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Aug. 2012 MBA prep plan: study for GMAT or work on statement of purpose?

The answer depends somewhat on your applications deadlines. A few likely scenarios are provided below.

Scenario 1: I don’t have my GMAT and I do have Oct. 2012 deadlines

If you’re applying for fall 2013 intake at top b-schools with traditional first-round deadlines (early Oct.), then you need a GMAT score now (ASAP).  That’s because schools like Desautels, INSEAD, Ivey, Queen, Stanford,Wharton wish to receive your application approx. 12 months ahead of time.  

So register at mba.com (official site) today for a GMAT test date in mid-late Sept. Because testing slots at University of Indonesia are going to fill up fast (leaving only Surabaya and Singapore which may be less convenient).

Of course, as per the awesome infographic from Accepted.com below, your statements/essays and letters of recommendation should be progressing in tandem with your GMAT prep.  If your applications have stalled, then you can ask Strata-G Test Prep & CV for help.  Just send us an email.  It’s very likely we can propose a strategy for freeing up your time and getting your applications process back on track.

Scenario 2: I already have my GMAT score

If you already have your GMAT score, then you should invest all your available time and energy into your CV, essays, letters, etc.

Scenario 3: I don’t have my GMAT score but my deadlines are mostly Nov. 2012 (and later)

Let’s say you’re focused on schools where the first-round deadline is more relaxed (usually November); or simply different.

The November group would include Erasmus in Holland; UST and CUHK in Hong Kong; and Boston College, Dartmouth, George Washington, Georgetown, UC Davis (and many more) in USA. Meanwhile, top programs like IESE (Spain), Kaist (South Korea), National University of Singapore (NUS), and INSEAD in Singapore all require a careful look since they do things a little differently.

In sum, if you don’t have  to take the test in September then stick to your GMAT study calendar for another couple months and see if you can improve your score by mid-October (retake late October if applicable).

Strategy recap:

  • Your GMAT score is like a key — even more important that your CV, etc — because you can slip it into your pocket and take it with you into next year’s application season  (2014 intake) if you don’t get the result you want this year. So study as much as you can!
  • Most people agree that applying earlier is better, so you should always shoot for Round 1. However, if you’re going to miss it, then miss it carefully: you should never send an application that isn’t complete, credible, persuasive, and as as strong as possible overall.
  • To keep all your application deadlines from bunching up together, you can choose a couple schools with non-traditional deadlines (Nov. 2012 or later).  Also, the following advice from Harvard MBA may apply to most other schools in the U.S. and Canada: “International candidates needing visas will find that applying in Round 3 makes the timing of their visa application stressful.”
  • Waiting until the last minute to send an application isn’t so good; but it isn’t so bad either, as long as you’ve done a careful job of determining when the last moment is;AND you’ve got DHL or Fed-Ex standing by to pick up your little package and fly it away to “Dear Admish Committee.”
  • Taking the GMAT before you’re ready is a good way to get ready;  but this doesn’t apply to sending b-school applications. Thus, never submit anything that isn’t ready, because there’s no reliable “redo” option.
  • Applying to several competitive foreign MBA programs is comparable to a full-time job (in terms of time and #setres  = ) . Thus, if you’re working full time, you will need to be extremely creative as regards time management. If you feel you’re running out of time, consider sending us an email. We can sometimes confirm a basic deadline question for no charge.

Hopefully you’ll turn out to be wrong, meaning there’s still time left before the deadline. Otherwise  (if you really are out of time), we can help you speed up the applications process.

Admissions calendar

As regards, the  gorgeous rainbow-pastel instant classic from Linda Abrams above, if you don’t have time to devise a plan like this one, then consider having someone else do it for you. Because nothing will be more helpful to you in accomplishing your admissions goal than a planning calendar. (The Accepted.com blog is also awesome.)

then you already have your GMAT score or else you need one ASAP.

Applying to graduate school from Indonesia — what’s my next step?

GRE and Masters Degree IndonesiaCongratulations on putting all your masters degree admissions tasks on one piece of paper. You can see the calendaring work has been checked off the 9-step list below. That means you only have 8 more steps to go.

Good luck and don’t hesitate to add your own tips in the comments section.

 

 

 

 

 

Order Action Why
1 Your calendaring exercise comes first. Gather together information about test dates and applications deadlines and requirements. Decide which programs you’ll apply to and when you need to E-mail and/or post the application documents. Timing is one of the most challenging aspects of graduate applications. Calendaring is the first step in coming up to speed.
2 Control the test (eg GMAT, GRE, etc) situation. Which tests will you take and when? Plan to spend all your time preparing for your test, except the time you need for applications. You will be more confident and focused after you have a test strategy.
3 Control the letters of recommendation (LOR) situation. Make a list of who (eg, professors, supervisor) you want as a recommender and come up with a strategy that will turn them into your strong supporters. Include at least two back ups. The letters are a “question mark.” You need extra time in case things don’t go smoothly.
4 Write a first draft personal statement (PS) as soon as possible. Be creative. Start with a story. You statement is like an advertisement: it provides information in order to sell a product; and you are the product. You need to differentiate yourself from “competing brands.”  A boring PS won’t sell. The 1st draft requires full concentration. Your strategy: get it out of the way. Turn to other activities. Start the 2nd draft with a fresh mind.
5 Stop writing your personal statement and turn to your CV. Your graduate applications CV is a complete but concise record of all the important, impressive things you have done. These considerations apply to each potential CV entry: 

