BREAKING: Target Test Prep releases Brand New 2026 On Demand GMAT prep course

Redeem

advice needed on my current plan and next steps

This topic has expert replies
Post new topic Post Reply
Previous Topic Next Topic
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 110
Joined: Mon Jan 14, 2013 1:28 pm
Thanked: 13 times
Followed by:2 members

advice needed on my current plan and next steps

by basso25@ » Sat Apr 06, 2013 12:00 am
hi all:

another 700+ hopeful here, with a serious handicap in quant. just never use it in my work. and it's been over 10 years since high school math. furthermore, given no quant background, i have more to prove here to adcoms, so i'm committed to mastering quant.

the plan has been: approx 20 hours per week exclusively studying quant via manhattan guides (also math foundations was reviewed). started slow, building the fundamentals again, took my time reading the guides, re-reading them, and going through each of the problem sets at the end of the chapters. currently in week 13 (started on Jan 7, 2013). i've gone through all og13 quant questions twice and am now going through it a third time and build flash cards for the questions that are still giving me difficult.

took a manhattan practice cat the other day (AWA or IR before) and scored 37. was distracted, interrupted because of work, so was not one complete sit down. am mildly optimistic that this score may be slightly lower than my current ability.

game plan moving forward (this is where i need your help): finish reviewing 0g13 one last time, finish building my flash cards. then go through og quant review 2nd edition very closely a couple times as well. may take a second cat during/after this review to see progress. am also considering going through all og12 (that's 12, not 13) quant questions. i know a lot of them are the same, but a few that are different can help me as well.

anything else i'm missing, guys? would really, really appreciate your help.

test date tbd; hoping to apply top 5 mbas r1 this fall, but will push to r2 if necessary. 225 hours spent to date studying; committed and willing to put in as many more hrs necessary to get me to 700.

thank you so much in advance!!
Top
Source: — GMAT Strategy |
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 795
Joined: Sun Sep 20, 2009 10:41 am
Thanked: 177 times
Followed by:85 members

by essaysnark » Mon Apr 08, 2013 8:10 am
Hi basso25@! You've certainly come to the right place for support and insights on all things GMAT - and from what we can tell, that's a solid plan you've come up with. We're not GMATSnark so we can't offer too much else except for one study tip that's served us well: Be sure to go back over the questions YOU GOT RIGHT, too. Don't forget to reinforce the things you've learned. This can be really helpful for people who are coming at things cold, where the original skills learned in high school have long skated south.

The other thing that people often get tripped up on is simply pacing. If your only practice test was not done under a strictly timed environment, then you're putting yourself at a disadvantage. Most people do worse on the actual test than they do on the practice tests - there's a bunch of reasons for this but a big one is simply running out of time. No matter what, you'll want to simulate the "real thing" as much as you possibly can.

The best part is you're starting early enough that you'll be able to regroup and try again if needed. Going for Round 1 is a SIGNIFICANT advantage - provided you're ready! You don't want to be doing GMAT prep and essay work at the same time. You're doing everything right so far so keep it up and let us know if we can help!!!

EssaySnark
(our help is more valuable on the essay part, usually!)
EssaySnark has MBA application guides for HBS, Stanford, Booth, Wharton, NYU and pretty much any other school you can name - including a fully revised and expanded 2015 Columbia essay guide!
https://essaysnark.com/bookstore/
* * * * * * *
The Indians' Guide to Getting In maps out everything you need to evaluate your own profile and select your schools. https://essaysnark.com/ssguide/quicksnar ... ans-guide/
* * * * * * *
MILITARY CANDIDATES! We've got some pro bono offers just for you: https://essaysnark.com/military-mba/
* * * * * * *
Follow EssaySnark on Twitter!
Top
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 110
Joined: Mon Jan 14, 2013 1:28 pm
Thanked: 13 times
Followed by:2 members

by basso25@ » Mon Apr 08, 2013 9:27 am
essaysnark: thank you very much for the reply and appreciate the advice, i will be sure to follow it.

interesting point about a significant advantage applying r1 - can you elaborate, please? of course, i need to be ready; assuming a 700+ gmat score and ample time to prepare my app, where is the advantage gained specifically?

thank you again!
Top
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 795
Joined: Sun Sep 20, 2009 10:41 am
Thanked: 177 times
Followed by:85 members

by essaysnark » Mon Apr 08, 2013 9:45 am
Ooh, great question! There's a lot that goes into the round/strategy thing which is not always fully understood.

