GRE vs GMAT

I guess a lot of you might have already started thinking about this. GRE goes for a makeover this August and for the first time, comes closer to the pattern and format of GMAT. Why is this important?

A lot of you might already know that GRE is accepted by almost 400 b-schools, including some of the biggies like Yale, HBS, Stanford, MIT, Insead to name a few. I am sure with this change, more b-schools might consider accepting GRE scores. Basically, ETS is going for a makeover with the change in GRE format. According to Clearadmit, the follwoing changes in GRE are significant:

Quantitative Section
• More data analysis
• Less geometry
• The introduction of numeric entry questions that require test takers to provide a specific answer rather than select from multiple choices
• An on-screen calculator, which could mean more complex math questions

Verbal Section
• No more antonym or analogy questions
• The introduction of in-context questions designed to test both reasoning skills and vocabulary
• New “strengthen/weaken” reading comprehension questions, similar to those on the GMAT

Does the above changes sound similar? Yes, GRE is coming closer to GMAT. It would be interesting to see how GMAT responds to this change when it goes for a makeover next year. As of now, it is good for the applicants if more b-schools start accepting the GRE scores.

But here is one catch. It seems that people taking the GRE test in august won’t be able to get their scores till November. Personally, I feel that it is not fair and I would like to take this opportunity to appeal on behalf of all test-takes from August to all the b-schools accepting GRE scores or are planning to accept, kindly make some changes to your deadlines to accommodate special cases like this for the current year. I feel that any step by b-schools to address this concern of applicants would play a big role in their fairness to the system and the candidates.

I would also request my readers to support this appeal by just clicking on the like button or sharing this post across. Additionally, I would also request the admission consultants and Admission Committees of all b-schools, if they are reading to consider the applicants taking GRE in August fairly and not to discard them right away just because they are yet to get their scores.

Source: http://blog.clearadmit.com/2011/02/important-information-for-prospective-mba-applicants-considering-the-gre/

BeatTheGMAT $100K Challenge Pre-Registration

Hello All, this is an amazing contest by BeatTheGMAT: $100K Challenge. Why I am applying: I want to win the first bumper prize. What is it? Well, it is something I feel is going to interest everyone out here in the MBA Aspirant Community. The Grand Prize is:

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Guided Tour of 5 Elite Business Schools — $25,000 Value

• Visit 5 Elite Business Schools: You’ll visit Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan, Stanford GSB, Haas and one add’l US b-school of your choice.
• Network with Current MBA Students: You’ll meet with at least 2 current MBA students at each of the schools to gain perspectives on life at the schools and what it takes to get in.
• Get All Expenses Paid by Beat The GMAT: We’ll pay for everything – flights from anywhere in the world, hotels, transportation, food and entertainment. Think of it as an awesome one-week vacation!
• Receive Personal Coaching: Throughout the week that you’re here, Eric (Beat The GMAT’s Founder, Stanford ’04, ’05) and David (Beat The GMAT’s CEO, MIT ’94, Harvard Law ’99, McKinsey, BCG) will provide advice on your application strategy.

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I don’t know about you but I am definitely in the race. Can’t have any better opportunity.

What are you waiting for? Go and try your luck the only thing you must have is a facebook account.

Registration Link: http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/100k

Haas Business School Webinar

Accepted.com brings to you yet another great webinar. A chat with Haas’s Senior Associate Director, Stephanie Fujii.

Day: Wednesday

Time: 10.00 AM – 11.00 AM PST

Date: 25 August, 2010

Thanks Linda for such a great opportunity.

A Brief about the session: Stephanie Fujii, UC Berkeley Haas’s Senior Associate Director of MBA Admissions, will participate in this  Q&A devoted to Berkeley’s MBA admissions policies, program, and student life. Haas’s mantra of leading through innovation is appropriate for a top MBA program located in a hotbed of technological innovation and entrepreneurship. If you are applying to Haas, this is an outstanding opportunity to ask all your questions about this innovative, entrepreneurial program.

Registration Link: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/969899323

Free Webinar on Selecting B-Schools: Adcoms from Haas, Ross

Oh Yeah Guys, for all those interested in either the topic or the b-schools: Haas and Ross, mbaMission brings to you a golden opportunity for a free webinar on Jul 21, 2010.

The recent post of mbaMission calls for participants to register themselves at http://www.manhattangmat.com/EventShow.cfm?EID=3&eventID=5997:

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Join us for the special session of our B-School selection workshop with special guests from the University of Michigan Ross Business School and the University of California Berkeley Haas School of Business!

Jeremy Shinewald, Founder and President of mbaMission, will help prospective MBAs understand the differences that exist among top MBA programs. Jeremy will elaborate on areas that will profoundly affect your academic and social lives in b-school including flexibility of a program’s curriculum, breadth of core courses, different methods of instruction, varying sizes of the cohorts and more. Our special guests from the admissions offices of the University of Michigan Ross Business School and UC Berkeley Haas School of business will discuss these elements as they pertain to their programs. Start preparing now so you can be sure to make an educated decision when you apply!

There will be a Q&A session after the presentation to discuss your own personal inquiries.

Join us for this valuable event that will be essential to your B-School planning!

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Additionally, there are some cool take-away for each participant:

• $100 off any 9-session ManhattanGMAT course
• Free access to a ManhattanGMAT computer adaptive practice exam
• Free half hour consultation with an mbaMission consultant

Sounds Cool? What are waiting for. I am attending and I hope to see you at the seminar. And yes, both Ross and Haas are currently in my prospective list of B-Schools and 99% they are going to stick there, itself.

