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Finish GMAT First or Study and Apply/Write Essays at the Same Time? 09 Jun 2021, 14:15
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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:



DO's:

  • 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.
  • 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
  • Figure out is the deadlines for schools in each of the bands. 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.
  • 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.



DONT'S:

  • 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
  • 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.
  • 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)
  • 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.


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.



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