Fun before Fuqua

Here it is..I officially kick start my Fuqua journey….
No, I am not yet in Durham, but, I am all set to be there this fall.

After I knew I will be attending b-school this year, there has been a void in life (I generally don’t enjoy this “nothing much to do” feeling :)

Of course there are TODOs before the school starts and I will talk about these today.

Visa: As an international student, this is the biggest task!! I have to say, getting a US student visa is very simple if you are going to a top school. Everyone goes through some “visa” anxiety and believe me, there is no need for this. Most of the to-be Fuquans from India will be taking the Expanded MBA loan without a cosigner. All you need to show the visa officer (for your finances) is a letter provided by Duke mentioning this. People prepare a lot of financial docs for the visa interview, but, my take: NO NEED for any additional financial proofs etc., Of course, there are few more papers required for the visa interview (degree certificate, transcript, IT returns etc.,)

Room mate/Apartment: This needs some work!! I have been extremely lucky to find a room mate with no effort (rather he found me). Choosing an apartment is not very difficult. People tend to go with the crowd. And the Fuqua crowd ends up at Alexan Place or Pinnacle Ridge in Durham. I have absolutely no idea how good these apartments are. But, from what I hear and what I see on the web, these seem to be very comfy (I promise, to give more details in future posts). It’s definitely a good idea to act early on this and get a good deal on the rent.

Tickets: Its good to book your tickets early on. I have booked mine..July 24th is the day

Immunization: I started this, finally. Though most Indians would have taken these childhood vaccinnes, we have no proof. So, we need to retake :(. It takes a couple of months, so, it’s good to start early.

Pre-term course work: I am not sure if all schools handout some course material for pre-term prep. Fuqua does. Ya.Ya, I will start reading.

Work?: It is NOT fun to work when you know you are going to leave the company in few weeks. Poor me!

Closing up: I mean, managing finances, bank accounts etc at home. Also, I need to move/sell furniture/vehicle before I leave for school. I hope this will not be painful :(

Cooking: I am gonna learn “survival” cooking. 20 days enough for this? Of course, mom is the tutor :)

Have fun: I am gonna spend more time with family ( I haven’t spent enough in last 3-4 years). I will also do a little bit of traveling; attend marriage (ya, four of my friends are getting married next month).

Adios