Why Geometry in the GMAT? Why the GMAT at all?

What the heck is the point of geometry being on the GMAT?



I understand that geometry is very useful for students of some disciplines, but honestly - what MBA is going to be using this in their cirriculum or career? I could be wrong in thinking this is pointless, so please point this out to me if I am mistaken.



The only purpose I can discern from this came from a close friend of mine. Yesterday he told me that many things in life are just stupid pointless hoops to jump through in the path to success. We will face these in our careers, The only real benefit gained by doing this is learning how to jump through hoops - which in itself is actually a pretty valuable skill. This is mainly because in the world, there are going to be many times in on careers where we have to do things that are completely pointless but might be the deciding factor in who gets a promotion.

In other words, it has been widely published that a high GMAT score does not statistically correlate very well to success in graduate school. If this is the case, why do schools still place such an emphasis on this score? The reason for this is that even if the material tested isn't always important, the fact that everyone knows that it is important separates the hoop jumpers from the non-hoop jumpers. If you think about it, hoop jumping pays pretty well.

Test Prep, Studying for the GMAT - Getting Started, Staying Accountable

As I am beginning to study for the GMAT, I realize that there are many students out there that may be in the same position as myself. The obvious answers to test preparations are purchasing books. Books are undoubtedly a valuable resource and I am currently studying one (with another lined up) a few hours here and there. There are tons of online resources with practice questions, yadda yadda etc. All of this information is available, how are we going to use it?

I have decided to use an empty notebook I had around the house to keep record of my study sessions. Since the time you take the GMAT in is so important, I am writing down the amount of time I am spending and which sections I am studying. Hopefully this will give me some type of data to judge my performance on, as well as keep me motivated to work fast so that I do well on the exam.

Also, I have targeted the Quantitative section as the section I think I need to focus on first. After the diagnostic test I took earlier today, this is the portion which I need the most review. The concepts/formulas for the solutions seem easy enough, however I really need to sit down and review many of them in order to refamiliarize myself with them.

The Growing Cost of College University Tuition in America

As a poor college student, I am well aware of the cost of college tuition. It is important for students as well as others to recognize the problem we face.

FACT #1: The growth rate of tuition in America for the past three years has been for 13, 10, and 7 percent.(source)

This is largely due to state legislatures decreasing appropriations for universities. What has been the response of the federal government to this? Decreasing federal grants and increasing the interest rates on the federal student loans which are not large enough to cover tuition alone at many public universities! .

FACT #2: The historically average rate of tuition increase is twice the rate of inflation. (source)

Does this really seem fair to you? Not only are students expected to work less while in school in order to maintain respectable GPAs, but many are paying for it with borrowed money. Do we really want to raise a country with an addiction to debt, or do we want to raise a nation of savers and investors?