Cha-Ching! Add it up!

Lately Vietnam has been scoring good points as an international holiday location. Here's another good reason to go there

I`ll take some pictures of the suits and post them up at a later date.

how in the world did this thread come back to life ? hahaha..

WTF is Loro Piana?

this one is pretty sad, but I guess I can add a break-up to my toll as well.

A fine Italian fashion brand.

I don't want to even add up how much I have spent so far. Only the travels to London to take the TOEFL and the one I made last week to Madrid are going to make me cry. I took the GMAT three times, and also took the IELTS

Suits and ties it's unfair to count, as I need them to work...

kwam, count only the things you did just for the MBA and you would not have done otherwise (like travel to Chicago when it's cold )

togafoot, please do post pics of the suits! Would love to see it. Trying to fit in Vietnam in my asia trip right now

GMAT: 500
GMAT Books: 300
App Fees: Approx 1400
App books: 80
My MBA world tour (6 schools in 8 days): 2000+
Dress clothes: 500

I may still need a more formal suit if I end up interviewing with somewhere in R2.

Total: 4700

Also, I don't think the cost of Rhyme's suit is that excessive. I am fairly cheap by nature, especially when it comes to suits (IT guys dont wear suits), but I am also a tall, broad shouldered guy, so off the rack suits don't fit me well. Even my (don't laugh at me) Men's Warehouse suits I bought when I graduated from college cost about 600-800 bucks in the end. Although I am including the shoes in that total.

For those of you who are paying less that 200 for a suit, that's off the rack, right? No tailoring? If not, I need to shop where you guys do.

count me in for losing my best friend... not to mention completely straining family relations...

seems as if applying to business school has a common hidden cost. sad.

hope everyone fares better!

OK Then, here comes the bill (all in aprox US$ figures):

IELTS: $200
TOEFL test + trip to London (the best place I found a spot to take the test): $950
GMAT: $750 (in terms of present value, I don't remember how much I paid in 2004/2005 when it was still ETS)
GMAT/IELTS/TOEFL Books & Course: around $1700
App Fees: Approx $900
Others (BW insider, US News, etc, etc and etc): $500
Madrid Trip to interview: $300
Transcript official translation & copies: $300
Total = $5600 (OUCH!)
The good part here is that this amount was not at once, it was kind of in slowly paid installments

I will attend GSB's Admit Weekend and if admitted to MIT the AdMIT weekend, so I may spend around 2 weeks in USA, which from my previous calculus will add up around $2500 more.

Regarding suit, I have many suits (around 8) as I work with them every days but Fridays (casual day), but I just have one really expensive for special occasions.

Gez, this has been already quite expensive, hum…

Heck, compared to the incoming US95k for tuition + living expenses for 2 + extras, it will be only 5%, so not that bad – I AM an optimistic person, hehehehe

GMAT: $250
School Events: Gas/Tolls/parking = $250
School Visits: $2500
Dress clothes and suit: $1200
App Fees: Approx $650
App books: $50
Admitted Student Weekend: $1200
Doing things with and getting things for the wife to make up for the lack of time and attention spent on her because I was too busy focusing on GMAT/Apps = $2000 but a happier Mrs.

Total = $8100...or a drop in the bucket when compared to the costs of selling my house, moving, and two years of school. All money well spent though.

I'm glad my admitted student weekends should be cheap (unless I get into Kellogg).

I got a suit from Banana Republic. Their New Year's sale had some suits at insanely cheap prices (usually $325 for the blazer, $170 for the pants). So I guess it was a 70% discount.

Other times I get stuff at Men's warehouse... those are about $400-500 for a normal suit.

Will have to check out the Vietnam thing.

I live right near a Hickey Freeman factor store and a Burberry outlet. They sell their suits for like 50-80% off at those places. Same with shoes there is an Allen Edmonds outlet near my house too. Stuff isnt seconds just overruns and discontinued stuff.

yup, outlets and stuff are wonderful for the bargain hunter!

I personally don't care if my suit is a year or two outdated...

A year or two? Ahem..I still wear the (quite sober) suit I wore to my prom.
Obviously I need to start behaving more MBA-like and hit up the local Zegna boutique!

Forgot to mention. If there's a particular 'style' you like, then take a picture of it or cut it out of a catalogue and take it with you. They can then make that style for you as well. Give me a couple of days to post it up. Couldn't post it last night, because my suits are in my daughters bedroom wardrobe (didn't want to wake her), and i'm out on the beers tonight.