Sorry for the delay - catching up from a week off from work, along with the holidays, has me backed up in more ways than one (but that's way TMI). Without further ado:
myBackground:: For those of you not versed, my professor in essence "volunteered me" to attend this year's PhD Project Conference in Chicago, by quite literally placing a bug in my ear. He mentioned it shortly before the conference deadline, and while I made a conscious effort to avoid applying, fate stepped in the day of the application deadline. I wrote an awesome essay, and was invited to attend this year's conference in Chicago November 16 - 18th. Oh, and yes - it was free: airfare and accomodations were comp'ed. Who was I to pass up the opportunity?
PhD Project Background::And the opportunity was: to meet with current & prospective doctoral candidates, professors, recruiters and admissions directors. The mission: to increase the number of qualified candidates, from "under-represented minority groups", applying for doctoral degrees in business schools. Under-represented minority groups = African-American, Native-American and Hispanic-American candidates. More information can be found here:
www.phdproject.com
theArrival:: this has nothing to do with the actual PhD Project, so skip this if you're not interested. my 1 hour non-stop becomes a 9 hour mini-disaster. I get a call as I walk out my door: the Airline has cancelled my flight (weather) and tries to put me on a 5 hr later flight to CHI thru NY. Um, no - the weather pattern causing delays in Chi is headed toward NY. So, they put me on an earlier flight thru St. Louis - like 30 minutes earlier. I have 60 minutes to get to the airport and check in. Great. I make that fine, and arrive in St. Louis fine. 45 minutes in, I sit in the airport, and watch passengers board my carriers flight to Chi, as I wait for a flight 2 hours later. And then 2 more flights from STL to CHI get cancelled. I finally get on a plane, only to hold on the ground in STL for 60 minutes, and another 30 minutes in the air over CHI. I finally make it to my hotel room...9 hours later, too tired to be pissed off.
theWelcome:: No time for a shower, I'm 2 hours later for the Welcome Reception. I quickly freshen up, and head to the Welcome Dinner, and here's where the awe kicks in. I expected 200 or so folks total, including professors and administrators. I mean really - I'm used to low-budget, no-frills conferences. Baked chicken and rice pilaf conferences, if you know what I mean. I walk in to a vast ballroom, and even though I'm terribly late, there have to be at least 150 people still milling around the buffet. A great deal of whom are black. I meet some folks, network a lil, take advantage of the open bar (free liquor?!! woo-hoo!) and try to take the edge off my crappy arrival. I talk to quite a few of my colleagues, meet another late arrival and try to get my bearings. I really did not anticipate the signifigance of the event. Head back to my room, and meet my roommate - who's doing a joint juris doctorate and MBA, and pushing on to get her PhD as well. thisNight'sConclusion: I am such a slacker.
thePhDLife:: wake up to a breakfast buffet (aside: they had grits, bacon and waffles on the bar. I was in anti-Weight-Watcher heaven), and get a better glance at my distinguished "colleagues". I say that, because frankly - I was completely overwhelmed. This was 360+ of some of the country's currently best & brightest business school students, some of whom are also leaders in their respective fields. Most of whom were African-American. The mantra in my head at this point: "what in the blue hell am I doing here with these folks?". I try to get over my awe, and focus on the information at hand: How Do you Really Go About SUCCESSFULLY Obtaining your PhD? I'd love to add a brief synopsis about this, but frankly - I can't. It's a long, involved and challenging process - and that's just the application. It's a 3-5 year commitment, fulltime, which requires students to typically (their impression) give up their job to focus solely on the program. 2 years of classes, comprehensive exams - and then that good ole dissertation. All on a stipend that's (typically) a fraction of your original salary. You can supplement this with teaching fellowships, part-time teaching positions, and summer work, but still - it's a sacrifice. When you're done, and if you can defend your dissertation, you're offered a teaching position typically with the same level of school where you earned your degree (i.e. if you graduate from Emory, you can pick your school - GA Tech, Stamford. If you graduate from the Lowell School of Applied Hairdressing & Online Graduate Degrees, you can say hello to teaching Junior College classes). And yes, the pay's pretty good for a Tier 1 school, and you really can control your destiny (research vs. teaching, picking your hours, deciding where you want to focus). Everyone's perspective was slightly different, and their journey (because that's what it really is) was also different, so a synopsis doesn't quite get it. It's just rewardingly complicated. Anything more than that you'll have to decide for yourself (I see a theme developing here...)
theNetwork:: I can't possibly let this opportunity to slide by without taking advantage of it, even with my awe. So I pass out the biz cards (hence the redesign), work the room, and see who I can meet. I come across quite a few people I know (former professors, colleauges), some I need to know (one of my close coworkers was there, unbeknownst to me!) and some I'd like to know (there was this guy I met from NY, extremely brash - why do I dig that???). As a whole, quite a bit of the Fortune 500 was represented, as well as school from all levels (Tier 1 on down), etc. I conclude the my social networking skills aren't nearly as rusty as I thought. Kewl. Even kewler over another good meal, an open bar, and a frank discussion about whether it's "worth it" to give up a cushy gig to pursue academia. We're also presented with a college fair, and given a chance to meet with admissions advisors, professors, recruiters, students et. al. from schools affiliated with the PhD project. The networking opportunities were almost unmatcheable, and more than worth the cost of the trip.
thePhDApplication:: Can we say ducks in a row? Day three opens with more bacon on the buffet, and additional information about getting the most out of your application, to maximize your chances of getting into a PhD Program. theHighlights: you will contact your old professors for recommendations, you will probably need to take/retake the GMAT - and get that score above 6XX (600? 650? depends on the Tier of the school), you will want to take advantage of any contacts you have that can assist - old admissions directors, PhD Project participants, your employer, etc. and you will be applying to quite a few school - outside the scope of the school/location (state) you really want to attend. Programs accept anywhere from 0 (yes, that is a zero) to 3 applicants per year. That's it. the application process is highly competitive so there's a strategy to putting your application together. slight aside: yes, you have to pick a discipline going in, to indicate your areas of interest - Accounting, Economics, Marketing, Management, Information Systems, etc...
theConclusion:: I'm still (sorta) in awe. I'm sure some folks will read this, and think "dang shawty - you need to get out more". Or "wow, it's really not that big a deal". But it was, for me. I've been grinding for a while, like I said before, so I rarely get a chance to enjoy the fruits of my labor. And unfortunately, I work in a highly competitive environemnt, and go to school in a highly competitive environment. So typically, the standards I'm measuring myself against are extraordinary. This though - this normalized things for me. These indivduals I met & exchanged ideas with - they're amazing, and they're my "colleagues", so I understand better where I stand. Not insecure (c'mon, I do know I'm the shiznit) - but I leave, feeling - validated. It's good to hear someone else saying it, too.
theNextConference:: should be November 2006, and I think it's always in Chicago. But you can always keep an eye on their site for more information. Don't sleep on this.
The PhD Project:
PHD Project Funding Information
The PhD Project's Annual Conference Information
I'm trying very hard to "remain positive" and "keep the faith", but I'm finding it exceedingly hard to do so. I'm less than 45 days to closing, and I'm broke. REAL broke. Broke enough that I had to ask my ex (FL) for some cash, during his whole "you should give me another chance" moment. But I had to do, what I had to do, and I knew, regardless, that he'd come through.
6
7.6
5.2
8.3
4.5
2.1
