TotalGadha GMAT

Sometimes I end up underestimating the amount of information that a Business school candidate requires for his preparation. Of late, I have been receiving queries such as

“How long does it take to prepare for GMAT?”
Or
“What is the best time to take GMAT?”
Or
“How much time would it take to write my Business school essays?”
Or
“When should I plan my school visits?”

and many such questions, which I thought were obvious and every candidate must be aware of. I was proved wrong when I started receiving such questions repeatedly in my mailbox. I realised that students need even the tiniest of details starting from what GMAT is to the final call letter that tells them “Yes! You have been accepted!.”

So here is a post that will help you chart your year long journey and also the one that you can cherish all your life. Let’s start.

While writing this post, I would be assuming that you have roughly sorted out the questions such as

• Why do I want to do an MBA?
• Why now?
• Do I really need one?
• How would MBA fit in my career goals and hence help me achieve my long term goals?
• What differentiates me from the other candidates?

To put it brutally, most of the times students just know that they want to do an mba because “It would give a boost to their career” and “An MBA might make their pockets fat. “ Read on.

GMAT:

REGISTERing for the GMAT 2-3 months in advance is a good first step. This will not only help you in getting your desired time slot, date etc. but also save you from the studies-procrastination. GMAT Preparation requires your unparalleled time and attention, so getting over with the test within stipulated time makes more sense. Taking the test maximum by end of June or first week of July would give you ample time to concentrate on other aspects of your application and, in case you need to retake the test, give you time to retake the test also. A GMAT score cannot be a maker or a breaker in your admission procedure but a high score would always make your candidature strong. Don’t ever underestimate the importance of high score in GMAT; candidates who especially have a weak link in their application (low GPA, lousy extra curriculars, gap in work experience etc. ) should strive hard to score 700+ in the test. A lot of students are in dilemma about joining coaching classes- can one prepare without joining coaching classes?

The answer is yes, you can prepare without joining any classes. One of the reasons a lot of people join coaching classes is discipline. Since most of the applicants have been out of college for many years, they find it difficult to get back to studies. That is where coaching classes come in play, apart from the direct interaction with teachers and students. But if you are someone who has no such problem of discipline, then all you need is a computer and an internet. You will have a huge access to GMAT Prep material, fellow student blogs, alumni blogs, admission consultants, school websites, online forums etc.; you just have to be smart with what information to pick and what to leave . I have always advised students to start their Business School research along with the preparation. This will not only help you take ahead in your application process but, as you research and know about your dream B School, will make you work harder for your dream to get there.

B School Research and retake GMAT:

If you have achieved your desired score, great! But if you have not, it always makes sense to retake the GMAT. Almost all Business schools consider the highest score among all your scores and if you do considerably well in your GMAT retake, your “strive for excellence” attitude can always be highlighted. If you want to retake the test, then get it done by first week of August. Delaying would only take you out of your study groove so get it done with another serious month of preparation. If you still do not score high, it is time to concentrate your energies on another part of the application. The Business School applications start flowing in from mid of July and the first deadline falls somewhere in mid of October. Do not ever get mistaken that you would be able to complete you applications within one or two months. I would accept the one- two month time duration for someone who has spent at least 3-4 months doing self analysis, devouring websites of the Business Schools, getting in touch with alumni, current students, admissions committee etc, visiting schools, hunting for scholarships (even applying in some cases), attending the world tours, reading about the success stories of deans and alumni ,and spending time in the school forums trying to extract information from the horse’s mouth. Phew! Winning the Business School game is not that easy. Your research should start from the day you decide that you want to apply to a school. In fact, we have always advised students to start drafting their answers to the basic questions such as professional growth, career goals, strength and weakness, why XYZ school, Why MBA , what matter to you beyond academics and work etc. even before the applications are made accessible. As your school research gets deeper and denser, you would develop more clarity about what exactly you are looking for in your personal and professional growth.

