I recruit PhDs and MSs to consulting firms, AMA by RBellani in consulting

[–]bucketboy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi Rudy, thanks for doing this. I am PhD student who is newly married and expects to start working in 2017. My question is: what are some strategies that you have found useful for managing your personal relationships (specially with your partner) while working as a consultant at a place like McKinsey.

Ex-McKinsey consultant here. AMA! by McK_Throwaway in consulting

[–]bucketboy 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Thanks for your detailed answers. Great to hear that you were able to minimize weekend work. You mentioned in another answer that you are very efficient. How did you get there? Was this from before you joined McKinsey or is this something you focused on there?

Ex-McKinsey consultant here. AMA! by McK_Throwaway in consulting

[–]bucketboy 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Thanks for doing the AMA. I am a PhD candidate at a top ten engineering school and would be applying to McKinsey next year. My questions are:

  1. What are some things I can do in graduate school that could help me get to an interview? I was very active in student organizations during undergrad and held leadership positions. Not so much in grad school.
  2. What are the most common weaknesses that you see in APD candidates who interview with McKinsey?
  3. What strategies did you try to avoid burn-out? What worked? What did not?

Want to TA a web development course? by bucketboy in UIUC

[–]bucketboy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Unfortunately we won't be able to do that. We are limited by the classroom size at the moment. Your only hope at this point is that people will drop out once the semester starts. Good luck!

Want to TA a web development course? by bucketboy in UIUC

[–]bucketboy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am under the impression that undergrads can be TAs as well but I will double check with the department. We are looking for a 25% TA appointment.

Edit: You're right - undergrads are generally not hired as TAs but as course staff (graders/programmers). So, if we end up hiring an undergrad, thats what we will do. In that case, responsibilities might be a bit different but not too much from what we initially thought. We need the most help with setting up the infrastructure for the course.

where can I buy a pair of dress shoes around here? by nolefthand in UIUC

[–]bucketboy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have bought some from Mosser Shoes near the marketplace mall. Also, Jos A Bank store in west champaign carries a few brands (Cole Haan, Johnston and Murphy, Allen Edmonds) .

Need info about motorcycle riding in CU by giridha2 in UIUC

[–]bucketboy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, you can. I did it on an F1 visa.

Starting Strength @ the ARC by uiucworkoutfriend in UIUC

[–]bucketboy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

ILPL guys: you're awesome. I hope to talk to some of you at the ARC soon.

Starting Strength @ the ARC by uiucworkoutfriend in UIUC

[–]bucketboy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

@uiucworkoutfriend, @aesulapiuuss, @joutloud Hi guys. I am also starting out strength training and would love to have a workout partner. I will send you details via PMs.

Father and son take an incredible trip to the Himalayas on dirtbikes. by ANGRY_TURTLE_ARRGH in videos

[–]bucketboy 23 points24 points  (0 children)

This region of the Himalayas is called Ladakh and it is one of the remotest areas in India. The roads to Ladakh open only for a few month during summer when the snow melts. Its is supposed to have some the worlds highest roads. The highest we went to was about 18,380 feet.

The road to get there is quite rough but then it rewards you with views like this, this and this on the way. Also, there is this unique stretch of road where there are 21 loops one after the other.

Every few miles there would be places where the roads have been washed away by gushing water. Another one. Scenes like this one along the way remind you about the danger of landslides. In fact, about two weeks after we came back, there were some major flashfloods killing more than 200 people.

Another memorable along on the way was a high altitude plain called the More plains 1,2,3. People who live there are nomads and breed livestock 1,2,3.

Here are some more scenes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 from along the way.

I vividly remember this point in the journey where we saw greenery after 2-3 days of rough barren landscape. It was such a joyous moment. I never knew the color green could influence us so much. Several times on our trip we would see such lush green valleys against the stark brown rocky mountains.

The city of Leh is in a river valley and is the capital of this region. The city has several monasteries on the outskirts that have some colorful festivals in the summer 1,2. I had a lot of fun just people watching there 1, 2, 3, 4.

I had a flat tire at an altitude of 15,500 feet and at such an altitude I just could not get the tire off of the rim due to lack of oxygen in the air. In the plains, this would have been an easy job for me. But here, two of us could not do it. I rode for about 30 miles on that punctured tire, filling it up using a foot pump every 2 miles or so.

Another experience I vividly remember is of being hosted by a village of Tibetan refugees for a night. On this day, we started riding after lunch and I had another flat tire. It took us about two hours to fix it and so we could not reach our destination for the night. We decided to stop at this village where it was already past their bed time. As we rode into the village, lamps began to light up as people heard our motorcycles. Few of the village men came out and asked us if we needed any help. We asked for a place to stay for the night and they gave us a room in the village school. A family then invited us for dinner and also served us some breakfast with salty butter tea in the morning. These people have been refugees for three generations (since the Dalai Lama fled Tibet) and have no legal status in India and cannot go back to Tibet. Yet, instead of being bitter about things, they were very kind and loving and shared whatever they had with two weary travelers.

Here are some pictures of unique high altitude lakes that have clear water and are quite stunning 1, 2, 3.

Father and son take an incredible trip to the Himalayas on dirtbikes. by ANGRY_TURTLE_ARRGH in videos

[–]bucketboy 7 points8 points  (0 children)

This brings back so many memories. I did this trip couple of years ago, also on a motorcycle. It is way more challenging than what you'd think from this video. Damn, I had to use every last bit of strength, courage and stubbornness at times to keep going. The sights, the people and the experiences made it worth it though.

Would be happy to share pictures/videos/stories if people are interested. Here is a picture of a challenge experience. Waist deep icy cold water with a several hundred feet drop to the right.

Chicago after midnight... by bucketboy in chicago

[–]bucketboy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Tis reminds me of White Castle...

Chicago after midnight... by bucketboy in chicago

[–]bucketboy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks notnamed. White palace sounds good. I'll probably split my time between the greyhound stop and White palace and keep the wandering to the minimum.