Cappy

Definitely agreed on geographic flexibility. I graduated last year with an MBA in a program ranked in the 20's. My school has a strong presence with employers in our geographic area (within 200 or so miles), but we don't have many people across the country. Those that did move to different locations are working for much smaller firms for a lot less money, so the ROI probably wasn't there for them. From talking with friends in many other MBA programs, unless you are going to the top 5-10 (Chicago, Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, etc.), you will have a much more difficult time relocating. Back to your relationship, doingfine said - "You will resent your boyfriend for the rest of your time together unless you choose the PhD." Unfortunately this is probably true, especially if you feel as strongly as you said in the original post. If you truly want to get your PhD and decide to stick around to get the MBA, you'll always wonder "what if?" The problem is that if you don't do the PhD, you'll regret your choice and probably resent him. If you move for the PhD and just tell your significant other that it's what you want to do, he'll feel pushed out and will probably resent you for forcing his hand. So I'd suggest having an open conversation with your him and look at all options. Make sure you stress how important this is to you, but also let him know that you really want him to be a part of it. Part of him probably feels scared that you're moving on to this new program, and he is becoming less important in your life. If he feels important as well and is included in the whole process, he might be much more likely to go along with it.

This might be more of a question to the folks who are already in PhD programs or have been accepted to multiple schools, but does an example like this happen often? I'd like to think that if someone can certainly narrow down their list because of an absolute preference, they will withdraw their application. Wouldn't it be more likely that someone is holding offers from multiple schools and not 100% clear on where they'd like to go. If I hadn't made up my mind completely yet, I would want to wait until visits/flyouts/more research/etc.

This might be the only important factor that could potentially give you a reason to apply again next year. The acceptance rates of most top programs are very low and each school has their own set of criteria in the application process. Just because you might be a great applicant that can get into T10 schools, you'll still probably get rejects from several (if not most) of them. Applying to 3 schools is a very low number - most people apply to many more. If you're willing to bend your personal reasons and apply more widely, you might just be able to get into a school in the prestige level you want. But if you're stuck to that small subset (perhaps location based), I'd agree with what everyone else said.

You could call the PhD program coordinator to ask, but I'm certain the school would have an area in the PhD office that you could temporarily store a small roller luggage for the day while interviewing with various professors.

Congrats CSFive! Wharton is obviously a great program, and I'm sure you'll do well there. Additionally, Philly is a really great city to be in - lots of history, great things to do, and good food!

While I won't suggest that you pick one school over the other, I really agree with the point that your spouse has to be happy for your situation to work. If you move to a place where your spouse knows nobody and cannot get a job, it will be very difficult on him/her. I just finished an MBA program, and I saw this with several people within my class. I plan on entering a PhD program in 2 years. I have already started the conversation with my girlfriend about potential schools to apply to, and I already know that there are some great schools that might be a good fit that I will not be applying to because we have no friends and family there. Good luck with the decision!

Doingfine - Does your boss currently know that you are in the application process for PhD programs? OperationTwist - You can also find lectures online at the MIT Open Courseware website, which may be more helpful than trying to read through textbooks.

I've been following this thread, but this is exactly what I was thinking as well. From what it sounds like to me, you didn't have a strong urge to get a PhD even entering the program from this comment in your first post: I'm sure this line of thought could absolutely work out for some people. But it doesn't seem to me like you knew what you were getting into, and a lot of you misses your old job where you could coast and make good money - which is totally fine! I know everyone else has made similar comments about talking to faculty, students, advisors, etc., and that's definitely a great idea. But you need to think hard about what you're going to be happy doing for the rest of your life. Regarding the second point imadeit made, transferring into an MBA program or getting an MS out of it is a real possibility. I just finished an MBA program last year and we had 2 people transfer into my program when they decided a PhD was not for them. Good luck with the decision process - just make sure you can be happy with whatever decision you make!

You should definitely give it to a native speaker to proof it, but I'm sure it won't matter either way as long as it's nothing big like naming the wrong school. I've seen many typos in major journal articles that make it by lots of reviewers and editors, so a small typo in a SOP won't be the end of the world.

