Archives For Patty

Patty’s Path to Wharton: Recommendations (Part 5 of 8)

kfaircloth —  August 29, 2011 — 1 Comment

Patty at WhartonThis is part 5 of a series featuring b-school advice gleaned from one of Manhattan GMAT’s own. Until recently, Patty managed marketing and student services for our sister company, Manhattan LSAT. But she chose to return to business school and started at Wharton last fall. She has agreed to share her application experiences with us  in a series called, “Patty’s Path to Wharton.”
Read Part 4 here.

Recommendations are one of the more fraught aspects of your b-school application, because you’ve got the least control over the process. But, once again,  Patty’s experiences can provide some guidance.
If you’re wondering who to approach, here’s her advice:

People always want to know who to ask for recommendations, the person you work with or the person with the best titles. I already knew who I wanted because I’d worked with them closely. I just knew I wanted people who knew me best as a person and as a professional. My only advice for people who do have that question is to think about it: If you’re on the ad com, do you want a generic form letter or a genuine note? And which one do you think is going to distinguish you from a sea of a thousand.

Once you’ve selected recommenders, be sure to Continue Reading…

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Patty’s Path to Wharton: The Essays (Part 3 of 8)

kfaircloth —  July 28, 2011 — 1 Comment

Patty at WhartonThis is part 3 of a series featuring b-school advice gleaned from one of Manhattan GMAT’s own. Until recently, Patty managed marketing and student services for our sister company,Manhattan LSAT. But she chose to return to business school and started at Wharton last fall. She has agreed to share her application experiences with us  in a series called, “Patty’s Path to Wharton.”
Read Part 2 here.

Once Patty had finished the GMAT, it was on to the essays!

Her first move was to formulate her working process. She spoke to friends who’d attended business school and collected their essays. Then, she printed out various essay questions on heavy cardstock and began carrying them around so she could jot down ideas on the go.

She explains her decision: Continue Reading…

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Patty’s Path to Wharton: The GMAT (Part 2 of 8)

kfaircloth —  July 19, 2011 — 2 Comments

Patty at WhartonThis is part 2 of a series featuring b-school advice gleaned from one of Manhattan GMAT’s own. Until recently, Patty managed marketing and student services for our sister company, Manhattan LSAT. But she chose to return to business school and started at Wharton last fall. She has agreed to share her application experiences with us  in a series called, “Patty’s Path to Wharton.” Read Part 1 here.

Today, Patty’s advice for the GMAT: Take it as soon as possible. “Everyone always says take the GMAT early, but no one actually does that—unless you are me and kind of crazy!” Patty studied on her own before taking her first crack at the exam, and she didn’t get the score she wanted.   “I was so traumatized, I was like, forget it,” she tells us. She knew she had to retake the test, but it was tough to overcome the “inertia” after a disappointing first result. “You get so dejected—I shelved it for like 3 months.”

But after taking a short break, she steeled herself for another try and took a Manhattan GMAT class. “I was glad I did it,” she says. “A lot of people do the GMAT and then applications, and you just get so burned out.” “I could take a mental break and then focus on my story. In the beginning you’re so exhausted you don’t even have the energy to focus on another big task.”

Read Part 3 Here.

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Patty’s Path to Wharton: The Decision (Part 1 of 8)

kfaircloth —  July 7, 2011 — 7 Comments

Starting today, we’ll be featuring b-school advice gleaned from one of Manhattan GMAT’s own. Until recently, Patty managed marketing and student services for our sister company, Manhattan LSAT. But she chose to return to business school and started at Wharton last fall. She has agreed to share her application experiences with us  in a series called, “Patty’s Path to Wharton.”

Even as an undergraduate, Patty knew she wanted to go to grad school. The complicated question was when. “I had always been very mindful that my Yale degree is probably not going to get me to where I want to go,” she says. As she made her way into the consulting industry, Patty found herself unsatisfied with her skill set, and she wanted both a broader network and a more fundamental understanding of business principles. While she still believes a liberal arts degree is great in many ways, “there are gaps in my fundamental education,” she explains. She’d hit a plateau, and business school could get her to the next level. Continue Reading…

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