Photography and music

These are my two main hobbies. Is there a better place than London for photography AND music?

Here are a few photos I took during some concerts, while I was living there:

Mum @ Dingwalls (Camden Town)

David Sylvian @ Royal Festival Hall



Mercury Rev @ Royal Festival Hall



Sigur Ros @ Carling Apollo, Hammersmith



Goldfrapp @ Carling Apollo, Hammersmith

LBS offer pack

Yesterday I received my offer pack from LBS (arrived by DHL).

Nice black leather folder with some goodies inside, including a cool business card case, magazines and brochures. It also included a business card from a current MBA spanish student. Apparentely, LBS has a tradition of using current students to contact recent admits and to clarify any possible questions. I guess that's the guy who's going to call me in a few days.

Nothing about scholarships, though...

LBS - I AM IN!!!!!!!!

I just received a phone call from Tamsin! I'm in!!!!! Wow! I can't believe it!

She said this was a great achievement, because this round was very very competitive. Probably they say that every time, but... I don't care! :-)

Now I'm going to celebrate big time!

Fuckin amazing!

IESE interview - my job is done!

At last! Today I had my last interview, so, I'm done! It's not in my hands now.

The IESE interview was done this morning, by video-conference. Opposite to other b-schools, IESE does not use their alumni as interviewers. Everything has to be done by their Admissions office.

Arranging this interview was a bit complex. As I said before, I couldn't find any "neutral" place with this kind of equipment, at a decent renting cost. I asked IESE if this could be done in person. After a few days, I received a reply saying that they were also having lots of difficulties finding an available interviewer to travel to Portugal. So, I finally suggested what I was avoiding: use the video-conference room of the company where I work (my superiors still don't know about my MBA application...). But everything went perfectly. I used our VC room and no one noticed :-P

As for the interview, it was really quick. Around 30, 35 minutes. It is strange talking to a TV set, but I believe I caused a good impression. It was very relaxed and the questions were not difficult. Some of these questions were:

• Describe your responsabilities in a recent big project (mentioned in my essays)
• How did you handle adversities in such a project?
• Why I did you choose these 3 schools that you applied to?
• What do you do in your free time?
• Aren't you afraid that you'll be considered a bit old (31) after the MBA, to work in an hectic environment such as the consultancy market?
• You know that, as a consultant, you won't see the results of the projects you've worked for. How do you see that?

Finally, I was told that, since during next week IESE will be closed for Easter holidays, I will receive the final decision somewhere around 3 weeks from now.

IESE interview invite (it's official!)

Ok, now it's official! I received my interview invite for IESE!

But...

They said they want to do a video conference interview and gave me two possible dates. Problems: I can't find a place with video conference equipment and the time of the day specified for the interview is in the middle of the afternoon (which is impossible for me!).

Just sent an email asking for some alternatives. Let's wait and see...

LBS interview

Yesterday I had my LBS interview. I was invited by the alumni to go to his house. It took 1h30 and it was very intense (at least, comparing with the Bocconi interview). It had the usual questions and other ones more interesting. For instance:

• present me your current company and what would you change in it?;
• why did you do your GMAT two years ago?;
• do you think your short-term goals (consultant) will help you on your long-term goals (entrepreneur)?

This last one was specially difficult, because I had one opinion (yes) and he had another (no). In part he was right: the profile for a consultant (following rules and doing what they're told) is different from the entrepreneur's profile (more liberal). We spent some time discussing this, but finally I was able to reach an agreement, since I told him that the type of company that I would like to have would be in the consulting market. So, previously having been a consultant would surely help me on creating my own consultancy company.

Before the MBA he was working in the company where I currently work! So he gave some tips on dealing with this company, if I have to leave this summer in case I am accepted. That was very usefull.

Another observation: it is incredible how our curriculums match! He has the same degree, same specialisation and worked for the same company. He said that this was a coincidence, but I think LBS did this on purpose.

At the end of the interview, he didn't give me any special feedback, so I'm a bit worried. Just said that the interview is a part of the application process, a way to check (or not) some characteristics of my profile that LBS understood from my application. However, I still would like to know how much the interview counts in the overall application...

14 days and counting...

PS: The 5 minute presentation was the easy part of the interview.

SDA Bocconi - I'm in!!

Just received an email from Bocconi. I was accepted! Now, this was a reaaaally quick decision:

1. I sent all documentation by post on the 8th Feb, and received the interview invite on the 14th.
2. Was interviewed on the 6th March and received the acceptance email today (9th March).

Well, it's good to know that now I do have a backup plan, in case I don't get admitted to LBS or IESE.

