• Another article about the Wharton School (this time from London’s Times Higher Education) focuses on the changes the top b-school has made to increase its global footprint. The MBA program has established week-long modules that take students to places around the globe and that provide them with a first-hand look at global business issues. An emphasis on social impact is another key element to Wharton’s recent curriculum overhaul and is further discussed in the article.

• Last but not least, BusinessWeek recently published an article about how to make the most of business school rankings, a subject that we at Accepted.com have discussed quite a bit (for example, see our free special report, MBA Rankings). According to the BW article, b-school applicants rely too heavily on the published rankings — that is, the numbered position of each school on the list — rather than the information that accompanies the rankings. Linda Abraham, CEO of Accepted.com, is quoted in the article saying, “Stop thinking of them as rankings of anything. They are collections of data and surveys. They are opinions.” Later on in the article Linda advices applicants to use the information only in their preliminary school research and only alongside additional research like the programs’ websites and conversations with students and alumni. Please read the BW article and the MBA Rankings special report for more information on how you should approach the rankings.

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

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.

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Maryellen Reilly Lamb, senior associate director of MBA career management of Wharton, explains, “Two years ago, I couldn’t get a bank to take our calls, last year they were taking them and this year, they’re calling us. That speaks a lot to the cautious optimism of Wall Street at the moment.”

In 2008, about 59% of companies in all industries hired MBAs. In 2009 that number dropped to 50%, and this year, that number is likely to bounce back up to 55%.

Also trending back up are signing deals and salaries, which increased 3.2% this year to $89,200.

More recent statistics:

• Wharton saw a 20% increase this year over last in the number of students offered summer banking internships.
• NYU Stern hosted 10% more recruiting events this fall for full-time and summer banking positions.
• Columbia Business School recorded a 45% increase in full-time job postings.
• Harvard Business School, which as of last week had not published their totals, expects “a flurry of offer letters for MBA candidates approaching graduation.”
• JPMorgan and Credit Suisse plan to visit more schools and increase their hiring this year. Credit Suisse has already hired about 10% more people than it did last year.

How have the hiring changes affected MBA students and graduates? For one, explains the Fins article, candidates are showing more devotion to their chosen industry; fewer students are undecided in their career paths by the time they graduate. They are also not taking for granted what few job opportunities come their way.

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

The Wharton EMBA adcom shows a very clear focus in its set of essay questions (in black font). It wants to understand your goals and how executive business studies support them (essay 1), it wants to get a glimpse of you as a person and as a professional (essay 2), and it wants to make sure that once you commit to taking one of their precious slots, you’ll stay for the duration (essay 3). This trio of essays comprises a clear, well-rounded picture for the adcom with no excess meandering – they want straightforward substance.  Moreover, while they focus on professional topics, essay 2 provides an opportunity to discuss a non-work experience (in the first option about leadership) if you have something of particular relevance, import, or interest outside the professional realm that would enhance your application.

Essay 1

Answer all of the following questions (no word limit):  What is your career objective and what do you see as the next steps needed to achieve it?  How will the Wharton MBA Program for Executives contribute to your attainment of these objectives?  Why is this the right time for you to undertake this program?

First a warning: don’t clap in glee or sigh in relief to see “no word limit”!  That phrase simply means you have to impose your own discipline, and failure to do so will doom your essay.  With that point in mind, I suggest keeping this essay to between 750 and 1000 words – long enough to address all the points but short enough to employ focus, concision, and astute selection of content.  Also, resist the temptation to review your career progress, which is not asked for.  Keep discussion of career to points relevant (directly or indirectly) to your goals.

This goals question requires both the broad picture – “your career objective,” and specifics – “the next steps.”  You may want to start with where you are as a context, and discuss how the MBA learning will enable you to achieve your immediate goals in your current role.   Doing so will enable you to effectively answer the question “why is this the right time. “  In describing your goals at any given point, short- or long-term, be sure to clarify why you are taking that step or pursuing that role.   In discussing how the program will benefit you, be specific: about what skills and knowledge you need, and about how the program meets those needs.  Also refer to the structure and special features of the program, noting how you will benefit from them.

Essay 2

Answer one of the following three questions (500 word limit):

• Describe the most significant way, either in or out of your job, that you have demonstrated leadership.
• In one of your Wharton MBA courses, you are given a case assignment to be completed in a study group comprised of six students. What is the most significant strength you would bring to the group process?
• As ‘The Ethicist’ in the New York Sunday Times Magazine often demonstrates, many ethical dilemmas are fairly complex with gray areas making the decision path a challenging one. Give an example of one such dilemma and how you handled it.

In selecting the question, keep in mind a few factors:  You want to write about something that is fresh and not redundant of other parts of the application; that lets the adcom get to know you as a person; and that shows an aspect of you that is memorable, distinctive, and relevant.  No one of these three options is inherently “better” than the others.   Pitfalls to avoid: The first and third questions are straightforward; if you choose one of them, after you complete your story add a short paragraph or even just a sentence or two with a summarizing, reflective point.  On the other hand, with the middle question, don’t be lured to just “talk” in abstract descriptive terms about your “significant strength” – rather, ground the discussion in actual experiences and anecdotes.

