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GMAT Club

Round 2 Status Check

PersonalMBACoach 0

It is hard to believe, but there are only 6 weeks left in 2017! With most round 2 MBA application deadlines falling just after the new year, this means it is time to get to work! Personal MBA Coach is here to help guide you through this crucial and time-consuming process. Get started today!
Here are my tips to keep on track and avoid a last-minute crunch. I advise my candidates not to do any heavy editing in the week before the deadline as my experience has shown me that changes made in the final hour often detract from the essay quality.
1. Start with your resume. Your professional resume needs to be converted into an MBA resume for your business school applications. This resume should focus more on your accomplishments and limit the use of industry jargon (check out this blog for more details). I advise you to start here, as this is a great way to take inventory of your career and think through your key strengths and accomplishments.
2. Prepare your recommenders. Your recommenders need time and details to write a strong recommendation. If you have not asked them yet, what are you waiting for? The holidays are creeping up and with them, many people will be on extended vacation, so get this process started today! If you aren’t sure on how to prepare them, check out my detailed tips here.
3. Articulate your career goals and why you want an MBA. Outline this before you start writing! If you don’t know exactly what you want to do (or at least what you are going to say you want to do in your essays), you are not going to get very far on your applications. Get organized, outline both your short-term and long-term goals, and take note of your key strengths and development areas. Then, think through how the MBA will help. Preparing this information in advance will greatly ease the writing process. Not sure how to think about your career goals? Read more here.  
4. Start with the easiest school first (unless one is rolling or has a much earlier deadline than the others). There is a steep learning curve to the process and by starting with the easiest school, your final application is likely to be your best. While many of my clients will work on multiple school applications simultaneously, be sure to divide the work into manageable chunks.
5. Look for synergies across essays. Once you have perfected certain sections, including goals, context about your experiences, and key strengths, see if there are any sentences that can be re-used. Although each essay should be customized and you should keep copy and pasting to a minimum, there are a few sentences you should really take the time to perfect that can be leveraged across more than one essay. Of course, this is not always the case!
6. Leave plenty of time for editing! For my clients, the average essay will go through many drafts before it reaches perfection. This editing process is crucial and takes time. If you are unable to work through a comprehensive package, Personal MBA Coach will offer a limited number of gut-check packages each year. However, they sell out fast and must be booked in advance, so don’t wait until the week before!
Need help? We know it’s a daunting process and Personal MBA Coach is here to help! Personal MBA Coach has been guiding candidates through all aspects of the MBA application process for 10 years with a 96% success rate. Call us today at 617-645-2424 or email at scott@personalmbacoach.com for a free consultation on your profile along with how we can help make your career dreams a reality!