Newbie to the game.

[IlliniBSer]

Hi guys,

I ran into this website during my GMAT research, I must say their is a lot of good stuff on here. A little about myself. I am a recent graduate from U of Illinois, throughout college I thought I was going to be a dr so I went through the whole pre med biology major and MCAT business. I ended up joining a start up company I co-founded and it opened up doors I never imagined and fell in love with it all.

Now, what advice would you guys say to someone who does not know a lot about the GMAT or applying to MBA programs. Where should I start? When generally do people start applying to Bschools? Also, since I was a bio major I did not take any business classes. Is this something I should look into doing?

Any advice would be great, Just want to say I appreciate it ahead of time.

[[email protected]]

Hi IlliniBSer,

The fact that you didn't earn an undergrad degree in some form of Business is not necessarily going to hurt your application, although you will have to show the Admissions officers that you are a worthy candidate. Most schools would require that you take certain classes though (through a summer school or extension program), which typically include Calculus and Statistics. You'll be able to get the specifics from whatever schools you're interested in.

Moving forward, here are some broad questions that you need to answer:

1) WHY do you want an MBA? What are you going to do with it?
2) Depending on your answer to the above 2 questions, the next question would be: Which program(s) are best suited to helping you to maximize your career goals?
3) Once you've put together a list of schools, then you have to research the application requirements, deadlines, etc. and put together a timeline.

As someone who is starting from scratch, I'd suggest that you plan to spend 12 weeks studying for the GMAT. Many people also find a prep course to be beneficial, so take a good look at the various options (most offer some type of sample, freebie, etc.) and figure out which fits best with your sensibilities and budget.

If you any additional questions, then feel free to contact me directly.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

[Brent@GMATPrepNow]

As far as preparing for the GMAT goes, you might consider signing up for BTG's free 60-Day Study Guide (https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/gmat-guide).
Each day you will receive an email with a series of learning activities that guide you, step-by-step, from Day 1 to test day. This will ensure that you will cover everything that the GMAT tests.

Here's an outline of all 60 emails: https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/gmat-guide-outline

Cheers,
Brent