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Small White Dragon posted:Really? I took the GREs without preparing for the math section and only missed 1 or 2. Last night I took my first GMAT practice test cold and got 20/37 on the math section.  If I recall correctly, the GRE was pretty much identical to the SAT in the type of questions it asks. GMAT may have the same level of math, but the type of questions are different and a couple of times left me with a feeling of uncertainty even when I knew the answer was right. That said, I don't think it'll be too hard after a little remedial study. The laminated paper and felt marker system for the actual test sounds incredibly annoying.
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Sep 26, 2012 10:24
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Smeef posted:
I hadn't even started to think about that yet. I burn through so much scrap paper just writing notes all over the place.
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Sep 26, 2012 20:04
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When I began GRE prep I was really rusty with math but after decent study I felt prepared. My main problem on the test was that there were ~6 or so similar math questions that just straight up weren't covered by prep text. So that was like 6/42 questions that I didn't know how to approach. Other than that my issue was time management. The material itself isn't that challenging. Also I've noticed that many mba programs to which I've applied accept the GRE in place of the GMAT. Thoughts? My aggregate GRE scores were altogether about a 85th percentile. Is there a strong preference for GMAT? I've emailed the admissions boards and they assure me GRE's are fine. Mandalay posted:Without knowing anything beyond you being 24 and a 3.2 undergrad in poli sci, I don't think you are likely to get into either UCLA MURP or Anderson. I understand that you have desires but I'm not seeing the great work experience and/or coursework that would get you into two top top schools. My 2 letters of recommendation from work are outstandingly strong. I have a standing offer to be immediately rehired; coworkers, management and customers loved me. This is one of the strongest parts of my application. I wish I was allowed to submit more than 2 letters because I could avalanche them with strong letters of recommendation. I hope letters of recommendation are weighed heavily because this greatly increases my application strength. Also, while my GPA isn't stellar, there is a clear upwards trend as I approached graduation. In my third-to-last quarter my in-major gpa was a 3.5. In my last two quarters my in-major gpa was 3.7. We'll see how that pans out. nedit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InGtiEXQyF0
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Sep 27, 2012 22:42
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Quick question, do I have to submit the schools I want to receive my GMATs before I receive my scores? 2 of the 3 schools I'm applying to accept GREs, and if my GREs were better than my GMATs I'd rather just send those, but will I know before I have to make that decision?
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Sep 27, 2012 23:28
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Noah posted:Quick question, do I have to submit the schools I want to receive my GMATs before I receive my scores? 2 of the 3 schools I'm applying to accept GREs, and if my GREs were better than my GMATs I'd rather just send those, but will I know before I have to make that decision? You can send your score to up to 5 schools at the start of the test, and you can send score reports at any time afterwards but there's a fee for each one.
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Sep 27, 2012 23:48
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BRB MAKIN BACON posted:
I always thought the college GPA's were largely irrelevant, especially if you have been working for awhile (maybe more so if you've only been out of college a couple of years). I was 29 when I enrolled (probably 2 years older than the median incoming class) and I think they almost entirely relied on my recommendation letters and GMAT......don't think I even sent them my college transcript......thank god for that!  .I think if they had to choose between your GPA and GMAT, they have got to focus on the GMAT since that is the only way to compare applicants on apples to apples basis.
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Sep 28, 2012 03:59
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That's great to hear.
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Sep 28, 2012 09:47
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Smeef posted:I took the GREs without preparing for the math section and only missed 1 or 2. Last night I took my first GMAT practice test cold and got 20/37 on the math section. If you're good at math, the GMAT will throw a ton of problems at you that (seem to) take a while to solve. Small White Dragon fucked around with this message at 11:09 on Sep 28, 2012 |
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Sep 28, 2012 11:07
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I'm thinking about applying for an MBA in France. I don't think I have a shot at a top-tier program so I'm thinking about applying at some "no-name" schools. I know most people here say that an MBA isn't worth it unless it is from a top rated school but there are a few fairly inexpensive programs here (under $20,000) so I won't go into a ton of debt. Background: I'm an American currently living in Paris with my wife (also American). She has a job here and they are taking about extending it for a year or so. If I was enrolled in a program it would allow me to stay in France (and work part-time if I wanted). I've also been thinking about going back to school for a while anyways so this isn't just a way for me to stay here. We might want to stay in Europe for a while but I'm sure we'll go back to the US. I'm worried that an MBA from an unknown French school won't be worth much in the US—but maybe it will be worth as much as an no-name MBA from the US. Any advice or thoughts about this plan?
