Last visit was: 26 Jul 2024, 17:54 It is currently 26 Jul 2024, 17:54
Decision Tracker
My Rewards
Unanswered
Active Topics
New posts
New comers' posts
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Go to My Error Log Learn more
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel

Accepted MBA Updates

SORT BY:
Date
Kudos
   1  ...  76   77   78   79   80  ...  123   
User avatar
D
Accepted.com
MBA Admissions Consultant
Joined: 20 Apr 2003
Posts: 6466
Own Kudos [?]: 848 [0]
Given Kudos: 92
Location: Los Angeles CA
Send PM
The 4 Things Your Wharton App Should Accomplish If You Want to Be Acce [#permalink] Accepted MBA Updates   20 Aug 2018, 09:01
Expert Reply
FROM Accepted.com Blog: The 4 Things Your Wharton App Should Accomplish If You Want to Be Accepted



There’s still time to join our special webinar, Get Accepted to Wharton!

This Wednesday, Accepted founder Linda Abraham will guide you through the Wharton application process. You’ll gain a clear understanding of how to approach your application and a step-by-step strategy for successfully navigating the process.

The webinar is free, but you must reserve your space – Wednesday, Aug. 22nd at 10am PT/1pm ET and at 5pm PT/8pm ET.

Register Now:



Tags: MBA Admissions

The post The 4 Things Your Wharton App Should Accomplish If You Want to Be Accepted appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
D
Accepted.com
MBA Admissions Consultant
Joined: 20 Apr 2003
Posts: 6466
Own Kudos [?]: 848 [0]
Given Kudos: 92
Location: Los Angeles CA
Send PM
Yale SOM: Integrated in Its Curriculum, with Its University, and to th [#permalink] Accepted MBA Updates   21 Aug 2018, 09:01
Expert Reply
FROM Accepted.com Blog: Yale SOM: Integrated in Its Curriculum, with Its University, and to the World



Interview with Laurel Grodman, Director of Admissions for Analytics and Evaluation at Yale SOM [Show Summary]
Laurel Grodman, Director of Admissions for Analytics and Evaluation at Yale SOM, shares her perspective on how Yale differentiates itself from its competition and what it takes to be a successful applicant. The school has experienced explosive year-over-year growth in application volume for the last five years. Let’s learn what Laurel sees for the future.

Yale SOM: The Curriculum, Admissions, and What the Future Holds [Show Notes]
It gives me great pleasure to welcome for the first time to Admissions Straight Talk Laurel Grodman, Director of Admissions, Analytics and Evaluation at Yale School of Management. Laurel is a Yalie through and through. She earned her BA at Yale University in 2002 and her MBA from Yale SOM in 2006. After working for Citigroup and Unilever she returned to Yale as Senior Associate Director for Career Development in 2010. In 2014, she became the Director of Admissions for Analytics and Evaluation.

Let’s start with the basics. Can you give me a brief overview of the full-time MBA program at Yale SOM, focusing on differentiators? [1:59]
I like to start with our mission, which is to educate leaders for business and society, which is the founding mission of the school and brings everything together. That mission in and of itself is a differentiator in terms of the candidates it attracts and where alumni focus their careers, but in addition to that there are three things:

1. We aim to be the business school most integrated with its home university. You really are part of Yale more broadly, with access to classes across the entire university. You can choose electives in any number outside of the school and we encourage students to take advantage of that.

2. Our objective is to be the most distinctly global business school in the U.S. We have a global studies requirement so every student will engage globally at least once. That is fueled by our membership in the Global Network for Advanced Management which is a network established six years ago that brings together 30 business schools from around the world to provide travel options and global experiences.

3. Our integrated curriculum: we teach the business fundamentals and we teach them well, but beyond that we go a step further in terms of how it all works together. Beyond traditional core curriculum we organize around organizational perspective. It’s much more deliberate in terms of how courses work together – with co-teaching, and experts from across entire university. Organizational problems require you to pull from a bunch of different areas so that is how we like to teach it to students.

What’s new at Yale SOM? [7:05]
We’ve continued our streak of strong new faculty hires in all areas. We’ve also continued to build our master degree programs. We have a masters in systemic risk, and we are bringing in our inaugural class in Master of Management Studies in Global Business and Society, a small but probably growing program for early career students. This brings an additional voice to campus, more perspective to the class which is great. We are also in the midst of a search for our next dean, in its earlier stages – more info gathering at this point.

Is the global nature of Yale mostly due to the network of 30 schools or is it supplemented by the more traditional global treks, exchanges, etc. [9:50]
I think it’s both. Yale was certainly a global place to be before the network, but it has been expanded based on the global network weeks. Twice a year 700 students will travel to one of 17 or so campuses to learn from a week in that campus/region’s area of expertise in a truly global classroom, from all 30 schools. That kind of opportunity wouldn’t have been possible without the network, but we’ve always had a strong international community, to bring global perspective to the classroom

What is something really cool that a Yale grad is doing? [11:31]
I recently did an admissions reception in London with alums and every one of them was doing something cool. We have a Class of 2014 graduate who has gone to the international office of CNN and is VP of International Operations and Strategy for CNN Digital, but what I loved about her is I worked with her when I was in the CDO and her previous experience was in nonprofit, so she made a significant pivot in her career, which was really wonderful.

A graduate from the early 90s is passionate about economic development in urban areas and working on public/private partnerships which are coming up a lot in reading about our applicants’ interests. In a very random sampling with this group people were doing anything you can imagine.

I sometimes find that applicants look at their MBA applications and feel the requirements are random, when in fact the elements are included strategically and purposefully. Can you go into the purpose of some of the different elements of the application: [14:30]
They all feed into a fairly straightforward higher framework that we think about so I’ll outline that and then talk about it in the elements. We are looking for three things – people who are academically prepared, people who have demonstrated impact in their professional life and outside of the professional setting, and engaged community members. Everything we ask for feeds into one or more of those areas.

1) The resume, most directly relates to impact, and helps us understand career trajectory, transitions you’ve made, and most specifically the impact you’ve had on the teams and organizations you’ve been with. It’s not just about listing job responsibilities and what difference you’ve made, but in the community as well.

2) Yale’s single essay, we ask our applicants to describe the biggest commitment they have ever made. And that, too, has the potential to tell us about a number of different aspects. We are looking for an understanding of how you approach the thing that is most important to you. There is no right topic to write about.

3) The video component, helps us with a couple different things. On the most basic level it gives us a quasi face-to-face interaction before being invited for an interview and a sense of how you think on your feet, which certainly in the MBA classroom is helpful. For our candidates for whom English is not a native language, it gives us the ability to assess that and to eliminate English testing requirements (we no longer require the TOEFL), and then we do ask specific things in the questions to get a better understanding of leadership, and reactions to certain situations, which adds more dimension to an application.

4) Two professional recommendations, most directly lead to the impact piece and understand better your potential as a leader. We ask ideally for someone who is a current supervisor or who has supervised recently who knows you in and out to interact with daily and can speak to strengths and contributions. Think about how those two would complement each other.

5) The interview. It is by invitation, and anyone offered admission will have had an interview. It gives us an opportunity to continue to tease out information about work experience, contributions and then talk more about goals, why you want to come to business school, again going beyond the 2-dimensions we get on paper. It also gives the interviewee an important opportunity to learn more about us, and the majority are conducted by second- year students because it provides another vantage point into the school.

Last year Yale enjoyed a 12% increase in its application volume. How was application volume for this year’s entering class? [23:13]
We’ve been so fortunate to see dramatic and sustained growth. This past year was our second highest volume.

Has Yale experienced a drop in international applications? Is it harder for internationals who do apply to obtain visas? [24:28]
I would say they were down a little. I am always hesitant to make sweeping judgments based on one year. We will continue to look at it, but it was not so incredibly dramatic a decline to panic, but we are certainly looking at it. Anecdotally I have heard a few instances where people with H1B visas are staying at their jobs as opposed to giving it up.

For the class of 2019, the middle 80% GMAT range was 690 -760 and the middle 80% GPA ranges was 3.38 – 3.94. The averages were 730 for the GMAT, 330 for the GRE, and 3.69 for the undergrad GPA. What do you look for besides stats? How does one get in with below average stats? [27:23]
Obviously we look at lots of things beside stats, and our discussion to this point hasn’t talked about academics at all. It is important to start by saying we don’t have cutoffs. We want people to come here who will succeed and thrive. We don’t want to set you up for failure so we do think about how you will fare once here. Take the ranges knowing there are many components of the application. In terms of thinking about how to get in with lower stats, be aware of weaknesses and don’t be afraid to think about ways to counter that by either taking action or giving us more information. So I think about GPA and GMAT as parts of a whole. If undergrad performance was lower, we will put more weight on the GMAT, so show us how focused you are now with that higher score. Could supplemental coursework make sense? Maybe some quant courses would help. Demonstrate you can do the work, be aware, and think of ways to counter weaknesses. It’s helpful to be above range in some areas – so having great professional impact, for example. Give us context if your stats aren’t where you wanted them to be. We have an optional statement, and use it if it is relevant.

What are the most common mistakes that you feel applicants make? [32:55]
An applicant who is not being genuine, who is telling us what they think we want to hear based on what they know about SOM and our community. It is not good to force things, so making up career interests that sounds like something an adcom would be interested in when they are not listed anywhere else in the application is a red flag. It is hard to maintain a façade across the entire application process – it’s much easier to be yourself. Another is not leaving enough time for the process. If this is important you need to plan for it, and a rushed application is very noticeable – like force fitting another school’s essay into ours. We ask something quite distinct, and it is obvious when you have written an essay for another school. Careless errors also come out, like misspelling. We assume this is an important process for you, and therefore the effort you put in is the same you would for anything that is important to you. If there are errors in the application it reflects poorly on you.

You graduated from Yale 12 years ago. What do you look back on most fondly? [37:41]
It is never productive to talk about the community because so many schools have great communities, but as an alum I feel like I have a little leeway. From that perspective, I’d choose the network of peers, role models, colleagues, and lifelong friends. It is rewarding to look back on those precious two years of forging those friendships in so many contexts.



Related Links:

• Yale SOM MBA Admissions

• Yale SOM MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines

• Leadership in Admissions, a free guide

• Accepted’s MBA Admissions Services

Related Shows:

• A Lot About Yale SOM’s EMBA Program – And a Little About One Year MBAs

• Mission and Admissions at Yale School of Management

• What to do About a Low GPA, an Encore

Subscribe:

   
    

Podcast Feed



Tags: Admissions Straight Talk, MBA Admissions

The post Yale Som: Integrated in Its Curriculum, with Its University, and to the World [Episode 273] appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
D
Accepted.com
MBA Admissions Consultant
Joined: 20 Apr 2003
Posts: 6466
Own Kudos [?]: 848 [0]
Given Kudos: 92
Location: Los Angeles CA
Send PM
Stanford MBA Class Profile 2018-2019 [#permalink] Accepted MBA Updates   24 Aug 2018, 09:01
Expert Reply
FROM Accepted.com Blog: Stanford MBA Class Profile 2018-2019



Who makes up Stanford MBA Program’s Class of 2019? Here’s a look at the class profile.

  • Total Applicants: 8,173
  • New Students: 418
  • Women: 40%
  • International: 41%
  • U.S. Minority: 29%
  • Average GMAT Score: 737
  • Range of GMAT Scores: 610-790
  • Average GRE Verbal Score: 165
  • Range of GRE Verbal Scores: 150-170
  • Average GRE Qualitative Score: 164
  • Range of GRE Qualitative Scores: 156-170
  • Average TOEFL Score: 112
  • Range of TOEFL Scores: 104-119
  • Average GPA: 3.74
  • Average Work Experience: 4 years
  • Range of Work Experience: 0-14 years
  • Advanced Degree Holders: 15%
Breakdown of Undergraduate Majors:

  FIELD
  PERCENT

  Business
  19%

  Engineering / Mathematics / Natural Sciences
  37%

  Humanities/Social Sciences
  44%

Previous Industry Experience (301 Organizations Represented):

  FIELD
  PERCENT

  Investment Management/Private Equity/Venture Capital
  21%

  Consulting
  19%

  Technology
  15%

  Government/Education/Nonprofit
  8%

  Consumer Products & Services
  7%

  Financial Services
  7%

  Arts/Media/Entertainment
  4%

  Healthcare
  4%

  Manufacturing
  4%

  Other
  4%

  Clean Tech/Energy/Environmental
  3%

  Military
  3%

  Real Estate
  1%

Schools and Countries:

  U.S. Institutions
  76

  Non-U.S. Institutions
  88

  Countries (Including U.S.)
  61

Do you want to be part of next year’s Stanford MBA class statistics? Working one-on-one with an Accepted consultant can help you create an application that will get you to the top of the Stanford GSB admit pile. Learn more here.





