Fellow Clubber needs guidance. When/Where/How

Absolutely not, unless your profile hasn't improved.

Schools love diversity and i am sure very few schools get applicants from New Zealand

690 is more than enough for Said and Judge !

All the best

buffdaddy - take it from another kiwi/aussie freelancer, diversity counts for little if your essays / timing is not 100%. I say this after 2 straight dings in R1 (and I actually applied from Australia). My two cents :
- DO NOT apply in R3 anywhere
- 690 is a good enough score to get you at most places
- DO apply to January start schools (read INSEAD, or Columbia J-term)
- This will give you time to retake the gmat if you choose to do so
- See how you go with Jan Start apps and if you dont find much success apply to other schools (Oxford, Cambridge, LBS etc.) in 2009
- By then you will be a lot more used to the application process and essay writing and will be take a much better shot at your top schools.

Good luck.

i know roughly jack about your two target schools, but it looks like one of them might have R3 and R4. I know of two schools in the US with 4 rounds, so for them, their R3s are more like other schools' R2s.

I have an acquaintance who got into Oxford with a GMAT that was under 700. Don't remember the number exactly, but if it was 6Xx, that means it was equal or below yours, eh? I tell ya, my b-school days are making me a math genius.

Hi All,

this week has been a very very stange one indeed for me. First the disappointment of a 690, then a busy week at work. Its friday, I have no study to do, but I am exhausted. I have not started writing my essays yet. I was in too negative a frame of mind to start them. So this leaves me with 3 weeks for my Judge application. Is this long enough or am I kidding myself????

On a side note, I got my AWA today, 5.5 which I am pretty happy with and which shows I had concentration issues during my exam.

Anyways, so thanks for all your comments. Here is what I will do

I will spend the weekend doing outlines for my 4 cambridge essays. They are 400 words each and the topics are

1. What is your immediate post-MBA career objective? What will you be doing 10 years after graduation? What skills/experience you already have that will help you achieve your aim? How will the Cambridge MBA help you?
2. Tell us about a work project or task that you did not perform well. What did you learn about yourself?
3. How would you like to be remembered?
4. Why is the Cambridge MBA right for you?


I visit Judge on monday. Hopefully that will give me enough inspiration/material to make in-roads into my essays and be creative and original with some depth.

Then like Bee said, if I and everyone likes what I came up with I shall apply.

Now I have another question for you guys? Is it okay to be blunt and ask Ad-Com during my visit what my chances are??

also, Bsd, I know what you are saying, but both Judge and Said have a round 4, so is round 3 really that bad?

Another question: I have 3 potenrial referees.
- A Client who I delivered a very large important project for. They are extremely happy with me
- My Boss, he works out of a different office and I don't see him much. I am very autonomous in my job.
-A workmate who is an Oxford Alum (not a Said alum, but he got a PHD in the BioChemistry from Oxford). We have worked on a couple of bids together.

Which two of the above shall I go with?

look forward to your comments.

-buff

Hi buffdaddy,

I would say go for it. Set your mind in a happy mindset, all those negativity will not help you writing better essays. Get help if you like, a friend, a family member.. to get opinions on the stories you want to use in your essays. It really comes down to your application execution, not only about the GMAT.

3 weeks is not long, but it's enough if you are really doing it intensively. I was working on my essays for months but it didn't get anywhere. After I realized I screwed up & missed Round 1.. and almost missed Round 2, I work intensively for 3 weeks and submitted to 4 schools. So as long as you put your utmost focus on it, you'll be fine.

As for the recommenders, I don't know about these 2 schools, but some US schools really preferred to have your current supervisor. If that's the case, I would go with the client & the boss. I don't really think your workmate's PhD in Oxford would be viewed as an alum referral by the adcom.

do NOT ask what your chances are. At least over here, that's considered a no-no. You can do your own homework on the numbers - years of work experience, gpa, gmat, etc. As for essays, the "story" part of it - they can't know till they see your app, so asking won't help.

3 weeks is plenty of time. Get on it NOW and concentrate.

an Update:

so I spent the weekend largely starring at the computer screen, looking for inspiration out of the window every now and then. I am happy to say I have finished a first draft of the "Failure" essay. Unfortunately its about 150 words too fat, and I will need to send it to weight watchers soon.

I have since bit the bullet and started the Goals (WHY MBA, Why US, Why Now) essay. That is stuck at a mere 64 words.

I also visited Judge business school today. Interesting site Cambridge is. An art deco styled school sitting within an 800 year old university. Not many cars, just thousands of bicycles. Unfortunately the visit left me with no clear indication whether I should apply this intake or next. I think i will just put my head down and apply in the next two weeks.

hey, buff, you might want to check out Montauk's book, or Bodine's. Both have examples of essays and explain what the essays are meant to get at. For example, the Why MBA, Why Now? question actually calls for a bit of your career trajectory, what your future plans are, how an MBA from school X will get you there, etc.

AAu is right, Montauk's and Bodine's books are the two best books that helped me through the essay writing process.

Buff, just curious, did you end up apping. to Judge in R3?
Unlike you, I've worked on my apps. for a full year now and have been dinged from everywhere . want to do one of two - Oxford R3 or Judge R4 ..
Since you visited and researched the school, and I just started looking at them, you should know better ... I have a feeling that Said might be more selective and judge R4 might be suicidal? Where would you hedge your bets with a score of 720 this late in the game?

