Sunday, May 23, 2010

Reliance Stanford scholarship - essay

Huh like as always, this time too, competition is stiff. Only 50 students will be shortlisted who would then apply to Stanford.There is no change in Reliance Stanford scholarship - essay compared to last years essay question. The Question is 
How do you aspire to shape India's future?

Good thing is that it's same as last years one but the thing where it sucks is its 250 word limit. God knows what to write in such short words. Personally, I felt short of expressing my thoughts clearly in those 250 words. However I tried my best to put to it.

There are few tips which I gathered from few blogs. Would like to jot it down here so that it can help aspirants like me who are in dire need such scholarship.

  • Its "Shaping India's Future"; not "Changing. As trystwithmba quoted. This essay is all about expressing your experience and how it shaped/shaping Indian Society( even if its tiny change, it doesn't matter)
  • As leoneidas said rightly, This Scholarship is for "developing leaders in India who are committed to the country’s human and socio-economic progress." Hence it is imminent that the essay should discuss human and socio- economic issues in India and how they form part of your plan of shaping India's future.
  • The Application form asks about your professional aspirations and also states that "In the essay section, you will have an opportunity to elaborate upon your professional aspirations." Hence it would be advisable to link your professional aspirations to the theme of the essay.
  • Last but not least, DO KEEP IN MIND that, You have to complete the essay WITHIN 250 WORD LIMIT.

At-last done with Stanford GSB Fellowship

After suffering from mumps which took me 15 days to recover. At-last now submitted the Stanford GSB The Reliance Dhirubhai Fellowship. Now All I have to do is to follow up this Scholarship. In the mean time 5 days to go for BTG scholarship Announcement. :)

Timing :

1 June 2010 Reliance Dhirubhai Fellowship application submission deadline
1 July 2010 Reliance Dhirubhai Fellowship finalists notified
1 July 2010 to
6 October 2010
Reliance Dhirubhai Fellowship finalists prepare for and take GMAT exam (and, if applicable, TOEFL/IELTS)
1 July 2010 to
6 October 2010
Reliance Dhirubhai Fellowship finalists prepare and submit Stanford MBA application
December 2010 Stanford MBA Program notifies Reliance Dhirubhai Fellows
September 2011 Stanford MBA students matriculate.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

The "alien" in me

Credit goes to Suraj Viswanath, and his friend :).

 The "alien" in me 
 "Ships are safe when docked. But that's not what ships are built for! This is the story (rather broken memories) of a friend, who dared to dream and whose visions determined the course as I sailed out of my cocoon into the unchartered waters around. His colorful ideas emblazoned my hitherto dark and dull skies! His ship is not around today, “returning to my elements” as he would often refer to, but his memories live in me forever.
I knew him from the time he started looking out into the dark starry skies from our pigeonhole and kept wondering why those brilliant stars couldn't just wipe out the darkness in between! The craziest form of wonder ever posed to my analytical brain! I started listening to him when he explained why the beautiful things in the world just can't keep you happy at all times! We shared a common room in our eventful years of engineering but it was not artificial intelligence but natural imagination that we were up to in our night out talks. He was not keen on studies, he was never a member of our study group and no one really noticed this lonely soul until he ran into me with his crazy (I won't say that now though!) visions! And luckily for my friend I was a good listener and sharp arguer. There was a strange tinge of beauty and mystery in his eyes as he reflected on his experiments with space, time and the life that existed in their coordinates. To him darkness and disorder were the default entities in space, birth the default in time, and sorrow the default emotion in life! I would argue citing the beautiful sunrises, perfect pictures and happy minds around.
Then he would ask me, “Dear friend are you happy today?”
My frank answer would be “No! Something or the other definitely went wrong, just the depth of wound varies day to day!”
To which he would say, “Huh buddy you just can't swallow the beauty around, you just can't truly replace sorrow, you just can't align the stars… because disorder is meant to be there for evolution! Like the darkness carved out hard on the skies, sorrow is imprinted in you from birth; from mom you imbibe more than anything, pain!”
"Happiness, and order are illusions the human race invented out of evolution chains and the day the cover is blown no magnificent sunrise will protect you but your elements will: your elements which originated amidst those chaotic times… times when no order, no light not even 'time' existed!”
“So buddy be among the stars and nothing can touch you from this world! At the end of every dazzling night all candles are but flames.”
I am dumb. I couldn't just take those heavy doze of philosophy wrapped in his crazy words. But frankly I started liking the way he viewed the world around and I believed he never 'belonged' here and gave him the nickname 'alien'.
The mysterious connection between darkness and sadness was revealed before me as my friendly philosophical mind carried me to the boundaries of imagination. Both are deep and vast, I couldn't help correlating! But I never gave way. I am not crazy! I held firm to my line of thoughts…
With the wisdom of a scholar, I would say, “These days, engineering days… are meant to be so! Later on, we will find our own careers and have a family. Everything will be in order and happiness will fall out from the dark skies… the sun will rise again!” For a moment I thought I had convinced him about my own theory of happiness ahead but then he would smile back at me as if there was no tomorrow! Well, for him the only truth was birth. He was never afraid of death as “death is nothing but our final birth”, in his crazy, crazy world! “You came to this world in pain and in a birth and when you leave for the 'balanced' world you have to leave in pain and through a birth.” His law of conservation was way out of reach for my encephalon!
My head used to explode as I revolved, like the earth, around his mysterious world, keeping the pace and distance so as to avoid being sucked into the sunny flames of his ideas! But then, these thoughtful nights' lasting hangover equipped me with an expanding mind ready to face the next dawn's surprises. For me the intoxication in his visions was just the beverage for my mind!
Years passed by, the sparkling rainbow in the vanilla sky threw back its colors on my life. I got the job I thought I wanted, the girl I truly loved and had the “order in life” I always predicted. Seasons rolled by, drenched in summer showers and in autumn I gazed with dismay at the leaves, fallen from life, indistinguishable.
I didn't see 'alien' again… rather never did I dare to find him, but his ideas remained with me. Every sunrise gave me a new birth; happiness never ever was retained in the delicate sieve of time.
And today, as time waits to place the final spring of life in the form of lifeless roses on my chest, I suddenly find my friend 'alien'. He wasn't crazy but 'he' was 'I' fast-forwarded into the future! The fresh air, fragrance of red wine and promising roses still clung to my frozen black suit in tact, but I will be carrying back just the pain for my 'last birth'. Church bells ringing around my deaf ears had the whisper of my love's words as I succumbed to time. Oh my dear friend can you be more right? This coffin is as good as a cradle… birth indeed is the default in time! And as I look out to the fading stars from my glassy cage I ask 'alien', “Dear friend, tell me why this engulfing darkness in spite of the brilliant stars out there?” I almost kissed the stars when I saw him smiling as he whispered, “Soul mate, be among the stars and nothing can touch you from this world!” The final realization of life came inches before my black hole but still it made the transition smooth!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Reason A Season and A Lifetime"© by Brain A. "Drew" Chalker. 
People always come into you life for a reason, a season and a lifetime.  When you figure out which it is, you know exactly what to do.
When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed outwardly or inwardly.  They have come to assist you through a difficulty, or to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally, or even spiritually.  They may seem like a Godsend to you, and they are.  They are there for a reason, you need them to be.
Then, without any wrong doing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.  Sometimes they die, Sometimes they just walk away.  Sometimes they act up or out and force you to take a stand.  What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done.  The prayer you sent up has been answered and it is now time to move on.
When people come into your life for a SEASON, it is because your turn has come to share, grow or learn.  They may bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.  They may teach you something you have never done.  They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.  Believe it!  It is real!  But, only for a season.  And like Spring turns to Summer and Summer to Fall, the season eventually ends.
Lifetime, relationships teach you a lifetime of lessons; those things you must build upon in order to have a slid emotional foundation.  Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person/people (anyway); and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas in your life.  It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.  Thank you for being part of my life...."

