Today I would like to share the success story of another MBA applicant from this cycle. While I’ve worked with applicants of all ages, this particular gentleman just happens to be over 30 just like the previous applicant who got into HBS at over 30 years old, further proving that a full time MBA at […]
April 21, 2015
(Intro – MBA Over 30) Several months ago, I received an email from someone who had filled out my form for a free MBA profile opinion. Since I was at the gym, I wasn’t able to answer right away, but I did scroll quickly through the basic information that was submitted. I zipped right down […]
November 11, 2014
(Oakland, CA) – It was almost exactly 3 years ago that I first began to seriously consider aiming for an MBA at a top program. When I look back on that time as I approach my last semester at Wharton, it blows my mind how close I came to NOT having made the decision to […]
February 25, 2014
First, I’d just like to congratulate my admissions consulting clients from this season who have accepted offers to their target schools. Thus far, 2 of you are headed to Wharton, 2 to INSEAD, one to Duke, and 4 waiting to hear back from one of Wharton (2 more), MIT (1) or Darden (2). I only […]
October 6, 2013
My first quarter at Wharton has been an unbelievable experience. When I last posted, I was just getting my druthers after a fun but exhausting Pre-Term experience. I had also deluded myself into thinking that I’d do a couple posts last month. Negative. Out of nowhere, I was blind-sighted by a flurry of quant problem […]
August 8, 2013
The short version of this story is that I’m having the time of my life right about now. Here goes the long version… (I hope you packed a lunch!) The Fresh Prince of Philly I arrived in Philadelphia back on July 23rd, just over 3 weeks ago. While my flight had me landing several […]
July 13, 2013
I’ve never really been the jealous type. That notwithstanding, it can be quite a challenge to not become a hater when all of your rich banker classmates are gallivanting around the globe after having quit their pre MBA jobs months ago while you report to a cube each day. So naturally, I was more than […]
June 24, 2013
Every now and again (actually, quite often if I’m honest) I get yet another confirmation of having made the right decision in choosing to attend The Wharton School to get my MBA and focus on building a company. While I’ve never looked back or even so much as wondered about my having chosen the best […]
June 13, 2013
Over the past few weeks, I’ve spoken with a number of 2013-14 MBA applicants while helping them with their application strategies for this admissions season. A few days ago, one of them asked me a very candid question about his admissions apps for several top 10 schools. “While writing my essays, should I tell the […]
June 13, 2013
It’s GMAT time for a lot of your right now. I’ve spoken with a number of you who are taking the exam in a few weeks. There are many more of you who will be taking it for the first (or second, or third) time within the next 1-2 months, depending on which round you […]
June 4, 2013
Here’s GMAT Quant/Math Batch #3 from our friends at Target Test Prep . Throw these problems into your GMAT prep mix to increase your chance of breaking into scores of 680-750 and above. And don’t just go through the problem, really seek to understand the underlying rules and relationships that lead to a solution. Here you goes: […]
June 3, 2013
A year ago today, I was mulling over why a full time MBA vs. an EMBA was the right decision for me being that I was only about 6 weeks away from my 35th birthday. Boy am I glad that I got clear on that distinction and chose the path of full time. The dividends […]
May 31, 2013
You asked for it, and now you’ve got it. Our friends over at Target Test Prep have sent this year’s GMATTers two more juicy quant problems to chew on. Here’s to your 680-750+ next GMAT attempt! Here’s bath #2! PRACTICE PROBLEM 2A Jamshid can paint a fence in 50 percent less time than Taimour can […]
May 29, 2013
In the past, several people have asked me to publish advice and help on the dreaded GMAT exam. When I was applying, I had zero time to offer this kind of help. Now, I am able to provide some occasional practice questions and solutions based on having slightly more time than I did before and […]
May 10, 2013
…And to think I once thought that I’d never see the end of the friggin GMAT. Looking Back Almost exacty a year ago, I hit “publish” on my very first blog post for MBAOver30.com. Real talk, no one could have told me that the past 364 days would have unfolded as they have. I am […]
May 1, 2013
