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MBA Admissions Consultant
Joined: 20 Apr 2003
Posts: 6466
Own Kudos [?]: 848 [0]
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Location: Los Angeles CA
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MBA Admissions Consultant
Joined: 20 Apr 2003
Posts: 6466
Own Kudos [?]: 848 [0]
Given Kudos: 92
Location: Los Angeles CA
Send PM
MBA Admissions Consultant
Joined: 20 Apr 2003
Posts: 6466
Own Kudos [?]: 848 [0]
Given Kudos: 92
Location: Los Angeles CA
Send PM
MBA Admissions Consultant
Joined: 20 Apr 2003
Posts: 6466
Own Kudos [?]: 848 [0]
Given Kudos: 92
Location: Los Angeles CA
Send PM
MBA Students Pay Off Student Loans Faster Than Other Grad Degrees [#permalink]
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FROM Accepted.com Blog: MBA Students Pay Off Student Loans Faster Than Other Grad Degrees
[img]https://blog.accepted.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/MBA_Students_Pay_Off_Loans_Faster_2021.jpg[/img]
[url=https://blog.accepted.com/category/mba-admissions/][img]https://blog.accepted.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/MBA_Students_Pay_Off_Loans_Faster_2021.jpg[/img][/url]

Most grad students take out student loans to finance their higher education and can end up saddled with debt running into hundreds of thousands of dollars by the time they graduate. According to a [url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/elite-mba-harvard-stanford-wharton-11635270641?st=omokbw8j3xen1t9&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink]Wall Street Journal analysis[/url] of federal student loan data for nearly 600 programs, graduates of approximately 98% of universities that offer MBA programs usually made more money two years after graduation than they had borrowed. Contrast this with law schools, where approximately 6% of programs had grads with higher median salaries than debt for the same time period.

There are many reasons that students pursue an MBA – the promise of a significantly higher salary, the ability to enter a new industry, or the pursuit of an executive track to name a few. However, [url=https://www.accepted.com/mba/paying-for-your-mba]the high cost of getting an MBA[/url], which can range from $100,000 to $250,000 or more after living expenses are added to tuition and fees, can be enough to change many potential students’ minds. Despite the relatively low-interest federal loans available to grad students, the amount that students can borrow is fixed at $41,000, leaving some students with no choice but to take out additional higher-interest (but unlimited) Grad Plus loans. So it is encouraging to potential MBA applicants to see that what has long been thought of as a “no-brainer investment” does essentially pay off.

However, there are other factors which skew the data somewhat. There have been efforts to diversify the applicant pool for business schools, yet a significant proportion of MBA applicants still enter programs with professional experience, often in finance or other high-earning industries, thereby accelerating their career paths and making the post-MBA cohort a financially healthy group. Moreover, the data in the Wall Street Journal’s analysis reflects federal government loan programs and does not include private loans.

Not everyone who graduates with an MBA sees significant increases in salary. According to Paulo Goes, dean of Tulane business school, 2020 grads have had an especially difficult time since a lot of companies stopped recruiting MBA graduates during the pandemic. The impact of this slow-down is seen in graduates’ placements and salaries.

[url=https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/58291/a7004604-d7d1-4d1f-98ef-a0ec53d7e590][img]https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/58291/a7004604-d7d1-4d1f-98ef-a0ec53d7e590.png[/img][/url]

For-profit business schools had a lower rate of students who repaid their loans after two years. Strayer University in Washington, DC had 2% of students fully repay their loans during the two-year period following graduation, with about 33% asking to temporarily stop payments. Strayer students borrowed a median of $74,000, but half of the grads earned less than $57,000 two years post-graduation.

Approximately a dozen other business schools revealed median debt loads that were greater than grads’ median salaries. Several schools stated that this is because students attended their expensive dual-degree programs. Roseman University of Health Sciences reported the highest debt to earnings of any program, with students borrowing a median of $172,000.

Even so, there is much to be gleaned from the data that would make an MBA worth the time and investment. Analysis shows that at several elite programs, including [url=https://blog.accepted.com/harvard-business-school-mba-essay-tips-deadlines/]Harvard Business School[/url] and the [url=https://blog.accepted.com/stanford-gsb-mba-essay-tips-deadlines/]Stanford Graduate School of Business[/url], the median starting salary after graduation permitted more than half of grads to pay off their federal student loan debt within two years.

Interestingly, some of the most expensive MBA programs had some of the lowest debt load. Graduates of [url=https://blog.accepted.com/dartmouth-tuck-mba-essay-tips-deadlines/]Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business[/url] borrowed a median of $41,000 in federal loans without turning to more expensive Grad Plus loans. Harvard Business School graduates had a median of $41,000 in debt, and median salaries of about $172,000. According to Chad Losee, Harvard’s managing director of MBA admissions, approximately 56% of the class of 2020 graduated with some debt, averaging $79,000 in combined federal and private loans.

As Poets & Quants points out in its analysis of the Journal’s article, earnings are a reflection of the graduate’s chosen industry and the job’s location. Harvard reported a record pay year with 7% of the latest class taking positions in hedge funds and investment management jobs. The median total compensation for last year’s grads was $203,307, including a median salary of $152,682, sign-on bonuses of $27,500 reported by 54% of grads, and $132,500 in other guaranteed compensation reported by 27% of grads.

It is also worth noting that business schools have been increasing the number of [url=https://www.accepted.com/mba/paying-for-your-mba]scholarships they award to students[/url] over the last decade. Harvard distributes scholarships to defray the cost of its MBA program, distributing $40 million in fellowships to its MBA students last year. Approximately half of the enrolled students received scholarships averaging more than $42,000 per student in fiscal 2020.

P&Q top 10 business schools debt-income ratio

[b]P&Q Rank and School[/b][b]Median [/b]
[b]Debt[/b][b]Median [/b]
[b]Income[/b][b]Debt-Income [/b]
[b]Ratio[/b]1. [url=https://blog.accepted.com/stanford-gsb-mba-essay-tips-deadlines/]Stanford GSB[/url]$41,000$163,3370.252. [url=https://blog.accepted.com/chicago-booth-mba-essay-tips-deadlines/]Chicago (Booth)[/url]$68,376$159,4420.433. [url=https://blog.accepted.com/wharton-mba-essay-tips-deadlines/]Pennsylvania (Wharton)[/url]$47,275$175,6740.274. [url=https://blog.accepted.com/harvard-business-school-mba-essay-tips-deadlines/]Harvard[/url]$41,000$171,9070.245. [url=https://blog.accepted.com/kellogg-mba-essay-tips-deadlines/]Northwestern (Kellogg)[/url]$149,545$189,5650.796. [url=https://blog.accepted.com/mit-sloan-mba-essay-tips-deadlines/]MIT (Sloan)[/url]N/AN/AN/A7. [url=https://blog.accepted.com/columbia-business-school-mba-essay-tips-deadlines/]Columbia[/url]$61,349$170,4260.368. [url=https://blog.accepted.com/uc-berkeley-haas-mba-essay-tips-deadlines/]UC Berkeley (Haas)[/url]$57,297$171,9360.339. [url=https://blog.accepted.com/dartmouth-tuck-mba-essay-tips-deadlines/]Dartmouth (Tuck)[/url]$41,000$167,2950.2510. [url=https://blog.accepted.com/yale-som-mba-essay-tips-deadlines/]Yale SOM[/url]$69,938$147,8580.47

There seems to be much reassurance in the data that an MBA from a top school will indeed open doors to a lucrative career and allow one to pay off debts sooner than other programs.

[b]Are you considering an MBA to maximize your earning potential? The stats show that the investment is worth it, but it takes an outstanding application to impress the elite schools. [url=https://www.accepted.com/mba/services?utm_campaign=Blog&utm_medium=mbas_pay_loans&utm_source=blog]Our experienced MBA admissions consultants work with you one-on-one, throughout the process, to help you get ACCEPTED![/url][/b]

[url=https://www.accepted.com/mba/services?utm_campaign=Blog&utm_medium=blog_bio_mba&utm_source=blog][img]https://blog.accepted.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/accepted_admissions_consulting.jpg[/img][/url]
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. [url=https://www.accepted.com/mba/services?utm_campaign=Blog&utm_medium=blog_bio_mba&utm_source=blog][b]Want an MBA admissions expert [/b][b]to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch![/b][/url]

[url=https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/58291/150d87b2-80f9-4c25-8209-110a58986566][img]https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/58291/150d87b2-80f9-4c25-8209-110a58986566.png[/img][/url]

[b]Related Resources:[/b]

• [url=https://blog.accepted.com/when-is-the-mba-worth-the-time-and-money-episode-346/]Is an MBA Worth It, or Is the Sky Falling Down on the MBA Degree?[/url], a podcast episode
• [url=https://reports.accepted.com/top-mba-essay-tips?hsLang=en]Top MBA Application Essays: How to Answer Them Right[/url]
• [url=https://blog.accepted.com/busting-2-mba-myths/]Top 10 or Bust: Dispelling 2 MBA Myths[/url]

The post [url=https://blog.accepted.com/mba-students-pay-off-student-loans-faster-than-other-grad-degrees/]MBA Students Pay Off Student Loans Faster Than Other Grad Degrees[/url] appeared first on [url=https://blog.accepted.com]Accepted Admissions Blog[/url].
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M7 MBA Programs: Everything You Need to Know in 2021-2022 [#permalink]
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FROM Accepted.com Blog: M7 MBA Programs: Everything You Need to Know in 2021-2022
[img]https://blog.accepted.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/m7-mba-programs-everything-you-need-to-know-2021-2022_copy.jpg[/img]
[url=https://blog.accepted.com/resources/mba-admissions/mba-essay-tip-posts/][img]https://blog.accepted.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/m7-mba-programs-everything-you-need-to-know-2021-2022_copy.jpg[/img][/url]

What are the M7 business schools?

[list][*][url=https://blog.accepted.com#hbs]Harvard Business School[/url]

[/*][*][url=https://blog.accepted.com#stanford-gsb]Stanford Graduate School of Business[/url]

[/*][*][url=https://blog.accepted.com#mit]MIT Sloan School of Management[/url]

[/*][*][url=https://blog.accepted.com#kellogg]Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management[/url]
[/*][*][url=https://blog.accepted.com#booth]University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business[/url]

[/*][*][url=https://blog.accepted.com#wharton]Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania[/url]

[/*][*][url=https://blog.accepted.com#cbs]Columbia Business School[/url][/*][/list]

Talk about diversity! Seven distinct, vivid cultures – each with its own history, values, characteristics, opportunities, and challenges.

Sure, there are many commonalities among the M7 schools: all are highly competitive, all feature deep academic resources, all are supported by committed and involved alumni, all attract top-tier recruiters (even in down business cycles). Yet the most important commonality is their individual uniqueness! Their strong and determined “individualism” literally reflects their leadership in the MBA realm. They rise to their prominent position because they are the leaders in their domain, graduate business education. So, they reasonably expect you – their students and prospective students – to have correspondingly high ambitions, whether your domain be finance, healthcare, energy, social entrepreneurship, or something else.

While [url=https://blog.accepted.com/writing-the-diversity-essay/]these M7 programs all value diversity[/url], together they also represent diversity.

What makes the M7s so magnificent?

Of course, there are other elite MBA programs. These 7 have a history together that continues –their deans connected with each other years ago and formed a group to regularly meet and share information. Eventually these meetings grew beyond just the deans to include others within their admissions offices, creating a consistent flow of information. Meetings and discussions address a range of issues, including best practices for components of the admissions process and responses to current events that directly impact MBA admissions.

A deeper look at the M7s

Harvard Business School

[url=https://blog.accepted.com/harvard-business-school-mba-essay-tips-deadlines/][img]https://blog.accepted.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/harvard_business_school.jpg[/img][/url]

There is not a day I regret going to HBS. The classes I am taking this year have been incredibly valuable, being taught by practitioners who have been incredibly successful in their careers. The case method is also incredibly unique. You are learning from peers who have collective experiences no individual could have themselves – from the military, Tesla, big corporations with different missions and visions, and all are invaluable to my learning experience.
Tess Michaels, then a second-year student at Harvard Business School; today Founder & CEO of Stride Funding, on [url=https://blog.accepted.com/hbs-22-student-launches-innovative-new-student-loan-start-up/]Admissions Straight Talk[/url]

Immersion could be the keyword for the Harvard Business School experience. The cornerstone of the program is the case-study academic approach: students read the case and then intensively analyze it both before and in class. The aim is to train students in real-world, complex decision-making. By continuously engaging with classmates from different functions and industries/sectors in these case discussions, students radically expand their perspectives, thought processes, and knowledge. This immersive experience is heightened and enhanced by the smarts, passion, and ambition of HBS students. Outside of class, these high-achieving, high-energy students participate together in many club and volunteer activities. The two years just fly by, and suddenly you’re graduating, when it seems like you’ve just started at HBS, thanks to the nonstop immersion and engagement.

[b]Median GMAT score: [/b]730

[b]Average GPA: [/b]3.69

[b]Acceptance Rate: [/b]9.2%

[b]What HBS is looking for in applicants: [/b]

Given the case approach, HBS seeks students and future leaders who will carry their weight and contribute fully in the classroom – people who have something to say and the ability to communicate it. Further, they must be able to listen, respond thoughtfully, and adapt to new ideas as the dialogue progresses. Beyond the requisite high accomplishment, people who enthusiastically and capably engage.

For more on this, check out our blog series, [url=https://blog.accepted.com/tag/what-hbs-is-looking-for/]What HBS is Looking For?[/url]

[b]More HBS Resources:[/b]

[url=https://blog.accepted.com/harvard-business-school-mba-class-profile/]HBS Class Profile[/url]

[url=https://blog.accepted.com/harvard-business-school-mba-essay-tips-deadlines/]HBS Application Essay Tips[/url]

[url=https://reports.accepted.com/mba/webinar/harvard-business-school?hsCtaTracking=329876d8-775f-403c-90be-0c9882a61619%7Cb6005399-2580-4f2f-a8c0-b15d9f8dae93]Get Accepted to HBS Webinar[/url]

[url=https://blog.accepted.com/a-harvard-mbas-experience-advice-on-writing-the-perfect-essay/]A Harvard MBA’s Experience & Advice on Writing the Perfect Essay[/url]

[url=https://blog.accepted.com/hbs-22-student-launches-innovative-new-student-loan-start-up/]Interview with an HBS 2+2 Student and Entrepreneur[/url]

[url=https://www.accepted.com/mba/services?utm_campaign=Blog&utm_medium=m7_what_you_need_to_know&utm_source=article]Work on Your HBS Application with an HBS Admissions Expert[/url]

[url=https://blog.accepted.com/7-tips-for-writing-harvards-mba-post-interview-reflections/]7 Important Tips for Your HBS Post-Interview Reflection[/url]

Stanford Graduate School of Business

[url=https://blog.accepted.com/stanford-gsb-mba-essay-tips-deadlines/][img]https://blog.accepted.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/stanford.png[/img][/url]

Stanford wants people of impact. Show the Stanford GSB that you are that kind of person. All the essays should lead Stanford to that conclusion.
Linda Abraham, CEO of Accepted, in her [url=https://blog.accepted.com/stanford-gsb-mba-essay-tips-deadlines/]Stanford Application Essay Tips[/url]

Transformation, nothing less – that’s what Stanford is about. With its Silicon Valley connection and “mythology” (as one student puts it on the website), innovation, change, and entrepreneurship shape the Stanford program. Its small, elite cohort goes on an exploratory journey together, and many emerge in a different place than they expected when they started out. This journey integrates the personal and the professional – in Stanford’s multifaceted pedagogical approach, building business and leadership skills is tied to understanding and defining your mission, your vision. Beyond the MBA classroom students learn from and engage with numerous guest speakers who represent the cutting edge in their fields and are encouraged to access Stanford’s various other top-notch programs, including law, medicine, engineering, humanities, and sciences. During the program Stanford students form a robust, mutually supportive network for testing out ideas, boundaries, and one’s own assumptions and inclinations.

[url=https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/58291/9bb31be0-3cf6-45f0-be3d-3791cc1bd9bd][img]https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/58291/9bb31be0-3cf6-45f0-be3d-3791cc1bd9bd.png[/img][/url]

[b]Stanford GSB Average GMAT score: [/b]738

[b]Stanford GSB[/b] [b]Average GPA: [/b]3.78

[b]Stanford GSB[/b] [b]Acceptance Rate:[/b] 8.9%

[b]What Stanford GSB is looking for in applicants: [/b]

Given the above encapsulation of the program, Stanford wants people who will be excellent “fellow travelers.” People who have – and bring to the program – a point of view, a unique perspective. Risk-takers. Change agents. At the same time, they deliberately remain a “work in progress” – always open to new information, ideas, situations and willing to change accordingly. They relish exploration and collaboration.

For more on this, check out our blog series, [url=https://blog.accepted.com/tag/what-stanford-gsb-is-looking-for/]What Stanford GSB is Looking For[/url].

