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31 Oct 2014, 10:02
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: MBA Applicant Interview with RoadToMyMBA |
 This interview is the latest in an Accepted.com blog series featuring interviews with MBA applicant bloggers, offering readers a behind-the-scenes look at the MBA application process. And now…introducing our anonymous blogger, RoadToMyMBA… Accepted: First, can you tell us a little about yourself? Where are you from? Where and what did you study as an undergrad? What is your current job? RoadToMyMBA: Hi, I’m a 26 year old financial consultant from Brazil. I have a BA degree in international relations from a private university here in my city and I’ve also studied economics for 3 years in another university but did not obtain this second bachelor’s degree since I’ve put my registration as “on-hold.” I currently work for a Big 4 consulting firm in the corporate finance area. I work with valuation, M&A and long-term fundraising projects with companies of various sizes throughout Brazil. I’ve been working here for about 4 years and right now I’m a Senior Consultant. Accepted: Where do you plan on applying to b-school? RoadToMyMBA: I’m planning to apply exclusively to US MBA programs and right now I’m narrowing my choices, but they are between Tuck, Stern, Darden, Fuqua, McCombs, Kenan-Flagler and Kelley. I know it’s a lot of options but it’s a hard decision, especially for me that can’t travel to the campus and to the best MBA events in USA. I’m doing my best to make the right choice. Accepted: What attracts you to the U.S. programs, as opposed to other top schools in Europe or Asia? RoadToMyMBA: When I was younger (15 years old to be precise) I had the opportunity to live in the USA for one year as a high school exchange student. Since then, I’ve thought to come back and live in the USA for a longer period. Another important aspect is how well renowned the American universities are in business education. I’m looking forward to studying with some bright students and world-class faculty. Accepted: What stage of the application process are you up to so far? What has been the most challenging step and how did you work to overcome it? RoadToMyMBA: I’m pretty much in the beginning of my application. I truly believe that I will only be able to apply in the second round for all MBA programs I’ve chosen so far. The most challenging step so far is the GMAT. I did my first GMAT test two weeks ago and scored a low 560. Right now I’m back to studies since I’m planning to retake the GMAT in mid-November. Accepted: Do you plan on staying in your current industry post-MBA, or changing to a new field/career? RoadToMyMBA: I would like to change my career to work in the financial sector, such as investment banking or private equity more precisely. Since I work as a corporate finance consultant, the change will not be very hard. At least that is what I think… Accepted: Why did you decide to blog about your experience? What have you gained from the experience? What do you hope others will learn? RoadToMyMBA: The main reason is to help others in the same situation as me (professionals coming from emerging countries that want to do a top notch MBA abroad and needing some help in the process). The other reasons are to help improve my communication abilities in English and to make me relax a little bit during the whole process. For one-on-one guidance on your b-school application, please see our MBA Application Packages. You can read more about RoadToMyMBA’s b-school journey by checking out his blog, Road to My MBA. Thank you for sharing your story with us – we wish you loads of luck!   Related Resources: • Which Schools are Good for PE/VC and VC-Backed Entrepreneurship • MBA Applicant Blogger Interviews • Financial Aid & Health Insurance for International Students Tags: MBA Admissions, MBA applicant bloggers 
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02 Nov 2014, 01:00
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: RoadToMyMBA: 26-Yr Old Consultant from Brazil Applying to To Top US B-Schools |
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This interview is the latest in an Accepted.com blog series featuring interviews with MBA applicant bloggers, offering readers a behind-the-scenes look at the MBA application process. And now…introducing our anonymous blogger, RoadToMyMBA… Accepted: First, can you tell us a little about yourself? Where are you from? Where and what did you study as an undergrad? What is your current job? RoadToMyMBA: Hi, I’m a 26 year old financial consultant from Brazil. I have a BA degree in international relations from a private university here in my city and I’ve also studied economics for 3 years in another university but did not obtain this second bachelor’s degree since I’ve put my registration as “on-hold.” I currently work for a Big 4 consulting firm in the corporate finance area. I work with valuation, M&A and long-term fundraising projects with companies of various sizes throughout Brazil. I’ve been working here for about 4 years and right now I’m a Senior Consultant. Accepted: Where do you plan on applying to b-school? RoadToMyMBA: I’m planning to apply exclusively to US MBA programs and right now I’m narrowing my choices, but they are between Tuck, Stern, Darden, Fuqua, McCombs, Kenan-Flagler and Kelley. I know it’s a lot of options but it’s a hard decision, especially for me that can’t travel to the campus and to the best MBA events in USA. I’m doing my best to make the right choice. Accepted: What attracts you to the U.S. programs, as opposed to other top schools in Europe or Asia? RoadToMyMBA: When I was younger (15 years old to be precise) I had the opportunity to live in the USA for one year as a high school exchange student. Since then, I’ve thought to come back and live in the USA for a longer period. Another important aspect is how well renowned the American universities are in business education. I’m looking forward to studying with some bright students and world-class faculty. Accepted: What stage of the application process are you up to so far? What has been the most challenging step and how did you work to overcome it? RoadToMyMBA: I’m pretty much in the beginning of my application. I truly believe that I will only be able to apply in the second round for all MBA programs I’ve chosen so far. The most challenging step so far is the GMAT. I did my first GMAT test two weeks ago and scored a low 560. Right now I’m back to studies since I’m planning to retake the GMAT in mid-November. Accepted: Do you plan on staying in your current industry post-MBA, or changing to a new field/career? RoadToMyMBA: I would like to change my career to work in the financial sector, such as investment banking or private equity more precisely. Since I work as a corporate finance consultant, the change will not be very hard. At least that is what I think… Accepted: Why did you decide to blog about your experience? What have you gained from the experience? What do you hope others will learn? RoadToMyMBA: The main reason is to help others in the same situation as me (professionals coming from emerging countries that want to do a top notch MBA abroad and needing some help in the process). The other reasons are to help improve my communication abilities in English and to make me relax a little bit during the whole process. For one-on-one guidance on your b-school application, please see our MBA Application Packages. You can read more about RoadToMyMBA’s b-school journey by checking out his blog, Road to My MBA. Thank you for sharing your story with us – we wish you loads of luck! Related Resources: • Which Schools are Good for PE/VC and VC-Backed Entrepreneurship • MBA Applicant Blogger Interviews • Financial Aid & Health Insurance for International Students Tags: MBA Admissions, MBA applicant bloggers