Haas Dean Interview and more

Hi Folks, how are your preparations? Do write back. Well, from my side, I have few updates:

1.  GMAT: Yes, I am closing down to the final round with mocks as much as possible now. I was planning to take the test sometime towards end of this month but had to postpone. My father got transferred to another city and I had to fly back to home to help him with his shift. In fact, I am writing this post from a new place. I will be back in Bangalore by this weekend. The plan is to concentrate on mocks and try to get accustomed to the time format of GMAT and once 2-3 consistent good scores and I will book my date. I am confident this time.

2. Dean Interview: Recently, Richard Lyons, Dean, Haas Business School, University of Berkeley, gave an interview at GMAC. I feel the interview transcript is a worth read for anyone planning to apply to Haas. Some of the prominent insights are:

• managers and leaders increasingly need to influence without authority or beyond authority
• One has to look at the broader social context and understand that society is not that happy with us as business schools. So a major challenge is to respond intelligently to the fact that we are part of a system that performed very poorly over the last three years. Are we to blame? Obviously not exclusively, but we are part of that system
• One of the big opportunities is for schools to redifferentiate, to find the heartbeat of your school and try to use it as a true north
• The archetype of the Innovative Leader is deeply anchored in the distinctive culture at Berkeley, and [inherently] is tightly woven into the curriculum
• What type of leader do you then produce? Why does the future demand this kind of leader? Call it “competitive advantage” or any other name, the big brass ring out there is organizational capacity to produce differentness. Every business school has to think hard about innovation, but what I think is different [with the Haas model] is the focus and coherence around the idea that this is the capacity-building leader we really need.

I feel that Dean Lyons is very visionary and insightful in his interview. The competition among b-schools to differentiate and innovate is as intense as we strive to do the same while applying to our choice of b-schools. Moreover, I completely agree with Dean Lyons when he mentioned that manager or a leader influence not limited to authority alone. Sometimes, we see people in our vicinity who force their decisions just because one is a manager, MD or CEO. Such people forget that if one can gain the respect and build the reputation of trust among their colleagues and subordinates, then the same decisions will have their long term valuable impact and this would be a REAL CHANGE.

Source: GMAC Dean’s Digest

3. Stanford GSB Graduation Commencement: Yes, GSB guys graduated this weekend. Congratulations to all. Entrepreneur, Jeff Skoll, advised the class “Define your dream and chase it with as much rigor and authenticity as you can muster“.

I feel that is a very strong message and has all the right messages of life imprinted in one sentence.

Dean, Professor Garth Saloner summarized by saying “In summary, please indulge me just one last time when I say I hope you will lead a life of impact and meaning, and that you will ‘change lives, change organizations, change the world.”

I feel that GSB aspirants should mark this statement of Dean Saloner. Talk to any alumni, browse through the curriculum of GSB or read through the experiences of any Stanford GSB student/graduate and I am sure you will feel the deeper essence of Dean Saloner’s statement. Let me see if I can quickly get a respond of my friend, Marquis, on the statement of Dean Saloner too. All I can say this is a feeling which you will get strongly if you research GSB from the bottom of your interest with utmost sincerity.

Source: http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/news/headlines/2010commencement.html

For those, who missed the live commencement of the graduation, I am embedding the commencement video here below.

Lastly, wish me luck on my final round to GMAT.

Drafting your essays, watch this

Watch this video if you are thinking of starting to draft your application essays. The message is very clear and it is applicable when we tell our story to or B-School. For me, it is like lying to your parents to take their advantage. But in the due process, we miss the essence: if they find out, we may lose them forever even when they will be alive. If one feels deeply about his dream B-School, then for me it is like my family and I will be honest with my feelings and dreams and I believe, with that even though late but then I will be become their inevitable part forever.

Haas revamps its MBA curriculum

Well, let me tell you why Haas before I go further. University of California, Berkeley was one of the best moment of my life. I visited Berkeley Campus during my official HQ trip to USA in the Bay Area. The campus visit was one of my memorable ones. Though it was a holiday and I did not find any students int he campus but the visit and 5 hrs at Berkeley campus was enough for me to be part of the b-school when I decided to go for my MBA. Yes, I am going to compete for the Haas Business School with all my power.

Now that you know Haas is one of prospective B-School, I was thrilled and excited when I heard about the news of Haas revamping its MBA curriculum. Anyone aspiring for Haas might know that the school defines innovative leaders as individuals who drive growth by putting new ideas into action in every corner and every function of their organizations, and who do so responsibly. The differentiaiting factor of Haas is Berkeley Innovative Leader Development (BILD) and it seems that it runs through the breadth, height and length of the amazing years of MBA at Haas. oNe interesting excerpt from the article was:

As part of the strategic planning process, the school codified its culture into four defining principles:

– Question the Status Quo: Being able to envision a different reality, to take intelligent risks, and to learn from failure, as well as having the courage to speak our minds.

– Confidence without Attitude: Being able to make decisions based on facts and analysis, giving us the confidence to act without arrogance, leading through trust and collaboration.

– Students Always: Having a mindset of curiosity and lifelong learning, seeking personal growth, and practicing behavior that tells others we can learn from them.

– Beyond Yourself: Considering the long-term impact of our actions and the facility for putting larger interests above our own.

These four defining principles will be used in the selection process of MBA students, as well as be integrated into the curriculum in various ways. “These principles have always been the Haas heartbeat, but we have never articulated them until now and have never used them so deliberately to shape our students and graduates,” said Dean Lyons.

Few questions that immediately came to my mind was whether there will be some serious changes in the application essays this year considering the fact that the curriculum has changed. But never mind, I am sure people like me who are genuinely interested in Haas will be able to pull it through. So, keeping my fingers crossed and awaiting the Haas application eagerly.

Source: Forbes Article on Haas