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01 Aug 2019, 09:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines [2019 – 2020] |
 Are you a team leader? Are you committed to sustainable enterprise? Are you seeking resources and intellectual capital needed to shape both business and government? Are you a motivated, goal-oriented, innovative individual? UNC Kenan-Flagler adcoms are interested in seeing your multidimensional personality and capabilities. Your challenge: Prove that your goals mesh with the school’s goals and that your talents will contribute to the program’s collaborative nature. UNC made some changes to its application this year:
My tips are in blue below. UNC Kenan-Flagler 2019-2020 MBA application essays The Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina has two required essay and one optional essay. UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA essay #1 Please respond to the questions below that will assist us in learning more about you: (500 words)
UNC also wants to know your Plan B. If you are aiming for Goldman Sachs and a career in investment banking, would your backup plan be a similar position with, let’s say, Bank of America or would it be a position in corporate finance or with a startup? If you are aiming for McKinsey, Bain, or BCG, what would your Plan B be? Perhaps a position in a leadership rotation program? Or would it be working for a company like Deloitte or A. T. Kearney? Your Plan B needs to be at least as achievable as Plan A – if not more so. It should also be related to A so that the education you receive can also help you attain it. Check out our free guide, Why MBA? for more tips on writing about post-MBA goals. UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA essay #2 Please select one topic below and respond to the prompt. (250 words) UNC Kenan-Flagler provides you with three excellent prompts to choose from. Select the one that you will find easiest to respond to, that complements the other information you provide in the application, and that allows them to most vividly see how you will add to the Kenan-Flagler community. One thing that all three prompts have in common: Whichever question you choose to answer, include one example – not more and not less.
Is there any additional information not presented elsewhere in your application that you would like the admissions committee to consider? Optional areas to address include (150 words):
Kenan-Flagler explicitly says that it’s important for its students to have a “working knowledge” of financial accounting, statistics, microeconomics, and calculus. If you don’t have it, acquire it. UNC Kenan-Flagler 2019-2020 MBA Application Deadlines Application Deadline Decisions Released Round 1 (Early Action) October 14, 2019 December 9, 2019 Round 2 January 6, 2020 March 2, 2020 Round 3* March 2, 2020 April 14, 2020 Round 4 April 6, 2020 May 18, 2020 *Recommended deadline for International applicants. Applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on the application date. ***Disclaimer: Information is subject to change. Please check with individual programs to verify the essay questions, instructions and deadlines.*** For expert guidance with your UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA 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 UNC Kenan-Flagler’s MBA program and look forward to helping you too!  By Linda Abraham, president and founder of Accepted. Linda earned her bachelors and MBA at UCLA, and has been advising applicants since 1994 when she founded Accepted. Linda is the co-founder and first president of AIGAC. She has written or co-authored 13 e-books on the admissions process, and has been quoted by The Wall Street Journal, U.S. News, Poets & Quants, Bloomberg Businessweek, CBS News, and others. Linda is the host of Admissions Straight Talk, a podcast for graduate school applicants. Want an admissions expert help you get accepted? Click here to get in touch! Related Resources: • Why MBA?, a free guide • Three MBA Application Poisons and Their Antidotes, a short video • 5 Elements to Telling an Attention-Grabbing Story Tags: MBA Admissions The post UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines [2019 – 2020] appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog. |
02 Aug 2019, 09:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: Your MBA Goals Essay: Get Ready, Get Set, THINK! |
 You’ll be applying to b-school this fall, aiming for the Round 1 deadlines. You may also be working full-time, juggling a few other responsibilities, and perhaps trying to hike up that GMAT score. What should you be doing now? Thinking about why you want to go to b-school, and for that, you’ll need to formulate your MBA goal. You really don’t have time to spare. Here’s what you need to do to identify and write about your MBA goal. Pre-application to-do: Define those goals! The first thing you need to do is to start defining your MBA goal – the more introspection you do before you write your MBA goals essay, the faster and smoother the actual writing of the essay will be later on. To begin, jot down possible specific roles and industries that you’d be able to discuss in an MBA goals essay. The challenge here is to think of goals that go beyond the obvious (or at least to think of an original way to express your less-than-original goals). For example, “I want to go into marketing” won’t cut it on its own, but if marketing is a passion and a goal of yours, then there are other ways to frame it without falling into the boring, generic trap, mainly through the use of details. Writing about your goals Here are some tips you should keep in mind when preparing for writing a compelling, extraordinary MBA goals essay:
Following these steps during the pre-writing stage of your goals essay will help you formulate a clear, compelling, and original portrayal of what your goals are. It will also make the actual writing of the essay move more quickly and effortlessly. Use your time wisely and pace yourself – those applications will be due before you know it! Accepted’s expert advisors can assist you with this and any other element of your business school application. Explore our one-on-one MBA Admissions Consulting & Editing Services for more information on how we can help you GET ACCEPTED.   For 25 years, Accepted has helped business school applicants gain acceptance to top programs. Our outstanding team of MBA admissions consultants features former business school admissions directors and professional writers who have guided our clients to admission at top MBA, EMBA, and other graduate business programs worldwide including Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Booth, INSEAD, London Business School, and many more. Want an MBA admissions expert to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch! Related Resources: • Navigate the MBA Maze, a free admission guide • The Reality of Unrealistic MBA Goals • The Importance of Defining Your MBA Goal Tags: MBA Admissions The post Your MBA Goals Essay: Get Ready, Get Set, THINK! appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog. |
04 Aug 2019, 10:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: “I’m Smart, Really I Am!” Proving Character Traits in Your Essays |
 When you write an application essay or statement of purpose, you’re trying to accomplish several goals at once: (a) You need to prove your worthiness to be accepted to your target school, while (b) also showing the adcom that you have desirable character traits that your program values. But how do you prove to people whom you have never met that you really are smart, determined, focused, and creative, without bragging? Show, don’t tell The cardinal rule for achieving this is: “Show, don’t tell.” This requires you to draw upon true anecdotes from your life that will illustrate the trait you are trying to show in a compelling way. If you do the opposite – “Tell, not show” – you end up with boastful claims, such as: “I was considered among the smartest in my department” or “I’m a team player” or “I have the maturity of someone much older.” I have seen some clients make these statements and not back them up with any evidence at all. Would this sound convincing to you, coming from someone you’ve never met? Hardly. However, when you highlight selected experiences chosen to underscore your fantastic qualities, you’ll make your own case far more convincingly than by just telling the adcom that you are creative, motivated, and hardworking. Telling stories to make your point Let’s say for example that you’re applying to law school, and you want to prove your dedication to this career. Show the steps you’ve taken to reach the goal. Write about the summer you interned at a law office, volunteered to help re-elect your state senator, and took a part-time job at a law library. Thoughtfully describe what you learned from these experiences and how they further encouraged your interest in the law. These actions will show your dedication beyond a shadow of a doubt. Another example: You want to show you’re a team player – a valuable trait for just about any career, and especially important for aspiring MBAs. Good examples could include: a time you came up with a creative compromise to a problem where your coworkers on a team were deadlocked; offering to take on additional responsibilities at work or on a school or club project when you saw everyone else was overloaded; or asking your supervisor what you could do to add more value to your department. Devoting anywhere from 3-5 sentences to each of these examples should be enough to demonstrate your point. Actions matter! Whether you want to reveal creativity, intelligence, dedication, commitment to social action, or anything else, choose two examples (or three if you have room) where you have actively displayed those traits. Telling these mini-stories will save you from awkwardly claiming a certain quality. Let your own actions make the case for you. Remember: Show, don’t tell. Our consultants have 20+ years of experience guiding applicants to admission with compelling, detailed, and story-filled essays. Are you ready to join the ranks of Accepted’s accepted clients? Explore our Admissions Consulting & Editing Services for more information on how we can help you create a winning application essay that highlights your greatest character traits, one that will get you noticed and accepted at your top-choice program. Learn more here.  By Judy Gruen, former Accepted admissions consultant. Judy holds a Master’s in Journalism from Northwestern University. She is the co-author of Accepted’s first full-length book, MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools, and other Accepted ebooks, MBA Letters of Recommendation That Rock and Law School Letters of Recommendation that Rock. Want an admissions expert help you get accepted? Click here to get in touch! Related Resources: • Application Essay Tip: The Devil is in the Details • 5 Elements to Telling an Attention-Grabbing Story • Tone Up Your Writing: Confidence vs Arrogance Tags: College Admissions, Grad School Admissions, Law School Admissions, MBA Admissions, Medical School Admissions The post “I’m Smart, Really I Am!” Proving Character Traits in Your Essays appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog. |
05 Aug 2019, 09:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: University of Texas McCombs MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines [2019 – 2020] |