 

Related Resources:

• Stanford GSB MBA Application Tips & Deadlines

• Show Intellectual Vitality to Get into Stanford GSB, a short video

•

Tags: MBA Admissions

The post Stanford MBA Class Profile 2018-2019 appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
D
Accepted.com
MBA Admissions Consultant
Joined: 20 Apr 2003
Posts: 6466
Own Kudos [?]: 848 [0]
Given Kudos: 92
Location: Los Angeles CA
Send PM
Getting Accepted to U.S. Universities from Abroad [#permalink] Accepted MBA Updates   28 Aug 2018, 10:01
Expert Reply
FROM Accepted.com Blog: Getting Accepted to U.S. Universities from Abroad



Interview with Jef Davis, International Admissions Expert and Accepted Consultant [Show Summary]
Dr. Jef Davis’s nearly 30 years of experience in international student program management makes him exceptionally qualified to share the ins and outs of applying to U.S. schools as an international applicant. His perspective on the unique challenges of applying, but also the incredible benefits of attending U.S. schools, is eye opening, and if you are from abroad and considering attending a U.S. school, you don’t want to miss his insights, especially why now might be the perfect time to apply.

Getting Accepted to U.S. Universities from Abroad [Show Notes]
Our guest today is Dr. Jef Davis. who earned his PhD in International Higher Education from Boston College. He has taught or served in administration at leading universities including Clark University, Drexel University, Kent State, SUNY Stony Brook, Youngstown State University, and Wharton, and has travelled to over 30 countries around the world. He is the author of Intercultural Sensitivity in Foreign Student Advising and the co-author of the 6th Edition of Living in the USA. I am also happy to announce that Dr. Davis has just joined Accepted and is available to guide you to acceptance to U.S. graduate programs.

How did you get interested in international admissions? [2:09]
I began working with international students when I was still an undergraduate. Like many Americans I had a very limited knowledge of worldviews not just outside of the country but even my own region. I found international students provided a wealth of information from the larger world. They challenged me to think differently about my own values and assumptions, so I was very interested in working with them. I went on to pursue a masters in higher education working with supporting international students in the US. The PhD I got much later, after working for about 15 years in the field.

What do you think is the hardest part of U.S. admissions for international applicants? [3:26]
All the challenges U.S. students face in applying to colleges and universities are the same ones international students face, but they experience them at a greatly magnified level, like just trying to understand what it is schools are looking for with questions on the application, understanding why schools are asking the questions and what the appropriate response is. Cultural factors really play into it in terms of writing a statement of purpose or essay where a certain level of confidence and self-conviction are called for. The way that Americans might typically answer questions might strike international students from many countries as bragging or having a lack of humility in general, so being able to really express your best assets and why your strengths are a good fit for the program can get lost in more humble language.

What is the hardest element(s) for them to adjust to once they come to study here? [6:13]
The number one thing we tend to hear is food. The standard American diet is very different than most parts of the world, especially its emphasis on meat and more heavy foods, so students from East Asia in particular have a real challenge finding food that is satisfying to them. Another thing is it can be very difficult for them to participate in classroom discussions for the reason that many Americans will jump in without thinking through what they want to say, and the American classroom discussion is so atypical of many other education systems. Students may never have been asked to answer a question in class before. It is a one way delivery in many parts of the world. They are quite used to taking notes, listening to what the teacher says, and then spitting it back out in an exam, but not so experienced with trying to synthesize the information and develop their own point of view on what the information might mean or how it could be applied. Additionally, most of them are working in a language other than their own. They might be able to speak, read, and write English in the context of an English class, but then applying that to a class about political geography or engineering or any of the sciences – that is a very new experience. Often students will have the general English vocabulary but not the field-specific vocabulary. Those challenges can really add up for students.

Do you see regional differences in terms of areas of application difficulty for students from:
a. China [8:52]
The writing parts of an application in competitive programs really do require the bragging component, so students from China usually have had very limited experience with writing an essay in English and having it critiqued. Their English language education is focused largely on grammatical rules, so they have a decent vocabulary and good grammar but the writing part can be a challenge.

b. Middle East and Africa [9:33]
Oral proficiency is the focus of English education in the Middle East, so it’s very common to have people who can speak practically like a native, but have enormous difficulties with writing.

c. India [10:26]
Right now the biggest challenge is the visa gauntlet. I think the U.S. experienced a 20% decline in Indian students between 2016-2017 because of the vast difficulties students encountered getting visas. The timeline has increased – from initiating the visas to ultimately receiving approval – as well as flat out denial. For Indian students the majority have gone through a large portion of their schooling in English, so language is much less of a difficulty. Certainly Indian English has some marked differences from most U.S. students, but that can be overcome. There can also be those challenges I mentioned earlier – never having been asked to synthesize, or never putting together an argument about their point of view.

Do you have suggestions or exercises that international applicants can do (other than being aware of the differences) to prepare to address them in the application? [12:30]
On the essay parts, find someone who is a native speaker to read and give feedback on draft after draft. The real challenge is to understand what these programs are looking for. You know that these top programs could fill their programs to capacity with students with nearly perfect scores on standardized exams and perfect grades, but they are selecting people with high academic scores and this very nebulous idea of fit. Who is going to succeed there, who will shine and be a credit to their program later, and how does one communicate that when schools haven’t explicitly asked that?

The other big challenge is that it is really difficult to figure out the kind of information that would help them show the best fit. International applicants tend to work from a small list based on rankings or because they know someone who went to a particular school, and there are countless other programs that might be a better fit. Chinese students will tend to apply to programs where there are many Chinese students, which again might not be the best fit or a way to stand out as an applicant.

What challenges do applicants from Europe and Central and South America face? [16:26]
European students in general tend to do pretty well with the application process. They tend to get the cultural differences better considering they are already exposed to such diversity and U.S. influence. English language education also tends to be very prevalent and applicable to the U.S. education system, so I don’t see any particular challenges unique to students from Europe.

For South and Central America again there is a tendency to apply to programs where students from their country are in large numbers, which could be quite detrimental to their chances. There are lots of schools that have trouble attracting students because of weather or history, and students could really benefit from branching out across the U.S.

What challenges do students face in terms of adjustment to the U.S. once they are accepted? [18:27]
The big challenge from most countries is to break out of the social world of their co-nationals. For Chinese students, if you are one of 500 on a campus of 30,000 it can be really difficult to find your way into the social world outside of the Chinese student community, but that is what it takes to thrive. You have to work through the discomfort, really getting to know a new culture not just on a surface level but a deep level. This is true for all students, but in particular students from China have difficulty making that break because of the way English has been taught and the challenges they have making small talk in English. There is absolutely a tendency to stick together culturally (nobody sticks together more than Americans, frankly!) – it’s natural, but the social aspect really does make the difference in how you thrive. It’s especially tough because the U.S. doesn’t have a tradition of the depth of hospitality that you find in say Latin America or India. If you are a traveler in one of those countries, you will be approached and invited and included, which is not very common in the US, especially in the larger cities where foreign travelers are very common.

It is also dependent on what part of the U.S. you are going to. If you are from Brazil and you go to Miami or LA that is very different than being in Dubuque, Iowa. Whereas if you are from Bangladesh or Nepal you are not likely to find a large community of co-nationals anywhere you go, so those challenges are magnified.

What kind of research or preparation do you recommend international applicants do before deciding to come to the U.S. and before applying? [24:53]
One thing I think is critical but not readily available – what is the retention rate of international students? You need to contact institutions to find that out. How good a job do they do serving the international student population? What support services are available specifically to meet the needs of international students? What’s the level of writing center support? What’s the level of international student advising support? Is the international student services area primarily an immigration shop that deals with the paperwork and is too overwhelmed to do programming, or are there activities that are designed to help them make the transition to become part of the community – host family programs, outreach, mixers, those kinds of things.

What would you like to see to provide a welcoming environment for international students? [26:43]
One of the things we developed at Youngstown State University was a weekly program that all international students were invited to, hosted by a different community organization outside of the university each week. The organization’s charge was to provide outside refreshments and bring at least five members to socialize with international students. What rose from that was frequent invitations to family picnics, sporting events, or outings. You don’t really feel comfortable in a new country until you’ve spent a good deal of time in a private home. As an international student who spends all of your time on campus you don’t really have that opportunity, so getting those kinds of programs that get international students familiar with the family and community outside of the institution is important. Schools that offer that are much more likely to find success with their students.

What kind of support should an international student be looking for at a school they are considering? [28:26]
The writing center should have ESL specialists who go beyond advising and provide coaching. The math support services should be extensive, and the advising and tutorial services should really be directed at meeting the needs of all students – not just for those who are struggling. You find that kind of information in the university services description, but how they are described can really give you insight into how extensive they are and how seriously they are taking it.

What are some key words or phrases that would indicate they are doing a good job vs mediocre? [29:30]
“We offer tutoring services and are here if you need us,” vs a description that says “We offer tutoring in all subjects and students are encouraged to meet with a peer advisor to go over their goals and academic struggles and programs that really help our students achieve maximum success.” Students really need to look at career services as well to make sure that they are designed to meet the needs of international students also.

Do you see any distinctions that international applicants should be aware of let’s say for engineering vs MBA or other graduate management programs? [30:46]
The big question in the minds of people reviewing international student applications for an MBA is how well they can assimilate into groups, work with others, and succeed in challenging situations. Those things are really central for standing out, since it is usually quite apparent that academically they can handle the program. For engineering programs they really are looking quantitatively, and the fact is many science and engineering programs are staffed with people who came as international students themselves, so that’s much less of a concern.

What advice would you give to someone from abroad who will be applying for undergrad in a few years? [33:44]
The main thing again is fit, finding a place where you really are going to feel part of the student community, valued by the faculty, and where your presence and international perspective is not just tolerated but really embraced. Getting in really has to do with the co-curricular involvement as well, so what else did you do well aside from ace the SAT? What do you want to do with your long life? What excites you? What intellectual challenges do you want to solve? Being prepared to answer those types of questions are really important.

If international students want to return to their home countries after completing their studies, what can they do to ease their return in terms of finding a job when they finish their studies? [35:15]
The number one thing is to take advantage of some of the downtime between the academic terms to be at home. If there is an internship opportunity make sure it is either in your home country, with a company based in your country, or a U.S. company that does a great deal of business with your country. That helps ease the transition.

Can you address the current environment? With visas being more difficult to get, and perhaps the US not being as welcoming as it used to be? [36:16]
The perception that the U.S. is not as welcoming as it used to be, well, there is not a lot of meat to it. The fact that institutions have been enjoying growth in the international student population for over a decade and there is a recent decline makes it a good time to apply. I think some institutions may have become a little complacent about maintaining certain levels of growth and are concerned about a drop. Political climates come and go and tend to cycle through rather quickly. That being said the travel ban is in effect.



Related Links:

• Jef Davis’ Bio

• Contact Jef Davis

• Fitting In & Standing Out, a free admissions guide

• MBA Admissions for Indian Applicants, a free guide

Related Shows:

• Schwarzman Scholars: For Global Leaders Interested in China

• U.S. News Rankings: Everything I Ever Wanted to Know (But was Afraid to Ask)

• Early Career Management and European MBA Programs with Jamie Wright

• Optimize Your Graduate School Application: Grades, Scores, Essays, Resume, Activity History,  and More

• Focus on Fit

Subscribe:

   
 

Podcast Feed



Tags: Admissions Straight Talk, Grad School Admissions, Law School Admissions, MBA Admissions, Medical School Admissions

The post Getting Accepted to U.S. Universities from Abroad [Episode 274] appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
D
Accepted.com
MBA Admissions Consultant
Joined: 20 Apr 2003
Posts: 6466
Own Kudos [?]: 848 [0]
Given Kudos: 92
Location: Los Angeles CA
Send PM
9 Tips For Acing The MBA Application Boxes [#permalink] Accepted MBA Updates   30 Aug 2018, 09:01
Expert Reply
FROM Accepted.com Blog: 9 Tips For Acing The MBA Application Boxes


As you prepare your MBA applications, don’t let the focus on the longer essays take away your attention from the short answer application boxes.

The application boxes aren’t merely the fields of your online application that ask you for your personal and professional information, reason for leaving jobs, extra-curricular activities, and so forth.  They should be much, much more and provide context, an overview, and valuable information about your achievements and successes.

My 9 tips for answering these -very important- questions follow:

1.  Don’t approach these boxes as an afterthought. More often than not, these are the first items the adcoms will read (along with your resume), and will shape their first impression of you. Make them count.

2.  Don’t repeat what’s on your resume. You can use the same accomplishments if you really have to, but explain them in a different way whenever possible.

3.  Don’t repeat what’s said on your essays either. Don’t waste precious – and limited — space in the boxes to say what you already said somewhere else.

4.  Your company description shouldn’t be a copy and paste from the company’s website. Describe, clearly and succinctly, what the company does without repeating word for word.

5.  Your role and responsibilities shouldn’t be a summarized job description. Make it more interesting, highlighting when possible any supervisory or managerial role you have.

6.  A challenge is a problem you faced and handled.  Don’t just talk about the problem, rather, focus on how you solved it and the result that came from your solution.

7.  For extra-curricular activities, don’t just limit yourself to listing your title or even a description of your role. Describe your most impressive contributions.

8.  Be clear and succinct. B-schools set a word or character limit for a reason. Use the minimum number of words you can possibly use. For example, instead of saying “Spearheaded a team of four members” you can say “Led a 4-member team”; right there you’ve reduced your character count from 34 to 19 without changing your message.

9.  On the other hand, concise doesn’t mean ungrammatical. When you strive to make your message fit in the box, don’t write in “Twitter- or text- style.”

