your life

($) If you got into a top bschool and now you’re thinking you’re not going to go

January 22, 2019 by EssaySnark

Whenever we hear of a BSer who made it in somewhere and is now having second thoughts, it always makes us go “Hmm.” Sometimes, what happened is the BSer applied to Schools A, B, and C…. and also School N. Nobody wants to go to School N. Getting in to School N didn’t even make…

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($) “What can I do to increase my chances after submitting?”

January 7, 2019 by EssaySnark

Many of you are still in recovery from the stress of submitting your Round 2 applications – or you still haven’t submitted all of them that you’re trying for. However, some of you may come off the rollercoaster of the past few days and then stand there feeling a little lost. There’s often a big…

“Regard your good name as the richest jewel you can possibly be possessed of–for credit is like fire; when once you have kindled it you may easily preserve it, but if you once extinguish it, you will find it an arduous task to rekindle it again. The way you gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear.”

– Socrates

($) “Oh no! What now?” part 3

February 21, 2018 by EssaySnark

This week we’re offering some advice for those who’re looking ahead past the current admissions season and thinking about the rest of 2018 and beyond. If you missed them, our first in the series on Monday is here and the second is here. 3. Re-evaluate opportunities. It may be that you get such a positive…

($) “Oh no! What now?” part 2

February 20, 2018 by EssaySnark

This week we’re discussing the real-world situation of the Brave Supplicant who tried for an MBA but did not have success getting in. This is not so much about planning a reapplicant strategy, though that isn’t at odds with this either. This is about, hmmm, things didn’t go as planned, and sitting here in middle…

($) What to do if it looks like you’re not making it in this year

February 19, 2018 by EssaySnark

It may seem like everyone but you has been accepted to bschool this year, but it’s not true. There have been lots of disappointments. You’re not the only one. Everyone crows about their successes but many who don’t make it go very quiet about everything so you can sometimes feel like you’re the only one…

If you really want to start a company…

January 22, 2018 by EssaySnark 4 Comments

…there is literally nothing stopping you.

View story at Medium.com

You do not need an MBA.

You do not need a lot of money.

You do not need anything except the willingness to get started and actually go do it.

Make 2018 different.

January 9, 2018 by EssaySnark Leave a Comment

Most people trying for an MBA are looking to make changes in their life. Some people look to the MBA only when they feel they’re out of options, like if they get laid off, or a contract runs out, and they don’t know what else to do. They think the MBA will save them. (It might, but it’s probably not going to solve whatever the underlying issue is in that case.) Most people though are just looking to be better. They want to reconfigure their lives and go for something more.

Cool stuff.

However, you don’t need an MBA to make changes.

You can make this year different by doing even very small things.

And we mean, very small.

If executed with intent, you can radically transform your experience of the everyday with little shifts in how you go about things.

There’s the really basic ones like you’ve heard many times before, such as getting off the bus one stop ahead of your destination, and walking it. Or parking at the end of the parking lot, and putting in a few more steps as you run your errands. Those are fine but they’re a little boring, and sometimes you don’t have time to do the inconvenient.

A funner trick (yes that’s a word now) is switching things up in your daily routine. For example, try brushing your teeth with your non-dominant hand in the morning. It’s hard! It’ll also make you stop and think. You’ll have to pay attention to the task, instead of just going through the motions. It’s a way to trick yourself into staying more present, and anchoring yourself into what you’re doing and the small thing you’re trying to accomplish.

Here’s another set of ideas, all based around the outdoors , many of which are tricks to help you change perspective. Like, instead of hiking that Big Famous Mountain that attracts all the tourists and ends up being crowded on the trails, scout around for another smaller peak adjacent to it, and hike that. The author claims the views are often better anyway.

Getting out of the city and into nature on a regular basis can radically change how you feel. There’s this concept of “forest bathing” that started in Japan which has wisdom and merit. It’s not just that you’re surrounded by trees and feeling the crunch of leaves or pine needles beneath your feet. It’s that you’re out of your everyday rut. Change your environment and it changes your thoughts.

So how about this. Consider this your assignment for today, and tomorrow, and the rest of the week.

Find a moment to give a genuine compliment to a complete stranger, somewhere as you go about your day. It has to be genuine. It can be anyone though. The barista as you pick up your coffee. The bus driver as you get on the bus. The bike messenger chick whizzing past you as you’re crossing the street (as long as you’re loud enough that you know she heard you). Doesn’t matter. Just make a point to a) observe, and b) appreciate, and c) say it out loud. At least one time. Today. And tomorrow. And keep going for 7 days total.

Or keep doing it forever.

That’s how change happens in life.

Sometimes it comes in a massive wave of disruption, where you pack up your life and you move to a new place to start some big new adventure. Like bschool.