  • Omit it if many or most other applicants also have the same activity, award, etc; UNLESS it was carried out in an unusual way, unusual place, unusual language etc
  • Use creative labels to combine activities of shorter duration into more substantial CV entries
  • Don’t confuse local and global. If the admission committee is in the USA, then SD in means South Dakota not sekolah dasar. A few acronyms – like ASEAN, UN, MBA, HTML – are OK. Everything else should be translated.
 Your CV and PS work in tandem. Without a strategically designed CV, your PS is just poetry.
6 Despite the name PS2, the second draft of your PS isn’t fun. But it’s better than PS1. Use the PS to emphasize your CV entries which are substantial and relevant but also interesting to discuss. Stuff that’s important but boring can remain in the CV alone but with added emphasis. Your CV and PS might look similar at first. But eventually they need to work independently of each other.
7 Give your CV and essays to some people who have some idea how it will be used and ask them for feedback. This is a critically important opportunity to hone both your writing and your “self sales” technique. Effective assistance from others can and should feed back into your application strategies themselves.
8 Forget about the PS now and study for the test. You can consciously shift gears – from synthesis into analysis. (Test prep will seem fun compared to Steps 4-7 : -)
9 Even if English is (more or less) your first language, you should have your CV and personal statement edited by a professional. First of all, great writing requires good editing. Second, the admissions committees frankly admit that this is standard practice. This is another way of saying that they expect it. So this is a strategy for staying competitive.

MBA 2011 — masih ada waktu (tapi sedikit ; )

Fall 2011 admissions update:

Welcome back from holiday. Please notice that it’s not yet too late for fall 2011. If you don’t have time to read the entire post, at least download the deadline/ application information link (.pdf) so you have all the information for top MBA programs next fall. It’s a great resource. It will help you make your decisions faster this week.

For that matter, today is a good time to put all your test prep and applications tasks onto one calendar. Then print it. The whole process may take you 5 hours or more. But it’s worth it. I promise you can finish the calendaring process in one day.

Here’s what I would recommend:

Informasi GMAT MBA

  • Your TOEFL/ IELTS should be complete by now
  • So, go online now and create candidate profiles/accounts at all your target MBA programs
  • Now, draw up a short list of referees (to write your letters of recommendation) and send them an E-mail tomorrow
  • You should register for GMAT by Friday (this week)
  • Purchase your study materials this week
  • Once you’re familiar with what you have to study, put your test day and all study tasks and goals to complete before test day on the calendar
  • Schedule 2 days “holiday” from your study routine to make an 1) outline 2) rough draft of your personal statement
  • Add DHL / Fed-Ex dates to calendar (leave 5 days for hard copies to reach the admissions office from Indonesia)
  • Working backwards from your the DHL/ Fed-Ex dates, add your other applications tasks to the calendar so that everything can be finished in time (notice this may require you to revise your “budgeted” test prep hours)

Finally, E-mail calendar to strata.g.indonesia@gmail.com. Time permitting, we  can provide my general observations about the practicality, ambitiousness and risk factors entailed by your goals and calendaring.  (You’ll need to complete our intake survey so we know your academic profile and current employment demands.)

Kenapa dua test (contoh TOEFL + GMAT) ?

Connecting San Francisco with the East Bay

 

 

Semua tergantung strata dan program kita memilih. Jika kita berencana ke luar negeri untuk S2, mungkin kita akan menghadapi situasiny seperti ini berkaitan dng TOEFL/ IELTS:  itu harus tapi tidak cukup.

Berarti, kita harus ambil TOEFL atau IELTS agar sekolah target percaya ketrampilan kita dalam minimal satu bahasa internasional.  Tetapi sekolah luar negeri  yg kompetetif — yaitu tiap tahun aplikasi yg diterima jauh lebih banyak daripada lowonganya — akan minta lebih dari itu. Daftar persyaratan2 di top school mudah-mudahan agak panjang:

  • TOEFL / IELTS
  • GMAT/ GRE / LSAT
  • CV / Resume
  • Statement of Purpose /Motivational Letter
  • Letters of recommendation
  • Online application forms
  • Immigration forms

Barang kali Anda pernah dengar orang bicara seperti ini yrmhtemanya: “Wah, teman FB aku habis diterimah di program MBA di Stanford . Pasti IQ-nya tinggi.” Faktanya, kecerdasan manusia rumit diukur. (“IQ” hanya nama ujian tertulis jaman duluh kan?). Yang jelas, sih teman miliki skor GMAT cukup tinggi (di atas 700 juga).

GMAT sama GRE — Apa bedanya?

Saya mendengar GRE dan GMAT akan mengalami perubahan besar?

That’s correct — because they are competing for the same b-school market. The expected result is that the similarities between the tests will increase.

Expected GRE changes (by around Aug 2011):

Verbal:

  • No more analogies and antonyms
  • More emphasis on reading and reasoning

Quant:

  • More data interpretation and problem solving/case study
  • Onscreen calculator

All Sections:

  • Questions with multiple correct answers
  • More analysis, less synthesis

Expected GMAT changes:

  • Time frame : Expected by June 2012
  • New section:  “Integrated reasoning” uses charts, graphs, and spreadsheets to test problem solving skills
  • Other: Headphones to test “auditory learning style”
  • AWA: Only one question (issue or argument)

Pada dasarnya, apa bedanya  GRE & GMAT ?

•    Harga (GRE cuma USD 165)
•    Kalau GMAT, soal quantitative (matematika) lebih rumit
•    Kalau GRE soal kosakata lebih rumit

Tetapi persaingan GRE / GMAT hebat saat ini; menjadi susah dijawab.

Saya lebih baik ikut tes yang mana dan kapan saja?

If you’re good at math, take the GMAT before it changes. If you’re better at English, then take the GRE before it changes.

Aspek apa dari tes2 ini yang tetap sama?

Heavy emphasis on logical reasoning (how to put together and take apart an argument)