Ding!

I just found out today I got dinged from Wharton. 

At this point I think it's fair to say that I have pretty much made up my mind to pursue a Ph.D.; however, it still stings a little bit to get a rejection from anything to which I've dedicated some time and effort.  Writing 7 essays for the Wharton/Lauder program took more than a few good hours that could have been devoted to quality t.v. watching!  There's a website out there where people can sign up and put their profile online and see what's going on with other applicants at various business schools, www.admissions411.com.  It's tough to know that I got rejected when I see some other people with similar stats (GMAT, GPA, etc.) who have gotten interview invites.  I think part of it may have to do with the fact that I applied for the dual Wharton/Lauder degree program which only accepts 60 people every year.  It is VERY competitive and most applicants have years of high-level international experience.  Oh well, time to move on.  I have two more MBA applications (Dartmouth, Harvard) out there currently and I'm hoping to get at least one acceptance from my top 3 choices...even if it is just so I can reject THEM!

On another note, I have some updates from my recent ventures to Chicago:

The FBI interview was a tough process.  I traveled out there with 7 other people from Columbus and we met up with 8 others who were from Dayton and Cincinnati.  It was a very simple process the day after we arrived.  They split us into two groups and we went through the two-phase interview process.  I had to do the panel interview portion first.  I sat down in a room with 3 Senior Special Agents and they asked me 13 direct questions.  They were looking for examples from my life where I've demonstrated certain skills they feel will translate into being a successful agent (leadership, teamwork, quick thinking, etc.).  I actually felt like this was the hardest interview I've ever been through.

  There was no back and forth conversation, they would ask a question and just let me talk and talk, never interjecting a word, until I decided I was done.  They never gave any hint as to whether they liked or dislike my answers and even at the end I thought for sure that I was just a terrible candidate and had completely wasted their time.  The second half of the overall interview process involved writing a case summary of a fictitious FBI case.  This was a tedious process, but overall it was pretty simple to just write down pertinent facts and state your opinion and recommended course of action.  I received a call from the Special Agent in charge of recruiting and she informed that I passed!  At this point, I essentially have an offer from the FBI pending a background check (VERY thorough), physical fitness test, and polygraph interview.  However, after discussing the opportunity with Ashley, I think I've come to the conclusion that this will not be my career choice.  I haven't informed them of this yet because nothing final has been decided.  But as I previously mentioned, I am leaning in the direction of a PhD...which brings me to my next Chicago visit.

This past Sunday-Monday I was in Chicago for the ADS Scholar Orientation.  As a recap from my previous post, they invited 60 applicants to come to the orientation.  From these 60 they will select the 30 recipients of the scholarship.  It was a great opportunity to go and learn more about the program as well as network with representatives from various universities.  Hearing about the life of a professor pushed me even more in this direction.  From what everyone was saying, the Ph.D. program is waaaaayyyy busy, like 55-70 hours a week of coursework, studying, and reading research journals.  But once you get your Ph.D. and become a professor, life is good.  There is always pressure to publish your research and have original work in your field, but the stress is low and you can be very flexible with your time.  I think it was interesting to hear how professors are somewhat like self-employed individuals: they work on whatever they feel like, they set their own hours (outside of class time), and they set their own market value by the reputation they carry and their network throughout academia.  Professors do have to report to a dean every now and again, but other than that, they have a lot of freedom -- and they even get benefits.  Anyhow, we'll see where this goes, I should hear back about the ADS program by next Thursday.