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02 Nov 2014, 12:00
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: What’s an MBA Really Worth? |
 How much do MBAs really earn? This is the question tackled in a recent Poets & Quants article in which John Byrne presents PayScale data provided exclusively for P&Q. In the analysis, PayScale calculates the estimated median pay and bonuses (not including stock-based compensation, retirement benefits, or non-cash benefits like healthcare) of graduates from the top 50 U.S. MBA programs from 2004 to 2014. Here are some of the highlights from the article: • Harvard, Stanford, and Wharton earn the most over a 20-year period (at $3,233,000, $3,011,000 and $2,989,000 respectively), with average income at the former nearly doubling the average income of graduates from Texas A&M’s Mays Business School (at $1,781,820.) • Some schools “punched above their weight class” like Boston University, whose graduates earned an average of $2,329,000, making the school rank in 19th place on this list, while ranked overall (in the regular MBA full-time rankings) by P&Q in 40th. • Another high roller from lower down on the list is UC-Irvine Merage, where MBAs earn $2,319,932 over 20 years, putting them in 21st place, though generally ranked in 47th. • More food for thought: At HBS, the average age of graduation is 29 years old. Our 20-year payout here brings these MBAs up to 49 years old, giving them another 16 years until retirement at 65. Based on their 20-year earnings, they may earn another $3.2 million, which combined with their 20-year earnings, brings their total up to $6.5 million. (Remember, this is a conservative estimate as it doesn’t include stock and non-cash compensation.) • Compare the above HBS figures to the $2.5 million estimated lifetime earnings (age 24 to 64) of people with a master’s degree (non-MBA). (Data from the U.S. Census Bureau.) Someone with an MBA from Harvard will earn nearly three times as much as someone with a master’s degree. And someone with an MBA from Texas A&M will still earn about $1 million more than the average MA/MS holder. • More comparisons (based on U.S. Census Bureau data): The average high school graduate can expect to earn $1.2 million in a lifetime, compared to the $2.1 million of someone with a bachelor’s degree. PhDs earn $3.4 million on average during their working lifetime. Doctors and lawyers can expect lifetime earnings of about $4.4 million – still less than the lifetime earnings of MBAs from at least 28 business schools. • According to PayScale data, graduates from BA programs earn a median $1,301,000 20 years post-graduation. All MBAs, on average, earned $1,771,000, with those in the top 50 earning a median $2,266,000. An MBA in general will earn you about half a million more than a BA; an MBA from a top 50 school will get you yet another half a million more.  Source: PayScale for Poets&Quants  Source: Payscale Inc. for 20-year estimate, business schools reporting to U.S. News for 2013 starting pay and bonus.  Related Resources: • Best MBA Programs: A Guide to Selecting the Right One • B-Schools with the Highest ROIs • Which Graduate Schools Should You Apply To? Tags: Chicago Booth, CMU Tepper, College Admissions, Columbia Business School, Cornell Johnson, Dartmouth Tuck, Duke Fuqua, Emory Goizueta, Grad School Admissions, Harvard Business School, MBA Admissions, MBA ROI, Michigan Ross, MIT Sloan, Northwestern Kellogg, Notre Dame Mendoza, NYU Stern, Rankings, Stanford GSB, UC Berkeley, UCLA Anderson, UNC Kenan Flagler, USC Marshall, UVA Darden, Wharton, Yale SOM 
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03 Nov 2014, 09:00
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: Indian School of Business MBA Admissions Q&A |
Discover the benefits of attending India’s top-ranked business school, the Indian School of Business (ISB), when you attend our upcoming admissions Q&A with Mr. Rupesh Bisht, Associate Director – Admissions & Financial Aid at ISB. In addition to answering your questions, Mr. Bisht will discuss various topics including:
 Tags: Indian School of Business, MBA Admissions 
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03 Nov 2014, 16:00
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: Successful GRE Score = Successful MBA Students |
 An Educational Testing Service (ETS) press releases reports on a study conducted by ETS that examines the performance of part-time and full-time MBA students who had taken the GRE revised General Test. Results show that high GRE scores predict solid student performance in MBA programs. According to David Payne, Vice President and COO of Global Education at ETS, “The GRE® Program has a long history of predictive validity for graduate-level programs such as social sciences, including business, which is why more than 1,100 business schools worldwide are accepting GRE scores for their MBA Programs. This new study provides even more evidence regarding the specific population of MBA students.” The ETS press release also shares the following points: • Currently, almost all top b-schools (90% of U.S. News’ top 100 schools) accept the GRE. • GRE test takers report positively about the GRE’s ScoreSelect which allows test takers to submit only their best sets of scores to schools for up to five years from the test day. • Test takers also provide positive feedback regarding their ability to skip questions and return to them later on. Related Resources: • The GMAT, the GRE, and the Guy Who Knows them Well • GMAT vs. GRE: Harvard Business School Weighs In • Should You take the GMAT or the GRE? Tags: GRE, MBA Admissions 
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04 Nov 2014, 11:00
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: MBA Interview Must-Know #2: You |