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Sep 28, 2012 19:36
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Omits-Bagels posted:I'm thinking about applying for an MBA in France. I don't think I have a shot at a top-tier program so I'm thinking about applying at some "no-name" schools. I know most people here say that an MBA isn't worth it unless it is from a top rated school but there are a few fairly inexpensive programs here (under $20,000) so I won't go into a ton of debt. The real problem with no name MBA's - from anywhere - is that the kind of brand name companies most MBAs aspire to work for simply don't recruit there. This ready-made pool of employers looking to hire you for glamorous jobs that pay lots of money and provide lots of future opportunities is the biggest reason people take two years off from work and spenfd $100K+ to go to these programs. Off the record, many recruiters would tell you that they could probably find many good candidates from "lesser" schools - the academic material in an MBA just isn't that unique - but by going to the Wharton, Harvard, Stanford, INSEAD, etc.'s of the world the hard part is already done for them. Essentially EVERYONE they meet will be stellar and well qualified, leaving them the much easier task of focusing on the soft aspects of who they like the best... err... "who is most appropriate for their culture". That said, going to a "no-name" school can still have benefits, especially if you don't have a business background already: 1. You WILL learn useful skills, which will be very useful in your business career. IN this area you will probably have the least disadvantage vis-a-vis a "name" school. 2. Even "no-name" schools have alumni networks and reputations in their country/region that can be very helpful in your career, especially early on. However, to make the most of this you really should go to a school in the area that you plan on working in after graduation. If you really want to work in France, by all means study in France; but if you want to come back to the US after graduation anyway, then come back now. You will definitely be maximizing the value of your degree. The number of MBA programs that make you an interesting international recruit straight out of school can be counted on one hand. 3. Keep in mind that you are getting a business degree. Initiative and drive and huge factors in whether someone succeeds or fails in business. Just because you went to Texas A&M (no offense Aggies  ) instead of Wharton doesn't mean you can't get a job at Goldman Sachs, but you will need to work harder and be a lot more proactive about getting what you want. Rather than waiting for the recruiters to come on campus, you will need to reach out to them, visit companies on your own dime and proactively build relationships with people who can help/hire you. If you have the energy and drive to do that well, then you will have overcome whatever disadvantage going to a "no-name" school might hold. Good Luck
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Oct 1, 2012 22:13
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Got my GMATs this saturday, and I'm definitely a little jittery. I haven't made the improvements I would want on my math, but I'm getting better and better on the new integrated reasoning, and shaving time, and I'm consistently leaving 15-20 minutes on the clock for the verbal stuff so I feel I can spend some extra time per question making sure I got the right answer. Thankfully my test is at 2pm, so I can sleep in and ensure I slept enough. Practice test 4 tonight, practice test 5 on wednesday. Not sure what I should do with my Thursday, but Friday I am just gonna chill out and play some video games and go out to dinner or something. I really want to get in on the first wave of applicants, but I will settle for second, but I would love to not have to put another $250 on credit to retake the GMAT. My three schools are USC, UCLA, and CSU Long Beach. I'm very confident I can get into CSULB no matter what happens, but I'm definitely nervous I won't make it into the others. Someone give me some pep talks!
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Oct 1, 2012 22:31
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Oliax posted:
I echo most of your thoughts. The key difference for the "brand name" MBA programs is the quality and depth of the networks you will develop. You will probably meet higher caliber people, i.e. the kind who make you feel insecure and ask, "wow, what have I done with my life" . I don't believe the brand-names provide you with a significantly better technical education - brand name professors whose names are always in the WSJ or write lots of books are not necessarily the best educators - if your priority is to learn new technical skills and reposition your career, and you are less impressed with the "paper chase" aspect of the elite MBA programs, the no-name program is not going to hurt you, especially in the pocket-book .
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Oct 2, 2012 03:04
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Noah posted:Got my GMATs this saturday, and I'm definitely a little jittery. I'm sure you know this but the GMAT is an adaptive test. This means that if you get more questions right, you'll get harder questions, and you'll get a higher score. What this means is that you can stress out less about careless mistakes. I mean, avoid them obviously, but you can be a little more relaxed because whatever slip-ups you make, you'll have a chance to basically rectify them by answering more difficult questions. So don't sweat it too much if there's one specific property of ellipses and angles that you don't necessarily remember. If it's a one-off, you'll be able to make up for it. The GMAT is kewl. It's not like the poopy SAT where every missed question is definitely points off. That's stressful. Also bring beverages for the breaks if you're a caffeine guy. I was allowed to go into my locker (they make you lock up your things) during the breaks between sections. IR, Red Bull, Math, Red Bull, Verbal, success!, beer. Also you get your scores for everything but IR immediately afterwards (I wasn't expecting this because I thought the website said otherwise). They say it's just an "estimate", but it is an estimate that is always correct. No Wave fucked around with this message at 14:15 on Oct 2, 2012 |
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Oct 2, 2012 14:12
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No Wave posted:I'm sure you know this but the GMAT is an adaptive test. This means that if you get more questions right, you'll get harder questions, and you'll get a higher score. Making simple mistakes keeps you from getting to the harder questions.
