All Tips

Since we last met, I've moved to Los Angeles and am now more than halfway through my first quarter of studies at UCLA's Anderson School of Management (Anderson Full-Time MBA Profile). Before I get to the experience thus far, I'd like to backtrack and offer a bit more perspective on the whole business school process, mainly the GMAT, choosing programs, and the application.

When I ultimately decided I was going to give business school a go in the summer of 2008, my first concern was the GMAT. Since I'm averse to parting ways with thousands of my own hard-earned dollars, I didn't sign up for any GMAT courses; I just bought every book I could get my hands on and studied after work and on weekends. I definitely freaked out along the way, mostly because of the old-school tendencies hardwired in my brain. For starters, it took me a while to get used to the idea of a computerized test. The last time I took an exam this important was when I sat for the SAT more than a decade earlier. Staring at a computer screen and doing math problems was weird; I think I'll always be a "fill in the bubble" kind of guy. Making things worse, I never wanted to give up on a question. As a matter of pride, I endeavored to get everything right, and that wasn't too helpful in preparing for a timed test that doesn't let you skip questions and go back. Once I realized I can't be great at everything, such as statistics, and should moved on if I did not know how to answer, I started making some progress. In terms of books to purchase, the official guides put out by GMAC (the makers of the GMAT) are good, as they provide you with real questions from past exams. The GMAT is an adaptive test, however, so I quickly learned that getting virtually everything in the book right does not translate to a high score on the exam, because you won't be facing so many easy questions. The books I found most helpful were put out by Manhattan GMAT Prep. Once I started using them, I began seeing serious results. Of course, my happiest moment was promptly selling all the books on Craigslist after the exam.

FORTUITOUS LAYOFF
While I gave thought to where I was going to apply from the beginning, I didn't make any decisions until after the GMAT. My best advice about how to go about choosing, though, is to determine, at least roughly, what you want to do after business school. Each program has its own strengths and weaknesses. I knew I wanted to remain in the media and entertainment field, and it became clear through researching their sites that the schools with programs geared to that specialty were located in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago (go figure). Hence, I opted to apply to Columbia (Columbia Full-Time MBA Profile), NYU (Stern Full-Time MBA Profile), UCLA, and Northwestern (Kellogg Full-Time MBA Profile). In terms of the application process, I was fortunate to have been laid off two days before my GMAT exam.Accordingly, after a weekend of celebrating the end of the GMAT, I had ample time to sit down and complete the applications. (I don't necessarily recommend getting laid off to facilitate completing your applications, but it doesn't hurt, either.) If I hadn't been let go, I imagine working on my applications would've replaced my GMAT study time. The point is, the essays are time consuming, so plan accordingly.