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MBA Admissions Consultant
Joined: 20 Apr 2003
Posts: 6466
Given Kudos: 92
Location: Los Angeles CA
Selling Yourself Short?
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13 Apr 2015, 09:01
13 Apr 2015, 09:01
Expert Reply
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: Selling Yourself Short? |
 Don’t sell yourself short! “I founded a small candy company.” I could see in the faces of my fellow admissions committee members that they were not that impressed with the candidate; none of them had ever heard of “Del Sol Candy,”* and Roberto’s modest description did not make it sound all that impressive an accomplishment. Many times while interviewing international MBA candidates, I have found that some of them sell themselves short, particularly with regards to their work experience. Whether it is because of culture or family upbringing, there is a certain type of candidate who finds it hard to present his or her own professional accomplishments in the best light. This contrasts dramatically with what is expected from MBA applicants; committee members expect candidates to present their best case and promote their accomplishments. This mismatch between the candidate’s culture and the committee’s expectations can sometimes harm the candidate’s chances of admission. A second layer of complexity also arises for some international students: if an American applicant mentions that he or she is a regional manager at Hershey’s, for example, the adcom would have at least an idea of the size of the operation, the level of responsibility, and the selectiveness of the company. If, on the other hand, you come from abroad and your company is not well known in the U.S., the adcom may have a harder time evaluating your work experience. Just by chance, I had been to Roberto’s home city the previous year on a recruitment trip, and I happened to know that the company he had started from scratch was not only the biggest candy maker in the country, but that it exported millions of dollars’ worth of goods to international markets as far away as the Middle East. During the interview I asked him a couple of probing questions about it, and once he started talking about specifics (sales figures, market share, etc.) he became more comfortable. More importantly, the committee was able to assess the magnitude of his accomplishments. If you, like Roberto, feel hesitant to promote your achievements for fear of sounding boastful, you need to be aware of those emotions and make a determined effort to overcome that tendency. It is up to you, the candidate, to provide the school with enough information to evaluate your accomplishments. A good way to overcome any qualms regarding self-promotion is to be ready to provide the adcom with hard data that will document what you have done. If at all possible, do research and be prepared to provide them with a benchmark, a point of comparison with an American company, or at least some details of the level of the operation, but most importantly, the size of your responsibilities. By preparing yourself with facts, you will dramatically improve your chances of admission and, later on, your employability prospects for internship and beyond.   By Esmeralda Cardenal, previously the Associate Director of Admissions at Yale SOM, Director of MBA Admissions at MSU Broad, and consultant at Cardiff Business School in the UK. She is happy to help you showcase your achievements in your MBA application. Related Resources: • The Quick Guide to Admissions Resumes • 4 Application Strategy Tips: Stand Out AND Fit In • 4 Ways to Show How You’ll Contribute in the Future Tags: Admissions Consulting, College Admissions, Grad School Admissions, international student, Law School Admissions, MBA Admissions, MBA Interview, Medical School Admissions The post Selling Yourself Short? appeared first on Accepted Admissions Consulting Blog. 
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MBA Admissions Consultant
Joined: 20 Apr 2003
Posts: 6466
Given Kudos: 92
Location: Los Angeles CA
What Are My Chances? Research Analyst Interested in Luxury Corporate S
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16 Apr 2015, 09:01
16 Apr 2015, 09:01
Expert Reply
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: What Are My Chances? Research Analyst Interested in Luxury Corporate Strategy |
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This blog post is part of a series of MBA profile evaluations called “What are My Chances?” by Michelle Stockman. For this series Michelle, who started consulting for Accepted in 2007 and worked previously in the Columbia Business School admissions office, provides selected applicants with school recommendations as well as an assessment of their strengths and weaknesses. If you would like Michelle to evaluate your profile at no charge and as part of this series, please provide the information requested at https://reports.accepted.com/what_are_my_chances. PROFILE: Akanksha, Indian research analyst at consulting firm seeks future in luxury corporate strategy.  It’s not enough to be a leader in an extracurricular role. - PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND: 20-something Indian female who graduated in 2012 from University of Delhi with a business finance degree. Describes herself as a “quasi-consultant” currently working at a professional services consulting firm in Delhi for a US-based client. Why do you describe yourself as a “quasi-consultant?” Either own the full term “consultant”, or drop it. It makes you sound young and whimsical. From what I can gather, you’re a smart, eager businesswoman. That shows both in the awards you’ve racked up at work and from your go-getter attitude as an entrepreneur. You’re in a tricky situation as a research analyst, however, as it’s sometimes difficult to describe leadership experiences, and quantify how much impact your work has had. First of all, leadership. You are a leader in an extracurricular role where you work. But what about the money-making part? Have you ever stepped up to take the place of a manager on a project? Did you ever disagree with a superior on the direction of a project and have to win him/her over as a stakeholder? In your essays, you want to show how you punched above your weight as an effective, yet diplomatic leader on actual client work. Also, be sure to highlight if you have received any promotions in title in the two years you’ve been at the consulting firm. Next, your impact. Can you check back with your clients to see if any of your research has been acted upon? Also, in your recommendations, your recommenders need to comment on how you stood out above and beyond your peers in terms of smarts and leadership. You can’t write these letters for them–but there’s no harm