In this attention-deficient era, business schools look at application boxes to get the answers to basic but very important questions. Answer each one to the best of your ability because each and every box counts. Be succinct, write clearly, and avoid verbosity. View the boxes as your first introduction to the adcom, and make it a good one!

Work one-on-one with an expert admissions advisor to create an application that will get you ACCEPTED! Check out our MBA Admissions Services for more information.




By Esmeralda Cardenal, previously the Associate Director of Admissions at Yale SOM, Director of MBA Admissions at MSU Broad, and consultant at Cardiff Business School in the UK. She is happy to help you showcase your achievements in your MBA application. Want Esmeralda to help you get accepted? Click here to get in touch!
 

Related Resources:

• 5 Fatal Flaws to Avoid in Your MBA Application Essay, a free guide

• Short And Sweet: Tips For Writing “Mini” MBA Essays

• Is 10 Days Per Business School Application Enough?

Tags: MBA Admissions

The post 9 Tips For Acing The MBA Application Boxes appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
D
Accepted.com
MBA Admissions Consultant
Joined: 20 Apr 2003
Posts: 6466
Own Kudos [?]: 848 [0]
Given Kudos: 92
Location: Los Angeles CA
Send PM
Cornell EMBA Application Essay Tips & Deadlines [#permalink] Accepted MBA Updates   31 Aug 2018, 10:01
Expert Reply
FROM Accepted.com Blog: Cornell EMBA Application Essay Tips & Deadlines



The Cornell Executive MBA Program has three required essay questions and one optional question in its application.

One of the most important things to keep in mind is brevity. While no one is going to be counting individual words, the short word count guideline is a clear indicator that you should work on clarity of thought with all of your answers. Cornell interviews every applicant to its program, so if you are concerned that the essay format doesn’t give you space for your answers, rest assured you will have the opportunity to discuss them further in the interview.

Cornell EMBA Application Essays:
Cornell EMBA Essay #1
In a concise statement, tell us why you are seeking an MBA. Specifically, what are your short and long-term career goals? And how will an MBA earned through an Executive MBA program at Cornell University help you achieve your goals? (400 words max)

You first want to identify why you feel you need an MBA, linking your past/current career experience with your short and long term goals and what about an MBA degree will allow you to achieve them. Then you need to relay “Why Cornell?” and “Why EMBA?” For the former, be convincing about the reasons Cornell is the best choice for you, and show you have done your homework – “location” and “reputation” won’t cut it. The admissions committee wants to know what you anticipate the program will be like, what you will get out of it, how the program fits with your career vision, and what the entire experience means to you as a person. For the latter, by making the choice to apply to an Executive MBA program, you are of course signaling you will keep your job while going to school. Indicate why that format is the best fit.

Cornell EMBA Essay #2
Briefly describe your leadership style. Include two examples of situations that helped you develop your style.  One example should be a positive situation that helped to shape or reaffirm it.  The other example should be of a situation with an unsuccessful outcome that led you to change or redefine that style. (400 words max)

This essay wants you to showcase that you are a thoughtful leader who can build upon strengths and also learn from mistakes. The examples you use don’t need to be high impact (though they certainly can be if they are relevant), but rather ones where there were clear takeaways from the experiences that you implemented moving forward. This essay encourages you to show humility, arguably an important characteristic for a successful leader, so don’t shy away from the opportunity to show that with the unsuccessful situation.

Cornell EMBA Essay #3
Cornell Executive MBA students are expected to be supportive and effective members of a learning team.  Describe your philosophy regarding teamwork. Specifically, how do you define success in a team? (250 words max)

The Cornell EMBA program values team players. Throughout the program students are placed in rotating teams, with the goal of supporting each other with the coursework as well as developing and completing group projects. They want individuals who are willing, ready and able to collaborate with the rest of their cohort. Discuss how your philosophy and definition of team success fit with that model.

Cornell EMBA Essay #4 (Optional)
What else would you like us to know? Please use this statement to address potential concerns such as gaps in employment or prior academic difficulties. You can also use this statement to highlight any achievements or significant life events that are not included elsewhere in the application. (250 words max)

If there are flaws in your application, they will be noticed. It’s much easier to address them upfront than in an interview situation. Be as honest as you can possibly be. Keep in mind the admissions committee members are human, too, and they have flaws as well! If you opt to share additional accomplishments, make sure they truly do add to your application and the type of student you will be, so that the additional information comes across as pertinent information rather than just bragging.

For expert guidance with your Cornell EMBA application, check out Accepted’s MBA Application Packages, which include comprehensive guidance from an experienced admissions consultant. We’ve helped hundreds of applicants get accepted to Cornell’s EMBA program and look forward to helping you too!

Cornell EMBA Application Deadlines for 2018-19
Cornell Executive MBA Americas
Applications are currently being accepted for the Class of 2021; classes will begin in late June, 2019.

  • Applications are reviewed and processed on a rolling basis.
  • We encourage you to submit your application as soon as you have completed your sections.
  • Once we receive all supporting documents, including transcripts and letters of recommendation, we will contact you to schedule your interview.
Admissions decisions are communicated approximately 7 to 10 days after the interview.

Cornell Executive MBA Metro NY
Applications are currently being accepted for the Class of 2021; classes will begin in late July, 2019.

  • Applications are reviewed and processed on a rolling basis.
  • We encourage you to submit your application as soon as you have completed your sections.
  • Once we receive all supporting documents, including transcripts and letters of recommendation, we will contact you to schedule your interview.
Admissions decisions are typically communicated within two weeks of the interview.

***Disclaimer: Information is subject to change. Please check with individual programs to verify the essay questions, instructions and deadlines.***




Jen Weld worked as an admissions consultant and Former Asst. Dir. of Admissions at Cornell’s EMBA program (4 years) prior to joining Accepted. She has an additional 10 years of experience in higher ed and corporate marketing. Want Jen to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!
 

Related Resources:

• 5 Fatal Flaws to Avoid in Your MBA Application Essays, a free guide

• 3 Key Ways to Stand Out Through Your EMBA Essays

• School-Specific EMBA Application Essay Tips

Tags: MBA Admissions

The post Cornell EMBA Application Essay Tips & Deadlines appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
D
Accepted.com
MBA Admissions Consultant
Joined: 20 Apr 2003
Posts: 6466
Own Kudos [?]: 848 [0]
Given Kudos: 92
Location: Los Angeles CA
Send PM
NYU Stern 2018-19 MBA Admissions Scoop: An Interview with Isser Gallog [#permalink] Accepted MBA Updates   04 Sep 2018, 09:01
Expert Reply
FROM Accepted.com Blog: NYU Stern 2018-19 MBA Admissions Scoop: An Interview with Isser Gallogly



NYU Stern School of Business: What’s New and How to Get Accepted [Show Summary]
NYU Stern MBA Programs have undergone several transitions in recent years, from the launch last year of the one-year tech MBA and fashion/luxury MBA, to a dedicated program to help military veterans transition to the business world, to more focused offerings for the ever increasing population of students looking at careers in technology and strategy consulting. Isser Gallogly, Associate Dean of MBA Admissions at NYU Stern takes us through the basics of the fulltime MBA program as well as what NYU Stern is looking for in applicants.

Interview with Isser Gallogly, Associate Dean of MBA Admissions at NYU Stern School of Business [Show Notes]
It gives me great pleasure to welcome back to Admissions Straight Talk Isser Gallogly, Associate Dean of MBA Admissions at NYU Stern School of Business. Isser needs no introduction at Accepted. He participated in many of Accepted’s old text-only admissions chats. He’s also been a guest on AST before. During his last interview, we discussed several innovations that Stern introduced in the 2017-18 cycle. We’ll see how those developments have evolved since then and take a look at this year’s MBA application.

Let’s start with the basics. Can you give me a brief overview of the full-time MBA options at Stern, focusing on differentiators? [2:38]
On the fulltime MBA side, we have the two-year, fulltime MBA program that we have had for quite some time, and two new programs that are pretty innovative. They are both one-year MBA programs that are specialized in terms of focus. One focuses on technology, and the other focuses on the business of fashion and luxury. The fulltime program has the traditional format, with two semesters, an internship, and then another two semesters. The one-year MBA programs begin in May, so it’s summer, fall, and spring. The two-year program is 60 credits, and the one-year programs are about 51 credits – you really do get the lion’s share of credits packed into a 12-month format.

In terms of the two-year program, what differentiates us is our location in New York City, but more importantly how we leverage it. What I mean by that is the experiential learning that we offer through partnerships with companies throughout the New York City area. Many are for credit, some are not, but we offer a tremendous number of opportunities. The second thing that is a surprise to some people is the community. We are a medium-sized school and therefore offer a small village of support within New York City. One of our big differentiators is what we call IQ + EQ, which is the combination of raw intellectual capability mixed with emotional intelligence which helps Stern students and grads be good leaders and teammates, and manage through people as opposed to exclusively through numbers.

How have the two one-year programs evolved? They just started last year. What’s developed? [5:16]
We went through the first admissions process, hoping for about 30 in each program, and that’s pretty much what we ended up with. These are all people that have a strong passion to work in these industries. If you have that razor-sharp focus, these are the programs for you. The people who have done it are all innovators, wanting to be the first. They started this May and have already done a lot of experiential learning projects. People seem happy and are already a tight-knit group. We don’t have a lot of changes planned for year one since it is the first year of implementation. We want to see how it goes, makes sure everything runs smoothly, gather key learnings, and make any tweaks for the next cycle. During the orientation for the tech program, we met with the tech board and then they spoke with students after, and the board was really excited about the caliber of the students. On the fashion/luxury side, during orientation there was a huge reception at LVMH, which was exciting for those folks.

What’s new with the two-year, fulltime MBA program? [8:02]
There isn’t a huge change or rollout this year with that program. We have recently launched the Fubon Tech Center, which is a big deal on the research side. In general there is a continued move toward greater interest in technology and strategy consulting, so we just continue to get more diverse. We are in our second year with the Fertitta Veterans Program as well, and just had the second group of 20+ students start in July. It is an amazing program for military veterans making the transition to business school. We recognize at Stern this is one of the most significant transitions some of our students are making, and their skills are very transferable and extremely valuable, but they don’t know the business vernacular or landscape so there is quite an adjustment period. It’s a six week program that starts in early July for two year MBAs. They do two courses, Statistics and Accounting, which are MBA-level courses (not “math camp”), which enables them to get an early start on two very important quantitative courses that have a lot of the language of business, a huge advantage of them. They also get exposure to industries, career planning, etc., and it puts them on very firm footing. This also means that in the fall they have one less class which is incredibly important. They’ve got more time to get involved in the classes, extracurriculars, career stuff, etc. We’ve had amazing feedback from the first year, and the second year is really strong.

Can you go into the purpose of some of the different elements of the application: the resume, the different essays, the EQ endorsement, The Professional Aspirations Essay and the Pick Six Essay. [12:34]
The purpose of the application is to present a composite of who you are across three major dimensions – you as a student, you as a professional, and you as a person. With academics, some of the key aspects you expect to see are undergrad transcripts, certifications, and standardized tests. This all gives us a sense of how you are going to do as a student. They don’t tell us everything, but that is primarily their role. It is a starting point to assess whether you can handle the coursework, but beyond that it doesn’t tell us much else.

The resume is really good for understanding your professional capabilities and track record – your career progression, accomplishments, etc. We also have a work history form which asks for more detail, like exactly when you started and left and why, which gives you the opportunity to explain your transitions, which you can’t do on a resume. From there you go into the essays, which talk about professional aspirations (where do I want to go, what have I done, how does an MBA, and one from Stern in particular, fit into your plans). This adds color to your background. Then recommendations are statements about who you are from an outsider’s perspective. We ask for one from a direct supervisor and one more, and speak to a variety of personal characteristics – who you are as a person, professional, etc. We also have a pick six essay which asks for six images that explain to us who you are to bring things to life visually. It is up to the applicant to decide how to use it – be strategic. The interview goes deeper into most of those elements. Our interview is pretty unique as it’s done almost exclusively in New York, as we really want to meet you in person. Almost all interviews are conducted by admissions officers who have fully read your application and do this for a living, so it’s a very productive use of your time. All together the application is like a puzzle. The academic portion is the outer border of the puzzle, and everything else are the pieces inside which become more differentiated.

Last year you allowed applicants to apply to more than one MBA program. This year it’s one only. Why? [24:48]
In the first year of those programs we didn’t know what kind of overlap we might have. Is somebody going to be really committed to a one year in tech vs a two year? We didn’t want to restrict people as the programs were new. What we learned was that 95% of people chose one option, so it wasn’t valuable for most people so why add the complexity or confusion? For those who did put a second option they really weren’t interested in it, they just figured they should. It really didn’t add a lot of value and was more work for applicants, so since it was more a distraction than anything we just eliminated it.

If you had an applicant who was accepted into one of the programs but subsequently wanted to join another one, could they approach you? [26:42]
Absolutely. We have that happen all the time. There can be changes to life status, so people may need to switch to a part-time program. We always try to be flexible and work with people. Sometimes things can’t be done logistically or timing-wise, but we do try if there are good reasons for the change.