[b]More Stanford GSB resources:[/b]

[url=https://blog.accepted.com/stanford-gbb-mba-class-profile/]Stanford MBA Class Profile[/url]

[url=https://blog.accepted.com/stanford-gsb-mba-essay-tips-deadlines/]Stanford MBA Application Essay Tips[/url]

[url=https://blog.accepted.com/what-these-seasoned-startup-founders-have-done-since-earning-their-stanford-mbas/]Interview with Recent Stanford GSB Graduates[/url]

[url=https://reports.accepted.com/mba/webinar/stanford_graduate_school_of_business_webinar]Get Accepted to Stanford GSB Webinar[/url]

[url=https://blog.accepted.com/stanford-mba-discusses-coffee-chats-episode-437/]A Stanford MBA Discusses Coffee Chats[/url]

[url=https://blog.accepted.com/stanford-mba-grows-his-amazing-tech-startup/]Interview with a Stanford GSB Student Combining an MBA with a Tech Startup[/url]

[url=https://blog.accepted.com/knight-hennessy-scholars-stanford/]Applying to the Stanford Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program: Everything You Need to Know[/url]

[url=https://www.accepted.com/mba/services?utm_campaign=Blog&utm_medium=m7_what_you_need_to_know&utm_source=article]Work on Your Stanford GSB Application with an Admissions Expert[/url]

MIT Sloan

[url=https://blog.accepted.com/mit-sloan-mba-essay-tips-deadlines/][img]https://blog.accepted.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/MIT-Sloan-new-building-long.png[/img][/url]

If you are looking to put the finishing touches on your essay, we recommend you have two people review – someone who knows you really well and can tell you if it sounds like you, and someone who you trust but maybe doesn’t know you as well to get a sense of what the essay does sound like, and judge whether or not it’s the way you want it to be.
Dawna Levenson, Assistant Dean, on [url=https://media.blubrry.com/admissions_straight_talk/p/www.accepted.com/hubfs/Podcast_audio_files/Podcast/IV_with_Dawna_Levenson_2018_Final2.mp3]Admissions Straight Talk[/url]

“We welcome wicked problems.” That quote from the MIT MBA website captures what’s special about the MIT Sloan MBA. The MIT cohort learns how to develop robust solutions that can weather uncertainty, ambiguity, and change. And they take pleasure in that learning. Sure, the adcom wants leaders, of a sort – “anti-leaders” – people who become leaders organically by drawing others along the journey to solve a wicked problem. The MIT MBA roots its approach in two concepts that intertwine: invention, entailing creativity and agility, and data-driven analysis, entailing rigor and objectivity. These concepts align with the broader MIT university. Just as a robust process involves iteration, this program supports its pedagogy with ongoing experiential learning opportunities – practice – to reinforce and deepen the learning and ensure the students grasp topics in a real-world context. In essence, the MIT MBA program graduates people who are able to see around corners and are prepared to make constructive use of whatever they encounter. They will probably lead others in the process, but that’s a result of their zeal and/or vision to tackle a compelling problem.

[b]MIT Sloan Median GMAT score:[/b] 730

[b]MIT Sloan[/b] [b]Median GPA:[/b] 3.59

[b]MIT Sloan[/b] [b]Acceptance Rate: [/b]14.6%

[b]What MIT Sloan is looking for in applicants: [/b]

Can you be guided by the data? MIT seeks students who are open to going where the data leads, even if it contradicts their preferences or assumptions. MIT also seeks people who possess both vision and practical skills. Who are creative and analytic. That doesn’t mean they expect (or want) these qualities 50/50. But, if, say you veer toward creative and visionary, you should still show a record of concrete impact and achievement. Needless to say, in such a program, curiosity and collaboration are also sought.

[b]More MIT Sloan Resources:[/b]

[url=https://blog.accepted.com/mit-sloan-mba-essay-tips-deadlines/]MIT Sloan MBA Application Essay Tips and Class Profile[/url]

[url=https://blog.accepted.com/whats-new-at-mit-sloans-competitive-full-time-mba/]Interview with Dawna Levenson, MIT Sloan’s Assistant Dean of Admissions[/url]

[url=https://reports.accepted.com/mba/webinar/mit-ama]Ask Me Anything with MIT Sloan’s Assistant Dean of Admissions[/url]

[url=https://www.accepted.com/mba/services?utm_campaign=Blog&utm_medium=m7_what_you_need_to_know&utm_source=article]Work on Your MIT Sloan Application with an MIT Admissions Expert[/url]

Wharton

[url=https://blog.accepted.com/wharton-mba-essay-tips-deadlines/][img]https://blog.accepted.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Whartons-Huntsman-Hall.png[/img][/url]

We want students to do self-reflection on why they want this degree. We want students to explore the pivot moment (when they decided they wanted to do this) and unpack the talent and treasure they can bring to the MBA. Spend the time and really think about the top three things you will get out of the program.
Blair Mannix, Director of Admissions, on [url=https://blog.accepted.com/how-to-present-a-winning-wharton-application-episode-342/]Admissions Straight Talk[/url]

The Wharton MBA program is big – almost 900 enrolled students, multiple opportunities for joint degrees and certificates (from law and veterinary medicine to the Lauder program and Harvard Kennedy School), 18 majors, innumerable electives including courses across the 11 other campus schools, and clubs too many to count in several broad categories: professional, athletics, social and special interest, community service, and international and cultural. YET – Wharton does not sacrifice quality for quantity. Each of those many majors is deep and rigorous. Moreover, its tiered structure of 5-6-person Learning Teams at the core selected to be diverse in multiple dimensions, surrounded by Clusters of 70 or so, encircled by Cohorts of about 200, ensures some consistency and drives dynamism throughout the learning process. Especially with the Learning Teams and Cohorts, what you learn from teammates and classmates will help you to and take full advantage of the program’s vast resources – and in turn you can share what you discover about the program with them – your “2 cents” about a class or a major or a club might open a magical door for someone who otherwise would not have encountered it among the abundance of opportunities. While bigness and abundance characterize this program, Wharton has devised the perfect learning structure that personalizes and optimizes it for students.

[b]Wharton[/b] [b]Average GMAT score: [/b]733

[b]Wharton[/b] [b]Average GPA: [/b]3.6

[b]Wharton[/b] [b]Acceptance Rate: [/b]23.1%

[b]What Wharton is looking for in applicants: [/b]

Wharton wants applicants who, along with being high performers, are actively engaged in activities and/or interests that contribute somehow – it doesn’t necessarily have to be community service, but some clear and consistent engagement outside work that positively impacts others. Finally, given Wharton’s extensive opportunities and resources, it is essential that applicants show they are resourceful – Wharton does not want its abundance squandered.

[b]More Wharton Resources:[/b]

[url=https://blog.accepted.com/wharton-mba-class-of-2021-profile/]Wharton MBA Class Profile[/url]

[url=https://blog.accepted.com/wharton-mba-essay-tips-deadlines/]Wharton MBA Application Essay Tips[/url]

[url=https://blog.accepted.com/9-tips-for-team-interviews/]9 Tips for Team Interviews[/url]

[url=https://reports.accepted.com/mba/webinar/get_accepted_to_wharton_webinar]Get Accepted to Wharton Webinar Webinar[/url]

[url=https://blog.accepted.com/whats-new-at-wharton-mba-episode-440-2/]What’s New at Wharton? 2021 Interview with Wharton’s Director of Admissions[/url]

[url=https://blog.accepted.com/how-to-present-a-winning-wharton-application/]How to Present a Winning Wharton Application: Interview with Wharton’s Director of Admissions[/url]

[url=https://blog.accepted.com/a-bain-consultant-turned-wharton-mba-starts-her-own-business/]A Bain Consultant-Turned Wharton MBA Starts Her Own Business[/url]

[url=https://blog.accepted.com/how-this-wharton-mba-created-her-womens-workwear-brand/]How This Wharton MBA Created Her Women’s Workwear Brand[/url]

[url=https://www.accepted.com/mba/services?utm_campaign=Blog&utm_medium=m7_what_you_need_to_know&utm_source=article]Work on Your Wharton Application With an Admissions Expert[/url]

Kellogg School of Management

[url=https://blog.accepted.com/kellogg-mba-essay-tips-deadlines/][img]https://blog.accepted.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Northwestern-Kellogg-Essay-Tips.png[/img][/url]

Kellogg values people who are going to be engaged and “all in” with their experience…Bottom line we look at engagement, initiative, and collaboration. High impact, low ego – people who elevate everyone in the room.
Kate Smith, Assistant Dean of Admissions, on [url=https://blog.accepted.com/get-a-kellogg-mba-an-interview-with-dean-of-admissions-kate-smith/]Admissions Straight Talk[/url]

Teamwork and management remain hallmarks of the Kellogg MBA program – teamwork is a means to the ends of learning content and skills, growing as a leader and manager, preparing for your goals, and contributing to the Kellogg community. Kellogg’s renowned strength in management underpins the academic program with two management-focused majors, “Management Science” and “Managing Organizations,” along with numerous other traditional functional majors. Complementing these pillars of business training, Kellogg has innovated by offering also “Pathways,” which are cross-functional sets of courses that address timely topics, including, to mention a few new ones, “Technology Management,” “Energy and Sustainability,” and “Asset Management.” Students can mix-and-match majors and pathways, benefiting from the accumulated wisdom of the scholars and experts who devise them. Kellogg has innovated in another area as well: it is one of the first US MBA programs to offer a one-year program (for people with some academic business foundation). Not least, Kellogg is renowned for its abundant global opportunities, which are taken by almost half of the students.

[b]Kellogg Average GMAT score: [/b]727

[b]Kellogg Average GPA: [/b]3.7

[b]Kellogg Acceptance Rate: [/b]27.9%

[b]What Kellogg is looking for in applicants: [/b]

Kellogg greatly values work experience that shows exemplary people skills: leadership, teamwork, collaboration, communication and that also presents a record of impactful accomplishment. As Kellogg’s student body is particularly strong in philanthropic activity, including this element is a way to show fit with the program.

[b]More Kellogg Resources:[/b]

[url=https://blog.accepted.com/kellogg-mba-class-of-2022-profile/]Kellogg MBA Class Profile[/url]

[url=https://blog.accepted.com/kellogg-mba-essay-tips-deadlines/]Kellogg MBA Application Essay Tips[/url]

[url=https://blog.accepted.com/all-about-the-kellogg-mbai-for-students-passionate-about-business-and-technology/]All About the Kellogg MBAi, for Students Passionate About Business and Technology[/url]

[url=https://blog.accepted.com/get-a-kellogg-mba-an-interview-with-dean-of-admissions-kate-smith/]Get a Kellogg MBA: An Interview with Dean of Admissions Kate Smith[/url]

[url=https://blog.accepted.com/from-biomedical-research-to-kellogg-mba-a-non-traditional-business-school-journey/]Interview with a Kellogg MBA Student[/url]

[url=https://www.accepted.com/mba/services?utm_campaign=Blog&utm_medium=m7_what_you_need_to_know&utm_source=article]Work on Your Kellogg Application with an Admissions Expert[/url]

Chicago Booth

[url=https://blog.accepted.com/chicago-booth-mba-essay-tips-deadlines/][img]https://blog.accepted.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Chicago-booth-Harper-Center.png[/img][/url]

[Booth is] looking for students who demonstrate self-awareness and direction. They want to read your application and see, based on what you’ve done, that you’re going to make a mark on the world.
Linda Abraham, CEO of Accepted, in her [url=https://blog.accepted.com/chicago-booth-mba-essay-tips-deadlines/]Chicago Booth Application Essay Tips[/url]

Academic and intellectual rigor balanced by curricular flexibility – this intriguing balancing act is the valuable gift of the [url=https://blog.accepted.com/chicago-booth-mba-essay-tips-deadlines/]Chicago Booth MBA program[/url]. Intellectual culture is paramount at Booth – a reflection of the identity of the broader university to which it belongs. In the Booth MBA program, ideas are important – having them, sharing them, challenging them, testing them – and acting on them when the time is right. Booth has unrivalled depth among MBA programs in quantitative and analytic rigor. This is a fantastic asset both for students who want to refine existing strengths in these areas and, also, for students seeking a rock-solid foundation in them. Booth’s flexibility means students tailor their own learning program to their needs, which puts the onus on students to understand what they need. Although students need not take a major, many Booth students do, in fact often pursuing a few, and Booth has compiled a fascinating array of majors that includes both standard items like “Accounting” and “Marketing Strategy” and less common ones like “Behavioral Science” and “Econometrics and Statistics.”

[url=https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/58291/a7004604-d7d1-4d1f-98ef-a0ec53d7e590][img]https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/58291/a7004604-d7d1-4d1f-98ef-a0ec53d7e590.png[/img][/url]

[b]Chicago Booth Average GMAT score:[/b] 732

[b]Chicago Booth Average GPA: [/b]3.60

[b]Chicago Booth Acceptance Rate:[/b] 27.6%

[b]What Booth is looking for in applicants: [/b]

Because of the program’s flexibility, Booth looks for people who have the self-knowledge, critical thinking skills, and resourcefulness to make the most out of it and use it productively. And because the program values ideas, it looks for applicants who will go beyond practical career training to explore new topics, areas, disciplines, and who will challenge themselves intellectually.

(for more on this, check out [url=https://blog.accepted.com/identifying-and-articulating-fit-with-the-booth-mba-do-your-work-experience-and-career-goals-jibe-with-booths-mission/]Identifying and Articulating Fit With the Booth MBA: Do Your Work Experience and Career Goals Jibe With Booth’s Mission?[/url])

[b]More Chicago Booth Resources:[/b]

[url=https://blog.accepted.com/chicago-booth-class-profile/]Booth MBA Class Profile[/url]

[url=https://blog.accepted.com/chicago-booth-mba-essay-tips-deadlines/]Booth MBA Application Essay Tips[/url]

[url=https://reports.accepted.com/mba/webinar/chicago_booth_mba]Get Accepted to Chicago Booth Webinar[/url]

[url=https://www.accepted.com/mba/services?utm_campaign=Blog&utm_medium=m7_what_you_need_to_know&utm_source=article]Work on Your Chicago Booth Application with an Accepted Admissions Expert[/url]

Columbia Business School

[url=https://blog.accepted.com/columbia-business-school-mba-essay-tips-deadlines/][img]https://blog.accepted.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Columbia-Business-School-blog.png[/img][/url]

To me [what interests me about you as an applicant is] what kind of leader will you prove to be with the people you are around right now. Do you make the people you are around right now better and how do you do that?
Michael Robinson, Director of Admissions, in an [url=https://reports.accepted.com/mba/webinar/columbia_business_school_ama]AMA Session with Accepted[/url]

Its New York City home is integral to Columbia’s MBA program and the program’s identity. Right on its website landing page, the first lines cite the benefit of being “at the very center of business.” Thanks to this location, along with its renowned full-time faculty, Columbia attracts adjuncts and speakers who are thought leaders in many areas of business and beyond, because so many either reside in/near NYC or visit frequently. Because Columbia’s ongoing interaction with the city makes it such a dynamic program, it builds student community from the start through the cluster program – clusters comprise 60-75 diverse students who take all first-year classes together. As for academics, CBS’s depth in finance is unique: along with a “Financed” major, it offers majors in “Private Equity” and “Value Investing.” Other highly acclaimed specializations are “Social Enterprise” and “Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Management” – the latter strengthened by the plethora of major pharma companies within a couple hours’ drive. The NYC location also reinforces and amplifies the “Entrepreneurship” resources, given the city’s strong tech and fintech ecosystem.

[b]CBS Average GMAT Score:[/b] 729

[b]CBS Average GPA: [/b]3.50

[b]CBS[/b] [b]Acceptance Rate:[/b] 13.6%

[b]What Columbia Business School is looking for in applicants: [/b]

Beyond strong professional and academic track records, Columbia wants people who have a plan – for taking advantage of the CBS resources, for engaging with the surrounding city and its endless opportunities, and for pursuing their defined goals. Because it’s easy to fade into the background in the immensity of NYC and the dynamism of Columbia University, CBS also wants students who can and do forge bonds with peers.

[b]More CBS Resources:[/b]

[url=https://blog.accepted.com/columbia-business-school-mba-class-profile/]CBS MBA Class Profile[/url]

[url=https://blog.accepted.com/columbia-business-school-mba-essay-tips-deadlines/]CBS MBA Application Essay Tips[/url]

[url=https://blog.accepted.com/an-mbas-perspective-on-columbia-business-school/]Interview with a Columbia Business School Student[/url]

[url=https://reports.accepted.com/mba/webinar/columbia-business-school-ama]Ask Me Anything, With Columbia MBA Admissions Director Michael Robinson[/url]

[url=https://reports.accepted.com/mba/webinar/get-accepted-to-columbia-business-school]Get Accepted to Columbia Business School Webinar[/url]

[url=https://www.accepted.com/mba/services?utm_campaign=Blog&utm_medium=m7_what_you_need_to_know&utm_source=article]Work on Your CBS Application with an MBA Admissions Expert[/url]

A final words about the M7s

Given their distinctive personalities, deep and comprehensive resources, and continuous adaptation to rapid economic, social, and technological change, these 7 MBA programs continue to lead in the MBA space. As different as they are, many applicants can find their needs met by several if not all of them – each program will provide a positive life-changing experience in its own unique way. [url=https://blog.accepted.com/cant-visit-b-schools-person/]Exploring these programs in depth[/url] is a perfect way to kickoff your MBA process, as you will be inspired to create and deliver your absolute best application presentation.

