Hopeful no longer

As the title states, I no longer hope to enter SMU. As of this past Saturday, am I officially admitted to the class of 2007. Now I just have to reserve my seat and start preparing! Being one of the first applicants in the first round for the January term probably helped, but I remain pleased with myself.

I feel like I've rolled a boulder up a steep hill, only to find a mountain waiting in the path. But I enjoy challenges and think I'll do well. Everyone I've talked to has been gung-ho about SMU, especially the alumni. It's very interesting when MBA alumns from other universities recommend SMU over their alma maters.

I suppose I'll update this blog again in a few months when I start school. December 10th is orientation, so that weekend will probably be a good time to post some thoughts.

Application...submitted!

Finally, I can take a breather. The past few weeks have been hectic between last minute cramming for the GMAT, writing essays, and tracking down recommendation providers. Since I'm only applying to one school, it's not been as busy for me as for others. Someone made a remark recently about my only applying to Cox. He mentioned that with my GMAT score and experience I stand a fair chance at Kellogg or Wharton and other elite schools.

For me, SMU still remains the best choice. I plan to stay in the Dallas area, and the school carries alot of clout in this area. Everyone knows that Cox grads perform well; someone from HBS might have a slight edge, but the pricetag would be too high. The alumni network runs deep here too. My office has 4 MBA's from Cox, and the guys who went to other schools all said to go to SMU.

It's expensive, especially compared to UTA, UTD, and UNT, but I think you get a better education and more opportunities. I already earned a BA at a school with no alumni network, and suffered for it when I went job hunting. We'll see what happens in the next few weeks. If I'm not accepted to the Professional MBA program starting in January, I'll reapply for next Fall, and probably apply at other schools too. Austin has a great Finance department.... but I'd rather find myself on Bishop Boulevard come class time.

3 Cheers for the GMAT

This is a good way to start off my MBA blog: I took the GMAT for the first time last Thursday and earned a 730. This is a good thing, considering I don't have $225 earmarked for a second test. I'm especially grateful to the Plano and Dallas public libraries, who's Princeton Review and Kaplan books I hoarded for weeks on end.

For those who haven't taken the test yet, I highly recommend downloading the PowerPREP software from mba.com. It looks just like the real GMAT, hideous colors and eye straining refresh rate included. You'll probably get a GMAT level headache by the end of the practice test as a bonus.

As for me, I'm finishing up the essays for my SMU application which I plan to complete by tomorrow. It feels to have everything come together and know that at least the GMAT scores won't hold me back.