Essays

Come July and the long tiresome application season starts. We are talking about applying to 4 schools on average, writing 4-6 essays per school apart from filling up the data sheets, crunching your resume to agitating one page, selecting the recommenders, preparing alternate transcripts, taking TOEFL, turning up one’s nose at lousy transcripts to pressing that creepy submit button. Writing essays needs a good amount of introspection, so crack your knuckles and start listing down every tiny detail that has been a part of your life. Starting from your strengths, weaknesses, ethical dilemmas, anecdotes, where you want to see yourself 10 years down the line, career choices that you have made, your passions, your likes-dislikes, awards –recognitions, things you are particularly proud of, your USP (I mean it!) etc. Do you think you would be able to do all this introspection within just two-three months staring from mid July to first deadline in mid October? And do you think that you can hire someone to write essays for you so you don’t need to start early? Wake Up! Essay writing is something more than writing well framed sentences. Try writing an essay on “What are your weaknesses and what have you done to overcome them? “ Your first draft would be a dry write-up or just a long list of weaknesses, but would such a draft tell anything about you or would anyone be interested in reading it? People in admissions committee are humans who can feel, touch, smell, hear, and see, your essays would be the first point of contact with them. They are the people who are interested in knowing your story; do you think that writing a robotic write-up with flowery language sans feelings, and emotions would do any good? No! You would have to really mull over the questions, add examples or anecdotes to from your real life experiences, add the YOU in it, get feed back from people who know you closely and keep them aside for a few days. Revisit your essays after a few days, take a look at them from a fresh perspective, I am sure you would be able to add something new to them. Developing essays is a slow process but who said getting an admission in a Business School is easy? Your essays should be a story that promises fun, trust, logic, and appeal. Considering that you have done a thorough 3-4 month research prior to writing your essays, your August to October would be breathe-dream-eat essays months.

Recommendations & Other Stuff:

July-to October would also be crucial for your recommendations. Recommendations are a little scary part of the application because that is one aspect of your application that is in someone else’s hands. Choosing the right recommenders, making them familiar with the process, explaining the importance of recommendations in your application etc. is quite a lot of task. The recommendation questions are shorter and easier as compared to the essays, but do not make the mistake of postponing them until the last minute.

During these months Business schools conduct off campus admission events, information sessions etc., you must keep a track of such events and attend them. They are a great way to obtain information about the school. You can sign up for open interviews at your applied Business school. Fill up the online applications, visit campus (if possible), keep a close eye on the requirements, shell out $250 per application, get your transcripts in place, get your essays reviewed, and work really hard to make your application shine among the thousands of applications.

Round 1 or Round 2?

• Round One - Mid October - Mid November
• Round Two - January
• Round Three - March

Depends, submit when you are ready. Submitting a very strong application in Round 2 is better than submitting a hasty application in Round 1. A lot of people would argue about the advantage of submitting the application in round 1 but that would hold true only if every part of your application is ready and you want to add no more to it. Apply when you yourself are happy with how you have brought your application up.

Interviews:

As soon as the Round 1 deadline gets over in the month of October, applicants start receiving their interview calls in the month of November-December. You are barely left with any time to relax after submitting your application in R1. So pull up your socks to prepare yourself for the real interaction that would play a big factor in making or breaking your chances at a Business School. Where some schools would start conducting the interviews, a few of them would start releasing their decisions through late December. Re-read you application, prepare your answers, and keep yourself relaxed. Round 2 approaches in first week of January- submit your application now or never. January would bring a bag full of surprises- decisions, waitlists, and the dings!

If you are admitted- Great! Congratulations! Bingo!
If you are waitlisted- Follow the proper waitlist advice.
If you are dinged (Sorry!)- Time to fill up the loops and work harder for the rest of the applications for R 2.

The application journey somewhat ends here. We hope that your efforts pay off well and you get through your applied Business Schools. Time to fill the financial aid forms, make school deposits, go on a vacation, , and spend time with your loved ones.

If you have a different application timeline than this, do share it with all the gadhas out here.

Phew! Three days of endless thinking, writing and editing has gone in bringing this post up. I think I need a break now. Tea anyone?

Quick Updates:

• Wharton has announced new loan programme for international students without US Cosigner. The loan terms are attractive in the current market environment: an interest rate of Prime plus 3% (with the opportunity to reduce the interest rate by 25bp if borrowers arrange for automatic repayments) and no origination fee. More details here.
• All the subscribers of TotalGadha GMAT will get a copy of Dagny Taggart’s Ultimate Guide to GMAT for free. You would receive a link in your emails/feeds and you can download your copy from there.
• New links added in Hundreds of GMAT Prep Resources

Further Readings:

• My Resume Got Dinged!! Help!
• 12 Resume Dos and Don’ts You Must Know
• 9 Ways To Boost Your GMAT Preparation
• Top 8 Ways To Give Your GMAT Preparation Extra Edge

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