MER Answers MBA -Related Questions- Week 5

We are back with the fifth week of our 12-week series of answering prospective applicants' queries about various aspects of the intense and challenging MBA application process, including their eligibility for the program, age, GMAT prep, GPA, waitlist, employment gap, academic gap, job switch, second MBA, and much more.

This candidate asked questions about GMAT retake and the time required for meeting the Round 1 deadlines.

Questions:

Dear Poonam,

I did my chemical engineering in 2011. Here are my profile details:

GPA: 3.5

GMAT: 670 (33/49)

WE: 10 years

Industry: Oil & Gas

Target Schools: FT MBA/ Yale, LBS, Oxford

I am planning to reappear for the GMAT but have two queries.

1. If I get my GMAT score by June end, Will I be late for the Round-1 applications?

2. I have too many things on my plate at present. I am a co-owner of a publishing house that helps upcoming authors to publish their work. I am COO at ______________that majorly deals in educating people on how to trade in the stock market (having almost 2k paid members till now). Also, we are planning to launch a stock trading partnership company. I have been volunteering for __________for almost 1.5 years now. The work mostly includes helping students in their education financially and spreading awareness about the importance of education. In the midst of all this, if I cannot increase my score or am able to increase it to a 690-700 level, what will be my chances then?

Hope to hear from you soon.

Regards,

Raman

Our Response:

Dear Raman,

Here are my responses to your questions (in blue font):

If I get my GMAT score by June end, Will I be late for the Round-1 applications?

Yes and no. My answer depends on how much time you can devote to your applications for three schools. Ideally, you should have 4-5 months to work on your applications and do all the work that goes along with it (researching schools, attending info sessions, brainstorming ideas, following up with recommenders, etc.) MBA application building is a highly time-consuming and demanding process, and if you invest more time in it, you will find it less daunting and more enjoyable and rewarding.

2) I have too many things on my plate at present. I am co-owner of a publishing house that helps upcoming authors to publish their work. I am COO at ______________that majorly deals in educating people on how to trade in the stock market (having almost 2k paid members till now). Also, we are planning to launch a stock trading partnership company. I have been volunteering for __________for almost 1.5 years now. The work mostly includes helping students in their education financially and spreading awareness about the importance of education. In the midst of all this, if I cannot increase my score or am able to increase it to a 690-700 level, what will be my chances then?

When applying to business school, time management is a critical skill that you need to master. People who give themselves enough time, plan ahead, create a strategy and follow it find their life easy. If you had gotten GMAT out of your way around February or March, you would have been able to allot the 4-5 months to target Round 1 deadlines application along with your startup commitments. However, given the available time and your responsibilities, Round 2 will be a realistic target. But you will need to create a detailed and meticulous plan as to how much time you will be giving to each of your commitments: publishing house, the launch of a new company, GMAT prep (make sure to do it by June end and aim at 730 + to be competitive for your target programs, and application prep (researching schools, attending school events, brainstorming ideas/ stories for essays, writing, rewriting essays, guiding/ chasing recommenders, and much more.

The key is- with proper planning and timing, you will reduce the stress of the MBA application process and make the process delightful and rewarding.

Success Stories: Examples of Planning Ahead

Here are the success stories of a few MER students who prepared a robust plan, started their application process early, and became successful.

I hope it helped.

Good luck with your applications,

Poonam

Stay tuned for another MBA query next week.

Related Resources

10 Key Essay Tips with Examples

Success stories of MER students in their own words

Case Studies

Since 2011, MER (myEssayReview) has helped hundreds of applicants get accepted into the top 20 MBA programs (Poonam is one of the top 5 most reviewed consultants on the GMAT Club.)

You may email Poonam at poonam@myessayreview.com with questions about your application for the 2022-23 admission cycle.

This blog was first published in myessayreview.