MBA
 

I'm considering pursuing an MBA in a couple of years (Marketing emphasis). My undergrad degree is in AD/PR, and although I graduated with a 3.6, I never took any business or difficult math courses. I'm taking a math refresher this fall in preparation for the GMAT, but does anyone have any advice on what I should do to prove I can handle the work? I have excellent leadership, service, academic and work experience/credits to offer, and clear career goals, but it's this whole numbers thing that has me thrown off. I have nightmares about getting a 300 on the GMAT!

Thanks for listening and any advice you can offer. :)

My advice: keep preparing for that GMAT, take lots of practice tests and when you run into math problems that confuse you, call upon your engineer friends to explain them until you understand. A strong (or at least decent) quant score goes quite far in answering the "can this person handle the work?" question.

You may also want to consider taking a class in something like financial accounting or statistics at a local community college. Great insight for work (I was in advertising pre-bus school) and it helps show your aptitude for MBA-type coursework. Good luck!

p.s. I also recommend a book by Richard Montauk about getting into bschool.

edit - I forgot to mention, look for work opportunities to handle budgets, etc., edit 2, corrected author's first name-thanks, Jon!

Do you mean Richard Montauk? I couldn't find any books by John Montauk.

How to Get Into the Top MBA Programs

Thanks! I have a ton of books passed down to me from friends who took the GMAT and either gave up or haven't applied to school yet. I do have that one.

I guess my biggest fear is the quant stuff. Working in advertising I manage budgets and estimates all the time, and I am a member of my company employee stock ownership ethics committee, so I do get to work with numbers.

This fall I am taking a math refresher before I jump into the Kaplan GMAT prep. I think after the GMAT I will take a couple of the quant courses you mentioned. Thanks so much! I'll PM you :)

Have you thought about what schools you want to attend for you MBA? I am also a UCF alum and still live in the Orlando area. I am applying to Stetson and Rollins for the spring term.

Chi-O friend, when did you pledge? I am Alpha Class of 97 and I was so excited when Chi-O came on in spring '98--- we invited the new members to enjoy Greek Week with our buddies at ATO and Lambda Theta Phi. That was such a fun week :)

I am looking to start a program in a couple of years. I first want to add some quantitative courses to my transcript, so I plan to enroll in a couple at UCLA extension this year. I am looking at NYU, Columbia, Duke and UCLA. I will be going to New York in Nov to check out the first two.

Have you taken the GMAT yet?

: )

Yes, I took the GMAT, and all I can say is STUDY, STUDY, and STUDY!
I graduated from UCF with a degree a Finance and always planned on getting an MBA, but I am quite nervous about it. I plan to continue working fulltime and go to school part time. AHH! Quite different from my laid back undergrad years!

I am from PC 99. Rush was such an awesome experience for me, I remember meeting such awesome ladies at AD Pi!! We have such a good greek system at UCF!!

Good luck with your MBA!! : ) Keep me posted!!

I would advise taking calc and stats, maybe econ. Many programs either require them for admission or make you take them before enrollment. Not all programs do, though.

However - a lot of people apply to B-school. By taking the classes beforehand, you look more like this is something you really want to do and are commited to, not like you've just decided to sit out a bad economy.

And if you decide not to go, they won't hurt you. I decided to go for an MPA instead of an MBA, and it turns out I needed that stuff anyway.

Good luck!

P.S. Plus if you take them now, you can take them somewhere easier!

Fuzzie,

Thanks for the advice!

I am really nervous, but very excited. I definitely feel that taking these courses (as I didn't have them during undergrad) will show my determination and add to the quality of my transcript.

Thanks again!!!

Remember too that the GMAT is not related at all to business topics...its all algebra, calculus, trig, etc.

Unless you are applying to a top tier school (Harvard, Wharton, Stanford, U. Chicago, etc.), most will look primarily at your GMAT score, undergrad GPA, and your work experience...in that order.

Just FYI, to get into the University of Tulsa (not top tier, but definitely a well-respected, well-known school in the Midwest) you needed a minimum 3.0 GPA and a minimum 500 GMAT. You also had to have three letters of reference and a personal statement.

I took the GMAT with only a weekend to study. Granted, I am good at math and remembered alot of my high school and college courses, so I did fine with just a few days.

As far as the actual test goes, its all done on computer now so be prepared for that. Also, the test varies in difficulty based on how you are doing. I kept getting questions that looked like gibberish at first so I knew that I was doing alright. If you get 4x4 as a question, you are probably not in great shape. But I would definitely recommend studying hardcore for the math if that isn't what you are good at. Regardless of your background, all MBA schools should require Calculus, 1 or 2 statistics courses, as well as the prerequisite Accounting, Finance, etc. courses.

Oh, the other thing to remember is that the writing section at the end of the test (I believe it is at the end) is not graded and does not count against your final score. So don't sweat that part!

Any other questions feel free to PM me.

Does anyone know how long your GMAT score is good for?

I want to take the GMATs now before I forget all the math I learned during college. But, I probably won't be attending B-school for a few years.

5 years, I believe, but don't quote me on that.

yeah I think it's 5 yrs

Since the MBA thing came up... I had an interesting story.

I was interviewing the outgoing Chancellor for the Oklahoma Regents for Higher Ed last year. The Chairman of the BoE was in the room also. We got to talking and it came up that I was considering pursuing an MBA. They showed me a study that was done that showed the MBA had little impact on an individual's earning potential vs. entering the workforce with only a BBA.

Normally, I wouldn't have put much credance in what was being said.. but c'mon.. the two highest officials in the state's higher ed system were telling me this:D