GMAT Tip of the Week

When Two Wrongs Make a Right

(This is one of a series of GMAT tips that we offer on our blog.)

If you've ever been a child, you've probably been told on multiple occasions that "two wrongs don't make a right" (that's typically the companion lesson to the rhetorical question "if all of your friends jumped off a bridge, would you?"). Parents don't anticipate fun activities like bungee jumping and cliff diving with the bridge hypothetical, nor do they account for GMAT Critical Reasoning questions with the wrong/right axiom.

One of the higher-difficulty Critical Reasoning question types asks you to "mimic the reasoning" of a given argument by choosing from five different arguments the one that parallels the logic in the original. Perhaps the most important concept to keep in mind when facing these questions is that if the original argument uses flawed logic, the correct answer must be flawed, as well. Put another way, if the original has a "wrong", you'll need another wrong to make the question right! Consider the following example:

Original: Fish have fins and tails. The new dolphin at the aquarium has fins and a tail, so it must be a fish.

This argument is flawed. Fish aren't necessarily the only animals with fins and tails, so it cannot be proven that the dolphin is a fish.

Which of the following arguments is most parallel in its logical structure to the argument above?

Incorrect answer: Giraffes have spots and long necks. The new animal at the zoo is a giraffe, so it must have spots and a long neck.

This argument is not flawed. If it is accepted that giraffes have spots and long necks, then any giraffe will share those characteristics.

Correct answer: This movie must be made by Pixar, because it uses computer animation, and Pixar movies always use computer animation.

This argument is flawed in the same way as the original - Pixar movies aren't necessarily the only ones to use computer animation.

The GMAT tries to obscure answers like these, however, by having slightly different subject matter, and by changing the sentence structure. Note that your job is to replicate the logical structure of the original, but not its subject matter or sentence structure. The original was flawed, so the correct answer needed to be flawed, as well.

To find out how Veritas Prep can help you maximize your GMAT score, take a look at the GMAT prep resources on our site, or give us a call at 1-800-925-7737!

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Go Where the Opportunity Lies: Master's Programs

You took the Veritas Prep Full Course and you just nailed the GMAT on your first try. You're chest-bumping the rest of your 2nd-year analyst team at J.T. Marlin while the NASDAQ drops it like its hot. You just did a five-point take-down on the biggest standardized test of your life. Your 760 tells the rest of the world that you're 99% sharper than the other knives in the drawer and good enough for the top quarter of HBS's incoming class. You're pretty darn swoll and you're making your way up to a deluxe top ten MBA program in the sky.

As you kick back in your Herman Miller Aeron, you imagine moving beyond your humble and current 28% tax bracket. As you dream of sunny days, chrome spinnin' and moving beyond DUMBO into SoHo, your Managing Partner's assistant's assistant calls you over. He whispers, "Mr. Gecko would like to see you in his office in five minutes, please do not be late." Four minutes and fifty seconds later you find your polyestor/wool blend wearing glutes in a leather chair that resembles part baseball glove, part Angelo Mozillo. Mr. Gecko's perfectly parted hair, Barney's New York suit and Shell cordovan shoes are a perfect reflection of you and your MBA in 25 years.

You think it must be your lucky day nailing the GMAT and finally getting promoted ahead of your class. As the Gecko starts rattling on a little too long about your potential, contributions and unusually white teeth, it hits you like Maximum Overdrive. You're being given the chance to succeed elsewhere. Like something that is truly loved, you are being set free. Except you ain't comin' back, you ain't never comin' back as Andre Young so eloquently put it. Not only are you getting laid off but your MBA hopes and dreams are sinking faster than LTCM. Suddenly that chrome spinnin' looks more hubcap than plated alloy.

As your fist-bumps turn into that time you got dumped, know that admissions committees understand that it hits the fan. Veritas Prep has put out a pretty slick guide for laid off professionals that addresses the nuances of being liberated from your current profession. While getting laid off does not put you out of the running, it can make you less competitive if the weeks of unemployment drag into months. If you can find a significant extracurricular activity that can show your continued progression, that's good. If you can find another job, that may be good to great. Just be aware that this new job, given it's brevity and perhaps urgency, may be unlikely to serve as a showcase for continued professional progression. Basically, you got right-sized, you needed a new gig and you got one. Admissions committees are empathetic to a certain point but in some cases it's a hard sell to convince them otherwise.