So, you laid it on the table during this MBA admissions cycle. Your GMAT score and undergrad GPA were in range, you have a solid work history, strong extras, clear goals AND don’t know of any reason that any of your recommendations would have gone sour because you’ve crushed it at work to boot. I […]
April 13, 2013
So…I’m sitting at the computer while taking a break from some freelance writing work. I’m watching this clip on YouTube that always makes me laugh so hard that I fart when my my phone starts beeping and my email notices from Facebook start blowing up. Apparently, just as I was laughing and in tears to […]
March 26, 2013
So…you’re “in” at Wharton. Congratulations on your achievement. I’ve felt kinda bad for all of you during these past couple of weeks, as the period between mid-November and late December (my waiting period) was the roughest time for me during this whole MBA application ride–definitely the upside-down-to-downward-spiral part of the coaster. While the GMAT had […]
March 1, 2013
I’ve chosen to invest my next two years into building a company and earning an MBA in Entrepreneurship and Strategic Management at The Wharton School of Business at UPenn. First World Problems From the moment that I first got “the call” from Director of Admissions Ankur Kumar welcoming me to Wharton’s class of 2015, I […]
February 11, 2013
Earlier today (Sunday) I flew back into Los Angeles from R1 Welcome Weekend at Chicago Booth. Over the past two weekends, I’ve gotten little sleep, increased my alcohol tolerance by a third and met several hundred of the most interesting and exceptional people that I’ve met all in one place in quite some time. If […]
February 6, 2013
So last weekend I flew to Philadelphia to rendezvous with over 300 of my fellow R1 admits at Wharton’s Winter Welcome Weekend. To say that I had a blast and was impressed would be an understatement. The Whartonites definitely know how to sell their brand and showcase their culture to a horde of admits. The […]
January 31, 2013
Touched Before Take-off [Location, JFK Airport, NYC en route to Philadelphia] – So I’m sitting on the runway awaiting take-off at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) almost exactly 6 hours ago. I’m having a good day. I’ve taken today (Thursday) and tomorrow off to attend Wharton’s Winter Welcome Weekend in Philadelphia. I’m also smiling about […]
January 29, 2013
Post Mortem Just an hour ago, I thought that I’d be writing a very different post than this. About two weeks ago, I interviewed for a spot in the class of 2015 for The MIT Sloan School of Management. While I left the actual interview feeling pretty good, I began to wonder about whether my […]
January 19, 2013
At about 3 weeks into the new year, a few things are certain: 1. I’ll be moving to either the east coast OR Midwest sometime this summer. 2. I’ve just jumped down a rabbit hole of massive spending and relentless saving and budgeting that is likely to not end until at least 2015. 3. While the stress […]
January 10, 2013
I really envisioned a carefree winter and spring after being admitting into Wharton and Booth a few weeks ago. Pipe dreams. Though, I must say that the kind of intensity that I experience now feels much better than it did when I was waiting to find out whether I “got in” to any of my […]
December 31, 2012
A Prophet I am Not Despite the nature of heavenly event #1 , heavenly event #2 and heavenly event #3 in my journey to an elite MBA, I’ll be the first to admit that I am no expert on the subject of getting into top business programs. In fact, the only true experts are the […]
December 30, 2012
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog. Here’s an excerpt: 19,000 people fit into the new Barclays Center to see Jay-Z perform. This blog was viewed about 62,000 times in 2012. If it were a concert at the Barclays Center, it would take about 3 sold-out performances for that […]
December 24, 2012
Woooo-saaaaahhhh (And Happy Holidays)! So about a year ago, I plunked down $250 and took my first swing at the GMAT. I had made a 650 on a practice test without studying, and felt that I should be able to do about as well without too much trouble, then pump out a few essays to […]
December 20, 2012
After getting an early morning acceptance call from the Chicago Booth School of Business two days ago, one would think I’d be more calm and zen than I was when I got up this morning. I was actually–its a huge relief that you have somewhere (really good) to go to for b-school after all of […]
December 18, 2012
By the time I had woken up this morning, I had read more than enough admit blog posts and BeatTheGMAT/ GMATClub status updates and posts to generally know what to expect on admit announcement day if you’re being offered admission. So when the area code (773) popped up on my iPhone as I was having […]
April 24, 2015
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