1 more day left

The deadline to accept the $$ for deferring is tomorrow, and I've decided to just go ahead and matriculate this year. I reread my "Why MBA", "Why Now" essay's and I am definitely ready to go to bschool this fall. I'm curious to know how many students end up deferring tomorrow...

One more day left in May

One more day of work

One more day of Bay Area

One more day until my So Cal summer starts!

Defer?

To defer or not to defer got more interesting last week. Apparently, Yale is still looking for 30 students to defer, and offered a little money to entice people to defer to next year. While money really shouldn't play into my decision, it really is hard to ignore. Plus, I'm having difficulty saying good bye to San Francisco, and I would definitely enjoy staying here another year.. I'm not sure how I'd improve my Wharton app over the next few months, but part of me wants to give Wharton one more shot tooo.. I'm in a fortunate situation, yet I don't know what I want to do................

Powe hires agent for NBA draft

To all Cal fans:

It's official. Leon Powe will be leaving Cal for the NBA. As much as I didn't want to believe him, my inside source was right, and Cal is probably going to go to the NIT next March. While this sucks for Cal, I completely respect Powe's decision and hope he does well at the next level. He was a McDonald's All-American, and already proved to everyone how much of a beast he is by averaging 20/10 for the season!

On the flip side, it seems USC talent pool exodus in football paves the way for Cal to ride into the Rose Bowl finally. With Marshawn Lynch as a potential pre-season Heisman candidate (seriously?), Cal has the weapons to be the top team in the Pac-10.

Can't wait till next year's season.

DWL

Looks like I'll be heading off to Yale this fall. At least some closure!

Dear Brownoski,

The Admissions Committee has completed its reevaluation of your application. I regret that the Admissions Committee is unable to offer you a position in the Wharton MBA Class of 2008.

We appreciate the time and energy you put into your application and interview. As you may be aware, the Wharton MBA program receives as many as 7,000 applications annually. We are left with the unpleasant task of denying admission to many accomplished individuals who would, no doubt, succeed academically at the School and contribute to Wharton's standard of excellence.

The Admissions Office will keep your application on file for two years. If you plan to reapply during this period and would like feedback on your application, kindly contact our office at 01 (215) 898-6183 beginning the week of July 17, 2006 to schedule a feedback session. Sessions are conducted by telephone; appointments fill up quickly and are offered on a first come, first served basis.

For instructions on the reapplication process, please follow the procedures that will be included in next year's application (available online in August 2006). All reapplications will be reviewed within the context of the overall applicant pool at that time.

Thank you again for your interest in Wharton. I wish you success in your personal and professional endeavors.

Monterey!

Sunday was a spectacular day to visit Monterey. The weather was perfect and it surprisingly wasn't that crowded. We started off with a yummy meal at Bubba Gump where I successfully answered all of the Forrest Gump trivia, yet didn't win anything (it happens). Next we spent most of the afternoon looking at all of the exhibits in Monterey Aquarium. I love seeing sharks, but my photography skills aren't that good as most my pictures turned out blurry. It was interesting to see all the jelly fish, sea otters, sting rays, weird looking fish, and other marine animals. Afterwards, we drove along the scenic 17 mile drive through mansions and Pebble Beach. I don't know if I was impressed more by the golf course or the 4 story mansion/castle (these homes were HUUUGEE). To top off the day, we ate at my favorite south bay restaurant: Palace BBQ. Nothing beats the feeling of eating long ribs until you can't stand up.


Penguins in California?



You can't see my ball because I got a hole-in-one on the 17th hole @ Pebble Beach


Days Left for Wharton Decision: 3
Days Left of work: 11

Rollover

Apparently there is a way to rollover my company's 401(k) to a Fidelity Rollover IRA with no tax consequences. I'm just starting to do the research, but this sounds like a good plan because I really need to diversify my retirement plan (big portion is in my company's stock) and my current 401(k) has limited options. As I was looking around Fidelity's website, I found that college tuition is considered a "withdrawal hardship." This means that MBA students like us can withdraw money from our 401(k) and not pay the huge penalties (just regular income tax). I think this is amazing because I just found a new $$ source to help pay the bills over the next two years!

PS - I'm not a finance/accounting guy, so if anyone has any good suggestions on the best way to do this (minimal fees), please post a comment.

Napa, TV, and Deferred Enrollment

Napa Update:

Sunday was a beautiful day for the Napa trip with Marina and Foobar. The sun was shining, skies were clear, and it wasn't too hot. After stopping by the visitor's bureau, we found a fantastic deal where we could wine taste at 6 different wineries for $10. Each winery had a distinct feel, and it was interesting to see the differences between a big commercial winery versus a small mom and pop shop. My favorite part of the trip was snacking on crackers with different spreads and cheeses (nothing beats the duck pate, but the walnut cheese is up there). I will definitely not forget the koi fish that loved to drink the white wine.

TV Update:
Craigslist is too awesome. I listed my TV for $500 thinking I wouldn't be able to sell it for a few weeks. Within a few hours, I got over 5 responses and it was sold on Saturday (last thing I watched was the Suns/Lakers Game 7 massacre). The bad news is that I will have to live without my TV and favorite shows for the rest of May (what happened on West Wing?). Interestingly enough, I started playing Starcraft again (it's been like 5 years) and I haven't forgotten a single hot key.