 McCombs combines its rigor with a passionate community. To create its desired community, it seeks a student body that is diverse in every dimension and comprises individuals who can bring together their varied voices to form a cohesive group. The questions below reflect this value; they draw out applicants’ individuality, motivations, and ability to communicate, while also addressing the practical matters of goals and why you are seeking an MBA at McCombs. UT McCombs Application Essays My tips for answering the McCombs application essays are in blue below. McCombs MBA Essay #1 We will learn a lot about your professional background through your resume and letter of recommendation, but we want to get to know you further. Please introduce yourself. Select only one communication method that you would like to use for your response. • Write an essay (250 words), OR • Share a video introduction (one minute) First, choose from the two options – for the purpose of self-introduction, which medium is the most natural for you? That is the one you should use – both are equally good. Next decision: out of the universe that is you, what to say? I suggest a combination of distinctive professional and non-work points to reflect well-roundness – points that show the adcom what you’ll “bring to the table.” Another effective approach is to focus on one key event or experience, which works best if that one element bridges your work and non-work spheres. Both communication options require brevity, so focus on the essential. McCombs MBA Essay #2 Picture yourself at graduation. Describe how you spent your time as a Texas MBA to achieve your personal and professional goals. (500 words max) The key here is to show that Texas McCombs is the right program for you, professionally and personally, that you understand the program, and that you have a plan to use its resources productively. It will be most efficient and intuitive for many people to start with the last part of the question first: your personal and professional goals – what you are doing upon graduation and beyond; what position, what company, where geographically, what you will be accountable for. Other people will appropriately start with describing their time at McCombs; perhaps you commenced your MBA with one career goal in mind but your exposure there to classes/topics, classmates, professors, etc. prompted you to find a new professional focus and purpose. Either way, in discussing your time in the program, be specific. Describe what academic coursework (including electives) prepared you, and highlight other aspects of the academic program as relevant. Also, note activities that contributed to your goals, such as study groups, clubs, etc. Finally, consider adding some insight into the personal growth you gained while at Texas and how this prepares you for the “post-MBA world.” McCombs MBA Essay #3 (optional statement) Please provide any additional information you believe is important and/or address any areas of concern that will be beneficial to the Admissions Committee in considering your application (e.g. unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, academic performance, or extenuating personal circumstances). (250 words) I encourage you to write the optional essay. Just make sure you are submitting an informative optional essay that complements the required essays and adds to the reader’s knowledge of you and your qualifications. If you do not have “an area of concern to address,” this optional would be a great place to explore a non-professional interest or commitment of yours not addressed in your application. As always, if you have nothing to say, don’t say anything. For expert guidance with your Texas McCombs MBA 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 top MBA programs and look forward to helping you too! UT McCombs 2019-2020 MBA Application Deadlines Application Deadline Decisions Released Round 1 October 8, 2019 December 17, 2019 Round 2 January 7, 2020 March 26, 2020 Round 3 March 31, 2020 May 7, 2020 ***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 20 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 guide to writing the goals essay • How to Practice for a Video Interview or Essay • Haas, McCombs, and Case Interviews, a podcast interview Tags: MBA Admissions The post University of Texas McCombs MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines [2019 – 2020] appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog. |
06 Aug 2019, 09:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: Get a Kellogg MBA: An Interview with Dean of Admissions Kate Smith [Episode 324] |
 Learn all about Kellogg’s MBA options from the inside [Show Summary] Assistant Dean of Admissions Kate Smith discusses Kellogg’s rich menu of options as well as what Kellogg is looking for in applicants, changes to its MBA application, and how to get in. Interview with Kate Smith, Assistant Dean of Admissions & Financial Aid at the Kellogg School of Management [Show Notes] Kate earned her own MBA at Kellogg in 1998 and then worked in marketing for leading brands including General Mills, Quaker Oats, and Pepsi. She returned to Kellogg in 2012 and assumed her current role as Assistant Dean, Admissions and Financial Aid at the Kellogg School of Management. What makes Kellogg unique? [2:09] We intentionally designed the Kellogg learning experience to grow you both personally and professionally. Between extensive global opportunities and the challenging experiential learning, as well as customized electives, the curriculum is shaped by real world business problems and dedicated to developing dynamic leaders to see possibilities that others can’t. In our innovative curriculum you will learn how to evaluate opportunities, catalyze teams, and engage with world-class faculty. Whether being advised by a venture capitalist on a start-up, joining a trek with thought leaders in industry sectors of interest, or participating in a fireside chat with a professor who served as a Fortune 500 CEO, we offer in-depth experiential learning with a collaborative culture and distinctive community. Kellogg offers a range of full-time degree programs, and we hear consistently that many students who learn about them are very excited and weren’t aware of them before. All are designed to fit student interests. We have the two-year MBA (traditional program) that offers the opportunity to explore different interests, and often career pivots. We have a one-year MBA program and two joint, dual-degree programs. Our one-year program has existed for 56 years consecutively. It is for those who have completed some business coursework before attending so we qualify one-year applicants by the coursework taken. We give students credit for those courses. One-year (1Y) students start in the summer, and it’s a four-quarter program (June-June). There is an immersive first quarter for 1Y students, and then they join the second-year MBA class with electives, and they tailor their studies to their interest and professional goals. Joint degrees include the MMM, which is a dual degree with the engineering school, and you get an MS in design innovation and MBA. It is very popular for students who are interested in design-centered thinking or product management. It’s a seven quarter program and integrates with the two-year program in the fall. Last is the JD/MBA program, with the curriculum designed to be completed in three years. Finally, our alumni network is very engaged and responsive, which impresses students and applicants. We have a pay it forward culture and mindset, which you see across the board. What’s new at Kellogg in the last year? I know a lot has been happening. [14:03] We are thrilled to welcome our new dean Francesca Cornelli. She will be on campus in a few weeks and joining us from LBS, bringing an immense amount of global perspective, and in particular expertise in private equity, innovation policy, and corporate governance. I personally am very proud it is our third consecutive female dean We are the only top business school with consistent female leadership. Our curricular innovation continues to be an important focus. In the last five years we’ve launched 64 new courses, 12 courses in the last year alone – Negotiations in a Virtual World, Early Stage Healthcare Investing, and Blockchain Technology. We are wanting to equip students to hit the ground running with what is happening realtime in business and the marketplace. We also have three new pathways. At Kellogg a pathway is a cross functional sequence of courses that addresses a particular skillset, to help organize courses and tailor to student interest areas. Students have the flexibility to pursue any number of pathways, and there are no majors, you can go as deep as you like in any area. The three new ones are Tech Management (¼ of our students were recruited into technology positions last year), Energy and Sustainability, and Asset Management. [youtube2]h3> The[/youtube2] Has Kellogg’s application changed in any way this year? [33:55] The two most significant changes involve some of the essays. We have changed the second written essay question and one of our video essay questions. The first written essay question is the same (talk about a time an applicant has demonstrated leadership and created lasting value). The (new) second essay question is which values are most important to you and how they have influenced you. For video essays we have three, and the first question will shift from an ice breaker question to an opportunity for candidates to introduce themselves. We found applicants saying they wanted more time to talk about their background, so we adjusted accordingly. << Check out our Kellogg MBA application essay tips! >> How does Kellogg feel about GRE scores? [40:00] We accept both GRE and GMAT and have no preference. Either is fine, and we will look at performance on various sections on the test. The benefit of the standardized test score supplements the assessment of competency in certain areas, and is one of many areas we will consider in an application. There has been a growth in acceptance of the GRE at business schools overall. At this point I would say no more than 10% of students are submitting the GRE over the GMAT, but it was 5% five years ago, so growing. In addition to engaging with the admissions team, how else can applicants learn about the Kellogg experience? [43:16] I absolutely recommend tapping into the alumni network. We have 60,000 alums across the world. Contact our admissions office, and we can connect you with somebody from where you are from. Come to campus to visit if you can, but if you are not able to travel to Evanston, you can find Kellogg alumni clubs on LinkedIn – LinkedIn is a really helpful resource to find alums and current students. Reach out to student clubs – with our pay it forward ethos, they will take the time to talk to applicants. What advice do you have for applicants planning ahead for a 2020-21 application? [44:48] My first piece of advice is regardless of where you are in the timeline, reflect on why you want to pursue your MBA. What are your goals? Why is this a good fit for those goals? How would you maximize the experience here as a student, and how does Kellogg impact your longer term career aspiration? Having reflective time is really important. From my own experience, an MBA is an amazing, transformative experience, life changing, and empowers you to make a lasting impact on the world. Apply when you are ready, have thought through everything, and are prepared to put the best application forward. Beyond that, attend events, talk to our students, really get to know who we are. Is there anything else you’d like to add? [46:57] I would love to elaborate a bit more on post-MBA employment opportunities with the Career Management Center. Our CMC is second to none, and they make sure students leave with their dream job and roadmap to the future they want to pursue. They offer unique access to employers across all different industries, functions, and geographies. You can attend a panel or small group chats with leaders in all different areas, and I already mentioned industry-specific career treks. Also our coaching one-on-one, workshops, and our plethora of resources help you on your career pivot or acceleration goals.  Related Links: • Kellogg MBA Admissions • Your 3-Part Game Plan to Dominate the GRE • Kellogg MBA Application Essay Tips • Accepted’s MBA Admissions Consulting Services Related Shows: • Michigan Ross’ Brand-New Online, Part-Time MBA • HEC Paris MBA: Excellence, Diversity, and Community • Toronto Rotman MBA: The Spike Factor • From Hospitality to Kellogg MBA to Accepted MBA Admissions Consultant • Bain & Company’s Keith Bevans Talks About Careers, Life at Bain Subscribe:   Podcast Feed  Tags: Admissions Straight Talk, MBA Admissions The post Get a Kellogg MBA: An Interview with Dean of Admissions Kate Smith [Episode 324] appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog. |
