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24 Jul 2014, 09:12
24 Jul 2014, 10:00
| FROM DreamMBA Blog: Defining your MBA Strategy |
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It is early July. MBA hopefuls around the world have started working on their business school applications. Every year, around this time, we receive hundreds of queries regarding development and formulation of a solid MBA application strategy. Some of the questions are very well thought out and deep. It shows that the applicant has done enough home work. While most of the questions are basic and shallow pointing out to the fact that the applicant has just started looking at the MBA admission process and needs deeper soul searching and broader analysis of his MBA strategy. In order to help the applicants who are late in this game, we have created the following questionnaire. Getting answers to these questions would help such applicants catch up with early birds and bring them up to the speed. We strongly recommend you to type answers to all these questions in an MS Word or Power Point document as writing helps streamlining your ideas and building a coherent story. 1. Why MBA? It is perhaps the most important category of questions. Be really clear about it. Are you planning to switch functions, industries or both? Is your goal to move up the ladder in your company? Do you want to start your own business? Why do you want to start your MBA now, why not later? What are your short, medium and long term goals? How would an MBA stitch your past experience with your short terms and long term goals? If you can build a clear story around “Why MBA?”, half of your application mission is accomplished. Congratulations. 2. Which MBA? Do you need a Full-Time, Part-Time or Executive MBA? One year MBA or two year? Which MBA program fits your personality, your profile and career goals? Full time MBA programs are usually two years long and are best suited for individuals with 3-8 years of experience. It is for candidates who are looking for a complete career switch in terms of function, industry and/or geography. On the other hand, part time MBA usually takes longer. But it is not for you if you are looking to change industries or function (e.g. from engineering to corporate strategy). However if you want to move up the career ladder (e.g. Engineering to engineering manager), it fits the purpose perfectly. If you are 35 or above and have more than10 years of experience, executive MBA might fit your needs better. With an executive MBA, you will not be able to switch industries or functions easily, though. 3. When MBA? When is it best to apply for an MBA? A simple answer is, “when you are ready”. You might be wondering what is readiness? By readiness, we mean; you have at least 3 years of work experience, have taken the GMAT and are satisfied with your score, plus you have researched the MBA programs and have answers to “Why MBA” and “Which MBA”. You genuinely believe that an MBA will help you take your career to next level? So our question: Are you ready? If your GMAT score is not that great and you believe that you can score better, go ahead and give it another try. If you are still wondering if an MBA is important for you or not, do some more soul searching. If you are 30 years old, you need to get ready now. More you delay your MBA application, lesser will be your chances to get into a top school. Be more proactive, hurry up. You don’t have any time left to procrastinate. 4. Where? Another very important set of questions relate to where should you apply. Here is how you can find answers to it. First, look up the class profiles of top schools. Check out our class profile resource that contains details on each top 20 b-school class profiles and also links to their websites. If you have the answered the questions in previous sections, you should have a pretty good idea about what kind of MBA program matches your profile. You should have a rough idea on; where do you want to go? Do you want to go to a top 10 school? top 20? top 50? And then comes the deep dive… Look at school culture; would you like to be part of that community? Look at their facilities, the resources that they have made available for their students; do they have enough offerings in the areas that you want to focus on? Identify the people in your personal network who have been part of those places. Get in touch with alumni and current students of those schools. Discuss it with admission consultants. Visit online forums and chat rooms; you will find plenty of solid information there (and a lot of rumors as well) . 5. Should I use a consultant? OK. Done with “4Ws” of MBA application (why, which, when and where). Let move on to a more practical question. Should you use a consultant? I am an admission consultant, and people tell me that I am quite good at it. So you should naturally assume that my answer should be: “Yes. Consultants are absolutely needed. They are awesome”. Right? My honest answer, however, is that “it depends”. A recent study shows that 57% of the applicants use admission consultants. So basically, only a little above half of the applicants use admission consultants. Here is how you should identify if an MBA admission consultant is needed or not. First, identify the people around you who have been through the process and who can provide you an honest opinion. Don’t ask your mom!! She probably loves you too much and she would be biased in her opinion about you. Share your ideas with those people around you who can provide you a blunt and honest opinion. Show them your application material. Share with them your recommendation letters, if possible. Discuss your overall storyline with them. And then double check their feedback with more people in your circle. If you don’t have the right people around you, or if those “right people” are too busy to help you (or they say that they are), then you should definitely hire an admission consultant. As a starting point, feel free to reach out to us for a free profile evaluation. 6. Who will pay the fees? You got a rich dad – Congratulations, You are done! But 95% of the applicants don’t have rich dads, moms or uncles. So what should they do? The answer to the question varies widely. In any case, if you get an acceptance letter to a top business school, my recommendation is not to over-think. Look for scholarship information from school websites. If you don’t get the scholarship, sell your condo and the car! (Don’t worry. After MBA, you will be able to afford a better condo and a better car). In my case, I was lucky I got a loan from Prodigy Finance and it worked out pretty well for me. Good luck with your MBA application and financing. Stay tuned for our next blog post! |
