closeEvents & Promotions
| Last visit was: 25 Apr 2024, 01:04 |
It is currently 25 Apr 2024, 01:04 |
Customized
for You
Track
Your Progress
Practice
Pays
10:00 AM EDT
-10:30 AM EDT
10:00 AM PDT
-11:00 AM PDT
02:00 PM EDT
-03:00 PM EDT
03:00 PM PDT
-04:00 PM PDT
07:00 PM PDT
-08:00 PM PDT
10:00 AM PDT
-12:00 PM PDT
04 May 2016, 18:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: Get Accepted to Columbia Business School |
 Dreaming of Columbia? Worried your application won’t make the cut? Find out what you need to do to get accepted!  In this FREE, 1-hour webinar, Linda Abraham, Accepted Founder & CEO, will teach you: • The 4 key principles to gaining acceptance to Columbia Business School. • How to apply the 4 principles to the 2016-2017 Columbia MBA application. • Strategies for responding to the Columbia MBA essay questions, as well as how to approach other elements in the CBS MBA application. Attend the webinar to maximize your chances of getting accepted to the Columbia Business School!  Date: Wednesday, May 25, 2016 Time: 10:00 AM PT / 1:00 PM ET Register now!  Tags: MBA Admissions The post Get Accepted to Columbia Business School appeared first on Accepted Admissions Consulting Blog. |
05 May 2016, 10:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: 10 Tips for Better Essay Writing |
  Time to brush up on your basic writing skills! Want to show the adcom that you are a master of the written word, someone who knows how to convey their thoughtful experiences and insightful ideas eloquently? Then it’s time you brush up on your basic writing skills with the following 10 tips: 1. Express yourself in positive language. Say what is, not what is not. 2. Use transitions between paragraphs to tie one paragraph to the next. A transition can be a word, like “later,” “furthermore,” “additionally,” or “moreover”; a phrase like “After this incident…”; or an entire sentence. If you are writing about Topic A and now want to discuss Topic B, you can begin the new paragraph with a transition such as “Like (or unlike) Topic A, Topic B…” 3. Vary your sentence structure. It’s boring to see subject, verb, object all the time. Mix simple, complex, and compound sentences. 4. Understand the words you write. You write to communicate, not to impress the admissions staff with your vocabulary. When you choose a word that means something other than what you intend, you neither communicate nor impress. You do convey the wrong message or convince the admissions officer that you are inarticulate. 5. Look up synonyms in a thesaurus when you use the same word repeatedly. After the DELETE key, the thesaurus is your best friend. As long as you follow Tip 4, using one will make your writing more interesting. 6. Be succinct. Compare the following sentences: • During my sophomore and junior years, there was significant development of my maturity and markedly improved self-discipline towards school work. • During my sophomore and junior years, I matured and my self-discipline improved tremendously. The first example takes many more words to give the same information. The admissions officers are swamped; they do not want to spend more time than necessary reading your essay. Say what you have to say in as few words as possible. Tips 7, 8, and 9 will help you to further implement this suggestion. 7. Make every word count. Do not repeat yourself. Each sentence and every word should state something new. 8. Avoid qualifiers such as rather, quite, somewhat, probably, possibly, etc. Compare the following sentences: • You might improve your writing somewhat if you sometimes try to follow this suggestion. • Deleting unnecessary qualifiers will strengthen your writing 1000%. Nobody would be convinced of anything after reading that first sentence. Equivocating reveals a lack of confidence. If you do not believe what you write, why should the admissions officer? 9. Use the active voice. Compare these two sentences: • The application was sent by the student. (Passive voice) • The student sent the application. (Active voice) Both of these sentences communicate the same information. The active voice, however, is more concise; it specifies who is performing the action and what the object is. The passive voice is wordier and frequently less clear. 10. Read and reread Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White. Containing basic rules of grammar, punctuation, composition, and style, this indispensable classic is available in paperback and is only 85 pages long. Failing to follow these basic writing rules may make you appear sloppy or cast doubts about your communication skills – two things you want to avoid at all costs when trying to make a good first impression. Need more help? Our consultants will make sure that your essays display your communication skills at their best – without you going cross-eyed reviewing them over and over and over. See how Accepted can critique and polish your essays when you check out our admissions consulting and application services. But don’t take our word for it, read what our clients have said about Accepted.  Related Resources: • Five Fatal Flaws to Avoid in Your Applications, free guide • The 4 Must-Haves Of A Grad School Application, a podcast episode • What Applicants Should Not Do in 2016 Tags: Admissions Consulting, College Admissions, Grad School Admissions, Law School Admissions, MBA Admissions, Medical School Admissions The post 10 Tips for Better Essay Writing appeared first on Accepted Admissions Consulting Blog. |
