That Time I Decided to go to Graduate School: I FINISHED MY FIRST YEAR

For as long as I'm in school, this blog will continue to be neglected. There are so many things I want to talk about and so many things I want to say, but so little time to do it. 

I finished my first year. I look back over the last 12 months and it's unbelievable to me what I've accomplished. What we, all of my classmates, have accomplished, collectively. It's incredible. We've learned about topics that have no relevance to our careers. We've made incredible new friends. We've lost family members. We've had children. We've gotten new jobs, bought new cars, purchased homes. We've spent hours upon hours upon hours together studying and not-so-studying. And I've never in my life received so many Snapchats as I have since starting business school. 

In hindsight, I can speak really eloquently about the program and how it works, but I had no idea what I was doing when I started. For the first year, we're kept together as a class. All ~100 of us take classes together every Monday and every Wednesday for a year. We're divided into 2 sections, and those change each semester. We cover Marketing, Data & Decision Analysis, Finance, Operations, Accounting, Economics, and Strategy, all in a year. Additionally, each semester has a mini-consulting project that we work on in teams. 

Each semester had it's own challenges. The first semester, we were figuring out. The classes were a little easier. Case studies were used to deliver content, and a lot of the homework was group work. We were still learning how to be back in school. Second semester was a brutal wake up call. Accounting was HARD. We had to keep up with weekly homework and reading, on top of our other classes and our full time jobs. We came out on the other side of accounting and figured it was smooth sailing from here. The joke was most certainly on us.

Summer was, well, summer. School was not meant to be done in the summer. Not only that, the challenge with the summer courses wasn't the content so much as how they were taught. It was yet another different style, and another challenge to overcome. I kept reminding myself that it was good practice for surviving in the real world! And before we knew it, we were taking mid-terms and then final exams and giving final presentations and BAM. Summer was over, our first year was over, and I know I certainly have the exhaustion to prove it.

So that was my year in a nutshell. Except not really, because I also maintained* outside friendships, continued to work 50-60 hours a week at a job that I love, and I signed up for a second term as our class's Social Chair. I continued to travel regularly for work, and for pleasure. I didn't get to spend any time doing anything else that I love, except tennis and oh yeah, I completed a half marathon. no half marathons ever again, but tennis is not something I'm giving up any time soon. I joke that I am tired of telling people I'm busy when they ask how I am, but it's the truth. 

We have 3 glorious weeks off from school before the first semester of electives starts. I'm taking three classes, and I'm really excited about the content of all of them. I'm also doing more work travel this fall than I expected, and I now have these awesome friends that I want to hang out with all the time. But it's all worth it. That's what I realized. 6 months ago I was seriously contemplating whether or not I'd made the right choice to go back to school, and now that I'm on the other side of my first year, the answer is yes, 100 times yes. These are memories, people, experiences that I will remember forever. My work is already better because of school, and evidenced by the photo dump strewn throughout this post, my life in general is better because of the people I've found. Cheers, Class of 2016! 

Mid-Summer Goals

I have 3 posts drafted at the moment, and all of them, in one way or another, emphasize how busy I am feeling. It's overwhelming, actually. So, now that midterms are behind me (see ya, suckers!), I feel it is time to re-prioritize, and I have a few goals for the next 6 weeks that I'd like to focus on.

• Regular exercise. I'm not sure how to define this or what it means, but right now I'm playing tennis maybe once or twice a week, and that's just not good enough. A friend suggested making a goal for # of minutes per week, which I really like. Assuming I get 120 minutes of tennis in every week, I'd like to get 180 minutes of general exercise, which roughly translates to two additional days of running or tennis or whatever I feel like. I'm tired of making excuses for not being able to exercise appropriately!
• Avoid over-planning. This is the thing I am the worst about, and the hardest to control. I just want to do all the things! I think I am also chronically afraid that if I don't plan in advance, no one else will be available to do whatever it is I want to do by the time it is actually appropriate to make plans.  

So that's it. I may or may not have intentionally put off writing this post until I could share the Fall 2014 Calendar with my best b-school pals and I may or may not have debated including calendar invite attachments with said email. For the record, I didn't do it, but only because I was lazy and not because I didn't want to. Micromanagement and over-planning at it's finest!