(And I hate Said's essay#2, doubt if I can do a decent job on it in 2-3 weeks ...)

I think that Judge is more selective, as its class is half of that at Said, and it has a higher GMAT score, but just guessing here.

You're running out of time, but if I were you, I'd go for both 3rd rounds, Apr/4l for Said Apr/11 for Judge, if you concentrate and really put some effort you can do it, ask for help here, I remember that last year at least 2 clubbers were admitted to Oxford.

Judge R3 was march 7 ..so thats gone already. Yes, Said April 4 is still on ...I just opened my mind to quitting my green card and applying out of US like 3 am this morning,.. Had been debating this for 2 days now. Big decision to be made in just 2 days..especially when recovering an all ding season..and to make sure I give my 100% to the apps., I wanted to make up my mind and then apply.

What I've been struggling with, is choosing b/w a 3 year PT from Mccombs (in Austin where I live) which'll not get me to IB/good consulting jobs...,(they clearly say in the info. session that this PT program will not give such a career switch, its a GM program with a rigid curriculum, no electives and a cohort system) but for sure give me strategy/marketing/corp. finance in some tech. company ..=~110K + 15-20% bonus + green card, .. as opposed to 1 year from Said/Judge and hopefully a career in IB/ consulting with 50-60k+ pounds and prospects of high bonus in UK, or equivalent in Dubai/Singapore etc ....

I did want to stay in US and get started with MBA this year ...and chances of coming back after a European MBA are bleak, from what I have heard ..so, from the limited options I have, I decided that living in US is a goal that I can give up, atleast for now, .....there are green pasteurs elsewhere too, just have to step out of my US centric comfort zone..

and yup, I'm hell short of time, and still wasted time writing this story ..

Thanks, I'm inspired for both schools now, have ample time for judge, little for said, lets see what i do.
Buff, do add your comments when you get a chance.

Hi gmat_march,

Kwam is spot on with regards to Judge being more selective for interviews.

These are some stats I picked up. Both schools get 1000-1500 applications.

Oxford interviewed 600 out of 1000 applicants for last year's intake. THey accepted 400 students, with 221 matriculations
Cambridge interviews only 30-50 people in each round. And most interviewees gets acceped. Cambride's max class size is 150, compared to a max 240 of Oxford. Oxford has stayed at this number for a couple of years now, where Cambridge was only 100 and 120, 2/3 years ago.

Now these two schools appear very similar, BUT, i visited them both, and once u dig a bit deeper, they are like chalk and cheese.

Oxford is more popular amongst students from the USA. Cambridge is less so. I think this is because perhaps the Oxford brand is a little more well known in the US since many famous americans (esp politicians) have studied at Oxford and maybe its in the USA media a bit more. In the UK/Europe both universities are equally revered. Perhaps Kwam and other EU experienced professionals can confirm this.

In terms of MAJOR differences, (in my opinion after visits).
Oxford's B-School campus is way nicer than Cambridge's b-school campus BUT Cambridge's wider university campus settings is way way nicer.

After chatting to cambridge staff and students, to me they felt like a more tight knit family unit, with slightly older students.

Oxford felt more posh, which is good and bad.

Cambridge is less "slick" or "professional" in its marketing, advertising, events, etc
For example, Oxford has an online submission, for Cambridge you submit a word document via email. Even their application status page online isn't secure.

Oxford is right next to a train station with trains 50 mins to london. Cambridge's train station is 15 minutes away, making getting to London for networking events that much harder.

Cambridge has 3 projects, Oxford only has 2, but does has a 15 month option (including a 3 month internship).

I will post more as I think of it,

To answer your other questions. I just made my deadline for cambridge, look at my other post:


I am at a point where I have been going full steam at work and GMAT and then work and essays for 4 months now. I am feeling a wee bit tired and exhausted. I have 3 weeks for Oxford application to the day, and haven't got anything to show for my essays.

Essay 2 in Oxford is a major pain in the backside. "What recent development, world event or book has most influenced your thinking". I have been so busy that I have not read any books and seen any news in detail for a long time now. The only book I have read is the Official Guide .

So I will see what kind of essays I can come up with and I will send it to my reviewers (who happen to be a few esteemed indivisuals on this board who I draw a lot of inspiration from). If they say that DO NOT submit, then I will not. I got mixed reactions from my Judge Essay reviewers. Some loved my essays, some thought they were just OK,( which meant they thought I should bin them ). But all that work for a month, I just wanted to submit, so I did so.

My plan is if I get dinged then I will work harder in the winter to get a better GMAT and I will have a better understanding of essays. I will hopefully have improved my profile too.

Lets see, road up ahead is not sign posted, but I know for sure that all roads for me lead to an MBA, its just a matter of time.

Other members on this group want me to try to get into US schools, I am not so sure, but priorities change.


ok i think I am just rambling now, so will end it here,

please feel free to ask Qs. I am in Dublin at the moment and its St Paddy's day celebration starting tonight. So I think I might go for a pint or two after a long drought.

-cheers,

Buff

p.s sorry if my message had lots of errors and mistakes and failed to make any sense, I haven't reviewed what I wrote

Thanks buff, that was very informative. I think I'll shoot for both, just have to get this PT app. wrapped up and get some sleep. Hope you get your invites soon!

Haha all that research but you're coming to America next year buff..

haha

well if I get dinged, I will have a whole summer to think, so the American dream could be an idea. Who knows if you twist my arm enough, maybe.