06 May 2016, 13:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: A Look at Life at MIT Sloan/Harvard Kennedy |
  This interview is the latest in an Accepted blog series featuring interviews with MBA students, offering readers a behind-the-scenes look at top MBA programs. And now for a chat with Jessica Bixby, a student at MIT Sloan and Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Accepted: We’d like to get to know you! Where are you from? Where and what did you study as an undergrad? Jessica: I grew up in Oakland, CA. I completed my undergraduate degree at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), studying International Development Studies and Public Policy. Accepted: Can you share 3 fun facts about yourself? Jessica: 1. I played in the National Women’s Softball Championships in Nicaragua. 2. My life goal is to see a narwhal. 3. I was a terrible biker before business school, and decided to conquer my fear as part of my graduate studies. Accepted: Can you tell us about the joint program you’re in? How does it work and why did you decide to pursue this dual degree? Jessica: I am pursuing a concurrent degree with the Harvard Kennedy School and the MIT Sloan School of Management. Through Harvard Kennedy, I will receive a Master in Public Administration and an MBA degree through MIT Sloan. Harvard Kennedy offers the concurrent option with five partner institutions – MIT Sloan, Harvard Business School, Stanford GSB, Tuck and Wharton. We study at our MBA school for 3 semesters and Harvard Kennedy for 3 semesters. However, due to the proximity of MIT Sloan and Harvard (~2 miles) I have taken classes at MIT while I have been in official residence at Harvard. I chose to pursue the concurrent degree because of my strong interest in public policy. Furthermore, the addition of a policy degree allows me to better understand the interactions of business and policy and learn how to encourage meaningful actions by the private sector to induce public good (through social enterprise, non-profits or governments). I have found the Kennedy degree to be a strong complement and supplement to my MBA experience. Moreover, I have the chance to meet students from the policy school but also other business and law schools, thereby making the experience even richer. Accepted: What year are you at MIT Sloan/Harvard Kennedy? How would you say you are a good fit at these programs? Jessica: I’m in my second of three years – class of 2017. I began at Sloan and am now spending a year at Harvard Kennedy. I chose the MIT Management Program for the people and the encouragement I received from current students to apply. When deciding to apply to business school I was a Peace Corps Volunteer living in rural Nicaragua, I had a cell phone, but no internet access. I reached out to a few students at Sloan asking about the program who then called me on their own dime. These were people who had never met me, but took the time to tell me about their experience and why they loved Sloan. I learned how much people valued their experience at MIT and how great a community of students I could be a part of; I chose to apply. Almost two years later, my experience at MIT has provided the assumptions I made in Nicaragua to be true. Accepted: What is your favorite thing about that program? Is there anything you’d change about the program? Jessica: At present, our country is having many conversations about the importance of diversity. My MBA has been a case study in the importance of diversity in experience and background contributing to a better whole. After graduating, I will sorely miss sitting in a classroom (or group study room) with individuals from Colombia, Pakistan, Singapore and Oklahoma and hearing their perspectives. Sloan makes these experiences rewarding by bringing together a truly collaborative student body. This extends to the teaching faculty as well; I have been a teaching assistant and joined a research study for two female faculty members. With flexibility, comes the need for self-discipline. Sloan offers a one-semester core and with a dual-degree at Harvard, I have wide access to courses across two institutions. Outside of the classroom, MIT offers countless extracurricular activities (scholastic, career-oriented and otherwise) to choose from thereby leaving students with the challenge of navigating and defining the experience for themselves. If I could re-chart my experience, I would focus on a few skills and topic areas I wanted to get out of the MBA and ensure that I dove deep in those areas. Accepted: Looking back at the b-school admissions process, what would you say was your greatest challenge? How did you overcome that challenge and how would you advise others who may be facing similar hurdles? Jessica: Questioning if this was the right time for me to go to business school was an internal debate when I applied. I didn’t know if I should get more years and more diverse work experience before applying to business school. In hindsight, I can’t be sure if more experience would have been beneficial, but I am positive that the decision to apply to the MBA was highly beneficial and I have absolutely no regrets. I am confident that the MBA experience has been a huge catalyst for pushing me up the learning curve, for professional