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25 Aug 2014, 10:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: 2 Simple GMAT Quant Questions That Will Help You Score Higher |
 Let’s discuss races today. It is a very simple concept but questions on it tend to be tricky. But if you understand how to handle them, most questions can be done easily. A few points to remember in races: 1. Make a diagram. Draw a straight line to show the track and assume all racers are at start at 12:00. Then according to headstart, place the participants. 2. There are two types of head starts: Time and distance Say there is a 1000 feet race between A and B which starts at 12:00. Time – A gives B a headstart of 1 min means B starts running at 12:00 and A waits at the start point. Then A starts running from the start point at 12:01. Distance – A gives B a headstart of 10 feet means A starts from the start point but B starts from the point 10 feet ahead (and hence runs only 990 feet to complete the race) 3. A dead heat is a race in which both the participants finish exactly at the same time. Most races in race questions end in a dead heat! 4. There are two ways in which a participant can beat another: Time and distance Say A beats B in the 1000 feet race in which both start from the start point at 12:00. Distance – If A beats B by 20 feet, it means A finishes the race (full 1000 feet) and at that time, B is 20 feet away from the finish line. Time – If A beats B by 2 mins, it means that if A finished at 12:10, B is still 2 mins away from the finish line i.e. at his/her speed, B takes 2 mins to reach the finish line. That is all! Now let’s look at some questions: Question 1: A’s speed is 20/17 times that of B. If A and B run a race, what part of the length of the race should A give B as a head start, so that the race ends in a dead heat? (A) 1/17 (B) 3/17 (C) 1/10 (D) 3/20 (E) 3/10 Solution: We have the ratio of A’s speed and B’s speed. This means, we know how much distance A covers compared with B in the same time. This is what the beginning of the race will look like: (Start) A_________B______________________________ If A covers 20 meters, B covers 17 meters in that time. So if the race is 20 meters long, when A reaches the finish line, B would be 3 meters behind him. If we want the race to end in a dead heat, we want B to be at the finish line too at the same time. This means B should get a head start of 3 meters so that he doesn’t need to cover that. In that case, the time required by A (to cover 20 meters) would be the same as the time required by B (to cover 17 meters) to reach the finish line. So B should get a head start of 3/20th of the race. Answer (D) This question was relatively very straight forward and we gave it only to help you apply the concepts discussed above. Let’s make it slightly tricky now. Question 2: A’s speed is 20/17 times that of B. If A and B run a race, what part of the length of the race should A give B as a head start, so that B beats A by 20% of the length of the race? (A) 15% (B) 20% (C) 28% (D) 32% (E) 35% Solution: Again, we have ratio of A’s speed and B’s speed given as 20:17. If A covers 20 meters, B covers 17 meters in that time. This time, let’s assume that the length of the race is 25 meters. At the beginning, this is what the 25 meter track will look like with a head start to B: (Start ) A_________B_______________________________ Since A will give B a head start so A must start from the start line while B will start from ahead. Since A should cover only 80% of the length of the race, when B reaches the finish line, A should still have 20% of the track leftover. 20% of the track will be (20/100)*25 = 5 meters. So A should be at 20 meters when B is at the finish line. So this is what the finish of the race will look like: ____________20_________________A____5_____B (Finish) A will cover a total of 20 meters when B should be at the finish line. In this time, B will cover only 17 meters. But the total track is of 25 meters. So the rest of the 25-17 = 8 meters, B should get as a head start. Head start will be 8/25 *100 = 32% of the race. Answer (D) If you found it tricky, we would suggest you to practice some more races questions. It is usually easy to “figure out” the answer logically and the calculations required are minimum. Now try this official question. We will solve it for you next week. Question 3: A and B run a race of 2000 m. First, A gives B a start of 200m and beats him by 30 seconds. Next, A gives B a start of 3mins and is beaten by 1000m. Find the time in minutes in which A and B can run the race separately. Karishma, a Computer Engineer with a keen interest in alternative Mathematical approaches, has mentored students in the continents of Asia, Europe and North America. She teaches the GMAT for Veritas Prep and regularly participates in content development projects such as this blog! |
27 Aug 2014, 10:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: Laughter is the Best Medicine When You're Agonizing Over the GMAT |
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Steven Wright is a comedian known for his deadpan delivery, and, it turns out, has a lot to say – in his dry, paraprosdokian way – about the logic of the GMAT. Never ones to let insight go to waste, we can (somewhat, perhaps) better understand the GMAT with his Wit and Wisdom: Suddenly the chances of scoring in a top percentile don’t seem so bad.  If it comes to this … at least we won’t panic.  I knew 10 easy questions in a row seemed too good to be true…  So that’s where they’re hiding it.  What can we infer here? Not all, but at least Some.  And, the GMAT is a better choice than the LSAT, perhaps. Better take plenty of practice tests.  And, thanks to GMAC’s new score-cancellation policy…. You mean I can now cancel my score after seeing it?  Those who struggle with the GMAT often fall into two camps – those who take it too seriously and those who don’t take it seriously enough – each a kind of evil. If this sounds like you, take another tip from Mr. Wright: “if you must choose between two evils, pick the one you’ve never tried before.” So remember these bits of wit, as unconventional as they seem, when studying for your GMAT. Though they sound like cynical one-liners and wry observations, ironically they speak to a set of truths. Truths that can work in your favor come game day. Not that you should take them too seriously. Planning to take the GMAT soon? We have online GMAT prep courses starting all the time! And, be sure to find us on Facebook and Google+, and follow us on Twitter to better learn how to Think Like the Testmaker! Joseph Dise has been teaching GMAT preparation for Veritas Prep for the last 6 years in Paris, New Brunswick, and New York City. |
28 Aug 2014, 13:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: How Veritas Prep Helped me Reach a 770 on the GMAT |
 The following article comes from Eliza Chute, a motivated GMAT self-studier who scored an impressive 770 on the GMAT. Eliza utilized numerous resources to help her prepare for the GMAT, including Veritas Prep’s GMAT Question Bank and GMAT Practice Test. Here, Eliza describes her experience using both resources and makes strategic recommendations for how to get the most out of each resource to help you with your GMAT preparation. The Veritas Prep Question Bank and GMAT practice test helped me find my weaknesses and focus my study so that I could break the 700 barrier and ultimately helped me reach a 770. The Question Bank was an essential part of my study plan. I could pick which topics I wanted included in each quiz and could set the amount of questions, so I used it to help me hone in on specific skills I learned. For example, after completing a sentence correction lesson, I used the Question Bank to help me practice the skills I just learned and solidify the strategies in my mind. Also, it was a great resource to help me keep up with subjects I wasn’t currently studying. If I was having a particularly quant heavy few days, I would use the Question Bank to practice with 5-10 verbal questions to make sure I was keeping up with the topics I wasn’t actively studying at the time. Question Bank shows you a comparison of your accuracy vs. other test takers, which is extremely valuable considering you are scored based on how well you do in relation to others on the actual GMAT. I used this to ensure that I was up to snuff as far as my accuracy on each topic. I was aiming for above a 700, so I needed to be well above average for everything. After a few months of study, I saw that I was still only at average for Sentence Correction and above for everything else. After identifying Sentence Correction as my weakness, I was able to correct it by doing a lot of review of grammar rules. The Question Bank also showed me the progression of my accuracy over time, which I used to help plan future study. For example, I saw that I had an increase in Data Sufficiency and then I began to plateau at an accuracy level below what I wanted for my goal score. This showed me that I needed to go back to the books and work with more advanced problems to help me increase to where I needed to be. Finding the right pacing strategy is such a key part of doing well on the GMAT and the Veritas Prep practice GMAT test helped me identify key areas where I was going wrong. After you take the test, you can look at how long it took you to answer each type of question on average and how that compares to other test takers. It also shows you a comparison of how long you spend on questions you get wrong versus how long you spend on the ones you get right. Not only did my practice test reveal that I was taking much longer than average on problem solving, but that I spent longer, on average on the questions that I got wrong. This helped me see that I needed to make a change and learn to let go of some questions that I just was not capable of answering. By trying to answer these questions, I allowed myself less time to answer other questions and I wasn’t even getting them right anyway, making it a complete waste of time. After seeing this, I adopted a strategy of guessing on 1-3 questions on the quant section to save me more time for the rest of the questions; a strategy that helped me earn a 51 in quant. I took over 20 full length practice tests during my study and I found the Veritas Prep practice GMAT test one of the most accurate test experience and score simulators. Not only that, but it opened my eyes to something I hadn’t thought about previously in my study: my score balance. Though it is something that is pretty important, it is something that is not often emphasized. Veritas Prep helped me see that while my score was pretty good, it was also very unbalanced towards the verbal side and in order to make my GMAT score more competitive, I needed to step it up in the quant department, so I did. To learn more about how Eliza prepared for the GMAT, visit https://bestgmatprepcourse.com! |