Essay 3

While many factors (i.e. your academic background, the part of the semester you’re in) can influence the amount of time dedicated to the program, students have estimated that it’s approximately 20 hours/week. Given your already demanding job and the desire to remain committed to important family and personal obligations, how do you plan to handle this additional demand on you? (500 word limit)

A straightforward question that deserves a straightforward answer. Discuss the accommodations you will make at work, such as delegating more, adjusting travel schedules, etc.  You don’t have to go overboard and tell them every single thing you can think of – focus on the most significant two or three things.  Also discuss how you will meet your personal responsibilities – even acknowledging that you’ll have less time at the playground with your toddler or mentioning the support of your significant other will give them confidence that you’re facing this issue squarely.  If you’ve already had experience successfully balancing grad school and working full time, by all means mention it.

Essay 4

(Optional) Is there anything else you would like to add that would help us in evaluating your candidacy? (No word limit)

This question’s wording indicates that you can use it not just to explain a problem (low GMAT, employment gap) but also to present new material that you think will enhance your application.  However, if you are making the adcom read more than is required, there better be a darn good reason, not just that something is nice to know. First, succinctly explain any points that need explaining.  Then, if there is something you feel is important that you haven’t had a chance to discuss elsewhere, write about it, noting why it’s important for the adcom to know.  Examples might be details of significant community service or a particularly illuminating work experience.

If you would like help with Wharton’s essays, please consider Accepted.com’s Wharton Executive Packages or our other MBA admissions consulting and MBA essay editing services.

Deadline: February 1, 2011 for class starting May 22 (San Francisco) and May 29 (Philadelphia)

By Cindy Tokumitsu, co-author of The EMBA Edge, and author of the free, email mini-course, “Ace the EMBA.”

The slideshow contains all six interview questions (of which three are chosen), as well as suggestions and instructions on how to evaluable applicant responses.

Bryne suggests that about half of applicants to top b-schools like Harvard, Stanford, and Wharton use consultants.

But, as Linda Abraham, Accepted.com’s founder and CEO, points out, “The questions typically asked at MBA interviews are not exactly state secrets. The actual questions are posted on applicant blogs and forums and shared in our database and in Clear Admit’s wiki. We definitely use publicly available information in coaching our clients.” (Abraham knew nothing of the slide presentation before Byrne contacted her.)

Byrne then continues to list the six questions—one from each of the following categories is chosen at the interview: team building, facilitative leadership, and persuasive communication. He writes:

The questions on “team building” are:

“Describe a time when you have been working toward the completion of an important task, when it has been necessary to consider the opinions and feelings of others.”

“Describe a time when you have worked as part of a team working towards an important goal, when you have addressed conflict between two or more team members.”

The questions on “facilitative leadership” are:

“Describe a time when you have worked with others to complete an important task, when there was no formally appointed group leader.”

“Describe a time when you have ensured an important task has been completed, when you felt others were less focused than you on completing the important task.”

The questions on “persuasive communication” are:

“Describe a time when you have had to persuade others to your way of thinking, when at first they did not buy into your idea.”

“Describe a time when your ideas have been challenged by others, requiring you to defend your opinions.”

Bryne also lists a number of the follow-up questions for each category and an expose on how applicants are graded on their answers.

At least now everyone’s on the same page.



Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Further thoughts from Linda Abraham:

WhartonLeak is a far cry from WikiLeaks for the following reasons.

1. As I noted in the article, these question are widely publicized. Although the criteria were never so public or explicit, they also aren’t top secret.
2. Wharton has openly said its interview questions are behavioral.
3. While Wharton and many other schools are asking more pointed and direct questions than they did in the past, the essays and interviews have almost always been “behavioral.” Your actions speak far louder than words about your values and character. It would be mistake to think that the nature of a good response has changed. It hasn’t. The questions are simply more narrowly defined and clearer, and that’s to your advantage. You have less rope to hang yourselves.

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

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

• Harvard Business School has expanded overseas to China, India, and Europe, with the most rapid growth in China and the slowest in India, reports a recent Wall Street Journal article. According to David Yoffie, senior associate dean of executive education at Harvard, “The demand for executive education in China is insatiable….India is different. Companies already have their own extensive internal training programs. There’s a lot more scepticism of the value of outside education beyond a certain price point.”

• HBSers aren’t the only ones moving east; according to a recent Daily Pennsylvanian article, Whartonites are also heading to Asia, seeking finance and investment opportunities in East Asian countries, particularly in China. According to Barbara Hewitt, senior associate director of Career Services at Wharton, “In the past students tended to think that New York might be more of a financial capital and a place to start a career, and certainly I still see some of that, but I think that Hong Kong is absolutely a huge financial market, and people are seeing a lot of benefit to having that international experience and knowledge of the Asian market.”

• Nyenrode Business Unviersiteit announced more free flights for prospective MBA students. The school is offering prospective students flights to the Netherlands campus to attend “immersion weekends” on November 19-21 or February 18-20. These trips were planned after the success of the first immersion weekend the b-school hosted in June. “The programme is focused strongly on personal development and the enhancement of leadership skills,” explains Desiree Van Gorp, the international MBA’s director, “and that’s exactly what participants can expect from these weekends, albeit in miniature.” For more information on the free flights project, visit the school’s website.

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best