06 Aug 2019, 10:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: Pop Quiz: How Should You Prepare for the GRE? |
 True or False? Some people are natural test-takers who won’t need to study at all and will still ace the GRE. FALSE! Even the smartest among us still need to prepare for something as difficult and weighty as the GRE. The more focused prep you do using reliable sources, the greater your chances are of walking in on test day and taking the GRE by storm. That’s why Brett Ethridge, Founder of Dominate Test Prep, will be sharing his proven prep strategy during his presentation, Your 3-Part Game Plan to Dominate the GRE. During this live webinar on Monday, August 12th at 5pm PT/8pm ET, Brett will help you create an actionable plan for studying for and taking the GRE confidently and successfully. Register Now: For 25 years, Accepted has helped applicants gain acceptance to top undergraduate and graduate programs. Our expert team of admissions consultants features former admissions directors, PhDs, and professional writers who have advised clients to acceptance at top programs worldwide including Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Princeton, Penn, Columbia, Oxford, Cambridge, INSEAD, MIT, Caltech, UC Berkeley, and Northwestern. Want an admissions expert to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch! Tags: Grad School Admissions, Law School Admissions, MBA Admissions The post Pop Quiz: How Should You Prepare for the GRE? appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog. |
07 Aug 2019, 09:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: Applying for an MBA with No Work Experience: What You Need to Know |
 When I used to travel to applicant fairs to represent London Business School, I’d commonly be approached by candidates asking, “I want an MBA but don’t have any full-time work experience. Can I study at your school?” While the answer in that instance was ”no”, the conversation never ended there. The discussion would then turn to the options for those who don’t meet the work experience requirement of most MBA programmes, but who have the desire to pursue graduate management study and start making their mark in the business world. 2 pre-experience MBA options Two of the most commonly pursued paths for candidates in this situation include pre-experience master’s programmes and deferred MBAs: #1 Pre-experience/early career programmes These terms are used interchangeably, but they both refer to those programmes that cater to recent graduates (“recent” meaning 0-3 years out of undergraduate). While this category started with the general management MiM (master’s in/of management), the portfolio of programmes now includes master’s in finance, innovation, and entrepreneurship, and data analytics, to name but a few of the courses you might find available at business schools today. Applicants fitting into this category are commonly referred to as pre-experience or early-career candidates, and this market continues to grow; according to the 2017 Tomorrow’s Masters report by CarringtonCrisp, “67% of respondents were looking at a business master’s programme as an alternative to an MBA.” While pursuing a programme like an MiM doesn’t negate the need for the MBA later down the road (indeed you will find individuals who have both an MiM and MBA), these programmes are excellent options for recent graduates looking to start their careers in the business world. There are a myriad of reasons as to why a graduate may want to pursue their studies now versus waiting to pursue an MBA – they may be looking to specialise in a specific area, such as finance or marketing early on in order to enter a specific function. Or they might be looking to “convert” their liberal arts or science degree into a business career. Whatever the reason, these degrees provide graduates with an excellent foundation and help students build the skills, knowledge, careers support, and network to get a head start in their career. #2 Deferred MBA admissions This may be slightly confusing considering the mention of MBA. What deferred admissions means is that you apply while you are in your final year of study (or just after) and before starting full-time work. If you are accepted, you receive a guaranteed seat to join after spending a couple of years in the working world. These programmes are a great option as they offer security (yay, no having to worry about studying for the GMAT and writing your applications alongside your busy work schedule!) and add some clout to your resume (wow, already accepted to an MBA before even graduating? Impressive!). Of course, as with anything there are pros and cons, so it’s important to think about whether committing yourself to a deferred programme makes sense with your career aims, or whether you will need some flexibility and the ability to change path in those first couple of years after graduating. Some programmes are open to students from any university (Harvard’s 2+2), and others are open only to the school’s undergraduate population (University of Pennsylvania’s Moelis Advance Access Program). There are also scholarship programmes, such as NYU’s William R. Berkley Scholarship Program, which not only provides early entry to their MBA, Tech MBA, or Fashion & Luxury MBA, but also full funding. Regardless of entry criteria or offering, these programmes are incredibly competitive, so you’ll need to prepare your best application. For more information If these options sound interesting, but you’re still unsure of whether it makes sense to study for a master’s now or wait to pursue an MBA, check out our podcast where we discuss the differences in the degrees and points for consideration. While an MBA is the ultimate education goal for many, if you’re not yet eligible for an MBA because you have no work experience, but know you want to pursue a business master’s, you have options. Start researching and contacting schools to see what options are out there for you, and what can bring you closer to your dream of making an impact in business. The important thing here to remember is that you CAN apply for an MBA with no work experience, but it’s not without its challenges. And Accepted can help! Explore our MBA Admissions Consulting Services and work one-on-one an experienced advisor who will help you create an application strategy that will get you accepted!   Jamie Wright has more than eight years of recruitment and admissions experience at London Business School, and is the former Admissions Director for Early Career Programmes at LBS. Originally from the U.S., Jamie is now based in London. Want Jamie to help you get accepted? Click here to get in touch with Jamie Wright. Related Resources: • MBA Applicants: Make Your Work Experience Work for You, a free guide • What Does Your Work Experience Reveal About You in Your MBA Application? • Work Experience in Your MBA Admissions Profile Tags: MBA Admissions The post Applying for an MBA with No Work Experience: What You Need to Know appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog. |
08 Aug 2019, 09:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: Why the GRE Matters (And What it Means for Your Prep) |
 Let’s acknowledge something upfront: The GRE can be a nuisance. It stands between you and graduate school, and there’s a lot you have to learn to do well on it. For a lot of students, it’s been a long time since you’ve had to do the kind of math tested on the GRE. Certainly you can show admissions officers your potential value to their program in some other way than suffering through a standardized test, right? I get it. That’s a lament I often hear from my students, and I readily acknowledge that the GRE is a means to an end — your acceptance to grad school. But what an important end that is. As such, the GRE is important and needs to be respected. Looking at the GRE with new eyes The GRE has been part of the graduate admissions process for over 70 years, and it’s not going anywhere. So let me play devil’s advocate for a moment and give you five reasons why the GRE is valued by admissions officers as they evaluate your candidacy. Understanding their thought process can reshape your thinking about the exam and put you in the right mindset to prepare most effectively for it.
As my dad always used to tell me, “You can either complain or you can prepare.” Worrying about whether the GRE is or isn’t a good indicator of your talents doesn’t do you any good. At the end of the day, if the GRE is required as part of your application, that means it’s viewed as important to the admissions committee. And if it’s important to them, it’s important for you. So adopt the mindset that the GRE is an opportunity to be seized, a hurdle to overcome, a challenge that you will rise to meet on your journey to graduate school and the next exciting chapter of your career. You’ve got this! Whether you’re still in the early stages of thinking about taking the GRE or are already knee-deep in preparing for it, join us on August 12th for a free webinar where you’ll learn an actionable three-part game plan for dominating the GRE. Click here to reserve your spot. See you then! Brett Ethridge is the founder of Dominate Test Prep, a leading provider of GMAT and GRE courses online as well as topic-specific GRE and GMAT video lessons. He has taught both exams for over 12 years and loves working with students to help them achieve their highest potential. Brett is an entrepreneur, a competitive tennis player, and an avid Duke basketball fan. Related Resources: • Get Your Game On, a free guide to creating a successful grad school application • Making Friends With the GRE: How To Overcome Test Anxiety and Perform at Your Best • When is the Best Time to Take the GRE? Tags: Grad School Admissions, Law School Admissions, MBA Admissions The post Why the GRE Matters (And What it Means for Your Prep) appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog. |
09 Aug 2019, 09:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: View Get Accepted to Wharton Webinar On-Demand |
 Applicants who joined us for Get Accepted to Wharton got a great head start on developing their application strategy! Guided by Accepted founder Linda Abraham, they learned what the adcom is looking for, and how to approach the application thoughtfully and effectively. If you missed it – or if you’d like to view it again – Get Accepted to Wharton is now available on demand. Watch it now! Watch the webinar For 25 years, Accepted has helped business school applicants gain acceptance to top programs. Our outstanding team of MBA admissions consultants features former business school admissions directors and professional writers who have guided our clients to admission at top MBA, EMBA, and other graduate business programs worldwide including Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Booth, INSEAD, London Business School, and many more. Want an MBA admissions expert to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch! Tags: MBA Admissions The post View Get Accepted to Wharton Webinar On-Demand appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog. |
11 Aug 2019, 14:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: Last Call! Learn the Best Way to Prep for the GRE |
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Got the jitters about taking the GRE? We understand, which is why we’ve got an information-packed webinar coming up to help you take control of the process – Your 3-Part Game Plan to Dominate the GRE, hosted by Dominate Test Prep’s founder, Brett Etheridge, on Monday, August 12th at 5pm PT/8pm ET. Don’t miss out on this amazing free resource. Register Now: hbspt.forms.create({ portalId: “58291”, formId: “a481bb42-0053-402e-824b-e3279a919ed4”, goToWebinarWebinarKey: “2386433213482296589” }); For 25 years, Accepted has helped applicants gain acceptance to top undergraduate and graduate programs. Our expert team of admissions consultants features former admissions directors, PhDs, and professional writers who have advised clients to acceptance at top programs worldwide including Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Princeton, Penn, Columbia, Oxford, Cambridge, INSEAD, MIT, Caltech, UC Berkeley, and Northwestern. Want an admissions expert to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch! Tags: Grad School Admissions, Law School Admissions, MBA Admissions The post Last Call! Learn the Best Way to Prep for the GRE appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog. |