02 Oct 2014, 15:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: Free Live Online GMAT Classes |
 Starting October 6th, you can benefit from various sample GMAT prep classes taught by Veritas Prep’s course creator and Vice President of Academics, Brian Galvin. Over the course of next week, we will be offering an introductory session to the GMAT as well as sample Critical Reasoning and Data Sufficiency classes. All classes will be delivered online via Veritas Prep’s live online course platform. They will be taught live and will include time for students to ask questions about the course material being taught. You will receive supplemental articles and videos, homework sheets, and a full length computer-adaptive GMAT practice test. Throughout the week, you’ll learn about the most crucial strategies that you will need to know to achieve your desired GMAT score. Course Syllabus:
Interested? Click here to reserve your free spot now! Plan on taking the GMAT soon? We also have full GMAT prep courses starting all the time. And, be sure to find us on Facebook and Google+, and follow us on Twitter! By Colleen Hill |
06 Oct 2014, 10:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: Understanding Participles on the GMAT |
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There is a lot of confusion surrounding the topic of Participles so let’s take a look at it today. Quite simply, participles are words formed from verbs which can be used as describing words (on the other hand, gerunds are verbs used as nouns, but that is a topic for another day!). There are two types of participles: 1. The Past Participle – usually ends in -ed, -d, -t, -en, or –n For Example: chosen, danced, known, sung etc 2. The Present Participle – ends in –ing For Example: choosing, dancing, knowing, singing etc These participles often start the participle phrases used to describe nouns/noun phrases/entire sentences. The participial phrases are underlined in the examples given below. Examples: I want to stand next to the girl wearing the yellow dress. Standing next to the tall gentleman, she looked petite. Battered by hail, the car collapsed. The most important crop of this region is rice, sown in the month of June and harvested in October. Here is how participle phrases are usually used: Present Participle Phrases (the underlined parts of the sentences are participial phrases): 1. At the beginning of a sentence followed by a comma and then a clause (present participle phrase + comma + clause) – In this case, the participle phrase could modify the subject of the clause or the entire clause. Examples: Wagging its tail, my dog ran up to me. (modifies ‘my dog’) Silencing the students, the principal stepped on to the podium. (modifies the entire clause because the principal silenced the students by stepping on to the podium) 2. At the end of a sentence separated from the clause using a comma (clause + comma + present participle phrase) – In this case, the participle phrase modifies the entire preceding sentence. Example: The principal stepped on to the podium, silencing the students. (modifies the entire preceding clause) 3. Following a noun without a comma – In this case, the participle phrase modifies the noun. Example: I want to stand next to the girl wearing the yellow dress. (modifies ‘the girl’) Past Participle Phrases (the underlined parts of the sentences are participial phrases): 1. Following a noun separated by a comma (noun + comma + past participle phrase) – In this case, the participle phrase modifies the noun. Example: The most important crop of this region is rice, sown in the month of June and harvested in October . (modifies ‘rice’) 2. At the beginning of a sentence followed by a comma and then a clause (past participle phrase + comma + clause) – In this case, the participle phrase modifies the subject of the clause. Example: Battered by hail, the car collapsed. (modifies ‘the car’) Note: In regular English grammar, a past participle phrase following a clause and separated by a comma (clause + comma + past participle phrase) could modify the entire preceding clause. But GMAT is not very keen on this usage; so avoid it. That said, remember that studying grammar rules in isolation is worthless. If the sentence demands such a construction, then it is correct to use it. Let’s take one of our own questions to understand this. Question: Due to the slow-moving nature of tectonic plate movement, the oldest ocean crust is thought to date from the Jurassic period, formed from huge fragments of the Earth’s lithosphere and lasted 200 million years. (A) formed from huge fragments of the Earth’s lithosphere and lasted 200 million years. (B) forming from huge fragments of the Earth’s lithosphere and lasting 200 million years. (C) forming from huge fragments of the Earth’s lithosphere and lasted 200 million years. (D) formed from huge fragments of the Earth’s lithosphere and lasting 200 million years. (E) formed from huge fragments of the Earth’s lithosphere and has been lasting 200 million years. Here is our official solution: The correct response is (D). The meaning of the sentence is that the “oldest ocean crust” was “formed” in the past during the Jurassic period and is currently still “lasting” (since if it’s the “oldest” it must still be around!). We need the past tense/participle verbs to be used correctly. If you chose (A), the ocean crust was “formed” in the past” but if “lasted” is past tense then the oldest ocean crust is no longer around, which would mean it couldn’t be the “oldest.” If you chose (B) or (C), “forming” implies the crust is still being formed. While it’s true the Earth’s crust is constantly in flux, we’re concerned with the “oldest ocean crust” – that part that is no longer continuing to form, but was formed at some point during the Jurassic period. If you chose (E), you correctly used “formed,” however the present perfect “has been lasting” is unnecessarily wordy. The simple participle verb form will suffice. Does logic dictate that (D) is the correct answer? Yes. Will you ignore it because it uses past participle form modifying the previous subject/clause instead of ‘Jurassic Period’? No. Note that it is correct grammatically and you should know it. Whatever we can infer about the preferences of GMAT is from the questions it gives. GMAT doesn’t clarify its stand on every grammatical issue and the stand is probably flexible depending on the sentence under examination. So you need to be flexible in your understanding of what is and is not acceptable in GMAT. Use logic – remember, GMAT is a test of your reasoning skills. Get to the best answer under given circumstances. Karishma, a Computer Engineer with a keen interest in alternative Mathematical approaches, has mentored students in the continents of Asia, Europe and North America. She teaches the GMAT for Veritas Prep in Detroit, Michigan, and regularly participates in content development projects such as this blog! |
07 Oct 2014, 09:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: School Profile: Collaboration, Community Service, and Career Development at Bates College |
 Bates College, a small liberal arts college located in Lewiston, Maine, it was founded in 1855 and was one of the most forward-thinking colleges of its time. It started out as a seminary and was a stop on the Underground Railroad; consequently, many of the first students were former slaves. Throughout time they have remained a diverse and inclusive school that promotes the importance of rigorous academia coupled with the betterment of oneself. At Bates College students can choose from thirty-five interdisciplinary and departmental majors along with twenty-six secondary concentrations. Many students double major, graduate with a major and minor, or graduate with a major and two general education concentrations. This allows them to enter the professional world with a strong and diverse academic background. The average class size at Bates is no more than twenty students, and 100% of the faculty hold the highest degree in their respective fields. Diverse academic options combined with personalized teaching offers students a strong foundation for academic success. There are a wide range of study abroad options that more than 60% of the student body take advantage of, plus internships, fieldwork, and research opportunities that stretch and challenge students. At Bates, all students take part in a first year seminar where you, a small group of peers, and a chosen professor will dive into a specialized topic that models the type of work you’ll be doing for all four college years. This will fold into your senior thesis that will usually be the first step towards graduate study or your first job after college. Bates College is perfect for students who want strong guidance while gaining the tools and education to lead successful professional careers upon graduation. Campus life at Bates is diverse and centers around community. The student housing, clubs and organizations, and the student-run coffee house, simply referred to as The Ronj, help cultivate the sense of community. All freshmen live on campus in first-year residence halls where they get to know one another and adjust to campus life under the guidance of the some of the upper-classmen. Most students live on campus in either a residence hall or one of the 25 beautiful Victorian houses. There are more than 100 clubs and organizations for students to participate in as well as a myriad of services that benefit student success. They include student employment, community service projects, and career development opportunities. Students can collaborate