This summer is practically over according to my calendar. I've planned until I can't plan anymore. Lake weekends, football games, social events, work trips, concerts... you name it, I've planned it and there is not one single minute left to spare. But this is it. No more. I have to save room for tennis and friends and spontaneity and girls nights and boys nights and work and rest and family. Those are all important, too, and sometimes the best times in life are completely unplanned and unexpected. 

I'm Alive! I'm Alive! I'm Alive!

Well, well, well. I'm alive! I'm exhausted! But I'm here. So many things to share my thoughts on and my opinions on, and I promise they are coming.

School quite literally kicked my asana this semester. If you decide to get an MBA, don't ever let anyone trick you into thinking it's going to be a piece of cake. Especially if you are also working full-time. I don't know who told me that or why I believed them, but let me just tell you something. School is not for the faint of heart. But, here I am, one final presentation away from being 25% done with an MBA, so I can safely say it's do-able.

And when you try to combine school with a whole bunch of work and work travel, life just gets all sorts of tricky. I was in Miami, Dallas twice, Augusta, and Chicago within 3.5 weeks and let me just fill you in... spending that much time in airports and on airplanes guarantees misery and illness.

The good news is after the last trip, I was met by a sweet guy (here on out referred to as MJ) at the airport and had flowers waiting for me at home. Seeing that smiling face after an exhausting 2 days and a flight with backed up sinuses about put me to tears, but I managed to hold it together for the sake of pretending like I'm not a crazy person! He'll have plenty of time to figure that out...

In between school and work and traveling, I've celebrated weddings and MBA proms and my own birth and the birth of friends. I've cheered on the Braves, spent quiet weekends at home, studied until I couldn't think and partied until I couldn't see. I've made new friends, re-connected with old friends, and feel like I am really and truly living life intentionally.

So with that, I leave you for not long... stay tuned!

PS - how are you, friends?!

Friday, Friday, Gotta Get Down on Friday

1. They've found me. Everything minus the living with your person and going on double dates, everything. #momsknoweverything

 

 2. I got Virginia, which is close to Georgia, and much closer to home than most of my friends got. What are you?

 

3. I'm so excited - I've joined up and become a guest blogger at bSMART-- this week I'm sharing advice on keeping your resume up to date, among other things. If you liked my series on busines school, I'd highly recommend joining bSMART. I've been seriously impressed!

 

4. Obsessed. I've listened to it approximately 100 times on repeat.

 

 

5. I re-joined Tinder after my traumatic experience. Snowstorms make people crazy, don't judge. So far I've reconnected with a guy I used to date, scheduled a date for next Tuesday, and had penis pictures sent to me. Internet, I love you.

 

6. Running. I'm running again. Thursday, I only ran 3 miles, but I ran them faster than I've ever done. Friday I ran 3 more at the same pace, and I'm hoping to do 4 miles before tennis practice on Saturday morning. My shin pain has miraculously gone away (knock on all the wood)

 

7. It's b-school admittance season and I've adopted the #proudmom hashtag for all my kiddos who are accepted or applying, because I'm basically the proudest mama HR person there ever was. All my kids deserve trophies! The worst part is waiting for 2nd rounds in March, I think my anxiety might be worse than theirs. PS - those are the 2 best kids I've ever known <3 p="">

 

 

 

8. I haven't had a haircut since September, which I promised my new haircut girl I wouldn't do. But I loved, loved, loved my long hair and I wish it would grow this long again.

 

 

  

 9. I graduate from business school in May 2016 and I turn 30 in April 2016. You'll be able to find me in Iceland, Russia, China, and SE Asia in May/June/July 2016. Bye, work! See you in the fall.

10. I'm still happy. So so so so so so so so so happy. I smile just because. I don't even have a reason not to anymore. Let's all just be this happy together!

That Time I Decided to go to Graduate School: The First Semester

It's unbelievable to me that 4 months have gone by. Four months of classes every Monday and Wednesday, of team meetings, homework, social events, new friends, new stress. I finished a take-home final exam for my other class on Sunday night.

