NEED ADVICE ON CALCULUS VS STATS

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sosogmat: Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts; Posts: 18; Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2010 9:39 pm

by sosogmat » Fri Oct 22, 2010 9:34 am

I am applying for mba schools in the fall but I want to take some math classes to prepare myself. My undergrad was in journalism so I didn't take anything higher than college algebra.

I wanted to find out from others if I should take business calculus or jump into statistics?
Please advise

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Source: Beat The GMAT — The Application Process | Fri Oct 22, 2010 9:34 am

Kaneisha Grayson: MBA Admissions Consultant; Posts: 213; Joined: Thu Jul 29, 2010 10:15 amFollowed by: 31 members; Location: Austin, TX; Thanked: 44 times; GMAT Score:620

by Kaneisha Grayson » Mon Nov 01, 2010 8:53 pm

I recommend the following supplementary courses for you (in order of importance):

Accounting
Finance
Statistics
Microeconomics

I would completely skip business calculus altogether.

DO NOT spend a lot of money on these courses (less than $600 per course recommended). Schools are not impressed by you completing coursework at a highly ranked school. They are impressed with you going out of the way to take supplementary coursework, doing well in the course, and actually learning the material.

You can take the course at a community college--or online like BYU's online course offerings.

Good luck!
Kaneisha

Harvard Business School MBA 2010, Harvard Kennedy School MPA 2010
Founder, The Art of Applying
Admissions Consulting for MBA, MPP, Joint Degrees, and Fellowships
https://theartofapplying.com

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My clients have earned over $3.1 million in fellowships from Harvard and other top MBA, MPP, and JD programs since 2010.

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[email protected]: Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts; Posts: 17; Joined: Fri Apr 01, 2011 11:02 am

by [email protected] » Tue Jul 24, 2012 6:38 pm

Im in a similiar situation, what classes did you end up taking?

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money9111: Legendary Member; Posts: 2109; Joined: Sun Apr 19, 2009 10:25 pmFollowed by: 79 members; Location: New Jersey; Thanked: 109 times; GMAT Score:640

by money9111 » Tue Jul 24, 2012 9:59 pm

Kaneisha's advice (and order of importance) was spot on... DO NOT TAKE CALCULUS!

My goal is to make MBA applicants take onus over their process.

My story from Pre-MBA to Cornell MBA - New Post in Pre-MBA blog

Me featured on Poets & Quants

Free Book for MBA Applicants

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youngjames: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 44; Joined: Tue Jun 19, 2012 6:45 amFollowed by: 2 members; Location: Bay Area, California; Thanked: 16 times

by youngjames » Thu Jul 26, 2012 3:57 am

are you already accepted? or is this to build an alt transcript to gain admission? if it's the former, i'd recommend stats over calc. accountig and finance will be taught in your first year, and stats provides a solid quant foundation upon which to build. if it's the latter, proviing you can handle the coursework (with an acctg or finance class) will be helpful. and if it's the latter, also bear in mind you need to ace these classes, so pick smthg that you think you can do very well in. stats is not an easy subject. acctg is usually easier. but whatever you decide, if you're using this as a strategy for admission, i'd just focus on classes you know you'll ace.

hope that's helpful
-james young

www.TheFirstRead.com
A new approach to MBA Admissions consulting

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[email protected]: Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts; Posts: 17; Joined: Fri Apr 01, 2011 11:02 am

by [email protected] » Thu Jul 26, 2012 6:37 am

This goes out to all: Any reason why you shouldnt take calculus?

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money9111: Legendary Member; Posts: 2109; Joined: Sun Apr 19, 2009 10:25 pmFollowed by: 79 members; Location: New Jersey; Thanked: 109 times; GMAT Score:640

by money9111 » Thu Jul 26, 2012 8:59 am

B-school has nothing to do with calculus.

My goal is to make MBA applicants take onus over their process.

My story from Pre-MBA to Cornell MBA - New Post in Pre-MBA blog

Me featured on Poets & Quants

Free Book for MBA Applicants

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campbellronald7: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 80; Joined: Wed Apr 18, 2012 11:14 pm; Thanked: 3 times

by campbellronald7 » Fri Jul 27, 2012 1:12 am

Stats require lots of practice .the only thing you required is to remember all the formulas.
B-school has almost nothing to do with calculus.

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emj5687: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 1; Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2012 8:10 pm

by emj5687 » Mon Apr 01, 2013 7:26 pm

In theory, I understand why a calculus class would be less important than some of the other options listed; however, is this true from an admissions point of view? I know Fuqua requires that all of their student take college level calculus prior to enrollment and Kellog's website says students are encouraged to take intro courses in calculus and statistics prior to attending. The Wharton website also says something similar. I did not take math in college outside of an intro econ course (never saw myself going to b school) and I want to strengthen my application by proving my quant ability. As I work fulltime, I don't have a lot of time or money to devote to multiple math courses this summer. I'm trying to figure out which course would be viewed most favorably by adcoms. Thanks!

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