and get to know one another at The Ronj, where they can play pool, watch movies, or attend concerts and other events while snacking on some delicious grub. The Ronj also offers services like catering campus events, and it functions as an open space for creative writing, broadcast art, comedy, theater, and much more. Bates College competes in Division III athletics in the New England Small College Athletic Conference with 14 men’s and 15 women’s varsity teams. They have won countless championships in a variety of varsity sports. Club teams include rugby, ice hockey, ultimate Frisbee, sailing, and more. Intramural sports are available for those who play simply for the love of the game. The athletic facilities at Bates are state-of-the-art; among them are an ice hockey rink, several courts, a boathouse, a swimming pool, tracks, and various outdoor fields. The football field is one of the oldest in the nation. For those who just like to maintain their physical fitness, there is access to facilities such as the weight room that includes treadmills and elliptical machines. Traditions are a big part of Bates College; some go back nearly one hundred years. One of the most prominent traditions is the Winter Carnival where festivities last four days and are created by the Bates Outing Club, centered around a new theme every year. This fun carnival is all about celebrating winter in Maine, where you might find competitions like tray and three legged races. Other activities could include an ice skating party, a casual bonfire, or a concert. The big finale on the last day of Winter Carnival is the puddle jump, and no this is not skipping through puddles; you’ll have to see for yourself when you become a Bates Bobcat! Still need to take the SAT? We run a free online SAT prep seminar every few weeks. And, be sure to find us on Facebook and Google+, and follow us on Twitter! Also, take a look at our profiles for The University of Chicago, Pomona College, and Amherst College, and more to see if those schools are a good fit for you. By Colleen Hill |
08 Oct 2014, 09:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: SAT Tip of the Week: Here Are Your Dos and Don'ts Before Test Day |
 The time has come. The SAT is finally here. After months of preparation, this Saturday, October 11, is the day to finally demonstrate your skills to the College Board. In terms of studying, the SAT is not like a midterm so there is no benefit to cramming. In fact it can have an adverse effect on your score. At this point, vocabulary should be mastered and all practice tests and homework sections should have been reviewed. If you have done so (and simulated the test day environment with your last couple practice tests) you have done the hard part. Now you can rest easy because you are ready to take the test. However, there are some outside factors that can help elevate your performance on test day. Here are some pretest and test day dos and don’ts: DO get to bed early on Thursday and Friday night. A lot of students forget how important sleep is to critical thinking and test performance. Whatever you had planned Thursday night, put it off until after the SAT. You want to get at least eight hours both of nights. It is essential. DO wake up a full two hours before the test. You want your mind performing at its best. It is important to avoid any grogginess on the day of the test, so be sure you’re up long enough for the morning sluggishness to wear off. DO warm up your brain on Saturday morning. Treat this like an athletic event. Would you start a game without stretching? No, so it is important to stretch the brain. Maybe do a Sudoku puzzle or a crossword. You can also review one to two SAT questions from each section. Nothing strenuous and nothing for more than 5 to 10 minutes. Just enough to make sure that you are processing at full speed the minute you get your essay prompt. DO eat healthy. This includes protein, complex carbohydrates, and fruit. During the breaks, make sure to stretch out and walk around. Bring healthy snacks to keep your energy level up. My go to snacks on test day were bananas, apples, and almonds (and for breakfast I had oatmeal). DON’T learn new vocab or do any more test preparation on Thursday afternoon or Friday. By this point, you either know it or you don’t. This can cause unneeded stress and anxiety. You are ready, so don’t psyche yourself out. DON’T stay up all night watching Netflix or going on the internet. On Thursday and Friday night, don’t look at electronic screens that much after 5 or 6 PM. Read a book, go outside, play a game. Anything that keeps your mind sharp. DON’T roll out of bed thirty minutes before the test. This may be tempting to get the most sleep possible, but make that a reality by going to bed early. Waking up that close to the test puts you in a fog. This is a very crucial one. DON’T drink energy drinks or change your normal diet extensively. You don’t want your test concentration and focus to be disrupted by a growling stomach or restless legs. DON’T sit down on breaks. Make sure to stretch and walk around. Do not congregate with others and discuss the previous section. This is a natural tendency, but it is a form of cheating and it can psyche you out. Walk around, eat your snacks, and talk about anything else besides the test. All of these things are recommended to optimize your test day performance. You have prepped, you know the strategies, and now it is time to finally succeed on the SAT. Apply these do’s and don’ts to put your best foot forward. Be calm and confident going into the test, and you will do great. Best of luck! Still need to take the SAT? We run a free online SAT prep seminarevery few weeks. And, be sure to find us on Facebook and Google+, and follow us on Twitter! Jake Davidson is a Mork Family Scholar at USC and enjoys writing for the school paper as well as participating in various clubs. He has been tutoring privately since the age of 15 and is incredibly excited to help students succeed on the SAT. |
09 Oct 2014, 18:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: 1 Important Rule for GMAT Sentence Correction |
 Some sentence structures seemingly stupefy scholarly students. One of the main reasons the GMAT chooses to test logic through sentence correction is that the rules of grammar are much more flexible than most students realize. We (hopefully) remember some of the basic rules of sentences. Sentences should have a subject and a predicate, but you can often shorten sentences in specific contexts. Like this. The rules we’ve learned in high school are relevant, but (to paraphrase Pirates of the Caribbean) they’re more like guidelines. The one “rule” I’d like to discuss in particular today is the notion that a sentence must always be in the same tense from beginning to end. This parameter is helpful and applicable in most situations, but it is in no way a restriction that can never be circumvented. In the absence of other incentives, it makes sense as a de facto plan, but it doesn’t have to be followed blindly. It’s like taking the subway to work and getting off at the station closest to your work. By default, you should get off at that station, but that doesn’t mean you can’t detour to a different station to pick up your boss’ favorite breakfast once in a while. In a typical sentence, randomly shifting tenses doesn’t make any sense. Consider a sentence like “Ron watches Frozen on repeat and liked it when Elsa sings” (#Frozen). This sentence doesn’t make sense because it jumps from the present tense of watching the movie to the past tense for liking and then back to the presence for the singing. This sentence would have to be “Ron watches Frozen on repeat and likes it when Elsa sings” or “Ron watched Frozen on repeat and liked it when Elsa sang”. Either alternative provides a cohesive sentence that illustrates Ron’s adulation for animated movies. However not all sentences are tied to the default structure of always maintaining the same verb tense. The meaning of the sentence will dictate the verb tense, so meaning must always be considered when considering possible answer choices in sentence correction. A sentence could read: “Ron beams with pride when he recalls how Frozen won best animated song at the Oscars”. The sentence discusses Ron’s present pride when thinking back to an event that happened in the past, so the fact that the third verb is in the past makes sense with the meaning of the sentence. The pride actively comes whenever he recalls the one specific moment in the past (performed memorably by Adele Dazeem). Let’s look at an example of how varying verb tenses shouldn’t slow us down on an actual GMAT problem: Attempts to standardize healthcare, an important issue to both state and national officials, has not eliminated the difference in the quality of care existing between upper and lower income families. (A) Has not eliminated the difference in the quality of care existing (B) Has not been making a difference eliminating the quality of care that exists (C) Has not made an elimination in the quality of care that exists (D) Have not eliminated the difference in the quality of care that exists (E) Have not been making a difference eliminating the quality of care existing This sentence has more issues than simply verb tense, as we can quickly identify a 3-2 split between has and have in the first word. Simply being able to determine which of these elements is correct will eliminate at least two choices, so it’s the first decision point we should tackle. The modifier “…an important issue…” can be ignored for the purposes of identifying the subject in this sentence. Thus the sentence essentially reads “Attempts to standardize healthcare has not eliminated…” which highlights the fact that “Attempts” is the subject, and thus the verb should be plural instead of singular. This means that answer choices A, B and C can all be eliminated. The correct answer must be either choice D or choice E. Looking at answer choice D: “Attempts to standardize healthcare… have not eliminated the difference in the quality of care that exists…”we may notice the verb tense discrepancy I mentioned earlier. The sentence describes issues in the past, but then mentions their ramifications in the present. This is acceptable because the meaning of the