GMAT Prep I

The GMAT is  basically the “SAT” for applying to b-schools. The format and components of the test are very similar. In both tests, understanding the structure of the test and how the scores are computed can help increase your score without having to devote many hours to practice.

A quick note on GMAT prep services: Many of these services guarantee a 90+ point increase in test score performance that score is inflated. What many of these services do is to give you their diagnostic test, which is usually noticeably more difficult than the real test.

Hello, world!

First of all, thanks to Serdar for adding me to the list of Young MBA Bloggers. I believe in the mission of this group, and as a future “Young MBA,” I am excited to start networking with my peers.

Now a little about me. I am originally from Virginia Beach, VA. For the record, I don’t live by the beach. I completed my undergraduate degree at Cornell in 2006.

On recommendation letters

Hi Everyone,

First off, congratulations to Serdar and the other contributors on creating a much needed resource for young MBA applicants. As a young MBA student now, I sure wish such a resource was available when I was doing my applications. I hope I can provide a helpful perspective.

The downside to being a “Young MBA”

I would say the biggest challenge in being a “young MBA” has to be the job search. It can be frustrating and lead to many dead ends. People want to hire you - they just get scared at the lack of experience on your resume. I have seen other young MBAs deal with the frustration, and so have I. Here are a few of my tips to deal with that little problem you will most likely encounter:

YoungMBA.net Nationally Recognized

A great article about young MBA students has been published in The Chronicle of Higher Education on Jan 25, 2008. YoungMBA.net has been featured extensively in the article. Make sure to check it out here!

Searching for my training wheels

Well I am back to contribute an impressive second post since joining YoungMBA.net. Yes, I know it seems pitiful that I have only contributed one post, but over the past two months I have been completely consumed by the pursuit of a summer internship. This quest for the coveted internship has forced me out of town many weekends and caused me to sacrifice many precious hours on the phone for “informational interviews.” In the midst of this job-hunting madness, I have been desperately trying to find time to dedicate to school, eat a full meal every now and then, and sleep enough to get me through the day. Okay, so I may be exaggerating a bit...However, one thing is for certain, the summer internship search is very stressful and takes up a large portion of a first-year MBA student’s time.

Building a Network: Baby Steps

When everyone’s talking about “building a network,” it can be very intimidating to think that you are starting from the ground up. Since most of our friends are in entry-level positions and we have never held jobs, we are relying mainly on our parents and their friends to comprise our beginning network. This can be a valuable starting point for some, but expanding from this point is challenging, regardless.

I want to walk you through some pointers that have helped me reach out to extremely helpful professionals (Owen alumni and not)! The more prepared you

MBA Internship Search

It is arguably the single most important element of one’s MBA education…that highly coveted summer internship. It is now mid-January, and the MBA internship hunt is in full force. It is indeed true: a hunt. Thousands of intelligent, determined, and highly-ambitious MBAs all over the world are hunting down for the “perfect” summer internship. The stakes are very high, since landing the right summer internship is crucial in terms of future employment for an MBA student. Why? It is simply a matter of economics: supply and demand.

If the shoe fits…

In fear of being cliche, I won’t finish the above saying. But, I really started thinking about how much b-school “fit” over the holidays. Relatives were asking me how school was going, what my stock picks were, how many offers I had, etc … and I got really tired of saying, “I love it! It’s fabulous!” Fact of the matter was, I was burned out and trying to convince myself. See, I had this conversation with some friends right before school let out. It was exam time, so we were talking about grades. Here is the gist of the convo:

Useful Tips Any YoungMBA Should Know

Know yourself. I can’t stress how important it is to know what your beliefs are, what kind of jobs you’re interested in, what kind of family you see yourself having, where you want to live, and even what kind of dog you’d consider buying. This is something I’ve begun to do every day. I never turn down an opportunity to challenge why I think the way I do or why I hold certain beliefs. Only in doing so can one really come to know who they are and who they are to become.