I just finished Seth Godin’s Poke the Box, an ode to initiative, innovation, and overcoming fear of risk and failure. In this short book, which Godin alternately and accurately refers to as a “manifesto” and a “rant,” he motivates the reader to just do it. Get going. In Godin’s words, “I’m merely encouraging you to start. Often. Forever. Be the one who starts things.”

I have had an idea percolating in my head for several months. But I hadn’t started. The idea has to do with MBA careers and MBA students, but inertia, and fear of rejection and failure were winning. I had more palatable and less honest excuses too: I was moving cautiously. I was busy. I had to check my email, Facebook, Twitter. Go to the gym. … You can probably imagine the list yourself.

As I finished Godin’s book, I decided to just do it. And I have started. I haven’t finished or “shipped” in Godin’s terms, but hopefully you will see the fruits of my start in a few weeks right here.

I poked the box. Now it’s your turn. While I am not sure Godin is a big fan of grad school or graduate business education, despite his MBA from Stanford GSB, Godin’s message is particularly pertinent for 2012 applicants.

Yes. You should start. This week. Today. Now.

Here are a few suggestions for 2012 graduate school applicants:

1. Register for the GMAT, MCAT, LSAT, or whatever test is required of you, as well as the relevant prep course, if you haven’t already done so. You want to get the test out of the way and you want as high a score as possible. (See the video below “3 Action Items for 2012 Graduate School Applicants” from Eye on Admissions for a my mild rant on this topic and other suggestions to start your 2012 application. Now.)
2. If you are an MBA applicant who will need to write a goals essay or someone who will need to write a statement of purpose for grad school, research your goal/purpose. Email 3 people to request an informational interview about your field so that you can clarify your reasons for pursuing graduate study and your intended path for achieving your goals.
3. Assess your qualifications and begin to shortlist schools based on your goals and qualifications.
4. I wouldn’t start writing application essays or personal statements yet, but I would create a file where you can jot down ideas for topics to include, notes from your informational interviews, and thoughts about schools and possible essays topics.

As I read Poke the Box, I also thought of the many programs, especially top MBA programs that ask applicants about times they took a risk or their response to failure. Understandably, applicants squirm when they have to respond to these questions.

Stop squirming. Godin has something empowering to say on this point too. “Change is powerful, but change always comes with failure as its partner. ‘This might not work’ isn’t merely something to be tolerated; it’s something you should seek out.” Failure is a tough partner to embrace, but embrace it nonetheless. It is Initiative’s significant other.

So whether you are facing memories of failure or fear of failure, just start. And consistently plow forward. Poke your box.

By Linda Abraham, Accepted’s founder and president.

Such rankings allow schools that don’t always make it to the top 10 for overall marks to finally see what it feels like to be on top regarding specific impressive elements of their program.

Top 10 U.S. MBA Programs – Accounting

1. Chicago Booth

1. Texas-Austin McCombs

3. Rochester Simon

3. Boston College Carroll

5. U. of Washington Foster

5. Vanderbilt Owen

5. Babson Olin

5. Arizona State Carey

9. Harvard Business School

10. Wharton

Top 10 U.S. MBA Programs – Finance

1. Wharton

2. Chicago Booth

3. Columbia

4. Northeastern

5. Boston College Carroll

5. Case Western Weatherhead

7. Harvard Business School

8. Minnesota Carlson

8. Wisconsin-Madison

8. George Washington

Top 10 U.S. MBA Programs – Most Innovative Curriculums

1. Stanford

2. Chicago Booth

3. Indiana Kelley

4. Yale

4. USC Marshall

4. Texas A&M Mays

4. Tulane Freeman

8. Boston University

8. Rochester Simon

8. George Washington

Top 10 U.S. MBA Programs – Most Improved

1. Georgia Tech

1. Boston University

1. Northeastern

4. Indiana Kelley

5. Wake Forest

5. Arizona State Carey

7. Dartmouth Tuck

7. Brigham Young Marriott

7. Texas A&M Mays

7. Pittsburgh Katz

For rankings based on global competition, general management, communication skills, teamwork, or operations, as well as for an analysis on how the rankings were determined, please see the BW article. There is also a section there on global MBA programs ranked by specialty.

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One culprit: college grade inflation. Students are demanding self-affirmation, so much so that they will eschew “any competitive situation that might threaten self-esteem.” The effects are contagious; there are more straight-A students now than ever. Students are entitled to their A’s, and don’t even need to work very hard to get them. Grade non-disclosure to potential employers further “mitigates against academic competition and…performance pressures.”

Pfeffer continues to explain that even if MBA students weren’t already narcissistic due to their college educations, they would quickly become so just after b-school orientation. During their first assembly in business school (and most likely, throughout the next two years), students are exposed to praise and are awarded with the ranks of high status. The author compares this to the highly selected students at military academies who “are given lowly titles and informed they need to earn their acceptance and status.”

