Preparing for the MBA
By Megan Stock

Advice
	Continuing Education and the MBA Planning Your Life Around an MBA Program Student Diversity Examining Your MBA Options Preparing for the MBA Maximizing Your MBA Experience Passing the GMAT Test Financing Your MBA Education Internships - Valuable On The Job Training The Rules of Recruitment Consortium for Graduate Study in Management Request info from the NSHMBA

• Take GMAT.
• Mail in application.
• Receive acceptance letter.
• Start your intense MBA program and have instant success. 

On paper it looks as though you're ready for the rigors of starting your first semester at a top MBA program, but when it comes down to it, are you really?

After all, it has been a few years (five on average) since you actually stepped foot in a classroom or opened a textbook. Now that you're entering business school, the pressure is on to succeed.

But what can you do to ensure you stay on top in the nation's leading MBA programs?

Take a Refresher Course

After nearly seven years in the workforce, Allison Myatt, a 2006 MBA candidate who is knee-deep in coursework at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, viewed an MBA degree as a ticket to a more flexible future in business.

Before jumping into that first MBA class, however, she thought a little refresher course would help her become more flexible with her MBA studies.

'I took calculus about a year and a half before entering business school,' says Myatt. 'I felt that a calculus class would prepare me enough to understand the basic calculus that is the foundation of MBA math.'

The choice to brush up on math or statistics is not only common among prospective MBA students but is sometimes an admission requirement for many MBA programs.

Pave Your Career Path Helpful resources recommended by Wharton MBA students: WetFeet.com Business recruitment database and career planning guides Vault.com Career and consulting guide Monkey Business: Swinging Through the Wall Street Jungle John Rolfe & Peter Troob - for anyone intending to go into a career in investment banking Liar's Poker: Rising Through the Wreckage on Wall Street Michael Lewis - a story of overcoming deceit on Wall Street Thinking Strategically: The Competitive Edge in Business, Politics and Everyday Life Avinash K. Dixit and Barry Nalebuff

'An MBA program includes several quantitative courses, having calculus before entering is a way of ensuring a smoother transition into the MBA program,' says Soojin Kwon Koh, senior associate director of admissions for the University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross School of Business, where calculus is an admission requirement.

At The Wharton School and the Stanford Graduate School of Business, the MBA curriculum includes Pre-Term (known as 'Math Camp'), which provides a week or two of orientation centered on refresher and accelerated courses.

'Pre-Term is a great risk-free way of getting back into the classroom,' says Andrew McAlister, a 2004 Wharton School graduate. 'And it also leads to a great atmosphere, as most students are trying to meet as many classmates as they can and develop some networking skills.'

Get Real-Life Experience

And, as always, business-related work experience - full-time or internship - prepares a student the most for work behind the MBA classroom doors.

'Most MBA programs are designed with the mind-set that many students do not possess a traditional business background prior to entering,' says Rayshawn Harbin, the assistant director of marketing and recruitment at the University of Illinois at Chicago's Liautaud Graduate School of Business.

'Having the basic fundamentals and the mind-set to succeed will get you through any obstacle that first semester.'

About the writer
Megan Stock is a freelance writer based in Chicago. She is a 2004 graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism.