Julia Mericle
Assistant News Editor
St. Bonaventure University will be offering a course this fall to prepare students for the Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT). The prep course will take place on four Saturdays (Sept. 20, Oct. 4, Oct. 18, and Oct. 25) from 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM.
The exam is for students applying for a Masters of Business Administration degree (MBA) program. However, the course is not exclusive to business students.
John Stevens, head of the MBA program, said the test is scored on a scale of 200-800 points, with 550 being the nationwide midpoint. The goal of this prep course is to bring the scores of St. Bonaventure students above that midpoint, according to Stevens.
Stevens also notes that management and marketing students often tend to excel in the comprehension and language aspects of the test, while accounting and finance students tend to excel in the numbers aspect of the test. The prep course is meant to give students the tools to succeed in their weaker areas, according to Stevens.
This course was first offered at St. Bonaventure University during the 2012-2013 academic year. Beginning last year and continuing this year, the course will be broadcasted live to students attending Hilbert University, using technology in the Swann Business Center.
According to Stevens, GMAT prep courses are offered all over the country, but not necessarily by colleges. Companies, such as Kaplan, offer prep courses for the GMAT, but they can cost as much as $800-$1,000. St. Bonaventure University bought materials from a company that markets the GMAT course and will use these materials as guidelines for teaching.
Students who are interested in taking the GMAT prep course are encouraged by Stevens to sign up immediately, as there are a limited number of spaces available. The classroom equipped with the needed technology can hold about 15 students.
The course is being offered for $100, which can be paid with cash, online or by check, payable to St. Bonaventure University. According to Stevens, there are several incentives to pay this amount.
“If you pay for the course, take the course, apply to the MBA program, get accepted and start the program, we will refund the $100 to you so in essence it wouldn’t cost you anything to take the course,” Stevens said.
Stevens said students who score a 500 or above on the GMAT are eligible for a $2,500 scholarship, and students who score a 550 or above on the exam are eligible for a $5,000 scholarship.
“So the course helps them be admitted to the program, it helps prepare them for graduate school, and it helps them potentially to get a scholarship towards their tuition,” Stevens said.
Angela Colomaio, professor in the School of Business, will instruct the course and said that it covers topics ranging from the format of the exam and the types of questions asked to a review of the grammatical and mathematical concepts commonly found in the questions.
“When I was asked to teach the course, my hope was that I could help students feel better prepared and less intimidated by this exam,” Colomaio said. “I wish this course existed when I was a student at Bonas.”
