Pharmacy + Business. What a mix. I’m surrounded by business. My husband owns a jewelry store (Yuriy’s Jewerly) in the South Hills of Pittsburgh, PA. He also co-owns a lifestyle brand: Power Moves Only. My twin sister (Nancy Geronian) is a managing consultant with IBM and is currently in Carnegie Mellon University’s MBA program. As an immigrant with a Russian accent mixed with a crazy work ethic and unbeatable intelligence, my father started multiple companies in America without a dime handed down to him. My undeniable passion for success stems from the tough love of my highly-intelligent (and most amazing) parents and seeing more than most do at a young age. Beginning my academic career at a Pittsburgh Public School, I studied among the rich all the way to the extremely poor. I heard kids at the age of seven say they will not attend college, since they will not be able to afford it. Those same kids could not read at the age of seven. Those same kids lost the drive at such a young age due to their circumstances and mindsets. I wanted more for them. My twin and I developed thick skin at an early age. We were protective of our feelings and our dreams. We worked very hard. Not for others. Not for recognition. We did it because in our minds it was the only way. We knew we wanted more. More? I tend to ask myself will I continue to want more? In life? In my career? And then stopped to realize that – why not? Here is my why not? And why now?
Janetta(Rx) Bekman, PharmD
Part 1: GMAT Preparation
As a way to break up the four parts of the MBA Acceptance pathway, I have incorporated a few boxes with inspirational thoughts + ideas (mostly passed on to me from the Tepper CMU Leadership conference on February 16th, 2020). I am outgrowing my strive for perfection and switching it to a strive for excellence. As Angie Lusk (Program Director, Student Affairs Wellness Initiatives at CMU) mentioned, “the strive for perfection is driven by fear and a constant striving for flawlessness.” You cannot grow with a fixed mindset. I want to stress that goals are healthy. In order to move towards excellence, “one must set goals within reach and understand that failure is a part of the process.” The GMAT was one goal that almost seemed unattainable, since the exam focused on Math + English concepts that were studied many years ago. Instead of being intimidated by the task, I noticed my inner critic turning into my inner coach. “I can do this,” I said to myself. I can turned into I will, which turned into I did.
- Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) Overview
- The GMAT is an online exam and takes around 3.5 hours to complete with 2 optional eight-minute breaks.
- The GMAT has four sections:
- Analytical Writing Assessment: measures your ability to think critically and to communicate your ideas
- Integrated Reasoning: measures your ability to analyze data and evaluate information presented in multiple formats
- Quantitative Reasoning: measures your ability to analyze data and draw conclusions using reasoning skills
- Verbal Reasoning: measures your ability to read and understand written material, to evaluate arguments and to correct written material to conform to standard written English
| Test Section | Time (minutes) | # of Questions | Question Types | Score Range |
| Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) | 30 | 1 | Analysis of an argument | 0-6 |
| Integrated Reasoning (IR) | 30 | 12 | Graphics Interpretation, Table Analysis, Multi-Source Reasoning, Two-Part Analysis | 1-8 |
| Quantitative Reasoning (QR) | 62 | 31 | Data Sufficiency, Problem Solving | 6-51 |
| Verbal Reasoning (VR) | 65 | 36 | Reading Comprehension, Critical Reasoning, Sentence Correction | 6-51 |
- October to December, 2018
- Manhattan Review’s 28-hour GMAT Online Classic Course
- Instructor: Adam Tolnay
- Saturday Online Class (3.5 hours/session) for 8 weeks
- Syllabus:
- What is the GMAT / Problem Solving vs. Data Sufficiency / Math Essentials
- Arithmetic and Number Properties / Algebra
- Active Reading / Reading Comprehension / Analytical Writing Assessment
- Word Problems / Combinatorics / Probability
- Critical Reasoning
- Geometry / Sets
- Grammar Overview / Sentence Correction
- Statistics / Integrated Reasoning / Open Review
- December 18, 2018
- GMAT Scheduled/Completed
Part 2: MBA Program Research
Do you ever have a year or a Summer break where you truly find yourself? Soul-searching you may call it. Well, 2018 was that year for me. I traveled the world (Miami, Seattle, Spain, Greece, Italy, etc.). I ate out a lot and experienced the richness of various cultures. I lived the city lifestyle in a modern Downtown condo with my husband. I experienced new fitness classes from spiritual dance to hot yoga with weights. I even hired a personal trainer for the heck of it. I wanted to truly figure out what I wanted for myself before becoming a mother. I knew that I couldn’t take care of another life without having my life in order. I realized soon after having my daughter that your life may never be in order but you can have a greater understanding of what you want out of life. During the “How I Get It Done” panel during the Leadership conference at CMU, women in leadership positions (in a mix of companies from Amazon to Dick’s to PwC) mentioned that every leader always has some creative outlet as a way to decompress. My stress relievers = dance, music, and writing. At a very young age, my mother would ask me what I wanted to do when I grew up. I would point to a stage 🙂 My stage now differs based on circumstance. I do love to dance. I also love to present clinical/financial topics to a large audience. A stage nevertheless. My desire to be heard, make real changes, and have fun while I am at it has stemmed from my childhood.
