Updated on: Sep 12, 2017
Current Stanford GSB Student Blogs
Current GSB Students
Aug 28, 2014
| FROM New Cardinal - Current Student: Blogging and analytics tools |
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I’m surprised no one has asked this until now – but I’ve had a couple people ask about the mechanics of blogging. 1: It’s a bigger time commitment that you could possibly imagine (ok, it’s really not that much time in aggregate, but forcing yourself to do it is harder than it sounds). 2: Free tools usually suck: If you’re going to blog, expect to pay for things that make your life easier, make your blog prettier, etc. But, you don’t always have to pay a lot! 3: Writing is easier than cat-herding: Even though I just told you how hard it is to commit to your own blog, you have no idea how difficult things can get until you try coordinating multiple creatives… Unless you write their paychecks, your volunteer blog contributors will inevitably have writer’s block, lack of inspiration or competing priorities that prevent them from writing to a set schedule. For those of you out there like me – straight out of grad school, two startups, one Kickstarter campaign and a blog – analytics are crucial to learn where to spend your time. But, if you’re in the same boat as me, you also know that Cash is King (see, I was listening Prof. Ilya)! Occasionally, you run into great tools that are not expensive! Sure, Google Analytics are available too (and free), but have you ever tried to use it? It isn’t very user friendly and I can’t figure out if the functionality is limited or maybe I just don’t know how to use their tools… Hosted WordPress This website, DecadentMinimalist.com and blog.hinted.com are all run on different flavors of hosted WordPress… Why different flavors? WordPress.com takes the open-source wordpress.org blogging platform and turns it into an easy-to-use and nearly bullet-proof hosted platform – that ease of use and security also come with some restrictions. You can’t install most WordPress plugins and many of the nice looking templates are fee-based add-ons. So what starts cheap can get quite pricey… WordPress hosted at external vendors (like GoDaddy or any number of other hosting companies) have the advantage of using unaltered wordpress.org tools – so the full suite of plug-ins and 3rd party tools are at your disposal. But now you are partially responsible for keeping your stuff up-to-date and running smoothly. You need to decide which is more important… S3Stat – tastes great & less filling! But, if you host any static content on Amazon S3, there is a great, easy to use tool that gives you detailed analytics – easy to use, easy to decipher and a pretty dashboard to boot. No software installation required either – just tell S3Stat where to find your S3 logs and it starts digesting that data into useful views. Easy as pie. By hosting pictures, documents, media – any static downloadables – on S3, you can easily get around space limitations that you face on hosted blogging platforms – and at the same time, get much better logging visibility by using S3Stat! Hope this helps! -E  
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Aug 28, 2014
From the video blog of Andiamo - Getting Into Stanford GSB Tips
Aug 28, 2014
From the video blog of Andiamo - STARTING YOUR MBA ESSAYS
Aug 28, 2014
From the video blog of Andiamo - YOU'VE GOT ME FEELING EMOTIONS!
Nov 2, 2014
From the video blog of Andiamo - INTERVIEW TIPS FROM CURRENT STANFORD GSB STUDENTS
Updated on: Dec 5, 2016
| FROM NandoParrado - Current Student: Application #1: GMAT |
“The GMAT measures how good you are at taking the GMAT“. This was the opening line of the book that I used for my preparation years ago. The sentence resonated with me because it highlights two crucial points: the GMAT is a unique … Continue reading →
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Updated on: Dec 5, 2016
| FROM NandoParrado - Current Student: Application #1b: TOEFL |
The requisites for English Language testing are my only complaint about the MBA application process. The rules simply do not make sense to me. For most schools, an applicant is exempt from taking the TOEFL (or IELTS, or PTE) if and only if she has an undergraduate/graduate … Continue reading →
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Updated on: Dec 5, 2016
| FROM NandoParrado - Current Student: Application #2: School Selection and Research |
The key to a successful application is to articulate a clear fit between your professional/personal path and your target school. In other words, your application needs to demonstrate two things. On the one side, how the MBA program will represent a solid bridge between your past/present … Continue reading →
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Updated on: Dec 5, 2016
| FROM NandoParrado - Current Student: Application #3: Profile Building |
A critical phase of the MBA application, concurrent to researching your target schools, is “researching yourself” and building your profile. What are your unique traits? Where do you want to be in five years? And in twenty years? How would your personality, experiences, passions … Continue reading →
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Updated on: Dec 5, 2016
| FROM NandoParrado - Current Student: Application #4: Essays |
The most time-consuming part of writing the essays comes before and after the act of writing. Jotting down an answer to the questions should take a few hours at most. By then you should have already selected some great stories fit for the purpose, … Continue reading →
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Updated on: Dec 5, 2016
| FROM NandoParrado - Current Student: Application #5: Resume (and Online Application) |
I feel that the resume is often overlooked in an MBA application, although I do not have any hard data to back this up. The reason is simple: I have hired a half dozen people in my career to date, after probably reviewing about a hundred resumes. … Continue reading →
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Mar 9, 2015
| FROM NandoParrado - Current Student: Application #6: Recommendations |
Recommendations are the only element of the application on which you have no direct control. This can sound somewhat stressful, but you can influence the outcome by selecting the most appropriate recommenders, and briefing/inspiring them on what they should convey with their words. You … Continue reading →
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Updated on: Dec 5, 2016
| FROM NandoParrado - Current Student: Application #7: Interview |
Once you click “Submit” on the online form, you should give a high-five to your reflection in the mirror. The amount of work which went into the application, on top of everything else in your life, is simply remarkable. You should then … Continue reading →
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Mar 17, 2015
| FROM NandoParrado - Current Student: Application #8: Pride and/or celebration |
Completing your interview(s), and submitting the “Post-Interview Reflection” if Harvard is in the mix, effectively marks the end of your MBA application process. Nothing else is left to affect your chances. In the following days, you will feel both energized and drained … Continue reading →
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Updated on: Dec 5, 2016
| FROM NandoParrado - Current Student: Great Product vs Great ROI |
Last night I had the pleasure of watching on YouTube a one-hour chat with Fred Wilson, co-founder and managing partner of New York-based venture capital firm Union Square Ventures. If you do not know him, Fred Wilson is one of the top … Continue reading →
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Updated on: Dec 5, 2016
| FROM NandoParrado - Current Student: Last word on the Application process |
I had an interesting conversation with a friend this morning, and I realized I need to add a last word on the series of posts on my application process. Five key words: it is not admission advice! It is simply the summary of the … Continue reading →
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Updated on: Dec 5, 2016
| FROM NandoParrado - Current Student: Reading, writing, number… and coding skills |
In the not-too-distant future, coding will be part of the mandatory curriculum in schools around the world. It is just inevitable, since technology will deeply affect the lives of humans and organizations, and “communicating” to a computer will become as important as speaking to a person. … Continue reading →
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Apr 8, 2015
| FROM NandoParrado - Current Student: My favorite leadership story of all times |
A year and a half ago I accidentally stumbled upon a documentary on YouTube, which has inspired me like few other things in my life. It is the story of Nando Parrado and the survivors of the Andes plane crash in 1972. It … Continue reading →
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Updated on: Dec 5, 2016
| FROM NandoParrado - Current Student: To-do and to-read |
I consider myself a hyperactive person. Beyond work duties, I always keep in mind a long list of things I want to undertake. As soon as I cross out a few, I add twice as many, and this never-ending process keeps me motivated. … Continue reading →
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