24 Jul 2014, 10:01
| FROM DreamMBA Blog: Interesting article on admission process changes |
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The shift to fewer and shorter MBA essays has taken hold across the elite business schools of the United States, and the Wall Street Journal published two interesting articles recently exploring the changes afoot at MBA programs this season. In Adam Rubenfire‘s article, Want to Get Into Business School? Write Less, Talk More, the author shares a table showing how the Harvard Business School application has changed since the 2004-2005 season. Ten years ago, HBS required six essays for a combined word total of 2,600 words. Applicants for the Class of 2012 had to write four essays totaling 2,000 words. And last year’s applicants, as many know, faced just one essay—optional at that—with no word limit. Ditto for the Class of 2017 applicants. Admissions officers at schools that have scaled down the essays say they’ve done so to avoid the cookie-cutter approach adopted by so many applicants each year. At Michigan Ross School of Business, admissions director Soojin Kwon tells the WSJ that “applicants increasingly tell us what they think we want to hear,” so now they need to write just two short essays totaling 800 words. Sara Neher, assistant dean for MBA admissions at UV Darden School of Business, explains the move to a single essay three years ago came about after she discovered “applicants were writing one essay specifically for Darden and then recycling essays from their applications to other schools.” Moving away from the topic of essays for a moment, Melissa Korn offers a preview of Harvard Business School’s “sassy” new tone in this season’s application, where a laid-back, conversational approach is designed to retain the attention of Millennial applicants whose eyes glaze over while reading instructions from so many programs. Director of admissions and financial aid Dee Leopold tells the WSJ her office receives lots of questions that are already answered in the application, so “this new, friendlier wording is also intended to engage applicants so that they actually read, and follow, directions.” Korn points out that Harvard Business School recently came in second-to-last among elite schools in an applicant survey questioning how well each institution got to know them through the admissions process. Perhaps this new, chattier HBS admissions will leave b-school hopefuls feeling warm and fuzzy…and remind them they’re dealing with actual human beings behind the AdCom desk. “Why be stuffy and formal if we don’t have to?” says Leopold. Why indeed! |
01 Aug 2014, 00:00
| FROM DreamMBA Blog: Essay Line-up for Top Business Schools |
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Another admission cycle is starting soon. Most top MBA programs have announced their essay questions for 2015. Here is a list of essay questions published so far: Wharton The Admissions Committee wants to get to know you on both a professional and personal level. We encourage you to be introspective, candid, and succinct. Most importantly, we suggest you be yourself. First-time applicants and reapplicants are required to complete the same set of essay questions. Questions, Class of 2017: 1. (Required) What do you hope to gain both personally and professionally from the Wharton MBA? (500 words) 2. (Optional) Please use the space below to highlight any additional information that you would like the Admissions Committee to know about your candidacy. (400 words) Additional Question for Reapplicants: All reapplicants to Wharton are required to complete the Optional Essay. Explain how you have reflected on the previous decision about your application, and discuss any updates to your candidacy (e.g., changes in your professional life, additional coursework, extracurricular/volunteer engagements). You may also use this section to address any extenuating circumstances. (250 words) Harvard You’re applying to Harvard Business School. We can see your resume, academic transcripts, extracurricular activities, awards, post-MBA career intentions, test scores, and what your recommenders have to say about you. What else would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy? Darden Describe the most courageous professional decision you have made or action you have taken. What did you learn from that experience? (500 words maximum) Haas – Berkeley Essays: At Berkeley-Haas, our distinctive culture is defined by four key principles — Question the Status Quo; Confidence Without Attitude; Students Always; and Beyond yourself. We seek candidates from a broad range of cultures, backgrounds, and industries who demonstrate a strong cultural fit with our program and defining principles. Please use the following essays as an opportunity to reflect on and share with us the values, experiences, and accomplishments that have helped shape who you are.(Learn more about Berkeley-Haas’ Defining Principles). 