The GMAT Honeymoon is Over: It’s Time for Essays

After a week of goofing around in celebration of my GMAT score, I’ve decided to put my foot down and start the gauntlet of essays in front of me.

I feel admittedly hesitant to start my essays, just as I was hesitant to start studying for the GMAT.  And I think this is because expectations are so high for me.  I did really well in college.  I have work experience from a well known consulting firm.  I’m generally considered “really smart” among my peers.  Not doing well would not only be a huge disappointment, but would also strip away parts of my identity.

The GMAT definitely put to rest a lot of these fears, but nothing has been written in stone yet.  I’m still in the middle of my journey.  There is still a lot of work to be done.

I realized this when I started reaching out to my recommendation contacts.  The issue is that each school can be a little different in terms of how they approach this aspect of the application.  Some schools simply require a letter, in which case, you could potentially reuse after some minor editing for different applications to different schools.  Other adcoms require that your recommendations be composed of short answer questions that are detailed and specific.  All of this factors into how much work you’ll be asking your “recommenders” to do.  I need to round these up and basically present a “scope of work” to each of my contacts.

I signed into the Haas application system this week, as they represent my very first admissions deadline.  I started filling out all the basic information and I noticed at the top they have a countdown clock for the admissions deadline.  How ominous.

2 thoughts on “The GMAT Honeymoon is Over: It’s Time for Essays”

  1. You should use the Clear admit iPhone app… You’ll see multiple clocks ticking and your pulse racing. Best of luck!! I’m starting from today.

  2. Thanks Curious. I actually downloaded the Clear Admit App a few months ago, and you’re right, it’s great. Also, congratulations on your GMAT score. It’s great to have that weight off of your shoulders.

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