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Oct 2, 2012 23:13
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I do still make some stupid mistakes that I'm trying to move away from. For the most part, its all the IR and Quantatative sections that I do it in because I'm definitely pressed for time. For instance, I had a question on the practice test that looked like this: (482)^2 + 2(482)(118) + (118)^2 306^2 - 294^2 Now at the time I couldn't see it, but realizing now that it was a quadratic expression makes it so much easier. I consider that a stupid mistake because I was pretty befuddled, and I was already behind time. The only thing that's killing me on the Verbal section is god drat sentence correction. I hate it so muchhhh.
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Oct 2, 2012 23:20
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Bobby Digital posted:Making simple mistakes keeps you from getting to the harder questions. Sentence correction was brutal for me for a time as well. I'm lucky enough to have gotten absurdly good schooling in grammar school so half of the questions I could just figure out by intuition. The rest, I'd look for the obvious red flags, verb agreement being the most important one (making sure a verb separated from its subject is properly singular/plural). Making sure that the subject is the emphasis of its clause is probably the second most important. There, the best way to prepare is to look for the patterns in the explanations for the sentence correction in the practice book, so that you have some clear ideas of what to look for when you see a certain type of sentence.
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Oct 3, 2012 03:07
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Sentence Correction is extremely repetitive, so looking for patterns is definitely a good idea. My method: 1. Scan answers for obvious red flags: different verb tense/number, pronoun changes, starting and ending words (to see how they fit with the rest of the sentence) 2. Look at the full sentence, focusing on the potential errors you identified. Once you find a mistake, eliminate all answer that make my mistake. Continue the process. If you get down to two that you think are okay, focus on the difference between them rather than using the full sentence. I think not using the answer choices is the biggest mistake most GMAT takers make. We're not editing in a vacuum; we simply have to pick the correct option.
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Oct 3, 2012 06:22
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Bobby Digital posted:If you get down to two that you think are okay, focus on the difference between them rather than using the full sentence.
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Oct 3, 2012 07:32
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My poo poo's tomorrow. I'm looking at old practice tests one last time at questions I got wrong, but ugh, gently caress it. I need a beer.
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Oct 6, 2012 02:49
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Noah posted:My poo poo's tomorrow. I'm looking at old practice tests one last time at questions I got wrong, but ugh, gently caress it. I need a beer. You're not going to learn anything new at this point. Have a beer or two and relax. I always tell my students to take the last day or two before the exam off entirely. You need to be as mentally fresh as possible because the GMAT is more reasoning-based than content-based. You can't really cram for it.
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Oct 6, 2012 06:56
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Wooo! DONE. I got a 690. And I'm very confident I crushed the essay. So now I have a question: For my schools that accept either GRE or GMAT, my GRE score is 1480 (740) and my GMAT is 690. But my GRE essay score was a paltry 3, where as I think my GMAT essay is going to be 5-6 range. Which would be more advantageous to send? The GRE with a higher overall score, but lower essay, or the GMAT which is the reverse?
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Oct 7, 2012 02:07
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B-schools don't give a poo poo about the essay as long as you managed a passing score. On the GMAT, that's a 4.0 or better, which isn't hard to do. What's your background? If it's banking/consulting/other traditional MBA background, schools may wonder why you took the GRE instead. If it's less traditional, you're fine with the GRE.
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Oct 7, 2012 03:42
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I have a background in journalism and creative writing, which should make my low scoring essay inexcusable. I'm actually not really sure why I got such a low score, I can only assume I did not follow directions properly on one of my GRE essays which brought my average down.
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Oct 7, 2012 04:21
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I'd submit the GRE then. Your background will more than make up for your essay score.
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Oct 7, 2012 05:05
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Noah posted:I have a background in journalism and creative writing, which should make my low scoring essay inexcusable. I'm actually not really sure why I got such a low score, I can only assume I did not follow directions properly on one of my GRE essays which brought my average down.
