TestMagic

athena · 01-23-2006, 02:17 PM

I heard someone who scored 640 and got into Wharton School of Business at University of Pennsylvania (It's #3 in the nation). That person wrote a superb essay.

Blase · 01-23-2006, 02:30 PM

Congratulations and best wishes!

What do you think were the strengths of your application? GPA? Special talents?

Mrdstein · 01-23-2006, 04:26 PM

Dear all,

here are my stats:
- 29, male, international applicant from Europe
- Business undergraduate degree from major business school in my country
- GMAT: 680
- TOEFL: 297
- Work Experience: 4.5 years at begin of MBA program (Sept. 2006) in management consulting (Top tier MC-company)

Anything missing ? I will post my experience on application in another post.

MRD

portfolio · 01-26-2006, 03:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mrdstein

Dear all,

here are my stats:
- 29, male, international applicant from Europe
- Business undergraduate degree from major business school in my country
- GMAT: 680
- TOEFL: 297
- Work Experience: 4.5 years at begin of MBA program (Sept. 2006) in management consulting (Top tier MC-company)

Anything missing ? I will post my experience on application in another post.

MRD

Where are you from buddy?
Also,did you apply in Europe or in some other business schools in USA?

Have a good one.

hochfelder · 04-29-2006, 11:40 AM

Do whatever it takes to get into a top school for after that point you're done: I mean, it's not that you'll actually learn that much for that matter ... Recently, an investment bank was horrified to find that an MBA graduate it hired from a leading business school, an individual who had apparently taken a number of courses in finance, could not calculate the net present value of a future stream of payments. On the other hand, it has been described by many authors in detail by now the drinking ritual in which students at Wharton visit 10 bars in one night. This is what happens in business schools, after all, most students simply get drunk. MBA students bond and network. At Stanford learning is not an explicit goal. Grade inflation is pervasive in top schools, thus almost no one fails out of these programs, which means the credential does not serve as a screen or an enforcement of minimum competency standards. In today's prestigious business schools, students have to demonstrate competence to get in, but not to get out. Every student who wants to (and who avoids financial and emotional distress) will graduate. In fact, these schools have developed elaborate grading systems to ensure that even the least competent and least interested get credit.

Ivo · 04-29-2006, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hochfelder

Do whatever it takes to get into a top school for after that point you're done: I mean, it's not that you'll actually learn that much for that matter ... Recently, an investment bank was horrified to find that an MBA graduate it hired from a leading business school, an individual who had apparently taken a number of courses in finance, could not calculate the net present value of a future stream of payments. On the other hand, it has been described by many authors in detail by now the drinking ritual in which students at Wharton visit 10 bars in one night. This is what happens in business schools, after all, most students simply get drunk. MBA students bond and network. At Stanford learning is not an explicit goal. Grade inflation is pervasive in top schools, thus almost no one fails out of these programs, which means the credential does not serve as a screen or an enforcement of minimum competency standards. In today's prestigious business schools, students have to demonstrate competence to get in, but not to get out. Every student who wants to (and who avoids financial and emotional distress) will graduate. In fact, these schools have developed elaborate grading systems to ensure that even the least competent and least interested get credit.

sounds plausible. But I guess this won't surprise too many. Even those who got into them. Business programs do not allocate scholarships, most of their students pay for their schooling. In other words, these schools are big business companies and act as big businesses - they extract money from their students, why would they want to kick them out? What they sell is their name and the network connections etc. But isn't business, after all, a matter of image too? (btw. I think this sucks but it's just the way business operates). I mean getting a HBS stamp on your CV is great, whether your argument is right or wrong. And for sure those who want to get something out of that program, will do so. These schools do offer great possibilities of learning, and they nurture an accumulation of talents. Grade inflation or low attrition rates do not diminish that. What they might do, in the long run, is to hurt the reputation of the program itself. If that happens, it's only fair.

btw. Mrdstein, congratulations, great admit!!!I think many people dream of something you've achieved. Now good luck with your studies, hopefully it'll be worth it.

sch · 04-30-2006, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ivo

These schools do offer great possibilities of learning, and they nurture an accumulation of talents. And for sure those who want to get something out of that program, will do so.

That's the issue, these schools do NOT offer great possibilities to learn, thus those who want to get something out of the program, are not even in a position to do so.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ivo

Grade inflation or low attrition rates do not diminish that. What they might do, in the long run, is to hurt the reputation of the program itself.