From a pure numbers perspective, the schools are wide open in their first round: they have the entire class to fill, and nobody in it yet. They also get fewer apps in Round 1, so it's easier to stand out. In our many years of experience, it's simply "easier" (if there is such a thing!!) to get in during the first cycle. This is especially true for anyone applying from an oversubscribed pool (Indian engineers, American males in finance, etc.).

Round 2 (usually with a January deadline) is also feasible, and it's not a disadvantage to apply then - but there's a distinct advantage to applying earlier.

Also, if you apply in Round 1 and don't make it, you have a chance to adjust your pitch and try again at additional schools in Round 2. Sometimes, when people go for Round 2 as their first applications, they don't realize that they've made an error in how they're presenting - and then it's too late. A Round 3 application is much more difficult, simply for the opposite reason to the Round 1 advantage: most of the class will be full, there will be fewer spots for the adcom to fill.

Our data show that people who start early have the highest rate of success. Over the years, almost **all** of our clients who began the process in the April/May timeframe have had admissions success; the same is not the case for those who start working on their app strategy later in the year (September and later).

So we're always pleased to see people who are motivated, like you are! Hope this answers the question - let us know if we can help further!
EssaySnark
EssaySnark has MBA application guides for HBS, Stanford, Booth, Wharton, NYU and pretty much any other school you can name - including a fully revised and expanded 2015 Columbia essay guide!
https://essaysnark.com/bookstore/
* * * * * * *
The Indians' Guide to Getting In maps out everything you need to evaluate your own profile and select your schools. https://essaysnark.com/ssguide/quicksnar ... ans-guide/
* * * * * * *
MILITARY CANDIDATES! We've got some pro bono offers just for you: https://essaysnark.com/military-mba/
* * * * * * *
Follow EssaySnark on Twitter!
Top
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 110
Joined: Mon Jan 14, 2013 1:28 pm
Thanked: 13 times
Followed by:2 members

by basso25@ » Mon Apr 08, 2013 1:25 pm
excellent - thank you so much for the insight, and appreciate the prompt response! much to think about and plan around.

i am a planner (clearly). and in this vain, with your insights (above), i anticipate having to decide between one of the below 2 options, and would love your thoughts:

option #1: apply in r1 to hbs, kellogg and wharton (top 3 schools) with 650-680 GMAT.

option #2: apply in r2 to hbs, kellogg, and wharton (and prob several others if it comes to this) with 700-720 GMAT.

also, does the decision change based on the school (i.e. hbs/wharton - def don't apply with 650 gmat in r1...but maybe kellogg).

presumably you need to know a little more about me to provide (more) educated direction; therefore:
-nyu undergrad, 3.7 cum gpa (communication studies)
-non-traditional applicant (marketing/ad industry, 30 yrs old, half japanese, half italian-american)
-strong work experience and extracurriculars

thank you!!
Top
User avatar
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 59
Joined: Sat Apr 06, 2013 1:04 pm
Location: Texas, United States
Thanked: 10 times
Followed by:9 members

by MBAAdmissionsCoach » Mon Apr 08, 2013 2:35 pm
Hi basso25@ -

I come at this discussion from a slightly different angle. Prior to opening my MBA admissions consulting firm this month, I was the Director of MBA Admissions at Texas A&M for 15 years. So, my perspective is from the application profile perspective.

Yes, your GMAT strategy is important and should be considered carefully.

Before you embark on your MBA application process, are there any opportunities for you to obtain quantitative-based assignments at your job? What about outside of your job? Anything you can add to your profile has the potential to be helpful.

Another recommendation I have - for when you get past the GMAT and have a score you are satisfied with - is to consider taking quant courses from Harvard Business Publishing. They offer several online, self-paced courses that will give you at least a minimal exposure to accounting, finance, statistics, etc. (depending on the courses you choose).

My concern for you is not only from an admissions perspective, but also from the perspective of being a successful MBA student once you've completed the admissions process.

If I can be helpful to you in any other way, please feel free to contact me. I loved working with MBA applicants when I was the Director of MBA Admissions, and being an MBA Admissions Consultant is a way for me to continue doing what I love.