Last year you had the EQ endorsement and 2 professional recs. This year, it’s just 2 EQ endorsements? Why and how is the EQ endorsement different from a typical professional rec. Maybe start by defining EQ. [27:43]
The EQ endorsement is a new element only Stern has. It is very important to us and we want to get as many indicators as possible. We have set it up as its own element since we figure someone might want to choose someone outside their professional world. We got good insight from it last year, and if it’s so valuable why aren’t we asking it of everyone. For a lot of people, they wanted one of their endorsements to come from a manager because they knew it would be valuable to them. So, we decided everyone should comment on EQ and to take the best of both worlds we combined the recommendation and EQ endorsement together. I think this will work out better for the applicants and for us. Essentially we have taken the more typical recommendation questions and added in the EQ questions.

Are you concerned that by asking the recommenders to do more work it will discourage applications? [30:30]
It is only one more question beyond the typical recommendation questions, and one of the two can come from anyone, which could be easier to get.

How did your Pick Six essay work for you last year? [31:25]
We love it. The applicants love it. It is amazing the kind of info it can provide and how quickly it does so. The essay provided everything we wanted it to – a consistent creative submission for people to express who they are as an individual. It allowed them to communicate not just in words but with imagery, which is how we communicate as a society today. It lets them convey in a very short amount of time in a very compelling and dramatic way many aspects of who they are. It gives a lot of latitude in terms of what you communicate, and structure in terms of how you communicate. All the basic work on this is the thinking and doing, not writing and rewriting.

You just posted preliminary data for the Class of 2020, the one starting now. The average GMAT is 717, the 80% range is 660-760, the 100% range is 590 -780. 19% of student applied with a GRE only. Any plans to post the GRE stats? [35:17]
Not at this time. It is still the minority of the class, and when thinking about GRE test takers they are generally coming from very different backgrounds than the overall applicant pool. I don’t necessarily think that base is generally representative of the overall class, so it might present a skewed viewpoint. We are a very transparent program, but we are transparent about things we feel are helpful and valuable and not potentially misleading.

What does someone in that bottom 10% range do or have that causes you to overlook a really low test score? [38:17]
The test scores are just one data point and how you will do academically your first year. Being a good student is a starting point but not the be-all, end-all. Some people may have a lower score but a whole host of other evidence that the score is not an accurate reflection of their abilities as a student or professional. When you look at the rest of what they have, it is more than worth it to take that risk on them. There are people on the other side as well, with a 780 GMAT but with work experience equivalent of a 590. They will add a lot in the classroom but have a tougher road on the career side, but net-net they are somebody you want to have. It is a holistic process and you have to look at all the elements in conjunction with each other.

What would you have liked me to ask you? [42:50]
What I always try to get out there are responses to these two questions:

  • What are their chances?
  • How do I game it?
What I try to let people know is #1, we can’t tell you what your chances are without you applying, so go for it. If you want a chance you have to apply, take the risk. Put together the best case you can. Don’t hold yourself back.

#2 there are a lot of really good schools, and many you will have great experiences at, but there are a few where the experience will be unbelievable, but don’t be so locked into a ranking or what someone says about a particular school. Trust your gut. You know when there is a good match. If you trust your instincts you will find the best place for you. #3 Don’t spin your application, reveal yourself – your strengths, weaknesses, passions, dreams, tell it to us straight. Be authentic.



Related Links:

• NYU Stern Tech MBA

• NYU Stern Fashion & Luxury MBA

• NYU Stern MBA Application Essay Tips

• MBA Admissions A-Z, a free guide

• Accepted’s MBA Admissions Services

Related Shows:

• What’s New at NYU Stern? A Lot!

• Get an NYU Stern MBA: Interview with Admissions Dean Isser Gallogly

• An NYU Stern Grad and Strat Consultant Helping Vets Get into School

Subscribe:

   
    

Podcast Feed



Tags: Admissions Straight Talk, MBA Admissions

The post NYU Stern 2018-19 MBA Admissions Scoop: An Interview with Isser Gallogly [Episode 275] appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
D
Accepted.com
MBA Admissions Consultant
Joined: 20 Apr 2003
Posts: 6466
Own Kudos [?]: 848 [0]
Given Kudos: 92
Location: Los Angeles CA
Send PM
Writing a Powerful Leadership/Achievement Essay [#permalink] Accepted MBA Updates   06 Sep 2018, 09:01
Expert Reply
FROM Accepted.com Blog: Writing a Powerful Leadership/Achievement Essay



“Writing a Powerful Leadership/Achievement Essay” is excerpted from MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools, by Linda Abraham and Judy Gruen.

Essays that ask you to write about significant achievements fall under the category of what are known as behavioral or experiential questions. The basic assumption behind these questions is that past behavior is a great predictor of future behavior. They are all varieties on the theme of “Tell us about a time when you. . . These questions are meant to take the measure of your managerial potential.

Achievement questions present fantastic opportunities for you to reveal the uber-value of business schools: leadership. No question about it, great managers are leaders. To the extent you can display leadership through your achievement or other behavioral-related essays, you will want to do so.

Let’s look at how one candidate effectively addressed this essay question from Stanford: Tell us about a time when you made a lasting impact on your organization.

Notice how the writer avoids writing about leadership in general terms and focuses instead on the specific aspects of his contributions and their impact:

The Change Agent

When I was invited to become the Vice President and General Manager at Third Way Associates (TWA) two years ago, the company was in financial and administrative disorder. Employee retention was poor, and TWA took too long to pay vendors because of poor communication and accounting processes. Cash flow was managed based on immediate needs rather than by the logic of budgets planned by project and city. Sloppy expense reports that were turned in with no receipts were reimbursed to employees.

TWA founders Scott W__ and Glenn L____ had good intentions, but spent most of their time selling sponsorships and getting new clients rather than directing and managing the company. As we begin 2011, TWA is much healthier in every way. Under my direction, vendors are paid in an average of 20 days from date of invoice, instead of 60 days or more. Our cash flow is better administered since I introduced very specific detailed area budgets with over 125 budget lines per city. Because I can give the company founders much better stability and macromanagement vision, the three of us are able to look more to the future rather than simply put out fires.

Despite the difficult economy in 2010, we not only retained our same clients but also signed several new client agreements for three years or more, including a two-year contract with Puma worth $1.3 million. I’ve brought fresh accounts and industries into TWA, including _____ Airlines and Gatorade, among others. Combined, these accounts generated more than $500,000 in 2010 and we estimate close to $1 million dollars in 2011.

Since my arrival, we have a much wider and broader sales menu which has been crucial to generate more revenue. I’ve expanded our most popular sports events to 25 cities, giving our clients new investment opportunities. These events range from recreational soccer clinic tours to professional soccer games broadcast on TV.

 I also expanded our field staff, and at present we have 25 strong and reliable managers who report directly to me from each city. Despite the economy, 2010 was not a bad year for TWA, and 2011 promises to be even better if we continue our current strategy and continue to work as a team.

In every paragraph, this writer mentions concrete measures he took to introduce order to a chaotic company that was trying to grow. From instituting budgets with line items, an improved accounts payable system, and recruiting additional big-name accounts, the writer proves how his efforts strengthened the organization.

As you choose among your own experiences as essay material, think about these questions to help you frame answers of substance:

    • What was the obstacle, challenge, or problem that you solved in this accomplishment? A tight client deadline? A complex merger transaction? A new product launch amidst fierce competition?
    • What did you do to rise to the challenge you are writing about? Motivate your team to work overtime? Sell senior management on the deal’s long-term upside? Identify a marketing profile for your product that no competitor can match?
    • What facts demonstrate that your intervention created a happy ending? Did your team submit the project deliverables three days early despite being 20% understaffed? Your client approved the $500 million merger, the largest ever in its industry? Your new product has 20% market share after only one year? What was the impact of your leadership?
Another tip: Look for opportunities to incorporate strong verbs that illustrate your strengths in these areas. Good examples of leadership might incorporate several of the following:

  • Listening
  • Initiating
  • Mentoring
  • Teaching
  • Persuading
  • Organizing
  • Establishing a goal or vision
  • Motivating
  • Managing
  • Obtaining buy-in
  • Taking responsibility
The old adage, “Show, don’t tell,” remains a classic bit of wisdom in the writing process. Make that a guiding principle not only in your leadership/achievement essays, but throughout your application.

For personalized advice tailored just for you, check out our MBA admissions consulting and editing services and work one-on-one with a pro who will help you discover your competitive advantage and use it to get accepted.





 

Related Resources:

• 5 Fatal Flaws to Avoid in Your MBA Application Essays, a free guide

• Learn How to Answer MBA Essay Questions

• “I’m Smart, Really I Am!” Proving Character Traits in Your Essays

Tags: MBA Admissions

The post Writing a Powerful Leadership/Achievement Essay appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
D
Accepted.com
MBA Admissions Consultant
Joined: 20 Apr 2003
Posts: 6466
Own Kudos [?]: 848 [0]
Given Kudos: 92
Location: Los Angeles CA
Send PM
Columbia Business School Admissions Director Answers Applicant Questio [#permalink] Accepted MBA Updates   12 Sep 2018, 10:01
Expert Reply
FROM Accepted.com Blog: Columbia Business School Admissions Director Answers Applicant Questions

https://reports.accepted.com/mba/columbia_business_school_ama?utm_campaign=Blog&utm_source=webinar&utm_medium=cbs_ama_2018_live

Our AMA (Ask Me Anything) with Columbia Business School’s Director of Admissions, Emily French Thomas, was fantastic!

After outlining the application process and providing some great tips for success, she answered participants’ questions and really gave participants the inside scoop.

If you missed the AMA, or if you’d like to view it again, it’s now available for on-demand viewing.


 



Tags: MBA Admissions

The post Columbia Business School Admissions Director Answers Applicant Questions appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
D
Accepted.com
MBA Admissions Consultant
Joined: 20 Apr 2003
Posts: 6466
Own Kudos [?]: 848 [0]
Given Kudos: 92
Location: Los Angeles CA
Send PM
The Most Important Asset in Grad School Applications: Time [#permalink] Accepted MBA Updates   12 Sep 2018, 10:01
Expert Reply
FROM Accepted.com Blog: The Most Important Asset in Grad School Applications: Time



The Most Important Asset in Grad School Applications: Time [Show Summary]
This episode is devoted to how the precious and finite asset of time can help you get accepted when applying to graduate schools.

Linda Abraham, Founder of Accepted, Discusses the Importance of Following a Graduate Application Timeline [Show Notes]
The problem: Lack of time.

What’s the usual root of the problem? Applicants decide to apply one day and try to do so in too short a period of time.

What are the possible results?

A poor decision –

  • Possibly applying to the wrong programs or the wrong schools
  • Perhaps you’ll be accepted at schools that aren’t as good as they could be, or,
  • You’ll be rejected and will face the additional costs and need additional time to reapply.
Sometime applicants start the application with plenty of time but procrastination or life gets in the way of them completing it. The most common way that life intrudes? Discovering that you need to retake an aptitude test. If you haven’t allowed that possibility, the retake can cause all kinds of problems and delays.

While it never makes sense to submit something less than your best, there are advantages to applying early. If you can submit either early in the application cycle for rolling admissions like medical school or in earlier rounds for most MBA programs, you are applying when the class is wide open. There are more interview slots and seats available.

How Much Time for Test Prep, Research, etc Prior to Application?
Here are my recommendations:

  • For MBAs, allow for 6-12 months of research and test prep before planning to submit.
  • For medical school, allow 12-36 months of taking classes, MCAT prep, and volunteering before actually applying.
  • For law school, allow for 6-12 months of research and test prep.
  • For academic masters and Ph.D. programs, allow at least 6-12 months for research and test prep, and it could be longer if you also have to get in volunteer or research experience. For these types of programs it is harder to give a rule because there is much more variety.
These time frames mean:

  • You will have time to prepare for and if necessary retake an aptitude test.
  • You will have time to research programs and visit those you are most interested in and are feasible for you to visit.
  • You will have time to do the volunteer work or experience that is vital for some programs.
  • You will have plenty of time for essays, statements of purpose, etc.
The other key element you need to know before applying for graduate programs is a post-degree goal. Most programs want to know that you have a goal they can help you achieve. Assuming you know that, and once you know your test score (and since you already know your GPA), you can move forward in choosing schools.

Important Things to Think About
Most MBA programs and all programs asking for a statement of purpose want to know the purpose of your studies. If you have no purpose, no goal, no solid reason for pursuing the degree, you will find that essay extraordinarily difficult to write. And if you come to Accepted, we will give you homework to figure out how you intend to use your degree.

Graduate education is way too expensive for most of us to enroll in graduate coursework for the sheer joy of learning. If you aren’t clear on your purpose, allow time for more research and for informational interviews to clarify your goals and the kind of graduate education you seek. You need that purpose in order to choose programs worth investing in, and you will probably need it to apply effectively.

Also, if at all possible, allow time to visit the campuses closest to you or that you are most interested in, or at least make a point to talk to current students and recent alumni. A graduate education is one of the largest investments you will make and probably the largest you’ve made to date. It pays to ensure you are going to apply to and attend a program that will help you achieve your goals and where you will also be happy.

Ready to Apply
Now you’re at a point where you know why you want to apply, where you want to apply, and you have assessed your competitiveness and shortlisted schools. If we’re talking about medical school, that short list could easily be 20 programs. If we’re talking most other graduate specialties, it’s more likely to be 4-8 programs.