[b]The Accepted team has guided hundreds of applicants to acceptance at the M7s.

Our advisors are ready to walk you through the application process. We will help you figure out which schools you have a chance of getting accepted to (you may be pleasantly surprised!) and guide you every step of the way to ensure that you submit a magnificent, acceptance-worthy application. [url=https://www.accepted.com/mba/services?utm_campaign=Blog&utm_medium=m7_what_you_need_to_know&utm_source=blog]Learn more about our MBA Admissions Services here.[/url][/b]

[url=https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/58291/0569a129-6a19-4722-9907-4feb089abe1a][img]https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/58291/0569a129-6a19-4722-9907-4feb089abe1a.png[/img][/url]

[img]https://blog.accepted.com/cindy-tokumitsu-accepted-consultant/[/img]
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. [url=https://www.accepted.com/experts/cindy-tokumitsu?utm_campaign=Blog&utm_medium=blog_bio_cindy&utm_source=blog#open-form][b]Want Cindy to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch![/b][/url]

[b]Related Resources:[/b]

[list][*][url=https://blog.accepted.com/how-will-covid-19-impact-your-admissions-journey-5-mba-admissions-experts-speak/]How Will COVID-19 Impact Your Admissions Journey: 5 MBA Admissions Experts Speak[/url][/*][*][url=https://www.accepted.com/mba/selectivity-index]Business School Selectivity Index [Can I Get Into My Dream School?][/url][/*][*][url=https://blog.accepted.com/harvard-stanford-wharton-whats-the-difference/]Harvard, Stanford, Wharton: What’s the Difference?[/url], a short video[/*][/list]

The M7 business schools are [url=https://blog.accepted.com#hbs]Harvard Business School[/url], [url=https://blog.accepted.com#stanford-gsb]Stanford Graduate School of Business[/url], [url=https://blog.accepted.com#mit]MIT Sloan School of Management[/url], [url=https://blog.accepted.com#kellogg]Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management[/url], [url=https://blog.accepted.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=70743&action=edit#booth]University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business[/url], [url=https://blog.accepted.com#wharton]Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania[/url], [url=https://blog.accepted.com#cbs]Columbia Business School[/url].

Click on the school name for a deeper look at each one!

*Acceptance rates source: U.S. News ranking

The post [url=https://blog.accepted.com/m7-mba-programs-everything-you-need-to-know/]M7 MBA Programs: Everything You Need to Know in 2021-2022[/url] appeared first on [url=https://blog.accepted.com]Accepted Admissions Blog[/url].
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FROM Accepted.com Blog:

Happy Thanksgiving!



Today is Thanksgiving in the United States, a national holiday during which we give pause – at least for a brief moment – to count our blessings.

Wherever you are, that is a good exercise. With the corona pandemic not yet fully behind us and the various wars, tensions, and crises throughout the world, it is particularly important. Given the headlines and the zeitgeist, it may be harder this year. And more necessary than ever.

An attitude of gratitude is worth cultivating throughout the year. I firmly believe it provides benefits from an interpersonal, professional, and even an admissions perspective. Probably the biggest beneficiary of that positive slant on life is the person who holds it year round. This U.S. holiday just gives everyone a chance to focus for one day on this specific quality.

For me personally I feel blessed. Our children are doing well. My grandchildren are growing. We enjoy the company of our local children and grandchildren  frequently, and have managed to see all of them, even the ones who live far away, during 2021.  We couldn’t visit during the previous year. Most importantly, all are healthy and happy. And that is a blessing for which my husband and I are profoundly grateful.

As I have done annually for the last few years on Thanksgiving, I want to highlight one of my favorite posts: Admissions Tip: Thanksgiving Appreciation.

And with that, let me wish anyone reading this blog today a Happy Thanksgiving!


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:


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FROM Accepted.com Blog: Starting Salaries for MBA Grads Climbing



According to the Wall Street Journal, salaries for business school grads have bounced back after flattening at the beginning of the COVID pandemic. In fact, these salaries are hitting record highs as consulting firms, banks, and tech firms try to entice top business school graduates to join them.

University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and University of Chicago’s Booth School both stated that this year’s graduate median salaries grew $5,000 to reach $155,000. This is a record starting salary for Wharton grads, with 99% of students looking for jobs receiving an offer by late summer. Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business’ MBA graduates’ average annual salary also hit a record, with salaries going up 4% to over $141,000 compared to last year. 

“Everyone is in a bit of an arms race in terms of compensation,” stated Maryellen Reilly, deputy dean of Wharton’s MBA program.

MBAs typically earn more out of grad school

In comparison to other grad degrees, the MBA is more likely to pay off in the job market. By two years after graduation, grads from most business programs tend to earn more than they borrowed

According to the nonprofit Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), last year’s pandemic led to a flattening of median salaries for US MBAs at $105,000. This year’s graduates can expect to make up to $115,000, which is an all-time high. 

These students can look forward to job offers from a variety of industries. According to Sheryle Dirks, associate dean for career management at Fuqua, “MBAs have more diverse types of job opportunities than ever before.” She added that salary offers in finance, consulting, and tech are showing the largest increases among Fuqua’s 2021 expected graduates. 



Gaps continue between men and women

Regardless of higher salaries after graduation, there continue to be gaps between men and women MBAs. According to the Forté Foundation, a nonprofit that advocates for advancing women’s leadership through business education, women’s enrollment in full-time business school programs peaked at 41% in 2021, up from 39% in 2020. 

Respondents to a 2020 Forté survey reported that women made an average of $147,412, 20% lower than the $177,112 reported by men. 

The pay gap increases with the number of years of work experience. There was an $11,000 gap for those with 0–2 years of work experience post-MBA, and a $60,000 gap for those with 9+ years of experience. According to Forté, women with 3–5 years’ experience earned an average of $152,000, compared to $172,000 for men with the same amount of experience. 

Women were less likely to receive promotions and more likely to have a smaller number of direct reports. “We’ve definitely seen right out of business school the choices men and women are making are similar—similar jobs with the same types of opportunities,” said Forté Foundation Chief Executive Elissa Sangster. “But once they move into their careers, a number of different things come into play.”

Nevertheless, now seems to be the time for both men and women to take advantage of the increased demand for MBA grads and the resultant rise in compensation. Keith Bevan, a partner at Bain and Co. consulting firm, echoes the trend across many firms to attract more MBA graduates to keep up with expanding client needs. “It’s just a more competitive market,” he said. “It’s a great time to be looking for a job after school.”

Would you like to ride the MBA salary wave? Work with one of our MBA admissions experts to unlock your competitive advantage and 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:

• Is an MBA Worth It, or Is the Sky Falling Down on the MBA Degree?, a podcast episode
• MBA Students Pay Off Student Loans Faster Than Other Grad Degrees
• M7 MBA Programs: Everything You Need to Know in 2021-2022

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FROM Accepted.com Blog: NYU Stern Executive MBA Essay Tips and Deadlines [2021 – 2022]



Reflecting the character of the university at large, NYU Stern has always sought applicants who bring not just requisite accomplishment, but also intellectual energy and engagement with the world – people who have a point of view and are willing to express it. Stern’s EMBA essay questions are consistent with these values. While they cover the standard concerns, they also draw out your ability to self-reflect and to understand yourself in relation to others and to the world. The key to acing these essays is to present a point of view, a message, a distinctive perspective that will enrich the EMBA community at NYU Stern.

NYU Stern Executive MBA application essays

Applicants are required to respond to essay prompts 1 and 2. The essay questions give you the opportunity to more fully present yourself to the Admissions Committee and to provide insight into your experiences, goals, and thought processes. Your essays should be written entirely by you. There is an optional essay if you wish to provide additional information.

All essays have a 500 word limit, double spaced. Word limits apply to the total essay question. For example, your response to Essay 2 should answer all parts.

NYU Stern EMBA essay #1

Describe your short- and long-term career goals and how the NYU Stern Executive MBA program will help you accomplish them.

One simple, straightforward, and effective way to structure this essay is to start with a recent achievement that reflects where you are in your career now. This opening sets the context and conveys a bit about your current situation, emphasizing what is impressive and/or distinctive about it. Then discuss how the EMBA education will enable you to achieve your immediate goals in your current role and later your intermediate and longer-term goals, which should logically build on this present role.

In describing your goals, clarify why you want to take that step or assume that role. Add more detail for your short-term and intermediate goals. In discussing how the program will benefit you, describe the skills and knowledge you need to acquire and how the program provides them. Also refer to the structure, curriculum, and/or special features of the program, noting how you will benefit from them. Finally, resist the temptation to detail your career progress — limit yourself to points relevant to your goals.



NYU Stern EMBA essay #2

NYU Stern is committed to helping students develop a deeper set of professional skills, and a broader perspective of the role of business in the world. 

a. What is a significant contemporary issue on which you, as a business leader, would like to have an impact

b. Why is it important to you?

c. How could you leverage your skills and resources to address the issue?

The most important advice here: select an issue that you truly care about (and are knowledgeable about). You may research some fine points, but responses to this question that are entirely constructed of research on a topic don’t work.

A simple and effective strategy for this essay is to follow the a-b-c structure set out in the question. First talk about the issue in personal as well as objective terms, i.e., how you came to learn and/or care about it, perhaps what experience you’ve had with it if relevant – make it anecdotal if possible. Take a stand; avoid being bland or abstract. Then describe how as a business leader you can address this issue in concrete terms. This last part will vary greatly from person to person – for some your work will directly address this issue; for others work will be divorced from it, and you will indirectly use your business leadership role as a bully pulpit, as a prominent and influential community leader/volunteer, etc. However, don’t make the mistake of just talking about your ideas and plans. Take this opportunity to weave in some actual experiences here to make or substantiate your points.

NYU Stern EMBA essay #3 (optional)

Provide any additional information for the Admissions Committee. This may include additional details on your academic/quantitative preparation for MBA coursework through educational or professional experience, further explanation of academic history, current or past gaps in employment, or any other information relevant to your application.

This question’s wording indicates that you can use it not just to explain a problem but also to present new material that you think will enhance your application. However, if you are making the adcom read more than is required, there should be a darn good reason – not just a nice-to-know.

First, succinctly explain any points that need explaining. Then, if there is something you feel is important that you haven’t had a chance to discuss elsewhere, write about it, noting why it’s essential to a full understanding of your candidacy.

For expert guidance with your NYU Stern Executive 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 NYU Stern’s Executive MBA program and look forward to helping you too!

NYU Stern Executive MBA application deadlines for 2021 – 2021

Class Start Early Deadline Final DeadlineAugustMarch 1June 1JanuaryOctober 1November 1

Rolling admissions

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis once they are complete. Candidates should ensure that the Admissions Committee has received all parts of their application by the earliest possible deadline.

Source: NYU Stern website

***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:

Top Executive MBA Essay Questions: How to Answer Them Right, a free guide
EMBA: The Ultimate Guide for Applicants
Executive MBA Essays: How to Make an Impact [With Sample Essay]

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FROM Accepted.com Blog: Stanford GSB MBA Application Essay Tips and Deadlines [2021 – 2022], Class Profile
[img]https://blog.accepted.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Stanford-GSB-2021-2022-MBA-App-Tips-REV.jpg[/img]
[url=https://reports.accepted.com/mba/webinar/stanford-graduate-school-of-business?hsLang=en][img]https://blog.accepted.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Stanford-GSB-2021-2022-MBA-App-Tips-REV.jpg[/img][/url]

In terms of its application, Stanford is once again re-using its essay questions. And there’s good reason for the recycling: Stanford has excellent questions that succinctly [url=https://reports.accepted.com/mba/webinar/stanford-graduate-school-of-business-webinar]get to the heart of what Stanford wants to know[/url] about you. They are not easy questions to answer, but they are thoughtful, probing ones.

A few years agp, Stanford GSB also added [url=https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/programs/mba/admission/application-process/essays]optional short answer questions[/url] to its application.

In a recent webinar with Kirsten Moss, she emphasized that the optional essays are truly optional. Stanford last year admitted students who wrote the optional essays and those who did not. You’ll see that sentiment echoed in GSB’s instructions. I definitely believe that Stanford intends them to be genuinely optional.

You should write the optional essays if you have experiences not presented in the required essays, that address the optional questions and that will reinforce the portrayal of you as [url=https://blog.accepted.com/understanding-stanford-graduate-business-school-interest-personal-qualities-contributions/]a change agent and consequential member of your community[/url], however you define that community. And most of us are members of multiple communities. 

If you have nothing to add, write nothing. However, I suspect most applicants will benefit by responding to the optional questions. Give GSB more reasons to admit you.

Stanford gives a lot of advice and guidance on its website as to what it’s looking for in the essays. You should access that advice in addition to reviewing my suggestions below.

Stanford GSB 2021-22 MBA application essay questions

Essays help us learn about who you are rather than solely what you have done.

Other parts of the application give insight to your academic and professional accomplishments; the essays reveal the person behind those achievements.

We request that you write two personal essays.

In each essay, we want to hear your genuine voice. Think carefully about your values, passions, aims, and dreams. There is no “right answer” to these questions—the best answer is the one that is truest for you.

Stanford MBA Essay A: What matters most to you, and why?

For this essay, we would like you to reflect deeply and write from the heart. Once you’ve identified what matters most to you, help us understand why. You might consider, for example, what makes this so important to you? What people, insights, or experiences have shaped your perspectives?

This superficially straightforward question has been Stanford’s first for at least the last seventeen years, but it is actually one of the most difficult, if not the most difficult, MBA essay questions to answer. Superficial responses will fail. The prompt demands introspection. Before you put finger to keyboard or pen to paper, [url=https://blog.accepted.com/understanding-stanford-graduate-business-school-interest-personal-qualities-contributions/]really reflect on what you value[/url], how you have acted upon those principles, and why you live by them. Stanford’s advice urges reflection. The question requires it.

When I reflect on our many successful Stanford clients, initiative in the face of need is the common thread among them. They are always the ones who showed, especially in Essay A, that they do not turn away when they see a problem or need for action. They seize the initiative when faced with an opportunity to contribute. They are comfortable expressing emotion and their values, and their actions reflect both, but particularly the latter. Think purpose-driven, principled lives and [url=https://blog.accepted.com/stanford-gsb-seeks-demonstrated-leadership-potential/]leadership[/url].

More than anything else, initiative and self-awareness characterize the successful Stanford MBA applicant. Implication: You have to know your values and those times you have acted upon them. Yes I wrote that a few seconds ago, but it bears repeating. Climbing Mt. Everest or suffering from terrible social ills is not a requirement of admission, but you do have to know the person occupying your skin.

Stanford MBA Essay B: Why Stanford?

Describe your aspirations and how your Stanford GSB experience will help you realize them. If you are applying to both the MBA and MSx programs, use Essay B to address your interest in both programs.

Two words. That’s it. Now that question is succinct, and really says what they want to know.

Two pieces of information are required to answer this question well: A clear MBA goal and an in-depth understanding of [url=https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/programs/mba/academic-experience/curriculum]Stanford GSB’s curriculum[/url]. (Folks: It’s not the ranking, brand, or location.)

This question is a variation of a standard [url=https://reports.accepted.com/mba/why-mba]MBA goals question[/url]. For this forward-looking question, discuss why you want an MBA from Stanford. The best way to do so is in terms of your desired post-MBA professional direction. Then explain how specifically Stanford’s highly customizable program will help you travel down that path.

Do your homework. You need to know what are [url=https://blog.accepted.com/m7-mba-programs-everything-you-need-to-know/#stanford-gsb]the distinctive characteristics of the Stanford MBA program[/url], or you simply can’t answer the question. Understand the flexibility inherent in Stanford’s curriculum, its integrated approach to management education, its entrepreneurial culture, and how all these elements (and others) will help you learn what you need to know to realize your aspirations. Recognize that the curriculum allows for personalization based on your goal and your past experience, specifically your previous business education.

Please do NOT write that you want to attend Stanford because of “the flexibility inherent in Stanford’s curriculum, its integrated approach to management, its entrepreneurial culture….” That phrasing is too general for your specific reasons (and besides the Stanford adcom can google the phrase if they see it too often and see that you found it here). Go deeper and be more distinctive in your writing so that you really tie your goals to different facets of Stanford’s MBA program.

[b]Length[/b]

[/b]

Both essays combined may not exceed 1,050 words. We recommend up to 650 words for Essay A and up to 400 words for Essay B. We often find effective essays that are written in fewer words.

Additional information

If there is any information that is critical for us to know and is not captured elsewhere, include it in the “Additional Information” section of the application. Pertinent examples include:

[list]
[*]
[list]
Extenuating circumstances affecting your candidacy, including academic, work, or test-taking experiences


[/*]
Academic experience (e.g., independent research) not noted elsewhere[/*]
[/list]
[/*]
[/list]

Is there something significant, or “critical” in Stanford’s words that you would like Stanford to know about as they evaluate your application and that isn’t included elsewhere? It could be context for an academic dip or blemish. It could be a challenge overcome. It could be an achievement not provided elsewhere, or an experience that you are proud of and believe will enhance your candidacy. 

