The bottom line- plan early.

Allow time to sit the exam twice if you need to- if you get through on the first attempt, that is great, if not, you have time for redemption. After attempting the exam, you must wait 31 days before you can attempt it again. Don’t let this rule you out of contention for the scholarship. Read the information available on the website, (www.mba.com) and know what you are in for- arriving early, providing identification, including a thermo-palm print, and other people coming in and out of the exam room, starting at different times. Ask for ear plugs, and if they offer you a choice of seating, make sure you are comfortable. Take your breaks during the exam, take these moments to recollect your thoughts and stop brain fatigue from setting in. For most of us, it has been a long time since we have sat a 3.5 hour exam!

Start studying.

Do not be fooled into thinking a few days refresher is enough to get you through this. Download the software available free from the GMAT website. This will assist you in getting to know the software you will be working with during the exam, and will certainly ease anxiety about what to expect. The software provides review sections and practice tests- initially, I thought I would be ok, but my first attempt on the practice software, I only managed to score 510!

I combated this in several ways- I contacted the daughter of a work colleague who had just finished year 12, and arranged a couple of tutoring sessions. It felt odd at first, but it just reminded me of some of the formulas.

I also went back to practicing my times tables- a must when you are completing the exam without a calculator.

I also looked online, and found there were several GMAT prep courses available. I enrolled in the Knewton Online GMAT prep course (https://www.knewton.com) – which was a worthwhile investment- they have a 50 point increase or your money back guarantee. This course was perfect for me- although I had the opportunity to participate in interactive classes, they were generally not at convenient times, so I took the “on demand” classes. This meant I could work at my own pace, when I wanted, where I wanted, pausing wherever I needed to. There were practice exams, and good hints about if you needed to guess, how to do it, and when to do it. There were 13 classes and 6 practice exams in all, written by the people who designed the GMAT test. I would certainly recommend doing this class, allowing at least 6 weeks for completion. In the end, my score jumped from that initial 510 to 660- and a score of 6/6 for the essay component. I cannot speak highly enough about the Knewton course, the tech support, the teachers, and the benefit I gained from it.

Get organized

Don’t forget to check when the GMAT exams will be held in your area. They weren’t very frequent in Adelaide, yet in Melbourne and Sydney, there were daily sessions. This will need to be taken into consideration when planning your scholarship application.

Now that all of that is said and done- add it all up, if you are in an area where there are frequent exams, or are able to travel to one of these cities, then you need to allow at least two and a half months before the scholarship deadline to ensure that the GMAT wont close the door to your scholarship application. If you are in an area where the tests aren’t frequent, you will need to plan for more time. If you don’t need to re-sit, that is great- all the more time to prepare your applications- but it is nice to know you have the option if you need it.

My original qualification is in mining engineering, although I also have a Masters in Applied Finance. I have moved into more financially-oriented roles over time, albeit still within the mining industry. My most recent role was with BMA (a joint venture between BHP Billiton and Mitsubishi) as a Senior Business Analyst in the Business Development department.

My journey to Cranfield began in 2008. I’d had a loose plan to “one day” do a MBA. The most likely option was a part time course at my alma mater, the University of Queensland. However, this was relatively expensive and the course has no international standing, which I considered quite important considering the time and expense of completing an MBA. I’d also looked at the NUS/UCLA executive offering. Though this had a bit better standing than Australian courses, it was fairly expensive, particularly considering the international travel requirements. In early 2008 an email was forwarded on through my company’s HR department, advertising the Cranfield Australian Alumni scholarship. The first scholarship had been awarded the previous year to Sarah Nicholson a BHP Billiton employee. The opportunity to be able to complete an international-standard MBA without the financial difficulties normally involved greatly appealed to me. So I booked in to sit the GMAT, achieved a quite good result and put in my application.

As far as the GMAT goes, I highly recommend GMAT 800 by Kaplan. It provides some hard example questions that you don’t normally get in other practice books. I’d also recommend getting a guide to verbal questions. There are a lot of grammar and sentence structure questions in the GMAT. Australian education systems seem to do a very poor job at teaching such things in primary school so I would suggest practice in this area is crucial. The questions can be quite technical, particularly the hard ones, so judging the answer by how it sounds is usually not the best option. Mind you, those who aren’t as comfortable with mathematics might not agree that this is the most difficult area.

The application process involved an interview with recruitment consultants Egon Zehnder, an interview with the Cranfield FTMBA course director, Sean Rickard, an interview with the selection committee from the Australian alumni and two essays (one for the Australian alumni and one for the school). Regardless of the selection process, the chance to get feedback from a high-level executive recruitment firm such as Egon Zehnder was invaluable.