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Oct 7, 2012 09:33
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Omits-Bagels posted:I'm thinking about applying for an MBA in France. I don't think I have a shot at a top-tier program so I'm thinking about applying at some "no-name" schools. I know most people here say that an MBA isn't worth it unless it is from a top rated school but there are a few fairly inexpensive programs here (under $20,000) so I won't go into a ton of debt. The MBA culture in France is really different than in the US. There are many business schools with excellent undergrad programs (HEC, Essec, etc) and people dont go back to school after 3-5 years experience because they dont have to. So basicaly people who get MBAs in France are: young profesionnals in top worldwide finance/consultancy firms with a strong MBA culture (BB banks, BCG/Mckinsey etc) or top of the pop executives from CAC40 companies (but even those generaly dont need a MBA to progress). The pool of French MBA applicants is very small and very very competitive. Since you live in Paris you must be aware that the prevalent system here for top jobs is being a "grande ecole" grad. If you're not from a grand ecole or its foreign equivalent, following a French no-name MBA program will be as useless as in the US. Even worse since the MBA culture is really not as important as in the US. So dont waste your money on an EM Lyon/Edhec MBA, unless you want a poo poo paying job out of Paris. Plus you'll have to be bilingual anyway. If you're young enough and don't mind 3 more years of school, you should apply to Grande Ecole track for foreigners at HEC/Essec/ESCP etc: http://www.hec.fr/Grande-Ecole/Admissions/Admission-internationale-en-cycle-Master. Those programs are known internationaly and will boost your chances to get a job in France (you will be considered as a "Grande Ecole" grad). The cost will be about the same as a poo poo MBA. Macnigore fucked around with this message at 09:41 on Oct 7, 2012 |
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Oct 7, 2012 09:34
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Smeef posted:
Jumping back to this, in reality it wasn't so bad. I'm left handed, so I have a tendency to smear, and I also can get clammy handed at times, and it still was completely adequate for me to get used to it. I finished the essay and proofread it early, with like 5-10 minutes spare time, so I used that time to start writing down formulas and common geometry stuff. I don't know that I ended up using many specifically for any problems I ran into but it might be helpful for you.
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Oct 9, 2012 02:51
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Noah posted:Wooo! DONE. In my day (admittedly a while ago) no one gave a poo poo about the essay score on the GMAT. The school had lots of other examples of your writing skills as part of your application, and the GMAT scoring system was viewed with significant suspicion. My recommendation would be to submit the result with the higher score on the rest of the test. Oliax fucked around with this message at 15:43 on Oct 12, 2012 |
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Oct 9, 2012 18:20
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Oliax posted:In my day (admittedly a while ago) no one gave a poo poo about the essay score on the GMAT. Heh, the GMAT "essay". That was so bogus back in the day. I think that it was there just as a control test to make sure you were legitimately fluent in English, in case non-fluent speakers/writers "hired" others to write their school application essays Is the essay question more "relevant" these days?
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Oct 11, 2012 23:14
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I'm currently a Ph.D student but I am not interested in academia or a research career... I'd rather be 'doing' something, so I'm career changing. I'm interested in non-profit management. I have a clear and specific idea of what I want to be doing and how I think an MBA would help with this. I haven't actually taken the GMAT but I scored 760/770 on the two powerprep practice tests, and my undergrad GPA (majors in math and economics) is about a 3.85. When I cash out of my grad program this spring, I'll have an MS in applied mathematics and an MST (an advanced teaching degree, basically). I have about two years' experience as the Vice President of a large, statewide labor union. I'm personally responsible for contract negotiations, arbitrations, and organizing campaigns for about 9,000 employees. The position also entails managing a multi-million dollar budget (I'm the second most active out of six people involved in creating it), organizing and running projects, supervising employees, etc... stuff that a "boss" tends to do, and I've also been told I'm very good at it by the only two people higher up in the organization than me, and I would have no trouble getting great recommendations from them. Trouble is, I don't think it's "professional, full time" work experience as admissions committees probably define it since a) it's only a paid position on occasion, and b) I can only put as much time into it as my studies and other commitments allow (rarely 40+ hours per week). Having to say "0 years, 0 months" when they ask how much professional full time experience I have makes me nervous. Is the admissions committee just going to throw my application in the trash, or am I otherwise at a crippling disadvantage? Or are the standards different for someone coming from and going into non-profit work? I'd appreciate any feedback before I plunk down $250 for the GMAT and $100's more for applications.