 “MBA Interview Must-Know #2: You” is excerpted from the Accepted.com special report, How to Ace Your MBA Interviews To download the entire free special report, click here. You. You are the first topic you need to know. After all, the interview will be about you. What do you want to do after your MBA? Why do you want to attend this program? When have you demonstrated the qualities this school appreciates, the qualities that will show you belong here? Much of this information appears in your essays or was uncovered in the preparation and introspection that took place before you drafted your essays. (Did you jot down notes? Keep a journal? Use them.) In a BW interview, Dawna Clark, Director of Admissions at Tuck, gave the following very concrete advice to applicants facing a “blind” interview, which at many programs means the interviewer only sees your resume. “I would recommend that people approach their interview with a strategy. When candidates are applying to Tuck, so many of them are so bright and so impressive, and there are probably 50 things that they would love to talk to us about in their interview. But there’s limited time, and I would recommend that they spend some time thinking about five of the top skills, experiences, or accomplishments that they most want to emphasize. “I would literally write a list of everything that you’re proud of before your interview and then cut it in half, and cut it in half again and cut it in half again, until you say, ‘You know what? If I have limited time, here are the five points I’m really hoping to get across in this interview.’ With each of those five bullet points come up with some examples and substantiate them.” Dawna provides excellent suggestions for an interview strategy where you will truly be prepared to present yourself. MBA Interview Tip #2: Know the few most important things you are proud of and be prepared to discuss them.  Related Resources: • Tips for Your In-Person Interview with MBA Student or Alumnus • Preparing for Behavioral and General Interview Questions, a short video • 6 Steps to Follow After You Receive Your MBA Interview Invite Tags: Ace Your MBA Interviews Series, MBA Admissions, MBA Interview, special report 
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04 Nov 2014, 15:00
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: Take Command of Your MBA Interview! |
 Acing an MBA interview is no easy feat! You need to simultaneously: • Exude confidence without boasting; • Find the balance between being too terse and talking your interviewer’s ear off; • Stay positive even when a curveball is thrown at you; and • Be honest and quick thinking at ALL times. Worried you may not be able to keep it together on the big day? Stop worrying (because that really won’t help) and instead take a step in the direction of interview success by signing up for our upcoming webinar, The 10 Commandments of MBA Interviews. The webinar will be presented by Natalie Grinblatt Epstein, current Accepted.com consultant and former admissions director, who will walk you through 10 interview musts AND giveaway a free mock interview session to one lucky webinar attendee! The webinar will take place next Thursday, November 13, 2014 at 10:00 AM PT / 1:00 PM ET / 6:00 PM GMT.  Reserve your spot for The 10 Commandments of MBA Interviews now! Tags: MBA Admissions, MBA Interview, webinar 
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05 Nov 2014, 11:00
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: Have an Open Mind, Learn Skills, Build Relationships: Darden MBA Interview |
 Archana This interview is the latest in an Accepted.com blog series featuring interviews with current MBA students, offering readers a behind-the-scenes look at top MBA programs. And now for a chat with Archana Rao, second-year student at UVA Darden. Accepted: We’d like to get to know you! Can you tell us a little about yourself? Where are you from? Where and what did you study as an undergrad? Archana: Originally from India and being an Army Officer’s daughter I studied in 8 different schools and lived in more than 16 different states. Studied Electronics and Telecomm Engineering and pursued a course in Advertising and Public Relations to strike a balance between my quantitative and qualitative skills sets. Accepted: What year are you at UVA Darden? Archana: Second Year Darden Accepted: Why did you choose Darden? Why did you think it was the best fit for you? Has it lived up to its expectations? Archana: I chose Darden because I wanted to study in a college town with a rich history, wanted a small class size, and the case study method. Darden fit this exact criteria and it lives up to its expectations every single day. Accepted: If you could change one thing about the program, what would it be? Archana: I wish there was a larger focus on Technology careers. Measures are being taken to build better relations with the Bay Area. Accepted: Which other MBA programs had you considered? Did you only consider programs in the U.S.? Why or why not? Archana: I looked at Yale, Kellogg and Haas for particular concentrations that they specialize in. I got accepted at the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, but chose to study in the US given the global exposure offered and the extensive diversity here. Accepted: What was your pre-MBA job? Do you plan on returning to that industry after you receive your MBA? Archana: I worked at the HSBC Bank as a project management consultant where I was also a global sustainability champion doing pro-bono consulting for non-profit partners in Education. This drove me to join the Teach for India movement where I taught English and Math in a public school. I realized that there was lack of mentorship beyond school hours and decided to co-found a non-profit called Mentor Me India in Mumbai. Most recently I spent the summer with the Boston Consulting Group in Houston working in Global Education strategy for the World Economic Forum and industry benchmarking for unconventional shale gas. I will continue to be in consulting full-time given the steep learning curve and opportunity to work across different industries and functional areas. Accepted: Can you talk about the internship process at Darden? What role did they play in helping you secure your internship at BCG? Archana: The internship process at Darden is competitive and begins almost immediately as you step on grounds in first year. Being focused, organized, and confident is the key in being successful in the process. There are numerous support structures like the career development center and your second year coach to guide you all along the way. Your second years are the most valuable resource given that they just came back from a summer internship and have been through the whole process only a few months ago. I utilized all of the above to be well prepared to secure the internship at BCG. Accepted: Can you share some advice to incoming first year students, to help make their adjustment to b-school easier? Archana: 1. Have an open mind coming in, with a vague idea of what you might like doing for a career. Recruiting begins sooner than you think! 2. Focus on learning skills rather than just grades. 3. Build meaningful relationships with your classmates and professors. They are world-class at a top-business school. Accepted: Looking back, what was the most challenging aspect of the MBA admissions process? How did you approach that challenge and overcome it? Archana: Having had a variety of experiences in my career before b-school I was not sure how to communicate my short term and long term goals. But talking to people who had inspiring careers and understanding how they got there gave me a roadmap to how I could communicate those questions. It’s a very reflective process. It was very valuable for me to invest time in thinking about what I really wanted out of life and how I wanted to spend my time. Accepted: Can you tell us about your blog? Who is your target audience? What have you gained from the blogging experience? Archana: 1. My first blog (Life is My Classroom) shares my learnings from experiences I have had at Teach for India and at Darden. It gives everyone a window into thoughts and observations that others in these institutions also experience but don’t necessarily share. I love writing and it’s a great way to de-stress when things get extremely busy at Darden as well! 2. Life on a Post-it – In today’s world where people’s attention spans are shrinking, I believe that cartooning is a strong medium in communicating my thoughts, observations, and musings about life, career, education, relationships etc. on a post-it! I enjoy cartooning and post-its and this blog lets me combine the both. For one-on-one guidance on your b-school application, please see our MBA Application Packages. You can read more about Archana’s journey by checking out her blog, Life is My Classroom. Thank you Archana for sharing your story with us – we wish you loads of luck!  Related Resources: • UVA Darden 2015 MBA Questions, Deadlines, Tips • Against the Odds: MBA Admissions for Indian Applicants • How to Become a Management Consultant Tags: MBA Admissions, MBA Student Interviews, UVA Darden 