 

I guess you are wondering how it went? I'll use one word to summarize: fine. I am still so excited about this opportunity and recognize how fortunate I am. I also owe myself some credit; I worked really, really hard to get here. I am proud of myself, and continue to be shocked and amazed at what I manage to accomplish in a day, a week, a few months. Sometimes it's hard to remember, and usually I doubt myself, but look at where I am now!

 

I thought the hardest part about starting school was going to be actually getting out of my office and going to class, and then staying awake for 2.5 hours while someone lectured. How wrong I was.... that's hands down the easiest part. The hardest part is preparing for class. Reading the materials in advance, studying the case, taking notes. I'm not talking about flipping through 30 pages of material 15 minutes before class starts. I'm talking the hours spent reading, analyzing, and figuring out what it all means. That is hard.

 

This semester we took 2 classes: Data & Decision Analysis and Marketing Management. We also have a 1-credit project based class that extends through each semester of our first year. Marketing was great, relevant, and relatable. DDA was miserable for me. I couldn't figure out what it meant, how it applied to me, or how I would ever use it in my job. The 1-credit class (Management Practice) was basically a consulting project and an insane amount of work.

 

So what's next? A couple of weeks off, and then we're back in action on January 7. It's really not enough time off if you ask me. Next semester is going to be even more challenging for me. Operations, Accounting, and Finance, plus Management Practice. I'm hoping that something speaks to me in at least one of those classes, because right now the only positive will be when the semester ends. Speaking of, we're done at the end of April, and then summer semester starts mid-May. We do have a spring break, but I'm sure it will be largely spent on that pesky 1-credit class. Or at least I hope it will, I don't want to put anything off. Playing catch up while working full-time is not easy, and I have a feeling my travel schedule next year is only going to increase, not decrease. Plus we're already planning #kanda2014, a return trip to Iceland, and possibly a long weekend in Italy. Lifestyles of the poor and infamous? :)

 

In general, I'm feeling good. I am still slowly making friends. It makes me smile when I see sub-groups of people doing fun things together, even if I'm not invited. I continue to receive accolades at work, I'm excited about what I'm doing at school, and somehow my personal life hasn't taken that big of a hit.

I'm looking forward to the next couple of semesters, continued friendships, maybe even some budding romances! Stay tuned.... going to graduate school is a decision I make every. single. day! :)

image 1 2 (source: don't know)

Graduate School: The First 30 Days

Well, I'm officially a month in and I haven't quit yet and I haven't gotten kicked out yet. I'm going to go ahead and call that a win. But I won't lie and say it's been a piece of cake, that going to school 6 hours+ a week on top of working 50-60 hours a week on top of traveling twice for work is NBD. But I did it!

 

The first couple weeks were orientation - learning the ropes, what is and is not available to us, meeting faculty, and trying to get to know nearly 100 of my newest, closest friends. Then we moved into refresher courses. Back to basics: Excel, statistics, probability, all that jazz. It was helpful, but since I only took the GMAT about 6 months ago, I felt recently refreshed on the topics and so didn't feel a strong desire to brush up on my skills. It was a great option (mandatory or not) to have for folks though, and I'm glad I participated even if I didn't have to.

 

We also did a Birkman Assessment, which told us about our personalities at work (and presumably school). One of the professors walked us through our individual results and shared how to apply that to group work and team environments, both through the MBA program and in our professional careers. I have done Myers-Briggs Step 2 a couple of times at work and found similarities in both. Ultimately I think the Myers-Briggs assessment was more indicative of my personality traits than the Birkman was, but there were certainly some indications on the Birkman that I won't be ignoring! I think (and I don't know this for sure) the program office also used our Birkman 'scores' to divide the entire class into teams for the semester.

 

Which leads me to the one of the other interesting components of  my first year in school - teamwork. Like I said, our whole class was divided into teams of 5-6, and we were given a problem to solve (with some help at first, but later on we're pretty much flying by the seat of our suit pants). Based on initial interactions, I think I pretty much won the team lottery, but let's see what I'm saying in a few months. We are focused on a project for a client on campus for the first semester, and had the client present to us in the middle of the month. In the spring and summer, the client and team will change, as will the level of direction and instruction from the professors. These projects will be a challenge for me because it is so parallel to what I "do" on a daily basis. I use the word "do" lightly because really, it's what I tell other people to do, not what I execute myself. I think I have a false sense of my own capabilities and knowledge, which I'm going to be forced to temper when it comes down to the nitty gritty getting my hands dirty. Let's put it this way, I know what Excel can do and I know people who know how to make Excel do those things, so in my head it means I know how to manipulate Excel. Professionally, that's plenty. Academically, that's BS!

