Intern
Joined: 02 May 2010
Affiliations: Rotarian, RYLA, heavily involved in community service
Posts: 2
Location: Portland, OR
Schools:HBS, Wharton, UW- Foster, Willamette-Atkinson, still deciding
I learned that getting admitted is not ALL about GMAT/GPA...
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30 Jul 2010, 09:35
Hey guys,
I stressed about the GMAT, BIG TIME because I am not a good "test taker." I have always suffered test anxiety to varying degrees of severity, but it's usually the worst with standardized tests! The GMAT was no different. I studied and did all the practice tests and was scoring decently, then I walked into that testing center and bombed. Literally. My score was in the 400's. (However my analytical writing assessment was a 6) I was pretty much heartbroken over it. I figured there was no way the schools I was applying to (HBS and UW-Foster) would even look at me, it was laughable. I applied anyway with the disclaimer that I planned to take the GMAT again and was working to get over my testing anxiety. I got an initial interview with HBS, and I was admitted to UW-Foster with that score, and my undergraduate GPA of 2.99. I decided to accept admission to Foster and do their "North America" EMBA program and not continue on with the HBS process for many different reasons, but aside from that everybody needs to remember that it's about strong candidates with really interesting and diverse experience who will bring a lot to the classroom. Apparently I was a very strong candidate otherwise, even though I one of the youngest and least-experienced people in the class so far, I am pretty sure I am also the only small business owner/entrepreneur. It's easy to get psyched about the test (and in my case too psyched!) remember there's more to it than GMAT!
Good luck everyone!
Genevieve