1. Describe an experience that has fundamentally changed the way you see the world. How did this transform you? (400-500 word maximum) 2. What is your most significant professional accomplishment? (200-300 word maximum) 3. What is your desired post-MBA role and at what company or organization? In your response, please specifically address sub-questions a., b., and c. a. How is your background compelling to this company? b. What is something you would do better for this company than any other employee? c. Why is an MBA necessary and how will Haas specifically help you succeed at this company? (500-600 word maximum for 3a, 3b, and 3c combined) Supplemental Information: 1. If you have not provided a letter of recommendation from your current supervisor, please explain. If not applicable, enter N/A. 2. List in order of importance all community and professional organizations and extracurricular activities in which you have been involved during or after university studies. Include the following information for each organization or activity using the format below: • Name of organization or activity • Nature of organization or activity • Size of organization • Dates of involvement • Offices held • Average number of hours spent per month 3. List full-time and part-time jobs held during undergraduate or graduate studies, indicating the employer, job title, employment dates, location, and the number of hours worked per week for each position held prior to the completion of your degree. 4. Please explain all gaps in your employment since earning your university degree. 5. If you have ever been subject to academic discipline, placed on probation, suspended, or required to withdraw from any college or university, please explain. If not, please enter N/A. (An affirmative response to this question does not automatically disqualify you from admission.) Optional Essays: 1. (Optional) Please feel free to provide a statement concerning any information you would like to add to your application that you haven’t addressed elsewhere. (500 word maximum) 2. (Optional) If not clearly evident, please discuss ways in which you have demonstrated strong quantitative abilities, or plan to strengthen quantitative abilities. You do not need to list courses that appear on your transcript. (250 word maximum) Booth – Chicago Presentation/Essay: Chicago Booth values adventurous inquiry, diverse perspectives, and a collaborative exchange of ideas. This is us. Who are you? Presentation/Essay Guidelines • Be reflective. We’ve learned a lot about you throughout the application, but what more should we know? • Interpret broadly. “Who are you?” can be interpreted in many different ways. We encourage you to think critically and broadly about who you are, and how your values, passions and experiences have influenced you. • Determine your own length. There is no prescribed minimum or maximum length. We trust that you will use your best judgment in determining how long your submission should be, but we recommend that you think strategically about how to best allocate the space. • Choose the format that works for you. You can design your presentation or compose your essay in the format that you feel best captures your response. However, please consider the specific technical restrictions noted below. • Think about you, not us. Rather than focusing on what you think we want to hear, focus on what is essential for us to know about you. Simply put, be genuine. Technical Guidelines • File Size: Maximum file size is 16 MB. • Accepted Upload Formats: Acceptable formats are PDF, Word and Powerpoint. • Multimedia Restrictions: We will be viewing your submission electronically and in full color, but all submissions will be converted to PDF files, so animation, video, music, etc. will not translate over. • Preserve Your Formatting: We strongly recommend converting your piece to a PDF file prior to submitting to ensure that everything you see matches what we see. Reapplicant Question: Upon reflection, how has your perspective regarding your future, Chicago Booth, and/or getting an MBA changed since the time of your last application? (300 words maximum) Columbia Applicants must complete one short answer question and three essays. Short Answer Question: What is your immediate post-MBA professional goal? (75 characters maximum) Examples of possible responses: “Work in business development for a media company.” “Join a consulting firm specializing in renewable energy.” “Work for an investment firm that focuses on real estate.” Essay 1: Given your individual background and goals, why are you pursuing a Columbia MBA at this time? (Maximum 500 words) Essay 2: Please view the video below: The Center How will you take advantage of being “at the very center of business”? (Maximum 250 words) Essay 3: What will the people in your Cluster be pleasantly surprised to learn about you? (Maximum 250 words) Optional Essay: An optional fourth essay will allow you to discuss any issues that do not fall within the purview of the required essays. Reapplicant essay: How have you enhanced your candidacy since your previous application? Please detail your progress since you last applied and reiterate how you plan to achieve your immediate and long term post-MBA professional goals. (Maximum 500 words). Knight-Bagehot Fellows: Rather than answer Essay 1, current Knight-Bagehot Fellows applying to Columbia Business School should use the space allocated to the first essay (500 words) to complete the Wiegers Fellowship application essay. Wiegers Fellowship Essay Question: What are your career goals? How has the Knight-Bagehot Fellowship affected these goals? How will an MBA help you achieve these goals? (500 words maximum) INSEAD Job description 1 Briefly summarise your current (or most recent) job, including the nature of work, major responsibilities, and where relevant, employees under your supervision, size of budget, clients/products and results achieved. What would be your next step in terms of position if you were to remain in the same company? (350 words max.) Job description 2 Please give a full description of your career since graduating from university. It should be written as if you were talking to someone at a social gathering detailing your career path with the rationale behind your choices. Discuss your short and long term career aspirations. (350 words max.) Job description 3 (Optional) If you are currently not working or if you plan to leave your current employer more than 2 months before the programme starts, please explain your activities and occupations between leaving your job and the start of the programme. Essay 1 Give a candid description of yourself (who are you as a person), stressing the personal characteristics you feel to be your