Admissions committees are well aware of the business environment and are in the unique position of serving as gatekeepers for both MBA programs and recruiters. GMAC surveys admissions committee members every year and their research is publically available for download. One interesting report details MBA applicant trends for the 2008 MBA-hunting season. Only applications at full-time MBA programs were significantly up. Part-time and executive MBA programs were basically flat, year over year. This GMAC report also details the acceptance and matriculation rates for other types of master's programs that utilize the GMAT as an entrance requirement. This includes master's programs in accounting and finance that create a deep domain expertise within these subject matter areas. These master's programs also tend to run shorter in duration and may result in a more compelling ROI than a two-year investment at an full time MBA program. The good news; full time acceptance rates at these alternative master's programs are higher than full time MBA programs.

So if you find yourself pounding the pavement, resume in hand, there is a thin line of hope between fries and shakes. I encourage MBA applicants to think outside of the box when evaluating graduate degrees. Consider this; as recent MBA graduates continue to flood the job market, recruiters are going to place a heavy emphasis on specialized skills that will make these graduates immediately employable. This means that the generalist acumen that many MBA graduates possess may not be enough to convince recruiters that they have the skills to pay the bills. Recruiters and employers want to know you are a known quantity. Within an uncertain business environment, firms want to know that you can come up the curve in days, not weeks or months. It's a brave new world out there; experience, expertise and execution may count even more on day one than an MBA business plan or case study.

So this is my bottom line advice, go where the opportunity lies. Don't complain, just adjust and check your current MBA hoop dreams at the door. For example, if you can get another great job, apply to part time or executive MBA programs as applications are flat and admissions requirements are generally easier than full time programs. If you can not find another great job, apply to your desired MBA programs knowing your chances for admission may be diminished. However, hedge your bets by applying to several alternative master's degree programs. Yes, it's somewhat non-traditional but think better ROI, deeper domain expertise and higher acceptance rates.

Paul Lanzillotti | Veritas Prep

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How Does Chicago Law School Do It?

An ongoing trend in the law school world over the past few years is that the University of Chicago Law School has been losing top professors to rival schools at an alarming rate. And not just any old professors either - the attrition has included some of the most brilliant and famous legal minds in the country, as well as several other prominent subject matter experts and prolifically cited researchers.

Yet for all that, Chicago still ranks second in the country - behind only Yale - in terms of educational quality, according to the foremost authority on such things, Brian Leiter's EQR (Educational Quality Ranking).

Which begs the question: how do they do it?

To start with, Chicago has made a decision (and stuck by it) to put the quality of the teaching at the law school on the top priority rung, even to the detriment of other aspects of the school. As other elite law schools made the cirriculum more flexible and created more "crossover" opportunities with other programs, Chicago cinched its belt and required even more classes be taken within the law school. When Internet access flooded classrooms and threatened the intense dialogue between professor and student, U of C yanked out Ethernet and wireless in every room. Students didn't like it. Prospective students want flexible classes and wireless access, but frankly, Chicago doesn't care. At least, they don't care enough to risk diluting the quality of instruction that goes on within the law school.

Of course, making it all about priorities is a bit of a negative way to look at things. The other reason that Chicago's educational quality stays elite in light of the mass exodus is that they keep finding and nurturing amazing new professors. This is done through careful planning, the work of a highly-engaged hiring committee (populated with elite professors in their own right), and also by giving young academics a chance to come and shine in a "think tank" atmosphere. Very few schools allow as many workshops, seminars, and other non-traditional courses - all taught by some of the brightest young professors. Furthermore, Chicago was one of the first law schools to implement a mandatory legal writing class - called the Bigelow Program - and they staff the teaching positions with aspiring academics who show great potential. One of Chicago's best new professors - Adam Cox - came from the ranks of the Bigelow Program.

It's certainly not easy to add professors of high quality at the same rate that other school's are poaching them, but a quick glance at the highest profile names - both new and old - shows that the school is managing to keep pace. Gone are such luminaries as world-renowned legal scholars Richard Epstein (to NYU) and Cass Sunstein (to Harvard, and then to the Obama Administration), criminal law expert Tracy Meares (to Yale), beloved constitutional and legislative scholar Adrian Vermeule (Harvard), and law and econ guru Alan Sykes (Stanford). And I suppose you could add a former constitutional law lecturer by the name of Barack Obama to that list.

But just as the school features an unfortunate list of departed stars, Chicago is also compiling a roster of emerging legal minds that should keep them at the top of the academic heap for many years to come. In addition to the aforementioned Adam Cox, Chicago can also boast of young "rock star" professors like Kirkland Ellis appellate lawyer-turned McKinnsey consultant-turned corporate law guru Todd Henderson, property law scholar Lior Strahilevitz, crim law expert Bernard Harcourt, and student favorite Adam Samaha.

