Admissions Success Stories

So this is a reflection on my past 8 months. It started slow, I took the GMAT in February of 2011 and got a 550. I studied for a weekend with a PR book and got a general feel of the test. I didn't start studying in earnest until June after I got back from campus visits, which added a good deal of motivation for me. I bought the MGMAT set and systematically went through the books for 2 months, practicing around 3 hours a day, with one or two day breaks per week. In August when I finished, I scored a 580 on my practice test and was disappointed. 3 months and close to 200 hours of study for a 30 point improvement???

Time to get serious. I signed up for Veritas Prep's online course. Over the next few months my practice test scores increased substantially until I was scoring an average of 710 (!!). The course ended and I pushed off the test to get more OG practice in but I saw my practice test scores slowly fall from the 700s to the mid 600s. I realized, after the fact, that I was burnt out. It was a pretty tough situation, I had been studying non-stop from June to November and my mind had enough. I took the GMAT on November 9th and scored a disappointing 640. My mind was drawing blanks, I was tired and had to drive a long distance that morning and I was simply not functioning. My applications were ready to go, and I was already getting to the end of R2, so I hit submit.

To my surprise I was invited to interview at the two schools I applied to, Cornell's Johnson and Berkeley's Haas. The next few months had me waiting in nervous anticipation, and I got the phone call from Cornell saying I'm in. Haas put me on the waitlist, so I have some time to see what happens with that, but I love the Cornell program, so I'm 90% sure I'll end up there.

How did it happen? Well, I'd like to think I had a great application despite my low GMAT. I work in economics in a senior position and I have started two companies in my spare time (not lemonade stands, but innovative, new ways of looking at a few problems). I also had a handful of great recommendations that directly speak to the impacts I've made at my firm. My long-term goal is one of entrepreneurship and my application was concisely tailored to that. Although my GMAT was in the lower percentile, it's apparent that schools do not look solely at GMAT performance. People like to split hairs on the difference between a 700 and a 710 and whether they should retake or not. It is apparent to me at least that the other pieces of the application can be far more important than a high GMAT score, though a high score certainly won't hurt. In retrospect I wish I had spent less time on the GMAT, or just started the Veritas course from the beginning and saved myself hundreds of hours of work that didn't pay off. I could have been doing far more interesting and productive things with my time. Thanks to the community and their help along the way - I'm glad the GMAT is over.

That's quite an achievement, sieken. Congrats!

Your last paragraph captures the essence of MBA apps pretty well. I hope more applicants read this.

Have fun at Ithaca. Also, good luck with Haas. Always nice to have bragging rights ('I got into X and Y, but finally chose...').

sieken wrote:So this is a reflection on my past 8 months. It started slow, I took the GMAT in February of 2011 and got a 550. I studied for a weekend with a PR book and got a general feel of the test. I didn't start studying in earnest until June after I got back from campus visits, which added a good deal of motivation for me. I bought the MGMAT set and systematically went through the books for 2 months, practicing around 3 hours a day, with one or two day breaks per week. In August when I finished, I scored a 580 on my practice test and was disappointed. 3 months and close to 200 hours of study for a 30 point improvement???

Time to get serious. I signed up for Veritas Prep's online course. Over the next few months my practice test scores increased substantially until I was scoring an average of 710 (!!). The course ended and I pushed off the test to get more OG practice in but I saw my practice test scores slowly fall from the 700s to the mid 600s. I realized, after the fact, that I was burnt out. It was a pretty tough situation, I had been studying non-stop from June to November and my mind had enough. I took the GMAT on November 9th and scored a disappointing 640. My mind was drawing blanks, I was tired and had to drive a long distance that morning and I was simply not functioning. My applications were ready to go, and I was already getting to the end of R2, so I hit submit.

To my surprise I was invited to interview at the two schools I applied to, Cornell's Johnson and Berkeley's Haas. The next few months had me waiting in nervous anticipation, and I got the phone call from Cornell saying I'm in. Haas put me on the waitlist, so I have some time to see what happens with that, but I love the Cornell program, so I'm 90% sure I'll end up there.

How did it happen? Well, I'd like to think I had a great application despite my low GMAT. I work in economics in a senior position and I have started two companies in my spare time (not lemonade stands, but innovative, new ways of looking at a few problems). I also had a handful of great recommendations that directly speak to the impacts I've made at my firm. My long-term goal is one of entrepreneurship and my application was concisely tailored to that. Although my GMAT was in the lower percentile, it's apparent that schools do not look solely at GMAT performance. People like to split hairs on the difference between a 700 and a 710 and whether they should retake or not. It is apparent to me at least that the other pieces of the application can be far more important than a high GMAT score, though a high score certainly won't hurt. In retrospect I wish I had spent less time on the GMAT, or just started the Veritas course from the beginning and saved myself hundreds of hours of work that didn't pay off. I could have been doing far more interesting and productive things with my time. Thanks to the community and their help along the way - I'm glad the GMAT is over.

Hi Sieken,

I was wondering if you can elaborate on your two startups and how you wove them into your essays and part of your career track? I'm working on my applications and I'm drawing a blank trying to pinpoint both short-term and long term goals. Oh yea, I ran a "lemonade stand" type business for two years while I was still employed full-time. In particular, I ran an ebay business that was purely profit motivated and sold pet supplies. As I am a software engineer my side business had no relationship to what I do so I guess it's hard for me to line this up logically with my career. Would this be a poor choice to draw on for my essays? any advice much appreciated.

my goal is actually Haas part-time.

@pinchharmonic: Sorry for the late response! I must have missed your post while I was on my honeymoon and moving to Ithaca. I worked my startups into my application as an accent to highlight my uniqueness. My day job had enough pedigree and rigor to sure up any doubts related to my 640 GMAT, and I positioned my startups as deep learning experiences that ultimately gave me the core motivations to go back to school. I made a number of expensive mistakes with my first startup that ultimately brought it down, and in my second I applied all the lessons I learned from the first, but I still didn't (and don't yet, I'm still in the first semester here!) have the knowledge I wanted. So when the adcom asked me why I wanted to go to school there, I told them I had the hard knocks approach to startups but wanted the best practice approach. They also asked me why I started a second after the first failed and I explained how the experience, while unsuccessful, was one of the most fun undertakings I've ever had and I wanted to pursue the creation and fulfillment of ideas.

So while the startups helped me position myself, they weren't the deciding factor that got me into Cornell. My day job was run by a set of Cornell alums so I had some great recs and I played a very central and critical role with the firm. That I did a few startups allowed them to see me as creative and able to handle the work load of the program (which Cornell is notorious for - the entire core is crammed into the first semester!).

I think the main takeaway here is to compose a compelling story of you. If you can build the case that you fit in there and can add a unique balance to their class, you will have a very strong application, regardless of where your scores lay (within the 80th percentile of course).

wow thanks! great info!

Mind if I ask your age when you were applying? Also, I'm really interested in your recommendations. For one, how did you know they were one of the major reasons why you got in? Did you get to read them after or get an idea of what they are about? I'd love to prep my recommenders to write something along those lines on my behalf.

Any info on your undergrad/gpa? I did not know Cornell was known for entrepreneurship, but now i'm really interested in researching more.

Do you plan to work in NY or East Coast after?

thanks and congrats!