strengths and weaknesses and the main factors which have influenced your personal development, giving examples when necessary. (600 words max.) Essay 2 Describe the achievement of which you are most proud and explain why. In addition, describe a situation where you failed. How did these experiences impact your relationships with others? Comment on what you learned. (400 words max.) Essay 3 Tell us about an experience where you were significantly impacted by cultural diversity, in a positive or negative way. (300 words max.) Essay 4 Describe all types of extra-professional activities in which you have been or are still involved for a significant amount of time (clubs, sports, music, arts, politics, etc). How are you enriched by these activities? (300 words max.) Essay 5 (optional) Is there anything else that was not covered in your application that you would like to share with the Admissions Committee? (300 words max.) Kellogg For 2014-2015, the following two essays are required of all applicants: 1. Resilience. Perseverance. Grit. Call it what you will…. Challenges can build character. Describe a challenging experience you’ve had. How were you tested? What did you learn? (450 words) 2. Leadership requires an ability to collaborate with and motivate others. Describe a professional experience that required you to influence people. What did this experience teach you about working with others, and how will it make you a better leader? (450 words) Certain applicants will respond to additional questions: Dual-degree applicants: For applicants to the MMM or JD-MBA dual degree programs, please explain why that program is right for you. (250 words) Re-applicants: Since your previous application, what steps have you taken to strengthen your candidacy? (250 word limit) All applicants have the opportunity to provide explanations or clarification in Additional Information: If needed, use this section to briefly describe any extenuating circumstances (e.g. unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, etc.) (no word count) Video essays The Video Essays provide applicants with an additional opportunity to demonstrate what they will bring to our vibrant Kellogg community – in an interactive way. Each applicant will complete two short video essay questions. The questions are designed to bring to life the person we have learned about on paper. • After submitting a completed application, each applicant will be asked to complete two Video Essay Questions. One will be about the candidate’s interest in Kellogg and the other will be a “getting to know you” type of question. • There are 10 practice questions which candidates can complete as many times as they like to get comfortable with the format and technology. The practice questions and experience will simulate the actual video essay experience, so this is meant to be a useful tool and help applicants feel prepared. • There is not an opportunity to re-do the answer to the official video essay questions. We encourage applicants to practice so they are comfortable with the format once it is time to complete the official questions. • Candidates will have 20 seconds to think about their question and up to 1 minute to give their response. • We estimate the Video Essays will take 30 minutes to complete – which includes time for set-up and answering all the practice questions. Ross – Michigan Fall 2015 Full-time MBA Essay Questions: 1. What are you most proud of professionally and why? What did you learn from that experience? (400 words) 2. What are you most proud of personally and why? How does it shape who you are today? (400 words) 3. Optional question: Is there anything not addressed elsewhere in the application that you would like the Admissions Committee to know about you to evaluate your candidacy? (300 words) Sloan-MIT Essay 1: The mission of the MIT Sloan School of Management is to develop principled, innovative leaders who improve the world and to generate ideas that advance management practice. Discuss how you will contribute toward advancing the mission based on examples of past work and activities. (500 words or fewer) Essay 2: Write a professional letter of recommendation on behalf of yourself. Answer the following questions as if you were your most recent supervisor recommending yourself for admission to the MIT Sloan MBA Program: (750 words or fewer) • How long and in what capacity have you known the applicant? • How does the applicant stand out from others in a similar capacity? • Please give an example of the applicant’s impact on a person, group, or organization. • Please give a representative example of how the applicant interacts with other people. • Which of the applicant’s personal or professional characteristics would you change? • Please tell us anything else you think we should know about this applicant. Optional Information The Admissions Committee invites you to share anything else you would like us to know about you, in any format. If you choose to use a multimedia format, please host the information on a website and provide us the URL. Stanford Essay Questions for the Class of 2017 We request that you write two personal essays. The personal essays give us glimpses of your character and hopes. In each essay, we want to hear your genuine voice. Think carefully about your values, passions, aims, and dreams prior to writing them. Essay A: What matters most to you, and why? A strong response to this question will: Focus on the “why” rather than the “what.” Reflect the self-examination process you used to write your response. Genuinely illustrate who you are and how you came to be the person you are. Share the insights, experiences, and lessons that shaped your perspectives, rather than focusing merely on what you’ve done or accomplished. Be written from the heart, and illustrate how a person, situation, or event has influenced you. Essay B: Why Stanford? Use this essay to explain your view of your future, not to repeat accomplishments from your past. Enlighten us on how earning your MBA at Stanford will enable you to realize your ambitions. A strong response to this essay question will: Explain your decision to