13 Aug 2019, 09:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: Toronto Rotman MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines [2019 – 2020] |
 The University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management is one of the leading business schools in Canada. Known for its design approach to MBA education and strong emphasis on problem solving, Rotman’s program continues to grow in renown. This year’s essay question reflects Rotman’s “creative methodology.” The adcom will get a snapshot of your goals through the application form; this essay is the place to demonstrate the self-knowledge and personal insight that characterize maturity and simultaneously conveys your fit with the values and culture of the program. Toronto Rotman 2019-2020 MBA application Rotman MBA essay question Our admitted students stand out by doing interesting things with their personal and professional lives — something we describe as the ‘spike factor’; what are the things that you have done in your life that demonstrate Passion/ Grit/ Resilience/ Innovation/ Drive/ Ambition and more? This can cross all or any aspects of life outside of work – hobbies, volunteer activities, awards, entrepreneurial ventures, sports and the arts. We believe that exposure to a rich diversity of viewpoints makes for a superior learning experience and pride ourselves on building a diverse class of exceptional individuals who will go on to make the School proud as professionals and alumni. Explain your spike factor (something unique about yourself) that you believe will contribute to the Rotman community and is aligned with Rotman values. (Up to 1000 words) Optional – Please upload 1-3 of your ‘spikiest’ pictures to the supplemental items section of your application here. Note: Your photos must be uploaded as a single PDF. “Spike factor.” Those words say a lot. You should make this essay, and the points it contains, not just interesting – it should also bring a grin to the reader’s face or make them nod and think “Yes!.” They should feel a tingle of enjoyment on reading it. “Explain.” This word on the other hand can mislead you into lengthy abstractions. Make any explanation short and sweet. You do have to explicitly explain your “spike factor” because the question directs you to. But you don’t have to do it at the start of the essay, and you don’t have to do it at length. Better to start of the essay with an anecdote to engage the reader. Once you decide on the spike factor that you want to present, find 1-3 illustrative anecdotes from outside of work and from work (but definitely not all or only work) that illustrate it – if more than one, make sure they show different contexts. And do be strategic about which anecdotes you use; what are some desirable “zoom-in” moments or experiences from your (ideally relatively recent) life that would enhance your application in relevant ways? Use this essay to fill in the mosaic of who you are. As for that spike factor – you don’t need some exotic point that no other person would ever think of or possess. Rather, dig into your own experience and personality and find a point that shows what makes you tick. You will then make that point distinctive, vivid, and memorable through your examples and stories. Rotman MBA reflection question List 3-5 attributes or characteristics that best describe you. (5 words) Use these scant words to both reinforce your main application/essay message(s) and add a little something extra and new – but something that doesn’t contradict those other messages. Rotman MBA required video interview Your assessment has 3 questions. Assessments always vary and can contain both video and written questions. Video questions typically take 1-2 minutes to complete, and written questions typically take 5-10 minutes to complete. Without knowing what the questions are, it’s best to approach the video interview with both your own application and the Rotman program fresh in your mind. This will help you to simultaneously avoid both (a) being redundant and (b) being contradictory or inconsistent. I suggest viewing and approaching it as a continuation of the dialogue. It presents special challenges, particularly for non-native English speakers and writers who may typically take more time to polish their writing in English. While it’s natural for a follow-up piece like this essay to be less polished and thought through than essays on which you reasonably spend much more time, it also shouldn’t sound like a different person or present such a gap in English writing fluency that it raises doubts about your authorship of the other written portions of the application. If you are worried about these elements – practice. Give yourself sample topics and a 5-10 minute response window. Use tough questions, to make the actual one (hopefully) seem easier! (NOTE: The Rotman website gives an example – not an actual sample – question.) For expert guidance with your Toronto Rotman MBA 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 top MBA programs and look forward to helping you too! Toronto Rotman 2019-2020 MBA application deadlines Application Deadline Decisions Released Early Round August 5, 2019 September 3, 2019 Round 1 October 1, 2019 December 14, 2019 Round 2 January 7, 2020 March 8, 2020 Round 3 March 4, 2020 May 3, 2020 Round 4 April 29, 2020 May 31, 2020 ***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 20 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 guide to acing the MBA goals essay question • Toronto Rotman MBA: The Spike Factor, a podcast episode • How to Practice for a Video Interview or Essay Tags: MBA Admissions The post Toronto Rotman MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines [2019 – 2020] appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog. |
14 Aug 2019, 09:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: One Size Does NOT Fit All – Resume Writing Tips |
 “I don’t understand… I already have a perfect resume… I have used it in all of my job searches… I don’t need to make any changes… I really don’t need help with this.” This was from Carina, a prospective Master in Environmental Engineering student. I had told Carina that she needed to improve her resume, and was somewhat surprised by her response since she had welcomed my assistance on her graduate essays for the master’s program as well as my interview coaching and letter of reference guidance. And yet I was faced with almost a brick wall of resistance as it related to her resume. When I asked her why she was so certain that her current resume was appropriate for her graduate application, she responded with silence. I told her that I could help her to create a resume designed specifically for the graduate program in environmental engineering. Why you should view your resume with the eye of a marketer I calmly shared with her that compiling all of the application materials is very similar to what corporate marketing professionals do when they are preparing sales literature, making package design decisions, and launching an advertising campaign to introduce a new product to the market. In this case, however, the new product that you are launching is you. Your resume is an integral piece of sales literature that, if done well, can help market you to the graduate program of your choice. How it looks, what you include, what you exclude, how well you highlight your strengths, and the order and labels ascribed to the various categories will all impact their perception of who you are and what you have to offer. Why one size does NOT fit all When it comes to resumes, one size does NOT fit all – one resume will not be appropriate for every job and/or educational opportunity. In fact, over the years, I have helped prospective graduate students to prepare multiple versions of what they thought was the same resume. These three marketing strategies helped Carina understand the art of resume writing, and I think they will help you too. 3 strategies for creating the best application resume STRATEGY #1: Consider the target audience. Just as the marketing professional does, you need to consider carefully who will be reading your resume.
To accomplish this, you want to:
Take into account these formatting tips:
After reviewing all of the strategies, Carina looked me right in the eyes and said, “OMG, I had no idea. You could teach a class on this.” I smiled and said, “I have taught workshops and seminars on this very topic and, from time to time, have included a unit on job interviewing/resume writing in my interpersonal communications classes.” No further resistance from Carina. She went right to work on a new and improved resume and shared that she would always remember how the phrase “one size does not fit all” helped her get accepted. Work with an admissions expert to create a personalized resume strategy that will help you get accepted! Check out our Admissions Resume Services for more information.  As a Dean of Graduate Admissions for over 10 years, Carol Drummer, signed off on over 4,500 graduate applications annually. She is a communication professor and author of "College Is Not 13th Grade-- An Easy to Read Guide for Parents of College Bound Students." Carol has helped clients get accepted to Ph.D. Psy.D, DOT, DPT, PA, MHA, MSW, and masters in Speech Language Pathology, Business Analytics, Accounting, Global Affairs, Counseling, Architecture, Design Engineering , Nutrition, Exercise Physiology to name a few. Want Carol to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch! Related Resources: • Write a Resume That is Readable, Impactful, and Unique • 18 Do’s And Don’ts For Your Application Resume • How to Write the Qualifications Summary for Your Resume Tags: College Admissions, Grad School Admissions, Law School Admissions, MBA Admissions, Medical School Admissions The post One Size Does NOT Fit All – Resume Writing Tips appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog. |
15 Aug 2019, 09:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: How an Admissions Committee Views MBA Work Experience |
 You have made the decision to apply to an MBA program (or two, or 10). Now you need to think about your past work experience and how it all fits into your story. What follows are some thoughts on how admissions committees think about certain types of work experience, and how you may want to approach the application process depending on your own experience. Traditional work experience Some of you may think that because you have worked in marketing but not at P&G, worked in banking but not at Goldman Sachs, or worked in technology but not at Google that your experience may not count as much to admissions committees when compared against applicants who have worked for brands with cache. For those of you with those assumptions, fear not. The quality of the work that you do is much more important than working at a name-brand institution. If you have brand experience That being said, brand name experience might be viewed by members of an admissions committee and potentially give you an edge, at least on the surface. Brand names like P&G, Goldman Sachs, or GE have instant recognition. They are world-class institutions, and as a result have the luxury of an extensive candidate pool to choose from. Therefore, if you have worked for one of these firms, it means you probably beat out some pretty stiff competition to get your job. That alone warrants a second look at your candidacy. Brand experience +: With that second look, there are a few things admissions committees will want to see in order to “verify” that the experience within the organization is strong as well.