Unfortunately, I missed out in 2008, although I did get offered a partial scholarship. However, between the application and the offer, I became engaged to the delightful, enchanting lady who is now my wife (and may also have edited this prior to posting) and had also been asked to be groomsman at a friend’s wedding. With both weddings planned during the Cranfield year, not to mention the cost of a future wedding to consider, it didn’t feel like the best timing to take a year off work and head overseas, so I had to turn the opportunity down. At that point I thought I might have missed my opportunity to complete an MBA internationally. However, in 2010, I was asked if I was still interested in going to Cranfield. With my wife due to give birth just three months before the start of the MBA year, the timing was not any better, however, I didn’t want to miss the opportunity again and put my name forward. The process was a lot less stressful the second time around as I’d already been accepted to Cranfield previously. In the end I was fortunate enough to receive the 2010 scholarship and the rest, as they say, is history!

I believe one of the major advantages of undertaking a Cranfield MBA is its geographical location. I recall one student eloquently refer to campus as being “in the middle of a paddock somewhere in England”. Now, it’s nowhere near as bad as it may sound, but I would like to point out how this very point is turning out to be a major benefit.

We are now at the halfway point of term two, and the pressure is definitely on. Along with our individual studies, we are also working in learning teams of six students working together for group tasks. Efficiency and time management are crucial to ensure we can keep on top of the hectic timetable. The fact that Cranfield is not a city campus gives us very little in the way of distractions from the task at hand. We all live, work and play in what we have aptly named ‘The Bubble’, but from the school’s prospective, this would be more respectfully referred to as ‘The Cranfield Experience’.

Living this experience around the clock with such a compressed workload may sound like a negative, but it actually makes your commitment to the MBA so much more rewarding. The exponential learning, the scope of new experiences, and most of all, the amazing friendships you build all play their part in transforming you into a Cranfield MBA. As I look around, I see all my fellow classmates going through similar stages of personal development. A few are resisting the change, but most are embracing it. Like most things in life, you will only get out of it what you put in.

The best thing about challenging yourself in this environment is not only the comradery you have with your fellow students, but also the endless support you receive from the amazing faculty who are here to help you in anyway possible. For those of us who realise that it’s not just about earning a certificate, but to also develop both personally and professionally, we are definitely in the right place.

It may seem clichéd, but from day one the stage was set for us to stretch beyond our comfort zones and in so doing, experience more, learn more and hence, grow faster. I’m an upbeat, optimistic person, who has lived life predominantly in the present, facing challenges as they arise, and always finding happiness in the situations I found myself in. I’m not afraid of challenges and do accept opportunities as they arise, so I didn’t think I was constrained in any tangible way by my own comfort zone … until one of my MBA colleagues challenged this belief.

His view was simply that contentment is dangerous as it leads to complacency, while discomfort is desirable, as it compels us to push harder, try alternative approaches, and ultimately, achieve more. While I saw some merit in this perspective, it nonetheless conjured memories of the sadness I have felt in seeing friends forever failing to acknowledge and enjoy their own successes, due to their perpetual, singular focus on their next goal. As with most things in life, a balance is undoubtedly ideal. I felt compelled to experiment, so for the remainder of term, I attempted to suspend my fears and engage in activities I’d never been game to try before (eg touch rugby).

While I’m still unclear as to where to draw the line between contentment and challenge, I must confess that my term one experience was all the richer for this shift in attitude, not least with respect to the rich friendships I’ve built through reaching out, opening up and interacting on a deeper level with others.  In a more general sense, I’ve found that keeping my eyes on the horizon has extended my awareness of the possibilities surrounding me, yet this hasn’t dampened my appreciation for the innumerable blessings already active in my life. As term two commences I’m actually looking forward to pushing myself and seeing how much more I can achieve.

First things first … who am I and what am I doing here? Well, I’m a fun-loving, active Melbournian who has been working in IT for an investment bank for the past 7 years. I love to learn (I’m interested in almost everything), particularly when it involves exchanging stories and bouncing ideas around. In future, I’d love to play some small role in slowing Australia’s “brain drain”, perhaps by helping new, innovative businesses to survive and thrive in the Australian market.

I’m here at Cranfield to learn about business and management (of course) but also to broaden my perspective through meeting amazing people from all around the world and sharing stories with them. This year, I’m subscribing to Jackson Brown Jnr’s philosophy: “Let the refining and improving of your own life keep you so busy that you have little time to criticize others.”

One final note: please pardon the beginner’s mistakes I’ll undoubtedly make, this being my first blogging experience. Your comments and suggestions are most welcome.

Cheers,

Damini