 

So now what?

 

Actual class started on Wednesday. I'm still figuring out the internal sites, remembering to print all the papers in advance of class, and determining what the best way for me to stay organized is. Do I really have to carry all this crap around with me? Mind-boggling, honestly. But the answer is yes, I do. And therefore I need notebooks, pens, pencils. My computer, a mouse, a thumb drive.

 

I've got to figure out how to take notes, type on my computer, and not get caught up in doing work. I've already decided that my cell phone needs to stay tucked away safely in my bag, or even left in my car. Otherwise it's too distracting, too easy to get sucked back into work issues while I'm supposed to be soaking in new information.

 

But I am excited. I have met some great people who are from all over the world, working in every industry imaginable, living in different parts of this city that I love, and each bringing an amazing set of skills to the classroom and to our larger Evening MBA team. I can't wait to see what the next 3 years have in store, as I think they will be some of the best yet. Stay tuned!

 

Previous Graduate School posts: GMAT, networking, essays, why?

images 1 2 3

That Time I Decided to go to Graduate School: Why?

If you are just tuning in, I recently wrote about a few steps in the graduate school application process. I did this all a little backwards, but that's because I wrote about what was easiest first. Taking the GMAT, writing the essays, getting in.

But now, what you may still be wondering, is why. Why business school, why part-time versus full-time, why now. I'm not sure I can fully answer those questions completely on the internet, but I'm going to try.

The background: Nearly 3 years ago, I found my dream job. I'm talking this job was made for me. I started 3 years ago and haven't looked back. Since then I've been promoted twice, watched others come & go, and never questioned my own career. I have a phenomenal relationship with my boss, I have colleagues that I respect, look up to, and admire. I am respected, looked up to, and admired. I receive constructive feedback, I get to voice my opinion, and I truly feel like I belong.

But 2.5, nearly 3 years, is a long time to be doing the same thing. Don't get me wrong. I work in Human Resources - every day is different. I work in a project based industry. Every day is even more different. But the ebbs and flows, the processes, some of those things started to become less challenging. I was still obsessed with my job, loving the people I was working with, but I was starting to miss something. I was starting to miss the excitement that comes along with a new challenge.

First try: So I started tossing around the idea of graduate school. I actually even purchased a GMAT study guide with the intention of studying for and taking the GMAT back in 2011. I wasn't quite ready at the time, and consciously or subconsciously I'm not sure, but I didn't push myself. I was barely a year into my job, I still had tons to learn, and I think deep down I knew I wasn't ready.

Second try is a charm: But then I got the itch. I was primarily motivated by some of my closest friends who were also applying to business school. I walked alongside and watched as they stressed about essays, GMAT scores, recommendations, and so much more. I offered my mostly unsolicited advice, and watched with joy as they succeeded and with tears when they didn't. After a particularly stressful night of tossing around essay ideas, talking about what the path would look like without business school, and generally depressing ourselves, my best friend said, "GOD I can't wait until you go through this process so you can see what it feels like."

And away we go: Click. Just like that, something went off. I didn't say anything then, or for a long time. In fact, I didn't tell anyone but my roommate until I went to Iceland, but by then I had already started the process. I was scared. I was nervous that I wouldn't write appropriate essays, that my college GPA wasn't good enough, that my GMAT wouldn't be high enough.

The real why: I knew my career path was stunted without an MBA. I would continuously compare myself to those with an MBA and feel inferior. I would lose out on potential opportunities, internally or externally.  I am comfortable in my role, but I am always looking for new opportunities or ways to advance within the company, and having an MBA will help me get there that much faster. Could I have gone on to be extremely successful without it? Absolutely.  I like to think of the MBA as the fast-track to where I want to be. So that was my motivation. That's why I did it, and I am 100% sure it was the right choice for me, at this point in my career.

Is it right for you? I can't answer that question. The criteria for me included feeling comfortable enough in my job that I was willing to basically take on another part-time job for 3 years, being fully supported financially to take on something like this, and being supported by my colleagues and managers. Check, check, and check.

