2006 Scholarships

As many of you may know, last year I spent the summer studying for the GMAT. During this time I kept a detailed blog of my preparation (https://beatthegmat.blocked). This blog became an incredibly important component of my GMAT studies. Not only was it a mechanism to help me stay accountable to my work (since people were expecting new posts each day), but the blog was also a means for keeping me motivated. To this day, I am still surprised by how many people had sent me messages of support and encouragement during my preparation. Knowing that I had a community behind me inspired me to Beat the GMAT!

As a way of thanking the community for your support, I wish to announce a new annual initiative: the Beat The GMAT! Scholarship. I am pleased to announce that I have raised enough money through advertisements and donations to fund two scholarships for two deserving people this year. Each scholarship consists of a package of 8 books, valued at nearly $150:

• The Official Guide for GMAT Review, 11th Edition
• The Official Guide for GMAT Verbal Review
• The Official Guide for GMAT Quantitative Review
• Princeton Review 2006 Cracking the GMAT with CD
• Kaplan GMAT 2006, Premier Program (Book and CD)
• Kaplan GMAT 800, 2005-2006
• Kaplan GRE & GMAT Math Workbook: Fourth Edition
• Manhattan GMAT Sentence Correction GMAT Preparation Guide

[UPDATE 4.27.06: alternative cash prize of $150 is also available! This is an incentive to allow people who have all ready purchased their books to apply--why not get reimbursed for your books? Must have a PayPal Account]

It’s very easy to apply. Just answer the following question in less than 300 words:

Why do you deserve the Beat The GMAT! Scholarship?

I know, it’s not the most original question. However, there are no wrong answers! Use this essay as an opportunity to demonstrate your creativity, or to tell your unique personal story, or to explain your aspirations for attending business school—there are limitless possibilities for responses.

Here are the rules:

1. You must be a US resident. Unfortunately, I can’t ship overseas. [Update 4.27.06: international applicants can apply if they opt for the $150 cash prize--you must have a PayPal account]
2. Register yourself on this forum (click the 'Register' link above).
3. Answer this essay question in less than 300 words: “Why do you deserve the Beat The GMAT! Scholarship?”
4. Send your essay response to: [email protected]; your essay response must be included in the body text of the e-mail you send me. I will NOT open attachments!
5. Submit your essay by April 30, 2006.
6. That’s it!

How the winners are decided:

Ultimately, I will not be the final judge of who wins these two scholarships—YOU WILL. From the pool of applicants, I will pick five finalist essays, which will be posted publicly in this discussion forum. The Beat The GMAT! community will vote via online poll to determine which two people (i.e., the two people who win the most votes) deserve this year’s scholarships. Pretty cool, huh?

I urge all people who are planning to take the GMAT this year to apply for these scholarships. It’s an easy way to get some free books!

Here are some important dates you should know:

• April 30, 2006 – Deadline to e-mail me your essay response
• May 7, 2006 – Five finalists revealed, essays posted online, and online poll to determine winner created
• May 20, 2006 – Poll ends and 2 scholarship winners announced!

As a final note, I wish to reiterate once more how important blogging was in helping me prepare for the GMAT. I hope that the two 2006 scholarship winners (along with anyone who studies for the GMAT) will maintain their own blogs to carefully track their progress, as I had done last year. These blogs will serve as an important record—perhaps even a study guide—that will allow others to prepare successfully for the GMAT as well. Let’s continue to help and support each other; together, we can all beat the GMAT!

I look forward to reading your essays. Thanks, and best of luck!

I know it's early, but I'm still waiting on my first submitted essay responses! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Thanks!

This is the last week to submit an essay for this scholarship!

So far I have received just one essay submission--there are TWO scholarships available.

Please send in your responses to me this week, thanks!

Just 3 days left to submit an essay to win one of two 2006 Beat The GMAT! Scholarships. So far only TWO people have submitted essays--it's a great opportunity to win some free books, so please apply!

I understand that many of you are reluctant to apply for this scholarship because you have all ready purchased your books and have begun studying. As an incentive for everyone to apply for this scholarship, I am offering an alternative CASH PRIZE of $150 in lieu of GMAT books, to compensate for your purchases.

You must have a PayPal account to receive this cash prize. Please indicate your preference for cash when you e-mail your essay response to [email protected]

Thanks!

Thanks again to those of you who have submitted an application--I received quite a few at the last moment. I'm going to look your essays over the next few days and then announce the final five. Stay tuned!