If so, use this additional information section to succinctly tell that part of your story.

Stanford MBA optional short-answer questions

In this section, we provide an [b]optional[/b] opportunity for you to discuss some of your contributions and background more fully.

What do we mean by “optional”? We truly mean you have the opportunity to choose. In evaluating your application, we want to know about who you are, what you have done, and how your background may have influenced your experiences. If you feel that you’ve already addressed these questions well in other areas of the application, congratulations, you’re done! If not, feel free to use this opportunity to tell us more by answering one or both questions.

Optional short-answer question A

In the Essays section of the application, we ask you to tell us about who you are and how you think Stanford will help you achieve your aspirations. We are also interested in learning about the things you have done that are most meaningful to you. If you would like to go beyond your resume to discuss some of your contributions more fully, you are welcome to share up to three examples. (Up to 1,200 characters, or approximately 200 words, for each example)

[b]Question: Think about times you’ve created a positive impact, whether in professional, extracurricular, academic, or other settings. What was your impact? What made it significant to you or to others?[/b]

I think this question gets to the heart of the initiative, impact, and leadership we’ve seen in successful Stanford applicants. It gives you more opportunity to show those times when you’ve made a difference.

While the question is optional, [url=https://blog.accepted.com/understanding-stanford-graduate-business-school-interest-personal-qualities-contributions/]Stanford wants people of impact[/url]. Show the Stanford GSB that you are that kind of person. All the essays should lead Stanford to that conclusion.

Using a CAR approach with each example would be very effective for these short responses:

[b]Challenge:[/b] What was the situation or issue you were addressing?

[b]Action:[/b] What did you do?

[b]Result:[/b] What was the impact of your actions on you and others and why does it matter?

Given the character limit, you clearly need to be concise.

Optional short-answer question B

We know that each person is more than a list of facts or pre-defined categories. We are interested in how your background may have influenced your life experiences. In answering this question, consider how your background, such as your work, education, skills, interests, culture, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, ethnicity, where/how you grew up, and/or other factors, had an impact on your recent actions and choices. (Up to 1,100 characters, or approximately 180 words)

[b]Question: Tell us about a time within the last three years when your background influenced your participation in a situation, interaction, or project.[/b]

This question is about your identity. It’s about getting to know you and what motivates you. How has that identity, that core of who you are, that core of most significant influences and experiences expressed itself in your recent actions?

There are so many ways to approach this question, but you have so little room. You can start with “the time” you want to discuss. Briefly tell that story, and then discuss how your background influenced your behavior. Alternatively, you could start with the element of your identity you want to discuss and move the story forward to the recent experience.

However you structure your response, your experience could show you mentoring someone else, taking initiative, creating something, or doing a myriad of other things. However “the time” has to be in the last three years and it has to have affected your behavior in a way that reflects your identity.

Stanford GSB at a glance
Stanford GSB average GMAT score: 733

Stanford GSB average GPA: 3.8

Stanford GSB acceptance rate: 8.9%

U.S. News ranked Stanford GSB #1 in 2022.

[b]For expert guidance with your Stanford GSB MBA application, check out Accepted’s [url=https://www.accepted.com/mba/services/application-packages?utm_campaign=Blog&utm_medium=mba_essay_tips&utm_source=blog]MBA Application Packages[/url], which include comprehensive guidance from an experienced admissions consultant. We’ve helped hundreds of applicants get accepted to Stanford’s MBA program and look forward to helping you too![/b]

[url=https://www.accepted.com/cs/c/?cta_guid=f8008e5b-b92b-4ced-a0a7-a47ec2b13708&signature=AAH58kGrofWL4b1ZCEz2feVB5DX2u7pi_Q&placement_guid=69354270-0979-45a7-930d-70630c157725&click=06291674-ea6b-43e5-9931-dd4e6b1ad08e&hsutk=c3a5dec3643764d12ff2ec5c668e5b07&canon=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.accepted.com%2Fstanford-gsb-mba-essay-tips-deadlines%2F&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F&portal_id=58291&redirect_url=APefjpF1CcaEih_2xu0OJwPGcUKAF6uBycXYaxbbrByrUXYhehVEVM0vFByGYUeJflH45ifX0a6EPwSt_rS3KBgPJdsIDzPiCd8xJkWKTZH8ZHEroqI-JNXP3VkZvCMuoqWftQEWJ1bASbpy9J2SO56IqqDtP7Ovmd8bu-oemkxStlO9PD_HG0zcF9iJ-Kk_dEi1J28EXe4MeyTTu5U7s0LG9t-aE9gAlCLTmgWmTQKHwTVAR7uw3L2Y99SsJ5VM6Ye-E5_7poYYkTJoERP-rlnFkDFNxAI19D3rc6AuWT4piO4-RJusEqq9-GSA3e_9Z55TU8meRmnZ&__hstc=76425034.c3a5dec3643764d12ff2ec5c668e5b07.1635840584678.1638173683544.1638179480994.73&__hssc=76425034.16.1638179480994&__hsfp=3129211695&contentType=blog-post][img]https://f.hubspotusercontent40.net/hubfs/58291/hub_generated/resized/800670c3-d8aa-4547-a417-589ff6926669.jpeg[/img][/url]

Stanford GSB 2021-22 MBA application timeline

[b]Round[/b][b]Application Deadline[/b][b]Decisions Released[/b]1September 9, 2021December 9, 20212January 5, 2022March 31, 20223April 12, 2022May 26, 2022

Your completed application, including your [url=https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/programs/mba/admission/application-process/letters-reference]letters of reference[/url] and [url=https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/programs/mba/admission/application-process/application-fee]application fee payment[/url], is due at 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time on the deadline date for the round in which you apply.

[url=https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/programs/mba/admission/deadlines]Source: Stanford GSB website[/url]

[b]Stay on top of MBA deadlines with the [url=https://www.accepted.com/calendar]MBA Admissions Calendar[/url]![/b]

[[url=https://calendar.google.com/calendar/b/2?cid=ZWdybWVsZ3IzZTZtczUxYzMwOGY0MGxiODhAZ3JvdXAuY2FsZW5kYXIuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbQ]Click here[/url] to add the calendar to your Google calendar; or [url=https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/egrmelgr3e6ms51c308f40lb88%40group.calendar.google.com/public/basic.ics]here[/url] to add the calendar to another app.]

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

Stanford MBA Class of 2023 Profile

Here’s a look at the Stanford Class of 2023, taken from the [url=https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/programs/mba/admission/class-profile]Stanford Graduate School of Business website[/url]:

[b]Applicants[/b]: 7,367

[b]New students[/b]: 426

[b]Women[/b]: 44%

[b]US students of color: [/b]48%

[b]International students[/b]: 47%

[url=https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/58291/9bb31be0-3cf6-45f0-be3d-3791cc1bd9bd][img]https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/58291/9bb31be0-3cf6-45f0-be3d-3791cc1bd9bd.png[/img][/url]

[b]International student community is comprised of:[/b]

[list][*][b]DACA and otherwise undocumented in the US[/b]: 33%
[/*][*][b]Dual citizens[/b]: 10%
[/*][*][b]US permanent residents[/b]: 4%[/*][/list]

[b]Countries represented[/b]: 63

[b]Languages spoken[/b]: 66

US students

Federal GuidelinesMulti-Identity ReportingAmerican Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, Other Pacific Islander0%2%Asian (including Indian subcontinent and Philippines)23%30%Black/African-American (including Africa and Caribbean)5%10%Hispanic/Latino12%12%Multi-Race7%White (including Middle Eastern)49%61%Declined to identify race and ethnic background2%2%

Undergraduate field of study

Engineering25%Economics22%Business & Commerce15%Social Sciences15%Math & Sciences14%Arts & Humanities8%

[b]Average GPA[/b]: 3.78

[b]First generation in their family to graduate from a four-year college or university[/b]: 12%

[b]Hold advanced degrees[/b]: 19%

[b]US institutions[/b]: 75

[b]Non-US institutions[/b]: 89

[b]Average years work experience: [/b]4.8

Industry

Investment Management, PE & VC20%Consulting19%Technology16%Government, Education & Nonprofit8%Health Care8%Arts, Media & Entertainment6%Consumer Products & Services5%Military5%Manufacturing4%Clean Tech, Energy & Environmental3%Real Estate2%Financial Services1%Other3%

[b]Organizations represented[/b]: 315

Test scores

[list][*][b]GMAT[/b]: 76%*

Average score: 738

GMAT score range: 610-790

[/*][*][b]GRE[/b]: 25%*

Average Verbal score: 165

Verbal score range: 149-170

Average Quantitative score: 165

Quantitative score range: 154-170[/*][/list]

[list][*][b]TOEFL[/b] average score: 113

TOEFL score range: 104-120[/*][/list]

*Some students submitted both GMAT and GRE scores.

Accepted has many resources that will help you learn more about Stanford, including interviews with current students and advice on how to apply successfully.

Not sure that Stanford is the place for you? If you are in the research stage, these resources can help guide you: 

[list][*][url=https://blog.accepted.com/harvard-stanford-wharton-whats-the-difference/]Harvard, Stanford, Wharton: What’s the Difference?[/url][/*][*][url=https://blog.accepted.com/m7-mba-programs-everything-you-need-to-know-in-2020/]M7 MBA Programs: Everything You Need to Know in 2021[/url][/*][*][url=https://blog.accepted.com/which-mba-program-is-right-for-me-the-ultimate-guide-to-choosing-an-mba-program/]Which MBA Program is Right for Me? The Ultimate Guide to Choosing an MBA Program[/url][/*][/list]

To hear about life at Stanford GSB from the mouths of real students, listen to these podcast interviews: 

[list][*][url=https://blog.accepted.com/stanford-mba-discusses-coffee-chats-episode-437/]Stanford MBA Discusses Coffee Chats[/url][/*][*][url=https://blog.accepted.com/what-these-seasoned-startup-founders-have-done-since-earning-their-stanford-mbas-episode-382/]What These Seasoned Startup Founders Have Done Since Earning Their Stanford MBAs[/url][/*][*][url=https://blog.accepted.com/a-stanford-mba-with-a-passion-for-both-business-and-humanities-episode-377/]A Stanford MBA with a Passion for Both Business and Humanities[/url][/*][*][url=https://blog.accepted.com/stanford-mba-grows-his-amazing-tech-startup-episode-369/]Stanford MBA Grows His Amazing Tech Startup[/url][/*][/list]

Have you decided that Stanford GSB is your top choice? The road to acceptance isn’t easy, but check out this link for [b]pro tips on crafting your stand-out GSB application[/b]: 

[list][*][url=https://reports.accepted.com/mba/webinar/stanford-graduate-school-of-business]Get Accepted to Stanford Graduate School of Business [Webinar][/url][/*][*][url=https://blog.accepted.com/understanding-stanford-graduate-school-business-core-value-intellectual-vitality/]What Stanford GSB is Looking For: Intellectual Vitality[/url][/*][*][url=https://blog.accepted.com/stanford-gsb-seeks-demonstrated-leadership-potential/]Stanford GSB’s Take on Demonstrated Leadership Potential[/url] [/*][*][url=https://blog.accepted.com/understanding-stanford-graduate-business-school-interest-personal-qualities-contributions/]Understanding Stanford GSB’s Interest in Personal Qualities and Contributions[/url][/*][/list]

For an overview of the [url=https://knight-hennessy.stanford.edu/]Stanford Knight–Hennessy Scholars Program[/url] and tips from an expert on getting accepted,[b] [/b]check out [url=https://blog.accepted.com/knight-hennessy-scholars-stanford]Applying to the Stanford Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program: Everything You Need to Know[/url]. 

[b]Wherever you decide to apply, you will need a stand-out application, extraordinary essays, and incredible interview skills. Our expert admissions consultants will work with you one-on-one to make sure you present your best self. Check out our [url=https://www.accepted.com/mba/services?utm_campaign=Blog&utm_medium=stanford_2022_class_profile&utm_source=blog]MBA Services Packages[/url] and get on the road to being ACCEPTED![/b]

[url=https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/58291/69354270-0979-45a7-930d-70630c157725][img]https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/58291/69354270-0979-45a7-930d-70630c157725.png[/img][/url]

[img]https://blog.accepted.com/linda-abraham-accepted-founder/[/img]
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. [b][url=https://www.accepted.com/services?utm_campaign=Blog&utm_medium=blog_bio_linda&utm_source=blog]Want an admissions expert help you get accepted? Click here to get in touch![/url][/b]

[b]Related Resources:[/b]

[list][*][url=https://reports.accepted.com/mba/guide/why-mba]Why MBA?[/url], a free guide to writing about your MBA goals[/*][*][url=https://blog.accepted.com/stanford-mba-grows-his-amazing-tech-startup/]Stanford MBA Grows His Amazing Tech Startup[/url], a podcast episode[/*][*][url=https://blog.accepted.com/m7-mba-programs-everything-you-need-to-know/]M7 MBA Programs: Everything You Need to Know in 2021-2022[/url][/*][/list]

The post [url=https://blog.accepted.com/stanford-gsb-mba-essay-tips-deadlines/]Stanford GSB MBA Application Essay Tips and Deadlines [2021 – 2022], Class Profile[/url] appeared first on [url=https://blog.accepted.com]Accepted Admissions Blog[/url].
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[url=https://media.blubrry.com/admissions_straight_talk/p/www.accepted.com/hubfs/Podcast_audio_files/Podcast/446_Christina-Ball_2021.mp3][img]https://blog.accepted.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Pod_Christina_Ball_Nov_2021_.jpg[/img][/url]

Are less-than-stellar language skills preventing you from reaching your professional or academic or personal goals? [Show summary]

Christina Ball, Fulbright scholar and founder of Speak! Language Center and B-Speak! brings her love of cultures and languages to this episode. She describes the approach her programs take to making language learning enjoyable and effective for those looking to improve their English or learn a new language. 

Language issues don’t need to keep you from reaching your dreams [Show notes]

Welcome to the 446th episode of Admissions Straight Talk, Accepted’s podcast. Thanks for joining me today. Before we dive into today’s interview, I want to share a free resource at Accepted that can benefit you if you are applying to graduate school. The challenge at the heart of admissions is showing that you both fit in at your target schools and stand out in the applicant pool. Accepted’s free download, Fitting In & Standing Out: The Paradox at the Heart of Admissions will show you how to do both. Master this paradox and you are well on your way to acceptance. Download your free guide at [url=https://reports.accepted.com/guide/how-to-fit-in-stand-out-during-the-admissions-process]accepted.com/fiso[/url]. 

It gives me great pleasure to have on Admissions Straight Talk for the first time, Dr. Christina Ball. A Fulbright scholar, Dr. Ball earned her PhD in Italian language and Literature. In 2004, she founded Speak! Language Center to help people learn other languages. In 2012, she co-created B-Speak! English, a one-on-one coaching and educational service designed to help international graduate students, especially those applying to business school, and working professionals strengthen their speaking and writing skills in the English language. She’s also a writer and actress. [url=https://media.blubrry.com/admissions_straight_talk/p/www.accepted.com/hubfs/Podcast_audio_files/Podcast/446_Christina-Ball_2021.mp3]Let’s hear her story and then cover how she can help you.[/url]

How did you get into the business of language instruction, both for Speak! and B-Speak!? [2:13]

It all started with my own passion for language and my interest in languages and cultures. Both sets of my grandparents were immigrants from Poland and Italy, so I grew up hearing lots of Italian and Polish in the household of my grandparents. I think it all started there. Then, in my own travels and studies, I just fell in love with Italian, French, Spanish, all of the literature, and meeting people and hearing their stories and learning about culture, so real love of culture. Speak! started in 2004. I have an academic background, so I was a college professor before starting my business. Many people in my family have businesses, so I think I definitely have the entrepreneurial gene. 

I was teaching at Yale, Wake Forest and here where I live at University of Virginia, and I just started to notice not only my own desire to have a language center, but also people kept asking me, “I’m not a student at UVA.  I’m an adult, and I’m going to Italy. How can I learn Italian?” I just saw there was a real need for a language center like you have all over Europe. You’ll find private businesses, which are language centers, teaching people all of the languages of the world, but it’s less common here in the US where we tend to rely on universities to teach us. 

So in 2004, I started a one-room Italian school called Ecco. In Italian, ‘ecco’ means like ‘voila’, or ‘here it is’. I had about five adult students and me as the teacher and then over the years the demand for Spanish, French, and German caused us to change the name to Speak! Language Center in 2009 and to add online services. Now we teach 22 languages as well as obviously English, and we just added sign language. It’s very exciting. 

We started B-Speak in 2012 through a local connection. We have the [url=https://blog.accepted.com/uva-darden-mba-essay-tips-deadlines/]University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business[/url] here. We started hearing from some of their own graduate students from different countries, such as China and Korea, and they came to us on their own saying “I see you do English now. Can you help me? I’m struggling in my class” or “I’m not getting any internship or job interviews. Can you help me?” Eventually we connected with the leaders at Darden and created the pilot program for B-Speak, or ‘Business Speak’. It also was initially called Be-Speak, which is like a bespoke suit, which means tailored but we changed it to B-Speak because it was easier to understand, but we still focus on customizing each course to the student’s native language and their challenges. It all started with Darden and we created our one-on-one coaching course and curriculum to support business students and helped them with all of the challenges they might face. Then we eventually opened it up to different business schools, businesses, and individuals.