Why part-time versus full-time, you may ask? I don't think it's worth $100,000 plus the loss in salary for me to go back to school full time. In fact, I feel pretty strongly that it's not worth it for most people who pay out of pocket. Some of you may feel differently, but that's my take. If your company is paying, that's an entirely different story. I just think there aren't many jobs that are worth the sacrifice. But, all that being said, I commend those of you who do it. It's a risk I certainly couldn't and wouldn't take.

image image

That time I decided to go to grad school: Essays edition

 

A bit ago, I posted about my decision to apply to business school. As I explained in that post, my first hurdle to focus on a planfor studying for the GMAT.

However, because of the structure of the application process for the particular program I was applying to, I actually had some time when it came to the GMAT. From the date I decided to apply, I had exactly 4 weeks to turn around essays, application, recommendations, interview and resume.

Queue panic.

I'm fortunate to work at a company that promotes and supports applying to and attending business school. Many of my coworkers are graduates of full-time programs, so I had excellent support from friends (who happen to be colleagues). They were willing to read, re-read, and then re-read my essays again. They offered advice on how to find recommenders, what I should get to thank everyone who helped me (although no gift could ever convey how grateful I am to them), and were amazing sounding boards. If you don't have support internally, get your friends on board to help. Find someone you know who has gone through the process. Google! There is tons of information out there on applying to any graduate program, complete with essay advice on specific schools and specific essays.

Essays: It's been a while since I've experienced a more humbling process than answering very personal questions and getting feedback on my writing. It was also eye-opening. I knew my application had to weave a story about who I am, what is important to me, and what I want to become through business school. Questions about why I want to pursue an MBA, what my long-term goals were, what I'm passionate, and my most significant professional accomplishment. These are not easy questions to answer. Some of them I honestly hadn't even thought about. But, in hindsight, I'm so glad I put time and effort into answering each of these questions carefully. MBA or not, it gave me focus for the near-term, the long-term, and reminded me of my accomplishments and the goals and dreams I looked forward to achieving.

Everybody's advice is a little different, but this is what ultimately worked for me.

1. The very first thing you do should is just write. Write an answer to each question. Don't limit your words, don't think about a story, just write. The editing is truly easy if you have all those words to work with.
2. Walk away! I wrote all my first drafts in a weekend, and then walked away for 2-3 days. I came back and completely re-wrote 2 eassys because I thought about a different experience I wanted to share. If you can, give yourself even more time! I cut it really close, but others I know had months to write, proofread, and submit their essays.
3. Get feedback on the subject matter in your original essays. Like I said, the editing is the easy part, but if your essays don't flow and don't complement each other, editing them is a waste of time! I sent my first drafts to 3 friends and even though I didn't want to hear it, they all provided really helpful feedback and tips.

My 'story' focused on my leadership experience and my goals to move up within my company. Others I know have shared about a passion and how that applies to their desired future, and where an MBA fits into that path. Each story is different. I will tell you - what I started with and the end result were 2 entirely different sets of essays. Because I was getting feedback from so many different sources, what I heard was bound to conflict. Use your best judgement, and remember that the people you asked to help are trying to do just that!

Recommendations: This is what made me most nervous. I have amazing support at work, and I know that I am very capable in my job. But telling someone that you are trying to do something, but it may not work out, is scary. Especially telling someone who you know already thinks you are great. I asked my boss and another superior to write my recommendations, as advised to me by many of my peers (and required by Emory). My fear was not telling them I wanted to go back to school, it was the fear of not getting in and having to tell people I wasn't good enough, wasn't smart enough, couldn't cut it. I was afraid that they'd then see me differently, not think I was as capable at my job, and everything I worked so hard to build would come crumbling around me. Anxiety is a crippling disease, folks.

Well, shockingly enough, the 2 people I asked to write recommendations were thrilled to do it, and incredibly supportive of my decision. However, what I didn't realize was that asking them to write a recommendation wasn't enough. Apparently I had to provide them with material with which to base their recommendation as it related to the 'story' I was telling with my essays. So, I scrambled to answer the questions the recommenders were supposed to answer how I wanted them to answer and shot off those emails at 6pm on a Friday night, the whole time feeling SO awkward. "Katie should have ___." "The people Katie works with admire and trust her decision-making skills." Those are exact excerpts, and imagine writing a page-long email like that.