development and my career. Accepted: What are some of your most rewarding extracurricular activities? How have those activities helped shape your career? Jessica: I am extremely grateful for my Peace Corps experience and the chance to be part of a different resource and cultural reality before jumping into the business school and private sector landscape. At times during my MBA, I worried that my experience placed me at a disadvantage to many of my peers; however, the lessons learned during that time (e.g. empathy, flexibility, cultural competence) are imperatives that must be experienced and not taught. This has led me to pursue the Harvard Kennedy School dual-degree and continues to remind me of the great challenge we face today as a nation – growing inequality – and how that can best be addressed at a system level. Accepted: Is there anything else you’d like to share? Jessica: I have been in a leadership role for Sloan Women in Management (SWIM) and am fortunate enough to speak with women considering applying to business school. Reflecting on my own experience, I believe the most useful advice I can give is “business school is your own experience and what you make of it.” With the academic, extracurricular group, career and social options available – the focus and balance of each individual is different. Accepting that your priorities and experience will look different from your other classmates is a great thing to recognize and accept early on. You can find out more about Jessica by checking out her LinkedIn profile. Thank you Jessica for sharing your story with us – we wish you loads of luck! For one-on-one guidance on your b-school application, please see our MBA Application Packages.  Related Resources: • Leadership in Admissions • MIT Sloan B-School Zone • Why MBA? a guide to clarifying your MBA goals Tags: MBA Admissions The post A Look at Life at MIT Sloan/Harvard Kennedy appeared first on Accepted Admissions Consulting Blog. |
06 May 2016, 17:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: A Look at Life at MIT Sloan/Harvard Kennedy |
|
This interview is the latest in an Accepted blog series featuring interviews with MBA students, offering readers a behind-the-scenes look at top MBA programs. And now for a chat with Jessica Bixby, a student at MIT Sloan and Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Accepted: We’d like to get to know you! Where are you from? Where and what did you study as an undergrad? Jessica: I grew up in Oakland, CA. I completed my undergraduate degree at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), studying International Development Studies and Public Policy. Accepted: Can you share 3 fun facts about yourself? Jessica: 1. I played in the National Women’s Softball Championships in Nicaragua. 2. My life goal is to see a narwhal. 3. I was a terrible biker before business school, and decided to conquer my fear as part of my graduate studies. Accepted: Can you tell us about the joint program you’re in? How does it work and why did you decide to pursue this dual degree? Jessica: I am pursuing a concurrent degree with the Harvard Kennedy School and the MIT Sloan School of Management. Through Harvard Kennedy, I will receive a Master in Public Administration and an MBA degree through MIT Sloan. Harvard Kennedy offers the concurrent option with five partner institutions – MIT Sloan, Harvard Business School, Stanford GSB, Tuck and Wharton. We study at our MBA school for 3 semesters and Harvard Kennedy for 3 semesters. However, due to the proximity of MIT Sloan and Harvard (~2 miles) I have taken classes at MIT while I have been in official residence at Harvard. I chose to pursue the concurrent degree because of my strong interest in public policy. Furthermore, the addition of a policy degree allows me to better understand the interactions of business and policy and learn how to encourage meaningful actions by the private sector to induce public good (through social enterprise, non-profits or governments). I have found the Kennedy degree to be a strong complement and supplement to my MBA experience. Moreover, I have the chance to meet students from the policy school but also other business and law schools, thereby making the experience even richer. Accepted: What year are you at MIT Sloan/Harvard Kennedy? How would you say you are a good fit at these programs? Jessica: I’m in my second of three years – class of 2017. I began at Sloan and am now spending a year at Harvard Kennedy. I chose the MIT Management Program for the people and the encouragement I received from current students to apply. When deciding to apply to business school I was a Peace Corps Volunteer living in rural Nicaragua, I had a cell phone, but no internet access. I reached out to a few students at Sloan asking about the program who then called me on their own dime. These were people who had never met me, but took the time to tell me about their experience and why they loved Sloan. I learned how much people valued their experience at MIT and how great a community of students I could be a part of; I chose to apply. Almost two years later, my experience at MIT has provided the assumptions I made in Nicaragua to be true. Accepted: What is your favorite thing about that program? Is there anything you’d change about the program? Jessica: At present, our country is having many conversations about the importance