Other Schools & Joe Lavorgna

When it rains it pours.

I had b-school running thru my head again as I went to bed. That hasn’t happened since April I think. Anyway, I have some other things on my mind. I would be remiss if I didn’t comment that Berkeley essays are out! Thanks to Soni’s blog for reminding me. This is important because Berkeley was one of my backup plans in case Columbia dings me. My original plan was to apply ED to Columbia and if that didn’t work out, I was going to either re-apply next year or apply to my secondary choices (secondary in terms of personal preference so please no hate mail cuz I certainly realize these are exceptional programs in their own right). My secondary choices are NYU, Wharton, Yale, and Berkeley, in no particular order. I chose NYU cuz obviously I want to live forever in NY going forward. I chose Wharton because they have a top real estate program and I feel it’s the only one of the M3 that I could realistically have a shot of getting into. I chose Yale because I love their revamped curriculum and the community feel (and yes, the brand name of their larger institution). I chose Berkeley because I feel like living on the West Coast for a bit would be eye-opening for me and perhaps calm me down- I also feel like I’d love the area.

Anyway, upon seeing Berkeley’s extensive application questions, I decided there’s no way I can do it. Also, I’m on the fence about Yale because my admissions consultant told me that I don’t really fit into what they’re looking for. Part of me doesn’t buy that though so I’ll plan on applying still anyway (if rejected by CBS). So my secondary list is now Wharton, NYU, and Yale. I also wanted to apply to Chicago but I need to see if their Powerpoint essay is still required. I don’t like the socially awkward stereotype of their student body but I do like the city a lot (as previously blogged about) and the curriculum flexibility sounds super sweet. I should find out what their essays are. This is all moot if I get into my first choice, Columbia but I figured I should start to realistically think about my options upon rejection. I figure I just can’t wait another year to apply. I don’t want to wait until Fall 2010 to matriculate! That’s crazy since I’m already mentally checked out at this point haha.

Work has been slow (as usual) and I’m starting to get neurotic and worry about my lackluster work ethic. I occasionally start thinking crazy thoughts like “what if I get fired?” but maybe I’m being stupid. After all, yesterday I just got a dinky award! Haha, this federal consulting stuff is such a hoot.

You know what I think the coolest job is? Back when I worked at Deutsche Bank, the head economist of the bank, Joe Lavorgna, would always come across the squawk box on the trading floors and deliver up-to-the-second news and data. He would also interpret the figures for us on the fly. I think that’s such a cool job! I really like the idea of following the market and interpreting world trends. It’s funny because I used to love micro economics but I guess macro is where it’s at nowadays since everything’s tied together in this global economy. Plus, Joe Lavorgna is commonly on CNBC (shows such as Kudlow & Company) providing market commentary and opinions. I would love to do what he does but it doesn’t seem like an MBA gets you there. Those super economist dudes all have PhD’s and I don’t think I could do it. I’m not willing to settle for anything but a top-tier school and in doctoral programs, those placement rates are like 3 in 400. Crazy. Oh well, I guess asset/investment management is the other option :)