Angela Bray
Journal Staff

Geared towards students considering graduate business school, the Collegiate Investors Association (CIA), along with the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting (ALPFA), Beta Alpha Psi, and Women in Business, are providing Suffolk University students with The Business School Seminar Series.

Patrick Coelho, CIA president, originated the idea as a current Suffolk senior looking into graduate school. “It’s a great opportunity to have people specialized in the field come speak about the admissions process and give pointers on how to successfully get into your dream program/school,” he said.

The planned series of events is presented by Kaplan. “I got an email from our contact at Kaplan, asking if we would be interested in hosting,” said Betty Lo, president of ALPHA.

In addition to the named co-sponsors, Future Investors in Real Estate (FIRE) is interested assisting with future events.

As of now, the first seminar, “The Dos and Don’ts of Business School Admissions”, has already occurred. Attendees had the opportunity to develop their elevator pitch and receive pointers on application essays, recommendation letters, resumes, and the GMAT exam.

“I’ve been doing research the past two years, and I still learned a lot by attending [the seminar],” said Coelho.

Lo sees this as an opportunity “for students who want to get started on planning ahead, but also students who want to go to grad school but don’t know where to start.”

Upcoming events include a personal statement writing workshop, a GMAT practice exam, and a GMAT strategy event.  The writing workshop, scheduled for this Tuesday, will take place in Sawyer 429 during activities period. It is intended to help attendees develop essay topics while keeping visions, goals and accomplishments in mind. Expert tips on writing and editing will be provided as well.

The practice exam is full-length and computer-based, and score reports will be provided. Students will also participate in a teach-back strategy session. The exam will also be on Tuesday at the Boston Kaplan Center at 6:30 p.m., and attendees need to register in advance.

The GMAT Strategy introduces the GMAT, how computer-adaptive testing works on the GMAT, and how GMAT Core Competencies are tested at all difficulty levels on the test. This event will be on Nov. 16 in Sawyer 429 during activities period.

“The information is straight from someone who already works closely with [students] in their position, someone who has expertise on what [students] are looking for,” said Lo.

Students are currently kept up-to-date through emails from the Sawyer Business School, Facebook event pages and flyers posted around campus.

“I think this is all extremely valuable. It’s really helpful to know and understand the complexity of the admissions process, just to be informed. I think it’s essential to know the importance of going to graduate business school, especially in today’s tough job market” said Coelho. “It’s important to know that going straight to work isn’t the only option, you don’t have to end your academic career after undergrad, furthering your education is always an option.”

Anyone interested in or already applying to graduate school is encouraged to attend, as all events are free of charge. “Even if a student is only a freshman or sophomore- if business school is in the future, definitely stop by and check things out,” said Lo. “If there is a demand, we will plan something for the spring semester.”