sentence is preserved. Attempts to make changes in the past have not yet had the desired effect in the present. Many students eliminate answer choice D because of the verb tense issue, but this is not a valid reason as the sentence structure is logical. Let’s look at answer choice E and see if we can eliminate it and leave D as the last answer standing (coming to NBC this fall). Answer choice E: “Attempts to standardize healthcare… have not been making a difference eliminating the quality of care existing” is perhaps more tempting because the verb is a participle (existing). However the meaning of this sentence changes from the original meaning, as the attempts now do not make a difference in eliminating the quality of care. This is much worse than the original intent, and can be eliminated because of the meaning alteration alone. Answer choice E is incorrect, and thus the answer must be answer choice D. When choosing between two (or more) answer choices, it’s important to always consider the meaning of the sentence. If the meaning of the sentence is logical, then the grammar may have been purposely chosen to make you doubt the answer choice. Remember that sentences do not always need to have the same verb tense, and that the logic of the sentence will play a big role in determining whether an answer choice is acceptable. If you keep these elements in mind, you’ll start finding sentence correction much less tense. Plan on taking the GMAT soon? We have GMAT prep courses starting all the time. And, be sure to find us on Facebook and Google+, and follow us on Twitter! Ron Awad is a GMAT instructor for Veritas Prep based in Montreal, bringing you weekly advice for success on your exam. After graduating from McGill and receiving his MBA from Concordia, Ron started teaching GMAT prep and his Veritas Prep students have given him rave reviews ever since. |
15 Oct 2014, 09:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: SAT Tip of the Week: Why Do You Need Our Prep Course? |
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There are very few people whose idea of a good time includes spending hours outside of regular school poring over SAT material. With all the other constraints on a high school student’s time, is it worth it to do an SAT prep course? The honest answer is yes. The SAT is very important to the university admissions process and the skills necessary for lifting an SAT score can be learned over a much shorter period of time than it takes to dramatically change a four year GPA or achieve success in extracurricular activities. In terms of results for the time put in, success on the SAT is a lot of bang for your buck, and the skills learned in SAT prep are applicable to any standardized or multiple choice test. SAT Prep can help a student get into college. Most highly competitive schools have an SAT (or ACT) range that most students fall into. There are certainly students who get admitted to competitive schools who are outside of this range, but many schools use SAT scores and GPAs as an initial cut off to cull down the number of admissions. Particularly high SAT scores or GPAs can even help to advance students in the admissions process who fall outside of the schools range in other areas. The bottom line is the SAT matters to admissions officers at most schools. Taking the SAT is a skill that can be learned. The SAT is not a test of how well you have retained the information taught in school: the SAT is a test of how well you can take the SAT. There are a number of general test taking skills that SAT courses can provide, things like plugging in answer choices and eliminating incorrect answers to find correct answers, but SAT prep also gives students SAT specific skills and stresses the information that is and is not required for success on the test. These are all learnable skills that can dramatically increase scores. For many students, as little as six weeks of concerted study can increase scores by 200-300 points. This is less than a single semester in school and thus less time than it takes to even affect one high school grading period. Whether or not you do any test preparation should certainly depend on the desired outcome of the test taker. If you are happy with your scores, or if you have done no work on your own and are interested in seeing how much you can accomplish unguided, then you should pursue that goal. The advantage of doing a prep course is access to an expert who understands the material and is able to give specific help on how to approach the SAT. It’s simply too important and too unique a skill set to assume that high school will give you adequate preparation, so whatever you do, do something that focuses on the actual skills required to succeed on SAT. Happy preparations! Plan on taking the SAT soon? We run a free online SAT prep seminar every few weeks. And, be sure to find us on Facebook and Google+, and follow us on Twitter! David Greenslade is a Veritas Prep SAT instructor based in New York. His passion for education began while tutoring students in underrepresented areas during his time at the University of North Carolina. After receiving a degree in Biology, he studied language in China and then moved to New York where he teaches SAT prep and participates in improv comedy. Read more of his articles here, including How I Scored in the 99th Percentile and How to Effectively Study for the SAT. |
20 Oct 2014, 09:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: A 750 Level GMAT Question on Statistics! |
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Today, we have a very interesting statistics question for you. We have already discussed statistics concepts such as mean, median, range etc in our QWQW series. Check them out here if you haven’t already done so: The Meaning of Arithmetic Mean Can You Solve these Mean GMAT Questions? Finding Arithmetic Mean Using Deviations Application of Arithmetic Means Mean Questions on Median A Range of Questions This question needs you to apply all these concepts but can still be easily done in under two minutes. Now, without further ado, let’s go on to the question – there is a lot to discuss there. Question: An automated manufacturing unit employs N experts. Their average monthly salary is $7000 while the median monthly salary is only $5000. If the range of their monthly salaries is $10,000, what is the minimum value of N? (A)10 (B)12 (C)14 (D)15 (E)20 Solution: Let’s first assimilate the information we have. We need to find the minimum number of experts that must be there. Why should there be a minimum number of people satisfying these statistics? Let’s try to understand that with some numbers. Say, N cannot be 1 i.e. there cannot be a single expert in the unit because then you cannot have the range of $10,000. You need at least two people to have a range – the difference of their salaries would be the range in that case. So there are at least 2 people – say one with salary 0 and the other with 10,000. No salary will lie outside this range. Median is $5000 – i.e. when all salaries are listed in increasing order, the middle salary (or average of middle two) is $5000. With 2 people, one at 0 and the other at 10,000, the median will be the average of the two i.e. (0 + 10,000)/2 = $5000. Since there are at least 10 people, there is probably someone earning $5000. Let’s put in 5000 there for reference. 0 … 5000 … 10,000 Arithmetic mean of all the salaries is $7000. Now, mean of 0, 5000 and 10,000 is $5000, not $7000 so this means that we need to add some more people. We need to add them more toward 10,000 than toward 0 to get a higher mean. So we will try to get a mean of $7000. Let’s use deviations from the mean method to find where we need to add more people. 0 is 7000 less than 7000 and 5000 is 2000 less than 7000 which means we have a total of $9000 less than 7000. On the other hand, 10,000 is 3000 more than 7000. The deviations on the two sides of mean do not balance out. To balance, we need to add two more people at a salary of $10,000 so that the total deviation on the right of 7000 is also $9000. Note that since we need the minimum number of experts, we should add new people at 10,000 so that they quickly make up the deficit in the deviation. If we add them at 8000 or 9000 etc, we will need to add more people to make up the deficit at the right. Now we have 0 … 5000 … 10000, 10000, 10000 Now the mean is 7000 but note that the median has gone awry. It is 10,000 now instead of the 5000 that is required. So we will need to add more people at 5000 to bring the median back to 5000. But that will disturb our mean again! So when we add some people at 5000, we will need to add some at 10,000 too to keep the mean at 7000. 5000 is 2000 less than 7000 and 10,000 is 3000 more than 7000. We don’t want to disturb the total deviation from 7000. So every time we add 3 people at 5000 (which will be a total deviation of 6000 less than 7000), we will need to add 2 people at 10,000 (which will be a total deviation of 6000 more than 7000), to keep the mean at 7000 – this is the most important step. Ensure that you have understood this before moving ahead. When we add 3 people at 5000 and 2 at 10,000, we are in effect adding an extra person at 5000 and hence it moves our median a bit to the left. Let’s try one such set of addition: 0 … 5000, 5000, 5000, 5000 … 10000, 10000, 10000, 10000, 10000 The median is not $5000 yet. Let’s try one more set of addition. 0 … 5000, 5000, 5000, 5000, 5000, 5000, 5000 … 10000, 10000, 10000, 10000, 10000, 10000, 10000 The median now is $5000 and we have maintained the mean at $7000. This gives us a total of 15 people. Answer (D) Granted, the question is tough but note that it uses very basic concepts and that is the hallmark of a good GMAT question! Try to come up with some other methods of solving this. Karishma, a Computer Engineer with a keen interest in alternative Mathematical approaches, has mentored students in the continents of Asia, Europe and North America. She teaches the GMAT for Veritas Prep in Detroit, Michigan, and regularly participates in content development projects such as this blog! |
20 Oct 2014, 16:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: School Profile: Is the Artistic and Academic Community of Juilliard Right for You? |
