FIRST STEPS

Had my first class of Princeton Review. The first thing that is stressed is that I will get out of this class what I put into it. If I just show up to class, that won't be enough. It will require doing the homework, and studying.

Before our first official class we were asked to take our first practice GMAT.
My results were very poor. After being depressed about it for about an hour, I then realized I have a lot of studying ahead if I truly want to get into a good MBA program.

The instructor we had was filling in for the day since it was the day before Thanksgiving. It is too bad because he seemed geeky with a good sense of humor. The instruction went be a bit to fast for my liking. Although, the teacher asked if there were any questions at the end it felt like there really was not enough time to dig into the problems. The instructor someone felt like he was reading a script. It was extremely helpful to go through the problems as a group, but I could have used some more help on the last three questions at the end of class (these were also the most difficult). We were told we could email the instructor after class (I don't remember his email though). Anyways, more homework to do for next week. Oh, yeah cue cards.


Reminds me...need to by index cards.

Timeline for GMAT Preparation

Ok, here is a timeline for preparation that will need to be refined as I go along to make sure I have included everything. As I look at the schedule, in retrospect I wish I had begun this a year earlier (better now than never).

November - May (1996-1997)
Research Schools
Take GMAT prep course and study
Take critical thinking type class (stats/calc)

June-July
Take the GMAT
Request official undergraduate transcripts
Consider admission counseling service
Decide and secure recommenders
Start essays

July-August
Start Applications online
Figure out cost of applications
Meet with recommenders about goals (1:1)
Update resume

September
Fine-tune essays
Touch base with recommenders (get them to finish)

October-November
Submit first applications
Send thank-you notes to recommenders

Novemember-December
Submit more applications
Say my "hail marys that I got into the school of my choice"

January - March (1998)
Start planning for the "real" work ahead

Princeton Review vs. Kaplan

The first step on the way to getting into a B-school is taking the GMAT. I have about three books from friends that have already taken the GMAT who where glad to part with their review books. In researching the various options available for preparation, most focused on three options; online, books, 1:1 tutoring and class study.

Kaplan's program seemed to focus on testing techniques, while Princeton review had small class sizes and appeared to focus on material, and techniques. Other programs I researched were Veritas, and the GURU GMAT which both seemed like good programs, but not knowing enough about either I chose the Princeton since it small class sizes was appealing to me.

Tonight was the introduction class to the Princeton Review. The class seems very "baked", and formulated. I am hoping that once instruction starts that it will be more applicable to my individual needs (which honestly are everything on the GMAT). Once reminder given was the class was a tool, and not a magic bullet. The hard work will still need to be our participation and diligence in doing our homework and studying. Next, I need to pull together a schedule that will allow me of a minimum of 15 hours to study a week. My first practice test is required to be done by next class.

Forbes Best Part Time Schools

1. New York Univ. (Stern)
2. UCLA (Anderson)
3. Norwestern (Kellogg)
4. Chicago Univ.
5. Univ. of Michagan (Ross)
6. Univ. of Minnesota (Carlson)
7. Univ. of Maryland (Smith)
8. Carnegie Mellon Univ. (Tepper)
9. Fordham Univ.
10. Southern Methodist Univ. (Cox)
11. Washington Univ.-St. Louis (Olin)
12. Wake Forest Univ. (Babcock)
13. USC (Marshall)
14. Rollins College (Crummer)
15. Boston College (Carroll)
16. UC Davis
17. Georgia State (Robinson)
18. Michigan State (Broad)
19. Pepperdine (Graziadio)
20. Univ. of Denver (Daniels)
21. Univ. of Iowa (Tippie)
22. SUNY Buffalo

Change yourself, and change the world

As a prospective MBA student, I had the great opportunity to go to the first HAAS MBA LGBT Workshop. Thanks to Lehman Brother's generosity to sponsor the event.

I would love to go to Haas for my MBA. Haas has a vibrant community of people with a social and civic component. Not to mention that Berkeley has some of the brightest minds with diverse educational and social economic backgrounds.

What makes Haas different then other MBA programs?
1) Deep distinguished ecosystem of people
2) The culture of independent, entrepreneur, social, civic and courageous thinkers
3) Berkeley opportunities such as Freeman's Berkeley Business Incubator.