Admissions committees are looking to fill their cohorts with individuals having as wide a range of experiences as possible, and especially experience that is relevant to an MBA curriculum. When faculty are teaching a particular subject, the lessons come to life when students have real world experience pertaining to the topic. As such, the skills and knowledge gained from significant projects managed from start to finish matter. Involvement with strategic initiatives matters. You don’t have to have been involved in a multi-million-dollar deal to gain strong leadership and management skills. Small projects still matter! Even small projects that you “own” can be extremely valuable in providing expertise in particular areas. As you advance in your career, always be on the lookout for projects that allow you to take on a significant leadership role and provide you with a certain degree of autonomy. When it comes time to reduce the work you’ve done to one bullet point on your resume, you want to be able to make that bullet as impactful as possible, for example, “Led a team of eight to cut costs in the supply chain by 20% through strategic re-purposing of older machines.” This example shows leadership, strategic thinking, and tangible results, all really important stuff! That’s what admissions committees want to see. It doesn’t matter if the size of the project was $10,000 or $1,000,000, or that it was done at Boeing or Jane’s Jewelry Factory. What matters is that you provided significant results to your company. Increasing responsibility In addition to having tangible real-world experience to share in the classroom, admissions committees are also looking for upward mobility. With any luck you have a strong track record of promotions, as that is the easiest way to signal that mobility, and would be immediately obvious on a resume. Even if you don’t, however, you can still showcase the fact that your responsibilities have increased over time through thoughtful wording in your resume, such as, “Rewarded with project management of X following successful implementation of social media planning schedule.” Essays might also be a place to show the upward movement, depending on the topic. Being awarded by your company with greater responsibilities is the clearest signal you can give that you have what it takes to succeed in an MBA program and in your career thereafter. Non-traditional work experience A common concern from prospective clients with non-traditional work experience is whether or not that experience will be considered relevant in an MBA classroom. I have heard this from doctors, lawyers, military officers, and more. Believe it or not, the less traditional one’s work experience, (often) the more an admissions committee is interested! When putting together a cohort, admissions committee members strive to make it as diverse as possible, in every way possible – job function, industry, culture, etc. Imagine if a class was made up of just bankers? Or IT engineers? How rich would the discussion be across all courses? Not very! As such, schools are delighted when non-traditional applicants apply, and you can be assured that your application will get noticed. The assumption is that individuals coming from a non-business background will approach issues and problems with a different perspective and set of priorities that may allow for additional learning opportunities for their classmates (and possibly even the faculty!). There are a few things to be cognizant of as a non-traditional applicant. While generally speaking an admissions committee will be interested in you simply based on your background, there are two things you need to have solidly in your profile in order to be seriously considered for admission:
Self-employment Creating a resume as a self-employed individual presents some challenges. If you already have an established business, some of this information is superfluous, but if you have been doing contract work, there are details to manage beyond the summary of the work you have been doing. Company name If you own an established business, you probably already have a company name, but if you are doing freelance work or contract consulting, you might not. You need to put something in for company name that helps the reader understand you are indeed self-employed but also has some gravitas to it. It could be something as simple as “Jane Doe XYZ Consulting” (assuming your name is Jane Doe, of course!). Job title If you are doing contract work, you want to avoid putting, “Self-employed” or “Freelancer” as your title. While this may technically be what you are doing, again you want to label yourself in such a way as to lend credibility to the work you are doing. Consider “CEO/Founder,” or if that is overreach, something like “Senior Consultant” or “Senior Engineer.” Choose something that is as close to what your title would be were you employed by someone else without being too self-congratulatory. For those of you with existing businesses, the “CEO/Founder” designation is most likely an accurate depiction. Work experience If you are running a business with tangible goods or services, it should be fairly straightforward to map out your experience. Hopefully you have been keeping careful tabs on the successes you have had. For contractors, you should discuss projects you have worked on for various firms, listing out details on those particular projects as much as you can without risking the breach of any confidentiality agreements you have in place. With any luck you have some good, quantifiable results that you can point to as well. Here are some examples of how you could present projects: “Overhauled payment system for $XMM automotive parts manufacturer, resulting in reduction of A/P by 20%.” “Performed research and presented findings related to a proposed expansion of a non-profit into a new territory. Research results were subsequently shared with existing donors, who then funded 100% of the planned expansion.” “Designed website and implemented social media strategy and tactics for eight-member startup in the energy industry.” Bottom line on self-employment Admissions committees want to admit people who have interesting experience to share with classmates. Review the core and elective course offerings at the schools you are looking at, and think about how the work you have done on your own could allow you to contribute to class discussions. Take those examples that come to mind and present them in your resume, and possibly later on in more detail in essays. Want to make sure you present your work experience in the best possible way? Work with a seasoned consultant at Accepted to polish the presentation of your work experience and your entire application. Contact us today!   Jen Weld is a former Assistant Director of Admissions at Cornell’s EMBA program. 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: • Leadership in Admissions, a free guide • 7 Tips for MBA Applicants from Family Businesses • Work Experience in Your MBA Admissions Profile Tags: MBA Admissions The post How an Admissions Committee Views MBA Work Experience appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog. |
18 Aug 2019, 09:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: MIT Sloan Fellows Essay Tips & Deadlines [2019 – 2020] |
 In my decade-plus of assisting MIT Sloan Fellows applicants (successes every year!), I have seen that the adcom values applicants who, among other things, demonstrate consistent, outstanding impact and are on track to become leaders in their company and even in their industry (“Exhibit exceptional leadership performance, functional expertise, and a commitment to leading innovation” per the MIT Sloan Fellows website). While your application as a whole will convey these points about you, the cover letter and video statement present an ideal opportunities to make the case affirmatively, directly, and vividly, with examples and details strategically chosen. Optimizing your MIT Sloan Fellows cover letter and video statement Use the cover letter and video to convey fit with MIT Sloan’s enduring emphasis on admitting students who will be proactive, innovative leaders and agents of change. These items together should create a vibrant, multifaceted view of your candidacy:
This global leadership development program is a 12-month, full-time executive MBA program designed to prepare an elite group of global mid-career managers with the management skills necessary to magnify their impact as leaders and innovators. Our guiding principles are to help you develop critical skills essential for future leaders; to instill a spirit of innovation through exceptional opportunities at Sloan and across MIT; to foster a deep spirit of community among fellows; to provide a breadth of electives and depth through one-on-one relationships with senior faculty; and to offer flexible curriculum to allow you to tailor the program to meet your specific professional objectives. We accomplish this by maintaining a foundation in our three pillars of: leadership, innovation and global perspective. Taking the above into consideration please submit a cover letter seeking a place in the MIT Sloan Fellows MBA Program. Please share your short and long-term professional objectives and how the MIT Sloan Fellows MBA program will help you to achieve them. Your letter should conform to a standard business correspondence, include one or more examples that illustrate why you meet the desired criteria and be addressed to the Admissions Committee (500 words or less). Let’s break this question into three parts:
Please introduce yourself to your future classmates and let us know why the Sloan Fellows MBA program (SFMBA) is a great match for you. Videos should be a single take (no editing) lasting no more than one minute and consisting of you speaking directly to the camera. We recommend using an application such as QuickTime or iMovie to record yourself. First, keep your dual audience in mind: the hypothetical future classmates cited in the question AND the very real adcom. You need to present an effective elevator pitch to the former that also enhances your candidacy to the latter. Your future classmates will not know your resume, so include a professional snapshot, but keep the facts short (as they are redundant of other application info) and leaven them with the “why” behind the story – what propelled you onto this path. That “why” should be consistent with but not redundant of the cover letter). Include possibly also a key non-work point or two, and these topics will vary person to person – they could be a compelling formative experience, unique geographic or cultural background, important avocation or activity, etc. For this latter part, think about (a) what will differentiate and distinguish you, and (b) what will represent a contribution in some way. If you aren’t accustomed to doing video presentations, practice and put some effort into visual elements like background and lighting. Keep the background simple, clean, and uncluttered. Have the light somewhere behind the camera and shining on you. Dress professionally. For expert guidance with your MIT Sloan Fellows MBA 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 MIT Sloan Fellow’s MBA program and look forward to helping you too! MIT Sloan Fellows 2019-2020 Application Deadlines Application Deadline Decision Notification Round 1 October 8, 2019 December 16, 2019 Round 2 January 2, 2020 February 12, 2020 Round 3 February 10, 2020 April 3, 2020 Submit applications by 3:00 p.m. EST on date of application deadline. ***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 20 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: • Fitting In & Standing Out: The Paradox at the Heart of Admissions, a free guide • MIT Sloan EMBA and Sloan Fellows Programs: Move from Success to Significance, a podcast episode • MIT Sloan Fellow, User Experience Expert, and Busy Mom, a podcast episode Tags: MBA Admissions The post MIT Sloan Fellows Essay Tips & Deadlines [2019 – 2020] appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog. |
19 Aug 2019, 09:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: NYU Stern Langone MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines [2019 – 2020] |
 The Stern Langone part-time MBA essays, together, cover “the whole you” – your professional side and your non-work side. And they require you to address both a highly structured, specific question (essay 1) in conventional written format and a relatively open, “free form” question (essay 2), employing visual elements. The applicants who can best handle this duality are confident, mature applicants; they know what their goals are, have an intellectual appetite for the NYU experience, and welcome the chance to portray their distinct individuality. NYU Stern Langone 2019-2020 MBA application Stern Langone MBA essay question #1 (Professional aspirations) (500 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)
In discussing how the MBA will enable you to achieve your stated goals, describe what new skills and knowledge you need in order to pursue your goals, and how an MBA overall meets those needs. Be specific. You can also add a little about the benefits of Stern specifically. Stern Langone MBA essay question #2 (Personal expression a.k.a “Pick Six”) Describe yourself to the Admissions Committee and to your future classmates using six images and corresponding captions. Your uploaded PDF should contain all of the following elements:
