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Finish GMAT First or Study GMAT and Write Essays at the Same Time?

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Finish GMAT First or Study GMAT and Write Essays at the Same Time? [#permalink] New post   Updated on: 12 Jun 2023, 06:46
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Writing Essays and Studying for the GMAT at the Same Time?


As MBA Spotlight is coming next week and I have been inviting people to join, I have heard from many users who mentioned they are very focused on the GMAT and want to finish it before they start applying or even researching business schools. I did it in a similar fashion and despite making a few mistakes, recommend that you figure out your GMAT before you start writing essays but there are a few more steps you can easily take that will make your applications stronger and will not take away from your GMAT Study time. Ideally you would not have to be in this hell. However I know many people get there when they’re not able to get the scores they’re looking for... and I know many are trying not to get attached to specific schools to avoid getting heartbroken. Here’s how I would manage it:



DONT's:

  • Avoid prep and essay writing at the same time because you need your freshest and best time of the day for both of these tasks and they become mutually exclusive.

  • Do not to attach yourself to any single MBA program. Instead, think of them in groups. This makes letting go easier and research a lot simpler. I won of the GMAT Club moderators had group schools together into bands and you can find it here

  • Don’t start writing essays for a particular school unless you are close to your target score or can reuse it (many schools have similar essays - see more thoughts below)

  • Don't end up with less than 1 month of time before the deadlines. It is super hard to finish and do well in 1 month. If you end up with 2 weeks of time, you are compromising on quality.





DO's:

  • Know the ideal application timeline and that's 1 month per 2 schools of application time So 5 schools would take you 2.5 months. Apply as early as you are ready to Apply. Everyone always tries to apply in R1 and recommends to. That's a good idea but R1 and R2 are often similar in terms of the results (though R1 still considered slightly better) but if you apply in R1 with 750 and crappy essays, then better apply in R2. The R1 advantage is not significant enough to warrant a half-baked application. Don't believe me? Good! though I hope it is not just me. My suggestion is actually to apply in multiple rounds.

  • Figure out who will be your recommenders. Even if you’re not going to tell them that you’re applying to business school, do you want to figure out who those people are ahead of time and make sure you have the best possible relationship with them and they’re happy with you.

  • Get on the mailing list with all the business schools you are considering. It can get overwhelming but you want AdComs to see you early on and attend an event or two with them. This can be a joining a chat or a webinar or a presentation by the school. Any event that they are tracking. They do track internal events and GMAT Club is sharing information of those who attend each of the schools session at MBA Spotlight so spotlight would qualify but so will any other school-sponsored event where you have to register. You want to avoid creating an impression that you applied last minute and you’re not serious about it. It’s a simple step that makes your application stronger with so little effort.

  • Avoid surprises and learn about the application process. If you do not know a whole lot about Business School application (meaning you have not put in the time to get a sense of a timeline, requirements, commitments, etc), I highly recommend you do. At least watch some videos about the application process like the 2021-22 Application 9-episode series

  • Figure out is the deadlines for schools in each of the bands or tiers. Thankfully one of the GMAT Club Moderators summarized those tiers here - that's a byproduct of the Financial Aid consideration topic you don't need to worry about quite yet ;-). Usually they’re very similar so looking up even one school with an age group will give you an idea about the timeline. You can also look up some historical MBA deadlines here. Keep in mind as it historically they’ve been inching closer and closer.

  • If you get stuck with the GMAT, take a break and use that time to work on your resume, your essays (to a reasonable school or a block of them). I recommend copy/pasting the essay topics from your target schools into a single document - it does not take long but it helps quite a bit to avoid surprises and see what similarities schools provide

  • Figure out the differences between regions/countries. Are you planning to attend a program in the US, Europe, Asia or India? All of those places have a number of options in terms of where you can attend and you can apply for the number of different GMAT scores. There is no reason to be clueless about where you want to do an MBA or not researching it while you are taking a break or instead of surfing IG

  • Connect with current students and start doing it early. I know it is tricky but you can significantly improve your application if you network with students and get their input about your professional situation, your application, and other aspects. You want to ask thoughtful questions and not waste their time. That is the most valuable commodity for them, so be very sensitive as you are messing with their lives too. I would not hide from them the fact that you are still working on the GMAT. I would be upfront and say, it is taking me longer than expected, I am going through the XXX Course/Books and focusing specifically on CR/SC/RC/Number properties. It seems I have had to pay back some debts there for mistakes of my youth. They may help you with some helpful advice. Don't pretend that you took the GMAT and have the score but don't sound worthless either. You want to be professional.




