I agree with you Jon. Unfortunately, I don't see any alternatives for me. Perhaps the following from wikipedia will help to guide others in the same situation:

An award is something given to a person or a group of people to recognize their excellence in a certain field; a certificate of excellence. Awards are often signified by trophies, titles, certificates, commemorative plaques, medals, badges, pins, or ribbons. An award may carry a monetary prize given to the recipient; for example, the Nobel Prize for contributions to society or the Pulitzer Prize for literary achievements. An award may also simply be a public acknowledgment of excellence, without any tangible token or prize.

Jon : I have a question regarding certifications. The PMP certification, unlike technical certifications, are not based on theory alone. It involves significant managerial experience (3500-5000 Hours), extensive documentation and sometimes a background check before a candidate can be green-lighted to take the exam. It is a 4 hr exam which needs approx 150 hours of preparation and 35 hours of classroom training.

During a period of unemployment (moved to a different country where my spouse was based, following our wedding) i took this up to improve my employment chances and to demonstrate to ad-coms that i was active and engaged in professional development.

What is your take on the value of such a certification with regards to a FT MBA application ?