My advice on recommendations and recommenders is as follows:

1. Ask people to write recommendations who knows you well personally and professionally.
2. Ask people who are going to write really positive things about you (duh?)
3. Give the individuals that you ask as much advance notice as possible.
4. Think about how you want to portray yourself with these recommendations - one should be from a manager, one from someone quite senior, and if you are required to submit a third, think about asking someone in the community, a former professor, or someone who can comment on your skills and capabilities outside the workplace. After all, there is more to you than what you do to get paid!

And, if you are applying to more than 1 school, only ask them to write 1 recommendation, maaaaaybe two if you are desperate.

So aside from the interivew (which I don't feel comfortable writing about - every school is different, and quite frankly I don't remember much of mine because I was a rambling, nervous wreck!), that was the whole process. GMAT, recommendations, essays, SUBMIT and hope like hell that the hours and hours you slaved away on the application on top of the years you've spent excelling in the business world were worth it.

These have actually turned out to be really fun blog entries to write. I love sharing my unsolicited two cents with the world, and I hope someone, somewhere finds this helpful.

As promised, over the next few weeks I'll share my thoughts on how I decided which schools to apply to, and why I decided to go back to school in the first place. The answers are different for everyone, so I look forward to hearing your thoughts as well!

image 1 2 3

I DID IT.

 

Posted on Facebook and went to my first official event as an admitted student last night.

 

Still some decisions to be made, but guess what world? I'm getting an MBA.

 

image

Networking Tips 101

Networking is now a huge part of today's culture. LinkedIn, Facebook, even Yahoo! Jobs and Monster. I've recently connected with sorority sisters I haven't spoken to in several years about jobs, graduate school, and cities to live in. And why not? These are people I trust to tell me the truth and vice versa. They are people I can honestly vouch for, because even though we were "just" sorority sisters, I know about the person they really are.

I have a freaking awesome job at a pretty incredible company. It just so happens that my company is also very reputable and well-known. Since I can't really keep my mouth shut about anything, people know that I love my job and love where I work, so I get a lot of requests from friends for job recommendations, thoughts, help, etc. Or maybe they just want me to forward a resume, but they end up getting my unsolicited and self-proclaimed fantastic advice.

But sometimes, I get messages and I do a little head tilt. Is this person seriously asking me to answer these questions? Have they done any research about this company? I mean, have they even looked at the website?

So, I thought I'd offer a few networking tips that I think are helpful as we 20'somethings try to navigate the world of networking with our peers.

1. Get the name of the company right. There are a lot of competitors in the market. If you want a job at Home Depot, I wouldn't advise sending an email to an old friend asking about their job at Lowe's...

2. Remind them about what you have been doing! Sure your title may explain it all, Internal Controller and Director of Mapping Operations, but that title doesn't mean diddly squat to me. "As you may know, I've been working at ___ doing ___." Simple! And now the person you are reaching out to has a quick refresher of what you've been up to since you last spoke!

3. And then tell them what you want to do, and make sure it's what their company does if you are asking for a referral. If you are really wanting to be an IT consultant, make sure that the company actually does IT consulting!

4. Do some brief research. If you are looking for a job in San Fransisco, make sure they have an office there. Try to understand what the levels are within the company - don't ask about analyst positions if the new company calls them associates!

5. Don't be afraid to reach out! I'm always impressed with the people who reach out to me. I'm never leaving my job, but if I did, I sometimes wonder if I'd be brave enough to put myself out there and network with friends.

What are some of your best practices for networking via your social networks?

That time I decided to go to grad school: GMAT edition

I decided relatively last minute that I was going to apply to business school for Fall 2014. It's something I had thought about for a while, especially as I watched some of my close friends apply to full and part-time MBA programs and start school. I definitely had second-hand excitement about the experiences they were having both in and out of the classroom, and knew I wanted to have similar experiences of my own.

