UT Interview

Look what showed up in my inbox last week!

I was thrilled! I forwarded the email to everyone who has been supporting me.  I set up an interview for this Friday. I took the day off to clear my head and focus on the major goal of the day – rockin’ that interview. 

In order to prep, I reached out to two of my coworkers that were accepted into the university in the fall.  I asked if they would mind me picking their brain a bit about the interview and getting their perspective on it.  Both gentlemen were very gracious and agreed meet (enticing them with free coffee / lunch ).

In addition, my friend Jeremy said he would gladly do a mock interview, to help me prep, which everyone has recommended me do.  I think that’ll be a great way to practice my answers and create a solid image of who I am, during this hour long interview.  I’ve also been sent a bunch of typical interview questions asked by b-schools.  Reviewing these and thinking about answers, again, will be a great way to create my image.

Super excited, guys! Sitting here typing this, I have a huge smile plastered across my face.  It’s just so exciting to think this is all hopefully getting ready to fall into place. =)

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GMAT: 640

It’s been a really long time since I have posted, but I have some wonderful news.  After a long journey with this God forsaken standardized exam, I have finally made a huge step forward.  I scored a 640 yesterday on the GMAT.  My overall goal was to score a 610, but a 640. Hot damn! I was very pleased.

The last time I took the exam, I actually had scored lower than I had in the past.  Twice I have taken this test and scored a 580.  After a night of less than enough focus (drinking), I went into the exam in November and scored a 550. I was devastated and pretty disappointed in myself.  I knew that was all on me.  Instead of participating in a self loathing ritual for another few months, I decided to sign up for the exam 5 weeks later.

I knew my study habits were incredibly bad, so I decided I needed to figure out something that worked.  I started running at 5AM, getting ready for work, and heading to Starbucks for an hour before work, to sit down and just practice.  I did 20-30 problems every morning, timing myself, identifying my weak spots, and working on accelerating my skills where I performed well.  I was feeling pretty good about the practice. 

Before the exam, I did the same exact routine I had been doing.  I went for a 3 mile run, showered, and dressed like I was headed to the office (not like I was headed to the Laundromat).  I went into the exam, coaching myself to SSSLLLOOOWWW DOWN and be more detailed.  I tend to race through the critical reasoning and sentence change sections.  I took almost the whole time to take the test.  At the end of the exam, you get a little pop up that says, “Do you want to publish these scores?”  I always click “yes” – it would drive me crazy not to. That “what if.”  It took a few seconds to calculate my score, before I saw 640. I was shaking I was so happy. 

What a great way to end the year!  I had gone home during the holidays, talking to my parents about getting a private tutor (which is a ton of money), and really just fearing the worst.  What an unbelievably pleasant surprise!  Although I didn’t achieve my resolution of applying to business school, I am well on my way.

GMAT Next Tuesday

One of the biggest pains in the neck for getting into Business School is definitely the GMAT.  I haven’t talked a lot about this resolution, mostly because the progress on it is really slow.  You can only take the GMAT every 30 days, and it’s freaking expensive ($250/test).  My parents have offered to pay for the exam, but I don’t like the idea of using their money on it, since they already sponsored the GMAT prep course and ideally, it is supposed to serve as encouragement for doing my best on the exam.

I decided to pull the trigger and take it next Tuesday.  I took off from work tomorrow, so that I could review my materials before the exam over a 3 day weekend, followed by a “rest” day, on Monday (aka, a work day), before taking the exam on Tuesday. 

On my last exam, I received a 580.  To be even considered for grad school at UT or TSU, I would need a 650 (and a couple of letters of recommendation and some extracurricular activities and some other achievements…focusing on the 650 first).  I am hoping to surpass 600 this time around (I have on a practice exam before – 610).    There are a couple of things I did last time that I want to make sure I avoid this time.  Last time, I cranked through the whole exam, without taking the 8 minute break (even though my prep course teach told us, “Take the break!”).  She said, Gatorade is shown to help with your brain ability and help you feel less fatigued during the exam.  So, take the freaking break, it shouldn’t hurt.  Also, I tend to blast through the reading comprehension, which is my absolute worst subject.  I fly by the seat of my pants during it, even though there is plenty of time allotted to it.  This time, I will be taking notes and more thoroughly thinking through passages, before jumping to answer questions.  

I am actually really nervous to take the test again.  I have made assessments about my previous performance, in order to more ensure that my score doesn’t go down.  That would be devastating.  But, ultimately, when you get knocked off the horse, you need to just hop back on and continue to make progress.  The GMAT has to be the most frustrating part about business school, so once it’s done, peaches and cream the rest of the way (hopefully).

750… Nadal, you are one smart cookie.
[photo credit]