Okay, now the fun part. Seriously! If you don’t have fun with this essay (at least a bit), it won’t “lift off.” That doesn’t mean it has to be jokey or humorous – simply, you should enjoy putting together the visuals and their related meanings to really make your candidacy and your individuality come alive. One challenge of this essay is finding balance: most people will naturally want to present images of different parts of their lives, different experiences, accomplishments, etc. Yet, having 6 distinct images that together lack any integrating point or message could simply add up to a blur, even if each individual image is interesting. So, use some organizing principle, theme, or approach. As for those captions – please keep them short. I’ve seen some of these essays where the applicant tried to cram a mini essay into the sentence caption. It enervates the picture and the essay. Adhere to the spirit of the question and make the caption an enhancement, not a thorough explanation. (If you find an image needs lengthy explanation to have meaning, it’s probably not a good one to use for this purpose.) For more tips on this essay, see this interview with NYU Stern’s Associate Dean of Admissions, Isser Gallogly. Stern Langone MBA essay question #3 (Additional information – optional) Please provide any additional information that you would like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee. This may include current or past gaps in employment, your undergraduate record or self-reported academic transcript(s), plans to retake the GMAT, GRE, IELT, or TOEFL, or any other relevant information. If you are planning to attend the Langone Part-time MBA program and do not currently live in the NYC Metro Area or the Westchester area, please indicate your plans to pursue the program. If you are planning to relocate to the NYC area, please indicate your plans for employment. (250 word maximum, double spaced, 12 point font) These instructions don’t explicitly limit the essay to extenuating circumstances or application-specific issues, but the topics Stern suggests are just such issues. Moreover, the phrase “bring to the attention of” doesn’t really invite you to continue marketing yourself. I therefore suggest addressing the types of issues the question presents, or present other information that has a direct bearing on the adcom’s ability to understand your candidacy. For expert guidance with your NYU Stern Langone MBA 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 top MBA programs and look forward to helping you too! NYU Stern Langone 2019-2020 MBA application deadlines Application Deadline Decisions Released Round 1 September 15, 2019 December 1, 2019 Round 2 October 15, 2019 January 1, 2020 Round 3 November 15, 2019 February 1, 2020 ***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 20 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 guide to acing the MBA goals essay question • NYU Stern 2018-19 MBA Admissions Scoop: An Interview with Isser Gallogly, a podcast episode • Your MBA Goals Essay: Get Ready, Get Set, THINK! Tags: MBA Admissions The post NYU Stern Langone MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines [2019 – 2020] appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog. |
20 Aug 2019, 09:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: A Non-Traditional Applicant Accepted to the Columbia EMBA Program |
 Interview with Beta Ealy, creative director and Columbia EMBA student [Show Summary] Think that if you aren’t a consultant, IT professional, or finance manager that you don’t have a shot in an EMBA program? Think again. Our guest this week is a creative director with little background in quant who conquered the GMAT and is now thriving in the Columbia EMBA program. Listen in as she shares her views on the program, and how to excel in the application process and in the program itself. From Disney to Columbia Business School [Show Notes] Today’s guest is Beta Ealy. Beta earned her Bachelors in Fine Arts from Cal State Long Beach in 2004 and worked as an art director prior to becoming manager of Creative and Product Development at Disney where she worked from 2004 – 2011. She then worked in similar areas for Mattel, and Discovery Communications where she was a Sr. Manager and Director respectively. Since April 2018, she has served as the Brand Creative Director for the City of Manhattan Beach and in January became a Columbia EMBA student. Can you tell us about your background? Where did you grew up? What do you like to do for fun? [2:12] I grew up near Moscow in Russia. Pretty much everyone in my family is a scientist. My dad got a job at UCLA in the 90s and we moved to Santa Monica. That was how I became a designer rather than a scientist – if we had stayed I definitely would have moved in that direction. Here I saw the opportunity to do something different. I went to Santa Monica High School, which has a great design program, and I worked on real projects with real companies, and that is how I ended up where I am today. In terms of fun, I love to travel, and often spontaneously go on road trips with my husband and dogs, but also love to travel internationally. You started out in college studying art and design, when and how did the business bug bite you? [3:47] After being a creative for a while I saw the industry shifting and the way design/creative was being utilized was very different. I felt a tectonic shift which was very exciting because suddenly product differentiation and design was considered important. Creative leaders all of the sudden had a seat at the table. However, I realized when invited to board meetings I didn’t have the vocabulary to speak to some of these people, and I couldn’t deliver the strategic functions expected of me. When you were researching programs and applying, what appealed to you about the CBS EMBA program? [5:16] I was so excited to find it because of what I was saying a bit earlier. I am coming from a unique background with the idea of creating a bridge between being a creative person and business leader. They teach an entrepreneurial mindset at Columbia which is leadership-based and focused on identifying opportunities and growing industries. Because I was wanting to do something unique and unorthodox that is why it was a good fit. Being located in NYC, with my interest in media, entertainment, and retail, was an added bonus, adding that to my existing LA network. How did you do the research necessary considering you were on the west coast? [6:49] It’s a well-known program, obviously, so that part was easy. Because I have worked with such big companies with a presence in both LA and New York, I already knew a bit about New York in general. Columbia is such a huge player in that world it was easy to get word of mouth, websites to look at, and understanding of a good fit. I didn’t visit until my interview, but met with admissions reps when they came to the west coast. What challenges did you face during the application process? [8:06] If I had to give one piece of advice it is to figure out who your recommenders are going to be early on, as they are very important, not just for the admissions committee but also for yourself. It is important to see who you are through mentors and peers. Make sure you have someone who knows you really well. That was an unexpected challenge. Applicants considering EMBAs are older and further along in their careers, so people that could really speak to my career path and who I really thought of as mentors were typically very busy executives, and then I switched from the private to public sector in the midst of applying so had a new boss. Making sure they have the time and energy to do the very involved letter can be tough. The GMAT and essays were expected challenges. With a creative arts background I didn’t have a lot of quant, but I am so glad I thoroughly did the prep because the quant classes are so much easier now that I did the prep work. I did a little bit of everything to prepare. I really needed the help talking through taking a big test like that, having the stamina, and not letting the nerves get to you. I used several different people, but Jen Weld, my Accepted consultant, really helped me with the nerves part. She told me what score to shoot for, of course, but the thing I was least prepared for was the test anxiety. Because she got to know me so well she was able to address some of the things that could trip me up. For the essays, they are asking you the kind of questions that are not easy to answer, at least not with a cop out answer – they need to be careful and well thought out. I couldn’t have done them without Jen’s guidance. The answers have to be very short, but they are very loaded questions, so she really helped me say something impactful succinctly. What do you like best about the CBS EMBA program now that you are in it? [16:22] Pretty typical things – I love our cohort. Everyone I spoke with at Columbia before I joined said they spend a lot of time and energy putting together the cohort. And every single one of us has said they did a tremendous job – it’s diverse, and well-matched in terms of level of experience and skill sets. We are coordinated to work and travel well together. I also really do like the curriculum. We have incredible instructors, and I am learning a ton, enjoying subjects I didn’t expect to, like corporate finance. Instructors know what we are trying to get out of it, and maybe explain how a great design could lead to higher revenues. Even though we have to learn the same exact material as in the regular MBA program, the way EMBA professors teach it is very relatable and easy to learn, even with relatively dry material. What can be improved? [18:32] They have maybe the largest EMBA program, I think, which is really great, but what could be improved I think is to have even more classes or events targeting the EMBA portion of it. We still every once in a while feel the regular MBAs take more priority. It’s 15 years since you graduated from college. Is it hard to go back to studying, taking tests, etc? How are you handling the transition? [19:38] It’s hard – I can’t sugarcoat it, but it is really fun. It is the kind of challenge where, you take the test and you wake up the next morning and realize you took a test and wrote numbers down and it is an incredible feeling. You feel like a kid. We have people in their 50s and 60s as well as in their 20s and we are all going through it together. It’s truly a fantastic life-changing experience. How are you managing the demands of working full-time and going to school on the other side of the continent? [20:53] What is important is to start thinking about that combination very early on in the application process. People interested in an EMBA have to really think that through. It does require a big level of prioritization. You have to know what to prioritize when and what to ask for help. One of the essays is dedicated to that plan and how to execute that part of it. Even so, the first week of school we were all sitting there at lunch going, “Woah, this is going to be a huge challenge.” Then you go home and reprioritize again. You have to keep shifting. They do a great job of putting you in clusters and learning teams, and you have a lot of support from peers and the administrative team, and obviously from family going through it with you. I am very lucky in terms of my job – it is pretty flexible and everyone is very supportive. For those with a family it is more challenging, with the emotional component – leaving sole responsibility for the entire household with your spouse. I was more worried about that, but my husband and I figured out we were doing this together. It was a project, and he has come out with me to New York, and has become friends with my cohort. We are going to be traveling together during my seminars, and lots of spouses get involved. We’ve had people bring kids and parents to class. We all go out to dinner together, and it’s wonderful if you can incorporate the school process into normal life as much as possible. What are your plans for the future? How do you intend to use your MBA? [26:02] When I was applying I had a few specific goals in mind. I wanted to change the way design and creative leaders are viewed and used in an organization. My ultimate goal has been to, with this business knowhow, use my creative team’s potential to drive revenue. Rather than be a service function, be an active strategic participant in the company. Your goals change all the time in the program, and I have no idea if in the end what I just said is what I am going to do, but for now that is the plan. Any tips for CBS EMBA applicants? [27:26] Other than recommenders, coming up for a plan for your personal life and work life as you consider applying is an important part. It is very stressful. I met people whose boss wouldn’t support their decision to go, which is an unexpected hurdle. My biggest advice is to figure out the “not school” part before putting in the effort and energy into applying. My switch to the public sector was somewhat purposeful so I could bring as much as I could back from school to where I work, as the public sector does need as much help managing finances and operations as possible, but it was also the right thing to do to have the type of career that allowed me the flexibility to manage school. What would you have liked me to ask you? [29:58] I would recommend people read the Accepted blog because I found it really helpful. I’m a fan!  Related Links: • Ask Me Anything: Columbia MBA Admissions Director, Michael Robinson • Columbia’s Executive MBA Program • Meet Jen Wed • Accepted Admissions Blog • Top Executive MBA Essay Questions: How to Answer them Right • Expert Advice for EMBA Applicants • Accepted’s MBA Admissions Services Related Shows: • MBA, Private Equity, Cop: Meet Nik Kumar, Columbia MBA 2019 • Wharton’s Executive MBA, Where East and West Meet and Mix • MIT Sloan EMBA and Sloan Fellows Programs: Move from Success to Significance • Meet Dr. Nadia Afridi, Plastic Surgeon, Recent Columbia EMBA, and Mom Subscribe: Podcast Feed  Tags: Admissions Straight Talk, MBA Admissions The post A Non-Traditional Applicant Accepted to the Columbia EMBA Program [Episode 326] appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog. |
