| Senior management was on board to nominate and sponsor me, but I hit what I thought was my first roadblock soon after when they said that my talents and skills required more “in-depth analysis.” They said it would take a whole week to speak to HR and get the application completed, which left me wondering what exactly they were “analyzing” about me. I was not worried, per se, since I had already earned several corporate awards for demonstrated track record of leadership. The application, in essence, was to help HBS distinguish the best of the best so I realized that taking an extra week to analyze my skills and talent was only going to help my chances even more. Meanwhile, I worked on my personal application trying to answer the endless probing questions in the most attractive way I could. As promised, a week later my nomination form was ready and was sent directly to HBS.
In few weeks, I heard the good news! Few days later, I logged into HBS intranet to get the scoop on my classmates and was glad to see a diverse group of professionals from about 30 different countries.
I remember the freezing cold winter. Except for the roads and side walks, everything was covered with thick blankets of snow. I enjoyed looking out the window, watching the cold wind blow, seeing passersby bask in the Christmas atmosphere. I would let my eyes wander for a minute or two to all the brightly lit up trees and the homes with lights and holiday décor sprawled about. Then, I would unfortunately snap back to the reality of sitting alone in my basement, going through “Accounting and Activity Based Management” material so I could submit my assignment for the week. So much for holiday spirit! The material was prepared by Robert Kaplan and was easy to understand, but the application of his concepts to my assignments was tricky. At the end of the course was the dreaded exam and I must admit, the high score needed to pass made me a little apprehensive. I passed, of course, but vow never to take it again!
Christmas had come and gone and you could feel a sense of dullness in the air. One sunny, yet still freezing, morning I received a FedEx package from HBS: more material and books! I stood for a moment with this box in my hands trying to decide if I was happy about this and ultimately decided I was – Slightly. The syllabus was to cover most of the chapters in the “Financial Management” by Higgins & “Cost Accounting.” Compared to my previously earned Masters degrees, these assignments (which are essentially complex cases) are just invigorating, tricky and make you dig deep into financial management fundamentals. If I had to describe the experience in one word it would be – fantastic. For me at least!
As I am chugging along with my work over-load from my office and this program, I get an email from HBS to check the website for more info on coming weeks. I log on and my stomach sinks to the floor – two dozen cases will be covered in two weeks! How am I going to prepare for the first couple of cases along with my regular work-load? I yearn for the days of undergrad school when “sleeping in” and “days off” weren’t unheard off. With two kids and a working wife, the days are challenging but I must forge ahead!
http://www.exed.hbs.edu/landing/Pages/executivemba.aspx
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