January | 2012 | The Official GMAT Blog

Make the Most of Your Time: Be(come) a Leader

Posted on January 27, 2012 by GMAC

Along with the hard facts of a candidate’s academic background and professional history, MBA admissions committees also place a good deal of emphasis on the softer skills people use at work. The business school experience is highly collaborative, as students work together on class assignments, cooperate to run clubs and plan conferences and events, and share industry insights and interviewing best practices during the recruiting process. Admissions committees therefore seek applicants who have demonstrated teamwork and leadership skills.

While it’s fairly common for MBA applicants to have some experience working as part of a group or a team, not everyone will have had the opportunity to manage others or take ownership of projects. Setting out to build a track record of leadership before business school will not only help you stand out in the admissions process, but also develop skills that will serve you well throughout your career.

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Filed under: Admissions, Applications, Business School | Leave a Comment »

Time to hit the ‘Don’t Panic’ Button

Posted on January 24, 2012 by GMAC

Tuesday, June 5, 2012, is fast approaching and with it the launch of the Next Generation GMAT with Integrated Reasoning. I can only imagine what test takers are thinking — that it’s probably a little stressful to be contemplating the changes to the test and that it’s unclear what importance schools will put on an IR score in evaluating your application. Actually, I can do a bit more than just imagine, as I took the exam myself in 1998.

Nobody likes change. Even my 18-month-old daughter can tell you that. For her, the change from a bottle to a “sippy cup” was tough, until she realized that the cup offered better control, a chance to show off a new set of skills and a path to more choices in drinkables. Now, she’s happily drinking away and the trauma she conjured up never quite materialized. Well, except for my wife and I. For us the trauma was real … and loud.

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Filed under: GMAT Prep, Integrated Reasoning, Official GMAT, Prepare for the GMAT, Study Tips for the GMAT | Leave a Comment »

When Alumni Speak, It Pays to Listen

Posted on January 23, 2012 by GMAC

Who better to give you the inside track on job hunting and career advancement than b-school alumni? Whether from the class of 2011 or 2001, alumni know: The job search and planning for career advancement begin the moment you first set foot in a classroom.

Take this on the authority of nearly a thousand global alumni from across graduate management programs in the class of 2011 who recently shared details about their job search expectations, strategies, and outcomes in securing that first job out of graduate business school. The good news is that 86% of last year’s grads had jobs when surveyed shortly after they left campus—an outcome that required many hours of searching, networking, out-of-the-box thinking, and advance planning on the part of those grads. The extent of job search efforts varied, of course: Details like the degree program completed, the industry and size of the company where they sought work, the job level applied for—entry or senior—and often the amount of past work experience were often dependent.

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Filed under: Alumni, Choosing the right School, School Selection | Leave a Comment »

Make the Most of Your Time: Optimizing Your Experience

Posted on January 20, 2012 by GMAC

For many MBA programs, work experience is the heart of one’s candidacy. While academic preparation is essential, an applicant’s professional history informs his or her ability to contribute to classroom activities and integrate each course’s subject matter into a broader framework. Further, schools want to admit students who will go on to be successful alumni, and past performance is a strong predictor of future performance.

If you’re planning on applying to MBA programs down the road, it may seem obvious that you should try to excel in your career today. Still, some may find that objective so broad that they aren’t sure how to act on it. Knowing about the specific markers that admissions committees consider when evaluating a candidate’s work experience can help you to focus your efforts and take an active role in your ongoing career development.

MBA admissions committees often begin by considering a candidate’s overall career trajectory. At the most basic level, they’re looking for movement or change over time: among varied projects, into new or additional roles, or between functions or organizations. For candidates who have gained all of their full-time experience working for the same organization, business schools typically expect to see signs of upward progression, such as promotions, raises, or increases in responsibility. If you plan to stay the course with your current employer until it’s time for your applications, be mindful of this and take proactive steps to build momentum. For example, you might speak with your supervisor about paths to advancement in your firm, lobby for assignment to high-profile projects or clients, or volunteer to take on additional tasks outside of your basic responsibilities.

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Filed under: Admissions, Applications, Business School, Choosing the right School, MBA, School Selection | Leave a Comment »