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Leverandon
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Cha-Ching! Add it up! 28 Oct 2008, 06:58
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Hmm...let's see...so far:

App Fees: $250. Being a Teach for America teacher, all of the schools that I am applying to (Nine schools in all!) except Kellogg and HBS will waive your application fee. Applied to Kellogg in R1 and will apply to HBS in R2 (just didn't have the time to successfully complete the app during R1).

GMAT: $250

GMAT Prep Books: $70ish. Bought the big orange book and a fairly useless as it turned out Kaplan book.

Application Advice book: $30. This one I probably could have also done without.

Sending GMAT data to schools: 5x$28 = $140

Gifts for my two recommenders: $80 (wonkish book on politics for one recommender and two tickets to indie rock band on the Lower East Side for the other).

New Suit + Nice Dress Shirt: $340 + $50 = $390 (Got the suit on a 30% off coupon from Banana Republic. Found a minor stain (that could easily be dry cleaned out) of the shirt for $10 off...yes, I'm that cheap).

Total price tag: $1210. Hmmm...not too bad so far. But, I'll probably book some trips to visit some places pretty soon. Fortunatly, I'm within subway/bus/train range of: Columbia, Stern, HBS, Yale SOM, and Wharton.
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Praetorian
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Cha-Ching! Add it up! 29 Oct 2009, 07:47
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Does the GClub class of 09 want to contribute here?
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billyjeans
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Cha-Ching! Add it up! 29 Oct 2009, 08:00
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I've spent more than $7,000.

Gmat Prep Class
Gmat
Books
School Visits
Take recommender to lunch/dinner
Suits x2, shoes, ties, etc
Interview travel cost

Luckily I did not have to take any time off. But I have spent a lot of time and money.
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DuckPond
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Cha-Ching! Add it up! 29 Oct 2009, 08:59
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This is going to be depressing...

Class - $1,500
GMAT - $250
Kellogg trip - 2 @ $400
Fuqua trip - $300
App Fees - $750
Recommender gifts/lunches - $200

Guess it could be worse...

Not that this is the right thread for this, but I think I've spent far more on personal capital. Although my girlfriend is not surprised anymore when I ask "Do you want to..." and it ends in "...read this essay?" rather than "...take a walk/grab a drink/go to dinner?"
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highhopes
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Cha-Ching! Add it up! 29 Oct 2009, 17:10
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billyjeans-holy cow.

I think I'm probably at about $2500.
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billyjeans
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Cha-Ching! Add it up! 29 Oct 2009, 17:25
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Lucky you, can drive to interview. :)

I live slightly far away, each visit is easily $500.
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rhyme
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Cha-Ching! Add it up! 30 Oct 2009, 03:57
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highhopes
billyjeans-holy cow.

I think I'm probably at about $2500.
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See page 1, one of us was pushing $30K
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miccarlo
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Cha-Ching! Add it up! 02 Nov 2009, 19:00
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Yikes...

I think I'm at $500 (books from Amazon and did my school visits during business trips - working/living in San Francisco and Chicago helps!)
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serenityprayer
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Cha-Ching! Add it up! 13 Jan 2010, 15:32
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Gmat: 3500+750
Apps: 2000+1000+300
Recommendations: 200 + 100
Visits: TBD
Suits: TBD
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ksjhawk
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Cha-Ching! Add it up! 13 Jan 2010, 19:41
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GMAT: 500
GMAT Book: ~30, treated Borders as a public library and reviewed some of their books in-store :)
Campus visits: ~300
Applications: ~300
One new shirt: 60
Total: $1190

Feeling very cheap compared to most GMATclubbers...
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TimeSquareDesi
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Cha-Ching! Add it up! 13 Jan 2010, 21:30
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Although I am still working on my apps, here are my costs so far:

Prep materials:
$500 - paper tests + tons of books (OG11, 12, OGV1, GV2, OGQ1, OGQ2, kaplan 09, kaplan 10, mgmat set, and others) got deals on most of them though. :)
$500 - Exam costs. I cancelled my 1st exam (cost me $250) and rescheduled for this April 2010 ($250)
$4 School visit - I took the train there and back :)
$125 - application fee to the only school I am applying to
-------------------------------------------------------
$1129 total thus far. I don't see the number getting any higher.
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swank6
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Cha-Ching! Add it up! 13 Jan 2010, 22:20
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GMAT #1 - $250
GMAT #2 - $250
GMAT study stuff - $112.75
Stanford GSB - $250
Chicago Booth - $200
NYU Stern - $215
Columbia - $250
UCLA Anderson - $175
Texas McCombs - $175
USC Marshall - $175
Chicago flight - $432.20
NYC flight #1 - $344.20
NYC flight #2 - $462.20
NYC 1-night hotel - $253.33
Austin fight + 3-night hotel - $671.20
Recommender #1 gift - $250
Recommender #2 gift - $230
Recommender #3 gift - $115
= $4,810.88 total