I’m going to give some specific suggestions for time management after this point, and I may shock some of you with the time I recommend you allow, but let’s be real. Most of you are working full-time or working and going to school. You are fitting the applications into an already busy life. Writing requires rewriting. It benefits from time in between drafts, revisions, and proofing. Again, plan on this taking a long time, and you won’t have any unpleasant surprises. It’s the most valuable asset at this point in your application process. Use it wisely, and you won’t be slapping together critically important essays in a mad rush minutes before the deadline when servers are likely to crash due to too many people submitting at the last minute. And you’re also likely to crash due to lack of sleep!

Applying to MBA, Grad, and Law Programs: No Common App
Most MBA, grad, and law programs do not have a common application system, which means you will need to write different applications for each school.

For law school, you may be able to adapt a personal statement for different schools. This process will probably take 1-2 months total depending on how frequently you sit down to write and how many schools you plan to apply to. I suggest you allow 2-3 weeks for writing the personal statement and possible diversity statement or addenda. Allow an additional one week per school for adapting these essays to different programs and completing those pesky application boxes. Also allow time to review and edit your resume, and contact and prep recommenders.

For MBA programs, you need to write separate essays for most programs. Sometimes you’ll be able to adapt previously written essays, and sometimes you won’t.

For most MBA programs, you will need to write 1-4 essays, provide a resume, answer a few short answer questions, and perhaps submit a video. I recommend you allow at least 3-4 weeks for your first application and then two weeks for each additional program.

If you gasped at that recommendation, remember: You are busy and writing takes time. Plus, if you are applying to highly competitive programs, you need a highly competitive application. That application requires thought, rewriting, and time.

But you may say, “I want to apply round 1. I want the round 1 advantage!” There is no advantage to submitting half-baked mediocrity during round 1. For next year’s applicants, you can plan to apply round 1. You can get the GMAT or GRE done well before essay questions are released and start working on them as soon as they come out. You will have done all the pre-essay stuff in advance and be poised for an excellent application effort.

For this year’s applicants, get started now on round 2 applications, which will mostly have deadlines in January. You will then have that most valuable asset, time. You’ll have the time to submit your best when those deadlines stare you in the face. If you aren’t well into revising now for R1, don’t try to draft something in a hurry. Apply R2 and submit an application you are proud of.

For other grad students, including engineering, psych, and a broad array of masters and PhD applications, if you are applying in the 2018-19 cycle and have gotten the test score that you will apply with, know what you want to do with the degree, and how the programs you are applying to will help you do it, you are ready to write a dynamite statement of purpose. Get to work. Don’t wait. Many of you will face December and January deadlines. You also are most likely applying to multiple programs. I can assume your post-degree goal will not change with the school, but your reasons for wanting to attend each school should be specific to that school and reflect your knowledge of the program.

If you haven’t already done so, line up recommenders, prepare a one pager that you can give them about the schools you are applying to, perhaps highlighting something you’re proud of that they may forget to mention, and their deadlines for submitting the letters. Make it as easy as possible for them. (This goes for you, too, MBA applicants applying R2)

Now let’s turn to medical school applicants. If you want to apply next summer for 2020 matriculation and have not yet taken the MCAT or are not satisfied with your score, schedule an exam such that you are fully prepared. That may be in January or February. If you take it then, and are not satisfied with the outcome, you will have time for a retake so that you will have the second score by the end of May or early June. Alternatively, plan to take the exam next summer and consider waiting to apply until the summer of 2020 with a 2021 matriculation date. At the risk of repeating myself, test prep takes and benefits from time. Give yourself the time necessary to do well on the MCAT and to avoid applying late in the cycle because you need to retake over the summer.

Let’s assume for now that you have your MCAT and are applying DO – get cracking. You still have the time to apply to osteopathic schools. Their application cycle runs a little later and if you have everything else that you should have, then proceed.

If you are planning to apply to allopathic medical schools next summer and have an MCAT that you are satisfied with, I suggest you start writing your PS and MMEs over winter break. You can always tweak them if something significant happens close to application time, but if you get these drafted at least, if not polished in December/January, you will be primed to apply in early June when the med school class is wide open. Time will be on your side.

I also suggest that you spend time between winter break and June, when AMCAS opens, researching programs and taking notes on those programs. You may also want to start journaling or at least taking notes about experiences that you may want to write about or talk about when you move into the school-specific secondary and interview phases of the application process.

Also use some of this time for pre-writing secondaries. You can find many secondary essay questions, with tips, at Accepted. You will quickly see that some essays recur and you can at least have drafts about community service experiences, leadership experiences, why you want to pursue the area of medicine you want to pursue, how you will contribute to the diversity of your class, and much more.

Once secondary applications start to arrive, they will pour down in a deluge. Using your time to pre-write will give you the ability to turn around the secondaries quickly and well, preferably within two weeks of receipt. This is one stage of the process where you need to act quickly and without compromising quality. Pre-writing will save you time and give you that ability.

So whether we’re talking about law school, grad school, medical school or business school, you need time to apply effectively, efficiently, confidently, and successfully. Time will enable you to present an application that reflects the best you.



Related Links:

• Get Your Game On: Preparing for Your Grad School Application, a free guide

• Med School Secondary Application Essay Tips

• The Smart Timeline for MBA Applicants

• Admissions Consulting Services

Related Shows:

• Meet Dr. Nadia Afridi, Plastic Surgeon, Recent Columbia EMBA, and Mom

• Different Dimensions of Diversity

• Focus on Fit

• Stand Out! A Critical Goal for Your Application

Subscribe:

   


Podcast Feed



Tags: Admissions Straight Talk, Grad School Admissions, Law School Admissions, MBA Admissions, Medical School Admissions

The post The Most Important Asset in Grad School Applications: Time [Episode 276] appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
D
Accepted.com
MBA Admissions Consultant
Joined: 20 Apr 2003
Posts: 6466
Own Kudos [?]: 848 [0]
Given Kudos: 92
Location: Los Angeles CA
Send PM
How Do You Deal with Criticism? MBA Admissions Committees Want to Know [#permalink] Accepted MBA Updates   14 Sep 2018, 10:01
Expert Reply
FROM Accepted.com Blog: How Do You Deal with Criticism? MBA Admissions Committees Want to Know



Many MBA essays ask you to write about a time you were given criticism and how you dealt with it. This may not be the kind of question you wished they had asked, but it is one that provides an excellent opportunity to show the highly prized quality of emotional intelligence (or EQ). Additionally, the people writing your letters of recommendation are almost sure to be asked to assess you in this same sensitive area: Did you respond with maturity and self-reflection, or did you struggle to suppress your anger at the perceived insult?

How Criticism is Viewed by Millennials
Adcom members remain acutely interested in candidates’ EQ. This may be due, in part, to the fact that today’s millennial applicants (especially Americans) have been raised without much constructive criticism, and in fact, have been taught to expect lavish praise for things previous generations did with no expectation of rewards or perks. Adcoms need reassurance that millennial applicants can accept criticism with grace, self-reflection, and maturity. This ability to turn a negative experience into an opportunity for growth is key to demonstrating your EQ – and your management potential.

6 Ways to Prep for the Question on Criticism
  • Stay current.
    Choose an experience that took place within the last two years. It will be a more accurate gauge of your current maturity.

  • State the circumstances leading up to the criticism briefly and directly.
    Did you discover the new software product still had bugs during the testing just three weeks before launch, but were afraid to report the bad news to your supervisor? Had you become angry with a colleague who was difficult to work with? Were you asked to mentor a new-hire, but found the job thankless and managed to evade some of those mentoring responsibilities? Whatever the situation, just tell it like it was.

  • Show how your responded to the criticism.
    Did you expect what was coming, or were you blindsided? The adcoms will be alert to answers that seem shallow or lacking in sufficient detail. Did you respond instantly to the critic, or let them know you thank them for the feedback and would like a day to get back to them? Show a bit of the conversation you had with your critic and what you learned from that conversation.

  • Reveal what you did to improve or mitigate the situation that led to the feedback.
    What actions have you taken to address your weaknesses? How did you improve after receiving this particular piece of feedback? And if the feedback was recent and you haven’t yet addressed it, what do you plan on doing?

  • Show growth.
    What have you done to avoid future episodes like this? Don’t gloss over this with a one sentence answer, such as: “From this situation I learned to be more sensitive to how my colleagues were feeling.” Go deeper. For example, did you begin to spend more time talking to those colleagues on a regular basis, evaluating their view of events? Did you read any books on successful communication skills, or workplace dynamics? Did you set up regular times to meet with your supervisor to make sure you were on the same page with projects? Your changes have to be believable as a result of honest self-reflection and action.

  • Put yourself in the critic’s shoes.
    What if you felt the criticism was unfair or unwarranted? If this is the case, it will still be important to show that you dealt with it in a mature way. Show how you tried to put yourself in your critic’s shoes: How was it possible they viewed the situation that way? The ability to consider another person’s point of view, even if it is erroneous, and then respond with tact, is an important element of EQ.

Everyone makes mistakes, and everyone is on the receiving end of criticism from time to time. One thing that can distinguish you from other applicants is your ability to embrace such uncomfortable situations, and to turn them to your advantage through greater self-awareness and commitment to personal and professional growth.

Check out Accepted’s MBA Admissions Services to learn how we can help you choose the criticism examples to include in your application and write about them with accuracy, maturity, and flair. Learn more about working one-on-one with your personal admissions coach now.




By Judy Gruen, former Accepted admissions consultant and author (with Linda Abraham) of MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools. Want an admissions expert help you get accepted? Click here to get in touch!
 

Related Resources:

• 9 Secrets to Standing Out in Your MBA Application, free guide

• Writing About Resilience in the Face of Failure

• Can You Get Accepted After Doing Something Stupid?

Tags: MBA Admissions

The post How Do You Deal with Criticism? MBA Admissions Committees Want to Know appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
D
Accepted.com
MBA Admissions Consultant
Joined: 20 Apr 2003
Posts: 6466
Own Kudos [?]: 848 [0]
Given Kudos: 92
Location: Los Angeles CA
Send PM
UC Berkeley Haas Appoints New Dean [#permalink] Accepted MBA Updates   14 Sep 2018, 10:01
Expert Reply
FROM Accepted.com Blog: UC Berkeley Haas Appoints New Dean



Ann E. Harrison, a Berkeley alumna and famed Wharton economist, will begin her tenure as the next dean of the Haas School of Business on January 1, 2019, reports a Haas press release.

Harrison received her bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley in 1982, where she double majored in Economics and History. From 2001 to 2011 she was a professor in Berkeley’s Department of Agriculture & Resource Economics. Her most recent position was at UPenn Wharton, where she served as the William H. Wurster Professor of Multinational Management and Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy.

Although Harrison lacks administrative experience in academia, her profound connection to Berkeley could have tipped the scales in her favor. In an email to the Haas community, current Interim Dean Laura Tyson mentioned Harrison’s connection. “Her knowledge of our campus will be a boom to our school. I am personally heartened by her full appreciation for our culture and for the Berkeley community.”

Harrison stated that she is very happy to be returning to her roots and joining Berkeley’s top ranked business school. “This opportunity is a dream come true. Berkeley Haas is truly exceptional because it combines intellectual rigor with a commitment to creating a better world. Former Haas dean Rich Lyons worked with the Haas community to articulate its spirit and culture through the four defining leadership principles. Theses principles, such as going ‘beyond yourself’ and ‘questioning the status quo,’ make Haas a true standout among its peers.”

Harrison attributes her research pursuits in global firms and international trade to her own youth. Born in France to an American father and French mother, Harrison came to the U.S. when she was quite young. According to Professor Maurice Obstfeld, who collaborated with Harrison at Berkeley’s Agricultural & Resources Economics department, “Her work has demonstrated the degree to which American workers’ wages have suffered from globalization – especially workers in routine jobs. I’m really looking forward to the intellectual leadership she will bring to Haas and to the entire campus.”

Prior to taking her position at Wharton in 2012, Harrison worked as Director of Development Policy at the World Bank. In addition to managing a team of 300 researchers and staff, she restructured the World Bank’s process for distributing research funding. She also oversaw the Bank’s most prestigious publications, including its yearly World Development Report. In a bid to create greater transparency at the institution, she persuaded the World Bank’s president to publish all historical records on project loans.

Harrison has had a rich work history. Besides her times at Berkeley and Wharton, she taught at Columbia Business School, the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and the University of Paris. She has lectured at most major U.S. universities, as well as in India, China, Latin America, Europe, the Philippines, and North Africa.

Her PhD in economics is from Princeton University and she has a Diplôme d’études universitaires générales.

She is the author and editor of three books, and is quoted extensively in the U.S. and abroad on foreign investment and multinational firms.

Harrison was chosen after a far-reaching national search. She will follow Interim Dean Laura D’Andrea Tyson, who will remain in her position through the end of 2018. Rich Lyons, who was dean for 11 years before Tyson, will be returning after a sabbatical to the teach in Haas’ financial department.

A Poets & Quants article on the topic points out that Harrison’s appointment as the second female dean gives Haas the distinction of being the only top-10 business school to be led by two women.

Check out Accepted’s Admissions Consulting Services to work one-on-one with your own dedicated admissions advisor. Get the expert advice you need to create an admissions strategy and application that will get you ACCEPTED – no matter where you are and no matter where you’re going!