And of course, the school still boasts some of the stars of yesteryear, including the wildly popular contract expert Douglas Baird, constitutional law scholars such as Geoffrey Stone and David Strauss, policy and family law expert Emily Buss, and current dean Saul Levmore.

All told, the school looks to maintain its lofty perch at the top run of law schools when it comes to educational quality. The challenge for Chicago will be to keep up with the times and the changes in legal education while doing so.

For more information on the University of Chicago Law School, or any other top law schools, please feel free to visit our law school admissions consulting website or contact us at law@veritasprep.com or 1.800.925.7737.

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Berkeley (Haas) Application Deadlines for 2009-2010

The Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley recently released its application deadlines for the 2009-2010 admissions season. Haas has not yet released its essays for the coming year, although you can review the Haas site to see last year's essays and get a feel for what the school looks for in its applicants. Our comments follow in italics:

Haas Application Deadlines
Round 1: October 20, 2009
Round 2: December 10, 2009
Round 3: February 2, 2010
Round 4: March 10, 2010

(Haas has always been a little different than most other top MBA programs in how it manages its deadlines, keeping four main application rounds. Like other top programs, Haas has moved up its Round 1 deadline this year by a couple of weeks, although its deadline falls in late October, not early October. However, note that Round 2 deadline on December 10 -- that gives you a nice opportunity to pace yourself if you want to apply to Haas along with a handful schools that have Round 1 deadlines in October. However, if Haas is your first choice, we still recommend applying earlier rather than later.)

To plan your application strategy for Haas, visit the Veritas Prep UC Berkeley (Haas) information page, or call us and talk to one of our MBA admissions consultants.

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Yale SOM Application Essays and Deadlines for 2009-2010

Yale SOM Director of Admissions Bruce DelMonico was kind enough to reach out recently and let us know that Yale has posted it application essays and deadlines for the coming season. It looks like Yale has significantly overhauled its essays for the coming year, going with shorter essays that will require brevity and focus.

Key information is below, followed by our comments, in italics:

Yale SOM Application Deadlines
Round 1: October 8, 2009
Round 2: January 7, 2010
Round 3: March 10, 2010

(Note that, like other top MBA programs, Yale will release its Round 1 admissions decisions in December, before the holidays. This is a tremendous help if Yale is your top choice, and you want to know your status with Yale before deciding to dive into a whole batch of Round 2 applications over the holidays. We expect this trend of earlier decision notifications will continue among the top programs.)

Yale SOM Application Essays
Please answer each of the four questions below with a short paragraph of no more than 150 words. This is an opportunity to distill your core ideas, values, goals and motivations into a set of snapshots that help tell us who you are, where you are headed, and why. (600 words total)

1. What are your professional goals immediately after you receive your MBA?


2. What are your long-term career aspirations?


3. Why are you choosing to pursue an MBA and why now? (If you plan to use your MBA experience to make a significant change in the field or nature of your career, please tell us what you have done to prepare for this transition.)


4. What attracts you specifically to the Yale School of Management’s MBA program?

(Wow, 150 each! This will really challenge you to be succinct and get right to the point in answering the school's questions. But, don't despair. We think this is a good thing. Each of these "micro-essay" questions covers a topic that you should be well prepared to answer by now. Yale is just asking you to cut the fat and get right to it, so the best thing you can do is answer these questions head-on. Career switchers should take special note of the additional instruction in Question #3. In this economic climate, Yale, like all schools, is especially interested to know how well you will do in the post-MBA job market. Career switching is fine, and is even a great reason for pursuing an MBA, but you need to show that you've done your homework and are realistic about your intended career.)


Personal Statement 1

Describe an accomplishment that exhibits your leadership style. The description should include evidence of your leadership skills, the actions you took, and the impact you had on your organization. (500 words)
(This is almost exactly the same as last year's question, with one notable omission: Last year's question asked for a professional accomplishment, but this question asks for any achievement that demonstrates your leadership style. Think broadly about a time when your being there made something happen -- something that wouldn't have happened if it weren't for you. Yale especially wants to learn how you did it, and what impact you ultimately had on the group.)