More potential trips to LA/NYC if I have any luck... though admittedly my NYC and Chicago trips serve a dual purpose of visiting friends :)

I better get in somewhere.
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Aenigma
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Cha-Ching! Add it up! 13 Jan 2010, 22:31
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swank6

Recommender #1 gift - $250
Recommender #2 gift - $230
Recommender #3 gift - $115
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Daaaaaaaamn, yo. Way to make me look stingy! :) May I ask what genre of gifts you selected? (Booze, tickets, jewelry, gift certificate, etc?) I love my recommenders (well, two of them, anyway) but I can't imagine topping $100.
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swank6
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Cha-Ching! Add it up! 13 Jan 2010, 23:01
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Aenigma
Daaaaaaaamn, yo. Way to make me look stingy! :) May I ask what genre of gifts you selected? (Booze, tickets, jewelry, gift certificate, etc?) I love my recommenders (well, two of them, anyway) but I can't imagine topping $100.
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I thought it was appropriate. I know their schedules and how little time they have, so it was a big gesture from them all... my manager did 7 recs for me, another person did 5 (while starting a new job), and one did 3 (however - she did them for me in the month leading up to her having a baby). I went gift certificates all the way. All 3 are women. 1 is a big golfer, so I got a gift cert to a highly rated golf course near her. The other two I got gift certs to a spa recommended by some co-workers.

Of course, I think it's the gesture that counts. I've been saving a while now for this process so I did try to step it up for them.
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egy
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Cha-Ching! Add it up! 14 Jan 2010, 00:27
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Agreed... I went on the high end as well. I got wine for each. I did however scale the value depending on how many recs/how busy they are/how much personal equity I had to withdraw. I figure I'm throwing so much money into this application process (before even getting to school) that I should really properly thank the people who have spent many, many hours to help me get there.

I also really enjoy getting excellent bottles of wine as gifts. :-)



swank6
Aenigma
Daaaaaaaamn, yo. Way to make me look stingy! :) May I ask what genre of gifts you selected? (Booze, tickets, jewelry, gift certificate, etc?) I love my recommenders (well, two of them, anyway) but I can't imagine topping $100.
I thought it was appropriate. I know their schedules and how little time they have, so it was a big gesture from them all... my manager did 7 recs for me, another person did 5 (while starting a new job), and one did 3 (however - she did them for me in the month leading up to her having a baby). I went gift certificates all the way. All 3 are women. 1 is a big golfer, so I got a gift cert to a highly rated golf course near her. The other two I got gift certs to a spa recommended by some co-workers.

Of course, I think it's the gesture that counts. I've been saving a while now for this process so I did try to step it up for them.
Show more
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triple5soul
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Cha-Ching! Add it up! 14 Jan 2010, 04:44
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Quote:
I also really enjoy getting excellent bottles of wine as gifts.
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For others or yourself? LOL just kidding egy :)
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csino
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Cha-Ching! Add it up! 14 Jan 2010, 08:34
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I got off somewhat easy considering my trip to Wharton cost me $2.00 (parking) and my trip to Tuck was almost free considering I stopped at Foxwoods on the way home and won back most of the cost :)

Also, the company I worked for paid for the GMAT and my prep course and I have plenty of suits from my banking days. Amazing that I still spent so much

Applications: ~$1200
2 NY trips for info sessions and interview: ~$120
Gifts for recommenders: ~150
New pair of nylons: $50
Emergency room trip deductable while visiting Tuck: $100 (yes, on the morning of my interview)

Not sure how much all of the stess-induced take-out food and vending machine runs add up to, but I'm estimating I spent ~$1700 altogether
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LetsGoMets
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Cha-Ching! Add it up! 17 Jan 2010, 21:20
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Lets join the fun....

GMAT 250
Veritas prep verbal course - 700
Trip to see Chicago/Kellogg - 400
Chicago - 200
HBS - 250
Kellogg - 250
Stanford - 265
Emory - 100
MIT - 200
Duke - 50
Flights/Hotel in Pittsburgh for CMU interview - 250
Islanders/Pens ticket - 80
Recommender gifts $400
Transcripts/gmat scores - 100

I bought some new suits too, but won't count them toward b-school costs. They'll be useful for many things.

Grand total (so far) - $3,495?
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westsew
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Cha-Ching! Add it up! 18 Jan 2010, 05:03
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7 school application fees+official scores+ups delivery $1850
gmat $ 250
gmat books $150
toefl: $185
one travel to an mba event: $250.
total $ 2685
no gifts for recommenders, suits, travel for interviews yet...
hope will come in next month!!!!
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3underscore
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Cha-Ching! Add it up! 18 Jan 2010, 11:08
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rhyme
I dont wear Armani! Loro Piana! Boss! Hermes! Ferragamo!

But, still, I love it... "weighed down by fees", LOL.
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From so long ago, but rhyme should look for a job at Hugo Boss as he is one of very few people who would mention the brand in such company!
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