Deferred Enrollment (Yale SOM):

I guess there are too many students for Yale SOM '08. They intended a total class size of 180 (3 cohorts) but ~223 have already accepted offers from Round 1 and 2 (yikes for Round 3 folks). They specifically mentioned that they want to keep the class with 3 cohorts, so the question becomes, does anyone want to defer enrollment?

Historically, we have only granted deferrals in cases where unforeseen circumstances prevented an admitted applicant from matriculating. However, due to the overwhelmingly positive response to SOM's new curriculum plans, we have experienced an unprecedented 50% increase in our yield year-to-year. Therefore, we are able to relax our deferral policy for the Class of 2008 to some degree. If you are interested in deferring your enrollment, please contact the Admissions Office at xxxxx@yale.edu as soon as possible.

To defer or not to defer, that is the question.

Pros:
-Can reapply to Wharton if I don't get in off the waitlist (improve essays)
-Save up $$$
-Not be the first class with the new curriculum and let the bugs/kinks get worked out
-Possibly take more time off and travel extensively
-Enjoy California one more year
-Cal Football is going to have a breakout year, I can get season tix to watch it all!

Cons:
-Miss sharing some fabulous experiences with the class of 2008
-One year less of post-MBA salary
-Possible different chemistry in class of 2009 vs 2008
-I already gave my termination notice to my employer, what would I do for an entire year?
-Already sold most of my big furniture


16 Working Days left!!

Cinco de Mayo

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Cinco de Mayo is similar to St. Patrick's day in that both are great reasons to go drinking. It's interesting to see the similar struggle Hispanics are facing today that the Irish experienced a few generations ago. I remember reading a random footnote in my American History textbooks about the "No Irish need apply" signs. For me, national security is very important, but there should be some compromise between securing our borders (north and south) and having some sort of guest worker program. I believe we should put up a huge fence, but leave room for doors that will allow non-terrorists to come in. I also believe everyone should get a chance to become an American citizen over time as long as he/she contributes to society and pays taxes. While this may be a controversial topic today, I hope it will become just another random footnote in future American History textbooks.

Now time for some tequilla shots!

UPDATE - Girls at "La Barca" in Pac Heights are GORGEOUS!

PS - Congrats to Michelle Wie for making the cut in the men's tour!

Part 4: East Coast Impressions

I don't love the East Coast (yet), but I definitely can see myself having a good time there over the next couple years.

Food:
-New Haven is similar to Berkeley, in that a seemingly ghetto community has some of the best food around. I love the ultra-thin slices of pizza, and can't wait to eat the buttery Yankee Doodle burgers every day. The only negatives to New Haven are no good mexican joints and only one Korean restaurant. I guess that means I'll have to train over to NYC to eat some good Korean BBQ.
-New York City has it all. Even though I only spent 21 hours in NYC, I ended up eating 5 meals. Some of the highlights were: 2 hour dinner in some Italian Restaurant that charged $4 extra for blush sauce (marinara + creamy alfredo), Catching brunch with wheresmydessert at Popover Cafe, Lunch at 11 Madison where I sat in the table next to the stairs where Sarah Jessica Parker slipped in Season 1 of Sex in the City.
-Boston has good food and reminds me a lot of San Francisco. Both are near the water and have good clam "chowdah." I only wish they served it in a sourdough bread bowl.
-Philadelphia also has good food, but I was unimpressed with the authentic philly cheesesteak sandwich. I think Hoagies in Berkeley has the best cheesesteak sandwiches period.

Transportation:
-Boston has the best subway system, very intuitive and easy to use because it is color based (red line from South Station to Kendall Sq)
-New York's subway is very confusing (Weekend schedules are different with express routes that aren't posted that bypass stops). Also, the subways are wayyy too crowded and extremely loud. San Francisco's BART is 10x better because it is quieter and carpeted.
-Philly's SEPTA is sufficient, easy to get from UPENN to/from airport. Had a very "Amtrak" feel to the experience.
-I thought trains were sooo "Europe" but I guess people commute via trains all over the East Coast. Amtrak was pretty comfortable and the schedules were on time and easy to follow.
-NYC Taxi cabs are nothing like the movies. I wanted a smelly, rude taxi cab driver but instead I got a quiet, spacious taxi/mini-van.
-The bus ride from New York to Boston was really cheap and went by quickly (time flies when you're reading a good book). It wasn't very crowded so I was very comfortable and it's very easy to connect from the bus terminals to subways in both cities.
-I really missed having my car :p

People
-New Haven has a very "Berkeley" vibe. People seemed very diverse and friendly. The downtown area was humming with hotties and the campus is gorgeous. There is a hint of the "elite Ivy" aura, but most people were down to earth.
-New York City is filled with impatient people. The walk pace is like a sprint. There's a lot of energy in the air as people seem to have really busy lives.
-Boston seems like a college town. Everyone on the subway looked like a student and people were smiling despite rainy weather. I love hearing "bawston" accents and want to watch Goodwill Hunting again.
-Philly seems like a more relaxed New York. It's not as crowded, but there's still a busy downtown area and lots of busy people. I didn't spend too much time walking around the town, but everyone seemed cool.

Lifestyle
-Weird watching sports at midnight. I'm used to watching baseball game start at 7:15 pacific time, not 10:15 eastern time.
-Everything is older, including apartments. I'm going to miss the sterile California-style housing and probably move into an old, small bathroomed apt.
-Going to start playing indoor sports
-become a Yankees fan?!?!?!

Countdown till I'm free: 21 working days left