Personal Statement 2

Choose one of the following topics and answer it in essay form. Please indicate the topic number at the beginning of your essay. (500 words)

1. A central premise of our teaching about leadership at the Yale School of Management is that true leadership—leadership that helps to address a significant problem in a new way—is necessarily personal. It is only when personal passion aligns with meaningful aspirations that individuals are able to inspire others to act in support of an important goal or cause. What are you most passionate about, and how have you demonstrated a commitment to this passion?


2. What achievement are you most proud of and why?


3. What is the most difficult feedback you have received from another person or the most significant weakness you have perceived in yourself? What steps have you taken to address it and how will business school contribute to this process?


4. Describe a situation in which you devised and implemented a creative or unique solution to a difficult problem. What obstacles did you face and how did you overcome them?


5. Required for reapplicants: What steps have you taken to improve your candidacy since your last application?

(Some of these questions carry over from last year. Along the lines of the removal of "professional" from Personal Statement 1, in Question #2 here the school has changed it from "what personal achievement" to "what achievement are you most proud of." This is another example of the school wanting you to think broadly about your answers here. Of all of the questions, we still really like Question #1: "What are you passionate about?" Giving a standout answer to this -- including concrete examples of your passion -- is a great way for you to stand out vs. other applicants.

It's interesting to note that Yale has removed its "SOM Story" and "What unique attributes will you bring to Yale?" questions... These must not have been giving the Yale admissions team enough in terms of what it needs to distinguish applicants from one another.)

Additional Information (Optional)

If any aspect of your candidacy needs further explanation, please provide any additional information that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider. (250 words)

(As always, only use this essay if absolutely necessary. If there's a weakness that you feel you must address, then do so succinctly and then move on. Do not make this a catch-all bucket for excuses about holes in your candidacy!)

For more information and advice on applying to Yale, visit Veritas Prep's Yale SOM information page. Also, be sure to follow us on Twitter!

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Get All of the Top MBA Programs' Deadlines and Important Dates in Google Calendar

This Monday, we will introduce Veritas Prep's "Top MBA Program Deadlines and Important Dates" calendar! This calendar will serve as an important tools for those navigating the business school application process.

• Deadlines and notification dates are listed for top US, European and Asian MBA programs.
• Additionally, dates are listed for full-time, part-time and executive MBA programs for each respective program.

This calendar will be publicly available to anyone logging onto Google Calendar. No log in or special software is required.

• Additionally, you can add this calendar to your person Google Calendar by simply clicking the "Google Calendar" button located in the bottom right of your browser window.
• 

For those that are increasingly saavy in their technical abilities and wish to sync Veritas Prep's "Top MBA Program Deadlines and Important Dates" calendar with their MS Outlook or smartphone:

• Use Google Calendar sync.
• A primer on how to use this tool is posted here and here.

Thanks,

Paul Lanzillotti

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GMAT Tip of the Week

Mind Your Own Business

(This is one of a series of GMAT tips that we offer on our blog.)

The GMAT verbal section can be distracting if only because of one truth: Sentences (for correction) or reading comprehension passages must be about something. Whether it is a technical topic (immunological reactions, biological discoveries involving microorganisms) or a business-related subject (the rise of multinational corporations, the origin of hedge funds), questions on the verbal section will take place within the context of some kind of subject matter. Traditionally, the GMAT uses academic subjects such as:

• Natural Sciences (astronomy, biology, etc.)
• Social Science (history, political science, etc.)
• Business Related

As a test-taker your reaction to these subjects can take multiple forms, but usually falls in to one or two major categories: bored/intimidated by something you don't like or understand, or engaged/interested by something that intrigues you. In either case, you're likely to be distracted, either by your distaste for the subject of by your enjoyment of it. Don't forget, though, that you're not reading the sentence/paragraph/passage for the value of the knowledge contained within it! Your job, regardless of the topic, is to perform a specific function:

- Sentence Correction: identify and correct flaws in the grammar
- Critical Reasoning: answer the question presented following the paragraph(s)
- Reading Comprehension: prepare yourself to answer 3-6 questions about the scope, tone, and purpose of the passage

Because of that, do not either become intimidated by technical concepts that you don't understand (you don't need to understand them comprehensively) or entertained by concepts that can lead you on a path of tangential thinking (be careful for an engaging business-related passage, which may seem like an oasis in a desert of boring subject matter). Keep your focus on performing your function for the question, and realize that business schools are not looking, in particular, for biologists, history buffs, astronomers, or poets. Regardless of the topic, your job remains the same: answer the question!

For more GMAT tips, be sure to follow Veritas Prep on Twitter! Also, sign up to take a free practice GMAT test to see where you stand.

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