pursue graduate education in management. Explain the distinctive opportunities you will pursue at the Stanford MBA Program. Length Your answers for both essay questions combined may not exceed 1,100 words. Below are suggested word counts per essay, but you should allocate the maximum word count in the way that is most effective for you. Essay A 650-850 Essay B 250-450 Formatting • 12 pt. font size • Double spaced • Recommended font types: Arial, Courier, or Times New Roman • Indicate the question you are answering at the beginning of each essay (does not count toward the word limit) • Number all pages • Upload one document that includes both essays Stern – NYU Please note the following details when completing your essays. • All written essays must be typed and submitted using the standard U.S. 8 1/2” x 11” format, double-spaced, in 12-point font. • Word limits apply to the total question. For example, your response to Essay 1 should answer all parts of the question with a total maximum of 750 words. • Label the top of each essay with the following: Name, Date of Birth (month, day, year), Essay Number and Page Number (e.g.: Joe Applicant, January 1, 1983, Essay 1, Page 1). • Your essays should be written entirely by you. An offer of admission will be revoked if you did not write your essays. Essay 1: Professional Aspirations (750 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font) • Why pursue an MBA (or dual degree) at this point in your life? • What actions have you taken to determine that Stern is the best fit for your MBA experience? • What do you see yourself doing professionally upon graduation? Essay 2: Choose Option A or Option B Option A: Your Two Paths (500 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font) The mission of the Stern School of Business is to develop people and ideas that transform the challenges of the 21st century into opportunities to create value for business and society. Given today’s ever-changing global landscape, Stern seeks and develops leaders who thrive in ambiguity, embrace a broad perspective and think creatively about the range of ways they can have impact. Describe two different and distinct paths you could see your career taking long term. How do you see your two paths unfolding? What factors will most determine which path you will take? How do your paths tie to the mission of NYU Stern? Option B: Personal Expression Please describe yourself to your MBA classmates. You may use almost any method to convey your message (e.g. words, illustrations). Feel free to be creative. If you submit a non-written piece for this essay (i.e., artwork or multimedia) or if you submit this essay via mail, please upload a brief description of your submission with your online application. Please note the following guidelines and restrictions: • Your submission becomes the property of NYU Stern and cannot be returned for any reason. • If you submit a written essay, it should be 500 words maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font. If you submit a video or audio file, it should be five minutes maximum. • If you prepare a multimedia submission, you may mail a CD, DVD or USB flash drive to the Admissions Office. These are the only acceptable methods of submission. Please do not submit an internet link to any websites or to a video hosting service such as YouTube. • The Admissions Committee reserves the right to request an alternate essay if we are unable to view your submission. • Do not submit anything perishable (e.g. food), or any item that has been worn (e.g. clothing). • Mailed materials must be postmarked by the application deadline date. Please follow our mail and labeling instructions. Essay 3. Additional Information (optional) Please provide any additional information that you would like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee. This may include current or past gaps in employment, further explanation of your undergraduate record or self-reported academic transcript(s), plans to retake the GMAT, GRE and/or TOEFL or any other relevant information. If you are unable to submit a recommendation from your current supervisor, you must explain your reason, even if you are a re-applicant. If you are a re-applicant from last year, please explain how your candidacy has improved since your last application. Tuck Please respond fully but concisely to the following essay questions. There are no right or wrong answers. We encourage applicants to limit the length of their responses to 500 words for each essay. Please double-space your responses. 1. Why is an MBA a critical next step toward your short- and long-term career goals? Why is Tuck the best MBA fit for you and your goals and why are you the best fit for Tuck? 2. Tell us about your most meaningful leadership experience and what role you played. What did you learn about your own individual strengths and weaknesses through this experience? 3. (Optional) Please provide any additional insight or information that you have not addressed elsewhere that may be helpful in reviewing your application (e.g., unusual choice of evaluators, weaknesses in academic performance, unexplained job gaps or changes, etc.). Complete this question only if you feel your candidacy is not fully represented by this application. 4. (To be completed by all reapplicants) How have you strengthened your candidacy since you last applied? Please reflect on how you have grown personally and professionally. Contact us today to brainstorm your MBA essays |
02 Aug 2014, 20:00
| FROM DreamMBA Blog: Top 8 MBA Admission Myths |
