GMAT Prep II

Below is a random collection of tips that I found useful when I was preparing for the GMAT. I hope that you find some of it useful also.

Common Myths

• MYTH: You need a GMAT score of 700+ to be a competitive applicant.

• FACT: Only 7% of all GMAT takers score 700 or higher.

Walking the Straight and Narrow?

With Mod IV upon us, the internship is ramped up for some and neatly packaged for others. I know people who wanted to do brand management and are interning in finance. One of my friends was interested in technology companies and ended up in banking. So the question is: how narrow should you be about your job search, your summer internship, and your business education in general?

Keeping Up

One aspect of business school that I really think is crucial to success is being literate on current events in the business world. As a Young MBA candidate or applicant, it is never too soon to start this. Let me share with you a few anecdotes and tips.

Owen always sends us updates on the faculty’s research, and a ticker at the bottom of our web page features a particular professor. A quick polling of my friends tells me that not many people read this, but they’re actually really helpful in giving you conversation topics when meeting new people. On a recent flight to Dallas, I was seated next to the manager of a hedge fund.

Important Questions

While we enjoy our “Spring Break” at Vanderbilt, it has been great to take some time off from school, do a little bit of traveling, and actually reading a book for my own pleasure (rather than for a class). During this time, I kept receiving a number of e-mails from many current & prospective b-school students. In particular, Lauren from Duke University brought up a few important points which I wanted to address in this post. So, here it goes:

Considering Sport Management?

I am too. I have done some research on career prospects for MBA’s in the sport field. Let me start this by saying, the rest of this isn’t pretty. Careers in sports are hard to come by without experience. I’ll start this off with a quote that an MBA professor told me: “Some people know they want to work in sports get here. A lot of those same people realize they would rather have a high paying job and good seats.”