Gmat

[Bradford]

OK - still looking for a job, but I had already decided to apply to graduate school for the fall to get my MBA. So I took the GMAT today and scored 650.

I'm actually pretty pleased with that result, I only even decided to apply to graduate school about 2-weeks ago, got laid off last week and have been scrambling to relearn high school algebra and geometry (that I haven't done in over 20-years) in the last 3-4 days.

I drop off all my information tomorrow and should hear soon whether I'm accepted into the Evening MBA program at ASU for the fall.

Wish me luck!

 

[skalogre]

Good luck! Let us know what happens.

 

[globetrotter]

good luck, its not easy going back to school, and you deserve a lot of respect for doing it when your life is in turmoil.

 

[Tyto]

Good luck, definitely!

I'm right there with you on the school front--going to law school this fall, after 10+ years "in the world."

 

[DNW]

Best of luck. You won't regret it one bit.

 

[Buster]

650 is a descent score (the median in the top schools is around 710) and with the work experience you have you can get into better programs.
The question is why do you settle for ASU. I assume that you would like to keep all the options open - but with the exceutive programs (or part time - evening) programs offered by most top schools - you can actually combine work and studies.
The material is not going to be different - but you get a better network and a more prestigous degree.
Good luck.

 

[tbabes]

Good luck -- 650 is a good score and should be more than adequate for the vast majority of programs.

 

[VKK3450]

Good skills on the 650. I took it earlier this year and went through the whole application process. Bit daunting, but all went well. I am off to Oxford in the fall.

K

 

[alflauren]

Good luck to all who have taken it/will be taking it. I'm planning on taking the exam in early Sept.

I wouldn't call it "settling" for ASU - some people just don't want to (or can't) relocate. The problem with the west coast is that there just aren't nearly as many good business schools close by.

 

[DNW]

Originally Posted by alflauren

The problem with the west coast is that there just aren't nearly as many good business schools close by.
Just off the top of my head: Marshall (USC), Anderson (UCLA), Haas (Berkeley), Stanford, and Thunderbird (AZ). I think in Bradford's case, it's just more difficult to relocate when there's family involved.

 

[alflauren]

I didn't say there weren't any. I just said there weren't nearly as many.

Looking at the US News top 25, just three schools (Stanford, UCLA, and Haas) are on the west coast, and one (UT) is in Texas. The rest are in the midwest or on the East Coast.

 

[Bradford]

Thanks guys -

I will find out early next week if I am accepted.

Yes, one consequence of being married with children and owning a house is that I can't just pick-up and move. Thunderbird is actually just as close to my house as ASU, but they don't offer an Evening program and you have to speak a foreign language (my joke is that I took Spanish in elementary school, French in high school and German in college and instead of becoming multilingual, I am multi-illiterate

)

The ASU Evening Program is actually ranked quite high (currently #14 in the country among evening and part-time programs) by U.S. News, is something I can do while working and allows us to stay in Phoenix keeping the kids close to my in-laws here and my parents in Tucson.

Cost is also an issue, as the internet or executive programs offered by some of the top schools are quite a bit more expensive.

If I'd done this 20-years-ago, I'd definitely have looked at moving to other locations, but that's just not feasible anymore.

 

[drizzt3117]

Originally Posted by alflauren

I didn't say there weren't any. I just said there weren't nearly as many.

Looking at the US News top 25, just three schools (Stanford, UCLA, and Haas) are on the west coast, and one (UT) is in Texas. The rest are in the midwest or on the East Coast.

Well, if you're looking to stay in a particular location, going to business school there makes a lot of sense.

Business school rankings are very artificial, as the surveys are kind of a joke. I worked closely with one of the professors who did a detailed statistical analysis of the survey histories with salary survey numbers from exiting classes and found a very close correlation. The problem is, those numbers aren't at all verified by BW/US News/FT/NYT, and some of the surveys weigh strange things. In my opinion, rankings come more into play when you talk about top five schools as some companies don't recruit outside of the top five or perhaps top 10, after that it's pretty much up in the air. Quality of alumni and placement thereof is quite important as well. By the way, UCSD just opened their business school this year, or last year, I can't recall.

Congrats on the score Bradford and good luck with your application process!

 

[lifersfc]

i'm studying to take the gmat right now, although i'm at a little different stage in life (just graduated from college). if you were able to score a 650 with so little prep, you might want to think about putting some serious effort and going for 700+ which would make it much easier to get into top programs. just a thought...

 

[drizzt3117]

Originally Posted by lifersfc

i'm studying to take the gmat right now, although i'm at a little different stage in life (just graduated from college). if you were able to score a 650 with so little prep, you might want to think about putting some serious effort and going for 700+ which would make it much easier to get into top programs. just a thought...

Evening MBA programs typically have lower requirements than full-time programs.

Also, GMAT is only a small part of the application package, it's relatively difficult to go to business school right out of undergrad as a lot of business schools want individuals with 2+ years of work experience but it certainly isn't unheard of. In that case, GMAT/GPA will be especially important as well as recs from internship employers etc.