Stern (NYU) Part-Time Class of 2017: Calling all applicants!

Good morning
I submitted my application for admission to begin in Fall 2013. I'm hoping for the best, but was wondering if you could give your opinions on my chances of getting in:

GMAT: took it once, 700/90% overall (Verbal: 42/90%, Quant: 42/59%, Writing: 6/91%)
Undergrad: Double major in accounting and finance from a private university in Connecticut, 3.53 overall GPA (cum laude), higher in areas of major study
Work experience: 2.5 years a Big 4 accounting firm tax practice, promoted ahead of schedule. 2.5 years at well respected hedge fund in NYC doing tax analysis/compliance
Activities: In college, I was a peer tutor and member of a couple school clubs to build networks. Held 4 different internships during my sophmore through senior years (2 small forensic accounting firms, Big 4 firm, hedge fund in Stamford, CT). Post graduation, I was a intern mentor at Big 4 firm and have become active in FeedingNYC food drives
Strong recommendations from direct supervisor and firm CFO.
I hope I did well on the essays, submitted an essay for #3 as I couldn't think of a creative presentation to compliment my application.
I am also a CPA in the state of New York

I look forward to your thoughts, best of luck to others who applied.

Thanks a lot!

Hi, I just recently applied to Stern Part time for the Manhattan program.

-I have a 3.2 cumulative GPA in accounting w/ a CPA license.
-Since college, I have only worked for one firm, a Big 4 accounting firm and have been promoted since starting.
-Great letters of recommendation from top ranked positions w/i my firm; good essays; multiple extra-circulars
-I took the GMAT's practically blind and scored a horrendous 500, which I do not think reflects my over intelligence in any way. However, I had to take the exam to complete the application and took the exam w/ little preparation during a very strenuous busy season.
-I have done work with a few "start up companies" which have recently been bought out by some of the largest internet companies in the world so I have some experience outside the accounting field within entrepreneurship.
-also have 100% sponsorship from employer as they are more than happy to be flexible w/ work/life balance and are willing to pick up the entire bill. Not sure if that helps in ANY way?

I understand with an absolutely terrible GMAT score, it would be quite difficult to get into a school like Stern Part Time, but wondering if there is any chance at all or should I not even bother submitting an application?

Thanks in advance for your time!

Well the Part-Time program is as selective as the full-time, but a 500 will likely torpedo any chances you might, which would be a great shame, because the rest of your profile seems very good (and corporate sponsorship is a VERY good card to have in your hand). Frankly, from the POV of the AdCom, if you content yourself with a 500, it might look like laziness... so my advice would be bite the bullet, study hard and retake before you apply. Since you are working anyhow, there's no rush right???

Well, your profile is a bit thin on the details dude, but your numbers are all in place, you have good work experience, and the part-time program is easier to get into than the full-time one, so I have good hopes for you. Of course you will have your answer soon enough

Let us know how it goes.

Submitted mine as well! AND THE WAITING BEGINS.....

Thanks Jon. I greatly appreciate your feedback!

There is an optional 4th essay for the NYU PT program in which you can describe any shortfalls (mine being my GMAT score) or if you plan to re-take the GMAT. I am trying to start the MBA program in the fall, so while it is not urgent to start immediately, it is something I would very much like to do. My question would then be that since I am writing the fourth essay, should I state my reasons for a low GMAT score and/or say that I will be re-taking them (possible sometime in June) and include them in my application for today's deadline (5/15/).

Thanks again for your help.

Yes most definitely explain the reason for the score. Not sure when NYU releases decisions for the PT program but if you can get the retake in before the decision date that would really be ideal, as pretty much all schools will consider your best score, and most allow you to send updated scores. If you can't fit in a retake they will consider the 500 which will be a really tough sell especially since your GPA isn't particularly great.

For reference, the average GPA for Stern PT is 3.35 and the average GMAT is 671. You have good work experience and the fact that you are sponsored helps, so I'd think if you can get your GMAT up towards the average you'd have a real good shot of getting in. The acceptance rate is about 61%.

Thank you rjdunn. I went ahead and included the optional essay stating my reason for the shortfall in GMAT score. I stated in the essay that I plan to re-take the exam sometime in June so I guess I need to invest in some sort of "crash course". What are the best out there and most affordable? Any suggestions or recommendations? I need to improve my score by at least 100 points in just a few weeks. Ha

What was your score breakdown? Did you perform poorly on both quant and verbal or did you do relatively well on one of them?