of diversity. My MBA has been a case study in the importance of diversity in experience and background contributing to a better whole. After graduating, I will sorely miss sitting in a classroom (or group study room) with individuals from Colombia, Pakistan, Singapore and Oklahoma and hearing their perspectives. Sloan makes these experiences rewarding by bringing together a truly collaborative student body. This extends to the teaching faculty as well; I have been a teaching assistant and joined a research study for two female faculty members. With flexibility, comes the need for self-discipline. Sloan offers a one-semester core and with a dual-degree at Harvard, I have wide access to courses across two institutions. Outside of the classroom, MIT offers countless extracurricular activities (scholastic, career-oriented and otherwise) to choose from thereby leaving students with the challenge of navigating and defining the experience for themselves. If I could re-chart my experience, I would focus on a few skills and topic areas I wanted to get out of the MBA and ensure that I dove deep in those areas. Accepted: Looking back at the b-school admissions process, what would you say was your greatest challenge? How did you overcome that challenge and how would you advise others who may be facing similar hurdles? Jessica: Questioning if this was the right time for me to go to business school was an internal debate when I applied. I didn’t know if I should get more years and more diverse work experience before applying to business school. In hindsight, I can’t be sure if more experience would have been beneficial, but I am positive that the decision to apply to the MBA was highly beneficial and I have absolutely no regrets. I am confident that the MBA experience has been a huge catalyst for pushing me up the learning curve, for professional development and my career. Accepted: What are some of your most rewarding extracurricular activities? How have those activities helped shape your career? Jessica: I am extremely grateful for my Peace Corps experience and the chance to be part of a different resource and cultural reality before jumping into the business school and private sector landscape. At times during my MBA, I worried that my experience placed me at a disadvantage to many of my peers; however, the lessons learned during that time (e.g. empathy, flexibility, cultural competence) are imperatives that must be experienced and not taught. This has led me to pursue the Harvard Kennedy School dual-degree and continues to remind me of the great challenge we face today as a nation – growing inequality – and how that can best be addressed at a system level. Accepted: Is there anything else you’d like to share? Jessica: I have been in a leadership role for Sloan Women in Management (SWIM) and am fortunate enough to speak with women considering applying to business school. Reflecting on my own experience, I believe the most useful advice I can give is “business school is your own experience and what you make of it.” With the academic, extracurricular group, career and social options available – the focus and balance of each individual is different. Accepting that your priorities and experience will look different from your other classmates is a great thing to recognize and accept early on. You can find out more about Jessica by checking out her LinkedIn profile. Thank you Jessica for sharing your story with us – we wish you loads of luck! For one-on-one guidance on your b-school application, please see our MBA Application Packages. Related Resources: • Leadership in Admissions • MIT Sloan B-School Zone • Why MBA? a guide to clarifying your MBA goals Tags: MBA Admissions The post A Look at Life at MIT Sloan/Harvard Kennedy appeared first on Accepted Admissions Consulting Blog. |
06 May 2016, 18:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: A Look at Life at MIT Sloan/Harvard Kennedy |
|
This interview is the latest in an Accepted blog series featuring interviews with MBA students, offering readers a behind-the-scenes look at top MBA programs. And now for a chat with Jessica Bixby, a student at MIT Sloan and Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Accepted: We’d like to get to know you! Where are you from? Where and what did you study as an undergrad? Jessica: I grew up in Oakland, CA. I completed my undergraduate degree at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), studying International Development Studies and Public Policy. Accepted: Can you share 3 fun facts about yourself? Jessica: 1. I played in the National Women’s Softball Championships in Nicaragua. 2. My life goal is to see a narwhal. 