Gearing Up For Round Two

The Husband and I have been talking a lot about going back to school lately. We both have different goals in mind, but ultimately it comes down to getting a higher education that will propel us in the right direction for our career goals. I've mentioned before my desire to get a PhD, and I've even talked about my steps toward that process by taking the GMAT about two years ago. That did not pan out at the time, but I'm now ready to dig in and start making headway toward that goal again.

The Background

I've been talking about taking the GMAT and heading to grad school for a while now. A few years ago I was teetering on whether I wanted to get a business oriented or psychology oriented degree, as my interest lies in consumer psychology, but I've since come to the conclusion that I should go after a business degree and do some cross-departmental studies in pertinent psychological fields.

In any case, I did take the GMAT. And I did not do terribly well. I felt I had prepared for the test adequately. And I was very, very wrong.

I have always tested well, so I assumed that magic would apply to the GMAT. What I did not consider at the time was that I tested well while I was in school, meaning I was in an educational environment. I haven't been in that environment for 6 years now, so some of the skills I had acquired with regard to studying and test taking have become rusty or faded away completely.

While GMAT score is not everything when getting into business school, it is a big step up if you score well. Considering where I got my Bachelors degree and my undergraduate GPA, and that I failed to forge any relationships (more aptly, failed to maintain said relationships) with my professors at the time, I know I have a few hurdles to overcome in my application profile, which means a good score on my GMAT will go a long way to help me present myself as a good graduate school candidate.

More Than A Number

But as I alluded to, getting into a good grad school for me is going to take more than a great GMAT. And I don't want to get into just any school, I want to get in to a good school and I want to get into their PhD program, none of which will be easy. I could probably set my sights a little lower and be OK, but at this point in my life, aiming low just seems cheap. I've got way too much to work for and fight for to settle for second best now.

So I need a few more things than just a great GMAT. I need to cultivate relationships with people that can write good recommendation letters and I need to show that I am ready to tackle any educational challenge thrown at me. And neither of those things are going to be necessarily easy or straightforward. But I do have a plan.

The New Plan

My path to a PhD is going to take a bit longer than some others, I'm sure of it. Not only are there my own personal obstacles, but then there is my husband's educational pursuits to consider. Although we could do it, I'm not sure we'd be very happy with our financial situation if we're both in school full-time. So there's a time issue to factor in as well.

All that considered, my new plan begins with starting in on a part-time MBA program taking one course per quarter/semester. An MBA program may seem like an odd choice when my goal is getting in to a PhD program, but it will help me tackle two of my challenges: forge relationships with professors who can write recommendation letters, and give me the chance to prove my dedication to advanced education.

I only have the start of the plan though. From there things can vary. Depending on my performance in the MBA program, life needs, my husband's advancement, and any number of other variables, I may just stay in the MBA program to conclusion. The idea is to jump into a PhD program as quickly as possible though.

Full Circle

Sounds like a great plan, right? Absolutely! Except that it all still comes back to my GMAT score. For this plan to work, I need to get into a good MBA program, and to do that I need some great GMAT scores. Luckily, most MBA programs will take recommendation letters from current and previous employers in place of academic advisors, so I can get past that. But I'll still need a good score to make me stand out enough for the good schools to consider me.

Which means it's time for me to buckle down and start focusing hard on the GMAT, which also means time to start rearranging some priorities. Like cancelling any MMO subscriptions and putting gaming, as a whole, on the back burner. I wouldn't try to cut out gaming completely, because it's my stress relief, but I do need to trim back gaming time to make room for study time.

I'll cover my study plan in another post, but for now I'm taking inspiration from our buddy Bert. When I think of a goal-driven guy, Bert is first to come to mind. Check out his blog and some of his posts about how he prepared for his tests and (now) law school. That's dedication. The kind of dedication that I'm hoping to put toward my study habits as well.