Woohoo!

[pauld]

I started right here asking a few questions and then completing my Bachelor degree through Excelsior. I then wanted to go for an MBA. However, I was very frustrated by the idea of taking the GMAT exam. The first time I took the exam, I didn't do too well but even then I got into some good schools like UMass Amherst - Isenberg SoM. I said to myself what the heck I will apply to some top-ranked schools, the worst that can happen is a rejection, but I was very surprised.

I applied to Indiana (Kelley), Cornell (Johnson), Yale, Virginia (Darden), and Carnegie Mellon (Tepper). All 5 of them told me to re-take the GMAT. I was not explicitly dinged by any of them! So I got down to studying again, and as much as I hate gmat-style quant, I tried to practice more. After 2 months of studying I sat for GMAT again and this time received a 650. My score in verbal surprisingly rose more than my score in quantitative since I did not study for verbal at all.

I informed all the above schools of my new GMAT score. I got accepted at all of them except Darden! But mostly the reason I applied was to see if I could get into a top ranked Ivy League school. In the end I chose the Indiana University's Distance MBA program, which no other top ranked school offers other than Duke, but their tuition and requirements are just ridiculous.

So anyone here who has a goal, don't give up. You can get there. All you need is determination and dedication.

If you are looking into online MBA. I have done a ridiculous amount of research and here are some of the best programs. It is roughly ranked:

Indiana University
Penn State University
University of Florida
University of Massachusetts - Amherst

Texas A & M University
Arizona State University

University of Massachusetts - Lowell
University of Houston - Victoria

Good luck!

[Sunshine]

[SIZE="4"]Congratulations![/SIZE] cheersmate
Way to go! I love reading these success stories. They're a good reminder that our limits are often self-imposed when considering what's possible. I hope you'll keep us updated on your progress from time to time.

[rmroberts]

That's awesome! I will have to take the MAT or GRE in a few months and I am soooo nervous I won't make a good enough score for graduate school!:willynilly:

[pauld]

Sunshine: Thank you.

rmroberts: The thing that kills in standardized testing is anxiety. All you need to learn is get it under control and stop thinking about things like time and questions getting harder etc. This alone can make a 40 point difference at least on GMAT. If you generally have a healthy lifestyle with exercises, eating veges and fruits etc. then all you need is breathing to control anxiety and center yourself. That's the most important thing. And naturally your anxiety will be less if you are well prepared and feel confident about the test itself. Good luck!

[skyfall123]

Great info. Thank you for taking the time to post!!!

[threedogs]

Wow!! Incredible - congratulations! cheersmate Thank you for posting this, too. I'm not going for a business degree (at least not this week, I don't think so... who knows what I'll decide next week.:willynilly: so many ideas.. so little time..), but knowing you got into those schools is absolutely AWESOME and very inspiring for the rest of us! :coolgleam:

[bawhitsett]

Awesome story Paul, thanks for sharing. Just proves again that there is absolutely nothing to fear with the GMAT and it opens so many other doors that it makes any effort you must put forth to prepare for it worth it. I also scored fairly well on it, a 690 with a few weeks worth of prep work. Right now finishing up the MIS degree but after that depending upon finances and tuition reimbursement benefits would like to pursue an MBA as well.

[pauld]

Thank you again, and Brian 690 is a great score. I know people who got into Wharton, HBS, and Booth with that score plus some work experience and good recommendations. Good luck!

[NAP]

Congratulations!!!

Thanks for sharing your experiment with us. A part of me knows this is possible, but another part of me wasn't so sure. I'm glad to hear about all of your successful applications.

P.S. I will keep your list for a relative who is considering MBA programs.