Life – The Master Degrees: Preface

I’ve been in constant battles with myself over my career for the past couple of years. Do I stay at the I.T. level where I can do coding work that I love, but have less potential to impact the world? Or do I move myself into a management/leadership position to help get to a point where I can drive impact decisions?

Upon reflection and speaking with others that have been in this conundrum, I decided that I will to go back to school for an M.B.A., in hopes that the right doors will open for me.

After much research, I’ve decided to dual-degree at Auburn University. The dual-degrees include an M.B.A. and Master of Science in Information Systems. I still have a few hurdles before I am at the one point to see if I am accepted to the University. The first hurdle is taking the Graduate Management Admission Test, or GMAT, and getting a high enough score. The second is getting all the documents such as a personal statement and recommendations in order. And lastly, see if Auburn will accept me.

A Little More on the GMAT

After speaking with admissions at Auburn University, it appears as they look for GMAT scores in the high 500 range. If you don’t know anything about the GMAT, it is a timed exam that has a scoring system that ranges from 200 to 800. There seems to be a “magical barrier” score of 700 that everyone tries to reach; which supposedly gives you an admission rate of nearly 100%. To be honest, my personal number is at least 650. If you’re looking for hints and tips, here’s a few that I’ve found:

1. Download and use the GMAT Prep Software provided by the official GMAT exam website. The program is a great tool to test what you know or don’t know; which also helps determine what you need to work on.
2. Find the most efficient way of solving a problem within 2 minutes. An example of finding the most efficient way is rather trying to solve for coefficient Y, maybe plugging in numbers from the answers will be quicker.
3. Make a study plan and follow it, diligently.

This is just the beginning of my journey, so I’m hoping you’ll stick with me through it all. I’ll be posting updates here and there as I get to graduation in a few years. Wish me luck!