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mbaMission Admissions Consultant
Joined: 25 Apr 2013
Posts: 4426
Given Kudos: 1
GMAT Impact: Reorient Your View on Math Problems
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19 Feb 2017, 10:01
19 Feb 2017, 10:01
Expert Reply
| FROM mbaMission Blog: GMAT Impact: Reorient Your View on Math Problems |
With regard to the GMAT, raw intellectual horsepower helps, but it is not everything. In this blog series, Manhattan Prep’s Stacey Koprince teaches you how to perform at your best on test day by using some common sense. The quant section of the GMAT is not a math test. Really! It just looks like one on the surface. In reality, the test writers are testing us on how we think. As such, they write many math problems in a way that hides what is really being tested or even implies a solution method that is not the best solution method. Assume nothing, and do not accept that what they give you is your best starting point! Instead, slow down a little. First, just glance at the whole problem (before you really start reading) to see what kind of problem you have. Next, read the problem and jot down any numbers, formulas, etc. Do not do any translation or simplification at this stage—in short, do not do any actual work yet. Just get the basics on paper, and wrap your brain around what the question is saying. You will be less likely to fall into their traps if you think before you act. Then, reflect and organize: what have you got, and what should you consider doing with it? Do any pieces of information go together? Do you see any clues that give you an idea of how to solve the problem? Is the problem really obviously suggesting a certain path? Maybe that will work—but make a conscious decision that this really is your best path. Most of the time, when an “obvious” path is suggested, some other path is actually faster or easier. Also, remember that your best approach might be to guess and move on, depending on how hard the question is! Finally, if you are not going to guess, then get to it and work! You made some kind of plan during the previous step, so start working that plan! If you get stuck at this stage, you are allowed to give yourself one chance to unstick yourself. Go back to an earlier step in your work to see whether you can find another way forward. If you find yourself still stuck, pick something and move on. Want to see some examples of all this? Glad you asked. I have got a full two-part article for you with three different practice problems. Get to it, and let me know what you think! |
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mbaMission Admissions Consultant
Joined: 25 Apr 2013
Posts: 4426
Given Kudos: 1
Monday Morning Essay Tip: Vary Your Sentence Length
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20 Feb 2017, 09:01
20 Feb 2017, 09:01
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| FROM mbaMission Blog: Monday Morning Essay Tip: Vary Your Sentence Length |
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Many business school applicants use medium-length sentences (like this one) in their essays. Few use short sentences (like this one). Likewise, few use long sentences in their essays, even though long sentences (like this one) can often play a useful role in an essay’s structure and story. Confused? Consider the following example: “At XYZ Inc., I was the manager in charge of leading a team of 12 staff members. Included in my team were four engineers, four marketing professionals, and four market analysts. Our goal was to develop a new thingamajig within six months. We worked really hard over the six months and succeeded. The new thingamajig is now on the market and is selling well. As a result of my efforts, I was promoted to vice president.” All these sentences have approximately the same number of words and the same rhythm/cadence, making the paragraph fairly boring to read. Nothing changes—the structure just repeats itself over and over again, with one medium-length sentence following another medium-length sentence. Now consider this example:* “At XYZ Inc., I was the manager in charge of leading a thingamajig development team of 12 staff members, four of whom were engineers, four were marketing professionals, and four were market analysts. We had just six months to launch our new product. The team worked really hard and succeeded, and the new thingamajig is now on the market, where it is selling well. As a result of my efforts, I was promoted to vice president.” The sentences in this paragraph are varied—the first is quite long, the second is very short, the third is medium-long, and the fourth is medium-short. Sentence variety makes for a much more interesting read, and one very short sentence in the middle of some longer ones can provide precisely the kind of contrast and drama that MBA application essays so often need. *Please note that this is a simplified example for illustration purposes. If this were an actual essay, we would encourage the applicant to offer greater insight into his/her experience launching the product. |
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mbaMission Admissions Consultant
Joined: 25 Apr 2013
Posts: 4426
Given Kudos: 1
Mission Admission: Should I Seek a New Position Before Applying?
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21 Feb 2017, 09:01
21 Feb 2017, 09:01
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| FROM mbaMission Blog: Mission Admission: Should I Seek a New Position Before Applying? |
Mission Admission is a series of MBA admission tips; a new one is posted each Tuesday. Although the 2016–2017 MBA admissions season is nearing its end, the 2017–2018 season looms on the horizon. Many business school aspirants are already considering how they might enhance their candidacy. Candidates can take a variety of steps to accomplish this, from boosting their community and personal profiles, to pursuing additional classes, to reinvigorating relationships with potential recommenders. Some even consider seeking a new position in a different firm or industry—but is this a good idea? If you are contemplating such a move, you should first consider your tenure at your current firm. If you have been with the company for less than one year, changing positions is generally unwise. MBA admissions committees tend to appreciate consistency and frown on what they perceive as opportunism. So, if you have had several positions in the past that you held for approximately one year or less, staying put now and proving your commitment is a likely a good idea. If, however, you are a long-serving employee and want to embark on a new path, a move may bolster your profile. The next question is whether you are considering a horizontal or a vertical move. If you would be gaining an increase in salary and responsibility, you would almost certainly be making a wise choice and would also be insulated from concerns about tenure. Admissions committees want to know that you are a rising star. If, in the next nine months, you can obtain a new role that involves greater responsibility, you should grab that opportunity. As we often tell candidates, “What is good for your career is almost always good for your MBA candidacy.” However, before you move on, you should also consider whether you might be burning bridges at your existing firm. Maintaining your references is important, because you will need them soon for your application(s). Further, ask yourself whether you have enough time to achieve something impressive at the new firm. If you believe nine months is sufficient time in which to bolster your professional or personal narrative, then a new position may be worth pursuing. However, if you are joining an organization that has a one-year sales cycle, for example, you may not have much to offer by application time, so you may want to think twice about moving. Finally, we advise that you not pander to admissions committees. If you think that a consulting or banking position will impress the admissions committee but such a position is not legitimately part of your intended career path, shifting into one of these areas would be pointless. Your potential move should be consistent with your personal goals, not with what you think an admissions committee wants. The committees want authenticity and differentiated candidates—not a cookie-cutter “type” of candidate from a specific field. |
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