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05 Nov 2014, 16:00
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: Team-Based Interview Invites Sent Out to Wharton and Ross Applicants! |
 The admissions teams at Wharton and Ross have sent out interview invitations over the last few weeks. If you received one, congrats! Here are some tidbits about the Ross interview invites: • Invitations were sent out on Monday, October 20th. • If you didn’t receive an interview invitation, that doesn’t necessarily equal a ding – you could still be waitlisted or asked to interview during Round 2. • If you’re wondering about the percentage of interviewed applicants that get admitted, Soojin Kwon, Michigan Ross’s Director of Admissions, explains: “[T]hat depends on the number of interview invitations we make – which varies from year to year depending on the approach we want to take (e.g., cast a wide net, which could mean more interviewees are placed on the waitlist), and the number of admission offers we make, which depends on projected yield (i.e., our estimate of how many admits will decide to enroll).” So don’t necessarily create predictions based on previous years’ numbers! • The Ross blog provides links to helpful videos on interviewing at Ross. See here and here. And for Wharton: • Round 1 team-based discussions will be held on campus (in Philadelphia), as well as at off-campus locations in San Francisco, London, Dubai, Sao Paulo, Mumbai, Shanghai, Seoul, Tokyo, and Singapore. • Interviews will take place in November. Invites were only sent out on Friday, October 31st, so yours could still be in the mail…. • Wharton provides more info about their team-based discussion here. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post with tips on how to ace the TBD!  Related Resources: • Tips For Tackling Team Interviews • MBA Interview Tips Post 4: Team-Based Discussion Interviews • Handling Wharton’s Team-Based Discussion Tags: MBA Admissions, MBA Interview, Michigan Ross, Team Interview, Wharton 
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06 Nov 2014, 10:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: PayScale: How Much You Can Earn, and How to Earn It |
 Trying to figure out if grad school will pay off? How much you’ll earn with your career of choice? Which graduate program will position you to for the best payoff? If so, tune in to our conversation with Lydia Frank of PayScale to find out how to get the stats and info that you need to make an informed financial decision. 00:03:11 – PayScale: who they are and what they do 00:04:35 – The College Salary Report (and the recent inclusion of grad school data). 00:05:53 – How PayScale collects data (and why you should complete their survey, too!). 00:09:13 – Helpful resources for folks in the research stage. 00:12:47 – What surprises people about the PayScale survey results. 00:16:46 – Different uses for the (many!) resources at PayScale. 00:24:28 – New data we’ll be seeing in the future reports. 00:29:03 – Accounting for the opportunity cost of education in the salary report. (Yes, they do.) 00:30:28 – Advice from Lydia for balancing what you love with what pays.  *Theme music is courtesy of podcastthemes.com. Related Links: • Which Grad Schools Produce the Highest Earners? • Lifetime Earnings by Degree & Major • Social Mobility Index Related Shows: • Career Direction: It’s Ok to Love Your Job! • How to Become a Management Consultant • The Facts About Financial Services • Is a PhD a Good Idea? • Which Schools are Good for PE/VC and VC-Backed Entrepreneurship • Interview with Anna Runyan of Classy Career Girl Leave a Review for Admissions Straight Talk:    Tags: Admissions Straight Talk, career goals, College Admissions, Grad School Admissions, Law School Admissions, MBA Admissions, MBA ROI, Medical School Admissions, podcast, Rankings 
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06 Nov 2014, 14:00
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: PayScale: How Much Can You Earn, and How to Earn It? |
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Trying to figure out if grad school will pay off? How much you’ll earn with your career of choice? Which graduate program will position you to for the best payoff? If so, tune in to our conversation with Lydia Frank of PayScale to find out how to get the stats and info that you need to make an informed financial decision. 00:03:11 – PayScale: who they are and what they do 00:04:35 – The College Salary Report (and the recent inclusion of grad school data). 00:05:53 – How PayScale collects data (and why you should complete their survey, too!). 00:09:13 – Helpful resources for folks in the research stage. 00:12:47 – What surprises people about the PayScale survey results. 00:16:46 – Different uses for the (many!) resources at PayScale. 00:24:28 – New data we’ll be seeing in the future reports. 00:29:03 – Accounting for the opportunity cost of education in the salary report. (Yes, they do.) 00:30:28 – Advice from Lydia for balancing what you love with what pays. *Theme music is courtesy of podcastthemes.com. Related Links: • Which Grad Schools Produce the Highest Earners? • Lifetime Earnings by Degree & Major • Social Mobility Index Related Shows: • Career Direction: It’s Ok to Love Your Job! • How to Become a Management Consultant • The Facts About Financial Services • Is a PhD a Good Idea? • Which Schools are Good for PE/VC and VC-Backed Entrepreneurship • Interview with Anna Runyan of Classy Career Girl Leave a Review for Admissions Straight Talk: Tags: Admissions Straight Talk, career goals, College Admissions, Grad School Admissions, Law School Admissions, MBA Admissions, MBA ROI, Medical School Admissions, podcast, Rankings
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06 Nov 2014, 14:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: Get Ready, Get Set, and ACE that Team Interview Challenge! |
