GMAT Prep, Essays…Let’s Go!

Is acing the GMAT a top priority?  Well, the weekend is here! And it’s time to get busy.

Are you remembering life before the GMAT and MBA applications – when your focus was on where you would be hanging out with your friends? Oh how those days are long gone so just put it out of your mind!

I just want to send out some encouragement to all the MBA candidates that will be working on applications, essays or GMAT prep this weekend. Take a break every 50 to 90 minutes (your brain needs mini-breaks). Stand up. Stretch out. Go to your happy place. Woosah. Then imagine yourself in 5 years in the perfect professional setting, wearing the perfect outfit (which might be shorts and flip-flops), doing the perfect work. I’m all about the utopian settings – of course, my perfect professional setting is on vacation – don’t judge me. I am on the beach (looking fabulous in my bikini, of course) reflecting on my last three months of work (yes, vaca every three months), the amazing things I’ve accomplished, who I’ve helped and getting geared up for the next quarter. It’s so important that you never forget why you are doing this; I’ll let you in on a little secret…the challenge of the application process is nothing compared to the trials of the first semester of business school (this is just preparation for the real test).

This application process is so much bigger than a 4-hour GMAT test or career essays or networking events. This is about positioning yourself for the next stage of your life. There are lots of opportunities that you will have in your professional life, but none quite like business school. The credibility that you will gain, the relationships and network that you will build, the knowledge and skills that you will development are unparalleled – particularly when you consider that it will only take you 2-3 years to amass all of this. With each hour that you spend on your application, you are inching closer to one of the best career accelerant available.

It’s the weekend – hopefully, your job tasks can be put on hold until Monday morning. Tell your friends, your boyfriend, your girlfriend or your mama that you have work to do so leave you alone (unless it’s to bring you food…you’ve got to eat! Put on a little music to get fired up and then get on your grind. Everything you are doing now will be worth it. Let’s go!