Beat The GMAT

Sakina

I was waitlisted at Cornell Johnson with my 610 GMAT, and had been studying to retake it. But I got the call yesterday and got in, so I don't have to...

Now I don't want to give you any kind of false hope. I had a VERY unique application, and I did a lot of original things to try to stand out from everyone else. But my point is, even if you don't have a 700+ score, some schools aren't lying when they say they look at everything. And to be honest--I did not have a good GPA either. Schools DO care about your essays and personal accomplishments.

In fact...a friend of mine applied to Cornell Johnson and he had a 750 GMAT. They didn't even call him for an interview! He really slacked off on his essays and recommendations because he thought he was a shoo-in with his gmat score. So the lesson is to really take time with the ENTIRETY of your application. The GMAT is important--please do everything you can to do your best--but if in the end you don't score what you hoped you had, be positive and apply anyway. It's not like you don't have a chance.

All the best to everyone on here!!! Very Happy

gabriel

qudo · Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 11:33 am Post subject:

Congrats Sakina! Just out curiousity could you tell me what other schools you applied to and how that went. I believe I'm in a similiar situation and will be taking the GMAT again at the end of the month and it is very inspiring to hear your story!

Thanks!

jasonc · Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 12:32 pm Post subject:

First of all, congratulations!

I'm a Cornell alum! (for my BA)

Like the poster above, I'm also interested in how your application did at other schools, mind sharing?
I don't plan on applying to Cornell for a variety of reasons (location, weather, already been, etc) but I can say you will have a great time at a stellar school!
I had a blast during my 4 years at Cornell.

Smile

ngufo · Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 2:11 pm Post subject:

Congratulations! That is indeed awesome to know!!!. Could you provide me any guidance on how the applications need to be written? What did you focus on in the essays, how did you make your essays stand out?

That would be very very useful information,
Thanks,
-ngufo

mbadrew · Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 4:33 pm Post subject:

Sakina,

Congrats! You're success, I'm sure, is inspirational for many including myself. I test in September and I hope to score above 700; nevertheless, I'm won't lose hope if I don't. Can you please share some tips on essay writing?

Thanks

Andrew

Sakina · Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 6:52 pm Post subject: Strategize!

Ok guys, here's what I did. Lol maybe I shouldn't have picked a username that's my FIRST NAME, since there goes all anonymity haha.

I applied to Tuck (darmouth), Columbia, Tulane, Rice, and Cornell. But please keep in mind that I applied VERY LATE--at or after the last dead lines for all of these schools. I do not suggest you do this--almost all of the seats are filled up by this time. I waited this long because I wanted more time to prepare for my GMAT, but in the end my score didn't go up much and packaging the rest of your application is much more important. I was rejected from Columbia and Dartmouth outright--this could be because of my GMAT, or it could be because of how late I applied. In the case of Tuck, they invite everyone to come interview beforehand and I never did that, so this could have hurt my case there too.

You have to treat your application like a marketing project. How will you market yourself? What are you trying to draw attention to? Don't just do the prototypical ap and hope they'll notice your strengths--draw attention to them, cleverly. I had a 2-prong strategy with my applications: use my essays to not necessarily sell them, but at least generate enough curiosity to nab an interview. Then use the interview to sell them. In the case of Johnson, they only allow 3 essays with 400 word counts, so this was difficult. They are not looking for flowery writing--they want to see what you can do in this limited space. It's like working on a commercial during the superbowl--you have a 30 second time slot to pitch to your market. How are you going to do it?

I was kind of a troubled kid when I was younger, so I used my optional essay to paint a very dramatic picture of that, but then used it to show how far I've come. When you do things like this, DO NOT MAKE EXCUSES, and ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY for anything in your past. Then show how it made you a stronger person. You have to be yourself.

What helped me was a book called "How to get into Top MBA programs". There are a million sample essays in the back. The reason this is helpful is that you can see what EVERYONE else that is successful does--and then NOT do it. If you do this, you won't stand out, and if you have a lower GMAT score, you need to stand out on something else. Avoid the wording everyone uses, cliche phrases like "to gain broader perspective" or "I want to hone my skills". Everyone says things like that. Use your essays to really show them a little bit of yourself.

Use your personal unique experiences to show why you're a different candidate. You don't have to show you're better than everyone else--just show what's different about you. MBA Admissions teams want to build diverse classes and the more unique strenghts you bring, the more forgiving they will be if you aren't up to par on the conventional ones.