Thanks busybee - what kind of schools allow someone to enroll in doctoral level courses or seminars as a non-matriculating student? Unless they are on weekends or evenings, I am not sure I could make my schedule work with that (I work a normal 40 hour/week job now). If they are at odd hours (or at least late in the day), that sounds like a great idea to look into. Any other suggestions? I have a good relationship with the PhD faculty lead of the school I received my MBA (he taught a marketing analysis class I took). Would it be worthwhile to reach out to him and volunteer in any research opportunities?

Hey everyone - I hope you all are starting to get good news as decisions start to come in! I have a question for those who have recently gone through the application process or are currently in PhD programs. I'm applying to PhD programs in Fall 2013 to enter a PhD program in Fall 2014. I realize I have quite a bit of time before I even start applications. However since I already know I am going to be applying to programs, I want to be proactive and take these next 18-24 months to strengthen my profile (below). As of now I have no research experience - how big of a problem is this for top schools? Do any current PhD students have insights into any volunteer opportunities they have heard of that I would be able to leverage to improve this experience? Additionally, is there anything else besides research I should be doing to shore up my profile? Undergrad: Top 20 US Chemical Engineering Program - Graduated in 2003 Undergrad GPA: 3.51/4.00 Graduate: MBA (Focus in Analytic Marketing), Top 25 US Program - Graduated in 2011 Grad GPA: 4.00/4.00 GMAT: 750 (98th percentile overall, 99th percentile quantitative section) Research Experience: None Teaching Experience: TA work in school, Taught GMAT prep courses, Led review sessions for economics & statistics exams for MBA courses, 5 years instructor led training experience in consulting firm Research Interests: Game Theory, Sports Economics & Markets, Market Organization & Structure, Modeling Thanks in advance for all the help - I greatly appreciate it! Cappy

S(3) = 0 and S(n) = S(n-1) -10 Substituting S(3) for S(n-1) and S(4) for S(n), we can get S(4) = 0 - 10 = -10. Similarly, S(5) = S(4) - 10 = -10 - 10 = -20 S(6) = -30, S(7) = -40, etc. You can see that the numbers decrease by 10 every time. S(25) = -220 ---> B