3. I was a terrible biker before business school, and decided to conquer my fear as part of my graduate studies. Accepted: Can you tell us about the joint program you’re in? How does it work and why did you decide to pursue this dual degree? Jessica: I am pursuing a concurrent degree with the Harvard Kennedy School and the MIT Sloan School of Management. Through Harvard Kennedy, I will receive a Master in Public Administration and an MBA degree through MIT Sloan. Harvard Kennedy offers the concurrent option with five partner institutions – MIT Sloan, Harvard Business School, Stanford GSB, Tuck and Wharton. We study at our MBA school for 3 semesters and Harvard Kennedy for 3 semesters. However, due to the proximity of MIT Sloan and Harvard (~2 miles) I have taken classes at MIT while I have been in official residence at Harvard. I chose to pursue the concurrent degree because of my strong interest in public policy. Furthermore, the addition of a policy degree allows me to better understand the interactions of business and policy and learn how to encourage meaningful actions by the private sector to induce public good (through social enterprise, non-profits or governments). I have found the Kennedy degree to be a strong complement and supplement to my MBA experience. Moreover, I have the chance to meet students from the policy school but also other business and law schools, thereby making the experience even richer. Accepted: What year are you at MIT Sloan/Harvard Kennedy? How would you say you are a good fit at these programs? Jessica: I’m in my second of three years – class of 2017. I began at Sloan and am now spending a year at Harvard Kennedy. I chose the MIT Management Program for the people and the encouragement I received from current students to apply. When deciding to apply to business school I was a Peace Corps Volunteer living in rural Nicaragua, I had a cell phone, but no internet access. I reached out to a few students at Sloan asking about the program who then called me on their own dime. These were people who had never met me, but took the time to tell me about their experience and why they loved Sloan. I learned how much people valued their experience at MIT and how great a community of students I could be a part of; I chose to apply. Almost two years later, my experience at MIT has provided the assumptions I made in Nicaragua to be true. Accepted: What is your favorite thing about that program? Is there anything you’d change about the program? Jessica: At present, our country is having many conversations about the importance of diversity. My MBA has been a case study in the importance of diversity in experience and background contributing to a better whole. After graduating, I will sorely miss sitting in a classroom (or group study room) with individuals from Colombia, Pakistan, Singapore and Oklahoma and hearing their perspectives. Sloan makes these experiences rewarding by bringing together a truly collaborative student body. This extends to the teaching faculty as well; I have been a teaching assistant and joined a research study for two female faculty members. With flexibility, comes the need for self-discipline. Sloan offers a one-semester core and with a dual-degree at Harvard, I have wide access to courses across two institutions. Outside of the classroom, MIT offers countless extracurricular activities (scholastic, career-oriented and otherwise) to choose from thereby leaving students with the challenge of navigating and defining the experience for themselves. If I could re-chart my experience, I would focus on a few skills and topic areas I wanted to get out of the MBA and ensure that I dove deep in those areas. Accepted: Looking back at the b-school admissions process, what would you say was your greatest challenge? How did you overcome that challenge and how would you advise others who may be facing similar hurdles? Jessica: Questioning if this was the right time for me to go to business school was an internal debate when I applied. I didn’t know if I should get more years and more diverse work experience before applying to business school. In hindsight, I can’t be sure if more experience would have been beneficial, but I am positive that the decision to apply to the MBA was highly beneficial and I have absolutely no regrets. I am confident that the MBA experience has been a huge catalyst for pushing me up the learning curve, for professional development and my career. Accepted: What are some of your most rewarding extracurricular activities? How have those activities helped shape your career? Jessica: I am extremely grateful for my Peace Corps experience and the chance to be part of a different resource and cultural reality before jumping into the business school and private sector landscape. At times during my MBA, I worried that my experience placed me at a disadvantage to many of my peers; however, the lessons learned during that time (e.g. empathy, flexibility, cultural competence) are imperatives that must be experienced and not taught. This has led me to pursue the Harvard Kennedy School dual-degree and continues to remind me of the great challenge we face today as a nation – growing inequality – and how that can best be addressed at a system level. Accepted: Is there anything else you’d like to share? Jessica: I have been in a leadership role for Sloan Women in Management (SWIM) and am fortunate enough to speak with women considering applying to business school. Reflecting on my own experience, I believe the most useful advice I can give is “business school is your own experience and what you make of it.” With the academic, extracurricular group, career and social options available – the focus and balance of each individual is different. Accepting that your priorities and experience will look different from your other classmates is a great thing to recognize and accept early on. You can find out more about Jessica by checking out her LinkedIn profile. Thank you Jessica for sharing your story with us – we wish you loads of luck! For one-on-one guidance on your b-school application, please see our MBA Application Packages. Related Resources: • Leadership in Admissions • MIT Sloan B-School Zone • Why MBA? a guide to clarifying your MBA goals Tags: MBA Admissions The post A Look at Life at MIT Sloan/Harvard Kennedy appeared first on Accepted Admissions Consulting Blog. |