Lastly, apply a little psychology. Think about this from the admissions committee's perspective. They have to read thousands of essays on people trying to sell themselves. They get bored of all of the people bragging about the same thing. If you can hit an emotional cord with them, or make them smile or best of all laugh out loud, you've instantly made yourself stand out. But don't be fake or cheesy. Just be natural. Think about if you had to read a million essays on virtually the same thing. What would you appreciate? What would entertain you? What qualities would you look for if someone didn't have the highest GMAT or GPA?

An article that I highly suggest was written by a senior admissions rep at Virginia. Granted he doesn't work in MBA admissions, but I think this is great advice for ANY admissions essay-writing:

http://www.virginia.edu/undergradadmission/writingtheessay.html

One last note. I didn't get right in, I was waitlisted. Along with over 170 other people. Now I had to stand out more than ever before. In the case of Johnson, they accept updates on your grades, goals, recommendations, whatever. I knew everyone would do this--but I had to do it creatively. So I made them a brochure on why they should accept me, with pictures and such. It was just something different for them. I don't suggest everyone do this--now that it's already been done. But the point is, think of something creative and personal to do that's not flamboyantly over the top.

I also got into Tulane with a scholarship. You'll find that in general some sschools appreciate creativity and unique experiences more than others. MBA programs really are about fit. Do your research and see which ones jive best with your personality. Another one I interviewed at was Rice--and honestly, that was a terrible experience for me. I had a student interviewer, and we didn't connect at all. The interview was awkward and uncomfortable, while my interviews at Tulane and Johnson were conversational and full of laughs. The program at Rice seemed Rigid, the students seemed conservative, and most of their candidates work in the oil industry. That's the antithesis of me: a little entrepreneur, an environmentalist, and a huge liberal. How well you connect with other students is important, and this comes across in your interview.

On a side note, the Rice application process was generally a miserable experience. They don't respond to emails, they're rude on the phone, and they're disorganized. When you go to their info sessions the adcom says feel free to call but if you do you'll never get past the front desk. They didn't even give me a decision until over a week after the date they were supposed to. Johnson, on the other hand, was amazingly responsive, very efficient, and extremely warm and approachable. Tulane was a great experience too. I highly recommend you tailor the schools you're applying to in light of what your strengths and goals are and not just look at names and rankings. This will give you much more to say in your essays and interviews.

This whole MBA process has been a HUGE learning experience for me. I didn't even tell my parents I applied at first because my dad was so convinced I didn't have a chance. But I wanted to take a chance, and along the road I found so many people that supported and believed in me. I've never felt more confident about a decision I've made in life. I really feel like the adcom at Johnson got to know me personally and accepted me for that, and that's a great feeling. It shouldn't have to be about them taking you because of some frosted image you put on. I encourage all of you to think about what's uniquely positive about you, and then sell it. I'll be happy to answer any other questions you have. Smile

Good luck everybody!!

theHOCK · Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 7:15 pm Post subject: Congratulations Sakina!!

I'm just starting out studying for the GMAT and it's refreshing to hear success stories like yours. Congrats again!

saurabhsudhir · Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 9:50 pm Post subject: can you help me

congrats Sakina....

Can you please help me in getting my essays/sop/ref compiled. Did you write them yourself or you took help from consultants?
I you don't mind, can you send a copy of your essays.

saurabhsudhir at gmail dot com

Sakina · Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 6:14 pm Post subject:

No I definitely did not go through a consultant. Sure, email me your essays Ill be glad to take a look: sakinawalsh@yahoo.com

vinviper1 · Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 12:25 pm Post subject:

Congrats

I have a BS Cornell and had a blast there. I too do not have a stellar GMAT -- similar to yours but hope I can get into NYU part time-which is an easier task. I took a few courses at the Johnson school....they were quite interesting.

cyborg · Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2008 6:09 am Post subject:

Hey Sakina,

Congrats !!!

I too have a similar GMAT score (610; V-70, Q-63).
Could you please tell me what kind of work experience you have?
I would like to evaluate myself on this point.

I have been working for more than 2.5 years in IT and telecommunications.
Atleast 1.5 years of it has been international experience and will continue that way as I travel to clients across the globe. I expect good recos.
My acads can be considered to be at an average level.

Thank you.

tushar08 · Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 3:44 am Post subject:

Beautiful post. Beautiful article.

VP_MBA Expert · Posted: Tue Sep 02, 2008 7:55 am Post subject:

Excellent post Sakina. All applicants need to read it and take notes from what you learned. Congratulations!

myt · Posted: Fri Sep 05, 2008 4:14 am Post subject:

Thank You. Thanks a lot for sharing all this information with us.

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