Joshua van Aalst’s blog

Ok, I’ve had many wonderful weeks. The week I met Donna. The week I put on A Night Of Trance 1st Birthday. The week I met Mozart. The week I got into IBM e.t.c. e.t.c. but the last 7 days truly have been amazing!

Firstly, I have been officially accepted into the MIT MBA program at MIT’s Sloan school of management. For the Australian readers… American management schools tend to have names that are different to the universities they are apart of Stern is the business school for New York University for instance. Anyway, today i received my offical written offer. It was cutely packaged in a big envelope that on the outside said in big letters: YOUR IN!

Secondly, I received a wonderful bonus from my employer, Macquarie, for the year just gone. Macquarie year end is in April/May. I worked very hard for Macquarie but was concerned that since shifting from a contractor to an employee I would miss out financially. My manager was true to his word and then some. Incredibly generous. What a wonderful place to work. I am truly privileged and I thank him enormously.

Results are in. I got wait listed to MIT. Obviously I am delighted to have reached this stage of the application process, but at the same time disappointed that I have not been accepted. I felt I fitted extremely well with MIT. The alignment of their specialties (e.g. Entrepreneurship, Technology and Leadership) and my interests and experiences. In particular the ability to study an MBA focused on becoming a successful Entrepreneur. Their social scene, their location, their community, their everything. Yes I am a bit upset. That being said. You never know dreams can still come true with intelligence, hard work, effort and dedication. Heck, you never know, I could be called up off the waiting list.

…. so in the meantime where am I at?

“Dreams can come true”.

It’s time to stop waiting for results to be announced and start doing. It’s time to press the play button and swing into proactive action and chase those dreams. I will go to MIT. I will achieve a B*school education, experience. If it’s not this time round then I have learnt an incredible amount and will try again next year. I feel I have more to offer than what I displayed in my current application. For one, I believe, that I am capable of a much higher GMAT score.

… but thats not all. It’s time to press play on my own personal achievements. I want to build up the website to achieve a whopping 100,000 unique visitors per month. I want to donate a Josh and Friends annual scholarship to the Australian Institute of Music. I want to join a swimming squad. I want to build my team at the Investment Bank to become the leading Java development team in the group.

I want, I want, I want.

Well, what am I waiting for? nothing.

It’s time to achieve.

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p.s. I haven’t heard back from MIT yet. It seems that they will hold true to their word of announcing on the 7th of April. I am so nervous and excited it is crazy. I haven’t slept for 2 weeks!

This is the week that Admissions will announce their decision for my MIT Sloan application.

I haven’t been this nervous since I was 8 years old on Christmas eve wondering if I would receive the present I had so hoped for. All last week I couldn’t sleep as I was so nervous waiting for the big day to arrive (Tuesday onwards this week).

I have studied long and very hard for the GMAT exam. I have spent many many hours profiling myself, delving into my life, past, present and future and of course writing my entrance essays. I have sought out several referees and I have researched MIT thoroughly, and know it is the school for me. I have also prepared for and been interviewed by the school.

I feel so close to achieving this life long goal and starting a journey that I believe will enrich my life in so many ways. If I were to write the reasons down I would have to write a 10,000 word thesis to simply cover them all!

Yet although I feel so close I still feel so far away.

All I can do now is wait patiently…. and pray…. and hope.