Can you tell us a little bit more about the more common language-related challenges that international students face in the US? [6:46]

We all need a suit, but we all have different styles and body shapes, which is the beauty of language and humanity. There are some common challenges that all international clients that we work with face. I would say one is the lack of confidence in speaking English in different contexts. Another one is understanding native speakers of English and being understood themselves. And the third one is I would say American culture. If they haven’t lived here, worked here, studied here, it might be difficult to pick up the familiarity with American culture. Also our idioms, like “Are we on the same page?” or “Let’s cut to the chase.” Making small talk is another. Those are common ones. 

As you mentioned, I do acting because I was very shy as a child and lacked the confidence as a public speaker, so acting really forces me to get on the stage and do what really frightens me. Since we tend to focus on adult education — adults meaning 18 and up — confidence is something we really work on. A lot of people think, “Oh, I’m terrible at learning languages. I was always bad at Spanish.” That’s the kind of mental attitude that we try to change through our approach, which is focused on sharing meaningful content and then talking about what interests the individual and what their passions are and what their motivation is. 

[youtube2]figure>

[/youtube2]

I noticed that B-Speak! also has advice on email etiquette in the US. What are some ways that email etiquette may differ in the US from other parts of the world? [18:21]

I think that’s a great question. Of course, now texting is even more common than emails, so a lot of the time with younger clients, we have to remind them that emails are not texts. It’s a little more formal, like a letter, remember letters? I think in many of the more formal cultures, we talk about cultural communication and there are low-context and high-context cultures.

Can you explain the difference between low-context and high-context cultures? [19:05]

Let’s say in a country like Japan where historically people have shared the same culture, language, and points of references, they don’t need to repeat everything after a meeting. There are lots of innuendo or kind of suggestive things. Whereas in the US where people tend to be from different cultures so we need to for example, after the meeting say, “This is what we discussed in the meeting. Point one, point two, point three.” and then I’m going to send an email to everyone repeating what we went over in the meeting. That’s an example of a low-context culture. A country like Japan is high context. A lot of stuff is just understood, a lot of meaning is understood. It doesn’t have to be stated literally. Low context, you don’t have a lot of things in common, so when you communicate with others, you tend to be very literal and say, “This is what we’re going to do.” We always teach our students that, especially if they are coming from Asia, that you might have to be more clear in your email. Why are you writing? What are you hoping to get out of this? Just state it very clearly. We can be a little bit more informal when we’re writing emails, and the greetings, and whatnot, and have a little humor. It doesn’t have to be too formal and dry. But again, so much depends on context. So, did you meet the person before? Have you met at a recruiting meeting? Is this coming out of the blue? Do you have someone in common put that in the subject line, that you were referred by a professor So-and-so, or met you at the coffee chat. You know?

There’s a great book called The Culture Map, which we love. This is a great book all about different ways people communicate in different cultures. It also relates to criticism, like how do you give people feedback? Here in the US, we tend to sugarcoat, so sometimes people really want constructive feedback, but they’ll just say all the good things. It’s just like at the end, put in a little, “But there’s one area where you could improve is this.” Other countries, like I think in the Netherlands, they’re famous for just telling it like it is. Or in France. I think the author of this book lives in France for a period and her son goes to school there. She’s like, “The teachers are always just saying what he does poorly.” You know, “Need to improve on this, their spelling or accent.” The child actually when he gets praised, it’s just like, “Oh, I did really well, Mama.” You know? And so, he actually learns to enjoy that. It’s not like you get a trophy for losing the basketball game.

I’ve noticed that certain cultures seem to be more loquacious than others. [22:30]

Definitely. Americans versus the Chinese clients that we work with are more quiet and they’re more quiet also in the business school classroom, the professors share with us, because it’s not as common to be like, “Me, me, me. This is my idea.” You know, “I’m going to raise my hand.” I think, especially in business school, there’s that kind of that salesy communication style that you want to get ahead and speak and that is definitely different from the educational approach where there’s more respect for the professor and your other classmates. We have to teach them that, no, the teachers want to hear your point of view. You have to share your opinion of that case or your grade will suffer. I’d say the case method schools definitely utilize B-Speak! the most.

What are some of the differences in the US and other places with small talk? [23:44]

I’d say in Asia, again, which is the most extremely different culturally from the US, the students always tell us that they never make small talk in a business context, only with their good friends and family. That’s why they always want to practice small talk with their coaches. They’re not sure of the register, they’re afraid to be too informal and friendly, they’re not sure of the topics. It seems strange for us that you’d have to practice what are the acceptable topics: the weather, current events, what are you doing today, what did you have for breakfast. 

We go over what’s appropriate and what isn’t for networking and even for admissions interviews, because we work with so many admissions departments at business schools and they share their experiences and what they’re looking for in an interview with us so that we can help people get ready for those interviews. Often, the students are trying to kind of repeat their whole resume in the 20 minutes they have and it’s like, “No, they already have your resume. They’re trying to get a sense of how you are as a person. What’s your personality? How are you in the classroom? [url=https://blog.accepted.com/focus-fit-episode-162/]How will you fit in with the business and culture of the school?[/url]” So make small talk.

Would you say networking is an American thing or is it something that’s just done differently in different places? [26:18]

So we don’t teach networking, but we help students develop the comfort and the ease in their communication skills and style that will make networking easier. I think the schools that we work with have excellent career development, career offices, and help with that as well. We just support more in the English and American culture side.

Do you deal with accent reduction or have any tips for reduction? [27:41]

We definitely find that many of our clients and students say that people, their classmates and their professors or their colleagues, are having a hard time understanding them. I always do a free consultation on Zoom for B-Speak!. I can often tell, because I’ll be chatting with the individual, and it’s just like, “Could you repeat that?” I never judge but I’ll just write a note of the areas in which I had trouble understanding or the pace.

We find that a lot of people from India are fluent in English and are often more educated in English and bilingual, yet they speak at a very quick pace and with totally different intonations and rhythm so it makes it very hard for the American native ear to pick up the meaning. We definitely deal with accent softening and pronunciation. We have a special team of about five voice and speech experts. A lot of them trained actors and we pull them in for this special work that we do with our clients as needed.

Accents have to do with how you shape your mouth, right? [29:03]

Yeah, yeah, definitely. We also find that a lot has to do with listening. If you can’t hear specific sounds, you can’t make them yourself, which I’ve learned I’ve learned just as a language student, I have to hear the Italian or the Spanish in order to make the sound myself. Listen, repeat, listen, repeat. It’s not repeat, listen. A lot has to do with recognizing the sound in your ear before you can make it yourself. That’s the kind of work that our voice or accent coaches do.

I’d say our main B-Speak! coaches can probably do everything from the grammar and a little bit of pronunciation. But if someone comes to us and primarily wants to work on their public speaking and pronunciation and pace and intonation, then we have this team of voice and speech experts who also do public speaking. That could be anything from your elevator pitch, to your interview, to presentations. It involves all that public speaking, or acting if you will, technique that’s very useful. 

What are some of the challenges that Americans face in learning to speak another language? [31:07]

I love this question. Of course it’s changing a lot, luckily, with all the influx of different cultures and language groups to our country, since the past 30 years in my adult lifetime. I would say it’s definitely not a cognitive challenge. We’re not any different in our ability or our anatomy or cognitive ability than Europeans. As you say, it’s more of a cultural thing, and the fact that we’ve historically been this monolingual American culture. Now we have the ability, you walk around the streets of New York or even go to the supermarket in Charlottesville, Virginia, where I live, and I might hear three or four languages. Of course, I go up and ask them where they’re from, and try to practice if I speak it.

Even my small town is very diverse in terms of the language. We’re a refugee town, so we have the IRC here. In the next few months there are Afghans coming to resettle here, so a lot of Dari and Pashtun speakers in any case. I would say that the challenge is more that just historically we have been monolingual, and we haven’t had a chance to practice. Let’s say the Germans or the Dutch are notorious linguists for speaking English better than many Americans because they value language learning. They live in Europe, so if you want to go across the border, you’re going to have to speak Italian or French or Spanish. But in their schools, they really stressed, at least in countries like Germany and the Netherlands, learning multiple languages.

In the United States, we tend to just do it maybe in high school and college and that’s it, not as adult learners. I love getting a lot of our students who are in their 60s and 70s learning a language for the first time, or brushing up on a language that they studied in college. I just love that. A lot of people in healthcare and non-profit work tell us, “I want to be able to communicate with our clients.” Even here in Virginia, wherever they work they speak Spanish or Dari. That’s just the beauty of our melting pot culture that’s slowly helping us become multilingual, I think.

Also historically, as it’s coming to the light now with the Indigenous Native American population that were forced to learn English and stop, they were punished for speaking their tribal languages. I think also institutionally, our government has forced people to think only English is good. If you want to be American, speak English.

My mom was raised, of course, by her Italian immigrant parents speaking the dialect of Gaeta, which is between Rome and Naples in southern Italy. It has the cadence of the typical Italian immigrant but it wasn’t proper standard educated Italian. Regardless, my mom never spoke Italian to us. She didn’t want us to have a dialect, so we would hear our grandparents speaking it, but we didn’t really learn it. We were around it. But in college, I had to learn Italian as an adult in college, because my mom wanted us to be American. She was embarrassed speaking Italian. In fact, I married an Italian, and my husband’s Italian from Tuscany, which is where the standard Italian grew out of, writers like Dante, so it’s very proper Italian. When I got married, my mom was communicating with a lot of my husband’s family, my in-laws and was very embarrassed to speak her Italian dialect, so she’d cover her mouth. She was raised thinking English is good and if I want my family to be American, I’m not going to really speak Italian. 

Hopefully that’s changing. It’s not changing educationally. We work with some children as well and the parents are often frustrated by the local schools in our area because so many of them minimize language education, especially in elementary school. If you don’t get into a bilingual Spanish-English program, which is very hard to get into, then the kids have to wait until late middle school or high school to start learning. That’s surprising to me. If I were younger, I would start some kind of language elementary school that’s all about learning languages and cultures. 

What would you have liked me to ask you? [38:33]

Well, I loved all of your questions and the last one, especially where we could share some of our own personal upbringing. But I think there would be two things. One would be what language would I love to learn and why, and another one would be how is what we do at Speak! and B-Speak! different from Babbel and Duolingo learning programs.

Okay, great. Answer both of them, please. You’re making my job very easy. [39:11]

Well, I speak Italian, Spanish, and French. I would love to become more fluent in Spanish, first of all. I was just listening to a Clubhouse Spanish conversation before we got on. I’d like to develop more fluency in Spanish. I really want to learn Arabic. I find it’s a beautiful language and culture. I love the history and the poetry. There are just a lot of people who are resettling here from Syria and other countries and they are much malaligned in some areas, in some ways. I want to show them, even if I can just say some basic things to them when I meet them here in my town, I think it would be a nice gesture. So, Arabic would be the language I want to learn next.

For my second question, Babbel is a little bit more conversation focused. Those are apps and they’re great for supplementary practice. You can do Duolingo while you’re waiting in a waiting room before your doctor’s appointment or your COVID test. You might build vocabulary and your child will learn to say the colors, but you won’t actually learn how to speak the language. I could develop an app or something for Speak!, but I don’t really see the benefit of that. What we and other schools like us do that have human teachers teaching either small groups or one-on-one is we really teach you the language and we teach you how to converse. We incorporate your interests, your skills, your weaknesses, your goals into the process, and also incorporate lots of culture to make it interesting and relevant. It’s not just some colors you can learn on your phone and numbers. That has nothing to do with the culture and really the human aspect of language/ That’s what we really believe in.

You have individual tutoring, but you also have small group instruction? [41:54]

We focus on the one-on-one, but here in Charlottesville is the only place we do the groups. We also have customized online groups. Sometimes we’ll get a group from a business school that we’re working with and we can do a workshop for them. However, especially for the B-Speak!, we find that people are so different and they’re also shy to make mistakes. I talked about the circle of trust that we create in our sessions, and they won’t want to make mistakes in front of their colleagues or classmates. But we do have groups in Spanish, Italian, French, just here in Charlottesville at our center where I’m joining you from today. 

Where can listeners find you and your courses and also learn more about, B-Speak! and Speak! Language Centers? [42:51]

I’ll make it easy for our listeners, [url=https://www.speaklanguagecenter.com/]speaklanguagecenter.com[/url] is where you can find information about all of our foreign language programs online, of course, and in person in Virginia. And [url=https://www.bspeakenglish.com/]bspeakenglish.com[/url] is our one-on-one English coaching program for professionals, grad or business school students, and applicants.

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[b]Related links:[/b]

[list][*][url=https://www.bspeakenglish.com]B-Speak![/url] [/*][*][url=https://www.bspeakenglish.com/]Speak! Language Cente[/url][url=https://www.speaklanguagecenter.com/]r[/url][/*][*][url=https://www.accepted.com/services?utm_campaign=Blog&utm_medium=podcast_christina_ball&utm_source=blog]Accepted’s admissions consulting services[/url][/*][*][url=https://www.accepted.com/mba/services/interview-assistance?utm_campaign=Blog&utm_medium=podcast_christina_ball&utm_source=blog]Accepted’s MBA interview services[/url][/*][*][url=https://www.accepted.com/medical/services/interview-assistance?utm_campaign=Blog&utm_medium=podcast_christina_ball&utm_source=blog]Accepted’s medical school interview services[/url][/*][*][url=https://www.accepted.com/healthcare/services/interview-assistance?utm_campaign=Blog&utm_medium=podcast_christina_ball&utm_source=blog]Accepted’s non-MD/DO Healthcare interview services[/url][/*][*][url=https://www.accepted.com/grad/interview-assistance?utm_campaign=Blog&utm_medium=podcast_christina_ball&utm_source=blog]Accepted’s graduate school interview services[/url][/*][*][url=https://www.accepted.com/law/services/interview-assistance?utm_campaign=Blog&utm_medium=podcast_christina_ball&utm_source=blog]Accepted’s law school interview services[/url][/*][/list]

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[list][*][url=https://blog.accepted.com/would-you-like-to-get-rid-of-your-accent-in-english/]Would You Like to Get Rid of Your Accent in English?[/url][/*][*][url=https://blog.accepted.com/an-international-students-experience-at-harvard-medical-school/]An International Student’s Experience at Harvard Medical School[/url][/*][*][url=https://blog.accepted.com/mba-life-as-an-international-student-at-ucla-anderson/]Expert Advice for Applicants and an Inside Look at UCLA Anderson from an Intl MBA[/url][/*][*][url=https://blog.accepted.com/wake-up-to-your-amazing-career-possibilities/]Wake Up to Your Amazing Career Possibilities[/url][/*][/list]

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NYU Stern Announces New Part-Time Online/Modular Program [#permalink]
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FROM Accepted.com Blog: NYU Stern Announces New Part-Time Online/Modular Program
[img]https://blog.accepted.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/NYU_Stern_Online_Modular_2021.jpg[/img]
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NYU Stern is adding an [url=https://www.stern.nyu.edu/programs-admissions/mba-programs/part-time-mba-manhattan/academics/online-modular-option]Online/Modular option[/url] to their existing part-time MBA program. [url=https://blog.accepted.com/nyu-stern-langone-mba-essay-tips-deadlines/]Stern’s current part-time tracks[/url] include Weeknights, Saturday, and Accelerated Two-Year programs. The new Online/Modular offering will be available beginning with the Fall 2022 entering class of working professional students.

This new option is not an online MBA, but a fusion of online learning and in-person courses taught on NYU’s Manhattan campus. The first part of the program, core classes (which make up approximately half of the program) is taught online. These classes will be “live” once a week (weeknights from 7:00–9:00 p.m. EST), enabling real-time interactions with professors and classmates, with additional class content taught through videos, exercises, and readings that can be done at the student’s convenience. The second part, elective classes, are taught through a mixture of 

[list][*]One-week intensive, in-person modules in NYC[/*][*]Regular in-person courses on weeknights or Saturdays in NYC[/*][*]A selection of online elective classes.[/*][/list]

Students in the Online/Modular program will not only gain access to a greater variety of courses in a convenient format, but also benefit from being in NYC for a week to participate in classes, network with peers, and engage in the business and culture of New York City.

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The first set of modules will be available in 2023, and will be announced closer to that date. Those currently under development include:

[list][*]Thinking Strategically[/*][*]Leading an Organization[/*][*]The Financial Industry[/*][*]Global Business[/*][*]Tech Innovation[/*][/list]

Modules are planned to be available in December, January, March, June, and July with one to two modules offered in each period. Each module will run Monday–Saturday in New York City and covers 4.5 elective credits through the integration of three subject-matter-related courses. There will be required work both before and after the week in NYC. The ability to complete one-week intensive modules and utilize other elective class formats gives students a much broader range of course offerings, specializations, and experiences than can be offered by utilizing only one format. 