21 Aug 2019, 10:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: Review Your Essays Like an Admissions Consultant and Use the Editing Funnel |
 Most of you are now — or will be soon — editing your critical application essays and personal statements. When Accepted consultants review and edit your essays, they go through a process I call the editing funnel. When you edit your own essays, you should follow a similar process. How the editing funnel works Here’s your step-by-step guide to using the editing funnel:
If you want professional editing that saves you time and guides your essay(s) through the editing funnel while maintaining your voice, check out Accepted’s professional personal statement and application essay editing services. Learn more about how we can help you get ACCEPTED. For 25 years, Accepted has helped applicants gain acceptance to top undergraduate and graduate programs. Our expert team of admissions consultants features former admissions directors, PhDs, and professional writers who have advised clients to acceptance at top programs worldwide including Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Princeton, Penn, Columbia, Oxford, Cambridge, INSEAD, MIT, Caltech, UC Berkeley, and Northwestern. Want an admissions expert to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch! Related Resources: • 16 Grad School Application Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make, a podcast episode • 5 Elements to Telling an Attention-Grabbing Story • How to Stay Within Essay Word Limits by Reducing Verbal Verbosity Tags: Admissions Consulting, College Admissions, Grad School Admissions, Law School Admissions, MBA Admissions, Medical School Admissions The post Review Your Essays Like an Admissions Consultant and Use the Editing Funnel appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog. |
22 Aug 2019, 09:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: A Day (and a Year) in the Life of a Ross MBA Student |
 Learn how real students navigate their way through the business school admissions process and b-school itself with our What is Business School Really Like? Series. Meet James, a Ross MBA student with a background in education. James, thank you for sharing your story with us! What made you decide to pursue an MBA? James: Part of me always knew I wanted to get an MBA. My parents were both small business owners and I remember loving talking about the challenges of competing in a changing business environment and how best to provide value to customers. While Dartmouth (my undergrad) didn’t have a business program, they did offer a few Tuck classes for undergrads and I took two of them and they were some of my favorite classes. In terms of my career, I had worked in education prior, first as a teacher and then as a product manager at an education technology company, and realized there was a lot to learn from the business world in terms of how to make decisions. I’m particularly interested in how organizations can leverage human capital to achieve ambitious goals. Coming from the education sector where resources (financial and human) will always be limited, I’m excited to explore how organizational design and strategic people development can support those goals. I also felt like I would be limited in my approach given my background as I didn’t have an understanding of the bigger picture decision-makers were facing. I saw an MBA as that bridge between gaining the foundational business acumen and allowing me to pivot into a field that would allow me to get the hands-on experiences I thought would drive my long term career growth. Did you experience any bumps along the road to business school acceptance? If so, how did you identify and address the issues? James: Absolutely. The first time I applied to business school, I applied to five schools and got rejected from every single one. The first thing I did was take some time off from the frenzy of MBA applications. During that time, I did a lot of reflecting and honing into what I wanted my personal vision of change to be and what strengths I thought I could bring to the table. I also took the GRE again (and improved two whole points!). At the end of the day, I think my applications the second time around were more authentic and better reflected who I was and what I wanted to do. The second time, I also applied to additional schools through The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management (CGSM) which was the biggest blessing. I hadn’t applied to Ross the first time and only applied on a whim the second time. And it worked! Can you tell us more about the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management? What resources are available to fellows? James: The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management (CGSM) is a network for students who demonstrate a commitment to “enhanc[ing] diversity and inclusion in global business education and leadership.” There are currently 19 MBA programs in the Consortium, and, from a prospective student perspective, is similar to the undergraduate Common Application that helps to streamline applications to those member schools. Once accepted to one of the CGSM member schools, Consortium fellows are offered additional networking and professional development opportunities that prepare them for business school. Did you take the GMAT or GRE? How did you prepare? Any study tips that sound crazy, but really work? James: I took the GRE. I took a practice GMAT and those data sufficiency questions were just too much for me. I took a Manhattan Prep class which, more than the class itself, was really helpful in keeping me accountable for doing the studying (the course pace is about a workbook a week). The second time around, I used Magoosh which was great because the online question banks could be customized so I could focus on the types of problems that I found most challenging (anything probability/combinations/permutations). I think I also tried to keep everything in perspective. I knew that what was going to get me into a program was never going to be my test score or my GPA – those were going to be fine and show that I can do the work, but those aren’t the strengths in my application. I instead decided to really focus on the areas where I thought I could control – my essays and preparing for interviews. Did you participate in any extracurricular activities prior to applying to business school? How do you think these experiences contributed to the strength of your candidacy? James: My big extracurricular involvement post-college and pre-business school was getting involved with Teach For America’s LGBTQ affinity groups. I led the affinity group when I was in the classroom in Houston and served on the LGBTQ alumni board when I was in Boston after that. Inclusion and diversity are things that I’m super passionate about and I identify as LGBTQ so doing those things made sense for me. It also fed into professional goals of thinking of how to foster inclusion as a means of enabling people to bring their full selves to the workplace so I think it all “fit” as well. Did you visit the Ross campus, either while researching schools or to interview? If so, what impressed you? James: I visited Ross for my interview and it was my first time on campus. The entire interview day was impressive. Compared to some of the other interviews that I did, I really appreciated the intentionality with which the admissions office and the current students approached the day. At some other schools, it felt like this was just another event on the calendar but you could tell that Ross cared about (and then took action on) making a strong impression on candidates. I think Ross does a really good job at aligning their brand and student culture with the evaluative exercises which helps the adcom make the best decisions but also the accepted students know what they’re getting into. Ross’ interview style is somewhat unique, as students participate in a team-based exercise. How does this differ from a traditional interview, and what was your experience with the exercise? James: There are two components to Ross’ interview: a 1-1 behavioral which is pretty straightforward and then the group exercise which is unique. I can’t speak too much to this as I am a group exercise evaluator. Thinking back to my time as an applicant though, I remember not feeling too stressed about the process. Soojin has videos online that helped to ease any worries I might have and, having been through the process and evaluated them, can say that watching those videos are the best prep for it. What has surprised you most about Ross so far? James: Coming to Ross, I knew it had a very down-to-earth kind of culture. But I’ve been surprised as to how grounded my classmates seem to be. In classes, no one is trying to impress anyone else or one-up someone which creates this very collaborative and open environment for people to ask questions and share their experiences. Can you describe REAL and MAP? How have you benefited from these experiences? James: REAL is the umbrella office that houses all of our action based learning so MAP falls under them. Action-based learning was a huge reason Ross stood out to me. I found out in college that I learn best by doing and wanted a program where it wasn’t just something that you might do in one elective course but was built into the foundation of the program and there’s no program where that’s more true than Ross. Learning by doing is evident in all parts of our MBA program and it starts at orientation with the Business+Impact Challenge and continues with extracurricular activities like the Crisis Challenge. In that lens, MAP would be considered the capstone experience as its something all students complete. It’s the last 7 weeks of your first year where teams of 4-6 work with a sponsor to present a strategy to solve some sort of challenge that organization is facing. It’s a way for us to take everything we’ve learned in the core and apply it in the real world. During those 7 weeks, MAP is the focus and takes up the entire courseload so it’s something everyone goes through together. I’m currently working with a tech startup in San Francisco that’s looking to build out their employee volunteerism program. We’re considering issues of employee engagement and motivation and thinking strategically about how the program can sustain an ever growing organization. We were just in San Francisco for a week onsite doing firsthand interviews and working on our strategy and recommendation now back on campus. Coming from the education space, social impact and volunteerism are important to me so it’s been a tremendous experience being able to think strategically about how to ingrain volunteerism into the fabric of the organization. Outside of MAP, there are additional curricular opportunities for hands-on learning through courses like the Living Business Leadership Experience and a course working with AT Kearney consultants on operations/supply chain related projects. And then, typical to all business schools, you can join clubs that work with local business/community partners to get hands-on experience and do case competitions. We also have a number of student investment funds that many of my peers participate in to get that experience. What do you love about business school? What’s the biggest challenge? James: Let’s be honest, business school is fun. It’s a two-year time when you get to take a step back from working life and spend time with some incredible human beings. Whether that’s in study groups, lunches on campus, happy hour at a local bar, football tailgate, weekend trip, whatever, it’s a fun experience. That’s also the biggest challenge – there are so many things to do and options that it can get really overwhelming. I think those who are most successful at business school have found out how to prioritize and say “No” such that they can protect their time and get the most out of their experience but doing that isn’t always easy. What is a typical day like for you? James: A typical day is a mix of preparing for classes (working on problem sets, doing readings) and going to classes, meeting for group