Bocconi interview

Today I had my interview for SDA Bocconi. I met the alumni, italian and now working in Portugal, at an Algarve hotel lobby (yeah, nice place for an interview!). He was really nice and seemed to enjoy meeting a portuguese interested in that b-school. His curriculum also seemed impressive: finance, consulting and now, since he prefered to adopt a more laid-back worklife, created his own marketing company in... Algarve. However, he didn't seem to know my application as well as I bet the LBS interviewer will.

So, the interview was very casual and simple. No unexpected or complex questions. Just the basic: tell me about yourself, in what role do you see yourself in a team, why an MBA, why now, why Bocconi, short and long term goals.

Since the interview was very laid-back, it's difficult to say if it was great or not. But I think it went ok. At least, I'm now expecting to be accepted by this school (despite the 1:6 acceptance ratio).

This wednesday will be much worse, I suppose: LBS interview.

HBS / ApplyYourself screw-up

Apparently, there was a major screw-up involving Harvard Business School and the ApplyYourself website. Someone found out a back door which enabled all applicants to check the status of their applications! The method was explained in the BW forums, and promptly deleted by the moderators. However, it can still be found in the PowerYogi blog, another LBS R2 applicant.

Here's an official statement (not very polite and too authoritary for my tastes... as if all high-potential leaders are 100% ethical) sent by HBS, after this mess:

The mission of Harvard Business School is to educate leaders who make a difference in the world. We aspire to achieve this mission in all our activities, and our admissions process reflects our commitment to the highest standards of integrity.

Earlier today, we sent the following e-mail to all applicants currently in the admissions process:

We understand that some users of ApplyYourself, the on-line application and decision notification system we employ, have inappropriately attempted to access decision information about their own applications before the specified notification date. We take this abuse of the ApplyYourself system very seriously. Such behavior is unethical and inconsistent with the behavior we expect from high-potential leaders we seek to admit to our program. We want to assure all applicants, however, that:

• HBS decision information housed within ApplyYourself is neither complete nor final until our application notification dates
  
• The application information that all applicants and recommenders submitted to us has been, and continues to be, secure
  

We appreciate your interest in Harvard Business School, and we want to underscore to all our applicants our commitment to make and communicate our admissions decisions in the most rigorous, fair, and secure fashion.

Sincerely,

Brit K. Dewey, Managing Director of MBA Admissions & Financial Aid
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field Road
Dillon House
Boston, MA 02163

If not a real one...

... I hope to have at least one of these, after the MBA. :-D

Said and done - LBS Interview

I couldn't resist and sent an email to David Simpson, explaining my situation. I just had to wait 10 minutes for his reply, with the contact details of my interviewer! Amazing!

Now, let's prepare for this thing...

Photos, at last!

Finally, I have my own web space (through Yahoo! / Geocities Free hosting) which will allow me to post some pictures in this blog. As a great photography fan, I obviously agree that one picture is worth a thousand words (or more, If I am the one writing them). In fact, I hope to post here some photos of and during the MBA... if I am accepted.

To celebrate this new feature in the European MBA Diary blog, here's one photo illustrating one of the 2004 major events:



:-)

Yeap! That's right! I'm a huge FC Porto fan! Like it or not, this is the strongest portuguese team. And I was there, last year, in Gelsenkirchen, living this fantastic day: the 2004 Champion's League Final!

LBS interview update - nothing yet!

I am freaking out!!

I still haven't received the contact details of my LBS interviewer. Furthermore, I just sent an email to the MBA Marketing & Admissions officer responsible for my region and... he is out of the office until this thursday (March 4th)!!! WTF?!? Do they go on leave on such a busy period??

I've read on the BW forums that interviewers are being asked to send the interview report to LBS by the 14th March. This leaves me only next week to receive the details, schedule and do the interview, and hope that the interviewer sends the report on time!

I'm really considering sending an email to David Simpson...

IESE - TAP and... probably shorlisted?

1) I received an email from IESE on the 24th February with a username and password which allows me to check the status of my application. I also had to fill out a CV form on their website.

2) The deadline for R3 is today, but according to the Track Application Process (TAP) webpage, there are still some missing items like the transcripts, diploma and CV!! I sent an email to Teresa Byrne (MBA admissions officer for my region) and apparently everything is ok.

and...... check the interesting part of her reply:

"I've received your documents yesterday. Tomorrow I'm out of my office all day but next Wednesday I will send you more information from our side, regarding your application. I'll send you the details for organising an interview with your, but I still need to get the agenda from the interviewer."

What the fuck does this mean?!? :-) Is she saying that I have already been shortlisted for the interview?? Is it possible that she leaked some information? That certainly would be nice! According to BW online, IESE interviewed 61% of their 2004 applicants. Not as selective as LBS, but still good news.