I like the Manhattan GMAT books. When I started studying my math was very poor and I found their introductory math book to be very useful. I ended up working through the whole series of books, but you probably won't have time so I'd suggest really getting a solid foundation in whatever your weak points are. If you don't have them, get your hands on the Official Guides as well. Another big part of it is just understanding the nuances of the test and getting down the timing. I'd suggest doing at least 1 full practice test per week in timed conditions.

Just focus on getting down the basic concepts before moving on to more advanced problem types. You'll be surprised by how fast your scores improve with some consistent studying.

I will be applying next week. Just waiting for my last letter of recommendation from a manager. good luck

I did poor on both verbal and math sections of the exam. I looked into the Manhattan books, which I heard were the best out there. The only problem is that I have little time to get through all of the material that the Manhattan books have to offer.

Not sure how I should go about "cramming" for the exam or if there is a single book that summarizes everything, even if it doesn't give the most difficult of questions/concepts.

Ok well first step, check out the foundations of math book by Manhattan. That is the one that I was referring to that I liked when I was starting to study. It covers all of the basic math principles and question types that are on the test, at a basic level. It sells for about $16 on Amazon and I believe it gives you access to the Manhattan practice tests which are pretty good. As for Verbal, maybe someone else can recommend an introductory verbal book. I know manhattan has a Foundations of Verbal book but I never used it so I can't comment on it.

Next step I'd recommend taking a diagnostic practice test. Most good practice tests will give you a detailed report of what you missed including question types, difficulty etc. Analyze that data and figure out what you are most lacking and focus on those concepts. Maybe buy the individual Manhattan books for those concepts. The numbers properties guide is a great one in my opinion. It's not very long, and the material applies to many question types. For verbal I'd suggest doing the SC guide as sentence correction is very easy to learn so you'll see immediate dividends.

And as I suggested before, get your hands on the OG's. They are in order of difficulty starting with the easiest. So just start at the beginning and work through them, or the Manhattan guides will give you suggested OG problems to practice after each concept you learn. If you can't figure out how a question is solved, jump on the forums here and people are happy to walk you through problems.

The point of all of this is to get a very solid foundation. Don't even bother to look into tougher concepts until you've mastered the basics. The test as you know is adaptive so you won't see 700 level questions if you are getting 600 level questions wrong.

Finally, I always harp on timing. When you do your practice tests, watch your timing and pace yourself. Getting thrown off on the timing can be a huge detriment to your score. Get to used to spending 2 minutes per question. If you aren't sure what the answer is after two minutes make an educated guess. The test has a timer so write this on your pad before you start and use it to stay on pace.

5 - 65
10 - 55
15 - 45
20 - 35
25 - 25
30 - 15
35 - 5

The first column is the question number, and the second column is how many minutes you should have left on your timer. Trust me this is something easy to do that will really boost your score.

Applied yesterday! Any idea when they usually start sending out answers?

Moved to the proper sub forum.


Posted from my mobile device.

Submitted my application for admission for Fall 2013 before the deadline. Obviously hoping for the best, but would appreciate some opinions on my chances of getting in:

[*]GMAT: took it once, 680/85% overall (Verbal: 38/84%, Quant: 45/71%, Integrated Reasoning: 6/67%)
[*]Undergrad: Double major in history and political science from Ivy League School, 3.10 overall GPA, higher in areas of major study.
[*]Work experience: 3 years at marketing & PR firm, specializing in sports & entertainment, promoted ahead of schedule. [*]Nearly 5 years working part-time in PR department for major New York sports team.
[*]Activities: In college, I worked on the school newspaper, working my way up to editor and columnist. Additionally, was on the dance marathon committee to help raise money for pediatric AIDS. Held 3 different internships during my sophomore through senior years
[*]Strong recommendations from Executive Vice President at my firm and direct supervisor at part-time job.
[*]Thought my essays were unique and on-point (hopefully the admins will see them in a similar light).

I look forward to your thoughts and good luck to everyone else who applied! Thank you!

Thank you everyone for their help. I have already started taking some practice tests and ordered some of the Manhattan guides. This may be a dumb question, but what are the "OG's" (Official Guides?) and where do I get them?

Has anyone received the account and password for checking status?