JU offering free GMAT/GRE prep classes for graduate business applicants

In a move to enhance students’ skills and boost their career chances, Jacksonville University’s Davis College of Business is for the first time offering a full series of free GMAT/GRE classes for graduate business applicants.

To make the prep courses even more valuable, they’ll be taught by JU faculty who themselves scored in the 90^th percentile on the GMAT or GRE and went on to earn Ph.D.’s from prestigious universities.

“We found that the majority of our MBA applicants who did not complete their applications were concerned how they would perform on the GMAT or GRE, and didn’t want to risk $400 to prepare and register for the exam,” said DCOB Dean Don Capener. “The solution was to offer free prep for our applicants to ease the burden and stress of successfully tackling the exam.”

Each course consists of two meetings in which applicants will learn skills to succeed in the GMAT or GRE and be given test-taking tips. The courses focus on each section of the GMAT and GRE: Analytical Writing, Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative and Verbal.

“One big challenge for those of us thinking of getting our MBA is preparing to score well on the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT),” said Brandon Smith, who hopes to attend JU this fall and graduated from Brigham Young University in construction management. “It has been seven years since I have had a comprehensive exam like this. My quantitative problem-solving skills were pretty much limited to what I face in the construction management business or my personal finances.”

JU faculty members teaching the classes on a rotating schedule are Dr. Maggie Foley (Texas Tech University), Dr. Douglas Johansen (Florida State University), Dr. James Mirabella (Nova Southeastern University) and Dr. John Shaw (University of Florida).

DCOB has offered some sections of the course in the past and is now expanding it fully.

“The free classes I have been taking with Davis faculty are great,” Brandon Smith said. “Professors Mirabella and Shaw helped me find the test-taking strategy that fit my skill set and challenged me to learn some new skills I didn’t know I would need to score well on the exam.”

The only requirement to participate is that students apply for admission to a graduate program in the Davis College of Business. Each meeting session is $35 for those who have not submitted a graduate application to the DCOB.

The upcoming prep sessions are listed below.

Class Dates	Time	Location
July 25, Aug. 1	6–9 p.m.	DCOB 263
Sept. 5, 12	6–9 p.m.	DCOB 224
Oct. 8, 15	6–9 p.m.	DCOB 224
Nov. 4, 6	6–9 p.m.	DCOB 263 (4th) and 233 (6th)
Dec. 5, 12	6–9 p.m.	DCOB 224

For more information and to register, contact AnnaMaria Murphy, graduate admissions counselor, at (904) 256-7426 or amurphy8@ju.edu.