What’s up, everyone. Is it just me or have I been posting a whole lot of entries lately? I’ve been going through a period of introspection over the past month or so and have been working through a lot of stuff in my mind during that time. I can’t put it all into words yet, but I’m slowly gaining clarity on many issues that have been dogging me out for a long time now. I guess all of this thinking has given me more motivation to write, which is a good thing considering my backlog of reader emails. Also, since posting that April 23 entry, I’ve received several emails/comments encouraging me to write more entries about myself like I used to back in the day, so I’m going to try to do that a little more often. I figure that, if people on here are checkin’ for The Kid, then they won’t mind seeing more content about me for a change 
The message below is from a reader who had questions about the transformational experience provided by the GSB. Unfortunately, he was looking for some insights to spark his preparations for his GSB interview, but sent his email to me right before that interview. As many of you know, I don’t really do “deadlines” when it comes to responding to reader emails, so I couldn’t address his until long after his interview was completed. If my response doesn’t get to him in time to be helpful to him, I hope that it can at least be helpful to some other readers out there in cyberspace. Check it out…
———–
KN wrote:
“Hi Marquis,
Hope all is well with you. I have been following your blogs for sometime now and have read most of your blogs. I have heard a lot about the “transformational experience”, “a change in mindset” that people go through in Stanford. Could you give me a couple of examples for this? As in how The GSB experience changed someone’s mindset. (for example, say how someone developed a global mindset)
Also could you tell me how the teaching or the style of learning in Stanford contributes to this experience? (with an example if you can)
BTW I have been shortlisted for an interview with a Stanford Alum.
To add to the craziness I have been rejected by all other schools (had applied to HBS and LBS too)
Would really appreciate your help!!!
thanks
KN”
———–
I read this email and my first thought was “Wow, it’s been over a month since he wrote this email…I bet I’m too late to help him”. As I’ve said on here MANY times before, I can’t do quick turnaround responses to emails because I try to address emails in order in the queue. With this in mind, I sent the following response to the reader to find out whether he still wanted a response…
———–
My response:
“KN,
I’m just seeing this email, so I fear that it’s too late to be any good. I’ve mentioned on my blog a few times that people shouldn’t hit me up expecting a really quick turnaround because of my busy schedule. Do you still want me to answer your question or has the utility of my answer sort of expired?
-Marquis”
———–
The reader sent the following response to my email, which was refreshing to see…
———–
KN wrote:
“Hey Marquis,
Sorry about the short notice. The utility of your answer is never going to run out. It might still be useful for me, if there is a next time (GOD forbid!!!). Thanks for taking the time off to send this e-mail.
-KN”
———–
So, I’m now about 2.5 months past this reader’s original email and I finally have time to write a response to this reader. I don’t even know if he was admitted to the GSB, but I hope he’ll let me know what the deal is in a response to my email below…
———–
My response:
KN,
I hope this finds you doing well. I know it’s been a while since you first emailed me and that you were looking for info to help you on your Stanford GSB interview, but, with my email backlog, I’m just now getting to your message. But, since you told me that a response would be helpful whenever I could send it, I’m doing so right now. I hope what I’m about to write will prove useful for you in some way.
In your email, you basically asked me about the following two topics and, while I know MANY stories from classmates that I could use, I don’t feel comfortable putting their business out in the street. Instead, I’ll tell you how these topics applied to me during my two years in Palo Alto. This won’t give you the sort of variety you might have been seeking, but a sample size of one is better than a sample size of zero, right? OK, here we go:
—
- Example of the impact of the GSB’s “transformational experience”: You asked for an example of the impact of the GSB’s transformational experience and, as mentioned earlier, I’m only able to offer myself up as that example. To put it short, the GSB literally changed my outlook on the world and my possible place in it. Instead of typing out a long description of how that worked, I’ll point you to an entry from the list of my favorite blog entries on the right-nav-bar on my site. I wrote the entry right before starting my first post-MBA job and looked back on what I learned in business school. You can find it at http://marquisweblog.blogspot.com/2006/08/goodbye-to-life-of-student-and-hello_23.html. I usually don’t provide links to my old joints, but this one was handy so I figured I’d give it to you here
—
- Teaching and/or style of learning as a contribution to transformational experience: As you know, the GSB uses a combination of lectures, cases, and simulations to give students as well-rounded a classroom experience as possible. But, it really isn’t as random as that sentence makes it sound. During the Core courses, there’s a healthy combination of lectures and cases to help kids truly understand a range of basic business concepts. In the elective courses, they start weaving simulations into the classroom experience to allow students to use the business skills and judgment developed in the Core curriculum. At first, this is a VERY challenging (READ: terrifying) transition…at least, it was for me…because I wasn’t 100% certain that I’d mastered all of those business basics. Then, one day, you’ll get the cold call and you just have to get at it…you either sink or you swim. Trust me, it’s scary and the words don’t seem to come out right at first, but, at some point, you’ll realize that what you’re saying isn’t 100% offbase…and, then the professor or one of your classmates will say “good job” and you’ll think “hey, I think I’ve got this…”.
