22:41
Faizan
Once you've decided to pursue an MBA, you've got your work cut out for you. Applicants need to fit studying for the GMAT exam and developing essays in with other personal and professional commitments. If you're planning to apply to business school in the fall, now is the time to come up with a game plan for completing the admissions components within a schedule that doesn't necessitate sleepless nights and a jumbo bottle of Maalox. The best way to do this is to put together your application timeline months before your target deadlines.
Allot time for essays and the GMAT: We're slightly more than three months away from Round One at most schools. If you haven't started your applications and are wondering if you still have time, it depends. Among the factors you should weigh: how much time you have in your schedule, how difficult it is for you to write essays, and how focused and motivated you are. In general, three to four months is enough time to submit several applications in the first round. You'll be working hard, but that is a realistic timeline.
The amount of time MBA aspirants will spend on their applications will vary, depending on writing abilities and general work efficiency. That said, plan to spend between 40 and 60 hours preparing four to eight applications. Non-native English speakers will also likely need to allot more time on their applications, particularly on writing, revising, editing, proofing, formatting, and inputting essays.
The other piece of this puzzle is, of course, the GMAT. Have you completed the GMAT and are you satisfied with your score? If you still need to take the test, you may have a lot of work ahead of you, as applicants typically devote at least 100 hours to test preparation. Depending on where you are in the process, you may have to take a prep class and perhaps take the test more than once. If this is the case, Round One may not be a realistic option.
Structure your work sessions: Some people work most efficiently when they can break up tasks into smaller, more manageable pieces, while others prefer to devote several hours to their writing in one sitting. MBA applicants should be aware of the way they work most effectively and structure their writing and editing sessions accordingly.
Some candidates wait until the very last minute to work on their applications. They plan to take the week off of work, deprive themselves of sleep, and devote all of their time to writing essays to submit in the first round. They figure that 100 hours of work should do the trick. While that may be plenty of time, that strategy is rarely successful. This is a personal, soul-searching process, and sometimes you just need to call it a night and sleep on it--something that's tough to do when you only have a week.
Candidates should allocate two to three hours each time they sit down to work on their essays, particularly for the first few drafts. Essays should be approached holistically; you won't have a compelling final product if you snatched 15 minutes here and 30 minutes there to cobble together that "knowledge into action" essay for the Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania.
Conversely, most applicants should also avoid the "marathon session." Few people are still sharp or creative eight hours into a writing and editing session. If you need to make up for lost time, try breaking it up with a session in the morning and another in the evening.
Allot time for essays and the GMAT: We're slightly more than three months away from Round One at most schools. If you haven't started your applications and are wondering if you still have time, it depends. Among the factors you should weigh: how much time you have in your schedule, how difficult it is for you to write essays, and how focused and motivated you are. In general, three to four months is enough time to submit several applications in the first round. You'll be working hard, but that is a realistic timeline.
The amount of time MBA aspirants will spend on their applications will vary, depending on writing abilities and general work efficiency. That said, plan to spend between 40 and 60 hours preparing four to eight applications. Non-native English speakers will also likely need to allot more time on their applications, particularly on writing, revising, editing, proofing, formatting, and inputting essays.
The other piece of this puzzle is, of course, the GMAT. Have you completed the GMAT and are you satisfied with your score? If you still need to take the test, you may have a lot of work ahead of you, as applicants typically devote at least 100 hours to test preparation. Depending on where you are in the process, you may have to take a prep class and perhaps take the test more than once. If this is the case, Round One may not be a realistic option.
Structure your work sessions: Some people work most efficiently when they can break up tasks into smaller, more manageable pieces, while others prefer to devote several hours to their writing in one sitting. MBA applicants should be aware of the way they work most effectively and structure their writing and editing sessions accordingly.
Some candidates wait until the very last minute to work on their applications. They plan to take the week off of work, deprive themselves of sleep, and devote all of their time to writing essays to submit in the first round. They figure that 100 hours of work should do the trick. While that may be plenty of time, that strategy is rarely successful. This is a personal, soul-searching process, and sometimes you just need to call it a night and sleep on it--something that's tough to do when you only have a week.
Candidates should allocate two to three hours each time they sit down to work on their essays, particularly for the first few drafts. Essays should be approached holistically; you won't have a compelling final product if you snatched 15 minutes here and 30 minutes there to cobble together that "knowledge into action" essay for the Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania.
Conversely, most applicants should also avoid the "marathon session." Few people are still sharp or creative eight hours into a writing and editing session. If you need to make up for lost time, try breaking it up with a session in the morning and another in the evening.
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