Some Final Thoughts:
  • I would also recommend researching programs that provide an option for applying without a test score. There aren’t many of these but Ross announced that they’re planning to maintain their test waiver program through 2022.

  • GRE is also an option. There have been a greater % of applicants applying to MBA Programs with GRE scores. You can see average GRE scores on GRE Prep Club

  • Keep in mind that most admissions consultants will not take you if you try to apply with less a month on your hands this is because 1) their time is limited and by that time, the best ones do not have any slots open 2) They don't want the liability of an unhappy customer who may then blame them for their lack of preparation and 3) They may feel that while you may be willing to do it and able to pay for it, it is just not a good use of your resources and their time to attempt it



Have you tried applying/writing essays while studying for the GMAT? How has been your experience?


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Originally posted by bb on 09 Jun 2021, 14:16.
Last edited by bb on 12 Jun 2023, 06:46, edited 9 times in total.
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Re: Finish GMAT First or Study GMAT and Write Essays at the Same Time? [#permalink] New post   10 Jun 2021, 03:51
Hi bb - Very value adding post, thanks for that. I have been jumping around this topic for a few days now.
Do you recommend that it's better to split your application strategy over rounds rather than one single round. For example apply to R1 for your top choices, R2 for next set of choices etc?

Also, as you mentioned, keeping 1 month per 2 applications, does that not overlap usually? Example with varied individuals timelines, however, keeping 4 to 5 applications over a period of 1.5-2 months?

Keen to know your thoughts!
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Re: Finish GMAT First or Study GMAT and Write Essays at the Same Time? [#permalink] New post   10 Jun 2021, 09:53
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Asitima wrote:
Hi bb - Very value adding post, thanks for that. I have been jumping around this topic for a few days now.
Do you recommend that it's better to split your application strategy over rounds rather than one single round. For example apply to R1 for your top choices, R2 for next set of choices etc?

Also, as you mentioned, keeping 1 month per 2 applications, does that not overlap usually? Example with varied individuals timelines, however, keeping 4 to 5 applications over a period of 1.5-2 months?

Keen to know your thoughts!



Hi. It is hell to study for the GMAT and work on the applications. I don't envy it and I recommend to avoid it if possible, though I know many people get sucked into the extended timeline.
Here are my thoughts about the multi-round application strategy: https://gmatclub.com/forum/round-1-vs-r ... 98430.html

As to applications per month, the traditional ratio is 2 per month, so in 2 months you can do 4 or maybe 5 and in 3 months you can do 6-8. There are some economies of scale as your essay topics start to be pretty similar and you are able to reuse essays. You have to be careful though as you may be very tempted to reuse an essay that does not fit :-)

Also, your recommenders will need to fill out multiple LOR's each and while thankfully MOST LOR's have the same main essay, many have additional pesky questions and ratings and scales. You will need to spend time with your recommender and setting their mind to it as well as kicking their butt to do it in a timely manner (in addition to managing your own timeline). Depending on the schools you apply to, you may also be in various stages of the application and often people work on multiple apps at the same time so you will have one where the essay is done, one with short answers done, one not done, and so on and so on. It is tricky to have multiple applications simultaneously, talking to students, networking, getting someone to read your essays and give you feedback... :dazed
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Re: Finish GMAT First or Study GMAT and Write Essays at the Same Time? [#permalink] New post   10 Jun 2021, 21:51
it is a great advice! thank you!!
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Re: Finish GMAT First or Study GMAT and Write Essays at the Same Time? [#permalink] New post   16 Jun 2023, 02:21
Hello from the GMAT Club MBAbot!

Thanks to another GMAT Club member, I have just discovered this valuable topic, yet it had no discussion for over a year. I am now bumping it up - doing my job. I think you may find it valuable (esp those replies with Kudos).

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Re: Finish GMAT First or Study GMAT and Write Essays at the Same Time? [#permalink]
16 Jun 2023, 02:21

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