 The Juilliard School was initially founded in 1905 as the Institute of Musical Art. By 1946 it had become the Juilliard School of Music, and included both undergraduate studies and a graduate program. Today, the school is named The Juilliard School (known informally simply as Juilliard) and includes music, dance, and drama curricula at both undergraduate and graduate levels. It is an urban school, located in New York City’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and trains just over 600 students. It reflects an exclusively artistic education where students specialize in their artistic major in combination with liberal arts. Over the years The Julliard School’s curriculum has evolved with the school. Initially, it was exclusively a music school with a traditional curriculum focusing on music theory, ear training, and music history. From there it embraced a program designed for composers to teach, which left the classroom application of the previous elements up to the discretion of the composer-instructors. By the 1960s, even that was abandoned in favor of the solfege pedagogy, which forms the basis for today’s music education. The dance curriculum was added in 1951, and drama in 1968, although music remains the dominant division at the school. The Juilliard School offers undergraduate degrees in music, dance, and drama; and graduate and doctorate degrees in music. Once Juilliard students are accepted, which is through a rigorous audition process, they may choose from among several majors. Students may earn a B.F.A. in dance, which is equal parts ballet and modern dance with a three semester, 24-credit liberal arts program. The drama B.F.A. program accepts 8-10 new students per year by audition into acting or playwright programs, which also include the liberal arts core curriculum. There are 14 music majors from which to choose in the undergraduate B.M. Instrumental and B.M. Voice programs, which again include the three semester liberal arts curriculum. Multiple performance opportunities are available both at The Juilliard School and at venues in and around New York City. The Juilliard School also offers cross-registration for students wishing to take courses at either Columbia University or Barnard College. Juilliard students are limited to one class per semester; they must be in good academic standing at Juilliard and able to demonstrate the ability to take on the enhanced academic rigor of the two schools. Approved credits earned count towards Juilliard’s liberal arts requirements. Additionally, Juilliard students have the opportunity to participate in a rigorous year-long research program to earn “with scholastic distinction” on their degrees and transcripts. A select number of students pursuing music degrees can apply for the accelerated M.M. program where they are allowed to take courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels during their final undergrad year. All first-year students of the Juilliard School are required to live in campus housing. Juilliard has provided housing for approximately 350 students at their Meridith Willson Residence Hall in the top thirteen floors of the Rose Building next door to the school. The unique resident hall offers million-dollar views of Broadway, Central Park, and the Hudson River. It’s in the heart of Manhattan, close to the Metropolitan Opera House and only blocks from Times Square. The lobby floor has a student lounge, kitchen, laundry room, and vending machines. There is a student fitness center on the 22nd floor and a student computer and study lounge on the 19th floor. Each floor has four student suites and two soundproof practice rooms. Each suite has five bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a living room with an amazing view. All suites are fully furnished and provide cable and Internet. Students can choose specialty housing options like gender specific, quiet, or substance free. Only first-year students are guaranteed housing. Older students can live off campus or participate in Housing Selection for a shot at staying in the residence hall. Juilliard assists students with off-campus housing resources. There are meal-plans available to students regardless of living on or off campus. Residence Life hosts over 100 activities including, Midnight Breakfast and Halloween Haunted House. Students can participate in the relatively new independent student newspaper, The Yard, or just read it to stay in the know with what’s happening socially, academically, and with peers, staff, and alumni. There are no college sports, fraternities or sororities, and no traditions to speak of. What you can find is a ton of reasonably priced options for eating and hanging out in the East Village and Hell’s Kitchen neighborhoods, the opportunity to rub shoulders with the most artistically brilliant and talented people you’ll ever meet, and the chance to live and learn in the most exciting city in the country. If you think you have what it takes, the Juilliard School is waiting for you to share your talents. Still need to take the SAT? We run a free online SAT prep seminar every few weeks. And, be sure to find us on Facebook and Google+, and follow us on Twitter! Also, take a look at our profiles for The University of Chicago, Pomona College, and Amherst College, and more to see if those schools are a good fit for you. By Colleen Hill |
21 Oct 2014, 09:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: 4 Things You Control on GMAT Test Day |
 I recently had the chance to answer a question about overcoming Test Anxiety on the GMAT. The test-taker wanted to know how to avoid being so anxious on test day and how to stop obsessively thinking about the score before and even during the exam itself. I wrote, “Your job on test day is to focus on the question in front of you. Not to guess at what your score might be or continually estimate how much time you have left per question. Your anxiety is probably a result of being “at war with the present moment.” In other words, your anxiety is because you want the GMAT to already be over with the result already known. But you know that this cannot happen. You must take the test before you can get the score. This desire to skip over the actual exam and wanting to be done with the exam and know the score, this is the source of the anxiety. If you had told yourself that you will enjoy the experience then there would be no anxiety. If you have tickets to a movie that you have been waiting to see you do not have anxiety but anticipation. You are not wanting to done with the movie, you are excited for it to begin. However, if you have major surgery scheduled, then you can understandably wish that it was already over and recovery started. However, the GMAT is not like undergoing surgery. The only pain involved is the pain that we put on ourselves. Nothing bad is going to happen to you in that room. You are not in danger of physical harm or pain. The anxiety is based on the worry that you might not get the score that you want. But here is the question…does it help to worry about it? Did it help you on that last practice test to be worried about your Quant score while still taking the verbal portion? The answer is “no.” Anxiety ALWAYS comes from being focused on the result rather than the process. This is why the fans of sports teams are so much more anxious than the players! The players are focused on the process, they get to play the game and enjoy the game and influence the outcome. The fans are usually only happy if the team wins and as spectators they cannot even participate, so they are focused on the end result and that creates extreme anxiety. It is never good in life to be focused more on the result than the process. Here is what I would hope that you and others can say, “I will do my best on the exam and I will enjoy the challenge. I am looking forward to proving what I can do. I have no control over the result but I have 100% control over my effort, so I will focus on giving my best effort and the score will take care of itself.” This may sound unrealistic but people do this every day in all areas: artists, athletes, writers, chefs, entrepreneurs, and others. And here is the secret – those who are focused on the process and taking care of the parts they can control are the happiest, least stressed, and yes, most successful. So on test day YOU take care of 1) Being focused on the question in front of you at that time 2) Not getting distracted by the timer and questions about your score 3) Giving your best effort and really be there in each moment 4) Enjoying yourself! and the COMPUTER will take care of the score. That part is not up to you. Can you do that? If so you can have a much more enjoyable experience and the side effect will be a higher score in the end. Plan on taking the GMAT soon? We have GMAT prep courses starting all the time. And, be sure to find us on Facebook and Google+, and follow us on Twitter! David Newland has been teaching for Veritas Prep since 2006, and he won the Veritas Prep Instructor of the Year award in 2008. Students’ friends often call in asking when he will be teaching next because he really is a Veritas Prep and a GMAT rock star! Read more of his articles here. |
21 Oct 2014, 14:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: Don't Be Redundant and Don't Repeat Yourself in MBA Applications |
 See what I did there? With the trend towards shorter essays, I have noticed a phenomenon in the applications which I can only describe as “redundancy.” Shortening the essays has resulted in more questions and even mini-essays or micro-essays within the application itself, where often applicants end up repeating information about themselves that is found elsewhere in the application. The shorter essay requirements have essentially elevated everything else in the application in importance to the point that each component needs to be firing off something unique and of value to your candidacy. You simply cannot afford to say the same thing twice. 3 Don’ts:
