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2010年05月16日
When I worked at Ernst & Young in the US in the late 1990′s, EY placed great emphasis on its employees having work-life balance. Of course, we all worked hard, including many long nights. However, management drilled home the importance of carving out time for friends and family. Excessive overtime was discouraged, time off was given between projects, and vacations had to be taken every year. It was an intense, fast paced environment, but I never felt like I was a slave to my job. Certainly, there were times when I had to work very late, but I had dinner at home with my family most nights and I rarely worked weekends. As one of my mentors told me, “It is better to work to live than to live to work.”
Since then, many leading international firms have gone a step further, by encouraging employees to perform volunteer activities, both during working hours and on their own time. For example, McKinsey often sends its consultants to support NPOs like Doctors without Borders. Mazda is also impressively expanding its volunteer activities (http://www.mazda.com/csr/social/domestic/local.html).
Of course, at most Japanese companies it is very difficult for employees to find time for meaningful social activities, whether for leisure or altruistic purposes. Loyalty and dedication to work is not limited to 9am-6pm Mon-Fri. Working late is an every day occurrence/requirement for many of my past and present clients. However, if you are serious about getting into a top US MBA program, it is imperative that you find time for extracurricular activities. The top schools are looking for well-rounded students who are not “married” to their jobs. That is why I strongly urge my clients to get involved in some kind of activities outside of work.
Examples of what some of my past clients have done include things like organizing litter clean-up campaigns at the beach, reading stories at a children’s hospital, playing games with lonely residents at retirement homes, and providing pro bono legal and accounting services to NPOs. I have also had clients dedicate their vacations to do volunteer work (building schools, drilling wells, teaching computer skills, etc.) in developing countries. There are so many ways that you can do. And the best part is, in addition to helping your chances of gaining admission to business school, you will also be making important contributions to society.
So, even if it is 2 hours a month, you need to get involved in some outside activity. Hopefully, in the future, when you return from business school to lead your company, you can change the business culture by promoting work-life balance and social responsibility. But in the mean time, you just have to do the best that you can on your own. Fortunately, there are many organizations in Japan that welcome volunteers. All it takes is a simple Google search: Volunteer opportunities in Japan.
In the U.S., telling someone to “get a life!” is considered quite derogatory, as it implies complacency or a lack of effort. However, the vast majority of Japanese professionals I have known and worked with are very driven and dedicated. So, if I were to tell someone in Japan to “get a life” it would have entirely different meaning. It would be a suggestion to find time for both fun and meaningful activities (and often the two can go together) outside of the daily grind of work. Trust me, you will feel better for doing so.
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.
2009年12月01日
In case you haven’t noticed, I haven’t written too many blog entries lately. There’s a reason for this: I am very busy helping my clients prepare for upcoming deadlines. I will be in busy season mode until mid-January. After that, I will begin updating my blog more regularly. Until then, I hope every has a great holiday season.
2009年08月17日
Recently, I received a nice message from a client attending Duke’s Fuqua School. It reminded me that Fuqua has reached its high ranking (8th per Business Week) in a relatively short period of time. Fuqua was founded in 1969, around the time Neil Armstrong took the first steps on the moon. That may seem like a long time ago, but when you consider the founding years of schools like Wharton (1888), Tuck (1900), HBS (1908), and Kellogg (1909). Still, Fuqua has come a long way in a relatively short period of time.
For me, what stand out for me about Fuqua are two points: shorter terms and longer class sessions. Each term is only 6 hours, which enables students to take a greater variety of courses. And despite the shorter terms, professors can still dig deep into each subject, since each class has two 2.25-hour sessions per week. The longer classes also allow students to engage in more interactive assignments.
As far as specialties, Duke has an interesting program on leadership and ethics, in which the star lecturer is Duke’s legendary basketball Coach Mike Krzyzewski (Coach K). There are also programs focused on Corporate Sustainibility, International Business, and Innovation. These and other research centers offer students great opportunities to become well-connected experts in their areas of interest.
And speaking of Coach K, one of the real treats of attending Duke is the opportunity to enjoy the atmosphere surrounding their basketball team. Home games are played at Cameron Indoor Stadium, ranked as the 4th best sport venue in the US by Sports Illustrated. What makes Cameron so great is not the building per se, although the 69-year old building does have its charm. No, it is the rowdy student section, known as Cameron Crazies, who pack the place for every home game. Fans paint their faces blue and white, stand and scream the entire game, and in general do everything they can to disrupt the visitors. They are very effective, as Duke has one of the best home records of all time in college baskteball. Tickets are available to all students, including MBA students, on a first come first served basis. (For big games, students are known to camp out several days for seats.) The Fuqua School happens to be really close to Cameron, giving stressed-out MBA students a chance to relieve some tension whil partaking in one of the greatest traditions in US college sport.
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When I worked at Ernst & Young in the US in the late 1990′s, EY placed great emphasis on its employees having work-life balance. Of course, we all worked hard, including many long nights. However, management drilled home the importance of carving out time for friends and family. Excessive overtime was discouraged, time off was given between projects, and vacations had to be taken every year. It was an intense, fast paced environment, but I never felt like I was a slave to my job. Certainly, there were times when I had to work very late, but I had dinner at home with my family most nights and I rarely worked weekends. As one of my mentors told me, “It is better to work to live than to live to work.” 