You asked for an example, so I’ll give you one involving myself. It took place in my “Managing Growing Enterprises” course with Prof. Ellis during my second year at the GSB. In this class, we would be assigned a starter case that would lay out the early parts of a business story (including introducing the characters) and then close out with a few open scenarios where the protagonist was presented with problems and had to decide how to respond. Each day, we’d come into class and look at the board to see who Prof. Ellis would be calling on to play each role. One day, I walked into class and was preoccupied with something, so I’d forgotten to look at the board…it turns out that my name was listed for one of the main protagonist roles, but I didn’t realize it until five or ten minutes into the class session. Once I figured it out, I started to freak out internally and then “BAM!”…I got called on to play out the scenario and “fire” one of my classmates, RM. Don’t get me wrong…I’d read the case before class and knew the story lead-in well, but I’d completed blanked out from the shock/pressure. So, I just freestyled it and, in the words of Jamie Foxx in “Ray”, “made it do what it do, baby”. My man RM played the role of the fired employee well and pushed back like crazy, but I kept pushing back with a combination of firmness and empathy. Strangely, everything I said just came out naturally and, eventually, my nervousness subsided. After about five or six minutes, the exchange ended and I let myself take a deep breath.
When I left class, I felt alright about my performance in class, but wasn’t sure that I’d come across as effectively as I’d wanted. But, after that class session, I received an email from one of my classmates (SL) commending me on how well I’d handled the cold call and presented my case for “firing” the character in the case. SL probably didn’t think too much about the email when she sent it, but it had a major impact on me…It became one of those “a-ha” moments that convinced me that I would emerge from the GSB as a “business professional” as opposed to some kid who had just taken a bunch of B-school courses. I can’t really explain that distinction, but you’ll see what I mean once you start B-school yourself.
—
I’m sorry that I couldn’t provide any detailed stories aside from my own, but I hope these give you an idea of how the GSB can really affect its students.
So, how did your application to the GSB turn out? Did you end up getting in? I had my fingers crossed for you, but I know that likely had little impact on the final decision. Good luck and I hope everything works out. If you didn’t get in this time, please don’t let it discourage you. Everything happens for a reason…just keep your head up and keep on moving forward.
Marquis
The message below is from a reader who had questions about the transformational experience provided by the GSB. Unfortunately, he was looking for some insights to spark his preparations for his GSB interview, but sent his email to me right before that interview. As many of you know, I don’t really do “deadlines” when it comes to responding to reader emails, so I couldn’t address his until long after his interview was completed. If my response doesn’t get to him in time to be helpful to him, I hope that it can at least be helpful to some other readers out there in cyberspace. Check it out…
———–
KN wrote:
“Hi Marquis,
Hope all is well with you. I have been following your blogs for sometime now and have read most of your blogs. I have heard a lot about the “transformational experience”, “a change in mindset” that people go through in Stanford. Could you give me a couple of examples for this? As in how The GSB experience changed someone’s mindset. (for example, say how someone developed a global mindset)
Also could you tell me how the teaching or the style of learning in Stanford contributes to this experience? (with an example if you can)
BTW I have been shortlisted for an interview with a Stanford Alum.
To add to the craziness I have been rejected by all other schools (had applied to HBS and LBS too)
Would really appreciate your help!!!
thanks
KN”
———–
I read this email and my first thought was “Wow, it’s been over a month since he wrote this email…I bet I’m too late to help him”. As I’ve said on here MANY times before, I can’t do quick turnaround responses to emails because I try to address emails in order in the queue. With this in mind, I sent the following response to the reader to find out whether he still wanted a response…
———–
My response:
“KN,
I’m just seeing this email, so I fear that it’s too late to be any good. I’ve mentioned on my blog a few times that people shouldn’t hit me up expecting a really quick turnaround because of my busy schedule. Do you still want me to answer your question or has the utility of my answer sort of expired?
-Marquis”
———–
The reader sent the following response to my email, which was refreshing to see…
———–
KN wrote:
“Hey Marquis,
Sorry about the short notice. The utility of your answer is never going to run out. It might still be useful for me, if there is a next time (GOD forbid!!!). Thanks for taking the time off to send this e-mail.