But the REAL change comes when you change. You can be the same person who comes out the other end of the MBA process if you relocate your same ideas and habits and being-stuck-ness into bschool and don’t let go of them.

Or you can explore life TODAY. And see what happens.

What new shift will you embrace for 2018?

($) An example of not authentic

October 19, 2017 by EssaySnark

** DISCLAIMER: This post is not about one specific person. ** Why are we offering that statement? Because we suspect that multiples of you who will read what we are about to say will assume that we’ve written this about you. We have not. This is simply a pattern we’ve observed over the years. Everyone…

30 Ways to Change Your Life, courtesy of Elon Musk

October 13, 2017 by EssaySnark Leave a Comment

On the theme of GO DO SOMETHING!! today we’ll crib this incredible list of how-tos inspired by Elon Musk.

Most people will find most of these suggestions totally intimidating. And that’s kind of the point, right?

If you want to have an incredible, unusual, not-normal life, you have to do incredible, unusual, not-normal things.

Our suggestion? PICK ONE and commit to it.

Here is the 30 point checklist for accelerated learning .

Be yourself to the point where you get picked on and bullied.
If you’re interested in something, binge on it, become obsessed, addicted, and then pull yourself out and get clean.
Drop out of college or drop back in if it makes sense.
Move from your hometown and travel the world. [ES: Or go to bschool in a new country for 2 years!]
Ask your family for help (it’s the only way you’ll discover how much they care).
Humble yourself and stay at a youth hostel or camp if you have to.
Practice living on $2 a day to remove your fear of poverty.
Cold call or cold contact anyone you need to.
Become personable and develop the ability to build trust and rapport with those you connect with in person. The real world matters.
Try many different jobs. If you have to, go to the unemployment office and get started doing anything.
Get out of your comfort zone, and go see the companies or people you admire in person. You might be too nervous to talk to anyone at first, but that will pass.
Take jobs that are dangerous if you have to. If you view risk as something everyone else should take, but not you, then you’re a coward.
Go on a road trip or travel cross country.
Work and collaborate in business with your family. If you can’t collaborate with them or they only want to drag you down, move to collaborating in business with your friends. If you can’t collaborate with your friends towards a shared goal, find better friends.
When you’re ready, ask friends, mentors, and investors to invest in you. If you’re serious, tell them how serious you are, and then prove it to them.
Publicly state that certain projects, initiatives, or companies you’re an employee at will not fail. Cut off retreat or put yourself in a position where you will never accept failure.
Stop caring about branding and formalities. Care about being truthful and sincere with your words, vision, and ability to make friends that share your mission.
Invest all of your money into your projects when you believe in them. If you believe in them enough, have your friends and family invest, too.
Argue with your friends and makeup afterward. If you have to, push to have a friend ousted from their job if it’s in everyone’s best interest. The best friendships endure chaos and emerge stronger.
Avoid it at all costs, but once you’re generating enough income, borrow money if you have to.
Generate confidence in your imagination, ability to figure things out, and your ability to create money. Generate so much confidence that if you (like Musk) buy a one million dollar car, don’t insure it and wreck it… dust yourself off and hitch hike your way to meet the venture capitalists you were en route to meet.
Put off your honeymoon if something more important comes up. If your spouse can delay gratification, and you can articulate an argument, they’ll understand. [ES: We’ve heard of more than one BSer who did this for GMAT prep or essays!!!]
Travel the world, and if you come to the brink of death or face dangers, then fight like hell to live.
Appear on TV, media, or the news before you’re ready. Watch all the people you thought were friends laugh, disappear, or grow uncomfortable about your ambitions. It’s the only way you can separate the fake from the real.
Don’t be afraid to embarrass yourself publicly. Watch how a single “embarrassing” video, startup, or project is enough to make most people shut-ins or quiet for the rest of their lives.
Grow and learn so quickly that every six months you look back and are mortified by what you were doing six months ago.
Learn how to make arguments and use a first principles approach to challenges. Once you establish that something is possible, then you can get to work increasing the probability that it will occur.
Let yourself pursue hundreds of side projects until you learn this is a hamster wheel to nowhere. Once you learn this lesson, you’ll be able to seize the right, handful of opportunities when they arrive. When they arrive, commit and invest yourself fully into one thing until it’s successful.
Form lifelong friendships based on shared philosophies, actions, loyalty, trust, and respect. Put those friendships to the test in your ventures. The real ones will emerge stronger than ever.
Get married and have kids (You can either be Cooper or Doctor Maan from Interstellar). Musk has five kids. Bezos has four. Think it’s an accident? If the first marriage doesn’t work out, try, try again. [ES: Not quite so sure about this one, but whatev.]