 Participate, don’t dominate! The team-based interview/discussion. Not as straightforward as the traditional one-on-one interview, many applicants feel tripped up and nervous just thinking about it. Well now you can WORRY NO MORE. We’d like to help you prep for your upcoming team-based interview/discussion by offering you the following tips (with a special emphasis on #4): 1. Participate, don’t dominate. Balance is key here. If you chime in infrequently, then you won’t give the group (not to mention the interview leader) an opportunity to hear your voice and get to know you; run your mouth non-stop, however, and they may get to know you more than they’d like. Take the middle ground here and participate as though you would in a regular polite conversation. 2. Politeness matters! Thought-provoking, interesting comments are always welcome, but don’t cross the line into overly controversial, and certainly not offensive. 3. Dress the part. The idea of a discussion is meant to induce a feeling of casual conversation, but not too casual! Your board shorts and Hawaiian shirt? Save that for your next luau. Instead, stick with business attire only. 4. Attend our upcoming Mock Wharton Team-Based Discussion. The best way to prep for your team exercise is by experiencing one first-hand before interview day. Join us on Tuesday, November 11th at 4:00 PM PT/7:00 PM ET or on Monday, November 17th 10:00 AM PT/1:00 PM ET for a simulated group interview that will provide you with the ins and outs, not to mention a huge boost of confidence, when it comes to your Wharton Team-Based Discussion or any other group interview or activities you may have coming up. You must purchase this service in advance to reserve your spot. We wish you lots of luck! Please be in touch with any questions! Tags: MBA Admissions, MBA Interview, Michigan Ross, Team Interview, Wharton 
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07 Nov 2014, 11:00
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: From CPA to MBA: An Applicant Shares His Journey (And GMAT Tips) |
 This interview is the latest in an Accepted.com blog series featuring interviews with MBA applicant bloggers, offering readers a behind-the-scenes look at the MBA application process. And now…introducing our Jon Taves… Accepted: We’d like to get to know you! Where are you from? Where and what did you study as an undergrad? What’s your favorite non-school book? Jon: I grew up in a tiny town in Northern Minnesota and went to undergrad at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN – a private liberal arts college near Fargo, ND. There I double-majored in economics and accounting. Above all else, I’m a huge economics nerd. To me, nothing’s better than using economic theory to analyze and explain markets. In my freshman year at Concordia I read Moneyball by Michael Lewis and was fascinated by his subject: Billy Beane. Not so much from a baseball standpoint, but by how he exploited market inefficiencies. That led me to take Economics 201 my sophomore year, and the rest is history. For its long-lasting influence on my life, I’d have to say Moneyball is my favorite book. (Not to mention the fact that Michael Lewis is a fantastic writer. His story-driven approach to explaining complex topics is a style I try to mirror in my own writing.) Accepted: What stage of the application process are you up to so far? Jon: I plan to apply in Round 2, so I’ve got a few more months to put the finishing touches on my essays and press “submit.” I probably could’ve done so in Round 1, but I want more time to coach my references and get involved in the community again – I’ve missed it while I was studying for the GMAT all spring and summer. Accepted: What’s been your greatest admissions challenge? What steps did you take (or are you taking) to overcome that challenge? Jon: To date, my greatest admissions challenge has been the GMAT. Prior to the GMAT, the last test I’d taken was the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam. To pass one of the four parts of that exam it’s a simple equation: spend 150 hours reviewing topics and answering practice problems. Get something wrong? Study that topic. Lather, rinse, repeat. That’s not a formula for success on the GMAT. More than I’ve ever experienced before, the GMAT is truly a test of how you think. I’d read about that in guides and various sources online, but it took me awhile to actually believe it. After taking the GMAT, I can honestly say that that’s the most important takeaway. (I’ll elaborate further in the next question.) Accepted: It looks like you’ve got lots of GMAT advice on your blog. What are the three categories one should allocate their time to when studying for the GMAT? Jon: In short, one should allocate their time between the following three categories: 1. Topical areas 2. Timing of answers 3. Identifying question patterns To expand on what I said in question #3, the GMAT is a test of how you think. The best advice I can give is that having an above-average understanding of the topics covered is important, but having an above-average understanding of test strategy is even more important. In total, I studied about five months for the GMAT. At first glance, one might assume that 5% of their time studying should be spent on test strategy and 95% on topical areas. After all, that ratio was successful in high school and college, right? That couldn’t be farther from the truth: I would estimate that I spent 60% of my time on test strategy and 40% on topical areas. (If it focused only on topical areas, an eighth grader would be able to ace the GMAT.) How long it takes for you to achieve that 60/40 ratio will vary. If it takes you a month to get comfortable with grammar rules and geometry, then plan for two months spent on test strategy. Test strategy is broken up into two parts: timing and patterns. The pace in which you answer questions matters. If the goal of the GMAT is to test how well you think, then it’s relevant to incorporate not only how long it takes you to answer a question, but also in what order you answer correctly/incorrectly. Think of the GMAT as a water park. You want your timing to be like a “lazy river.” Simply put, getting five questions wrong with consistent timing will equate to a higher score than answering the same amount correctly while riding the Verruckt. With its proclivity for patterns, the GMAT is like Taco Bell. Have you ever noticed how they introduce a new product every few months – although it isn’t really “new,” it’s just some derivative of a taco or burrito? Similarly, all GMAT questions are testing the same thing: “What’s the best way to solve this problem?” Keep that in mind while you’re studying. When doing practice problems, your work isn’t done once you answer it. Make sure to ask yourself what other questions it relates to. This will make those thirty-seven quant questions look less like thirty-seven individual feats of mathematics and more like a bunch of tacos and burritos. To close, I’d like to comment on the importance of the GMAT. Do your best, but don’t let the pressure to perform well consume you. A great GMAT score and nothing else doesn’t amount to much. Perhaps when schools preach about their “holistic” approach to admissions they’re underselling the GMAT’s importance, but that doesn’t mean it’s everything. It’s a lot easier to dominate one test than to be a well-rounded applicant that’s not only intelligent, but also a leader, collaborator, and problem solver. One of my favorite quotes comes from Mark Cuban. He says that “there are three types of entrepreneurs: innovators, imitators, and idiots.” To stand out to an admissions committee, you need to distinguish yourself. Everyone applying to the top schools will have fantastic GMAT scores. What’s different about you? Whether it’s an interesting initiative you led at work, an extracurricular activity, or a