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by Omer Cheema, Ph.D. MBA, DreamMBA Inc., Poets & QuantsAuthor July, 2014 Myth#1: School selection: ”Harvard specializes in general management”, “Wharton, Columbia and Booth are finance schools”, “Kellogg is all about marketing”, “MIT Sloan is about technology”. Reality#1: Above statements are very strong. Certain schools have their strengths and weaknesses in terms of the profiles of their faculty members, course offering and recruiting numbers. Wharton places more candidates in finance as compared to MIT, but that doesn’t mean an MIT grad has no chance getting into IB. A brief look at employment report is enough to show that both schools place a decent percentage of their students into finance. But it seems like stereotypes are usually too difficult to overcome. Myth#2: My ultimate goal is to get into a top business school. Reality#2: No. Getting into a top business school is just the first milestone. It is the start of a very long journey. It is essentially the investment phase. You will see the return on investment later in your career. Focus on your long term career goals and consider getting into the right business school as the first step in the right direction. Myth#3: One year programs are not a good fit for career changers. Reality#3: Wrong. With an exception of investment banking, there is no difference if you are changing function or industry or both. If you want to get into investment banking and you have zero prior exposure to it, go for a two year MBA. Otherwise, one year MBA is fine for changing career. Myth#4: The admission committee wants a specific profile. I should fix my story to look like that profile. Reality#4: Wrong. Most valuable MBA experience comes from the diversity of the class. Admission committees are always trying to make the class more diverse in terms of professional and personal profiles, nationalities, geographies and life experiences. Be yourself and show the admission committee that you are different and hence you will bring significant value to the class. Your chances are actually higher if you have a profile opposite to the business school stereotypes. Consider for example, MIT. Most techies want to apply at Sloan assuming that MIT Sloan is looking for people with technical background. Obviously, competition for getting into MIT for techies will be higher. On the other hand someone with a non-tech background will have lower competition hence higher chances of getting into the school. Myth#5: MBA is for extroverts. I should portray myself as an extrovert. Reality#5: No. Being an introvert or extrovert doesn’t play a major role in your success as a business leader. You will see hundreds of successful introverts doing very well in their post-MBA careers. If you falsely portray yourself as an extrovert, you will risk sounding fake in your interviews. Your essays and your interviews would contradict each other and would result in a less compelling overall case. Be yourself. Myth#6: Writing essay for one school and plugging them in other school’s essays is perfectly fine. Reality#6: No. It is totally absolutely not fine. From a high level, it would sound as if business schools are asking the same question. But if you get into details, you will see that their expectations for the answers are quite different. For example, one school wants you to focus more on why do you want an MBA while other school would like to know why are you applying to that school specifically. Another example, one school would like you to focus on describing a success or failure while the other school will require you to focus on what you learnt from that success or failure. Don’t fit your stories forcefully in the essays. Look at the whole application package and see if a certain story fits in the application well or not. Myth#7: My weakness is that I am too good. Reality#7: No. Admission committee is not stupid. They know when you are pretending and when you are making up stories. Don’t try to fool them. You should however be careful not to mention very strong weaknesses that can’t be fixed. For example, never say that you are too lazy and you don’t know how to fix yourself. (OK, I know you will never say such things) Myth#8: There is a magic formula behind admission process. Reality#8: Don’t believe in magic. Don’t believe in formulae. Business school application is not science, it is an art.. Formulae like “GMAT score of 760 + an undergrad GPA of 3.8 from a top 5 school + great extra-curricular + good references = A guaranteed admit at a top school” don’t exist for two reasons: First, admission process is holistic in nature. Admission committee looks at your application as a whole in order to assess if you would be a good fit for their school or not. It is more about overall feeling that your application package provides to the reviewers. Second, there are uncertainties in admission process. These uncertainties can be introduced in the process at any stage of your admissions. Admission committee members and interviewers are human beings who analyze you subjectively. Subjective evaluation might favor the lucky candidates and hurt the chances of unlucky ones. So, how to fix this problem of subjectivity? Never apply to a single school only and never take single rejection as a personal failure. Be concerned, however, if you get multiple rejections and zero acceptances. Reach out to admission process experts if you face this kind of a situation. There might be fundamental issues with your application strategy and you probably need some help to identify and fix the problems. Feel free to reach out to us if you have any follow up questions. We would be happy to assist you. Good luck with your MBA application process. Guest blog post written by Dr. Omer Cheema from DreamMBA Inc. DreamMBA is a premium MBA admission consulting firm specializing in providing consulting services for MBA applicants to top 20 business schools worldwide. Our consultants have MBA degrees from top business schools and have successfully placed hundreds of MBA applicants to their dream business schools Please visit our website for more details. |
07 Aug 2014, 02:01
| FROM DreamMBA Blog: Chicago Booth Essay Tips |