They do not hurt the reputation of the program, unfortunately. If they could hurt the program's reputation, they would have already done that. It's not difficult to understand why.

knok · 04-30-2006, 05:51 PM

Hi MRD,

Congratulations for your admission. Great news!

I am looking at this thread and thinking over and over whether I should give my opinion or not. However, as a MBA graduate and I used to work for top-5 pharmaceutical companies in Europe for over ten years, I think that I should contribute something.

MBA program is definitely different from other graduate programs in that it provides different learning experience and outcome. Being a good business person, you need to have an excellent social skill. That's why good business program offers party every Thrusday and Friday. When you are in business, you may get your contract sign in a golf court or in the morning after entertaining your customers at night clubs.

I had two bosses who graduated from Wharton Business school. Of course, I could tell how effective these people were when compared to other bosses. They are talented and know what they are doing. They usually focus on survival and good outcome, not a small thing or a small detail. I also have my uncle who graduated from MBA program at Stanford University. Every step he thought, worked, and walked, he seemed to calculate and think wisely. Other people may walk 10 steps to get to their destination but my uncle may walk only 4 steps to get to the same destination. He always taught me to think carefully before proceeding any project.

It is not easy to graduate from Stanford MBA program. He spent 4 years in business school after struggling with many classes because all of those courses were demanding. He also got an Engineering degree (Bachelor degree) from Stanford as well. Of course, he is qualified for the program. I just don't want anyone to paint a picture that graduating from a top university is a piece of cake.

During my MBA program in the US, I had many professors who graduated from Kellog, U. of Chicago, UC-Berkeley, Washington- Olin Business school, Stanford, Yale, and Harvard school business. One of them is a part time professor at Oxford university in England. I can differentiate their teaching methods and their materials and their demanding for the courses from other professors. Usually, they organizedd syllabus of the courses in interesting and really effective manners. After finishing their courses, I did not feel overwhelmed from the courses but felt that I learnt a lot from them. Their exams were not easy either. The projects they assigned also asked what we really needed to know.

These professors will guide you where you can get information from the subjects, not demand you to memorize things or follow only a few textbooks required by business schools. You must be in on going learning process because business practice has changed every day. Whenever, you stop, you will be behind others. They will not focus you on how to memorize the details but tell you how to get the best sources of materials and use them wisely at the time being.

Therefore, please be proud that you can be one of the stars. I believe that working in European company requires you to be trained at least 25% of your work time. Most of the courses in business school may be repetitive in what you have learned from your company.

Actually 680 on GMAT is not bad either. TOEFL= 297, how can you make it? Awesome... My friend was admitted to MIT with GMAT = 610. Now, he is an executive in a major financial firm in my country.

Good luck and be positive. Oh! get some rest before attending the program and experiencing some culture shocks in America. One more thing, beer in American is a little bit stronger than that in Europe...just a reminder...

Knok

pegasus · 05-01-2006, 08:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by knok

Hi MRD,

Good luck and be positive. Oh! get some rest before attending the program and experiencing some culture shocks in America. One more thing, beer in American is a little bit stronger than that in Europe ... just a reminder...

Knok

LOL about the beer thing Knok! The biggest shock about the American thing, I guarantee to the thread starter, is gonna be the McDonaldization of this country!

hubris · 06-02-2006, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mrdstein

Dear all,

here are my stats:
- 29, male, international applicant from Europe
- Business undergraduate degree from major business school in my country
- GMAT: 680
- TOEFL: 297
- Work Experience: 4.5 years at begin of MBA program (Sept. 2006) in management consulting (Top tier MC-company)

Anything missing ? I will post my experience on application in another post.

MRD

Congrats! These days, getting into Harvard's B-school, No. 3 in the nation is no easy feat. Acceptance requires a resume with plenty of real-world work experience, a degree and a strong GPA from a reputable undergrad school, top GMAT scores, and strong evidence of leadership capabilities.