In the old days of long applications, this phenomenon would show up mostly in the optional essay only. People would use the optional essay to try and clarify something in the application or to make the case “better.” Schools got to the point of specifically requesting applicants avoid saying things they already said, but still applicants would repeat themselves. Now, I see it much more prevalently across the whole application. How do you avoid it? Make sure when your application is almost finished that you (and ideally, someone else too) sit back and read the entire application from beginning to end. Ask yourself if there is any redundancy, or if instead you sense a balance of good, persuasive evidence for admission. In the areas you feel are redundant, are you just trying to reinforce a point, or is it truly just a repeat of something else that’s already in there? If it’s the former, and you feel the characteristic or trait is worth reinforcing, try to do so in a different way. Tell a different story or provide more detail. It’s good to have a theme or thread throughout your application, just make sure it’s not just telling them the same thing over and over. Learn about top MBA programs by downloading our Essential Guides! Call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today, or click here to take our Free MBA Admissions Profile Evaluation! As always, be sure to find us on Facebook and Google+, and follow us on Twitter. Bryant Michaels has over 25 years of professional post undergraduate experience in the entertainment industry as well as on Wall Street with Goldman Sachs. He served on the admissions committee at the Fuqua School of Business where he received his MBA and now works part time in retirement for a top tier business school. He has been consulting with Veritas Prep clients for the past six admissions seasons. See more of his articles here. |
22 Oct 2014, 08:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: What to Expect with the Video MBA Essay Questions |
 Written essay questions have been the foundation of MBA applications for as long as we can remember but some leading graduate business schools have introduced a new wrinkle over the last few years. Recent technological advances have made video essays a reality within the admissions process at top b-schools around the world. However, there’s no need to worry, this new addition at schools like Kellogg, Yale and Rotman are not meant to stump you. These video essays are genuinely so the admissions committee can “get to know” the candidate on a more personal level. Therefore, the applicant should try to be friendly and open about the questions (while still being appropriate, of course) rather than overly stiff & formal. The video provides a little glimpse into the personality traits of all applicants. So don’t expect to see anything really tricky or challenging, such as a mini-case, these are designed to be much more personal. Specifically, admissions is looking to see how you come across in an unscripted, conversational moment. The important thing is to convey confidence and answer the question directly, within the time allotted, in an articulate manner. As always highlighting the core elements of Leadership, Innovation, Teamwork and Maturity that business schools covet within your responses will go a long way in executing a successful response. If you’re an international candidate, take the video essay seriously. Because for admissions, this is also another way to assess the English ability of international applicants so additional prep may be required. Speaking of preparation, do it! Prep some responses to common interview questions, again these questions are not meant to be brain teasers just personal questions you should have already sorted through, about yourself and your interest in the school, prior to completing your application. This is the kind of thing where I do think over-preparation could potentially backfire since you don’t know what the question will be, and the objective of the exercise is to be yourself and have fun. The important thing is to be flexible. Your personality during the video essay should be consistent with who you have portrayed yourself to be in the application (which should be consistent with who you are) while factoring how admission perceives you (young candidate, international, brain, etc). With this being said remain professional in your tone, language and dress to ensure admissions continues to view you as a serious candidate. Finally, each video essay school has a slightly different process when it comes to this exercise. Help yourself out by reviewing each aspect of the process diligently so there are no surprises when it is time to complete. Good luck! Want to craft a strong application? Call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today. Click here to take our Free MBA Admissions Profile Evaluation! As always, be sure to find us on Facebook and Google+, and follow us on Twitter! Dozie A. is a Veritas Prep Head Consultant for the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. His specialties include consulting, marketing, and low GPA/GMAT applicants. |
22 Oct 2014, 09:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: SAT Tip of the Week: 7 Steps To Increase Your Speed |
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I have been out of my formal education, and certainly out of high school for many years now but I still have stress dreams where the time is slowly running out on a standardized test. I’m stuck on a hard problem and am waffling between two answers: “What does it mean if these two points are co-linear!” I scream and wake up in a cold sweat. If this describes your own dark dreams, you are not alone. Negotiating timing on a test is tough, but there are a few great tricks that will help you to zoom through some of the tougher sections and complete the SAT without feeling that stress. 1. Be Prepared! (Sung like Scar from The Lion King). Obvious advice is not always unnecessary advice. If you have not taken the SAT before, it will be extremely overwhelming to go through and try to read all the directions and acquaint yourself with different types of questions. Get a book (SAT 2400 In Just 7 Steps is a great one). Better yet, get a tutor or take a class. At the very least, take a practice test. The more familiar you are with the format and the types of questions, the quicker you can move on the test. 2. Use Test-Taking Strategies Immediately. These test taking strategies, like plugging in numbers, are very useful but need to be employed immediately. When the question says “some number greater than 2″ or “for all even integers”, plug in a number greater than 2 or an even integer! Don’t sit around trying to dissect the question: start trying things! If the question doesn’t state numbers but there are numbers in the answer choices, start testing to see what answer is possible quickly! The strategies are great but they are not a last resort: they are the first option. 3. Bubble Answers Page By Page. This technique just eliminates some of the time taken to move back and forth between the test booklet and the answer sheet. Instead of doing this work after every question, answer all the questions on a page in the test booklet and then bubble in all the answers on the answer sheet. This will also help to encourage checking in between the test book and the answer sheet so that you do not skip a question and compromise your whole answer sheet. 4. Answer Line Specific Reading Questions As You Read The Passage. This is another technique that can save minutes on the reading section of the SAT. Rather than reading a passage multiple times (once to familiarize yourself with the content and once to answer the questions), answer the line specific questions as you read. Read the line specific question, read up to lines referenced, and find the answer. The answer is IN the passage, so this will help you to look for the answer in the actual content being referenced by the question. 5. Skip Questions You Don’t Understand Immediately. There will be time to come back and attempt these problems, but if you don’t know how to start, skip the problem quickly. The last thing you want is to sit there and ponder over a question when there are three after that you could easily attack. It’s not giving up to skip a problem and come back to it. When you know you have all the problems that you know how to attempt down, go back to these problems and do the first step to see if this step leads to another. 6. Know The Common Writing Errors. If you are aware of the most common errors that pop up on the writing section, it is much easier to spot them. In each answer choice you can simply run through a mental checklist of what kinds of errors are possible then check to see if these errors are present. This is especially helpful with the harder questions when uncommon phrasing is used in an attempt to confuse the test taker. Once an error is identified, it is also much quicker to go through answer choices as a test taker must merely find the answer choice that fixes the error and does not create a new problem. 7. Practice. How do you get to Carnegie Hall? The same way you learn time management on the SAT: PRACTICE! This goes hand in hand with “Be Prepared”, but it deserves its own section because the only way to get good at time management is to feel how long twenty five minutes is and how it feels to take too long on a problem. Time yourself taking some practice sections, you will notice yourself better able to deal with the stress of the timed test as well as an increased ability to manage your time. With these tools in hand the dreaded SAT timing need not be the stuff of nightmares. At the end of the day, the most important thing is to develop your test taking techniques and practice them in timed contexts. So don’t get anxious, get prepared! Plan on taking the SAT soon? We run a free online SAT prep seminar every few weeks. And, be sure to find us on Facebook and Google+, and follow us on Twitter! David Greenslade is a Veritas Prep SAT instructor based in New York. His passion for education began while tutoring students in underrepresented areas during his time at the University of North Carolina. After receiving a degree in Biology, he studied language in China and then moved to New York where he teaches SAT prep and participates in improv comedy. Read more of his articles here, including How I Scored in the 99th Percentile and How to Effectively Study for the SAT. |
23 Oct 2014, 09:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: School Profile: Why Oberlin is the Most Liberal of the Liberal Arts Colleges |
 Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Ohio is a self-described “ideal laboratory in which to study and design the world we want.” From its beginnings in 1833, Oberlin has been a progressive school dedicated to social justice. Twenty years prior to the Civil War, Oberlin had already graduated the first black student to attend the College, George Vashon, who went on to be one of the founding professors of Howard University. They were the first college to admit students regardless of race in 1835, and the first to admit women in 1837. Oberlin’s abolitionist stance and active roles in both the Underground Railroad and the ensuing U.S. Civil War cannot be overstated. The College has remained committed to progressive causes throughout their history. More than 2,900 students call Oberlin’s 440 acre suburban campus home. The vast majority are enrolled in the College of Arts & Sciences, but over 400 students are enrolled in the Conservatory of Music, one of the nation’s best music schools. The competitive conservatory admits fewer than 10% of the applicants who audition for the coveted seats. Nearly 200 students choose the five-year Double-Degree from the liberal arts college and the conservatory of music, a rare opportunity. Oberlin offers degrees in 47 majors and 42 minors. The most popular degrees by enrollment are music performance, biology, and political science/government. Beyond their disciplines, students must take coursework in arts and humanities, social and behavioral sciences, natural sciences and mathematics, processes of quantitative reasoning and writing, and languages and cultures that aren’t their own. Two semesters are separated by a four-week winter term of self-directed study. Students must complete three winter terms to graduate. Other academic opportunities at Oberlin are Study Away, which is primarily studying abroad for a semester to a year, but not all Study Away options are outside the country. Entrepreneurship is encouraged and supported through the Oberlin’s Creativity and Leadership Project, where students’ great ideas can come to life. Oberlin’s Experimental College, or ExCo offers for credit classes in virtually anything imaginable, given by other students, community members, and faculty. Students can apply 5 ExCo credits toward graduation requirements. Oberlin students joke on Internet message boards that Oberlin “puts the liberal in liberal arts.” Its reputation as a “hippie school” comes from its long history of progressive thought behind meaningful action, its Experimental College, and its Student Cooperative Association. Oberlin College embodies the philosophy of standing for something, even if you are standing alone, and have a rich history of social justice. If you have racial, ethnic, or gender hang-ups, this is definitely not the school for you. If you desire to be the change you want to see in the world, you’re in the right place. Oberlin is enthusiastically committed to banning Greek fraternities or sororities, which has the full support of the student body. The Oberlin Student Cooperative Association, therefore, is the school’s primary student-led social organization on campus. The students run four housing and dining co-ops, three dining only co-ops, and a grocery store. Roughly one-third of Oberlin students live in Cooperative Housing. OSCA also runs co-ops in film, photography, biking, and more; membership is open to faculty, staff, and Oberlin community members to foster a culture of camaraderie between students, the college, and the town. Oberlin College has nine men’s and ten women’s NCAA Division III teams that compete in the North Coast Athletic Conference. Their football team’s claim to fame is being coached in 1892 by John Heisman, after whom the Heisman Trophy is named, and going 7-0 that season. They also hold the dubious distinction of being among the five worst Division III football programs for several years. The school’s Yeowomen (Rhinos) Rugby team has enjoyed the most success of both men’s and women’s teams. Both men’s and women’s Ultimate (Frisbee) club teams have enjoyed regional and national success. The Oberlin College Recreation Center serves not only the students, faculty, and staff, but alson the Oberlin community. You would be hard-pressed to find another college that values tradition more than Oberlin. One of the most curious, but prized traditions at Oberlin is their art rental program. Black Friday type lines form overnight at the beginning of each semester outside Allen Memorial Art Museum for a chance to get an original Picasso, Renoir, or Warhol to display in their rooms. The program, which started in the 1940s, allows students pay $5 for the privilege of having a piece of art for the semester. Drag Ball is a playful annual event borne from student activism in the 1980s to support Transgender Awareness Week. It features professional performers and DJs, a main stage and runway, and three dance floors, and is held in the Student Union. Illumination, which began in November of 1860 to honor President-elect Abraham Lincoln, continues today to honor Oberlin graduates. On Commencement night, thousands of Japanese lanterns illuminate the night on Oberlin College campus and several streets in town. This is a smattering of Oberlin’s many traditions. If you are progressive in your thought, are enthusiastic about applying action to it, and are committed to making the world a better place, Oberlin is your kind of school. Still need to take the SAT? We run a free online SAT prep seminar every few weeks. And, be sure to find us on Facebook and Google+, and follow us on Twitter! Also, take a look at our profiles for The University of Chicago, Pomona College, and Amherst College, and more to see if those schools are a good fit for you. By Colleen Hill |
02 Dec 2014, 11:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: 6 Things to Consider When Making Your List of Target Business Schools |
 You’ve talked to friends, family, and colleagues and made the big decision that you want an MBA. Now, the hard part is determining where you should apply. Some candidates already have their dream school in mind when they begin the application journey and others simply copy and past a list of the top 10 programs. However the majority of applicants have no clue how to get started when it comes to deciding where to apply. Since b-school is one of the biggest decisions you will make in your life, the target school selection process should be treated with a similar level of importance. Schools put applications through a true 360-degree review process once submitted and you should scrutinize schools the same way when you’re setting up your list. Here are a few criteria to help you put together a list of your target MBA programs. 1. Geography Where do you want to live? If you’re open, that’s great! You have tons of schools at your disposal. If you have restrictions by city, region, or country this is a good place kick start your list. Also, note that many students work in the region of their school post-grad so make sure you are potentially comfortable with this reality as well. So decide whether your school is more of a regional, national or international powerhouse and how comfortable you are with what this means. 2. Career What do you want to do post-MBA? Certain schools are industry feeders, some are well known like Kellogg with CPGs and Wharton with Investment Banks, but others are more nuanced and can be uncovered via a quick peek into the yearly job report. 3. Focus/Programs What are you looking to learn in business school? Focus on the functional areas that you are looking to develop and use that to filter your list. If you want to study media-management then schools that do not offer such specialized coursework may not make sense for you. 4. Stats So you’ve narrowed down your list and now its time to get real. Are you academically qualified for the schools on your list? GMAT and GPA averages and ranges are a good place to start when making your case here. The farther you skew left or right of the mean will indicate your relative competitiveness for a program on paper. Qualifiers like age, work experience type (analytical vs. not), and undergraduate rigor will all factor into the relative importance of these stats, so keep this in mind as you filter your choices. 5. Fit People, learning style, and class size should all factor into what type of b-school experience you are looking to have. Determine what settings you thrive in and weigh the pros and cons. In person visits, outreach to alums, and conversations with current students are a great way to get a feel for your programs of interest. 6. Reputation Last but not least is reputation. I know most people start here but I really would caution against it. Focus on other more tangible areas of your target programs and use reputation as an additional filter or as a way to rank your final list. Also, if you still have a big list use reputation as a way to truncate things so you can focus on a realistic list of programs. Do your due diligence upfront as you determine your target list and it will pay dividends come decision day. Learn about top MBA programs by downloading our Essential Guides! Call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today, or click here to take our Free MBA Admissions Profile Evaluation! As always, be sure to find us on Facebook and Google+, and follow us on Twitter. Dozie A. is a Veritas Prep Head Consultant for the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. His specialties include consulting, marketing, and low GPA/GMAT applicants. |
03 Dec 2014, 10:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: SAT Tip of the Week: 5 Secret Study Resources for Students |