So I'm taking the GMAT again...not because I did poorly the first time. As a matter of fact, I did very well. I scored a 750 (50Q, 41V) when I first took the GMAT. I'm taking it again because my 5-year window will be expiring. I took the GMAT in early 2008 to enter an MBA program, which I did from 2009-2011. However, I have recently decided that I want to continue studies within a PhD program in either Business Administration or Marketing. However, right now I have way too much in student loans and my fiance just started her MBA part time. So I'm going to wait a few years to let her finish and pay off my loans. I plan to apply in 2013 for entry in 2014. At the time of my application, I'll be past my 5-year window. So I'll have to take the test all over again. I learned a lot in preparing for the test the first time around. Since that time, I tutored some students privately to help them study for the GMAT. I also taught GMAT prep courses for a year during my MBA to make some extra money. With all of that experience under my belt, my plan will be much much better this time. My goal is to beat my 750 score and to get a 51 on the Q section. So far this forum has been very helpful for me in gathering information going into the very beginnings of my PhD application process. I figured the only real way I can give back now is in the test prep area. So here's my plan and tips for success. Feel free to copy it all you want! I found that it worked really well for me and friends of mine who have followed it have done well too. I went from scoring mid-600's on my first practice tests to consistently getting in the mid-700's when I was about to take the exam to when I did take it. 1. Start Early - You may have noticed I'm applying in 2013, yet I'm starting to talk about taking the GMAT in 2011. When applying for my MBA, I was also trying to study for the GMAT. It was just too much. I thought I could study on the side for a month while I was doing my applications. Scoring well on the GMAT requires a longer-term commitment. You don't want to be juggling multiple things at once. If I am working on my SOP and getting recommendations in 2013, I want to be completely done with GMAT stuff in 2012. So the plan for me is to take the test at some point next year. 2. Make a Plan - I originally started studying by just doing problems. While you need to do problems, it's important you plan out doing different work on different days. Schedule out your sessions and focus that way. For me, it will be spending a 3:1 ratio on Verbal to Quantitative - 1 session on quantitative, then one each on RC, SC, and CR. I will focus on individual problem types for the first few months of studying and wait to merge them all in one session until the last month before the exam. I plan to study 2-3x per week for about 2 hours per session over the course of 4-6 months. I'll take a practice exam once every 3 weeks to keep myself fresh. 3. Register for the Exam - This is obvious, but it's easy to keep putting it off. I once read a story about a general who would lead his army over a bridge into a battle and then burn the bridge after they crossed. Not having the option to back out made his army fight more fiercely and better. It's almost better to limit your options in this case too. If you have to take an exam on a certain date, you will force yourself to study and do the work. If you don't register and keep putting it off, your studying will almost certainly suffer. I'm not sure when I'll take it yet, but my study plan will conclude with a logical test date. I'll register immediately for that date. 4. Study with a Purpose - I always told my clients that spending a 2 hour sessions just doing problems was a waste and only marginally better than not studying at all. Doing problems aimlessly will not help you. You need to do 2 other things besides doing the problems. You need to spend time reviewing concepts and GMAT question types. If you know what to look for on the exam, you'll have a much easier time. The GMAT reuses the same types of questions over and over again, so studying these concepts will help drill them into your head. The other thing is that you need to review all the problems you do - even the ones you get right. Actively reading all of these explanations may seem boring, but it conditions you to understand and learn the answers. Understanding the questions will help you recognize potential patterns on the exam. Within my 2 hour sessions, the first 45 minutes will be spent reviewing concepts for the question types that I will be doing that day. The middle 30 minutes will be spent doing problems. And the final 45 minutes will be spent reviewing problems. That's only 25% of the time devoted to actually doing the problems. 5. Simulate Test Day - This is the final piece and just as important. Many people do everything great above and then bomb on test day because they get flustered and are not ready. This can't happen. Not only do you need to be practicing full exams, but you also need to be simulating the full testing conditions. You probably don't need to do this on every practice exam, but I'd venture to say that you need to do this at least 2 times. When I first took the test, the most valuable experience I had was knowing what to expect. About 1 week prior to the exam, I simulated test day. I took a day off of work, woke up early, and took the exam in my apartment while trying to perfectly recreate the conditions of test day. When I did take the exam, this was routine to me. I really think this helped. I plan on repeating the routine when I finally do take the test. As far as prep books were concerned, I used the folowing books: OG 11th Edition, OG Supplements - Obviously these are amazing. I feel like I didn't utilize the original OG to the best I could have. The explanations are great here and they are official questions, so these are definite musts to have. Since I took the test, the 12th edition has come out, so you can obviously substitute the 11th edition for the 12th. Kaplan Premier/Kaplan 800 - I thought the Kaplan books were just ok. I didn't really use it that much. The questions seemed a little easy to me. The 800 book had harder questions, but still seemed a bit off to me. I skipped all the parts about how to go through problems as I was already learning methods and didn't want to confuse myself. I feel like I could have done without these. CR Bible - Awesome book. I looked at CR way differently after this one. I was weak at CR, and definitely feel like this improved me. SC Bible - Again, this is an amazing book. So many questions, and examples. It breaks down everything so nicely. I feel like the idiom section wasn't very comprehensive, but other than that, everything was great. Manhattan SC Guide - The material here is great and the way it is presented is great. I think SC Bible for the most part expanded on it more and had more applicable questions. They were great to use together. The idiom section is beast here. I copied all of them onto separate note cards. Another huge plus for buying the Manhattan book is that it gives you access to 6 more practice tests online. So that's my plan of attack. Feel free to reach out with any questions or comments. Best, Cappy