unique perspective on the world, remember that you’re more than a score from 200-800 in ten point increments. Accepted: What is your current job? Do you plan on staying in that same industry post-MBA? Or moving into something new? Jon: My first job out of college was for a public accounting firm in Minneapolis. I worked there for a little over two years until I left for Travelers last November. At both companies I’ve worked on federal tax projects for C-corporations. Accounting is a solid field and I’ve met some amazing people while working in it. Post-MBA, however, I’d like to switch careers. In the short run, I hope to use my MBA to start working in management consulting. After that I hope to start a social enterprise. I was on the board of directors for a non-profit in Minneapolis for two years; I’ve seen firsthand how difficult it is to be financially sustainable. I hope to put together a business whose profits will be able to support the communities I love indefinitely – not just until the last grant dries up. I believe the credibility and connections that I’ll gain through an MBA program will allow me to make that dream a reality. Accepted: Where and when do you plan on applying to b-school? Jon: I’ve narrowed down my list to the University of Michigan (Ross) and the University of Minnesota (Carlson). Both schools have the characteristics I’m looking for, most notably: strong entrepreneurship programs and a plethora of experiential learning opportunities. Ross and Carlson are pioneers in the hands-on method of teaching; students are able to go out into the marketplace to solve problems, not only study cases about them in the classroom. Where they separate from each other is with Ross’ prestige and its relationship with Detroit, MI. There’s no more fertile ground than there to do the kind of work I’m interested in. Carlson, however, can give me something Ross can’t: a built-in network. Particularly for my post-MBA plans, I understand the importance of relationships. (And my mother would be much happier if I stayed in the state of Minnesota.) Accepted: Can you tell us about your blog? Who is your target audience? What have you gained from the blogging experience? Jon: A professor told me my junior year at Concordia that the best way for him to retain information – and truly understand it – was to write it down. I recalled this advice a few years ago when I wanted to find a way to remember the information I was reading in economics and finance-related books and articles. It’s been one of the greatest decisions I’ve ever made. Not only do I feel like I know more about the topics that interest me than ever before, but I’ve rediscovered my love of writing. (I was the guy in your college writing class that asked all of the questions and revised his essays a dozen times.) To be honest, my audience is myself. I don’t publicize my posts on social media, but thanks to the wonder of WordPress, I’ve gained a small following of fellow GMAT takers and MBA applicants. It makes me extremely happy that I’ve been able to help others along their journey. In general, I write about whatever interests me in the economics/finance sphere. At the time, it’s business school. If my musings on those topics interest others, as well, that’s terrific. I suppose in that sense I have a Field of Dreams-esque approach to my blog: “If you build it, they will come.” For one-on-one guidance on your b-school application, please see our MBA Application Packages. You can read more about Jon’s b-school journey by checking out his blog, EF ESSAYS: Essays on Economics & Finance. Thank you Jon for sharing your story with us – we wish you loads of luck!  Related Resources: • GMAT, GRE, SAT, and All Things Test Prep • Best MBA Programs: A Guide to Selecting the Right One • School-Specific MBA Application Essays Tags: GMAT, MBA Admissions, MBA applicant bloggers 
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09 Nov 2014, 11:00
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: 5 Key IMD Officials Resign |
 In a letter last week, Ralf Boscheck, the Program Director of the IMD MBA Program, announced that the school has “decided to realign the MBA Office with our new MBA program starting in January 2015.” He goes on to bid farewell to five long-time officials of the program, Claire Lecoq, Lisa Piguet, Janet Shaner, Marine Frey, and Simone Kuhn. Their resignations follows a controversial move by IMD to begin reporting career stats every three years, rather than annually. After the new approach was announced, there was an uproar among alumni and applicants, especially when it became clear that this change covered up deteriorating salary and placement results for MBA graduates. The school explains, as noted in a September Poets & Quants article, that the declining salary stats are due to other changes made by the program, in particular a smaller class size, and currency fluctuations. In a second Poets & Quants article chronicling the IMD saga, Boscheck says, “I would like to sidestep the commoditization of this industry and have a program that prepares 90 selected students not having to worry about being compared to other MBA programs that are less differentiated. These are not typical MBAs. They are junior executives and you can learn with them. It’s a senior, more experienced group. This school is an executive development network. We have 8,000 executives every year on campus and the trick is to bring the MBA program back into the core of the school and leverage what we have best which is our executive development.” I was interviewed for the most recent Poets & Quants article on the IMD shake-up. My take on the turmoil: “I don’t know who was behind that decision, but I do know there is a new program director and he probably wants ‘his people’ in positions that affect recruiting both of new students and potential employers. Either the old staff wasn’t comfortable with his approach and resigned, or they saw handwriting on the wall about their futures and resigned. “I think IMD is going to struggle until the changes the new program director wants to make are implemented and prove popular with recruiters and students. If the changes are successful and the results are realized quickly, IMD will bounce back stronger than ever. “If the changes prove unpopular or the results take a long time to be seen, IMD will decline until the new program director is replaced. In the latter case, its reputation and brand will be weakened.”   By Linda Abraham, president and founder of Accepted.com and co-author of the new, definitive book on MBA admissions, MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business SchoolsBest MBA Programs: A Guide to Selecting the Right Ones • 2014 Virtual Panel: Exploring European B-Schools • Business and Science Meet: Insights of an IMD Grad and Former Medical Doctor Tags: IMD, MBA Admissions 
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09 Nov 2014, 20:00
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: HKUST 2015 MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines |
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HKUST aims to educate global leaders with cultural insight and strong Chinese business understanding. HKUST prides itself on the large percentage of career function and industry changes that its graduates are able to make: 77% of grads switch job functions and 67% change industries from their pre-MBA role after HKUST. Its essay questions aim to understand your goals and what you can contribute to the class. My tips are in blue below: Essay Questions: 1. Tell us about your short-term and long-term career goals after the MBA, and why you think HKUST MBA would be a good fit for you. (max 7500 characters, ~500 words) To answer this question well, you need to know what direction you want to take your career in after the MBA. While a career change is likely, applicants need to convey how their career and experiences until now have prepared them for these ambitions. They must also explain how the HKUST MBA will complement those experiences to enable them to succeed in reaching and performing well in their target roles. To explain why HKUST’s curriculum is a good fit for you will require an understanding of HKUST’s three-tiered core curriculum and insight into some of the areas you will want to explore in the 40+% of the HKUST MBA that are electives. And it will almost certainly require some discussion of why the Chinese context, global perspectives, and management insight that HKUST offers will be critical to your advancement. 2. Our mission is to inspire and transform individuals to be future business leaders for Asia and the world. We embrace diversity, and are looking for ambitious and open-minded candidates with a passion to contribute. With your background and professional experience, what unique values can you bring in to enrich the learning experience at HKUST MBA? (max 7500 characters, ~500 words) With just 100-120 students each year, HKUST aims to include a diverse range of backgrounds and industries in the class. You don’t want to be pigeon-holed as a generic consultant or financier: you need to demonstrate in this essay that you are a worldly candidate with experiences that your classmates will be eager to hear about and learn from – and that you have the personal qualities that will allow you to share those experiences. The best essays will include two or three examples of values adhered to, experiences gained, and/or achievements accomplished that demonstrate that you are ambitious, possess a wealth of experience, and are personable. Application form: Keep in mind that HKUST does not have a place to upload your current CV/resume. The only area of the application where you may describe your work experience is in the Work Experience section of the application, which requests data about dates of employment and salary and allows 1000 characters to describe each position (that’s approximately 150 words to describe each role). This is actually a fine amount of space; just be sure to use it to describe your work and impact. Don’t make the mistake of simply filling in some general responsibilities and losing the opportunity to share details about your initiatives and impacts. If you would like professional guidance with your HKUST MBA application, please consider Accepted’s MBA essay editing and MBA admissions consulting or our MBA Application Packages, which include advising, editing, interview coaching, and a resume edit for the HKUST application. The HKUST MBA program intake 2015 will start in August 2015. Below is the admissions timetable: Application Deadline Decision Notification Round 1 November 13, 2014 January 9, 2015 Round 2 January 13, 2015 March 13, 2015 Round 3 March 13, 2015 May 8, 2015 *International students requiring student visa to study in Hong Kong are strongly recommended to apply for the first or second round to allow sufficient time for visa application once they are admitted.   By Jennifer Bloom who has been helping applicants to the top MBA programs draft their resumes, application forms, letters of recommendation, and essays for 15 years. She is happy to serve as your personal coach and hand-holder throughout the entire process. There’s no time like the present to begin! Related Resources: • Why MBA? • 2015 MBA Application Essay Tips • 5 Fatal Flaws to Avoid in Your MBA Application Essays Tags: 2015 MBA Application, HKUST, MBA Admissions 
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10 Nov 2014, 09:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: Are You Ready for Your Team-Based Interview/Discussion? |
 Round 1 team-based interviews will be taking place SOON and we’d love to help you prep! Prep with the best by joining one of two of our upcoming Mock Wharton Team-Based Discussions, on either Tuesday, November 11th at 4:00 PM PT/7:00 PM ET or on Monday, November 17th 10:00 AM PT/1:00 PM ET. You can purchase this service by clicking here now. This is your last reminder before the event – time is ticking and spots are running out. Grab one of the remaining seats today!  Tags: MBA Admissions, Team Interview, Wharton 
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10 Nov 2014, 16:00
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: Thou Shalt Not Forget Thursday’s Webinar! |
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Spaces for our upcoming webinar, The 10 Commandments of MBA Interviews, are filling up! The webinar will take place on Thursday Nov. 13th at 10:00 AM PT / 1:00 PM ET. Learn how to ace your MBA webinar – sign up for The 10 Commandments of MBA Interviews now! GIVEAWAY ALERT: One lucky webinar participant will win a mini mock interview with Natalie Grinblatt Epstein. Make sure you’re there for a chance to win! Tags: MBA Admissions, MBA Interview, webinar 
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11 Nov 2014, 13:00
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: Seven Tips for MBA Interview Prep |
 Prepare teamwork-based stories. 1. If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail. While you may not have control over the questions you’re asked, you can prepare a set of flexible responses. You should be able to discuss the following: 1. A walk through your resume (Focus on what you accomplished and learned at each job, and then why you transitioned to the next position) 2. Why you chose your undergraduate college 3. A story when you accomplished something extraordinary in the context of your job 4. A story when you influenced stakeholders to help you make an idea become a reality 5. A story when you led a team to produce quantifiable results 6. A story when you failed 7. Your career goals 8. Why you want an MBA (make it school specific) 2. How to tell your stories I suggest loosely following the S-O-A-R framework: Situation-Objective-Action-Result. (I also suggest adding one more letter to the acronym: L for “Learned”.) Situation: Give background and context to the situation such as where you were working, what your role was, and who were the stakeholders involved. Be succinct, yet specific. Objective: Describe what your goal was, and any obstacles that complicated the situation. Action: Discuss how you proceeded toward your goal, and how you overcame your obstacles. Result: Quantify the impact that you had on the situation. Learned: Tell the interviewer what you learned about yourself from the experience. Your response should take no more than about 2-3 minutes. You don’t want to bore the interviewer with a lot of theory and tangents. Once you’ve got your top stories down, you have a reservoir from which to pull when you’re on the spot that will be easily adaptable to the interviewer’s questions. 