-KN”
———–
So, I’m now about 2.5 months past this reader’s original email and I finally have time to write a response to this reader. I don’t even know if he was admitted to the GSB, but I hope he’ll let me know what the deal is in a response to my email below…
———–
My response:
KN,
I hope this finds you doing well. I know it’s been a while since you first emailed me and that you were looking for info to help you on your Stanford GSB interview, but, with my email backlog, I’m just now getting to your message. But, since you told me that a response would be helpful whenever I could send it, I’m doing so right now. I hope what I’m about to write will prove useful for you in some way.
In your email, you basically asked me about the following two topics and, while I know MANY stories from classmates that I could use, I don’t feel comfortable putting their business out in the street. Instead, I’ll tell you how these topics applied to me during my two years in Palo Alto. This won’t give you the sort of variety you might have been seeking, but a sample size of one is better than a sample size of zero, right? OK, here we go:
—
- Example of the impact of the GSB’s “transformational experience”: You asked for an example of the impact of the GSB’s transformational experience and, as mentioned earlier, I’m only able to offer myself up as that example. To put it short, the GSB literally changed my outlook on the world and my possible place in it. Instead of typing out a long description of how that worked, I’ll point you to an entry from the list of my favorite blog entries on the right-nav-bar on my site. I wrote the entry right before starting my first post-MBA job and looked back on what I learned in business school. You can find it at http://marquisweblog.blogspot.com/2006/08/goodbye-to-life-of-student-and-hello_23.html. I usually don’t provide links to my old joints, but this one was handy so I figured I’d give it to you here
—
- Teaching and/or style of learning as a contribution to transformational experience: As you know, the GSB uses a combination of lectures, cases, and simulations to give students as well-rounded a classroom experience as possible. But, it really isn’t as random as that sentence makes it sound. During the Core courses, there’s a healthy combination of lectures and cases to help kids truly understand a range of basic business concepts. In the elective courses, they start weaving simulations into the classroom experience to allow students to use the business skills and judgment developed in the Core curriculum. At first, this is a VERY challenging (READ: terrifying) transition…at least, it was for me…because I wasn’t 100% certain that I’d mastered all of those business basics. Then, one day, you’ll get the cold call and you just have to get at it…you either sink or you swim. Trust me, it’s scary and the words don’t seem to come out right at first, but, at some point, you’ll realize that what you’re saying isn’t 100% offbase…and, then the professor or one of your classmates will say “good job” and you’ll think “hey, I think I’ve got this…”.
You asked for an example, so I’ll give you one involving myself. It took place in my “Managing Growing Enterprises” course with Prof. Ellis during my second year at the GSB. In this class, we would be assigned a starter case that would lay out the early parts of a business story (including introducing the characters) and then close out with a few open scenarios where the protagonist was presented with problems and had to decide how to respond. Each day, we’d come into class and look at the board to see who Prof. Ellis would be calling on to play each role. One day, I walked into class and was preoccupied with something, so I’d forgotten to look at the board…it turns out that my name was listed for one of the main protagonist roles, but I didn’t realize it until five or ten minutes into the class session. Once I figured it out, I started to freak out internally and then “BAM!”…I got called on to play out the scenario and “fire” one of my classmates, RM. Don’t get me wrong…I’d read the case before class and knew the story lead-in well, but I’d completed blanked out from the shock/pressure. So, I just freestyled it and, in the words of Jamie Foxx in “Ray”, “made it do what it do, baby”. My man RM played the role of the fired employee well and pushed back like crazy, but I kept pushing back with a combination of firmness and empathy. Strangely, everything I said just came out naturally and, eventually, my nervousness subsided. After about five or six minutes, the exchange ended and I let myself take a deep breath.
When I left class, I felt alright about my performance in class, but wasn’t sure that I’d come across as effectively as I’d wanted. But, after that class session, I received an email from one of my classmates (SL) commending me on how well I’d handled the cold call and presented my case for “firing” the character in the case. SL probably didn’t think too much about the email when she sent it, but it had a major impact on me…It became one of those “a-ha” moments that convinced me that I would emerge from the GSB as a “business professional” as opposed to some kid who had just taken a bunch of B-school courses. I can’t really explain that distinction, but you’ll see what I mean once you start B-school yourself.
—
I’m sorry that I couldn’t provide any detailed stories aside from my own, but I hope these give you an idea of how the GSB can really affect its students.
So, how did your application to the GSB turn out? Did you end up getting in? I had my fingers crossed for you, but I know that likely had little impact on the final decision. Good luck and I hope everything works out. If you didn’t get in this time, please don’t let it discourage you. Everything happens for a reason…just keep your head up and keep on moving forward.
Marquis
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Keyword Directory
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Raj Tyagi
Marquis – great post again. I’m definitely in the “contemplating bschool” mode right now, and reading your posts about GSB is by far the best online resource I’ve been able to find. Now if only we had your twin at HBS and other schools!