Hello all - I'm glad to have found this forum. I apologize in advance for hte long post. I originally started a similar thread in the PhD in Economics forum (http://www.www.urch.com/forums/phd-economics/135404-profile-evaluation-am-i-too-old.html) but realized from the great feedback there that my profile would not hold up in the Econ PhD admissions process. I was advised, however that it would hold up applying to DBA or PhD in Marketing programs. Being that I could still do the research I am interested in within a DBA or PhD in Marketing program, I decided to look more closely at this route and come here with my questions. I recently finished an MBA at a top 25 business school in the spring. As soon as I entered the program, I felt envigorated with all the new material I was learning. I was an engineer as an undergrad and never felt that way then, so I was a little upset with myself for waiting so long before discovering all of these subjects I was passionate about. I found myself immersed in economics, game theory, finance, marketing, quantitative modeling, and many other subjects. I loved the academic environment and began having strong feelings towards deciding to pursue a DBA or a PhD in marketing and enter academia as a professor. I thought about applying to start this fall, but decided not to for three main reasons: 1. I originally pursued an MBA to reenter industry in a strategic role. I at least wanted to give this a chance. I figured that putting off a PhD for 1-2 years would not hurt me much. 2. I have a good amount of debt in the form of student loans. Working for a couple years would allow me to pay off a sizable chunk of my debt. 3. This is probably the most important reason in my mind - my fiance just started her MBA part time. While she has told me that she would quit to move with me if this is what I decided, I wouldn't want to make her stop her MBA and miss out on that at my expense. I also would never even consider moving anywhere without her. I started working in industry and have been in my job for 5 months, yet these feelings are as strong as ever. I at least want to go down the route of exploring my options for a PhD. But due to reason #3 above, I will be waiting to apply until Fall 2013 to enter a program in Fall 2014. Here is my profile below. I guess my questions would be: 1. Are there any glaring weaknesses on my profile? I know I don't have any research experience so I'm a little concerned about this. 2. I am not applying for 2 years and would not be trying to go until 2014. So in the next 2-3 years, is there anything I can do to strengthen my profile? 3. What level schools should I be applying to? Thanks in advance! Cappy PROFILE: Undergrad: Top 20 US Chemical Engineering Program Undergrad GPA: 3.51/4.00 Graduate: MBA, Top 25 US Program Grad GPA: 4.00/4.00 GRE: Will take in 2012 GMAT: 750 (98th percentile overall, 99th percentile quantitative section) Undergrad Math Courses: Calc 1/2 (AP), Calc 3 (A), Differential Equations (A), Statistics (A) - I majored in Chemical Engineering as an undergrad, so I didn't take any other specific math courses, but I took lots of engineering courses that were heavily quantitative Undergrad Econ Courses: Microeconomics (A) Graduate Econ Courses: Microeconomics (A+), Macroeconomics (A), Game Theory (A), International Economics (A) Graduate Quantitative Courses: Data Models & Statistics (A+), Introduction to Finance (A), Valuation (A), Data Driven Marketing Analysis (A+), Market Analytics (A) Extracurricular Graduate Activities - I was president of our MBA class which involved managing many of the MBA activities and the MBA student budgets, as well as representing the class in many school functions. Letters of Recommendation: I had great relationships with lots of the professors in my business school program. I could get several glowing recommendations. The top 4 I was thinking about of were: - Professor in Data Models class (PhD in Business Administration from Michigan). I scored the highest for the entire MBA class in his data models and stats class and he thinks highly of me. - Professor in Macroeconomics class (PhD in Economics from Berkeley). Him and I have a great relationship and would gladly refer me. - Professor in Microeconomics class (PhD in Business Administration from Michigan). I scored the highest for the entire MBA class in her economics class. Although she doesn't know me as well personally. - Professor in Marketing Analysis class (PhD in Marketing from MIT). Great relationship with him. Research Experience: None - I really am worried about this but this wasn't something I really thought about until a year ago. Is there a way I can shore this up? Is this really bad that I don't have? Teaching Experience: TA work in school, Taught GMAT prep courses for Kaplan, Led review sessions for economics & statistics exams for MBA courses Work Experience: 5 years IT consulting experience, 2.5 years (at the time of application) business development strategy experience for major hotel company (I also have been looking to get into the revenue management group which does more sophisticated modeling work) Research Interests: Game Theory, Sports Economics & Markets, Market Organization & Structure, Modeling SOP: I haven't really started this yet obviously - It'd be something I started early in 2013 Concerns: The lack of research is a big thing I'm worried about. I'd love to go to the best school I could get into. If I blanketed the top schools, would I have a good shot at getting in any of them? What steps can I take over the next couple years while I'm working to improve my profile? Again, I really appreciate any feedback.

