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Patty’s Path to Wharton: Staying Sane While Waiting To Hear Back (Part 8 of 8)

Tom Williams — December 6, 2011 — 5 Comments

Patty at Wharton This is part 8 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 7 here.

Today, we talk to Patty about the dreaded waiting period. “The process was agonizing, because you have nothing else to do,” she says.

In Admissions Tips, MBA/B-School admissions, Patty's Path, Wharton

Patty’s Path to Wharton: Admissions Interview (Part 6 of 8)

kfaircloth — October 11, 2011 — 3 Comments

Patty at Wharton This is part 6 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 5 here.

This week, we’re chatting with Patty about the admissions interview. She compares the experience—especially when it takes place at a coffee shop—to a first date. “You wonder what they look like, but you don’t want to be creepy and you don’t want to ask every person in the café. Should I have worn a rose?” As for the awkward question of who buys, she says there are two solutions. “You can get there early and buy your own, or just pay if you arrive at the same time. Offer politely, but if they say no and insist, that’s fine. Like a date.”

In Admissions Tips, MBA/B-School admissions interview, interview, Patty's Path, Wharton

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

kfaircloth — August 29, 2011 — 1 Comment

Patty at Wharton This 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…

In Admissions Tips, MBA/B-School Patty, Patty's Path, recommendations, Wharton

Patty’s Path to Wharton: Short-Answer Questions (Part 4 of 8)

kfaircloth — August 8, 2011 — Leave a comment

Patty at Wharton This is part 4 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 3 here.

Short answer questions are truly a case of the devil lurking in the details. The name sounds like a breeze, but if you don’t get cracking ahead of time, you’ll be pulling an all-nighter to get them done. Patty explains:

You’d be very much surprised to see how many short answers there are on extracurriculars and work experience, so don’t wait until the last minute. You can’t do it on the fly right before submitting. It took much longer than I anticipated. There are a limited number of overall characters for the section and you have to allot them very carefully—it’s such a pain.

To complicate matters further, multiple schools ask the same question but with varying length requirements. “Harvard would say describe your responsibilities in 1000 characters, then Stanford would say 300 characters.”

I found myself swapping out verbs for shorter verbs. You have to shorten and make sure it still sounds a little punchy. For the same description, you have to write it three different times. It can take a painfully long time. And some people don’t realize this until the day before, so they stay up all night crafting them. Also, if you can do this any earlier, get all your verification as early as possible. Exact salaries, bonuses, date of employment, starting salary, ending salary, etc. Get all your transcripts ahead of time. Make sure your GMAT scores are sent. Some people don’t know where they’re applying when they take it, so they have to make sure. Schools always say you have to have the GMAT scores in first.

Next: Read Patty’s advice on Recommendations here.

In Admissions Tips, MBA/B-School Patty's Path, short-answer questions

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

kfaircloth — July 28, 2011 — 1 Comment

Patty at Wharton This 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…

In Admissions Tips, MBA/B-School essays, Patty, Patty's Path, Wharton

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

kfaircloth — July 19, 2011 — 2 Comments

Patty at Wharton This 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.

In Admissions Tips, MBA/B-School business school, Business School applications, GMAT, Patty, Patty's Path, Wharton

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…

In Admissions Tips, MBA/B-School application, b-school, business school, consulting, decision, Patty, Patty's Path, Wharton