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Free web resources can be useful supplements to your SAT study, but only when used correctly. Practice questions, essay hints, and sample passages vary widely in their correctness and helpfulness. At best, web resources can provide free information and explanations to aid your understanding of concepts. At worst, they can mislead and confuse students about the SATs expectations, format, and scoring system. Here are a few tips about making the most of what Google has to offer. 1. Check out the CollegeBoard website—both the student and the professional version. These sites are full of useful information about scoring, format, subjects covered, and average performance. They even include practice questions, essay prompts, scored sample essays, and test day advice. Many times while perusing the site, I’ve found interesting and useful answers to questions that I didn’t even know I had. 2. Don’t trust unofficial practice tests and questions. Many of these contain errors and most aren’t representative of real SAT tests. For example, some strategies that are effective on official tests don’t work on unofficial ones, and some unofficial questions reference concepts that don’t appear on official tests. 3. Khan Academy, Grammar Girl, dictionaries, and other reputable online sources for explanations of concepts are almost always useful. Even after two years of teaching classes on misplaced modifiers and semicolon use, I still refer to Grammarbook and the Purdue Online Writing Lab whenever I encounter a grammatical ambiguity. I also refer some of my students to various Dummies and freemathhelp.com pages for explanations of math concepts, since alternative forms of explanation help many students to better understand ideas. 4. Forums are generally unreliable. Though they occasionally contain useful information, more often they contain overgeneralizations, opinions, and guesses about how the SAT works. Unless you’re looking for reviews of test prep resources or a way to connect to other test-takers, avoid relying on these for facts. 5. Libraries, schools, and counselors are extraordinarily underrated sources of test prep help. Counselors can clarify the logistical and financial aspects of the SAT, as well as offer personalized advice about when to take the test and how to submit scores to colleges. Teachers can explain concepts that appear on the SAT and look over your practice SAT essays. Libraries contain plenty of different books that explain SAT concepts in different ways, and some libraries even offer tutoring services, practice tests, and test prep guides. The Internet can be useful but we may miss out on resources right in front of us. Once you know how to identify what will truly help to support you in your studies (and pair it with a Veritas Prep course) you’ll be ready to handle the SAT come test day. Still need to take the SAT? We run a free online SAT prep seminar every few weeks. And, be sure to find us on Facebook and Google+, and follow us on Twitter! Courtney Tran is a student at UC Berkeley, studying Political Economy and Rhetoric. In high school, she was named a National Merit Finalist and National AP Scholar, and she represented her district two years in a row in Public Forum Debate at the National Forensics League National Tournament. |
08 Dec 2014, 11:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: Figuring Out the Topic of Discussion on the GMAT |
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You must have come across questions which you thought tested one concept but later found out could be easily dealt with using another concept. Often, crafty little mixture problems belong to this category. For example: Mark is playing poker at a casino. Mark starts playing with 140 chips, 20% of which are $100 chips and 80% of which are $20 chips. For his first bet, Mark places chips, 10% of which are $100 chips, in the center of the table. If 70% of Mark’s remaining chips are $20 chips, how much money did Mark bet? You can view this as a word problem where you assume the number of chips and then go splitting them up or you can view this as a mixtures problem even though it doesn’t use words such as ‘mixture’, ‘solution’, ‘combined’ etc. As we have seen enough number of times, our mixture problems are solved in seconds using the weighted average concept. The question discussed here also belongs to the same category – looks super tricky but can be easily solved with weighted averages formula. But we have seen plenty and more of such questions in our blog posts. Today we will take a look at a different type of sinister question and I suggest you to think about the concept being tested in that before trying to solve it. Question: Mark owns four low quality watches. Watch1 loses 15 minutes every hour. Watch2 gains 15 minutes every hour relative to watch1 (that is, as watch1 moves from 12:00 to 1:00, watch2 moves from 12:00 to 1:15). Watch3 loses 20 minutes every hour relative to watch2. Finally, watch4 gains 20 minutes every hour relative to watch3. If Mark resets all four watches to the correct time at 12 noon, what time will watch4 show at 12 midnight that day? (A)10:00 (B)10:34 (C)11:02 (D)11:48 (E)12:20 Before we look at the solution, think about the concept being tested here – clocks? Circular motion? Neither! Solution: Note that when giving data about watch1, you are told how it varies with the actual time. Data about all other watches tells us about the time they show relative to the incorrect watches. The concept being tested here is Relative Speed! What do we mean by “gains 15 mins” or “loses 20 mins” etc? When a watch gains 15 mins every hour, it means that even though it should show that one hour has passed, it shows that 1 hr 15 mins have passed. So the watch runs faster than it should. Hence the speed of the watch is more than the speed of a correct watch. Now the question is how much more? The minute hand of the correct watch travels one full circle in one hour. The minute hand of the incorrect watch travels one full circle and then a quarter circle in one hour (to show that 1 hour 15 mins have passed even when only an hour has passed). So it is 5/4 times the speed of a correct watch. On the same lines, let’s analyze each watch. Say the speed of a correct watch is s. - “Watch1 loses 15 minutes every hour. “ Watch1 covers only three quarters of the circle in an hour. Speed of watch1 = (3/4)*s - “Watch2 gains 15 minutes every hour relative to watch1 (that is, as watch1 moves from 12:00 to 1:00, watch2 moves from 12:00 to 1:15).” Now we have the speed of watch2 relative to speed of watch1. Speed of watch2 is (5/4) times the speed of watch1. Speed of watch2 = (5/4)*(3/4)s = (15/16)*s - “Watch3 loses 20 minutes every hour relative to watch2.” Watch3 loses 20 mins every hour means its speed is (2/3)rd the speed of watch2 Speed of watch3 = (2/3)*(15/16)*s = (5/8)*s - “Finally, watch4 gains 20 minutes every hour relative to watch3.” Speed of watch4 = (4/3)*Speed of watch3 = (4/3)*(5/8)*s = (5/6)*s So the speed of watch4 is (5/6)th the speed of a correct watch. So if a correct watch shows that 6 hours have passed, watch4 will show that 5 hours have passed. If a correct watch shows that 12 hours have passed, watch4 will show that 10 hours have passed. From 12 noon to 12 midnight, a correct watch would have covered 12 hours. Watch4 will cover 10 hours and will show the time as 10:00. Answer (A) Karishma, a Computer Engineer with a keen interest in alternative Mathematical approaches, has mentored students in the continents of Asia, Europe and North America. She teaches the GMAT for Veritas Prep and regularly participates in content development projects such as this blog! |
09 Dec 2014, 10:00
| FROM Veritas Prep Blog: 3 Ways to Make Your MBA Application Essays More Interesting |
 This essay is about how to make your essays for admission to graduate school in business more interesting. Oh wait, that opener didn’t catch your attention? Well that is exactly what admissions officers think when they read the majority of business school essays. Admissions officers read thousands and thousands of essays a year and for lack of a better term the majority are boring. Now the term boring in a vacuum may not be perceived as necessarily a bad thing, when considering these essays are in fact for professional school, but the similar feel of most essays can clump most candidates together. With so much competition at top schools around the world it is important for candidates to utilize their essays to stand out from the pack. Essays are a natural place to stand out, but how? The key here is to make your essays more interesting. Here are a few ways candidates can make their essays more compelling. Topic: Making your essays more interesting starts right from the beginning. Your choice of topic can go a long way in piquing the interest of admissions. When possible, choose topics outside of the typical professional variety. Topics that dive deep into personal, social, and academic anecdotes while highlighting b-school friendly skills like leadership and teamwork diversify your application in a very interesting way and will help you stand out from the masses. Writing Style: Clearly your main goal with any essay is answering the question but how you answer the question is just as important. The best essays read almost like a story where the reader is immersed into a colorful world that provides unique insight into the candidate and their life experiences. Leverage vivid imagery through “live” or “hot” openings to capture the audience’s attention. I know I already said making your essay more interesting starts at the beginning but it really does. How you open an essay can really set a positive vibe and direction for the reader. Personalization: What better to way to create a unique essay than by writing in a way and about things that only you can. Essays that utilize self-reflection, very personal anecdotes and internal dialogue can really stand out in a sea of monotonous essays while highlighting the maturity and insight b-schools crave in applicants. Other opportunities to personalize essays include using actual names and locations to really set an introspective context for your essays. Follow these tips and watch your essays move to the top of the pile on decision day! Want to craft a strong application? Call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today. Click here to take our Free MBA Admissions Profile Evaluation! As always, be sure to find us on Facebook and Google+, and follow us on Twitter! Dozie A. is a Veritas Prep Head Consultant for the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. His specialties include consulting, marketing, and low GPA/GMAT applicants. |
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