Thanks again for the great advice! The more I read into this over the weekend, the more I realize that you're absolutely right that the DBA/Marketing route would still allow me to do the research I'm interested in while giving me much better opportunities as far as getting into top programs. I'll focus more of my ongoing efforts on researching these types of programs and will ask any future questions in the PhD in Business forum. Thanks again! Cappy

Thanks for the advice and honest feedback. That was another thing I was afraid of. I did meet with a professor last year to talk about this, and he also assured me that PhD coursework is way different than MBA coursework. So I'm completely aware of the huge jump in difficulty. While I am confident in my abilities, I could see how this would be a huge negative on my application. Like I mentioned, I am interested in both Econ and Marketing. Lots of my interests lie in the intersection of the two. It sounds like I may be better suited for a PhD program in managerial economics or marketing at a b-school instead - does that sound about right? If going forward in this process, I did decide that I wanted to go the Phd in Econ route, is there anything outside of getting an MA in Econ that I could do over the next couple years to give me a chance at any programs? Or would that be the only real option to going forward and potentially going into a top tier PhD in econ program? From what it sounds like, I might need to prove I'm capable in the math. Would it be enough to score an 800 on the GRE quant and take a few upper level mathematics courses (linear algebra, etc.) at night while I'm working? Thanks again for the help!

Sorry for the long post in advance - I'll start by saying that I'm currently 30 years old. I recently finished an MBA at a top 25 business school in the spring. As soon as I entered the program, I felt envigorated with all the new material I was learning. I was an engineer as an undergrad and never felt that way then, so I was a little upset with myself for waiting so long before discovering all of these subjects I was passionate about. I found myself immersed in economics, game theory, finance, marketing, and many other subjects. I loved the academic environment and began having strong feelings towards deciding to pursue a PhD in either economics or marketing and enter academia as a professor. I thought about applying to start this fall, but decided not to for three main reasons: 1. I originally pursued an MBA to reenter industry in a strategic role. I at least wanted to give this a chance. I figured that putting off a PhD for 1-2 years would not hurt me much. 2. I have a good amount of debt in the form of student loans. Working for a couple years would allow me to pay off a sizable chunk of my debt. 3. This is probably the most important reason in my mind - my fiance just started her MBA part time. While she has told me that she would quit to move with me if this is what I decided, I wouldn't want to make her stop her MBA and miss out on that at my expense. I also would never even consider moving anywhere without her. I started working in industry and have been in my job for 5 months, yet these feelings are as strong as ever. I at least want to go down the route of exploring my options for a PhD. But due to reason #3 above, I will be waiting to apply until Fall 2013 to enter a program in Fall 2014. At that point, I will be 33. I am not concerned about my abilities. I know I can keep up in an academically challenging environment. I am mainly concerned that PhD programs may overlook me because of my age. Does anyone in here have any experience as an older applicant? Is 33 too old to be applying to top programs? If this is not an issue, here's my profile below. What schools should I be looking at? Are there any glaring weaknesses? And if so, what can I do over the next 2 years before I apply to help shore them up? Any feedback is greatly appreciated. PROFILE: Undergrad: Top 20 US Chemical Engineering Program Undergrad GPA: 3.51/4.00 Graduate: MBA, Top 25 US Program Grad GPA: 4.00/4.00 GRE: Will take in 2012 GMAT: 750 (98th percentile overall, 99th percentile quantitative section) Undergrad Math Courses: Calc 1/2 (AP), Calc 3 (A), Differential Equations (A), Statistics (A) - I majored in Chemical Engineering as an undergrad, so I didn't take any other specific math courses, but I took lots of engineering courses that were heavily quantitative Undergrad Econ Courses: Microeconomics (A) Graduate Econ Courses: Microeconomics (A+), Macroeconomics (A), Game Theory (A), International Economics (A) Graduate Quantitative Courses: Data Models & Statistics (A+), Introduction to Finance (A), Valuation (A), Data Driven Marketing Analysis (A+), Market Analytics (A) Extracurricular Graduate Activities - I was president of our MBA class which involved managing many of the MBA activities and the MBA student budgets, as well as representing the class in many school functions. Letters of Recommendation: I had great relationships with lots of the professors in my business school program. I could get several glowing recommendations. The top 4 I was thinking about of were: - Professor in Data Models class (PhD in Business Administration from Michigan). I scored the highest for the entire MBA class in his data models and stats class and he thinks highly of me. - Professor in Macroeconomics class (PhD in Economics from Berkeley). Him and I have a great relationship and would gladly refer me. - Professor in Microeconomics class (PhD in Business Administration from Michigan). I scored the highest for the entire MBA class in her economics class. Although she doesn't know me as well personally. - Professor in Marketing Analysis class (PhD in Marketing from MIT). Great relationship with him. Research Experience: None - I really am worried about this but this wasn't something I really thought about until a year ago. Is there a way I can shore this up? Is this really bad that I don't have? Teaching Experience: TA work in school, Taught GMAT prep courses for Kaplan, Led review sessions for economics & statistics exams for MBA courses Work Experience: 5 years IT consulting experience, 2.5 years (at the time of application) business development strategy experience for major hotel company Research Interests: Game Theory, Sports Economics & Markets, Market Organization & Structure SOP: I haven't really started this yet obviously - It'd be something I started early in 2013 Concerns: The lack of research is a big thing and my age. I'd love to go to the best school I could get into. If I blanketed the top schools, would I have a good shot at getting in any of them? Again, I really appreciate any feedback.

