I just received an email from Goldman Sachs saying that they decided not to make me a finalist for their summer MBA fellowship program. I knew that they had a lot of applicants for the ~10 spots they had available, but I was hoping to at least get an interview at which point I would make my case and improve my chances. This fellowship would have been clutch because it would have covered both years of tuition with my only requirement being to work for them in an internship. I applied for fellowships with similar terms at Ford and GM through Stanford's Partnership for Diversity fellowship program, but now I'm starting to think that my chances are slim-to-none at those two companies. It looks like I've got $100K+ in student loans awaiting me in the future...
I just got home after a brunch with some of my future classmates and some Stanford GSB alums organized by the Admissions Office...with a surprise appearance by Derrick Bolton, Stanford's Director of Admissions. We gathered at Old Ebbitt Grill in DC, which is a nice restaurant, and hung out for about 2 hours getting to know each other. I don't think I'll ever cease to be amazed by how down to earth the kids that Stanford accepts are. There were 9 admits (most from Round 2) there from all over the place and we all got along as if we'd known each other for a long while. The Round 2 kids are about to head out to Stanford for the Admit Weekend and I'm sure that they'll be ready to drop their deposits as soon as they get back home. We're all going to have a great time fr two years out in sunny California....I can't wait until I make my trek out West.
Before I close this entry out, I've got to give a special shout out to Jon Isaacson for serving as the host for the event and Derrick Bolton for footing the bill :-) (both of them were members of the GSB class of 1998).
OK, I've become settled with the fact that I'm going to be living like a pauper from now until May 2006, but I'm still looking for financial assistance. I just mailed off my application for the Goldman Sachs MBA Fellows program on Friday and I'm hoping that they'll call me in for an interview. Although my interest lies in Technology in the long term, I've always had i-Banking in the back of my head, but I never thought I could hack it and handle all the hours. I still don't think I can, but, if I can get this fellowship and get my tuition covered, I'll do my damnedest to survive it. :-)
That's all for now. I'll drop another update in here soon as I continue my quest for some cash for B-school. Peace.