Vincenzo

You just made me bust out laughing in the library. People looked and I went, "What? [shrug]."

For an MBA interview I'd consider a suit an absolute necessity. Every other applicant will likely show up that way and this isn't one of those occasions where you don't want to stand apart. It will seem as though you're not taking the interview (or your future career) seriously. It doesn't need to be a Brioni power-suit, but nearly anything (within reason) is better than nothing. I agree with the previous suggestions to try second-hand stores, places like Target or Ross, or to borrow one if you have that option. Stick to navy or gray and remember that a cheap suit that fits well is better than a flashy suit that doesn't. If you do end up being able to sacrifice a little cash, you would do well to look into Indochino who makes quite nice fitted suits for [relatively] cheap (but you'll have to budget a few weeks for delivery). Other tips (just as far as overall appearance/presentation on interview day): * avoid jewelry except a decent watch (and wedding ring if applicable) * for the love of god don't wear sneakers with a suit (as with suit buying advice above, if you don't have proper shoes pick some up at a second-hand store in brown or black - they don't need to be the greatest shoes ever made, but they should not look casual). And if your only belts have been chewed up over time, grab a cheap leather belt while you're at it (black). * and get dress-socks! These should go up to mid-calf or a little higher. (You'd be surprised, but people do show up with the suit and the shoes and then sit down to reveal gym socks and leg hair. Don't be that guy.) * as ties go, keep it simple. Just go with a flat color (no pattern), and nothing too bright/contrasty. And go with a classic white dress-shirt. * get a hair-cut, foo'! And shave well, or just clean up beard, etc nicely if you have facial hair. Keep nails trimmed close. Nose hair and unibrows be gone! * bring something to write on - a padfolio is a good option, and the way I'd go (and for MBA programs, have a few copies of your resume handy just in case). Some folks might show up with briefcases and the like, but I'd see that as overkill or trying too hard (unless you have to bring a portfolio of work or a laptop for some reason). * it may help to think of your MBA interview as interviewing to be a VP/COO/CFO of some company. How would you want to look for that interview? Showing up looking sharp will not only present well, but it will help you feel confident about that presentation (of yourself). The more you feel like you mean business, the more you'll exude that notion, and it will make an impression. This is [probably] your first real sale, and you are the product. An interview is a competition and there are no points for second place. * when asked a question, take a breath before answering. Smile. Be cool. There's no rush, and consciously remembering to breathe will help keep you calm and collected. * Make eye contact and smile. Don't cut jokes but try to laugh a little. If you seem happy to be there, your interviewers will be happy to have you there. * be prepared for the "What are your greatest weaknesses?" kind of question. Have a thing or two in mind that reflect some forethought and introspection, but don't be self-depricating. It's a fine line, so it helps to prepare. (Apologies for getting off-topic a bit on some of those.) Summary: clean up, dress up, look sharp, be confident, make eye contact, smile, and breathe! [For reference, though I'm finishing undergrad now and applying to PhD programs in this cycle, I spent about a decade at the executive level in various businesses prior to returning to school.]

I'm with Willows on this one. There were a couple schools I cut from my list of potentials after giving them (and the specific research interests of the faculty) more consideration. I applied to ten programs across nine schools and would be delighted with any one of them - especially with how few slots are available for anything anywhere right now. The whole pool is so thick with qualified applicants that it's made beggars of us all.

(I officially hate the Mac+Firefox combo now. I just typed a whole detailed response only to instinctively hit the CMD+Left-Arrow to highlight a line in the editor and it forced the browser to go back a page, losing my text. Ugh.) So, now retyping... Because I'm a masochist I actually split my applications between two fields: Biomedical Informatics and Cognitive Science (though these interdisciplinary fields have many names between programs). The last several months bouncing between researching programs, professors, papers, etc in both fields has been fun. And not fun. If I were a smart person (shh, don't tell the adcoms), I would have started a few months earlier and done everything for one theme and then gone onto the other so I didn't have to bounce back and forth... but I didn't... because I'm an idiot. Applications went like this... Cognitive Science/Neural Computation: Carnegie Mellon, MIT, Cornell, UCSD, UCSB, UCSC Biomedical Informatics/Comp Bio: Stanford, Duke, UCSD, UNC Chapel Hill (Along with all the big fellowships.) There were several other programs I wanted to apply to, but my recommenders (though they tried hard not to show it) were getting annoyed.

To an extent, yes. Though I'm conflicted. I liked that some of the deadlines for my programs went into mid-ish December (even one in January), but watching the invitations stream in for others sparks some worry. One or two invitations have gone out from the programs I've applied to thus far, but they seem like rare exceptions. So I tell me to be cool. Jules: "We're all gonna be like three little Fonzies here. And what's Fonzie like? C'mon, Yolanda, what's Fonzie like?" Yolanda: "Cool?" Jules: "What?" Yolanda: "He's cool." Jules: "Correct-amundo!" While I envy those folks getting acceptances sight-unseen from programs that don't do interviews, I actually like that all of my programs interview. The process isn't without anxiety, but it's an area where I shine, and it might make all the difference. That is, if I get that far. And that's the rub isnt it? Waiting.waiting.waiting for that invitation that might not come while we help our fellows make travel plans.

I've gone back through a lot of episodes of Psych. Shawn and Gus make for a fun, though unproductive, distraction.

Well here's to hoping they don't run background checks.

My days end like this: Damnit! No contact. Grr. ...but at least they didn't reject me. Yet. I have a feeling I'm going to end up in a few hold-out piles where the committees basically go, "Eh, we'll wait to see if he manages to land one of those fellowships." Feh.

#7 made me laugh my soda out of my whole face

Won't stop playing in my head.

Agreed. Phone bad. Email good. [snail-mail evil.] I suggest a new voicemail greeting though: "Hi, this is [me]. I'm probably in class or working hard on my research so my phone is ringless. For best results, use email. *beeeep*" (And I like the implied, "If you don't have my email address I wasn't talking to you, fool.")

Shh! Grad school is going to pay for my grad school expenses. It just doesn't know it yet. Now, as a thesis work... hmm. I shall update my Cog Sci apps. New research direction: discover special psycholinguistic magicness behind brevity!

And other fun alternatives to the Refresh button. Such as: Cake!

You guys are brave! I haven't got it in me to read back through my SOPs, especially the first few. I pretty much had to play Hyper-X Ultra Turbo Chop-Fest 2000 on all of them at the last minute to get them down to size. If I read them I'm certain to find otherwise competent sentences about developing parallel algorithms for comparative genomics completely derailed midway into something about how much I love bunnies. Cause, you know, they're fluffy n stuff.

I did this. Mostly while drooling on myself. Tied up in a padded room. Humming Through my nose. With a kazoo. And a twitchy crooked crazy-eye. And a moustache! I mapped out notification expectations for all of my programs only to sit here regardless going, "None of them are going to send me invites. I'm sure of it. I am the worst thing that ever was or could be." That's when I stop with the madness and walk away mumbling, "Psh. Fool. I'm the best at everything and everybody knows it. In the world. I just haven't heard back yet because these places are all too busy fighting over me." Then twenty.whole.bloody.minutes goes by and I'm back here for another hit of... whatever this is.

^what he said. Just the frying pan to the fire, kids. But it's hard not to look forward to. For now.