Best wishes!

Wendy Flynn
MBA Admissions Coach
[email protected]
I love to talk about MBA admissions with MBA applicants! If you find my posts helpful, please take a moment to click the "thank" icon at the top of the page and/or follow me!


Wendy Flynn
MBA Admissions Coach
[email protected]
https://MBAAdmissionsCoach.com

Blog: MBA Expert Insights: https://MBAAdmissionsCoach.com/blog

Facebook: https://www.Facebook.com/MBAAdmissionsCoach

Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/WendyLFlynn

Member of AIGAC: Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants
Top
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 110
Joined: Mon Jan 14, 2013 1:28 pm
Thanked: 13 times
Followed by:2 members

by basso25@ » Mon Apr 08, 2013 3:33 pm
Wendy:

Much obliged - thank you very much for your advice, it is tremendously appreciated.

To answer your first question - yes, there are, and consequently, I have taken advantage of quant-based assignments and responsibilities at my current ad agency I work for. They include P/L management for existing clients, RFP cost proposals/response for new business opportunities, as well as more general budget/finance management responsibilities. Rather, my educational background at NYU lacks any substantive quant coursework, which an obvious concern of mine as well. Hence the focus on my quant percentile for GMAT, which i'm hoping, if achieved, will rest some of those concerns with adcomm.

Thank you for the tip on harvard publishing - it's the first I've heard of such an opportunity and I am looking in to it right now.

Any other thoughts/feedback/recommendation/etc. that you feel is appropriate to share I would welcome wholeheartedly. Thank you again.
Top
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 795
Joined: Sun Sep 20, 2009 10:41 am
Thanked: 177 times
Followed by:85 members

by essaysnark » Mon Apr 08, 2013 3:53 pm
basso25@ wrote: option #1: apply in r1 to hbs, kellogg and wharton (top 3 schools) with 650-680 GMAT.

option #2: apply in r2 to hbs, kellogg, and wharton (and prob several others if it comes to this) with 700-720 GMAT.
Hey basso25@ --

First of all, you're not technically a "non-traditional applicant" - the ad agency thing is a little atypical but it's totally not out of line for someone looking to go to bschool.

In terms of the options you laid out, we'd have to say "neither." :-(

With the schools you've listed out, you should apply in Round 1 **and** you should apply with a > 700 GMAT.

It's totally possible to get into any of those schools with a lower GMAT, but if you can do better, then you're just making it that much easier on yourself. Any tick below the 700 means that the rest of the profile needs to be that much more outstanding. (The score alone won't get you in but it can be cause for concern if it's too low - and yes, a 650 is pretty darn low in the context of these schools we're discussing.)

If it's a choice between Rd 1 and Rd 2 with that higher GMAT, then sure, do Rd 2 - but we're still in April. You have plenty of time before Rd 2. We **strongly** encourage you to make this GMAT thing happen and apply in the first round.

Sorry to put on the pressure but it can make a great deal of difference. It's just as hard to get into Kellogg as it is to Wharton, and it's even harder to get into HBS (especially for an older candidate, and yes, you're in that category). You need to leverage every advantage you can.

Hope that helps. We've got beaucoup resourcs on the EssaySnark blahg that deal with all these angles. Feel free to dig in, and let us know if we can help!

EssaySnark
EssaySnark has MBA application guides for HBS, Stanford, Booth, Wharton, NYU and pretty much any other school you can name - including a fully revised and expanded 2015 Columbia essay guide!
https://essaysnark.com/bookstore/
* * * * * * *
The Indians' Guide to Getting In maps out everything you need to evaluate your own profile and select your schools. https://essaysnark.com/ssguide/quicksnar ... ans-guide/
* * * * * * *
MILITARY CANDIDATES! We've got some pro bono offers just for you: https://essaysnark.com/military-mba/
* * * * * * *
Follow EssaySnark on Twitter!
Top
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 110
Joined: Mon Jan 14, 2013 1:28 pm
Thanked: 13 times
Followed by:2 members

by basso25@ » Mon Apr 08, 2013 5:04 pm
essaysnark:

wow, you are so helpful! and please do not apologize for "the pressure" - that's exactly what i'm looking for...straight talk. and i need to see the angles, as you do; you've made me that much wiser with this process, and you're allowing me to get strategic about my approach. thank you so, so much.