08 May 2016, 12:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: How to Write the Qualifications Summary for Your Resume |
  List only items that will captivate the reader The Qualifications Summary section of the resume is, in theory, the first section of the document that the reviewer will read: it sits at the very top after the applicant’s name and contact details, exactly where the eye is naturally drawn. However, if it is a bulky paragraph filled with ambiguous rhetoric, any reader eager to hear about actual applicant effectiveness may skip it altogether. For that reason, it is essential that your Qualifications Summary replace the glib with the glam. What is particularly fun about the Qualifications Summary is that there really are no rules for its appearance. The general purpose of the section is to highlight the most impressive details, which would otherwise be less noticeable. That way, illustrations of the applicant’s exceptional impact immediately strike the reader, enticing him to read more out of interest and not out of obligation. Here are elements you can possibly include in your Qualifications Summary, depending on the length of the document and the space you have to work with: • A short personality summary and/or career history. • Core Competencies or Skills – Keep in mind, though, that for a one-page document, this is most likely an unwise use of space. If you do decide to include these, highlight the keywords that recruiters in your field will be seeking, not a slew of technology acronyms. • Achievement Highlights – A very effective use of the space. • Anything notable in your past that is relevant to the role or program you are applying for. This is especially useful for projects and impacts that occurred further in the past and would otherwise be buried near the end of the resume. • Testimonials or endorsements compiled from written recommendations or employment reviews by superiors and peers. This is not generally appropriate for an admissions resume but does often generate interview invitations in a professional job application. To create your Qualifications Summary, first put together the rest of the resume: the professional experience, education, extracurricular activities, etc. Then, go through and manually highlight the accomplishments and details that you think are especially relevant to the position or program you are applying to. For instance: • If you earned three promotions in two years – four years in advance of the traditional path for your company, this is something that will particularly interest the admissions committee or HR team. • If you initiated and successfully led a new venture from within your organization, then the effort and its impact are worth bringing to the top of the page. • If you feel you have a unique attribute that will position you to succeed in the role for which you are applying, differentiating you from all the other applicants, then insert that as well. • If there are a set of skills that you have gained that are essential to your target role, list them here. The challenge is deciding among the multiple items that could fit here to truly leave only those that will captivate the reader. As you decide what to include, remember to change the text in the sections below so that the document is not repetitive. For instance, if you highlight a project from your current work in a couple of lines in the Qualifications Summary, use only one line – and perhaps alternate statistics about it – to summarize it in the Professional Experience section. Finally, play with the layout to make this section readable and appealing. You can use text boxes, bullets, indentations, bold text, or titles to divide the material into short, legible “sections within the section.” Remember the key elements of including white space, keeping bullet points concise, and including numbers to quantify the size and scope of your projects. These will help your Qualifications Summary do the heavy lifting it is meant to!   Jennifer Bloom has been a consultant with Accepted for 17 years and is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW). She is an expert at crafting application materials that truly differentiate you from the rest of the driven applicant pool. If you would like help with any of your application materials, Jennifer can suggest a number of options that work with any budget. Related Resources: • Leadership in Admissions • Six Tips For Better Resumes • Sample Resumes and Cover Letters Tags: Admissions Consulting, College Admissions, Grad School Admissions, Law School Admissions, MBA Admissions, Medical School Admissions The post How to Write the Qualifications Summary for Your Resume appeared first on Accepted Admissions Consulting Blog. |
09 May 2016, 10:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: MBA Admissions Advice for Career Changers |