- February 6, 2018
- Carnegie Mellon University Tepper School of Business
- Part-Time On Campus Information Session Webinar (5:30-6:30 PM)
- March 19, 2018
- Carnegie Mellon University Tepper School of Business
- MBA Application Workshop (12:30-1:30 PM)
- April 7, 2018
- Carnegie Mellon University Tepper School of Business
- Part-Time On Campus Information Session (10:00 AM-12:00 PM)
- May 28, 2018
- Carnegie Mellon University Tepper School of Business
- Executive Communication – Evening Class (In-Person 6:00-7:00 PM)
- September 21, 2018
- Carnegie Mellon University Tepper School of Business
- Part-Time Online Information Session (3:30-4:30 PM)
- October 2, 2018
- Carnegie Mellon University Tepper School of Business
- Managing Teams – Online Course (8:00-9:15 PM)
- December 14, 2018
- Carnegie Mellon University Tepper School of Business
- Part-Time On Campus Information Session (12:30-1:30 PM)
- January 8, 2019
- University of Pittsburgh Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business
- Online Information Session (7:00-8:00 PM)
- January 22, 2019
- Duquesne University Palumbo-Donahue School of Business
- In-person Information Session (5:30 PM)
Part 3: MBA Application
You will notice a gap from February until November 2019. The gap was dedicated to a major life event: pregnancy + a new baby girl 🙂 Multiple individuals mentioned that “having a child changes everything.” If that was the case, I wanted to see how I truly felt after having my daughter and after returning to work at Highmark. Yes, things did change. Surprisingly, I became more focused/driven than ever before. I knew that if I wanted to complete an MBA program, I need to do it right now. I couldn’t wait for the time to work out. I couldn’t wait for life to slow down. Life will never slow down. Your mind is your biggest strength and weakness. As I learned at the Tepper CMU Leadership conference, there is a a difference between being “mind full vs mindful.” “Mindfulness is a quality of attention/presence.” You need to have “intentional focus on the present without judgement” by engaging all five senses and sitting with “what is.” In midst of the chaos, clarity came to light. I knew that there is no better time than now to pursue my dreams and professional goals. As a result, I went for it. I applied to the Duquesne University MBA program in December 2019.
- December 9, 2019
- Submitted online application
- Received access to application portal to add remaining items:
- GMAT score
- Resume/CV
- 2 essays (Please provide a summary of your academic and professional background, current career endeavors, motivation for pursuing a graduate business education and future career goals. and What strengths you would bring to the program.)
- 2 letters of recommendation
- Official transcripts
- January 10, 2020
- Finalized my online application
Part 4: MBA Acceptance
Angela Blanton (current VP and CFO at Carnegie Mellon University) truly spoke to me as the opening keynote speaker at the Tepper CMU Leadership conference. She mentioned that “women think that they have to take the back seat” at work when the family at home expands. Take a second to soak that in. Did you know that “The average woman’s salary decreases by 4% for every child she has, while a man’s on average increases by 6%”? As women, we have to push a little harder. She mentioned that you have to lead with “passion, purpose, and persistence.” I will pay attention to the richness of the MBA experience. I will not complete the MBA program to check it off my list. I will leverage on my strengths and lean on others for my blind spots. I will make a difference. This is just the beginning 🙂
- January 15, 2020
- Duquesne University Palumbo-Donahue School of Business officially sent me an acceptance letter to their MBA program.
What now?
I will be registering for classes next month and beginning my MBA program in May of this year 🙂 If you would like additional information about the program at Duquesne, feel free to reference their program website. I look forward to sharing my MBA journey with you all!
JanettaRxMa 