Business school graduates, he explains, are now more likely to quit upon criticism from an employer than to reflect on how to improve their performance.

Some solutions:

• Change the tone of that orientation speech from singing praises to emphasizing the responsibilities of first students, and then businesspeople.
• Establish firm consequences for cheating, thus imparting that there are consequences for all actions.
• Emphasize the principles of power. Pfeffer lays out clear principles at the opening to his article, and they are:

a) Hierarchy is ubiquitous and desired in task groups, which means there is invariably competition for the rewards that come from moving up the ladder.

b) The ability to see the world through another’s point of view is a critical skill for being able to garner influence.

c) Success requires ambition, drive and the persistence and resilience to overcome setbacks and to work constantly on weaknesses.

The earlier parts of this post summarize Pfeffer’s article, now for my thoughts: The “narcissism” as he calls it is in my opinion not so much characteristic of MBA students as of the millennial generation. Just last Friday my husband and I had dinner with a leading ophthalmologist and professor at UCLA’s Jules Stein Eye Institute. He echoed Pfeffer’s complaints about the residents and fellows that he works with almost verbatim. Indeed, Ron Alsop writes in The Trophy Kids Grow Up, a book about millenials, “A strong sense of entitlement is one of the most striking characteristics of the millennial generation.”

Whether referred to as “narcissism,” “an inability to take criticism,” or “a strong sense of entitlement,” you don’t want to give off these vibes in your interactions with business schools. Show appreciation for anything and everything in your interactions with school representatives.  Listen to and evaluate criticism before you react to it. Attempt to view it as a means of self-improvement, or in Dr. Randy Pausch’s words, “Your critics are the ones telling you they still love you and care.” Don’t reject feedback immediately, just because it’s not what you want to hear.

Finally, I disagree with Dr. Pfeffer about an unwillingness to compete as being characteristic of MBAs or millenials. I haven’t seen that at all. Perhaps poor sportsmanship is more of an issue and an inability to lose gracefully is more at the heart of the matter.  My $.02

Top 30 U.S. Business Schools of 2010 (2008 rankings are parenthetical.)

1. Chicago Booth (1)
2. Harvard Business School (2)
3. Wharton (4)
4. Northwestern Kellogg (3)
5. Stanford GSB (6)
6. Duke Fuqua (8)
7. Michigan Ross (5)
8. UC Berkeley Haas (10)
9. Columbia (7)
10. MIT Sloan (9)
11. UVA Darden (16)
12. Southern Methodist Cox (18)
13. Cornell Johnson (11)
14. Dartmouth Tuck (12)
15. CMU Tepper (19)
16. UNC Kenan-Flagler (17)
17. UCLA Anderson (14)
18. NYU Stern (13)
19. Indiana Kelley (15)
20. Michigan State Broad (2T)
21. Yale SOM (24)
22. Emory Goizueta (23)
23. Georgia Tech (29)
24. Notre Dame Mendoza (20)
25. Texas-Austin McCombs (21)
26. USC Marshall (25)
27. Brigham Young Marriott (22)
28. Minnesota Carlson (2T)
29. Rice Jones (NR)
30. Texas A&M Mays (NR)

Top International Business Schools

1. INSEAD (3)
2. Queen’s (1)
3. IE Business School (2)
4. ESADE (6)
5. London Business School (5)
6. Western Ontario Ivey (4)
7. IMD (7)
8. Toronto Rotman (8)
9. York Schulich (2T)
10. Cambridge Judge (2T)
11. McGill Desautels (2T)
12. IESE (9)
13. Cranfield (NR)
14. HEC Paris (2T)
15. HEC Montreal (HR)
16. Oxford Said (10)
17. Manchester (2T)
18. SDA Bocconi (NR)

BW bases its rankings on employer and student surveys, as well as what they call “intellectual capital,” or school research output. For more information on how the rankings are determined, read BW‘s “How We Rank Business Schools.”

Other articles in the report that may interest you include:

• “The Best U.S. Business Schools 2010” – This article highlights ways that business schools are dealing with the sour job market—putting a new emphasis on job placement, reaching out to alumni for job leads, using technology to connect with recruiters, and bolstering career services departments.
• “Top Global Business Schools” – Read about how the Great Recession has affected the international MBA scene, why new schools have popped up on the top 10, why students are being drawn to emerging markets, and more.

Related Accepted.com Resources:

• The Rankings, a free special report on how you should interpret the rankings in your own b-school quest.
• Internationalizing the MBA, a free special report that will help you determine whether an international MBA program is right for you.

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

One advantage of such a move, at least according to Wes Swank, a 29-year-old who completed his MBA at age 24, is that “going directly from college to business school [can help one] avoid jarring transitions.” The benefit of not yet having a job means that you don’t need to leave a job and put your life on hold for two years, he says.

The WSJ article cites the Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC) as stating that the under-24 contingency is the fastest growing group among people who take the GMAT. In fact, in 2010, about 40% of full-time MBA applicants had less than three years of work experience.