Extracurricular activities such as student government, clubs, and student events, as well as services from the Career Center for Working Professionals (CCWP), which has been holding coaching appointments both in person and online, are also available to Online/Modular students.

This hybrid offering is flexible and customizable, answering the needs of students looking for the convenience of online learning without forgoing the unique experience of working and studying in New York City.

“Stern has an established strength in delivering quality with flexibility, from the legacy of [url=https://blog.accepted.com/nyu-stern-langone-mba-essay-tips-deadlines/]our part-time MBA program[/url], to the successful launch of our online MA in Quantitative Management program a few years ago, to introducing an online option for select courses in the past year,” said JP Eggers, Vice Dean of MBA and Graduate Programs, NYU Stern. “Through these experiences, we learned just how much our working professional students value flexibility, which reflects the reality many of them now encounter in their careers as the future of work continues to shift, often unexpectedly. The new Online/Modular option will give students flexibility and access to our Greenwich Village campus and all New York City has to offer. It’s the best of both worlds.”

[b]Could Stern’s Online/Modular MBA be the key to your future MBA success? There are new and exciting developments in MBA programs and the experienced team at Accepted can help you determine which best suits your needs. Work one-on-one with our [/b][url=https://www.accepted.com/mba/services?utm_campaign=Blog&utm_medium=NYU_Stern_new_online_modular_program&utm_source=blog][b]professional admissions consultants[/b][/url][b] to unlock your advantage and get ACCEPTED![/b]

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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. [url=https://www.accepted.com/mba/services?utm_campaign=Blog&utm_medium=blog_bio_mba&utm_source=blog][b]Want an MBA admissions expert [/b][b]to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch![/b][/url]

[b]Related resources:[/b]

[list][*][url=https://blog.accepted.com/are-you-interested-in-nyu-stern-episode-431/]Are You Interested in NYU Stern?[/url], a podcast interview[/*][*][url=https://blog.accepted.com/nyu-stern-mba-essay-tips-deadlines/]NYU Stern MBA Essay Tips and Deadlines, Class Profile[/url][/*][*][url=https://blog.accepted.com/mba-admissions-decisions-should-you-go-full-time-or-part-time-2/]MBA Options: Full-Time MBA vs. Part-Time MBA vs. EMBA[/url][/*][/list]
The post [url=https://blog.accepted.com/nyu-stern-announces-new-part-time-online-modular-program/]NYU Stern Announces New Part-Time Online/Modular Program[/url] appeared first on [url=https://blog.accepted.com]Accepted Admissions Blog[/url].
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What’s New at NYU Stern’s Online Masters of Science in Quantitative Ma [#permalink]
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FROM Accepted.com Blog: What’s New at NYU Stern’s Online Masters of Science in Quantitative Management



Thinking of applying to NYU Stern’s Online MSQM program? [Show summary]

Launched right before the pandemic, NYU Stern’s online MSQM program offers a unique blend of business management foundations, leadership and analytics to (mostly) young professionals. NYU Stern’s Vice Dean for online learning, Dr. Kim Corfman, joins us to share details about the program.

Interview with NYU Stern’s Vice Dean for Online Learning Dr. Kim Corfman [Show notes]

Welcome to the 447th episode of Admissions Straight Talk, thanks for joining me. Before we dive into today’s interview, I want to mention an Accepted resource that can help you prepare your statement of purpose to the MSQM, to a data analytics program, or a master’s in management, as well as to other graduate programs. Download Five Fatal Flaws To Avoid In Your Grad School Statement of Purpose to learn how to avoid the five most common mistakes we see in grad school statements of purpose. You’ll also learn how to write an SOP that makes your story memorable and highlights your qualifications for your target program. Download this valuable, free resource at accepted.com/447download

Our guest today is Dr. Kim Corfman. She is a professor of Marketing at NYU Stern and Vice Dean for online learning. She has served as Vice Dean for MBA programs, Academic Director of the Langone Part-time MBA program, and Coordinator of the Doctoral Program in Marketing. Needless to say, she knows a ton about management education and NYU Stern specifically. As I mentioned today, we’re going to talk about Stern’s fairly new MS in Quantitative Management program. 

What is the Master’s in Quantitative Management at NYU Stern? Can you provide an overview? [2:22]

The MSQM provides business basics, essentially, the MBA core plus analytics courses. The combination is designed to help students become data-literate managers and leaders. That’s the really short headline about it. 

It’s 20 months from start to finish and it’s lock-step, so there are no electives. Students take one course at a time for three to three and a half weeks per course. They come one right on top of the next and are pretty intense, but we’ve calibrated them so they are manageable for motivated students.

What kind of academic background are you looking for? [3:16]

We welcome applicants with any undergraduate major and we have a wide variety. We do have some undergraduate business students. We even have some people who got MBAs already. Lawyers. A couple of doctors. It’s quite diverse, which is really fun. 

The other part of that is submitting a standardized test score is optional. Something we want to make very sure applicants understand that if they choose not to send us a test score, we do need to see strong evidence of the quantitative, verbal, and reasoning abilities that are necessary to be successful in this kind of program. They do need some math and reasoning ability. They need to be able to write and we need to be able to see that.

What would be the minimum level of math that you would like to see? [4:12]

Some calculus and a lot of the basic maths that leads up to that. On our website, we very clearly lay out exactly what prerequisites they should have.

What type of students are you attracting to the program in terms of experience? Is there a maximum amount of work experience that you consider? Do you require full-time work experience? I recall, we spoke two and a half years ago, you were really aiming it at early-experience or even pre-experience students. [4:29]

We originally thought that would be the population that found it most appealing, but we’ve ended up seeing that even though we get a fair number of applicants right out of undergrad, most of them are in the typical MBA applicant age-range, and we have a whole bunch that are considerably more senior – they’ve already had very successful careers and they’re looking to refresh. Or they never got an MBA and this looks like something that they could fit into their lives and would suit their needs.

Is there a preference in terms of experience level? [5:19]

Not really. It’s just important that applicants understand that there will be this big diversity in the kinds and amounts of experience. That has to be something that they consider a plus, which we certainly do. It creates a great environment in the classroom.

What else are you looking for in the admissions process? [5:44]

Two that come to mind right now, because I’ve just been looking at some applications, are applicants who do their homework and understand what the program is really about and can tell us how it fits into their vision for their career. We’re looking for people who are committed to the challenge of making it work with their professional life and their personal lives. It’s a demanding academic program. We need people who are realistic about that.

Are you really looking for people who outlined in the application how they’re going to handle work and whatever the responsibilities they have, as well as the MSQM? [6:14]

We’ve never gotten that but that would be really interesting. It’s mostly a commitment to doing the program. If they exhibit that they understand what the program is about and say, “Yes, this is really for me” and explain why in terms of it fitting with their career, that will suffice.

Can you describe the application process for the MSQM? [6:42]

There are a lot of the things you would normally expect, like an essay. We have one required essay, which is where we detect whether people know what the program’s about and why it’s a fit for them. It’s also a way of seeing whether someone can put together a case that is persuasive.

We request two recommendations, we prefer that one be professional and the other one can be academic, but we want at least one professional reference. There is a second essay that is required if you are not going to submit a test score. That’s where you make your case, that you have the prerequisite knowledge and abilities. 

Are you looking for teamwork? Leadership? All of the above? [7:31]

All of the above along with diversity. Not everybody is going to be the supreme leader. Everybody has to be able to work on a team though, I do have to say that.

It struck me as you’re talking that in both essay questions, you’re asking applicants to make a case. I would think that a lot of that, certainly, the data analytics portion of the program would be about using data to make a case, is that correct? Is the parallel there? [7:45]

Before I launch into this, I should point out for your listeners that this is not a specialized Masters in Business Analytics. It’s absolutely not that. You’re not going to come out of it being highly technical, but you will come out of it being able to use data to make decisions, to ask people for the kinds of data that will help you make decisions, and help you make cases for the things that you want to do. In the application, we’re not expecting them to analyze data sets but the logic is exactly the same here. You’re absolutely right.

If you’re not taking the test, what’s the case for your qualifications? Is an interview required? If so, what can the interviewee expect? [9:18]

Interviews are not required. We do interviews when your application leaves us with some questions and we want to talk more about it. Sometimes, if it’s someone who’s very senior, for example, we want to make sure that the applicant understands that they’re going to have a broad range of students. Sometimes, we’re not entirely clear on the background knowledge or experience.

We will invite you to interview if we feel a need, but we love to talk to you. Our admissions counselors love to talk to applicants. I encourage everybody to have a conversation with an admissions counselor because that can really help you understand the fit between what you want and where you’re going and ultimately decide whether you should be applying at all and then make your application more effective.

I assume any interviews would be virtual, right? [10:16]

Yes. 

I’m going to also guess that as an online program, the MSQM basically sailed through the last year and a half of COVID restrictions. How would you respond to that? [10:23]

Well, in many ways we did sail through but the pandemic did have an impact, especially on the in-person component, which I think you were going to ask me about at some point because it’s one of our greater parts.

We have these two residencies. One is right at the beginning of the program and the other is a year in. They are four days during a long weekend in August. The first one has lots of orientation-type activities, alumni panels, welcomes, career workshops, those kinds of things. Plenty of opportunities for students to get to know each other, network with the class before because they’re there at the same time. They also take parts of their classes. During the program, there are three courses that have in-person components that take place during the residencies.

A year ago, during summer 2020, we couldn’t hold our residency in-person. We tried to delay until January and still couldn’t do it in person so we did it virtually. Fortunately, we’ve gotten pretty good at doing lots of things virtually. The students found it reasonably satisfying, but they were so happy that they could come back in person this last August. We had an in-person residency, I’d say about a quarter of the students, international students couldn’t get visas to come. It had to be blended, which is challenging as the whole education industry has been discussing for a couple of years now. But students tell us that they found it rewarding and satisfying. They wish they could have been here and hope they can come next year. 

Do you plan to continue this component in person? [12:32]

Yes. In addition, we usually have panels of speakers of alumni who have gone on with the knowledge they gained in MSQM and used their ability to be data-savvy in their careers and career workshops. We tell students about the resources we have available to them to help them progress with their current employer or switch if that’s what they want to do. It’s a very, very full four days.

Is there any hope or intention to expand the in person component at all? [13:18]

It’s tough for students to come from all over the world for longer than a long weekend. It is interesting though, we found that students who live near each other discover that very quickly and they get together in person.

You indicated a minute ago that the MSQM is not the same as an MS in Business Analytics. How does it differ from an MBA with the focus on data analytics, other than the fact that it’s online? [13:43]

Well, it’s half the length. You don’t get an MBA, that’s the obvious one. It’s basically the MBA core plus a few courses. It’s like if you did your MBA core and then took three or four electives in analytics, that’s what it would look like. It’s really more like a Master’s in Management with a focus on analytics and being intelligent users of data.

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What advice would you have for those planning to apply? How could they prepare? [25:41]

Well, first they need to make sure this is the program they should be in. It’s a little surprising the number of applicants who haven’t really done their homework, and it wouldn’t be good for them to be in the program without knowing what it was or if it wasn’t a good fit. Make sure it really is, and then make sure you’re comfortable with the evidence you can provide that you’re prepared for it. That could mean if you were a liberal arts undergrad and never took any math, you probably need to take a math course.

You can show us, unless you’re going to take the GMAT or the GRE or the Executive Assessment, any of those are fine because we can tell that way, but you would actually have to learn math first before you took those courses. Math is the toughest one. There are easier ways of showing evidence of your reasoning ability and ability to communicate, at least in writing. 

We always recommend applying earlier rather than later, because even though it’s an online program, we’ve limited the number of seats we want to fill, but don’t apply until you’re ready, much better to have a stronger application later in the process.

In terms of the math and taking coursework for your liberal arts graduate or somebody who just hasn’t had much math recently or perhaps didn’t do so well in it, do you care if they take accredited courses from a university or Coursera courses or HBS Online? [27:24]

Not really, as long as the argument can be made that it was high-enough quality and there’s evidence that you learned something. Just because you don’t have transcripts, because some of these courses don’t provide them, doesn’t mean we won’t believe you, but we also have conditional admissions for people who can’t make the case, but it sounds like maybe they’re prepared.

Any thoughts about having your own test to see if applicants are ready? [28:22]

That’s come up periodically. It might be time for us to think of it again. We used to have a sample test like a self-test people could take which we had for the MBA program. It might be time to resurrect that just so people can do a check to see whether they need to take a course.

What question would you have liked me to answer that I didn’t ask? [28:58]

You are pretty thorough. I guess the only thing I would say is that something that people find surprising to hear about the program is how bonded the students are with each other. Part of it is because they travel through as a cohort, they’re taking every course together in lock-step and they communicate so much both in class and outside of class. They feel really committed to the program, to each other, and to the school, which is not what comes to mind when you think of online programs. That’s something I like to mention since we’ve heard that so much from students.



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FROM Accepted.com Blog: IMD Executive MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines [2021 – 2022]



IMD Executive MBA application essays

IMD EMBA essay #1

Please briefly state your career objectives. (160 words) 

This length equates to one long or two short paragraphs. Be specific: note intended roles/positions, industry, possibly geography. Give an example of companies that interest you. State not just what you want to do, but, most important, WHY. What motivates you to pursue these career objectives? What would you like to accomplish? What impact would you like to have in the long term — your “vision”? There is enough room to provide some context, so consider adding in a point or two relevant to your situation; that could include a variety of topics, such as market trends that affect or that drive your goals, whether your goals are part of a formal development plan, a “Plan B” if needed, etc. Click here to download a free copy of our guide to writing about MBA goals, Why MBA? >>

IMD EMBA essay #2

Please describe three situations, business or otherwise, in which you were involved and which were of importance to you. Explain why you view them as such. (200 words)

Selecting three interesting, different, and in some way significant situations is the key to using this essay to maximum effect. It gives the adcom YOUR lens onto your life and career –and it gives you a chance to present a multifaceted self-portrait. Ideally, at least one of the three situations will not be work-related. In terms of time frame, generally, the longer ago something happened, the “bigger” its meaning and impact should be to make it a viable essay topic. For example, you should generally steer clear of discussing something as far back as high school – unless, for example, you escaped with your family from a region at war. Most likely, you’ll discuss situations that occurred within the last five years or so. Try to have at least one fairly recent work-related story, and also discuss experiences that are different. I suggest three paragraphs, each devoted to one situation. In each, describe the situation, and then discuss why it was important to you – and if it was so for multiple reasons, focus on one or two. Be thoughtful and insightful, don’t just state the obvious. 

How to Get Accepted to a Top EMBA Program: The Experts Speak [Episode 348]

IMD EMBA essay #3

Please comment on a situation where you failed to reach an objective and what you learned from it. (200 words)

Here you have a chance to go more in depth on a specific experience. It often works best to use an experience from work, not too far in the past, as this allows the adcom to see you performing at a high level and dealing with big stakes. First, narrate the situation, giving specifics such as where, who, when, etc. Don’t shrink from the part where you failed to reach the objective – this is the pivot point of the story. Explain what happened and be frank about where you fell short. Describe your learning from it – and then add a sentence or two noting how you have since applied that learning.

IMD EMBA essay #4

In what ways do you believe you can contribute to the IMD Executive MBA program? (200 words)

Identify 2-3 key ways in which you stand out among IMD Executive MBA applicants and elaborate on how these factors will enable you to contribute. There is no formula here; it will differ for each applicant. Some examples of factors to present are a unique industry perspective or niche, an unusual or powerful experience at work, in-depth experience in an under-represented developing region, work that deals with critical or evolving social issues, significant and high-impact volunteer work. And/or, you may have compelling aspects of your personal story that reflect a unique perspective to share. These are just examples. For the top 2-3 factors you mention, describe each briefly and how/why it will enable you to contribute. After this substantive discussion, if you wish and have room, you can add a couple more points in a concluding sentence or two – but there is no need to do so. 

International exposure

Please list significant experience living, working and studying outside your own country. Include the activity time, time period (year/s), and country or region.

The question says “list,” so no need to elaborate beyond the facts requested. However, “significant” is open to interpretation. Note “living, working and studying” – do not try to contort vacations into this section in order to increase the international exposure or show off an exotic experience. DO detail the relevant specifics, e.g., don’t just say “semester studying in Mexico” – note what you studied, the name of the university, and any additional important elements such as leading a club or writing a thesis in Spanish.

For expert guidance with your IMD Executive 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 IMD’s EMBA program and look forward to helping you too!

IMD Executive MBA application deadlines for 2022

“The IMD Executive MBA program has several starting dates each year. As competition is high for places in the program, we recommend that you start the application process as soon as you and your company are sure of your decision.

As soon as we receive applications, we review them and make acceptance decisions. This means that the class can fill up even several months in advance of the date it actually starts. We, therefore, recommend that you apply early. Typically, we respond to all applicants within 3 weeks.”

