Just a little tid bit I want to share about myself. I’m an avid reader of the New York Time’s Real Estate section. Every Sunday (well technically, it comes out Saturday online), there are photos and articles about these amazing cool homes in NYC and throughout the world. My favorite part is the weekly “The Hunt” article. It basically shares the story of an apartment hunter’s search for that great NYC pad. And the photos of some of these homes are just fantastic! One thing you have to hand to us New Yorkers is that we can be quite creative when it comes to small spaces. It is my secret dream to one day own a place like that in the city and maybe even be featured in the publication.
The reason I’m sharing this is because I have noticed that prices in NYC have fallen considerably. To give you a better idea of how low it’s gotten, I think I can ACTUALLY afford something now and that’s pretty low. Well maybe at least enough for a down payment. I can just imagine myself like a kid in a candy store, attending open houses and checking out different neighborhoods. The only reservation I have is BSchool. If everything goes according to plan and Columbia welcomes me with open arms * fingers crossed*, I don’t want to have to pay a mortgage without a steady paycheck coming in every month. And on top of that, there’s the tuition cost. I do have a bit of savings, but that’s already spoken for a.k.a tuition. I can always ask my parents for a loan, but the independent side of me wants a place that I can really call my own, a home that I paid for and bought with my own hard earned money. And recent Fed housing data suggests that real estate has hit a bottom. Anyway, if real estate prices fall even further and BSchool doesn’t work out, you might start seeing me at open houses towards the end of the year.
Yesterday, I had lunch with my old boss a.k.a. recommender #2 a.k.a wingman #2. We didn’t go to anyplace special. Just grabbed some hala food/street meat from a stand and sat outside to eat. The least I can do was pay for lunch. Think of it as a very cheap bribe. Besides chit-chatting about random life and work things, I also used the chance to pitch the recommendation letter. I basically wanted to convey to him how important this means to me and how much I appreciates his help. The rule of thumb I asked him to follow was basically the more content the better. It will show that he took the time and effort to write it. And instead of unsubstantiated adjectives like smart, hard-working, not a douchebag, etc, I asked him if he can provide examples of tangible work and projects I did for him. As for timing, I know that there isn’t really a sense of urgency for now. But I did find out that he’ll be going on vacation around the time Columbia’s Early Decision application opens. He said he’ll have it done before he goes out of town. All in all, I think it went pretty well.
If you didn’t know, it’s commencement season. That means there are a lot of drunken new college graduates partying it up this month around the country. Congratulations to all of them! I still remember how good it felt receiving my degree. Around this time of year, there would be thousands of young graduates streaming into NYC, starting out their careers and trying to make it on their own. Unfortunately, they will be graduating into a recession, a bad one at that. That means a lot of graduates are still unemployed and just can’t find work. It must suck knowing that you worked hard the last four years in school, but still can’t land a decent job. But look on the bright side. Things can’t get any worse, right? Knock (very hard) on wood. Hopefully, we have hit a bottom and conditions will improve. So hang in there my youngin brothas and sistas!
To follow up on the Admissions Consultant search, one in particular came highly recommended. I’ve sent an inquiry and he responded back fairly quickly. That is a good sign because it means he’s proactive. I sent him one of my essays for him to get a sneak preview of my writing style. And he got back to me the very next day with more comments in red than my whole essay! That is a very good sign. Not the fact that my essay is not as good as I thought it to be, but the fact he actually analyzed my work and provided feedback on how it can be improved. I also spoke to him on the phone this afternoon. As usual, I had a list of questions prepared. Hey, if I’m going to be spending two grand, I’m going to make sure it’s worth it. I asked if I was at least competitive enough on the surface for Columbia before I fork over that kind of mulah. After grilling him for a bit, I came away feeling better about spending that kind of money. At the end of our phone conversation, I felt a good vibe from him.
Here is my logic on whether to hire a consultant. Like most things, nothing is certain. Even the best candidates are not guaranteed a spot in top business schools. That being said, I think that if an admissions consultant can add value to my application and improve my chances by even 10-20%, it would have been worth the money. Though I realize that there is really no way to quantify that value. The way I see it, I would rather pay up now, knowing that I did my best than not paying for the service and finding out later I didn’t get accepted. I would always wonder “what if?” So I’m going to pull the trigger and hire me an admissions consultant.
And Happy Memorial Day! Time to go out and enjoy the sun, relax, and eat some bbq!
Read the full article: NY Real Estate, Wingman #2, Commencement Season, My Decision