Related Resources:

• Why MBA?, a free guide to writing about your MBA goals

• UC Berkeley Haas MBA Application Essay Tips & Deadlines

• Different Dimensions of Diversity, a podcast episode

Tags: MBA Admissions

The post UC Berkeley Haas Appoints New Dean appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
D
Accepted.com
MBA Admissions Consultant
Joined: 20 Apr 2003
Posts: 6466
Own Kudos [?]: 848 [0]
Given Kudos: 92
Location: Los Angeles CA
Send PM
Tips for Executive MBA Reapplicants [#permalink] Accepted MBA Updates   16 Sep 2018, 09:01
Expert Reply
FROM Accepted.com Blog: Tips for Executive MBA Reapplicants



If you have been rejected by an Executive MBA program, it often comes down to one of four reasons (or combination thereof):

  • Your academic record was not strong enough to convince the admissions committee you could handle the rigor of an EMBA program,
  • Your work experience was not sufficient/relevant enough yet to be considered a solid addition to the program,
  • Your application wasn’t differentiated enough from the rest of the applicant pool, or,
  • You did not show adequate interest in the program to warrant an offer of admission.
All of these reasons can be mitigated, with time and effort on your part. At the end of the day there is still no guarantee of admission, but after taking a hard look and assessing your situation you can make yourself a much stronger candidate by addressing the pertinent issues.

Academic Record
A low GPA in and of itself is not a reason to ding an applicant. What tends to concern schools is when a transcript shows consistently low grades in subjects that are important to be competent in to do well in an MBA program – quantitative subjects in particular. If you do have quantitative weakness, enroll in an Algebra or Statistics course (or both) at a local college – a traditional class as opposed to online is preferred. Get strong grades, and submit that transcript with your new application. In the optional essay, express how you recognize the admissions committee might have been concerned about your quantitative abilities, but the new grades should allay those concerns. Also, lay out any additional plans you may have prior to joining the program to bolster your skills – MBA Math, for example.

Work Experience
In this situation, time and more leadership experience are probably the two best ways to enhance your application. The average years of work experience in an EMBA program is typically 10-15. Some schools specifically state the minimum years of experience necessary to apply. While I was at Cornell, we never seriously considered anyone with less than five years of experience, and when we did admit someone on that lower end of the scale, there was some sort of clear indication the individual was a superstar at his or her organization. So, if you are in the lower range of experience, seek out more high-profile leadership opportunities (at work and/or in extracurriculars), and work on putting together that “superstar” profile.

Lack of Differentiation
Differentiation is more of an issue for some groups than others. If you are a veterinarian who focuses on equine health, you can probably count on the fact there won’t be a large pool of applicants with similar backgrounds to yours. If you are an Indian male with a computer science degree working at a software company, lack of differentiation is more likely to be a possible factor. If you are in a well-represented group, you need to work that much harder to make your application stand out. If you don’t have any work examples that really show your uniqueness, then look to activities or interests you have outside of work. If you have a leadership role at Toastmasters, talk about that if you have an open-ended question. If you did some volunteer work in Africa, talk about that. You need to do some soul-searching to figure out what will grab the attention of the admissions committee if you are demographically-challenged.

Program Interest
Admissions committees realize most applicants consider multiple options, as they should, and most have a clear first choice school. What tends to bother admissions folks is when it’s obvious an applicant is only applying to a school because it’s a brand name and would be an “ok” fallback.

How can they tell an applicant’s lack of interest? It’s pretty easy – never came to an information session, never visited the campus, never reached out to anyone on the admissions committee, and/or put reasons like “location” and “reputation” in the essay as to why he/she would like to come to the school. With EMBA classes quite small compared to fulltime programs, it is a distinct possibility an applicant with stellar qualifications could be dinged – why offer a spot to someone who clearly has no real interest in attending? If you feel this might be why you were rejected, this reason can be mitigated or eliminated as well. Reach out to admissions committee members and ask questions that show you’ve both done your homework and are thinking seriously about their school. Start sending signals indicating your sincere interest.

Not sure where your application might be lacking? The good news about most Executive MBA programs is that with smaller applicant pools, admissions officers typically have more time to devote to individual applicants. Therefore, make a call and see if you can receive feedback on your application.

Reapplying to executive MBA programs? An Accepted EMBA admissions expert is available to provide a critical analysis of your rejected application and help you develop a successful game plan for the future. 




Jen Weld worked as an admissions consultant and Former Asst. Dir. of Admissions at Cornell’s EMBA program (4 years) prior to joining Accepted. She has an additional 10 years of experience in higher ed and corporate marketing. Want Jen to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!
 

Related Resources:

• School-Specific EMBA Application Essay Tips

• 5 Key Elements for Your Executive MBA Application

• Stand Out! A Critical Goal for Your Application, a podcast episode

Tags: MBA Admissions

The post Tips for Executive MBA Reapplicants appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
D
Accepted.com
MBA Admissions Consultant
Joined: 20 Apr 2003
Posts: 6466
Own Kudos [?]: 848 [0]
Given Kudos: 92
Location: Los Angeles CA
Send PM
How to Get a Georgetown MBA [#permalink] Accepted MBA Updates   18 Sep 2018, 10:01
Expert Reply
FROM Accepted.com Blog: How to Get a Georgetown MBA



How to Get a Georgetown MBA [Show Summary]
If you’re looking for a global MBA program at the intersection of business and politics that is designed for principled leaders with a strong first-year core and an elective second year where you can customize your education to your needs, listen to this interview with Georgetown McDonough’s Shelly Heinrich, Interim Associate Dean for MBA Admissions. She’ll also gives you tips for effectively approaching the Georgetown’s MBA essay options, video, interview, and more. HINT: They want people who really want Georgetown.

Interview with Shelly Heinrich, Interim Associate Dean at Georgetown University McDonough School of Business [Show Notes]
Today’s guest is Shelly Heinrich, Interim Associate Dean for the Georgetown McDonough School of Business (MSB). Shelly earned her bachelors in business at Texas Christian, her Masters in Educational Administration at UT Austin, and her EMBA at Georgetown. She worked at George Washington University for four years and then moved to Georgetown’s admissions office in May 2014. She became Asst Dean for Marketing, Recruitment & External Relations in July 2017 and interim Assoc Dean for MBA Admissions and Director of Marketing in September 2017.

Shelly, can you give us an overview of the FT MBA program at McDonough focusing on its more distinctive elements? [2:01]
We really focus on developing principled leaders. We provide a strong business core in the first year to provide a wide breadth of understanding in business. In the second year students customize the program to their interests, choosing from over 100 electives, and not having to declare a concentration. This framework allows the student to get a full picture of business but also a deeper understanding of what they really like. All students are required to participate in a global consulting experience. They work in teams for six weeks in DC solving a problem for an international client and then ends with them going overseas to present their proposal to the client.

How does Georgetown take advantage of its Washington location, it’s being at the intersection of business and government? What does that mean in terms of the program, the classroom, and career placement? [4:13]
You really feel at the center of it all – business, society, and politics. We consider DC a learning lab, and there are a couple ways we do that. Brand new this year is a class in the leadership curriculum called Managing the Enterprise, which involves working with a very prominent organization in DC (press release soon) working hands on with tackling the problems of leadership and people and solving a problem for this organization. This course is in the second year, so students can apply tools from the toolkit they already have.

We also have a certificate in non-market strategy where students learn about the intersection of business, society, and politics.

Through academic tutorials students can get academic credit by working with an organization, and the World Bank is one of them.

Because of our location in a very global city, we graduate students who are interested in working in companies that are multinational, not working in isolation, as they realize the benefits of skills that cross borders. Our program is bookended with two global experiences, one I already mentioned in the second year, but our first three weeks of the program is the Structure of Global Industries, which throws new students into a project where they have to solve a mock problem for a mock client. Throughout the three weeks they learn from various professors in different disciplines that will allow them to solve a problem before even really being to business school.

We also attract a very global population, with 270 students and close to 40 countries represented. About ¾ of our students have lived, worked, or studied abroad.

When an applicant comes to me and says she’s interested in international development work or working in government/business, or international business, I immediately start thinking “What schools would be right for her?” And McDonough would certainly come to mind. That’s clearly a strength at Georgetown. What are some other strengths that are not as well known that I (and applicants) should be aware of? [10:47]
The strong core is one – taking a year to focus on various disciplines. The benefits of having to take economics with finance, accounting, marketing, and strategy, they all start to come together to build an understanding of business. I also think the hands on components of our program allow students to practice what they are learning. We also believe that the ideal breakdown of the experience should be 1/3 in the classroom, 1/3 with career-related activities, and 1/3 with hands on leadership activities, like certificates, or taking on one of 350 board positions, like being president of the consulting club.

Let’s turn to the application process itself. Who should take the GRE and in should take the GMAT in your view? [12:54]
That is a tough question and it really comes down to personal choice. There are certain industries like banking and consulting that would prefer to see a GMAT, so if you are headed in that direction, it’s likely better to take the GMAT. On the other hand, if a student wants flexibility regarding graduate education, then a GRE can provide that later on. We also have candidates who take both, as often individuals do better on one than the other. But we have no preference. We do recommend taking the exam more than once, though. The first time you take it, it’s all new, and you are likely stressed, so try it again. Statistically you are likely to do better the second time.

There have been some interesting changes this year to the MBA application. Can you go through them? [14:47]
When reflecting on who we want in the classroom, we decided what is most important is a diverse classroom. We found in asking one essay question, we often got similar responses. We started to think we might not be allowing people to write an essay that selects an experience that they think best highlights them, or they were being forced to choose the response they think we want to hear. So we decided to offer three different essay options, and the candidate can choose which one works best for them. One focuses on current leadership, another on self-awareness, and the third on values and beliefs. We are excited to see the diversity in the applicants with this new option.

What’s the purpose of the video essay? [16:44]
We started it a few years ago and we’ve found many different uses for it. For one, not everyone at McDonough gets to interview with more than one person, but there are many people on the admissions committee, so if you are a candidate who does extraordinarily well in the interview only one person gets to see it and try to recreate how great you did. In the video, a similar personality tends to show up, so validates that perspective. There are also times you will have a fantastic candidate on paper but they have a bad interview, so the video gives candidates a chance to have another opportunity to prove themselves – it’s not the only face to face interaction with us. The video also gives us an opportunity to assess executive presence, energy, and level of English ability. It is recorded so they can record it as many times as they are comfortable, which also shows their judgment.

In terms of interviews, admissions staff will do interviews, sometimes career service staff will, and we have student interviewers and alumni as well. Whoever does the interview, perspectives are all weighted equally, and we do formal training for all interviewers.

What’s the purpose of the optional essay? Who should write it? [20:59]
It is not meant to be another essay. We don’t want people to take a great essay from another school and copy and paste. This essay is meant to really explain any idiosyncracies in your application. If you were laid off in the financial crisis, how did you deal with that? What did you do to take the time to better yourself? Perhaps with undergrad you didn’t do so well because you were supporting a family member or dealing with an illness. We need to understand that to put context to your transcript. Don’t let us create our own answers – tell us!

When you review an MBA application, how do you go through it? [22:55]
We start by looking at the basics, where they’re from, how many years of work experience they have, where they went to undergrad, their GPA, major, work history and trajectory. Then, what are their short and long term goals, and does their work experiences make sense, and if it doesn’t make sense, we dig into the essay and interview to make the connection. We look at the numbers first and then dig into the story of who they are. What I love is reading an entire application and going to the recommendation letter and it confirms or supports what I thought of them. Last is the interview because that assesses fit and how they will be part of the community.

What gets you (positively) excited about an applicant? [24:36]
We interview a lot of people, as admissions folks we have interviewed hundreds if not thousands of people. People who stand out are people with an infectious enthusiasm for Georgetown – people who remind me why I love Georgetown, when you can tell we are their number one choice. They are going to be the leaders. I also love the people who are overly prepared. You can tell people in the top 10% who have thought through ‘why the MBA‘ and ‘why the Georgetown experience’ and have created the steps of how it is going to happen. They convince us as well as themselves it is the right partnership.

What advice do you have for applicants to McDonough who are apply for your R1 10/9 deadline or your Round 2 January 7, 2019 deadline? [28:00]
A student is going to do best if they are very well informed about our program. I don’t mean memorizing our website, I mean connecting with an alum or a student, listening to podcasts, and reviewing blog entries. The more you become convinced that this is the right place for you, the more it bleeds through in your application – you can tailor all you learn into the application. Spend the next few weeks really immersing yourself in everything we have. If you can’t come to campus, there are many virtual ways to become involved. Get to know us and take everything you learn and put it into your application.

Any last words of advice for MBA applicants considering Georgetown McDonough? [31:03]
I think if students want a program that transcends global boundaries and equips them to be a global leader, a small class size that allows them to thrive, and an alumni network that really operates as Hoyas helping Hoyas, those are students we want at Georgetown. It is a rigorous process we know, but time flies and you will create a path for your life and career that you never thought possible, and we really hope you choose Georgetown to help you on your journey.