Some business schools, like the Loyola University’s Sellinger School of Business and Management, are even going so far as to create special MBA programs for these young students. Sellinger’s part-time program offers part-time learning with part-time working, so students get the classroom and hands-on work experiences simultaneously. Karyl Leggio, Sellinger’s dean, explains, “We provide real-world experience to help accelerate their careers….It’s sort of internships on steroids.”

Harvard Business School‘s 2+2 program is another option for younger applicants. This program offers accepted college juniors a spot in a future HBS class, just so long as they first graduate college and then work for two years.

Similarly, Stanford GSB offers a deferment program where students can apply to the business school while seniors in college, and then defer for one to three years after graduation.

According to Dipak Jain, former dean of Northwestern Kellogg, “younger MBA graduates in many cases may be more appealing to employers, and younger students could help diversify business schools’ student bodies.” Young women, Jain continues, are also more likely to attend business school before they have families.

While this trend does seem to be on the rise, many are skeptical, especially in today’s economy, that top companies will be willing to hire less experienced MBAs.

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

As Linda points out, some application essay questions appear easy and straightforward, but are deceptively complicated. Learn how to answer the questions properly, directly, and compellingly.

Similarly, your LOR recommenders need to be chosen wisely. Stanford requires three letters of recommendation, and each letter should reflect Stanford’s ideals.

Learn how to turn your essays and letters of recommendation from mediocre to a cut above the rest…right here!

For one-on-one guidance through the Stanford MBA application process, please check out Accepted.com’s Stanford Application Package or our other MBA essay editing and MBA admissions consulting packages.

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Top 10 Schools for Consulting:

1. Northwestern Kellogg
2. Harvard Business School
3. Chicago Booth
4. Wharton
5. Michigan Ross
6. Columbia
7. Duke Fuqua
8. MIT Sloan
9. Stanford
10. NYU Stern

Top 3 B-Schools for Consulting in New York

1. HBS
2. Columbia
3. NYU Stern

Top 3 B-Schools for Consulting in Boston

1. HBS
2. MIT Sloan
3. Dartmouth Tuck

Top 3 B-Schools for Consulting in Washington, D.C.

1. UVA Darden
2. Wharton
3. Northwestern Kellogg

Top 3 B-Schools for Consulting in Atlanta

1. Emory Goizueta
2. HBS
3. Duke Fuqua

Top 3 B-Schools for Consulting in Silicon Valley

1. UC Berkeley Haas
2. MIT Sloan
3. Michigan Ross

Note the role of geography in determining top schools in specific regions. Something to keep in mind if you know where you want to live.

Related Accepted.com Resources:

• The Rankings: An Accepted.com Special Report
• The Consultant’s Guide to MBA Admission, an instantly downloadable ebook



Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Top 10 Schools for Consulting:

1. Northwestern Kellogg
2. Harvard Business School
3. Chicago Booth
4. Wharton
5. Michigan Ross
6. Columbia
7. Duke Fuqua
8. MIT Sloan
9. Stanford
10. NYU Stern

Top 3 B-Schools for Consulting in New York

1. HBS
2. Columbia
3. NYU Stern

Top 3 B-Schools for Consulting in Boston

1. HBS
2. MIT Sloan
3. Dartmouth Tuck

Top 3 B-Schools for Consulting in Washington, D.C.

1. UVA Darden
2. Wharton
3. Northwestern Kellogg

Top 3 B-Schools for Consulting in Atlanta

1. Emory Goizueta
2. HBS
3. Duke Fuqua

Top 3 B-Schools for Consulting in Silicon Valley

1. UC Berkeley Haas
2. MIT Sloan
3. Michigan Ross

Note the role of geography in determining top schools in specific regions. Something to keep in mind if you know where you want to live.

Related Accepted.com Resources:

• The Rankings: An Accepted.com Special Report
• The Consultant’s Guide to MBA Admission, an instantly downloadable ebook



Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

• Can we blame the recent economic crisis on MBAs and business schools? An exclusive CNBC interview with Harvard Business School‘s new dean, Nitin Nohria, provides insight into the current economic condition and offers readers (or viewers) with an overview of Dean Nohria’s opinions on businessmen, business schools, and the global business community at large. You can view the televised event or read a copy of the transcript here.

• UCLA’s The MBA Insider’s Blog recommends that motivated “early career” (EC) candidates (b-school applicants with less than three years of professional work experience) take some time to reflect and consider how an MBA might help shape their professional goals. According to the blog post, UCLA Anderson warmly welcomes ECs: “We are every bit as interested in your career potential and ability to give back to your academic, work, and local communities as what you have accomplished to date.” The post offers specific advice geared towards ECs and is a valuable read for all younger applicants.

Need help navigating your way through the MBA admissions process? Sign up for Accepted.com’s free 9-day email course, Navigate the MBA Maze, today to learn valuable tips to help you reach your MBA dreams efficiently, effectively, and confusion-free!

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