in giving them a one-page achievement summary as a reminder of why you’ve won all those awards. - GOALS: Move into a corporate strategy role at a large CPG or luxury firm. With your work trajectory and your sideline in jewelry, this appears to be a solid goal. You need to draw a closer connection to any consulting work you have done on consumer products to show experience. Also, try to spruce up the website for your jewelry sales. Right now it doesn’t look very luxury. The pieces are attractive (a bit difficult to see because the photos are so dark), but more of a casual style instead of high end. If you’re going to highlight that as evidence of a trajectory toward the luxury market–it’s not quite there yet. - GMAT: Not taken yet. Aiming for 700-720. Aim for a 720 or above. That will give you more options. - GPA: 71%. First class honors. This is a solid, respectable GPA. No worries here. - EXTRACURRICULAR: Heads the ‘fun’ employee engagement club at her firm, comprising a team of >10 individuals. In October 2012, undertook a 5 day, 55 km trek in Northern India. Also holds a junior diploma in Hindustani Classical Music. These are great, but nothing truly special or stand out. However, depending on the schools you end up choosing, you could talk about the discipline you developed in training in Hindustani music, and how that drive has bled into other aspects of achievement in your life. - EXTRAS: Runs a bespoke jewelry business with mother, serving clients in India and overseas. See above, under goals. - SCHOOLS: Because you haven’t taken the GMAT yet, I will only recommend schools that you should research: Wharton, Kellogg, NYU, Tuck, Ross, HEC, Emory. Overall I find your profile intriguing, and I’d send you on for a second read if you’ve got convincing stories of leadership and ingenuity in your essays.   Michelle Stockman is a professional journalist, former Columbia Business School admissions insider, and experienced MBA admissions consultant. Related Resources: • Your 3-Part Plan to Dominate the GMAT • How to Show the Adcom that You are a Leader • What are My Chances? Latina Software Developer Moving to Marketing Tags: MBA Admissions, What Are My Chances The post What Are My Chances? Research Analyst Interested in Luxury Corporate Strategy appeared first on Accepted Admissions Consulting Blog. 
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This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it.
-BB
MBA Admissions Consultant
Joined: 20 Apr 2003
Posts: 6466
Given Kudos: 92
Location: Los Angeles CA
MBA Admissions A-Z: U is for Undergrad Grades
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16 Apr 2015, 09:01
16 Apr 2015, 09:01
Expert Reply
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: MBA Admissions A-Z: U is for Undergrad Grades |
 3 Steps for Handling a Low Undergraduate GPA Grades show whether you previously performed well in an academic setting. If your college GPA is low, then you need to provide evidence that even though you may have faltered back then, now you’ve got you’re A-game and are capable of academic excellence. But how? The following 3 steps will help you overcome a low GPA and present a solid case to the admissions board that you mean academic business: 1. Identify. First, identify the cause of your low GPA. Is it low because you partied a little too hard your first two semesters, but then buckled down after that and worked to pull up your low freshman GPA? Or did you start out high and then get really lazy and bored with school your senior year and let things spiral out of control? Or is it possible that your low GPA is truly an indication that your workload was too challenging and that you’re not school material? Or perhaps you were dealing with a serious illness or family problems? Or maybe back then you just weren’t motivated to succeed? Once you understand why you have a less-than-impressive GPA, you’ll have an easier time figuring out what to do next (Step 2) and how to explain the situation (Step 3). 2. Ameliorate. Once you determine that you are motivated this time around and are capable and competent academically, then it’s time to take action to improve your profile. (And if after deep introspection you decide that school is just not for you, then consider yourself lucky that you figured that out now and not after you’ve paid $100,000+ on even more schooling.) Obviously, you can’t go back and raise your undergraduate GPA, but there are steps you can take NOW to show the adcom that your undergrad GPA doesn’t define your current academic abilities: • Take a few business-related, college-level courses and earn A’s in them. • Ace the GMAT. 3. Explain. There are three places in your MBA application where you may want to address a low GPA: the optional essay, the required portions of the application, and your letters of recommendation. In a non-whiny, non-defensive tone, you can clearly and straightforwardly explain why your GPA is lower than it should be in the optional essay. Perhaps there was a death in the family one semester or maybe you had emergency surgery that left you on bed rest for three weeks mid-semester. Or maybe you just didn’t realize the importance of grades until halfway through your sophomore year and by then your GPA had taken a serious hit. Or maybe you worked thirty hours a week to support yourself. Let the reader know the context of your grades. Write honestly and write well. In other parts of the application, show the skills that your transcript hides without drawing attention to the grades. For example, if you did not do well in Econ 101 or college math classes, but now are do some really heavy lifting in terms of financial modeling, then either in your resume or in a required essay, write about a quantitative challenge that you handled with elan. Regarding letters of recommendation – getting a supervisor to vouch for your maturity and abilities is probably one of the best things you can do to bolster your case. Again, if you had poor grades in classes requiring a lot of writing, ask your boss if she can comment positively on your communications skills. If you had poor quant grades, ask if she can praise your quantitative analysis of a complex project. In either case, your boss doesn’t have to reference the negative you are trying to overcome – just the positives you want to bring out.  Related Resources: • MBA Admissions Tip: Dealing with a Low GPA • How to Handle a Low GMAT Quant Score • How to Handle a Low GMAT Verbal Score Tags: GPA, MBA Admissions, MBA Admissions A-Z, weakness The post MBA Admissions A-Z: U is for Undergrad Grades appeared first on Accepted Admissions Consulting Blog. 
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This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it.
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