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A difficult question indeed. While open ended questions offer a good opportunity for applicants to present their case, most applicants find it hard to answer this question. We would recommend you to de-stress yourself, as the first step. If you indulge too much on the problem at hand, you might miss the big picture. This is a big picture question. Now, first, go through rest of your application material. Think from a reviewer’s perspective. What are you missing? Do you think some aspects of your personality are not being presented in the application? Identify those aspects; make a list of examples that provide evidence of your strengths in those areas; and then zero down on those examples which have specific focus on “inquiry, diverse perspectives, and a collaborative exchange of ideas”. Try molding your story to fit in those ideas. A presentation format allows a lot of flexibility in terms of how you convey your message. If you have experience in making Power Point slides (especially if you have been a management consultant), use your talent. Make key ideas come alive. Don’t let the adcom go through a few hundred words. Make it graphic. Follow the rule of an effective presentation: as soon as a slide is displayed, it shouldn’t take a reviewer more than 5 seconds to understand the key ideas. There is no word limit for the essay. But be concise. Longer doesn’t mean better. Be a story teller and engage the readers. Making it too short might force you to leave some information out of the story. Describing everything in detail would be boring for short attention span of the reviewers. Use your best judgment in deciding the optimal size for the essay. We love this essay. It is creativity and storytelling. Feel free to reach out to us if you need help. |
11 Aug 2014, 01:01
| FROM DreamMBA Blog: Top 8 MBA Admission Myths |
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by Omer Cheema, Ph.D. MBA, DreamMBA Inc., Poets & QuantsAuthor July, 2014 Myth#1: School selection: ”Harvard specializes in general management”, “Wharton, Columbia and Booth are finance schools”, “Kellogg is all about marketing”, “MIT Sloan is about technology”. Reality#1: Above statements are very strong. Certain schools have their strengths and weaknesses in terms of the profiles of their faculty members, course offering and recruiting numbers. Wharton places more candidates in finance as compared to MIT, but that doesn’t mean an MIT grad has no chance getting into IB. A brief look at employment report is enough to show that both schools place a decent percentage of their students into finance. But it seems like stereotypes are usually too difficult to overcome. Myth#2: My ultimate goal is to get into a top business school. Reality#2: No. Getting into a top business school is just the first milestone. It is the start of a very long journey. It is essentially the investment phase. You will see the return on investment later in your career. Focus on your long term career goals and consider getting into the right business school as the first step in the right direction. Myth#3: One year programs are not a good fit for career changers. Reality#3: Wrong. With an exception of investment banking, there is no difference if you are changing function or industry or both. If you want to get into investment banking and you have zero prior exposure to it, go for a two year MBA. Otherwise, one year MBA is fine for changing career. Myth#4: The admission committee wants a specific profile. I should fix my story to look like that profile. Reality#4: Wrong. Most valuable MBA experience comes from the diversity of the class. Admission committees are always trying to make the class more diverse in terms of professional and personal profiles, nationalities, geographies and life experiences. Be yourself and show the admission committee that you are different and hence you will bring significant value to the class. Your chances are actually higher if you have a profile opposite to the business school stereotypes. Consider for example, MIT. Most techies want to apply at Sloan assuming that MIT Sloan is looking for people with technical background. Obviously, competition for getting into MIT for techies will be higher. On the other hand someone with a non-tech background will have lower competition hence higher chances of getting into the school. Myth#5: MBA is for extroverts. I should portray myself as an extrovert. Reality#5: No. Being an introvert or extrovert doesn’t play a major role in your success as a business leader. You will see hundreds of successful introverts doing very well in their post-MBA careers. If you falsely portray yourself as an extrovert, you will risk sounding fake in your interviews. Your essays and your interviews would contradict each other and would result in a less compelling overall case. Be yourself. Myth#6: Writing essay for one school and plugging them in other school’s essays is perfectly fine. Reality#6: No. It is totally absolutely not fine. From a high level, it would sound as if business schools are asking the same question. But if you get into details, you will see that their expectations for the answers are quite different. For example, one school wants you to focus more on why do you want an MBA while other school would like to know why are you applying to that school specifically. Another example, one school would like you to focus on describing a success or failure while the other school will require you to focus on what you learnt from that success or failure. Don’t fit your stories forcefully in the essays. Look at the whole application package and see if a certain story fits in the application well or not. Myth#7: My weakness is that I am too good. Reality#7: No. Admission committee is not stupid. They know when you are pretending and when you are making up stories. Don’t try to fool them. You should however be careful not to mention very strong weaknesses that can’t be fixed. For example, never say that you are too lazy and you don’t know how to fix yourself. (OK, I know you will never say such things) Myth#8: There is a magic formula behind admission process. Reality#8: Don’t believe in magic. Don’t believe in formulae. Business school application is not science, it is an art.. Formulae like “GMAT score of 760 + an undergrad GPA of 3.8 from a top 5 school + great extra-curricular + good references = A guaranteed admit at a top school” don’t exist for two reasons: First, admission process is holistic in nature. Admission committee looks at your application as a whole in order to assess if you would be a good fit for their school or not. It