Hi all,
So, I'm in a particularly unique situation and I can't seem to figure out what to do over the next few months. Let me start off with the basics:
1) 25, male
2) Educational background: BS in Engineering from a prestigious state school, MS in Engineering from an Ivy League school
3) 4 years of experience at a major global aerospace company… even though my educational background has been in engineering, I’ve had a corporate strategy / business role for the past three years. To be a little more detailed, I started out as a Systems Engineer for 8 months, then a Strategic Development and Investments Analyst position for 1.5 years, then now a Senior Strategic Research Analyst focusing on emerging technology at corporate headquarters for 2 years now.
4) I took the GMAT once last year and completely bombed it… I know why, but I’ll get into this a little later.
So, let me start off with this: I know I want to go to business school! It's been on my mind for the past 2-3 years. I was in the process of applying last year, but decided to push it back for one reason: I wanted to travel the world while I still could. I have a great boss and he let me take some extended time off, while still retaining my position at work.
Now that I have a little more than four years of diverse experience (engineering-8months, business strategy-1.5 years, technology strategy-2 years), I’m ready to apply to business school. I’ve done my research on schools (might need to do a refresher since last year), have a short list of industries and positions in mind for post-MBA, and a very refined story from my preparation efforts last year. Just as a note, I went through a lot of the personal self-assessments last year, reached out to mentors in and out of my network, attended information sessions here in my city, visited campuses, and even took the GMAT (which I completely screwed up somehow). On top of my own research, my two recommenders have near complete letters ready to go this year – I had asked for them to save it for this year.
My only issue is the GMAT. I took it and scored a 500 combined. Yes, a 500. Luckily, I did fine with the writing and scored a 5. I attribute this awful score to many things, some of the obvious ones being I didn’t study hard for the test, had no attack plan, and didn’t take one single practice test… at all. Not even on paper or on the computer. When I entered the test room, I panicked because my timing strategy wasn’t solidified (did I even have one? eh), I had never used a computer in my GMAT preparation…ever, and everything else from there compounded. Surely, I know I’ll have to take practice tests this year… dozens of them, both on paper and on the computer. Seriously, it was completely my lack of preparation that will forever put a dent in my GMAT record. I know I failed miserably and its 110% due to my choices last year. Certainly, I know I’m better than this score, so I have to re-take it to even be considered. I’ve gone through a BS and MS at a rigorous Ivy League engineering program, made my way through corporate America is some of the most demanding quantitative position, and have the smarts, but failed to focus and execute on the GMAT. I’ll stop here – this could be a thread of its own. I know I screwed up, but I want to better myself.
So, here I am. It’s mid-July and I need some help.
Many applications are already released. I know people are crafting their story, their messaging, figuring out schools, etc… luckily, I think I have that 80% done. I need help with creating a timeline for the next few months.
I clearly need to focus on my GMAT. How should I attack it this time around? Are there any specific plans to focus on given my situation (the 30 day plan)? Should I spend more than 30 days, maybe giving myself 45 days to prepare? Any suggestion on hours per day?
And lastly, should I start my essays (at least mapping out themes, key points, strategies) now? Or should I wait until the GMAT is over (after test day? Or start mid-way through my GMAT prep process?). I’m struggling with the concept of doing things in parallel—in my head, I want to tackle both at the same time, but I’m afraid it’ll hurt my GMAT preparation. I know it ultimately comes down to me, but I’m prepared to spend 3-4 hours daily, if not at least 4-5x a week focusing on these two things for the next few months. I’m committed this time around; I just need a sensible strategy to move forward.
Thank you for reading.
So, I'm in a particularly unique situation and I can't seem to figure out what to do over the next few months. Let me start off with the basics:
1) 25, male
2) Educational background: BS in Engineering from a prestigious state school, MS in Engineering from an Ivy League school
3) 4 years of experience at a major global aerospace company… even though my educational background has been in engineering, I’ve had a corporate strategy / business role for the past three years. To be a little more detailed, I started out as a Systems Engineer for 8 months, then a Strategic Development and Investments Analyst position for 1.5 years, then now a Senior Strategic Research Analyst focusing on emerging technology at corporate headquarters for 2 years now.
4) I took the GMAT once last year and completely bombed it… I know why, but I’ll get into this a little later.
So, let me start off with this: I know I want to go to business school! It's been on my mind for the past 2-3 years. I was in the process of applying last year, but decided to push it back for one reason: I wanted to travel the world while I still could. I have a great boss and he let me take some extended time off, while still retaining my position at work.
Now that I have a little more than four years of diverse experience (engineering-8months, business strategy-1.5 years, technology strategy-2 years), I’m ready to apply to business school. I’ve done my research on schools (might need to do a refresher since last year), have a short list of industries and positions in mind for post-MBA, and a very refined story from my preparation efforts last year. Just as a note, I went through a lot of the personal self-assessments last year, reached out to mentors in and out of my network, attended information sessions here in my city, visited campuses, and even took the GMAT (which I completely screwed up somehow). On top of my own research, my two recommenders have near complete letters ready to go this year – I had asked for them to save it for this year.
My only issue is the GMAT. I took it and scored a 500 combined. Yes, a 500. Luckily, I did fine with the writing and scored a 5. I attribute this awful score to many things, some of the obvious ones being I didn’t study hard for the test, had no attack plan, and didn’t take one single practice test… at all. Not even on paper or on the computer. When I entered the test room, I panicked because my timing strategy wasn’t solidified (did I even have one? eh), I had never used a computer in my GMAT preparation…ever, and everything else from there compounded. Surely, I know I’ll have to take practice tests this year… dozens of them, both on paper and on the computer. Seriously, it was completely my lack of preparation that will forever put a dent in my GMAT record. I know I failed miserably and its 110% due to my choices last year. Certainly, I know I’m better than this score, so I have to re-take it to even be considered. I’ve gone through a BS and MS at a rigorous Ivy League engineering program, made my way through corporate America is some of the most demanding quantitative position, and have the smarts, but failed to focus and execute on the GMAT. I’ll stop here – this could be a thread of its own. I know I screwed up, but I want to better myself.
So, here I am. It’s mid-July and I need some help.
Many applications are already released. I know people are crafting their story, their messaging, figuring out schools, etc… luckily, I think I have that 80% done. I need help with creating a timeline for the next few months.
I clearly need to focus on my GMAT. How should I attack it this time around? Are there any specific plans to focus on given my situation (the 30 day plan)? Should I spend more than 30 days, maybe giving myself 45 days to prepare? Any suggestion on hours per day?
And lastly, should I start my essays (at least mapping out themes, key points, strategies) now? Or should I wait until the GMAT is over (after test day? Or start mid-way through my GMAT prep process?). I’m struggling with the concept of doing things in parallel—in my head, I want to tackle both at the same time, but I’m afraid it’ll hurt my GMAT preparation. I know it ultimately comes down to me, but I’m prepared to spend 3-4 hours daily, if not at least 4-5x a week focusing on these two things for the next few months. I’m committed this time around; I just need a sensible strategy to move forward.
Thank you for reading.
). You have your masters from an Ivy League school. Why ruin things by rushing. 