***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:

• 5 Fatal Flaws to Avoid in Your MBA Application Essays, a free guide
School-Specific Executive MBA Application Essay Tips
EMBA: The Ultimate Guide for Applicants

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EMBA-Global Application Essay Tips & Deadlines [2021 – 2022] [#permalink]
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FROM Accepted.com Blog: EMBA-Global Application Essay Tips & Deadlines [2021 – 2022]



The Global EMBA has 2 program options: EMBA-Global Americas & Europe which combines the strengths of Columbia University and London Business School; and EMBA-Global Asia, with Columbia University, London Business School, and University of Hong Kong.

Of course, all EMBA applications are about “fit.” The Global EMBA is too – just more so. This adcom really focuses on fit because the program is so intense. And the concept of “global leader” is a critical part of that fit. How to demonstrate it will be unique to each applicant; ensure that your essays reflect your own mindset and vision of global leadership. In addition, the culture of the programs features a high degree of entrepreneurial energy, so entrepreneurship-related qualities like fresh thinking and initiative will also enhance fit.

These adcoms also look for applicants who truly understand and will make productive use of this distinctive educational opportunity, which comprises multiple campuses and schools, each with its own focus and areas of excellence.

The three essay questions vary in approach, requiring you to present yourself effectively from different angles to create a holistic picture. There’s a classic goals essay, a “story” (behavioral) essay, and an open statement. The challenge is to employ a consistent individual voice while 

EMBA-Global application essays

EMBA-Global essay #1

Why do you wish to participate in the EMBA-Global programme? What do you hope to experience and how will participation in this programme help you to achieve your objectives? (maximum 500 words)

Here’s that goals question. First a note about the nuance of the question: notice the words “wish,” “hope,” “experience,” and “participate/participation.” These words imply an immersive, personal, community-minded, collaborative orientation. In the essay (and indeed throughout the application), show how you fit with this culture and these values.

Structure: I’ve found that it’s intuitive and logical to start the essay by discussing your goals – the objectives noted at the very end of the question. And indicate what motivates them. You can then naturally move into what you hope to experience from the program, because your professional goals create your need for the program. This part can (indeed should) include a personal component as well. To address participation, discuss elements both in and beyond the classroom where you will learn and contribute, including clubs, social interactions, etc.



EMBA-Global essay #2

ase describe a situation either work or personal where you faced a particular challenge. What was the outcome and what did you learn from the experience about your own strengths and personal development needs? (maximum 500 words)

This is the “story” essay I referred to in the introduction. Approach it as you would relate an interesting work experience to a friend or acquaintance – straightforward narration with some expression of your feelings and/or thoughts at key points in the narrative. I suggest selecting a topic that’s relatively recent. Make it a situation with some significant stakes, and one that yielded meaningful insight, growth, and/or change.

Structure: Jump right into the story. Avoid preambles that give away the ending! This approach grips the reader and frees up space for detail, which will keep the reader engaged and let her get to know you more through the story. As you walk through what happened, highlight your actions and weave in those thoughts and feelings. Conclude with a short paragraph reflecting on what you learned about your strengths and development needs – tie these points back to the story.

EMBA-Global personal statement

Please tell us about yourself and your background. How do you embody the characteristics of a future global leader? The objective of this statement is to get a sense who you are, rather than what you have achieved professionally. (maximum 500 words)

First, think. Selecting content is not easy when faced with such an open question. There is no one formula that will work for everyone. Some people might most effectively focus on aspects of their cultural milieu and its formative influence on their values and perspective. Others might focus on pivotal experiences during university, others yet on influential role model(s) or relationships. Many people will appropriately discuss more than one topic.

The adcom knows that every leader on the world stage will uniquely manifest the qualities that make him/her a “global leader.” There is no formula. So, rather than trying to fit your experiences to the concept of global leader, work the other way around: show how a singular global leader will grow from your experiences – which are inherently unique. In other words, these individual experiences will form the foundation of your future global leadership.

For expert guidance with your EMBA-Global 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 EMBA programs and look forward to helping you too!



EMBA-Global Application Deadlines for 2021-22

EMBA-Global Asia

Columbia Business School (CBS), London Business School (LBS) and The University of Hong Kong (HKU) are pausing admissions for the EMBA-Global Asia programme due to ongoing pandemic-related travel restrictions.

EMBA-Global Americas & Europe

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, within these deadline dates:

Early FallSeptember 14, 2021Late FallNovember 9, 2021Early SpringJanuary 18, 2022Late SpringMarch 8, 2022

***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:

• 5 Fatal Flaws to Avoid in Your MBA Application Essays, a free guide
School-Specific Executive MBA Application Essay Tips
EMBA: The Ultimate Guide for Applicants

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UVA Darden Executive MBA Application Tips & Deadlines [2021 – 2022] [#permalink]
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FROM Accepted.com Blog: UVA Darden Executive MBA Application Tips & Deadlines [2021 – 2022]
[img]https://blog.accepted.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/UVA_Dardenschool_template_EMBA_copy.jpg[/img]
[url=https://reports.accepted.com/MBA/Top-Executive-MBA-Programs][img]https://blog.accepted.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/UVA_Dardenschool_template_EMBA_copy.jpg[/img][/url]

The series of short questions featured in Darden’s EMBA application generates a conversation of sorts. The Q&A really becomes a dialogue between you and the adcom, almost like an interview. The conversation these questions produce encompasses Darden’s perspective and values and reveals how you view and align with them. This dialogue approach exemplifies and facilitates the website’s point that the adcom wants to get to know you through these mini-essays. I would add – they want to know you [b]and[/b] how well you understand and fit with Darden.

[url=https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/58291/088cf431-34b3-4030-9c1e-432eee48f613][img]https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/58291/088cf431-34b3-4030-9c1e-432eee48f613.png[/img][/url]

Darden Executive MBA 2021-22 Short Answer Questions

Darden EMBA short answer question #1

Tell us what you would want your learning team to know about you that is not on your resume. (150 words)

By asking you to consider the learning team, the adcom can gauge how well you understand and connect with your Darden EMBA peers, a critical point for a program that is small and close-knit. It would be helpful therefore to show clear awareness of this peer audience.

And “not on your resume” indicates you should focus on non-work experiences or influences. The key to making this essay shine is to root the message in actual experience – and clarify what that experience says about you that is relevant to your learning team peers.

Darden EMBA short answer question #2

Darden strives to identify and cultivate responsible leaders who follow their purpose. Please respond to one of the following prompts. (200 words)

Q1: Tell us about a time when you acted with a team to solve a problem or seize an opportunity. What role did you play? What did you learn from this experience?

Q2: Tell us about a time you acted to solve a problem for the greater good. What drew you to this issue? What did you learn from this experience?

This question is a great opportunity to show that you are a person of significant impact, a person who leaves a mark. It’s also a chance to let the adcom see you in action, performing at a high level with significant stakes. 

To decide which question to answer, first listen to your instinct: does one of the questions immediately suggest a strong topic for the essay? If it portrays a fresh dimension of your candidacy, go for it. That natural enthusiasm will energize the essay. Otherwise, consider the possible topics you might use for both options, and how each topic story would enhance your application and candidacy. 

[url=https://blog.accepted.com/5-elements-telling-attention-grabbing-story/]Tell the story straight[/url], and end by reflecting on what you learned from the experience. The story itself should comprise the bulk of the essay – the reflection can be a sentence or two.

Darden EMBA short answer question #3

Diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission and they work best when they are an integral and celebrated part of our community. [url=https://vpdiversity.virginia.edu/]Review the University of Virginia’s Commitment to Diversity[/url]. 

Diversity stands with ethics, integrity, and academic excellence, as a cornerstone of University culture. The University promotes an inclusive and welcoming environment that embraces the full spectrum of human attributes, perspectives, and disciplines. When people of different backgrounds come together, they exchange ideas, question assumptions (including their own), and broaden the horizons for us all. A University of Virginia community rich in diversity affords every member equal respect and provides a forum for understanding our differences as well as our commonalities.

The Darden School develops, practices and cultivates a culture that reflects and incorporates the worldviews of its many community members. In this inclusive culture, the community learns important — and sometimes uncomfortable — lessons from one another, resulting in more conscientious global leaders and citizens. Please respond to one of the following prompts (200 words)

Q1: Share a time when you learned something related to diversity, equity or inclusion that was previously unknown to you? How did this experience impact your perspective?

Q2: Share a time when you advocated for a perspective, identity, or community different from your own. How did this experience impact your worldview?

Both of these options address your willingness to change – both ask you to share an experience related to diversity and/or inclusion that in some way impacted your perspective. When you select your story, be sure there is a clear line of causation between the experience itself and your changed – expanded, deepened, sharpened, maybe confirmed but more nuanced, etc. – perspective. 

As with the previous question, make the story itself the majority of the essay; the story itself should actually make your point. Then conclude with a confirming, reflective sentence or two, explicitly stating the impact.

Darden EMBA short answer question #4

What is your short-term, post-MBA career goal and how does it align with the long-term vision you have for your career? (150 words)

For your short-term goal, give the facts: what position(s), company or types of company, industry, location, expected scope of accountability. And for your long-term vision, summarize what do you hope to achieve in terms of external impact, what you hope your footprint will be – this should be shorter and less-detailed than your post-MBA goal. Explain how your short-term goal prepares you for the longer-term career vision, both in practical terms and consistency of purpose.

[b]You’ve just made a smart investment of time in reading this blog post. Now you’re one step closer to submitting the kind of application that can lead to acceptance at one of the most prestigious programs in the country. Why not make the next smart investment and consider one of our consulting packages? We have helped thousands of qualified applicants get to “YES” from the adcoms. [url=https://www.accepted.com/mba/services/application-packages?utm_campaign=Blog&utm_medium=emba_essay_tips&utm_source=blog]Click here to learn about how we can be there for you, too.[/url] [/b]

[b]If you would like professional guidance with your UVA Darden Executive MBA application, check out Accepted’s [/b][url=https://www.accepted.com/mba/services/application-packages?utm_campaign=Blog&utm_medium=emba_essay_tips&utm_source=blog][b]MBA Application Package[/b][/url][b], which includes advising, editing, interview coaching, and a resume edit for the Darden EMBA application.[/b]

UVA Darden Executive MBA 2021-22 remaining application deadlines

Application deadline*Decisions released10 Jan. 202228 Jan. 202210 Feb. 202225 Feb. 202210 Mar. 202225 Mar. 202210 Apr. 202229 Apr. 202210 May 202227 May 202210 June 202224 June 202225 June 20228 July 2022

*Note: At UVA Darden, we offer monthly deadlines – from August through April – and we will continue to accept applications until the class fills. Each deadline functions as a discrete round – with a target interview period, decision release date and deposit deadline. All deadlines are focused on our class starting in August.

Which deadline is right for you? Our general advice is to apply as soon as you feel like you can put together a strong application. With each passing deadline, fewer seats in our class will be available, and we will have less scholarship money to award. Most applicants will apply between October and March. However, we have monthly deadlines to provide you maximum flexibility.

Source: [url=https://www.darden.virginia.edu/executive-mba-formats/admissions/application-process]Darden EMBA website[/url]

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

[url=https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/58291/e3778f45-eff2-4b0e-80e4-6a9555738038][img]https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/58291/e3778f45-eff2-4b0e-80e4-6a9555738038.png[/img][/url]

[img]https://blog.accepted.com/cindy-tokumitsu-accepted-consultant/[/img]

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. [url=https://www.accepted.com/experts/cindy-tokumitsu?utm_campaign=Blog&utm_medium=blog_bio_cindy&utm_source=blog#open-form][b]Want Cindy to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch![/b][/url]

[b]Related Resources:[/b]

• [url=https://reports.accepted.com/MBA/Top-Executive-MBA-Programs]School-Specific Executive MBA Essay Tips[/url]
• [url=https://blog.accepted.com/showing-strengths-in-application-essays/]3 Tips for Highlighting Your Strengths in Your Application Essays[/url]
• [url=https://blog.accepted.com/emba-the-ultimate-guide-for-applicants/]EMBA: The Ultimate Guide for Applicants[/url]

The post [url=https://blog.accepted.com/uva-darden-executive-mba-essay-tips-and-deadlines/]UVA Darden Executive MBA Application Tips & Deadlines [2021 – 2022][/url] appeared first on [url=https://blog.accepted.com]Accepted Admissions Blog[/url].
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Encore: Are You Interested in NYU Stern? [Episode 449] [#permalink]
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FROM Accepted.com Blog: Encore: Are You Interested in NYU Stern? [Episode 449]



It’s a busy time of year now. We here at Accepted are busy helping applicants with the end-of-the-year application crunch and enjoying the company of family.

Perhaps adding to your happiness, you are planning a move to a new location after an acceptance. Or perhaps you’re not yet at that happy stage; you’re knee-deep in essay writing because your applications are due in January. Or maybe you are wisely planning ahead for a 2022 application with the intention to matriculate in 2023 – you’re preparing for your aptitude test and working to raise your GPA or get relevant experience.

Wherever you are in the application process, now is a great time for an encore show. Since it was one of the most popular MBA admissions interviews of 2021, I decided to replay the excellent interview provided by Lisa Rios, Assistant Dean of MBA Admissions at NYU Stern School of Business.

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for listening week in and week out, or whenever you find a show you like.

I also want to wish you a wonderful holiday season and a happy, healthy and prosperous new year, filled with the realization of your educational and professional dreams, and of course acceptances.

For the complete show notes, check out the original blog post.



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Executive MBA Essays: How to Make an Impact [Sample Essay] [#permalink]
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FROM Accepted.com Blog: Executive MBA Essays: How to Make an Impact [Sample Essay]



The following is an example of a successful Executive MBA essay for the MIT Sloan Executive MBA Program. Applicants to Executive MBA programs need to demonstrate significant leadership, impact, potential, and the legitimate need for the degree to be accepted, and this essay shows all of those qualities.

Statement of purpose (one page)

Prompt: The MIT Executive MBA Students and Community are: Open, Collaborative and Inventive. Please tell us why you are pursuing the MIT Executive MBA, and what you will contribute to your classmates and the community at MIT. Include examples of success working with organizations, groups, and individuals. For those reapplying, please highlight developments since your last submission.

The essay:

As a founder, board director, and executive officer of a growth-stage technology company, I bring a unique set of experiences and a need for an innovative, transformative education that I can apply to my business immediately.

As an executive with both immediate challenges and wide organizational influence, I am particularly drawn to the action learning philosophy of the Sloan program. I am eager to transform my own mind and create immediate positive impact across my organization. I am inspired by the experiences of current students who implement their new learnings when they return to the office on Mondays. I am eager to do exactly that. My business is significantly more complex today than it was in the beginning when we provided a simple set of tools to small teams. Today, we are a multinational organization that provides tools and training to large enterprises seeking to implement Lean transformations of sophisticated processes in IT operations and multiple other industries. Throughout this journey, I have constantly challenged myself and my organization to learn, grow, and change. I seek to participate in this program as another step in my personal commitment to learning and adapting to the needs of the future. Now is the moment of maximum impact, whereby my organization and customers will be most receptive to, and benefit the most from, lessons and experiments that I intend to bring back and implement.

As a shareholder that has negotiated a significant amount of angel and institutional investment, I am keenly aware that my investors seek a positive return on their investment. I seek to prepare not only for the immediate needs of growth and complexity, but also for the mid-to-long term opportunities that may accompany that growth, such as a change of control, a liquidity event, or an opportunity to integrate my teams into a larger vision.

As a community leader, I seek to bring what I learn from the program back home and share it widely. I aim to broaden my understanding of business practices and theory beyond my focused experience in tech so that I may maximize the value of what I pass along to the aspiring entrepreneurs, technologists, and leaders in my community who, with ever increasing frequency, honor me by seeking my guidance and assistance.

Similarly, I have a strong desire to share my experiences and the details of my company and my journey with my classmates. I understand how valuable it is to be completely transparent with a group of peers who are eager to learn and share. I am excited to share my successes and my failures with them, open my business to their scrutiny, and make my organization available any time it aids in the learning experience.

Jennifer Weld, former Assistant Director of Admissions at Cornell’s EMBA program and Accepted admissions consultant, provides insights into what this Accepted client did correctly when writing his Executive MBA essay.

A couple of strong points to this essay:

1. No nonsense approach

The writer immediately gets to the point of explaining why an EMBA is a necessary next step for their career. In the very first sentence there is an acknowledgement of all the writer has accomplished, but the clear recognition that further education is necessary to attain their goals.

2. Complete lack of verbosity

It is obvious the writer has had a very successful career thus far, but that is not what comes across. Instead you understand that the writer recognizes the constant need for learning and adapting to the ever-changing business environment.

3. Give and take

The writer discusses taking the learning from MIT and applying it to oneself, but also bringing key learnings back to the writer’s community. The writer also acknowledges that having classmates critiquing his business will be extremely beneficial to him, but also by opening up his operations to his classmates, they can learn a lot as well. This shows a generous spirit, which is the type of characteristic an admissions committee would be looking for in terms of representing the school after graduation.

For expert guidance with your executive MBA applications, check out Accepted’s EMBA admissions consulting services. You will be assigned an individual consultant, who will provide you with advising, editing, interview coaching, and resume assistance for your EMBA applications.