Related Links:

• The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Competitive MBA Applicant

• Georgetown McDonough MBA

• Georgetown McDonough MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines

• Accepted MBA Admissions Services

Related Shows:

• Yale Som: Integrated in Its Curriculum, with Its University, and to the World

• Michigan Ross MBA: It’s About REAL, Clear, and Teamwork

• From Hospitality to Kellogg MBA to Accepted MBA Admissions Consultant

Subscribe:

   
    

Podcast Feed



Tags: Admissions Straight Talk, MBA Admissions

The post How to Get a Georgetown MBA [Episode 277] appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
D
Accepted.com
MBA Admissions Consultant
Joined: 20 Apr 2003
Posts: 6466
Own Kudos [?]: 848 [0]
Given Kudos: 92
Location: Los Angeles CA
Send PM
Glenn Hubbard to Step Down as Columbia Business School Dean [#permalink] Accepted MBA Updates   18 Sep 2018, 10:01
Expert Reply
FROM Accepted.com Blog: Glenn Hubbard to Step Down as Columbia Business School Dean



After serving 15 years as Dean of Columbia Business School (CBS), Glenn Hubbard will step down at the end of the 2018-19 school year. Hubbard began his tenure at Columbia in 1988, and was selected as Dean in July 2004. When Hubbard steps down from the deanship on June 30, 2019, he will return to his position as the Russell L. Carson Professor of Finance and Economics, and as Professor of Economics in Columbia’s Department of Economics in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. According to a Poets & Quants article, Hubbard did not state why he has chosen this time to leave his post. No replacement has been found yet, and a worldwide search will begin without delay.

Columbia is not the only prestigious business school searching for a new dean. Other extremely selective schools looking for leadership include Northwestern Kellogg, Yale SOM, Cornell Johnson, UCLA Anderson, and Notre Dame Mendoza. The number of business schools looking for deans (28 through the beginning of June 2018) is almost 50% higher than the same time last year, points out an article on the subject in The Wall Street Journal.

In making the announcement of Hubbard’s decision, Columbia University President Lee C. Bollinger stated, “Dean Hubbard succeeded repeatedly in seizing opportunities for transforming and modernizing Columbia Business School through times that were often turbulent and challenging. The most powerful symbol of this progress will become fully visible four years from now when the doors of the Henry R. Kravis Building and Ronald O. Perelman Center for Business Innovation are opened, and Columbia Business School occupies its new home at the center of the Manhattanville campus.”

Hubbard said, “Today, as I reflect upon the last decade and a half, I am humbled by the progress made toward achieving our mission to innovate, connect, and lead, and our strategy to bridge theory and practice…I have every confidence that the School will continue to be a global innovator in both management education and in how business is practiced in the 21st century. I look forward to supporting that vision as a member of its faculty.”

Hubbard has had many noteworthy achievements in both the academic and financial spheres during his time at CBS. He has led the growth of three new extensions of CBS’s Executive MBA program, started four new master’s degrees, and backed the improvement of the curriculum. By the time he leaves his post, Hubbard will have raised more than $1 billion for CBS. The amount of financial aid distributed to CBS students went up 600% during the 2004-2018 period.

Hubbard’s career spanned the academic, private, government, and nonprofit worlds. After receiving is PhD in Economics from Harvard University in 1983, Hubbard taught at Northwestern, Harvard, and the University of Chicago, as well as at Columbia. He has written widely used textbooks and more than 100 academic articles in economics and finance, and has appeared regularly in major newspapers, and on TV and radio. President George W. Bush appointed him as chairman of the U.S. Council of Economic Advisers in 2001, where he served for two years.

Are you applying to CBS or another highly-ranked business school? Explore our one-on-one MBA Admissions Services and learn more about how we can help you get ACCEPTED! 





 

Related Resources:

• Get Accepted to Columbia Business School, a free webinar

• Columbia Business School MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines

• The Applicants That Stand Out at Columbia Business School

Tags: MBA Admissions

The post Glenn Hubbard to Step Down as Columbia Business School Dean appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
D
Accepted.com
MBA Admissions Consultant
Joined: 20 Apr 2003
Posts: 6466
Own Kudos [?]: 848 [0]
Given Kudos: 92
Location: Los Angeles CA
Send PM
When the MBA Optional Essay is No Longer Optional [#permalink] Accepted MBA Updates   20 Sep 2018, 09:01
Expert Reply
FROM Accepted.com Blog: When the MBA Optional Essay is No Longer Optional



You’ve already written the required essays that most business schools ask for – do you really need to write the optional essay?

If you’re a strong applicant who doesn’t need to explain weaknesses, low stats, or application inconsistencies, then you may be able to skip the optional question.

But the optional essay is NOT AN OPTION in the following two cases:

1. There is a weakness or inconsistency in your application.
If your grades plummeted your sophomore year in college, this is the place to explain that you underwent surgery that semester, had a death in the family, or had taken on too many extracurricular activities or work responsibilities. Or, if there is a gap in your employment, you provide the explanation. In other words, don’t leave the admissions committee guessing or assuming the worst.

When using this essay to address a weakness, keep it short and keep it simple. State the facts, the pertinent reasons surrounding the facts, and what you learned or what you did subsequently to improve or change, to the extent possible, the outcome. Your goal is to provide context for events that may not reflect well on you; it is not to make excuses. Either show that circumstances that no longer exist impeded your performance or that you have learned how to handle those circumstances so that they no longer impede your performance.

2. You have additional information to share.
Some schools are blunt and ask that the optional essay be used to address weaknesses; other schools ask a more open-ended optional essay question. Note, however, that schools do not ask for a summary of your essays. So take a look at your entire application and ask yourself: Have you presented a well-rounded picture of your candidacy? If you have nothing to add, then you do not need to write an optional essay simply because it’s there.

Are your essays heavily weighted to professional experiences? If yes, use the opportunity to showcase another dimension of your life, perhaps your community service activities or involvement in a sport. If you are still uncertain, consider what you could add that provides another reason to accept you.

Use or do not use the optional essay to your advantage to add value to your application.

Need help deciding whether or not you should write the optional essay? Looking for guidance on how to write an optional essay that will boost your chances of acceptance? Check out our MBA Admissions Consulting Services and work one-on-one with an expert advisor to perfect your optional essay, or any other element of your business school application. Learn more here.





 

Related Resources:

• Get Accepted to Business School with Low Stats, a webinar

• 6 Tips for Applying to Business School with Low Stats

• MBA Essays That Earn an Automatic Rejection

Tags: MBA Admissions

The post When the MBA Optional Essay is No Longer Optional appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
D
Accepted.com
MBA Admissions Consultant
Joined: 20 Apr 2003
Posts: 6466
Own Kudos [?]: 848 [0]
Given Kudos: 92
Location: Los Angeles CA
Send PM
London Business School Executive MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines [#permalink] Accepted MBA Updates   21 Sep 2018, 10:01
Expert Reply
FROM Accepted.com Blog: London Business School Executive MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines



The LBS EMBA program goes beyond delivering necessary skills for senior managers; it is for managers who have a dynamic sense of their future and a willingness to change and grow; people who are open to being inspired. At the same time, the program reflects, and the adcom seeks in applicants, a practical perspective. You know what it takes to get things done.  Your essays should mirror and convey this dual aspect: openness, excitement and creativity alongside real-world effort, understanding, and achievement.

London Business School Executive MBA Application Essays:
LBS Executive MBA Essay #1
How will the Executive MBA help you achieve your career objectives? (500 words maximum)

You may want to start by discussing your current career situation to set the context, and clarify how the MBA education will enable you to achieve your immediate goals. You can then naturally move on to your future goals sequentially. Give more detail in the roles you plan immediately post-MBA and the several years following; this time frame should comprise the bulk of your goals discussion. These details should include position, company, likely responsibilities and scope of accountability, perhaps adding in some interesting points such as possible challenges or trends you’ll encounter.  Longer-term goals need less detail, but they still should present a clear direction. In describing your goals at any given point, indicate why you are taking that step.

In discussing how the EMBA will benefit you, be specific: identify what skills and knowledge you need, and how the program meets those needs. While the question asks about EMBA broadly, it would be great to refer to specific aspects of the LBS EMBA curriculum, structure and/or special features of the program, detailing how they will support you and your goals.

Ideally, in presenting your goals, you’ll incorporate both of the qualities noted in the introduction above – a sense of dynamism, vision; and a concrete, practical plan or dimension.

LBS Executive MBA Essay #2
What was your response to a piece of feedback that you have received regarding an area of weakness? (500 words maximum)

The adcom wants to see how frankly you portray the feedback and your own shortcoming, and how insightfully you contextualize your experience. Secondarily, it’s about change –did you grow and change as a result of the feedback?

This essay will be most compelling and engaging if written as a story. Start right in with the story’s setting – where, who, when (ideally make it recent enough so it shows that you handle serious responsibility and long ago enough so that you can show you responded seriously and improved as a result of the feedback). Then progress through the story, highlighting not just what you and the other party said and did, but also your thinking as the story progresses. Finally, give a short example of how you have applied this feedback (or your learning from this feedback experience) subsequently – in other words, how you grew.

LBS Executive MBA Essay #3
Please choose ONE essay from the following two options: (500 words maximum)

If you could choose any three people who have ever lived to join you in your ideal Executive MBA study group, who would they be and why?

OR

How would you contribute to the London Business School community as an alumnus?

If the first two questions are rooted in real-world, concrete experience, this question urges you to “play” a little and use your imagination, wit, creativity, and possibly broader passions in answering.

Which should you answer? Both are equally good; it depends on you.  The first invites you to “dream” a bit and convey your broader passions. The second invites you to express these broader passions, as well as experiences and personal qualities, in the practical context of projected real contributions.

So, back to the choice: If one of these questions naturally strikes a chord with you, engages you, and you have an idea for it that you like, it’s a good indication to use that question. Go with it!  BUT, do apply some objective, focused analysis as well. Ensure that your content truly illuminates you in some new and fresh way relevant to the application, and use detail and example to make your essay credible and vivid.

Another approach is strategic. If your imagination isn’t tickled by these questions, instead analyze and plan. What relevant and interesting aspects of your profile aren’t yet portrayed (or portrayed adequately) in the application? Identify one or two such points, and work back from that to find suitable topics for one of the two questions.

Random pitfalls:

  • If you choose the first question, please don’t use very obvious or overly angelic people (I’ve seen this essay answered with Gandhi and Mother Teresa more often than I can believe over 15 years.) Rather, discuss people who show your creative thinking and/or are personally meaningful to you.
  • If you choose the second question, don’t turn the essay into a recitation of future good intentions. Root your prospective contributions in your actual experiences, insights, commitments, and interests, and include some anecdotes and examples to lend both credibility and interest.
For expert guidance with your London Business School EMBA application, check out Accepted’s MBA Application Packages, which include comprehensive guidance from an experienced admissions consultant. We’ve helped hundreds of applicants get accepted to LBS’s EMBA program and look forward to helping you too!

LBS Executive MBA Application Deadlines for January 2019 Intake:

Submission Deadline

Round 1
September 10, 2018

Round 2
October 8, 2018

Round 3
October 29, 2018

Round 4
November 20, 2018

***Disclaimer: Information is subject to change. Please check with individual programs to verify the essay questions, instructions and deadlines.***




Cindy Tokumitsu has advised hundreds of successful applicants, helping them gain acceptance to top MBA and EMBA programs in her 15+ years with Accepted. She would love to help you too. Want Cindy to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!
 

Related Resources:

• Why MBA, a free guide

• The Expanded Executive MBA Profile, a series for the rising executive

• How Do You Deal with Criticism? MBA Admissions Committees Want to Know

Tags: MBA Admissions

The post London Business School Executive MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
D
Accepted.com
MBA Admissions Consultant
Joined: 20 Apr 2003
Posts: 6466
Own Kudos [?]: 848 [0]
Given Kudos: 92
Location: Los Angeles CA
Send PM
Getting Your MBA Goals in Shape [#permalink] Accepted MBA Updates   23 Sep 2018, 09:01
Expert Reply
FROM Accepted.com Blog: Getting Your MBA Goals in Shape



Knowing they’ll have to write essays about their goals, most b-school applicants have identified their goals prior to starting the application process. But I’ve found that “identified” often has a misconstrued scope, either too narrow or too broad to effectively serve the purpose of the essays.

With some moderate effort, you can flesh out your goals message so that you can spring into action when you start your application process. You’ll need details to make the essays credible, interesting, and individualized, and clarifying your motivation also furthers those ends.

Tips for Outstanding Goals Essays
  • Identify short-term and long-term goals. For each, fill in the details: what would be your likely or desired positions(s) (note titles), what types of companies (with specific examples), what industries.
  • Develop a vision for each of these phases. In other words, what do you want to accomplish, what impact do you want to have? Too often people focus on what they want to get out of it for themselves. That’s secondary. What external impact will you aim to have?
  • Research desired companies. What kinds of post-MBA positions do they offer; what are their hiring trends, products and/or services, structure/organization, market status, competitive concerns, etc.
  • Research your industry. What are its challenges, how is it adapting to globalization and technological advances, etc.
  • Reflect on your motivations for pursuing your particular goals and be prepared to articulate them succinctly as part of your goals essays. While most questions won’t ask about it, your motivation is essential to creating a message and story that will engage the adcoms.
  • If you are a career changer or even just shifting career emphasis, have informational interviews with people in your chosen field or function. Utilize your college alumni network and perhaps other professional and/or social networks to identify possible people to ask. Not only will you glean valuable insight, but you also can discuss taking this proactive step in your essays. Such interviews needn’t be long – you can learn a lot in 15 minutes!
Taking these efforts now will enable you to write goals essays that are informed, thoughtful, distinctive. And you can hit the ground running when you start writing!