is more about overall feeling that your application package provides to the reviewers. Second, there are uncertainties in admission process. These uncertainties can be introduced in the process at any stage of your admissions. Admission committee members and interviewers are human beings who analyze you subjectively. Subjective evaluation might favor the lucky candidates and hurt the chances of unlucky ones. So, how to fix this problem of subjectivity? Never apply to a single school only and never take single rejection as a personal failure. Be concerned, however, if you get multiple rejections and zero acceptances. Reach out to admission process experts if you face this kind of a situation. There might be fundamental issues with your application strategy and you probably need some help to identify and fix the problems. Feel free to reach out to us if you have any follow up questions. We would be happy to assist you. Good luck with your MBA application process. Guest blog post written by Dr. Omer Cheema from DreamMBA Inc. Dream MBA is a premium MBA admission consulting firm specializing in providing consulting services for MBA applicants to top 20 business schools worldwide. Our consultants have MBA degrees from top business schools and have successfully placed hundreds of MBA applicants to their dream business schools Please visit our website for more details. |
11 Aug 2014, 01:01
| FROM DreamMBA Blog: Chicago Booth Essay Tips |
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A difficult question indeed. While open ended questions offer a good opportunity for applicants to present their case, most applicants find it hard to answer this question. We would recommend you to de-stress yourself, as the first step. If you indulge too much on the problem at hand, you might miss the big picture. This is a big picture question. Now, first, go through rest of your application material. Think from a reviewer’s perspective. What are you missing? Do you think some aspects of your personality are not being presented in the application? Identify those aspects; make a list of examples that provide evidence of your strengths in those areas; and then zero down on those examples which have specific focus on “inquiry, diverse perspectives, and a collaborative exchange of ideas”. Try molding your story to fit in those ideas. A presentation format allows a lot of flexibility in terms of how you convey your message. If you have experience in making Power Point slides (especially if you have been a management consultant), use your talent. Make key ideas come alive. Don’t let the adcom go through a few hundred words. Make it graphic. Follow the rule of an effective presentation: as soon as a slide is displayed, it shouldn’t take a reviewer more than 5 seconds to understand the key ideas. There is no word limit for the essay. But be concise. Longer doesn’t mean better. Be a story teller and engage the readers. Making it too short might force you to leave some information out of the story. Describing everything in detail would be boring for short attention span of the reviewers. Use your best judgment in deciding the optimal size for the essay. We love this essay. It is creativity and storytelling. Feel free to reach out to us if you need help. |
20 Aug 2014, 17:00
| FROM DreamMBA Blog: MBA Application Tips for International Applicants |
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Thank you everyone who attended our yesterday’s webinar. Two things: 1. Some of you asked for the presentation material. You can download it by clicking here 2. We are offering an exclusive 30% discount for people who attended the webinar. Please remind us when you buy any of our services in order to avail this opportunity. |
22 Aug 2014, 00:00
| FROM DreamMBA Blog: Chicago Booth Essay Tips |
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A difficult question indeed. While open ended questions offer a good opportunity for applicants to present their case, most applicants find it hard to answer this question. We would recommend you to de-stress yourself, as the first step. If you indulge too much on the problem at hand, you might miss the big picture. This is a big picture question. Now, first, go through rest of your application material. Think from a reviewer’s perspective. What are you missing? Do you think some aspects of your personality are not being presented in the application? Identify those aspects; make a list of examples that provide evidence of your strengths in those areas; and then zero down on those examples which have specific focus on “inquiry, diverse perspectives, and a collaborative exchange of ideas”. Try molding your story to fit in those ideas. A presentation format allows a lot of flexibility in terms of how you convey your message. If you have experience in making Power Point slides (especially if you have been a management consultant), use your talent. Make key ideas come alive. Don’t let the adcom go through a few hundred words. Make it graphic. Follow the rule of an effective presentation: as soon as a slide is displayed, it shouldn’t take a reviewer more than 5 seconds to understand the key ideas. There is no word limit for the essay. But be concise. Longer doesn’t mean better. Be a story teller and engage the readers. Making it too short might force you to leave some information out of the story. Describing everything in detail would be boring for short attention span of the reviewers. Use your best judgment in deciding the optimal size for the essay. We love this essay. It is creativity and storytelling. Feel free to reach out to us if you need help. |
22 Aug 2014, 00:00
| FROM DreamMBA Blog: MBA Application Tips for International Applicants |
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Thank you everyone who attended our yesterday’s webinar. Two things: 1. Some of you asked for the presentation material. You can download it by clicking here 2. We are offering an exclusive 30% discount for people who attended the webinar. Please remind us when you buy any of our services in order to avail this opportunity. |
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