MBA Quant Experience

Here is a testimonial from Anne Thompson, a first-year student at Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and member of the MBA Math Board of Advisors, about her pre-MBA use of the MBA Math online quantitative preparation course:

As someone who hadn’t solved a math problem since high school I owe my admission to the Tuck Class of 2009 to MBA Math. During the admission process I relied on MBA Math as an additional indicator of my quantitative abilities. In preparing for the first year core curriculum at Tuck, going through MBA Math again provided me with the confidence and the necessary tools to stay up-to-speed with my classmates.

Professionally I have spent the past six years as a non-profit fundraiser – first for a small arts-based non-profit in New York City, and then on a larger scale as a major gift officer for Yale University, my own alma mater. In my job I relied on Excel more as a recording tool than as a partner in solving complex calculations and valuations. The MBA Math program helped ease me into the “language of business school” and allowed me to see the value in developing basic proficiency in key areas. This is not to say that the Tuck core curriculum was made easy after taking MBA Math, but rather it was made manageable and I had a familiarly with the material that allowed me to come up the learning curve faster during the term. MBA Math, and Professor Regan in particular have my full endorsement!

Here is a testimonial from Michael Converse, a first-year student at Anderson School of Business at University of California at Los Angeles and member of the MBA Math Board of Advisors, about his pre-MBA use of the MBA Math online quantitative preparation course:

I have spent the last 8 years, after graduating from Harvard University, working in feature film production and development for Sony Pictures Entertainment and Universal Studios. Most recently, I completed an internship at Comerica Bank. Through my career in the entertainment industry, I gained experience solving unique business problems in a high pressure environment, through relationship building, content development, project management, financial analysis, and creative problem solving.

MBA Math was essential in preparing me for business school. After I passed out of the statistics requirement at Harvard University as an undergraduate I spent my time focused largely on humanities-based liberal arts courses. Additionally, I had been out of the academic world for close to 8 years before I decided to seek a graduate degree in business at UCLA Anderson. Needless to say it had been a long time between quantitative courses for me. MBA Math gave me a structured, go-at-your-own-pace outlet for me to prepare for the first semester of business school. The early preparation not only allowed me to avoid getting lost but also enabled me to understand and enjoy more of what was being taught. I, with my classmates, found the first semester at UCLA Anderson to be intensely academically rigorous and demanding. I know that being able to prepare for it in the spare time leading up to the fall allowed me to excel AND to enjoy the amazing experience.

Here is a testimonial from Joshua Izzard, a first-year student at Chicago Graduate School of Business and member of the MBA Math Board of Advisors, about his pre-MBA use of the MBA Math online quantitative preparation course:

I am a first year full-time MBA student at Chicago GSB. I hold undergraduate- and graduate-level degrees from the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory, which I completed as a concert pianist--so it is true that people from all professions do go to top MBA programs.

In addition to my extensive performing career, I have many years of experience in entrepreneurship, finance (most recently as an equities trader) and direct investment in Russia, where I spent nine years after leaving my native United States. While my education up to MBA level had been entirely musical, I had considerable exposure to quantitative material at work and was thus not too unprepared for the rigors of an MBA.

As I had thought of going into investment banking after business school, I thought that Chicago GSB would be an excellent school to go to based on both its reputation in finance and on its placement rates. I have been consistently surprised by the quantitative rigor of courses at GSB, and have needed Excel in all of my classes thus far. Calculus has proven necessary in exactly half of my courses, statistics in all courses (in some form or another). I plan to expand on these comments on the MBA Quant blog.

My experience during the first two quarters at Chicago GSB has been immeasurably enhanced by the fact that I spent the time necessary to go through all of the sections and problems on MBA Math. In fact, I continue to use it as a reference or reminder of certain things even though we have gone into greater depth long since. I cannot recommend this course enough.