I talked to 1 or 2 friends to get their thoughts...they were beyond supportive, which led me to believe that perhaps I could in fact do this. It was relatively simple for me to choose the program I wanted to apply to, although I later added complications to this (but we'll get there). One of my biggest criteria was the coursework. When I graduated from Georgia Tech I knew I didn’t want to work in an overly quantitative field and the undergrad Management program had limited HR/Organizational Behavior classes, which ultimatley limited my career opportunities. I wanted to make sure the MBA program I applied for offered classes that were going to help me advance on my current career path. The short answer to a long question was yes.

The next steps happened kind of quickly. First I found myself perusing the Goizueta website on a Sunday afternoon. Then all the sudden I was filling out the application. Then I created a GMAT study plan, mainly because I was SO DAMN OVERWHELMED by everything I had to do and it was a great way to avoid actually studying for anything. The application process included filling out personal details in a traditional application, essays, recommendations, a resume, GMAT results and an interview.

image

The actual application was simply filling in the blanks. The essays were under way quickly. After freaking out for a minute, I found 2 fantastic recommenders (both from work). I updated my resume and had someone give it a once-over, and I scheduled my interview.  The only thing really holding me up was the GMAT. I bought a study guide a long time ago, but hadn't bothered opening it or taking the test.

I knew that would be my biggest hurdle.

My original plan of attack was to create a schedule that I could follow up until test day. I took the test on the last possible day before the application was due and in hindsight, I really should have taken it sooner, just in case.



So there it is – the study schedule I created one fateful Tuesday night. I followed this schedule loosely until the first day of GMAT class. The best piece of advice the instructor gave us in terms of how to study was this:

Commit to a certain number of problems per day, not a set amount of time.

If you commit to 2 hours, you'll get significantly less done than if you commit to finishing 30 Problem-Solving problems. Doing a set number of problems also offers the ability to really get a feel for how long each problem is taking you, and you can time yourself. This eventually becomes critical and the biggest obstacle to overcome with the test. Timing is everything!

Emory offered a free GMAT class 2 Saturday/Sunday’s in a row (more details on how to join these sessions here), so I took advantage of that in advance of the test. The vendor was MathSP and I thought the sessions were phenomenal. I'd highly recommend the MathSP program even if you are paying for them on your own!

I also sent my original study schedule to a friend who just taken the GMAT and applied to business school as well, and his comments were these (which I found pretty helpful):

• Are you OK to take the GMAT after the app is due? Just make sure (I was not)
• I wouldn't take both weekend days off. I get that you have showers on Saturdays, but then put in some time Sunday maybe?
• I would take a lot more practice exams. Reading books is great and all, but real-world practice is crucial. I would try to take a total of 4 practice exams before you take the real test. Related to previous point, these are much better to do on weekends as they take a ton of time (~3.5 hours?).
• Think about getting in one practice exam ASAP to help gauge where you are – is that the diagnostic test you have?

To answer his questions: Yes, I was okay to take the GMAT after the app is due, but only because I was registering for the GMAT prep class offered through Emory. No, I wasn’t planning to take both weekend days off (blanks just meant I didn’t know what I was doing yet). I ended up taking 5 or 6 practice tests using free software from MBA.com (it's legit, promise!) And I added one to the first weekend rather than a couple weeks in so I could see where I needed to focus my studying. Turns out, I had verbal in the bag so spent 95% of my studying efforts on the quant section.

 

 

So, the important question is how did it go?

I set a minimum test score goal at the beginning of the GMAT class, and told myself that if I got that score or higher, I'd submit that to Emory and if not, I'd study more and re-take the test. After nearly 6 weeks of studying 10-15 hours/week, I took the test on a Tuesday morning (perfect choice!) and ended up scoring 10 points higher than my goal! High five, pat on the back, and GOODBYE STUDYING! I cried when I got to my car, I was so glad to be done and so proud of myself for what I had just accomplished!

Coming up --

• That time I decided to go to grad school: Essays edition
• That time I decided to go to grad school: How do I choose? edition
• That time I decided to go to grad school: Why?

This has been such a long process, and it's been killing me to not write about it! I had a hard time finding genuine, real experience posts about the grad school application process, so even though it's different for everyone, hopefully this answers some questions or addresses concerns someone out there in internet-land has. Feel free to send me an email with questions, too! I'm certainly no expert, but having done it recently, I've at least got some perspective!

image