Sabbatical for GMAT -- Is it a good idea.

[nileshdalvi]

Hi,

I am planning to take a sabbatical leave to prepare and appear for GMAT and join my company back to get some product management experience in the company. The current work load in my company is pretty high and gives me very less time to prepare for GMAT and this study period lacks continuity due to this workload. Is there any other option you could suggest.

Also, is it OK if I get two years of product management experience in the current company before I apply to a Bschool. That would mean 2 years of gap between appearing for a GMAT and applying to a Bschool. Would this in anyway affect my chances of getting into a reputed Bschool.

Thanks in advance.

[nikhilsrl]

Hello Nilesh,

Reg the sabbatical: I have heard from different sources that a sabbatical is not really a good idea since there are so many people who are doing their GMAT continuing in their jobs. So this may be a disadvantage for you when you apply to schools since you may have a tough time trying to explain why you had to take a sabbatical.

I did my GMAT recently without leaving my job but I was able to manage GMAT prep and my professional load. So I may not be right person to give you advice on that front.

Reg the break: That should not be an issue as long as you are doing something significant during the break and adding to your skill set.

[nikhilsrl]

Hello Nilesh,

Reg the sabbatical: I have heard from different sources that a sabbatical is not really a good idea since there are so many people who are doing their GMAT continuing in their jobs. So this may be a disadvantage for you when you apply to schools since you may have a tough time trying to explain why you had to take a sabbatical.

I did my GMAT recently without leaving my job but I was able to manage GMAT prep and my professional load. So I may not be right person to give you advice on that front.

Reg the break: That should not be an issue as long as you are doing something significant during the break and adding to your skill set.

[gheemo]

I agree with nikhilsrl's reply - do not take a sabbatical to study for the GMAT. I've read many articles from trusted sources that discourage this type of thing. The admissions committees will wonder why you cannot balance the demands of a job and GMAT prep simultaneously. They'll think you lack organizatinoal/priotizing skills. Furthermore, know that many (we're talking thousands) of applicants are able to accomplish high GMAT scores concurrent with very demanding jobs (ie Consulting, I-Banking), so if you do in fact take a sabbatical, you're already setting yourself up at a disadvantage to other applicants. Hope this helps. Good luck!

[money9111]

well how long would the sabbatical be? are we talking a month so you can bang it out once and then be done with it or like a year?