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Should I take additional math coursework before applying?

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Should I take additional math coursework before applying?

by enzo218 » Sat Apr 05, 2014 2:34 pm
Hey Everybody:

I've officially embarked on the MBA applications process. This forum (and beatthegmat in general) has already been a great resource in convincing me to apply, and I'm excited to start being part of the community more moving forward.

My undergrad major was political science and economics, and my coursework was extremely light on math subjects. I have already noticed while studying for the GMAT that I am going to struggle with the quant section more than the verbal.

Here's my question: Is it a good idea to take some math classes at a local community college in order to show admissions teams that A. I'm serious about entering their program and B. That I will be able to do the math coursework required in an MBA program?

If so, what course(s) should I take? Is a community college not good enough if I'm applying to top 10-20 schools?

As a side note, I intend to use my MBA to transition to a career in marketing.

Thanks in advance!
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by Melissa@Fortuna » Mon Apr 07, 2014 4:49 am
Good questions. Personally though I would say it's not necessary to take extra courses...yet. You might surprise yourself and do really well on the gmat and if that's the case, you don't need to take any extra courses. What I would suggest is to take a gmat course and get the coaching/tutoring you need to help you prepare for the best possible score and continue with practice tests to see where you are scoring on the quant section. And make sure you give yourself plenty of time for this prep - say 6 months or so.

With the help of tutoring, you may get a top notch score. But if not, and you've written it a couple times and just can't get your score up there, then yes, one way to help compensate a low gmat score in your MBA app is through other quant type courses. But really b-schools will look more at the gmat so that's why I say focus more on this for the time being.

Hope that helps

Melissa
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by CriticalSquareMBA » Mon Apr 07, 2014 12:23 pm
Hi Enzo218,

Those are great, but entirely different, things. On one hand, if your goal is to improve your quant capabilities for the GMAT, there are a host of other options available to you in addition to taking external courses. You could take a prep course, get a tutor, etc. Taking a university course will help you get back into the swing of things but it won't help you on GMAT strategy (which is a big part of the test).

If, however, you want to show you can handle the quant side of things more holistically speaking, then taking a couple of classes is a great way to go. Honestly, if you're light on math in terms of your undergrad, taking a couple of extension courses online (e.g. UCLA) is a great way to show that you're serious, you can handle it, and you're prepared to hit the ground running.

That said, I think you should probably attack both simultaneously. Your GMAT hits a schools ranking and is an incredibly important part of your application. Pull out the stops and get the support you need. In parallel, take some external courses that help you build out the quant aspect of your profile.

Let me know if you have any questions or want to plot that out!

Bhavik
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by enzo218 » Mon Apr 07, 2014 4:01 pm
Thank you both for your responses! If I were to take some extra math courses to beef up my quant profile, what types of courses would be best?
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by CriticalSquareMBA » Mon Apr 07, 2014 5:00 pm
You're quite welcome! As for courses, think about what would help you most in an MBA setting. Calc is a great option (if you haven't taken it). Stats is another great course. You want to take quant courses that will not only demonstrate your ability to handle advanced math concepts, but also those that'll be useful in an MBA context.

If you're considering a specific course, feel free to post it here and we'll give you our $0.02!

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by Kaneisha Grayson » Wed Apr 23, 2014 3:46 pm
Hi Enzo,

This is a question I answer all the time, so I have a clear answer that works well for my clients with mediocre test scores or undergrad GPAs:

Your GMAT score is going to matter more than supplemental coursework, so focus on getting your score up first.

Yes, take some supplemental coursework if you can dedicate the time and effort to score a B+ or better in the courses.

Yes, a community college is good enough for top schools. For example, when I was admitted to HBS, they wanted me to take additional coursework (I was a humanities major with NO quant coursework), and they outright suggested I take it at a community college (and they named a few other places).

In order of importance (as well as complexity. I don't recommend straying from this order very much), I recommend you take:

Microeconomics
Statistics & Calculus (I put these on the same level as equal importance)
Accounting
Finance

I do not recommend that you attempt to take Finance before you take Accounting and Statistics. If you only take ONE of these courses, I recommend Microeconomics. However, you may have taken this and scored a B+ or better in college.

Best of luck in your prep!
Kaneisha
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