Thanks Greg - that's really helpful information. I think I have a pretty good math background. I scored a 50 on the Q section of the GMAT, was an Engineer as an undergrad so I took advanced math classes, and had A+ grades in my Economics, Data Models, and Operations classes during my first MBA year. From the sound of it, my main priority should be finding my desired research area(s). I've been going through the personal webpages of the professors at my school for the fields of study I'm interested in, and marking down the publications that have sounded interesting by looking at the title. Over the weekend, my plan is to go to the library and find these publications and read them in more depth to try to define an area of research I'm interested in even more. I'll probably reach out to my professors back at school for this help too. Once I have that defined, getting a SOP written will be much easier. Thanks again for the assistance!

Thanks for the quick replies! That's good advice. I have general areas I am interested in, but I won't truly know what areas really interest me until I spend a ton of time researching them in depth. One more follow up question (for now): My profile doesn't exactly scream PhD candidate other than my academic record. I have a great GPA (4.0 at a top 25 MBA school), however I have zero previous research experience. Will this hurt my chances of getting into a top school?

I should elaborate that I'm particularly interested in Management and Strategy. So I'm not asking really - what should I choose? It's more - how in depth should my research interests be? Thanks!

Hello all! I'm glad I stumbled upon this forum while searching for PhD-related information. I am currently an MBA student between my 1st and 2nd year. To be honest, I had never given a career in academia a second thought until last year. During my time as an undergraduate, I never felt fully engaged in the classroom or in my work. However, since I've been back getting my MBA, I've felt invigorated and have tried to fully immerse myself in work. I realize that the MBA experience is way different than the PhD experience. I just find myself wanting to take every class that I can take because I'm truly interested in learning more. I have also taken on a part-time job as a teacher for a GMAT class as well as a TA for an undergraduate-level class. Teaching has been another area that I have simply loved. It has really been surprising to find out for me that I have loved these two areas so much since they were not a consideration prior to entering my MBA program. I spoke with one of my professors about these unexpected feelings towards the end of last semester, and he suggested I take a look into a career in academia. I have been researching programs and different fields of study. I guess my first (and probably most important) request for advice would be how to get started to truly focus my search on what field I'd like to study. My second question would be - how specific should I be with any selections? I realize in any SOP, I'd have to write my research interests, but how specific should my research interests be? Thanks in advance and I look forward to reading all of the great information on the site!