Saturday, May 08, 2010

DreamChaser's

Taken from DreamChaser's NerverGIveup TIPS.

This post also won the best post from clear admit.

As R2 results slowly rolled out for various schools, the blogsphere/online forums became active again. For some, it was a triumphant finish. For others, it was the land of nowhere.

This post is dedicated to those who unfortunately did not make it this application season, especially those who I've personally interacted with.

It was heart-breaking even for a bystander to see these individuals pouring their heart and soul into bschool applications, as well as two years of precious time, and ended up with nothing but disappointing emails from their dream schools. As a fellow applicant, it was also my worst nightmare that I had once imaging myself going through. It's definitely a low point in life.

Then again, among the large pool of applicants this year, there were those resilient re-applicants, who got up where they fell and charged forward with such determination that one can only admire. Many of those re-applicants succeeded in their 2nd or 3rd try because their applications got better, or simply, because they persisted.

I have always believed that the key to success is about having the right attitude, which includes an unshakable confidence and a real humble heart. I fully understand that rejections from our dream schools can be so crushing, that we feel desperate, insignificant and incompetent. But the truth is, there is so much to you than four essays and a simple five page application! So friends, please don't let bschool application define or defeat you. The future is still bright, as long as you are up for it!

I feel like I have a lot more to say but don't know exactly how to say it. So I am just here, to show my support, as a fellow applicant.

I hope five years down the road, you can look back at this episode of your life with a big smile.

Sunday, May 02, 2010

The Great Learning....

I was going through The Great Learning by Confucius. This one is really captivating. hats off to Confucius.  

Leadership @ ancient times.

Things have their root and their branches. Affairs have their end and their beginning. To know what is first and what is last will lead near to what is taught in the Great Learning.

The ancients, who wished to illustrate illustrious virtue throughout the kingdom, first ordered well their own states. Wishing to order well their states, they first regulated their families. Wishing to regulate their families, they first cultivated their persons. Wishing to cultivate their persons, they first rectified their hearts. Wishing to rectify their hearts, they first sought to be sincere in their thoughts. Wishing to be sincere in their thoughts, they first extended to the utmost their knowledge. Such extension of knowledge lay in the investigation of things.

Things being investigated, knowledge became complete. Their knowledge being complete, their thoughts were sincere. Their thoughts being sincere, their hearts were then rectified. Their hearts being rectified, their persons were cultivated. Their persons being cultivated, their families were regulated. Their families being regulated, their states were rightly governed. Their states being rightly governed, the whole kingdom was made tranquil and happy.

If  this world adopts Confucius principles then there will be no more boundaries, no more racism, no more jealousy, no more terrorists, no more poverty, no more hungriness and no nuke war.

One more to go...

Quick note:

After submitting SOIL's scholarship and BTG scholarship. I left out with The Reliance Dhirubhai Fellowship Stanford. Currently, I am working on their Essay.Hope to get it done as soon as possible.