MBA on the Horizon

On Thursday (yes, the deadline) I submitted my application for Cornell. It's kind of a strange feeling...I've been planning this for something like 5 years, and the first one is officially in! It makes it feel real, and like all of the work and research and planning and stress is finally paying off. Also, I felt good about the application and my essays, which was a nice bonus. After the honest feedback from my best friend and then my dad on my essays, I think they conveyed me in the best way possible and whether or not I actually get in and/or get accepted to the Park program, I do feel like I did my best.

I put off the GMAT studying for about a week while I put my application together and submitted it. (In case anyone is wondering, I noted my plan to retake the test in my optional essay for Cornell and will update them once I have the new - and hopefully higher - score). I finished the PR 1,012 book yesterday and started on the Manhattan GMAT today. A big thank you to all of you who commented and recommended those books to me - I think these really will be a help. They break down the question types and concepts better than anything else I have used. I'm actually enjoying going through them because they answer all of my questions and help me learn - it removes the frustration factor of perpetually trying to figure things out for myself.

The application submission also helped with the GMAT studying, I think. It helped to drive home the fact that there is an end in sight; that I'm not perpetually studying and writing essays and researching and working my tail off for nothing. It will end in only two short months, at which time I will probably not know what to do with myself! Only working? Nothing else, just a crazy job? What a dream!

Posted in: application, essays, GMAT, johnson on Sunday, November 15, 2009 at at 2:39 PM 1 comments Links to this post    

Somewhere around Thursday night, it dawned on me that my first MBA application was due in a week. ONE week. Yes, I was aware of the date and the fact that it was approaching, but it hit me that night that it was time to drop GMAT studying for a week and get serious about my essays and application.

It's amazing how much I got done in a weekend when I knew that I was on a tight deadline. I had to get my drafts done and up to par so I could go over them with my most important editor - my best friend.

When I was initially preparing apps and writing essays (back when I was planning to apply in R1), I had a variety of people reading my essays. This time around, I was on a tight schedule so I had to pick and choose. My best friend knows nothing about business...she couldn't navigate her way around a balance sheet if her life depended on it. What she does have are writing skills (she was a history major in college and wrote a LOT of essays) and most importantly, she tells me exactly what she thinks.

Most (all?) of the other people who read my essays said some form of "good, you could change this or that little thing, but overall good." My friend, on the other hand, has absolutely no problem telling me outright if something is unclear, boring, or just overall not good enough. At one point after reviewing a paragraph, she actually said "good for you, but why do I care?". She proceeded to delete the entire paragraph. I then had to explain and defense my thought and why it was included. It turned out (in that case) that the concept was necessary but I had done a shoddy job of indicating the relevance of the story in my essay. Someone else probably would have said "that might be a little unclear," which probably wouldn't have generated much change. Her honest comments caused me to rethink what I was saying and make absolutely sure that I was explaining it fully.

All of that to say, consider your editors carefully. Make sure you have someone who will give truly honest feedback and not let you get away with "just ok. "

Posted in: essays on Monday, November 09, 2009 at at 11:02 PM 0 comments Links to this post