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Oct 16, 2012 18:25
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Ronald McReagan posted:I'm currently a Ph.D student but I am not interested in academia or a research career... I'd rather be 'doing' something, so I'm career changing. I'm interested in non-profit management. I think you have the extract of a good application essay just right there! Having a specific interest in non-profits, that you can speak passionately about (especially if you can find the oppurtunity to express that directly to an admissions officer) will immediately differentiate you from the dime-a-dozen Ivy League college grads who have done their 2/3 years in Consulting and Investment Banking and are now looking to stamp an MBA on their "passport". If you were looking for a run-of-the-mill private sector career, perhaps the 0yrs 0 mths might matter a little bit more, but whatever you do, don't apologize for what you have done or not done in the past. Your union work can speak to your real-life practical "management experience" which not a lot of 27 year old kids get by running spreadsheets at Goldman or drafting power-points at Mckinsey. When it comes to the Admissions Office, "different" is always good, IMHO, so just tailor your past experiences into a coherent story on why you want an MBA at School X and how it will help you achieve your longer term career goals. It is always compelling if an applicants sounds like he knows where he is coming and where he wants to go, as opposed to going through the motions of the ratrace. Your other advantage is that a "labour union" perspective is not exactly common within an MBA class, so the diversity you will bring to the student body will of interest to them, especially if the school follows the "case method", where a non-traditional point of view will be welcome in the class discussion. Some of these Admissions Programs officers approach the configuring of their classes like mini social-engineering projects Good luck!
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Oct 16, 2012 23:47
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I agree with Pookerbacca. You definitely have the right pieces here to make a compelling application. Business school admission committees are all about diversity of background, so I expect they will love the perspective your story would bring. Try to keep the attitude of what you wrote right up to "trouble is...". I was totally sold and nodding my head at what a good fit you would be. Being successful as an MBA and ultimately as a "business executive" is not that different from picking up chicks in a bar - confidence is king! If you ever look at how successful CEO's communicate, nothing is ever bad news and everything that happens is a great thing. I saw this first-hand when the CEO of American Express - while speaking to the entire company right after 9/11 during which the company headquarters in NYC were essentially destroyed - managed to convincingly portray 9/11 as a an opportunity for the company. Try to bring this attitude into your MBA application. Rather than "not having time to devote 40+ hours to your union work" try this "in addition to my demanding full time course load xyzonics I spent almost every free moment as the vice-president of a 9,000 member statewide labor union, which I led to the following awesome achievements...". See the difference?
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Oct 17, 2012 21:54
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Cool, I think I'll go for it then. Thanks! Follow-up question: what is the scholarship/funding world generally like for MBA programs? Since I don't really wanna be a baller per se, and almost surely would not have any employer support, I'm hoping that $90-100k in debt would not be in my future... would the whole nonprofit career plans help with that maybe?
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Oct 18, 2012 03:16
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Ronald McReagan posted:Cool, I think I'll go for it then. Thanks!
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Oct 18, 2012 03:54
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I have a couple of Skype interviews coming up, any tips/advice? I'm planning on going through my application again since there are some minor differences from school to school, going through the school's website briefly and wearing a suit. Anything else I should do? What sort of questions do they usually ask?
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Oct 23, 2012 05:13
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darklink28 posted:I have a couple of Skype interviews coming up, any tips/advice? I'm planning on going through my application again since there are some minor differences from school to school, going through the school's website briefly and wearing a suit. Anything else I should do? What sort of questions do they usually ask? Try not to worry about gotcha questions. You are not running for President .Focus on having a tight and passionate narrative about yourself. About what you have done, where you're coming from, to where you want to go with an MBA and why that school makes sense for you. Know your story. If you can do that, you can make almost any question relate back to your story.
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Oct 23, 2012 05:32
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Pookerbacca posted:Try not to worry about gotcha questions. You are not running for President I would add: go into the interview with 3 things you would like the interviewer to remember about you when they write up their notes about your meeting. Then make sure to pick your examples and anecdotes to reinforce those points. Politicians would call this "staying on message" but its equally true here.
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Oct 23, 2012 16:07
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Just sent in my UCLA application for Round 1. I suppose now I just have to hope for the interview. Time to chill my jets for a bit (though still gotta get in my USC application).
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Oct 23, 2012 22:45
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Thanks guys, I'll work on those points.
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Oct 24, 2012 06:05
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Got back my official GMAT scores, 40 Verbal (90%), 45 Quant (68%) 690 overall (87%) 6.0 essay, and 7 Integrated Reasoning (81%). I'm pretty okay with these scores, and I think I'm going to use these over my GRE scores of 1480 (740) with a 3.0 essay, because I think the GMAT scores represent a more well-rounded test as opposed to my GRE. I know the essay isn't scored as heavily, but my 3.0 on the GRE is pretty below the "expected" score of 4.0.
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Oct 24, 2012 23:42
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