2010年04月29日
Golden Week is upon is, and the trains, planes, and auto-ways are packed with people getting out of town for a few days. But not me. I take my getaways either before or after the masses do their vacation things. To me, the whole purpose of a vacation is to get away from the crowds. Thus, I will be spending my GW enjoying the far less crowded than usual Tokyo. For instance, a buddy and I will be hitting the batting cages tonight.
As for MBA aspirants in Japan, Golden Week is a time for intensive GMAT and TOEFL training, whether independently or at a prep school. I know from discussions with clients, past and present, that there is little time for fun during this week. However, the time spend hitting the books is well worth it when they see the rising scores.
So, there’s need to feel sorry for yourself just because you have spend your Golden Week studying. It could be worse: you could be stuck on the Tomei Expressway, fighting a two-hour delay while breathing tailpipe exhaust. All things considered, I’d rather be studying.
2010年04月05日
Well, the first full season of Roah Consulting is almost complete. It has been an exciting and interesting experience. Even though this is my ninth year as an MBA/Grad School admissions consultant, it’s my first time as a business owner. Over the past year, I have learned a lot of lessons that can only come from the actual experience of running a business. But the one thing that has not changed is keeping my clients as my top priority. That is why my blog has been relatively quiet the past few months.
In the past year, I have worked with some amazing people, and I am happy to know that I have helped them get accepted to some awesome programs. I have thanked each one of them individually, but I would like to publicly say thank you very much to all of my clients this year. It has been a real honor to work with all of you. I would also like to thank my past clients as well for their encouragement and referrals. For me it is very important to maintain contact with my past clients. It is exciting for me to track their progress both in school and beyond. I was also proud to be a sponsor for the Spring trips this year of UCLA Anderson and Dartmouth Tuck. In both cases, my past clients were part of the organizing teams, and I was happy to support them.
Looking back on the 2009-1010 season, what has been most rewarding for me is to see the real progress my clients have made over the months. I have seen remarkable improvements in all aspects of their English communication, from writing to speaking. More than that, I could see improvements in confidence, career focus, and willingness to contribute. In other words, I have seen them become stronger MBA candidates, which is almost as rewarding as when they get the good news from the schools that accept them.
This year, I put a lot of effort into preparing my clients for the interviews, which are not easy to prepare for, especially for non-native English speakers. At the same time, I never lost focus on the importance of making sure their essays were up to the highest standard. One client was so excited to tell me that in his interview at a top European program, the admissions person specifically told him how much she liked his essays. He ended up being accepted there. It is stories like this that keep me in this field.
Now that the busy season is behind me, you can expect a lot more blogs from me.