duly noted on all of your points. don't get me wrong - i'm entirely focused on getting to > 700. 220 hours accrued thus far and expect that amount to triple by the time all things are said and done. and you're right - april is still plenty of time out, so i just need to hunker down and do the time.

you're not the first person that's mentioned to me that my age is somewhat of a greater issue applying to hbs rather than other schools (yes, i know i'm inching into the "old fart" category of the applicant pool :) ). SO...how handicapped am i? how is hbs' perspective different from wharton/kellogg/stanford regarding "old farts'? do i need to reconsider applying to hbs?

again, you're insights and direction are invaluable. thank you so very much.
Top
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 795
Joined: Sun Sep 20, 2009 10:41 am
Thanked: 177 times
Followed by:85 members

by essaysnark » Tue Apr 09, 2013 6:16 am
Don't reconsider applying to HBS - it's impossible for us (or anyone) to predict outcomes there, particularly with the scant info we have on you so far. You're not "too old" for any school, and you'll always regret it if you don't apply, but different schools do prefer different ages. So just manage the expectations, and target a full spectrum of schools so that you have a real shot at it. And definitely do HBS in Round 1.

For reference: Why is the MBA a young people's game? https://essaysnark.com/2011/08/why-is-th ... ples-game/

EssaySnark
Last edited by essaysnark on Fri Apr 12, 2013 7:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
EssaySnark has MBA application guides for HBS, Stanford, Booth, Wharton, NYU and pretty much any other school you can name - including a fully revised and expanded 2015 Columbia essay guide!
https://essaysnark.com/bookstore/
* * * * * * *
The Indians' Guide to Getting In maps out everything you need to evaluate your own profile and select your schools. https://essaysnark.com/ssguide/quicksnar ... ans-guide/
* * * * * * *
MILITARY CANDIDATES! We've got some pro bono offers just for you: https://essaysnark.com/military-mba/
* * * * * * *
Follow EssaySnark on Twitter!
Top
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 110
Joined: Mon Jan 14, 2013 1:28 pm
Thanked: 13 times
Followed by:2 members

by basso25@ » Tue Apr 09, 2013 6:38 am
Got it; thank you, essaysnark!
Top
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 110
Joined: Mon Jan 14, 2013 1:28 pm
Thanked: 13 times
Followed by:2 members

by basso25@ » Tue Apr 09, 2013 6:42 am
essaysnark: sorry, one (two) more quick questions:

to apply to 3 top schools in r1, when would you say its ideal to have the gmat completed/start apps? also, when would you say is the drop dead?

i'm trying to plan and make sense of the approx 5 remaining months. i've been told that end of july would be the drop dead, leaving 2 months for apps.

thank you!
Top
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 795
Joined: Sun Sep 20, 2009 10:41 am
Thanked: 177 times
Followed by:85 members

by essaysnark » Tue Apr 09, 2013 7:07 am
Great to see that you're accelerating your schedule! Love it. :-)

You got some good advice there on the timing. You definitely don't want to be writing essays at the same time as you're doing GMAT prep. You also want to leave enough time to retake the GMAT if you need to. It's up to you to test when you're ready, but we'd agree that you want to have the GMAT wrapped up before August if possible - even sooner is better since you'll be sitting for the test the first time.

Good luck with it all!! Please keep us posted along the way and we're here if you need further help.

EssaySnark
EssaySnark has MBA application guides for HBS, Stanford, Booth, Wharton, NYU and pretty much any other school you can name - including a fully revised and expanded 2015 Columbia essay guide!
https://essaysnark.com/bookstore/
* * * * * * *
The Indians' Guide to Getting In maps out everything you need to evaluate your own profile and select your schools. https://essaysnark.com/ssguide/quicksnar ... ans-guide/
* * * * * * *
MILITARY CANDIDATES! We've got some pro bono offers just for you: https://essaysnark.com/military-mba/
* * * * * * *
Follow EssaySnark on Twitter!
Top
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 110
Joined: Mon Jan 14, 2013 1:28 pm
Thanked: 13 times
Followed by:2 members

by basso25@ » Tue Apr 09, 2013 8:58 am
thanks much! i'm sure i will be in touch. thank you very much again for your assistance.
Top
Post new topic Post Reply
• Page 1 of 1