about China. I am interested to listen more. But we need leave in one hour. So not much to hear. A campus tour was ok, since the campus is so small. But it is surprised me that Carnegie is an art school. Everyone knows it is famous about computer. But it actually has great art department. We heard a lot of music on the way of visiting.

By the time I finished everything, it is already 4pm. I opened the cellphone, got message about my son was in emergency room with fever of 105 F. I was worrying and driving crazy back home with 100miles/hours. I was lucky that not caught by policemen. My neck was a little stuffed after 5 hours driving. But it was a quick visiting. I didn't forget to send out thanks email to everyone I saw that day. And I received the message back from them the second early morning. I think the admission committee in Tepper School are really paying attention to applicant to recruiting the best ones. Before I felt Tepper is my backup school. But after visiting, I felt it is not bad to just go Tepper since it has the best job placement specially for the person has age like me. Not too bad to have a high pay job after graduate.

I would share more visit to MIT next week. I will leave home on Sunday to MIT, and visit MIT, Harvard, Columbia and NYU in two days next Monday and Tuesday. My boss will be on business trip and presenting my paper for me. I got off since he support my MBA application. I finally make him to accept the fact that I will leave no matter what. But this time, I will definitely leave before the noon. a lot of driving this month.

Still waiting for invitation from Columbia and Wharton. But I am not that nervous now. I figure I just be patient and wait. If I am good, I will have some. if no..that is fine..i will prepare some schools for second runs. then. I have plenty of time to do this as a full time job. ^_^