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:

Ace the EMBA: Expert Advice for Rising Executives, a free guide
EMBA: The Ultimate Guide for Applicants
How to Get Accepted to a Top EMBA Program: The Experts Speak

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NYU Part-Time MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines [2021 – 2022] [#permalink]
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FROM Accepted.com Blog: NYU Part-Time MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines [2021 – 2022]



NYU’s Stern Langone part-time MBA requires just one short essay: a straightforward goals essay. That means the other application elements – resume, recommendations, and application form will be especially important in terms of rounding out your profile and conveying relevant information. So, approach all the application elements thoughtfully and strategically. There is not even usually an interview for this program. The applicants who can most effectively manage this rather abbreviated application are confident, thoughtful, and resourceful – short doesn’t necessarily mean easier!

NYU Stern part-time MBA 2022 application

NYU part-time MBA essay question #1 (Professional aspirations and fit with Stern)

(350 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)

  • What are your short- and long-term career goals?
[*]

[*]How will the part-time MBA help you achieve them?[/list]
[/list]

You may start by succinctly mentioning your current career situation to set the context. (Warning: Don’t repeat your resume, but rather make this opening highlight some relevant or interesting aspect of your industry and/or function, as it is an important part of what you’ll bring to the table in a part-time program). Then move on to discuss your short-term goals. Give solid details: position, company, scope of accountability, what you want to accomplish, and how you hope to grow. If you have a formal development program that these goals are based on, it’s good to mention it. To make your goals meaningful and engaging, briefly explain WHY you want to take these steps, what excites and engages you about this anticipated path. Your longer-term goal needs less detail and should of course reflect some reasonable trajectory from the earlier role. 

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 the part-time MBA meets those needs. Be specific and add a little about the particular benefits of Stern’s program.



NYU part-time MBA essay question #2 (Additional information – optional)

(250 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)

This essay is truly optional – it is an opportunity to provide any additional information that you feel is important in assessing your candidacy. This may include significant current or past gaps in employment, further explanation of your undergraduate record or self-reported academic transcript(s), plans to retake the GMAT, GRE, EA, IELTS, Duolingo or TOEFL, or any other relevant information. This information may be just a few short sentences, it doesn’t need to be a full essay.

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 recommend addressing the types of issues the question presents if needed, and/or present other information only that has a direct bearing on the adcom’s ability to understand your candidacy.

You’ve worked so hard to get to where you are in life. Now that you’re ready for your next achievement, make sure you know how to present yourself to maximum advantage in your NYU Langone application. In a hotly competitive season, you’ll want a member of Team Accepted in your corner, guiding you with expertise tailored specifically for you. Check out our flexible consulting packages today!



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!

NYU part-time MBA (Langone) 2022 application deadlines

1st DeadlineFebruary 15, 20222nd DeadlineApril 1, 20223rd DeadlineMay 15, 2022

Source: NYU Stern website

Stay on top of MBA deadlines with the MBA Admissions Calendar!

[Click here to add the calendar to your Google calendar; or here to add the calendar to another app.]

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



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Berkeley Haas MFE (Master of Financial Engineering) Application Tips [#permalink]
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FROM Accepted.com Blog: Berkeley Haas MFE (Master of Financial Engineering) Application Tips
[img]https://blog.accepted.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Berkeley_Hass_MFE_App_2021.jpg[/img]
[url=https://blog.accepted.com/the-berkeley-mfe-one-tough-program-with-amazing-opportunities-for-grads/][img]https://blog.accepted.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Berkeley_Hass_MFE_App_2021.jpg[/img][/url]

UC Berkeley Haas is perhaps best known for its [url=https://blog.accepted.com/uc-berkeley-haas-mba-essay-tips-deadlines/]highly selective MBA program[/url], but this business school also offers a [url=https://mfe.haas.berkeley.edu/admissions]one-year Master of Financial Engineering degree[/url] for those applicants interested in computational finance focused on business and economics.

[url=https://blog.accepted.com/the-berkeley-mfe-one-tough-program-with-amazing-opportunities-for-grads-episode-279/]Haas’s MFE[/url] shares the MBA program’s high selectivity – the MFE program received 749 applications for only 79 places in the class of 2022 – and its high post-graduation salaries – after graduating from the one-year MFE, last year’s graduates earned an average first year base compensation of $176,465, compared with Haas’s average two-year MBA graduate base salaries of $143,696.

In fact, 98% of the MFE students looking for jobs were placed, and 90% succeeded in staying and working in the US when they graduated. One reason for that high placement rate is the practical experience that graduates enjoy in their mandatory 10-12-week internships in the fall/winter (October to January), filling banks’ needs for interns in the wake of those MBA students returning to their programs following their summer internships. 

Another reason for that successful placement rate in the US is that [url=https://blog.accepted.com/mba-programs-go-stem-certified/]this is a STEM program[/url], so international students are eligible for up to 36 months of [url=https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/stem-opt-hub]optional practical training[/url] in the US after graduating. Haas MFE grads apply the computational proficiency and complex financial modeling & strategy skills they gain [url=https://mfe.haas.berkeley.edu/careers/mfe-placements]predominantly to careers[/url] in asset management, investment banking and fintech.

The MFE application contains several components, including listing all courses you have taken in the required prerequisite areas (Finance/Economics: Corporate Finance, Macroeconomics; Math: Calculus, Linear Algebra, Partial Differential Equations, Numerical Analysis; Statistics: Advanced Statistics, Econometrics; and Programming: C++, Python, R, and Machine Learning). 

Here are Haas MFE’s essay questions, each with a 250-word maximum length, with my tips for responding. 

UC Berkeley Haas Master of Financial Engineering application essays

Haas MFE essay #1

Please discuss why you have decided to apply to the MFE at this time and what career path you intend to pursue post MFE. (250 words maximum per question)

If your answer is “To make a lot of money,” then stop right now. Sure, graduates of this program will be offered high salaries, but Haas is seeking applicants who are passionate about finance, not just about making money. Where is your passion? What questions or problems do you look forward to tackling with your MFE? Be sure to address the “at this time” element of the question by including how your previous experience has inspired and prepared you for these challenges.

Haas MFE essay #2

If you have ever been placed on academic probation, been dismissed from a school, or received a failing grade (including non-graded courses for which you received an assessment of unsatisfactory or “not pass”), please explain. (250 words maximum per question)

Haas’s MFE program is challenging, so only those with strong academic records will thrive here. If you experienced a course or period in which you did not perform to that standard, here is your chance to explain why the admissions committee should not worry that this is indicative of poor future performance in their program.

Supplemental information

These questions address additional aspects of your application and should be answered as succinctly as possible.

Haas MFE supplemental question #1

What do you view as a particular strength of yours? What do you view as a particular weakness? (250 words maximum)

Haas students are self-aware; they have [url=https://blog.accepted.com/tone-up-your-writing-confidence-vs-arrogance/]Confidence Without Attitude[/url], so you are allowed to be proud of your strengths as long as you recognize your areas for growth. Use this space to share an example that illustrates a strength you have developed as well as your effort to address a weakness. 

Haas MFE supplemental question #2

Do you feel that your academic record is an accurate reflection of your ability and potential? In comparison to your college friends and classmates, do you feel that you were particularly advantaged or disadvantaged? Please explain. (250 words maximum

For every grade there is background, and Haas does want to understand it. If you faced challenges that most students do not – illness, physical challenges, family financial difficulties that you were helping with, trauma – you can share that detail here to lend context to your story.

Haas MFE supplemental question #3

Provide an account of any gaps in your employment since your undergraduate degree. (250 words maximum)

Gaps of 3 months or more require some explanation. Show that you used the time between employments for your personal edification and/or the benefit of the community.

Haas MFE video essay

Here you will be shown a question, have 20 seconds to think and organize your ideas, then have up to 2 minutes to respond (though you may stop the recording earlier than that). If you don’t feel your first response went well, you will be allowed to delete that attempt and redo the video. 

Keep in mind that there is no right or wrong answer to this question. Haas is using this video to put a face and tone to your application, so while your words will matter, presence and poise matter also. You need to speak slowly and clearly, look openly at the camera, and speak as if there were a person sitting in front of you. I recommend placing a drawing of a smiley face or even a picture of the program’s [url=https://blogs.haas.berkeley.edu/mfe/author/linda-kreitzman]executive director, Linda Kreitzman[/url], next to your camera so you have an easier time imagining this personal engagement.

UC Berkeley Haas Master of Financial Engineering Spring 2023 application deadlines

 [b]Application Deadline[/b][b]Decision Notification[/b]Round 1January 17, 2022, 2:59AM ETMarch 28, 2022Round 2March 21, 2022, 2:59AM ETJuly 6, 2022Round 3June 27, 2022, 2:59AM ETOctober 14, 2022Round 4October 7, 2022, 2:59AM ETDecember 2, 2022

*Late applications will be accepted until October 28, 2022, 3:00AM ET

Applicants typically hear admissions decisions within 4-8 weeks of applying.

[url=https://mfe.haas.berkeley.edu/admissions]Source: Haas MFE website[/url]

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

[b]If you would like help with your Berkeley Haas Master of Financial Engineering program, [/b][url=https://www.accepted.com/experts/jennifer-bloom?utm_campaign=Blog&utm_medium=Haas_MFE_program&utm_source=blog#open-form][b]register for a free consultation with me[/b][/url][b]. [/b]

[b]At Accepted, we’ve helped hundreds of applicants get accepted to top Masters programs and look forward to helping you too![/b]

[url=https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/58291/7109a2fa-7b50-4821-b0c7-9501ae4f29b6][img]https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/58291/7109a2fa-7b50-4821-b0c7-9501ae4f29b6.png[/img][/url]

[img]https://kp15446gcoz47p1vpn9ol6gj-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Jennifer-Bloom-Accepted-Consultant.jpg[/img]

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. [url=https://www.accepted.com/experts/jennifer-bloom?utm_campaign=Blog&utm_medium=blog_bio_jennifer&utm_source=blog#open-form][b]Want Jennifer to help you get accepted? Click here to get in touch![/b][/url]

[b]Related Resources:[/b]

[list][*][url=https://blog.accepted.com/the-berkeley-mfe-one-tough-program-with-amazing-opportunities-for-grads/]The Berkeley MFE: One Tough Program with Amazing Opportunities for Grads[/url], a podcast episode[/*][*][url=https://reports.accepted.com/grad/masters-finance-admissions-guide]The Ultimate Guide to Applying to Master’s in Finance Programs[/url], a free guide [/*][*][url=https://blog.accepted.com/applying-for-an-mba-with-no-work-experience-what-you-need-to-know/]Deferred MBA Programs and Other Options for MBA Hopefuls With No Work Experience[/url][/*][/list]
The post [url=https://blog.accepted.com/berkeley-haas-mfe-master-of-financial-engineering-application-tips-2020-2021/]Berkeley Haas MFE (Master of Financial Engineering) Application Tips[/url] appeared first on [url=https://blog.accepted.com]Accepted Admissions Blog[/url].
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Your Guide to Getting off the Waitlist in 2022 [#permalink]
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FROM Accepted.com Blog: Your Guide to Getting off the Waitlist in 2022



Landing on a waitlist can be a nerve-wracking experience. As a result, sometimes waitlisted applicants let their anxiety or disappointment get the better of them. But the application process is not over for waitlisted applicants! “Waitlisted” is not “rejected.” If you play your cards right, you still have a fighting chance of getting into your dream school. Now’s not the time to slack off, and it’s certainly not the time to give up. 

We prepared this guide to show you how to make the most of this opportunity to get from waitlisted to accepted. 

Let’s start by warning you to avoid some of the ill-considered behavior that really turns adcom members off to your application. The most flagrant violators that adcom members complain about  are applicants who react emotionally to the news and behave in ways that are demanding, rude, disrespectful, or otherwise inappropriate, either in their emails, calls, or even unscheduled drop-in visits to their offices. There may be 200 or more waitlisted applicants at your school, but even if there were only 20, these types of responses reveal immaturity and lack of judgment. This behavior is duly noted and will work against you.

If the adcom has waitlisted you, it means they are still very interested in you. You’re still a contender. Maximize your chances of turning your waitlist status into an acceptance by following the school’s instructions precisely: Send what they ask for. Don’t send what they don’t want.

For example, be sure that your target school is open to receiving waitlist letters or letters of continued interest. If the school states explicitly that it doesn’t want to hear from you, then do not contact them – doing so will only hurt your case.

For programs that are open to receiving these letters, writing a well crafted waitlist update letter or letter of continued interest, and having letters of support written by other people sent in on your behalf, can tilt the odds in your favor. These letters should focus on three areas: your growing list of qualifications, the steps you’ve taken to ameliorate shortcomings, and the ways in which you are the perfect fit for the school.



5 rules to write a waitlist letter that will get you OFF the waitlist:

  • Keep it short – no more than two pages, double-spaced. 

    Use this valuable space to focus on what you have accomplished since applying. When you’re at the brainstorming stage of the letter, and then again once you’re done writing, check and then double check that you haven’t repeated material already in your application – you don’t want to waste anyone’s time!

  • Begin your letter by briefly thanking the school for considering your application.

    Reiterate your commitment to the school and your belief that its philosophy and approach are an ideal fit for your educational preferences and goals.

  • Update your qualifications.

    What is new and improved since you submitted your application? Ideally, you should relate these new achievements to some of the themes or experiences you addressed in your essays.

    Some examples could include a recent promotion; freshly minted A’s in relevant courses; a new leadership role in a project or organization; a recent volunteer experience; initiatives you’ve taken in your department, business, or club; or additional work responsibilities.

  • Talk about the measures you’ve taken to strengthen areas of weakness or other shortcomings.

    Reinforce the idea that you are working to grow professionally and personally. Instead of dwelling on an actual shortcoming, instead, focus on the specific actions you’ve taken to become stronger in that area. For example, if you have or have had weak communication skills, discuss how you enrolled in Toastmasters and how the experience influenced and inspired you. Examine, identify, and address weaknesses in your education, career, and community life.

    Also, if you have plans for additional classes or work but they have not yet taken place, get specific: Report when and where you plan to take them, and state your willingness to enroll in any additional courses or follow any additional instructions that the school recommends or provides.

  • Emphasize your fit with the school.

    If you are sure that upon acceptance you would attend, tell the school of your commitment. The message you want to get across is this: You were born to attend this school and this school was created just for you. Your fit is as perfect as a cozy glove on a cold hand.

    How can you show the school you’re a perfect fit for their program? Prove it by explaining what else you have done to further your knowledge of their program and build your network there. You may already have mentioned in your application or in an interview how the school’s philosophy and approach match your educational preferences and goals. In a waitlist letter, cite new examples that illustrate this match. For example, if you have visited the campus (post-submission), mention which class you sat in on, who taught it, and what your impressions were.

    Similarly, mention recent email exchanges with alumni or students. What new aspect of the program that jives with your interests have you discovered through these connections? Connecting with the school, its students, and resources demonstrates that you feel invested in attending. It will help drive home the message that this school is the best place for someone with your post-MBA goals.

Remember, admissions directors want waitlisted applicants to show passion, but not obsession. Follow these steps and you can be sure that schools will respond to this extra personal effort – provided that your sincerity is matched by an equal measure of professionalism, maturity, and courtesy.

Watch: One med school admissions dean talks about how her team views letters of intent. >>

Writing Effective Waitlist Letters: A Quiz

So, do you know how to write an effective waitlist letter? Test your knowledge with this quiz:

1. Waitlist letters may be three or more single-spaced pages long:

(a) if the applicant has a lot of accomplishments to talk about 

(b) they should never exceed two pages 

(c) if they are law school waitlist letters only

(d) if you are not enclosing an additional letter of recommendation

2. Expressing frustration or disappointment in the waitlist letter about not being immediately accepted is:

(a) OK if the school is really your number-one choice

(b) appropriate if it reflects how you honestly feel

(c) never a good idea

(d) useful in the letter’s conclusion to elicit sympathy

3. During the waitlist process, you should generally aim to contact the waitlisting school:

(a) every other day if it’s really your number-one choice

(b) weekly by email or mail

(c) only when prompted by the school

(d) every three to four weeks (if the school allows contact)

4. The main topics of a waitlist letter should be:

(a) your recent professional achievements

(b) additional reasons why this school is a good fit for you

(c) developments in your community work since applying

(d) any substantial recent examples that show you have worked to strengthen areas of weaknesses of your application

(e) all of the above

5. It’s acceptable to repeat wording from your application essays in the waitlist letter:

(a) never

(b) if you are in a rush to get the letter done on time

(c) if it was an especially strong part of your application

(d) if you think it’s important enough to reinforce

[Answers: 1b,  2c, 3d, 4e, 5a]

How’d you do? Are you confident that you have a solid understanding of how waitlist letters work? Would you still benefit from expert guidance as you draft a waitlist letter that will turn the school’s unsure verdict into a solid, resounding acceptance?

Accepted’s admissions experts are ready to help you get off the waitlist and into the school of your dreams. We’ll help you identify areas you can highlight in your waitlist letter, assist with strategy, and help you edit your letter so that you can be sure it makes the best possible case for your admission. Check out our waitlist services and let’s get started.



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. Want an admissions expert help you get accepted? Click here to get in touch!

Related Resources:

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