Prerequisites & MBA Survival kit

Hi Priyah,

I'm not sure if you are still an active member of GMAT club, but I was curious as to which preparation method you ended up choosing and if you believe it was sufficient.

I have been considering the UC Berkeley courses but it seems that with the 12 assignments and the fact that the professor will only grade 1 a week, unless you plea the professor to grade quicker and that is totally up to the prof.

Whereas, I'm not sure if MBA math is sufficient for someone from a non-quant focused major in college. Thanks and I hope you have enjoyed your MBA experience. Have a good one.

-Curious

Time management is probably the most critical thing -- there will be a lot of demands that you will have to balance between school, job search, personal time, etc.

Best of Luck!
Aveek Guha,

Moderator edit: don't use the forums to advertise your products.

So, what about optional courses?

My school is offering this thing called the "Flying Start" week which is 5 days of condensed courses introducing cases, finance. and accounting. I didn't realize it was optional and that it costs $700 extra.

Are these types of things worth it?

If you're going to be taking those courses as part of the MBA core curriculum, it's probably not worth it. Generally speaking the MBA core is designed to be do-able for people without business backgrounds, so taking an accounting course to prepare for your MBA accounting course, etc, is probably a little overkill.

I have a couple of slightly off-topic questions. In undergrad, I took some business courses (business law, marketing, MIS, accounting, management), and I've taken macro-economics at a community college before going to undergrad. However, at college, I took a micro class and I didn't do too hot in it. In order to make myself more appealing to admissions, should I retake micro via extension?

CFA Level 1 will give you a very solid grounding in the basics for:

- Ethics
- Quant Methods (Stats and the like)
- Corporate Finance
- Economics
- Equity & Fixed Income Investments
- Alternate Investments

Has any one tried the GMAT Business Ready Collection from mba dot com ? Is it good/recommended before joining b-school?

Hi,

Did anyone read "The Portable MBA in Finance and Accounting "

I am trying to read first chapter and am finding it very confusing. I must have read it atleast 4-5 times. Is the book itself bit confusing or should I try some other light read first?

It is confusing.. that book is for people who have already crossed the 7 seas of finance/Acctn in their undergrad and in the job's' thereafter.

Try reading the "gmat business ready" from mba dot com. I asked about it in this forum, but no one cared to reply.. so I anyways went ahead and purchased it. its 80 dollars, but worth every penny. I have a non business background (I.T.) and I am finding it very useful. Its builds up concepts gradually and is "very" precise. perfectly suitable for reading in the short period that you have before joining your favorite business school. It also has sample problems (but easy ones) that will boost you confidence after each chapter. and I think that is much better than reading a difficult pro book and loosing confidence before joining your business school..the other cool thing is that its online and can be taken comfortably from anywhere..

you can also try reading the book - https://www.amazon.com/Accounting-Game-B ... 585&sr=8-1
This 2nd book will take you to complex levels of accounting in a story format.. and will familiarize you with all the accounting terms and concepts

- accepted
@ GeorgiaTech College of Management
Class of 2013

Thanks a lot accepted.

For poets who are coming to MBA and concerned/scared by quantitative courses I have compiled a pre-MBA reading list for poets -/https://parttimembadegree.com/2011/07/27/pre-mba-reading-list-poets . I have personally experienced every one of the recommended book to various degrees and recommend them wholeheartedly. For accounting specifically I ditto mackd's recommendation on The Accounting Game. Basic Accounting Fresh from the Lemonade Stand. By Mullis and Orloff. It may seem too simplistic, but it will give you heads up on accounting basics, so in school you will not have to waste time on this and spend more effort on more advanced stuff. Just what the doctor prescribed for poets.