3. Practice with someone who is not your significant other/family member. Then practice with a significant other. A friend may notice something that a family member, who is closest to you, may not. A family member might be more willing to be frank with you than a friend. A family member might be willing to put in the time with you. An objective party can give you feedback about your first impression and body language. In any case, you want to practice, a lot. Use 2-4 people. (Of course, you are also welcome to do a mock interview or get interview coaching from an Accepted professional, including me.) 4. What’s your latest? Let’s say they ask you what accomplishment you are most proud of. In your heart of hearts, it might have been working two jobs to put yourself through university. Now that is quite an accomplishment. But if it was more than say, 3 years ago, you need to pull from something more recent. The interviewer might think, ‘Why is he or she not talking about something that you’re doing right now?’ If it truly was a significant achievement from your past, you can use it. But bring that accomplishment into the present, say, by how it influences your values or interests right now. 5. Watch your tone. Focus on teamwork accomplishments, rather than academic results. Business schools are looking to weed out arrogant, insecure and emotionally immature candidates. During your conversation, don’t pepper your responses with achievements such as high test scores, a high GPA, or a plethora of individual publications. The ad comm can look at your transcript to find out your grades. Alumni really don’t care. Also, don’t argue with them over a question they might have asked you. These types of responses are culturally off putting to US-based interviewers. You want to come across as friendly, at ease, communicative. Again, by preparing teamwork-based stories, you’re going to add to this perception. 6. Non-blind interviews Schools like MIT and Harvard grant non-blind interviews. That means they’ve taken the time to review your resume and your essays. Most other schools rely on alumni and current students who generally serve as marketing tools for the school, comment on your English speaking skills, and indicate whether or not they would have liked you as a classmate. In non-blind school interviews, they want to know the details behind the accomplishments you’ve mentioned. They also want to get a sense of the sort of person you are. They may throw some oddball questions your way, just to see how you handle pressure. They are particularly interested in decision and turning points in your life. Take the time to have an objective person look over your resume to see if they can identify any holes or questions, or lack of link between your past and your future goals. Work on explaining these connections and transitions. Write down SOAR-L’s for all the pertinent bullet points on your resume so that you’re ready to discuss them. Don’t fudge over holes or “bad periods” from your past. Be honest! Say ‘Yes, that was a tough period, but this is what I learned from it. This is what it motivated me to do.’ 7. Group interviews Wharton and Ross now require group interviews. If you can, sign up for a group interview prep service. You’ll be amazed at how quickly the time flies, and how you react in a group setting. This experience can prepare you to provide the group with a session framework, without sounding arrogant or pushy. Business schools want to see how you interact with others under pressure. You don’t want to steamroll the other applicants or turn into a shrinking violet. Strive to have your voice heard, but also to be inclusive.  Michelle Stockman is a professional journalist, former Columbia Business School admissions insider, and experienced MBA admissions consultant. Related Resources: • How to Ace Your MBA Interviews • MBA Interview Format Series • The 10 Commandments of MBA Interviews Tags: MBA Admissions, MBA Interview, Ross, Team Interview, Wharton 
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12 Nov 2014, 11:00
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: MBA Interview Must-Know #3: The School |
 “Convince your interviewer that that school is a good bridge between your past & your future plans.” “MBA Interview Must-Know #3: The School” is excerpted from the Accepted.com special report, How to Ace Your MBA Interviews To download the entire free special report, click here. The School. What does the school value and emphasize? Innovation? Leadership? Teamwork? Yes, I know all schools value all these qualities, but some emphasize one more than another. You need to understand those differences. How do they define the qualities they value? Note the effort that Haas devotes to clarifying what it values when it says “Leading through Innovation” or when it discusses its defining principles. At its presentations and on its web site, Leading through Innovation and these principles have become a major focus. First understand what the school values and then prepare to explain why and how you share those values. How does the program work? Cohorts? Learning teams? Projects, lectures, cases? Plan to answer questions in a way that demonstrates your knowledge of the program and prepare a few questions that show you have done your homework. Let your questions and answers reveal that you have thought deeply about the program and how it meets your educational needs and will help you achieve your professional goals, while also recognizing opportunities for you to contribute and pursue your nonprofessional interests. Again, drawing on BW’s interview with Dawna Clarke, Tuck’s Admissions Director, who advises: “Another piece of advice is to do research on the school. A lot of schools will talk about the fact that they’re looking for fit, and basically what that means is that they’re looking for people who’ve done their research and are going about this decision using some insight and good judgment about what it is that they’re looking for and what that school has to offer. There are so many good schools out there, and what you want to do is convince your interviewer or your admissions committee that that school is a good bridge between your past and your future plans. “The best way to make a compelling case is to really show that you’ve done your research and that you know what the school has to offer and what you have to offer the school.” MBA Interview Tip #3: Know what the school values and be ready to show that you share those values. Related Resources: • Leadership in Admissions • B-School Zones for Top MBA Programs • Tips for Researching MBA Programs Tags: Ace Your MBA Interviews Series, MBA Admissions, MBA Interview, special report 
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12 Nov 2014, 13:00
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: LIVE TOMORROW: 10 Commandments of MBA Interviews Webinar |
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Last call! Our newest webinar, The 10 Commandments of MBA Interviews, will be airing live tomorrow, at 10:00 AM PT / 1:00 PM ET. Thou shalt not be late to this important engagement! Reserve thy spot for The 10 Commandments of MBA Interviews now! See you tomorrow! Tags: MBA Admissions, MBA Interview, webinar 
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