Check out our MBA admissions consulting services and work one-on-one with an admissions expert who will help you define and refine your career goals and get accepted to your top-choice program.




Cindy Tokumitsu has advised hundreds of successful applicants, helping them gain acceptance to top MBA and EMBA programs in her 15+ years with Accepted. She would love to help you too. Want Cindy to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!
 

Related Resources:

• MBA Applicants: Make Your Work Experience Work for You, a free guide

• Showing Fit in Your Applications, a podcast episode

• MBA Admissions Advice for Career Changers

Tags: MBA Admissions

The post Getting Your MBA Goals in Shape appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
D
Accepted.com
MBA Admissions Consultant
Joined: 20 Apr 2003
Posts: 6466
Own Kudos [?]: 848 [0]
Given Kudos: 92
Location: Los Angeles CA
Send PM
13 MBA Resume Tips to Help You Get You Accepted [#permalink] Accepted MBA Updates   27 Sep 2018, 09:01
Expert Reply
FROM Accepted.com Blog: 13 MBA Resume Tips to Help You Get You Accepted



“What Does Your Work Experience Reveal About You in Your MBA Application” is excerpted from MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools, by Linda Abraham and Judy Gruen.

ALT:”Want to get accepted into a top business school? Check out our 13 MBA Resume Tips below!”

Here are my rules for creating a dynamic and powerful resume that will reward every second of the adcom Smember’s viewing time, a resume whose every line will add stature to your candidacy.

The MBA Resume Rules
  • Limit resumes to one page, unless you have more than ten years’ work experience.
    Many schools will accept two-page resumes, but the overwhelming preference among adcom members at the top-20 schools is for one-page resumes. Unless you have more than a decade of professional experience under your belt or some other superlative achievements that simply demand that extra page, keep it short and sweet –one page.

  • Place a qualifications summary at the top of your resume.
    This qualifications summary serves as a headline for your resume, drawing attention to your most impressive qualifications and achievements. Done right, visually appealing headlines written in concise text boxes, bullet points, bold text or similar style will strike readers immediately with illustrations of your exceptional impact, enticing them to read more about you out of interest, not out of obligation.

    An effective qualifications summary might include:

    • A short personality summary and/or career history

    • Achievement highlights

    • Anything notable in your past that is relevant to the program you are applying for.

    Some specific examples of achievements worth noting in a qualifications summary might include:

    • If you earned three promotions in two years – four years in advance of the traditional path for your company

    • If you initiated and successfully led a new venture from within your organization

    • If you feel you have a unique attribute that will differentiate you from all the other applicants.

  • Focus on impact and achievements, not responsibilities.
    Don’t waste a bullet point item in your resume where you essentially repeat a job title. If you are an analyst, you don’t need to say that you “analyze problems and develop optimal solutions.” That’s what analysts do. If you are a consultant, you don’t need to write that you “consult with clients on improving their business.” That’s what consultants do.

    What will distinguish you is not your job title, but what you achieved when you held that title. For maximum impact, do the following:

  • Quantify your impact on the organizations you’ve worked for with specifics.
    Include details such as: how much or by what percentage you reduced expenses, how many people were on the team that you supervised, how much or by what percentage you increased sales, and the like. Don’t say, “Developed e-commerce plan that was selected for implementation” when you mean “Designed $5 million e-commerce strategy that increased revenues by 12% and attracted 6 new clients.” Don’t use a vague phrase such as “led a team” when in fact you led a six-person team responsible for the rollout of a new product that brought in $300,000 in six months. If you can’t disclose revenue figures, refer to percentage increases or improvements, or cite the improved industry ranking of the organization’s product or performance as a result of your contribution.

  • Give your most recent professional experience the most attention.
    Highlight the positions where you had the greatest impact. In most cases, your current position will deserve the most space. To stay within the preferred one-page format, try to limit your current or most recent position to four bulleted accomplishments. If you have recently changed jobs, devote more bullet points to demonstrating what you achieved in a prior position. Ideally, you will not have to reach back more than a year in your employment history to do this.

  • Don’t list each promotion as if it represents a new position at a new employer.
    If one position has allowed you significant leadership opportunities and impact or you have been in your current role for several years, you may need more than four bullet points. Still, avoid listing promotions as if they are new positions, which actually detracts from the attention that the promotion gets. Instead, list the company name and total dates of employment at the top, followed by a list of each role with its bullets beneath that.

  • Emphasize leadership at every opportunity.
    Leadership can be manifested by taking charge of an engagement or project, and also by seizing the initiative to add value to your organization. This can mean recruiting peers and staff to get buy-in on an idea or project or to work together to achieve a goal. When you think about leadership in this more expansive way, you will invariably find that you have more examples of it than you thought. Try to frame your leadership triumphs in terms of how they benefited the organization you worked for.

  • Leave high school back in high school.
    Don’t include high school activities unless you had truly extraordinary achievements, such as winning a prestigious national award or something else dazzling for someone that young.

  • Place your educational information after your work experience.
    Your resume should present your most prominent and impressive experiences first. If you have more than two years of work experience, put your education information after work experience. Do not include GPA, GMAT, SAT or other statistics, which are already on your application.

  • Use verbs to begin every bullet-pointed item.
    Verbs make you sound like a dynamic individual who is always ready for action. Don’t say, “Responsible for the development of inventory-control system” when you can say “Developed inventory-control system.” Look for opportunities to include strong cooperation-laden verbs, such as assist, contribute, support, or provide.

  • Design your resume to be user friendly.
    The skillful use of understated design can result in an eye-catching resume that projects a sophisticated, successful image. Avoid fussy typefaces — nothing in script or with squiggles. Stick with a conservative style, and go easy on the busy eyes of the adcom members – no smaller than a 10-point font size.

  • Include notable extras.
    These include honors, publications, presentations, patents, professional licenses or certifications, and relevant volunteer experiences. Don’t go overboard, however. If you’ve been a research assistant on a dozen projects or received honors since elementary school, select only what is truly most impressive.

  • Proofread and edit mercilessly.
    Reduce fluff and make every word count. Use style check and spell check (even though ewe no spell Czech cannot catch awl errors). Have a friend or a professional editor review your resume for errors you may have missed.

Need help perfecting your MBA admissions resume? Check out Accepted’s Resume Services and work one-on-one with an admissions expert to create a coherent, compelling admissions resume that will convince your target school’s adcom that they should keep reading.





Related Resources:

• MBA Applicants: Make Your Work Experience Work for You, a free guide

• How to Write the Qualifications Summary for Your Resume

• Optimize Your Application: Grades, Scores, Essays, Resume, Activity History, & More, a podcast episode

Tags: MBA Admissions

The post 13 MBA Resume Tips to Help You Get You Accepted appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
User avatar
D
Accepted.com
MBA Admissions Consultant
Joined: 20 Apr 2003
Posts: 6466
Own Kudos [?]: 848 [0]
Given Kudos: 92
Location: Los Angeles CA
Send PM
13 MBA Resume Tips to Help You Get Accepted [#permalink] Accepted MBA Updates   03 Oct 2018, 03:01
Expert Reply
FROM Accepted.com Blog: 13 MBA Resume Tips to Help You Get Accepted



“What Does Your Work Experience Reveal About You in Your MBA Application” is excerpted from MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools, by Linda Abraham and Judy Gruen.

ALT:”Want to get accepted into a top business school? Check out our 13 MBA Resume Tips below!”

Here are my rules for creating a dynamic and powerful resume that will reward every second of the adcom Smember’s viewing time, a resume whose every line will add stature to your candidacy.

The MBA Resume Rules
  • Limit resumes to one page, unless you have more than ten years’ work experience.
    Many schools will accept two-page resumes, but the overwhelming preference among adcom members at the top-20 schools is for one-page resumes. Unless you have more than a decade of professional experience under your belt or some other superlative achievements that simply demand that extra page, keep it short and sweet –one page.

  • Place a qualifications summary at the top of your resume.
    This qualifications summary serves as a headline for your resume, drawing attention to your most impressive qualifications and achievements. Done right, visually appealing headlines written in concise text boxes, bullet points, bold text or similar style will strike readers immediately with illustrations of your exceptional impact, enticing them to read more about you out of interest, not out of obligation.

    An effective qualifications summary might include:

    • A short personality summary and/or career history

    • Achievement highlights

    • Anything notable in your past that is relevant to the program you are applying for.

    Some specific examples of achievements worth noting in a qualifications summary might include:

    • If you earned three promotions in two years – four years in advance of the traditional path for your company

    • If you initiated and successfully led a new venture from within your organization

    • If you feel you have a unique attribute that will differentiate you from all the other applicants.

  • Focus on impact and achievements, not responsibilities.
    Don’t waste a bullet point item in your resume where you essentially repeat a job title. If you are an analyst, you don’t need to say that you “analyze problems and develop optimal solutions.” That’s what analysts do. If you are a consultant, you don’t need to write that you “consult with clients on improving their business.” That’s what consultants do.

    What will distinguish you is not your job title, but what you achieved when you held that title. For maximum impact, do the following:

  • Quantify your impact on the organizations you’ve worked for with specifics.
    Include details such as: how much or by what percentage you reduced expenses, how many people were on the team that you supervised, how much or by what percentage you increased sales, and the like. Don’t say, “Developed e-commerce plan that was selected for implementation” when you mean “Designed $5 million e-commerce strategy that increased revenues by 12% and attracted 6 new clients.” Don’t use a vague phrase such as “led a team” when in fact you led a six-person team responsible for the rollout of a new product that brought in $300,000 in six months. If you can’t disclose revenue figures, refer to percentage increases or improvements, or cite the improved industry ranking of the organization’s product or performance as a result of your contribution.

  • Give your most recent professional experience the most attention.
    Highlight the positions where you had the greatest impact. In most cases, your current position will deserve the most space. To stay within the preferred one-page format, try to limit your current or most recent position to four bulleted accomplishments. If you have recently changed jobs, devote more bullet points to demonstrating what you achieved in a prior position. Ideally, you will not have to reach back more than a year in your employment history to do this.

  • Don’t list each promotion as if it represents a new position at a new employer.
    If one position has allowed you significant leadership opportunities and impact or you have been in your current role for several years, you may need more than four bullet points. Still, avoid listing promotions as if they are new positions, which actually detracts from the attention that the promotion gets. Instead, list the company name and total dates of employment at the top, followed by a list of each role with its bullets beneath that.

  • Emphasize leadership at every opportunity.
    Leadership can be manifested by taking charge of an engagement or project, and also by seizing the initiative to add value to your organization. This can mean recruiting peers and staff to get buy-in on an idea or project or to work together to achieve a goal. When you think about leadership in this more expansive way, you will invariably find that you have more examples of it than you thought. Try to frame your leadership triumphs in terms of how they benefited the organization you worked for.

  • Leave high school back in high school.
    Don’t include high school activities unless you had truly extraordinary achievements, such as winning a prestigious national award or something else dazzling for someone that young.

  • Place your educational information after your work experience.
    Your resume should present your most prominent and impressive experiences first. If you have more than two years of work experience, put your education information after work experience. Do not include GPA, GMAT, SAT or other statistics, which are already on your application.

  • Use verbs to begin every bullet-pointed item.
    Verbs make you sound like a dynamic individual who is always ready for action. Don’t say, “Responsible for the development of inventory-control system” when you can say “Developed inventory-control system.” Look for opportunities to include strong cooperation-laden verbs, such as assist, contribute, support, or provide.

  • Design your resume to be user friendly.
    The skillful use of understated design can result in an eye-catching resume that projects a sophisticated, successful image. Avoid fussy typefaces — nothing in script or with squiggles. Stick with a conservative style, and go easy on the busy eyes of the adcom members – no smaller than a 10-point font size.

  • Include notable extras.
    These include honors, publications, presentations, patents, professional licenses or certifications, and relevant volunteer experiences. Don’t go overboard, however. If you’ve been a research assistant on a dozen projects or received honors since elementary school, select only what is truly most impressive.

  • Proofread and edit mercilessly.
    Reduce fluff and make every word count. Use style check and spell check (even though ewe no spell Czech cannot catch awl errors). Have a friend or a professional editor review your resume for errors you may have missed.

Need help perfecting your MBA admissions resume? Check out Accepted’s Resume Services and work one-on-one with an admissions expert to create a coherent, compelling admissions resume that will convince your target school’s adcom that they should keep reading.





Related Resources:

• MBA Applicants: Make Your Work Experience Work for You, a free guide

• How to Write the Qualifications Summary for Your Resume

• Optimize Your Application: Grades, Scores, Essays, Resume, Activity History, & More, a podcast episode

Tags: MBA Admissions

The post 13 MBA Resume Tips to Help You Get Accepted appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it. -BB
GMAT Club Bot
gmatclubot
13 MBA Resume Tips to Help You Get Accepted [#permalink]
03 Oct 2018, 03:01
   1  ...  76   77   78   79   80  ...  123