projects and extracurricular activities, and social engagements. Some of my classmates squeeze in a workout somewhere in the day also, I sometimes squeeze in a nap. During recruiting season, there’s usually at least 3-4 recruiting events during the week and many networking calls in the middle. Can you tell us about recruitment at Ross? James: At Ross, like most other business schools, there are two routes: on-campus recruiting and off-campus recruiting. On-campus is traditionally for the major functions (consulting, finance, marketing, operations, general management, human capital, and strategy) and for companies that have more formal recruiting practices. It involves campus corporate presentations and networking opportunities and is very structured. Off-campus is traditionally for those with more niche interests or what we consider recruiting with companies that traditionally don’t come to campus. Off-campus is basically how we’ll all get jobs after business school and involves a lot of networking and sourcing opportunities on our own. What do you think your classmates would be surprised to know about you? James: Living in Ann Arbor will be the first time since leaving for college at 18 that I’ll be living in the same apartment for more than 12 months – I’m so excited I don’t need to pack! Where do you see yourself professionally in 5 years from now? James: I hope to still be in consulting and transiting more into managing and developing effective teams. I also assume I’ll be at the point where I’ll be specializing more in my practice and I’m hoping to focus more on strategic priorities that involve organizational capacity and effectiveness. If you could relay one message to MBA applicants, what would it be? James: Take a deep breath and trust in the process. If it doesn’t work out the first time, try again – it worked for me. The more you can bring yourself to the process and be authentic, the more successful you will be. Do you have questions for James? Questions for us? Do you want to be featured in our next What is Business School Really Like? post? Know someone else who you’d love to see featured? Are there questions you’d like us to ask our students in this series? LET US KNOW! You can learn more about James by connecting with him on LinkedIn. Are you setting out on your own b-school journey? We can help you reach the finish line! Check out our MBA Admissions Consulting Services to team up with an admissions expert who will help you join the ranks of thousands of Accepted clients who get accepted to their dream schools.  For 25 years, Accepted has helped business school applicants gain acceptance to top programs. Our outstanding team of MBA admissions consultants features former business school admissions directors and professional writers who have guided our clients to admission at top MBA, EMBA, and other graduate business programs worldwide including Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Booth, INSEAD, London Business School, and many more. Want an MBA admissions expert to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch! Related Resources: • Why MBA, a guide to writing about your MBA goals • Michigan Ross MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines [2019 – 2020] • Podcast Interview With Michigan Ross Directors of Admissions Tags: MBA Admissions The post A Day (and a Year) in the Life of a Ross MBA Student appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog. |
23 Aug 2019, 10:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: Putting Your GRE Game Plan into Action |
 Did you miss all the great tips from Brett Etheridge of Dominate Test Prep during our recent webinar, Your 3-Part Game Plan to Dominate the GRE? Don’t worry – we’ve got you covered. The webinar is now live on our site and ready for viewing at your leisure – just don’t take too leisurely an approach on your GRE test preparation! Watch the webinar: hbspt.forms.create({ portalId: “58291”, formId: “4e91537f-a256-4dfb-9ef3-2331dcb18cfa” }); For 25 years, Accepted has helped applicants gain acceptance to top undergraduate and graduate programs. Our expert team of admissions consultants features former admissions directors, PhDs, and professional writers who have advised clients to acceptance at top programs worldwide including Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Princeton, Penn, Columbia, Oxford, Cambridge, INSEAD, MIT, Caltech, UC Berkeley, and Northwestern. Want an admissions expert to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch! Tags: Grad School Admissions, Law School Admissions, MBA Admissions The post Putting Your GRE Game Plan into Action appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog. |
25 Aug 2019, 09:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: UVA Darden MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines [2019 – 2020] |
 If you like the idea of constantly being thrown into the decision maker’s role, using the case method to navigate real-life business situations, then you may want to consider applying to University of Virginia’s Darden MBA program. Darden is the second-largest case publisher in North America, and because of Darden’s commitment to the case study method, a Darden student will examine over 500 business cases throughout the course of their two-year Darden MBA studies. Darden grads do well upon graduation. According to the data collected by US News & World Report, Darden grads rank 6th highest in placement rates at graduation, and 3rd highest in average starting salary and bonus – trailing only Stanford and Wharton grads. In addition, Darden is among the top feeder schools to the consulting industry, with 32% of the class of 2018 entering consulting upon graduation. Darden is particularly proud of its recent significant increase in philanthropic support – including its largest donation to Darden ever, $68 million from Sands Capital Management Founder Frank Sands Sr. Darden doubled the available funding for scholarships for students, and even international students qualify for no-cosigner loans in the U.S. – a hurdle that many applicants lacking a U.S.-based cosigner struggle with when accepted to other programs. Here are all of the questions that Darden asks in its application, with my tips in blue. In addition, Darden’s admissions team has offered some great guidance of its own here. Note that Darden’s application essays are all to be answered in text boxes, so you must keep to the word limit exactly. Darden MBA essay questions For the 2019-20 application cycle, Darden will again offer multiple short answer questions. We want to get to know all of the various facets of your background and personality. Darden MBA essay #1 Darden strives to identify and cultivate responsible leaders who follow their purpose. Please provide an example of a situation in which you have made a meaningful impact. (200 words) Darden is seeking more than a brain on a stick, as Dean Scott Beardsley likes to say. Yes, you have to have strong analytical ability, but you also have to prove your drive for impact. This essay allows you to share an example (just one!) in which you applied your drive – ideally in combination with your analytical and leadership skills – to shape an organization or marketplace. CAR (Challenge-Action-Results) format will help you demonstrate the before and after picture of this situation to prove your impact. Darden MBA essay #2 Diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission, and they work best when they are an integral and celebrated part of our community. Read University of Virginia’s Diversity & Inclusion Vision Statement. Share a time in which you engaged with a perspective, identity, community or experience that was different from your own and how it impacted your worldview. (200 words) Darden’s case method puts students into the role of protagonists from diverse industries and backgrounds. In addition, Darden students hail from 36 countries and 34 states in the U.S. Each first-year student is immersed in a learning team of 5 or 6 fellow students for the entire core curriculum to help them understand some of those other perspectives. This short essay question aims to find out if you will benefit from that kind of environment or ruin it. To answer this question well, first explain your own perspective then show how the alternate one challenged you and how you pushed yourself to examine your prejudices and preconceived notions to arrive at a deeper understanding. Darden MBA essay #3 The Batten Foundation Worldwide Scholarship provides all Darden students in our full-time MBA program with an opportunity to participate in a Darden Worldwide Course. If you could choose any location in the world, where would you want to travel, and why? (50 words) Darden has an array of international experiential learning programs and expects every one of its students to take part in at least one global opportunity during their two years in the program. Applicants should identify a location somewhere in the world that excites them and then explain the unique opportunity to learn or make an impact that they envision there. Ideally, this experience will connect in some way to your past experiences or future goals. Darden MBA essay #4 Tell us what you would want your learning team to know about you – personally, professionally, or both? (100 words) Darden is one of the smaller MBA programs, with 335 students in the class of 2020. That class size means that every single student needs to be congenial: there’s just no room for a jerk at Darden. This is a great opportunity for applicants to share an example of contributing to a personal or professional team – during a difficult situation, through a crisis, or just with a specific set of insights, talents, or personality traits. Then, draw the connections to show how this experience will prepare you to contribute to your learning team. Darden MBA essay #5 What is your short-term, post-MBA career goal and why? (150 words) This question has remained the same for a few years. You have room here for two small paragraphs to explain your expected path after you graduate from Darden. If your goals are seen as unachievable – for example, investment banking or consulting industry aspirations despite having a low GMAT score, or a pharmaceutical general management ambition despite having no background or education in that field – then you will have weeded yourself out of the class. Darden also has a few fields to which they send most of their students; if you wish to stray greatly from them, you will need to demonstrate your ability to tap your own connections and network to help pave that path – as 20% of 2018 Darden graduates did. A final note: Darden’s online application form has no word limit for your job description in the “Where Have You Worked?” section of the application form; a generous 550-word limit to describe each activity in the “What do you do for fun?” professional associations and community activities section; and a 200-word allotment for your College Extracurriculars and Employment description. While I would not recommend detailing every single project you contributed to in these sections, these spaces do certainly allow more detail than many other schools’ applications, which tend to be more parsimonious with their character limits and even the number of activities you can mention in these sections. Darden is clearly seeking active students and wants to hear about all of your passions. I recommend using some of the allotted space to describe your most significant initiatives, roles, and impacts to compensate for the limited essay space. For expert guidance with your UVA Darden MBA 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 top MBA programs and look forward to helping you too! UVA Darden MBA 2019-2020 application deadlines Application Deadline Decisions Released Early Action September 3, 2019* October 9, 2019 Round 1 October 4, 2019 December 11, 2019 Round 2 January 6, 2020 March 18, 2020 Round 3 April 6, 2020 May 6, 2020 All applications for the full-time MBA are due by 11:59 p.m. ET on the deadline day. * Darden’s Early Action deadline is not binding. You may accept Darden’s offer of admission and place a deposit of $3000 to hold your place in the class while you continue to apply to other programs. ***Disclaimer: Information is subject to change. Please check with individual programs to verify the essay questions, instructions and deadlines.***  By Jennifer Bloom, admissions consultant at Accepted for 20 years and Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW). She is an expert at guiding you to produce application materials that truly differentiate you from the rest of the driven applicant pool. If you would like help with your application, Jennifer can suggest a number of options that work with any budget. Want Jennifer to help you get accepted? Click here to get in touch! Related Resources: • Why MBA, a free guide to writing about your MBA goals • What’s Life Like as a Darden MBA and Entrepreneur?, a podcast episode • What Is the Diversity Essay Question & How Do You Answer It? Tags: MBA Admissions The post UVA Darden MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines [2019 – 2020] appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog. |
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