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23 Nov 2005, 15:47
Kudos
Bookmarks
Background:
- 25-year old male
- Undergrad 3.56 GPA from UC Berkeley Haas School of Business
- GMAT 760 (June 2005)
- currently working for Fortune 500 company in Finance/Marketing role
- seven years of work with the same non-profit educational organization in a leadership role
When I first started looking at business schools last April, I had a long list of schools that I wanted to apply to. But as time has gone on and I've attended some informational sessions, I have found that my list has shrunken quite significantly. I realized that certain schools just wouldn't be a good fit for me, whether it was academic, geographic, or cultural. It's natural to think that you want to go to 10 or 15 business schools when you start the process...just know that you must narrow it down to 4-6 schools when the time comes to apply.
- 25-year old male
- Undergrad 3.56 GPA from UC Berkeley Haas School of Business
- GMAT 760 (June 2005)
- currently working for Fortune 500 company in Finance/Marketing role
- seven years of work with the same non-profit educational organization in a leadership role
When I first started looking at business schools last April, I had a long list of schools that I wanted to apply to. But as time has gone on and I've attended some informational sessions, I have found that my list has shrunken quite significantly. I realized that certain schools just wouldn't be a good fit for me, whether it was academic, geographic, or cultural. It's natural to think that you want to go to 10 or 15 business schools when you start the process...just know that you must narrow it down to 4-6 schools when the time comes to apply.
23 Nov 2005, 15:52
Kudos
Bookmarks
I took an eight-week (one three-hour session per week) Kaplan course starting in April. I scheduled the GMAT for one week after my course would end (good timing, in my humble opinion).
The first four weeks of the course, I simply attended class and spent a couple hours at home doing the 'homework'. The next three weeks I added lots of practice tests. In total, I probably spent 10-15 hours per week studying during those three weeks. I studied very hard (25-30 hours) during the two weeks leading up to the exam.
In retrospect, the class wasn't necessary for me. I think that it's good for two types of people: 1) those who need a structured approach to make sure that they maintain a steady pace; 2) those who learn better in classroom environments. In the end, I found that taking practice tests (esp. the timed, computer-adaptive tests) were most helpful in my studying.
I ended up scoring 760, which was 80 points higher than my initial Kaplan diagnostic exam and 80-100 points higher than the Kaplan Computer-Adaptive Tests. The official PowerPrep tests were the best predictors of my final score - I earned 740 and 770 on those two tests.
The first four weeks of the course, I simply attended class and spent a couple hours at home doing the 'homework'. The next three weeks I added lots of practice tests. In total, I probably spent 10-15 hours per week studying during those three weeks. I studied very hard (25-30 hours) during the two weeks leading up to the exam.
In retrospect, the class wasn't necessary for me. I think that it's good for two types of people: 1) those who need a structured approach to make sure that they maintain a steady pace; 2) those who learn better in classroom environments. In the end, I found that taking practice tests (esp. the timed, computer-adaptive tests) were most helpful in my studying.
I ended up scoring 760, which was 80 points higher than my initial Kaplan diagnostic exam and 80-100 points higher than the Kaplan Computer-Adaptive Tests. The official PowerPrep tests were the best predictors of my final score - I earned 740 and 770 on those two tests.
23 Nov 2005, 16:00
Kudos
Bookmarks
Like I said in Part I, my list had shrunken significantly from the time I started thinking about business school to the time that I actually applied. If anybody requests, I can talk about the different schools I was considering and why I chose to apply/not apply.
In the end, I decided to apply to three schools for Round I - Harvard, Kellogg, and Stanford. I plan to apply to three schools for Round II - Tuck, Columbia, and UCLA.
Harvard and Stanford each ask for three recommendations, which is more than most schools. I received recs from my current boss, the head of the non-profit I volunteer for, and a former boss. I helped each of my recommenders by writing responses to each of the recommender's questions for them. I didn't include opinion; I just referenced events that would help illustrate qualities that the questions were asking for. It was a cumbersome process, but I think it helped my recommenders and improved my overall application.
The essays were, by far, the most rigorous portion of the application process. I suggest starting at least two months before the applications are due. Harvard asks the most questions, and Stanford asks the least, but all the schools are equally difficult in their own way. You can do some cutting and pasting for redundant questions, but schools have slightly different prompts that require you to sometimes change the focus of your essay. I think a good timeline to write essays would be one week to brainstorm and free-write, three weeks to write essays for each school, one week to have friends proofread, one week to revise, another week to have friends proofread, and the final week to put the finishing touches on.
Overall, the application process was very involved. I curbed my social life (but kept up with my volunteer work) as I did my applications. It didn't make for a fun two months, but I can honestly say that I learned a lot about myself through the application process. You see, business school is a way for you to learn about yourself. The application is just the first step in that journey.
In the end, I decided to apply to three schools for Round I - Harvard, Kellogg, and Stanford. I plan to apply to three schools for Round II - Tuck, Columbia, and UCLA.
Harvard and Stanford each ask for three recommendations, which is more than most schools. I received recs from my current boss, the head of the non-profit I volunteer for, and a former boss. I helped each of my recommenders by writing responses to each of the recommender's questions for them. I didn't include opinion; I just referenced events that would help illustrate qualities that the questions were asking for. It was a cumbersome process, but I think it helped my recommenders and improved my overall application.
The essays were, by far, the most rigorous portion of the application process. I suggest starting at least two months before the applications are due. Harvard asks the most questions, and Stanford asks the least, but all the schools are equally difficult in their own way. You can do some cutting and pasting for redundant questions, but schools have slightly different prompts that require you to sometimes change the focus of your essay. I think a good timeline to write essays would be one week to brainstorm and free-write, three weeks to write essays for each school, one week to have friends proofread, one week to revise, another week to have friends proofread, and the final week to put the finishing touches on.
Overall, the application process was very involved. I curbed my social life (but kept up with my volunteer work) as I did my applications. It didn't make for a fun two months, but I can honestly say that I learned a lot about myself through the application process. You see, business school is a way for you to learn about yourself. The application is just the first step in that journey.