04-30-2006, 05:51 PM	#18 (permalink)
knok TestMagic Guru Moderator Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: USA Posts: 3,045	Hi MRD, Congratulations for your admission. Great news! I am looking at this thread and thinking over and over whether I should give my opinion or not. However, as a MBA graduate and I used to work for top-5 pharmaceutical companies in Europe for over ten years, I think that I should contribute something. MBA program is definitely different from other graduate programs in that it provides different learning experience and outcome. Being a good business person, you need to have an excellent social skill. That's why good business program offers party every Thrusday and Friday. When you are in business, you may get your contract sign in a golf court or in the morning after entertaining your customers at night clubs. I had two bosses who graduated from Wharton Business school. Of course, I could tell how effective these people were when compared to other bosses. They are talented and know what they are doing. They usually focus on survival and good outcome, not a small thing or a small detail. I also have my uncle who graduated from MBA program at Stanford University. Every step he thought, worked, and walked, he seemed to calculate and think wisely. Other people may walk 10 steps to get to their destination but my uncle may walk only 4 steps to get to the same destination. He always taught me to think carefully before proceeding any project. It is not easy to graduate from Stanford MBA program. He spent 4 years in business school after struggling with many classes because all of those courses were demanding. He also got an Engineering degree (Bachelor degree) from Stanford as well. Of course, he is qualified for the program. I just don't want anyone to paint a picture that graduating from a top university is a piece of cake. During my MBA program in the US, I had many professors who graduated from Kellog, U. of Chicago, UC-Berkeley, Washington- Olin Business school, Stanford, Yale, and Harvard school business. One of them is a part time professor at Oxford university in England. I can differentiate their teaching methods and their materials and their demanding for the courses from other professors. Usually, they organizedd syllabus of the courses in interesting and really effective manners. After finishing their courses, I did not feel overwhelmed from the courses but felt that I learnt a lot from them. Their exams were not easy either. The projects they assigned also asked what we really needed to know. These professors will guide you where you can get information from the subjects, not demand you to memorize things or follow only a few textbooks required by business schools. You must be in on going learning process because business practice has changed every day. Whenever, you stop, you will be behind others. They will not focus you on how to memorize the details but tell you how to get the best sources of materials and use them wisely at the time being. Therefore, please be proud that you can be one of the stars. I believe that working in European company requires you to be trained at least 25% of your work time. Most of the courses in business school may be repetitive in what you have learned from your company. Actually 680 on GMAT is not bad either. TOEFL= 297, how can you make it? Awesome... My friend was admitted to MIT with GMAT = 610. Now, he is an executive in a major financial firm in my country. Good luck and be positive. Oh! get some rest before attending the program and experiencing some culture shocks in America. One more thing, beer in American is a little bit stronger than that in Europe...just a reminder... Knok _ _ _ _ SIG _ _ _ _ "Every reason that tells you that things will never change disappears." "I did what I had to do because it is the right thing to do." Last edited by knok : 04-30-2006 at 09:06 PM.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

01-23-2006, 02:17 PM	#11 (permalink)
athena Eager! Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 34	I heard someone who scored 640 and got into Wharton School of Business at University of Pennsylvania (It's #3 in the nation). That person wrote a superb essay.

01-23-2006, 02:30 PM	#12 (permalink)
Blase Within my grasp! Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 420	Congratulations and best wishes! What do you think were the strengths of your application? GPA? Special talents?

01-23-2006, 04:26 PM	#13 (permalink)
Mrdstein Trying to make mom and pop proud Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 9	Dear all, here are my stats: - 29, male, international applicant from Europe - Business undergraduate degree from major business school in my country - GMAT: 680 - TOEFL: 297 - Work Experience: 4.5 years at begin of MBA program (Sept. 2006) in management consulting (Top tier MC-company) Anything missing ? I will post my experience on application in another post. MRD

04-29-2006, 11:40 AM	#15 (permalink)
hochfelder Trying to make mom and pop proud Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 16	Do whatever it takes to get into a top school for after that point you're done: I mean, it's not that you'll actually learn that much for that matter ... Recently, an investment bank was horrified to find that an MBA graduate it hired from a leading business school, an individual who had apparently taken a number of courses in finance, could not calculate the net present value of a future stream of payments. On the other hand, it has been described by many authors in detail by now the drinking ritual in which students at Wharton visit 10 bars in one night. This is what happens in business schools, after all, most students simply get drunk. MBA students bond and network. At Stanford learning is not an explicit goal. Grade inflation is pervasive in top schools, thus almost no one fails out of these programs, which means the credential does not serve as a screen or an enforcement of minimum competency standards. In today's prestigious business schools, students have to demonstrate competence to get in, but not to get out. Every student who wants to (and who avoids financial and emotional distress) will graduate. In fact, these schools have developed elaborate grading systems to ensure that even the least competent and least interested get credit.

TestMagic

Free GMAT, GRE, SAT Test, TOEFL practice tests