  An MBA are a bridge that will take you from where you are to where you want to be. As an IT consultant, how do you know equities research is the right career for you? How do you know you can handle the hours, the more Darwinian industry and company culture, the stress of having a pivotal impact on huge investment decisions? The MBA applicant pursuing career change carries a burden spared other applicants: the need to demonstrate that you understand the new industry and/or function in practical terms. After all, someone may be genuinely fascinated by equities research and even have much to contribute to the field but still not fit in with that industry’s culture. Thus, you must go beyond expressing sincere interest and making a logical case for your career goals. You must show that you understand your chosen industry or function “from the inside.” Failure to do so will undermine the credibility of your goals. The goals essay (or in some applications, a shorter goals statement in the online form) is the heart of that effort. Most important, explain how you plan to achieve your goals; the actual steps you will take. Here are some other pointers for using your goals essay or statement to show that you know exactly what you are doing in changing career direction. Note that all applications differ, and will give more or fewer opportunities to implement these tips. • To make the change seem as natural as the sunrise, tell the “story” of your motivation and your evolving understanding of the field or function. For example, you are an IT consultant seeking to become an investment research analyst. Through interacting with people in different functions at client companies, you discovered and were intrigued by how financial factors shape not just IT decisions but overall strategy development. Describe your developing awareness and interest, detailing some of the more illuminating interactions. • Show that you understand the day-to-day reality of your desired industry or function. Interactions with people such as those noted above are one way. You may also do informational interviews, audit courses, and read industry publications. Clarify in your essay your proactive efforts to understand the field and the insights you gain from these efforts. • Openly address challenges and obstacles you expect to face as a newcomer to the field, and how you plan to handle them. This further demonstrates knowledge of the field or function and also your maturity and objectivity—and enhances the adcom’s confidence that you can indeed make this change. • No doubt your current work has honed skills and provided knowledge that will be beneficial in your future career. For example, the IT consultant developed communication skills in obtaining information from the client, which will help him draw information from company management as an equities analyst. In addition, his quantitative skills from engineering will apply. Presenting concrete examples of your skills and knowledge applicable to your chosen field underscores both your preparation for the role and your understanding of its demands. • Along similar lines, you can likely argue that your “different” background will enable you to make a special contribution in your new role. The IT consultant brings a deep understanding of real-world technology deployment that will facilitate analysis of a company’s true value and potential for continued success. Delineate such benefits, ideally supported by a concrete example or two. • Finally, get the adcom “fired up” about your plans by articulating a vision for your goal. That means clarifying something you want to accomplish or contribute through your career, the impact you hope to have. For the IT consultant, it could be “integrating deep technology know-how into the evaluation of all companies.” Clinch your message by effectively using the “why this school” part of the essay question. Ideally, the MBA studies are a bridge that will take you from where you are to where you want to be. Identify key learning needs for your new career, which will further strengthen the impression that you understand its realities and demands. Describe through specific details how the program under discussion will become that bridge. As a career changer, you face certain obstacles in your MBA strategy and application. On the other hand, you likely have an interesting story to tell about your goals. Use that story to make your plans seem like the most inevitable, natural thing in the world. However, telling that story isn’t always easy. Accepted’s experienced editors can help you reflect on your experiences, select the anecdotes that best portray your singular self, and weave them into compelling essays that grab the admissions committees’ attention. Read about Accepted’s services to see how we can help you gain admission to the best MBA program for you and make the career change you want.   By Cindy Tokumitsu, author and co-author of numerous ebooks, articles, and special reports, including Why MBA and Best MBA Programs: A Guide to Selecting the Right One. Right One. Cindy has advised hundreds applicants to a variety of graduate programs in management since joining Accepted in 1998. She is happy to guide you through the Masters in Management application process. Related Resources: • Best MBA Program: A Guide on to Select the Right One • The Facts About Financial Services • The MBA and Entrepreneurship Tags: MBA Admissions The post MBA Admissions Advice for Career Changers appeared first on Accepted Admissions Consulting Blog. |
10 May 2016, 10:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: IMD Announces New President |
  Jean-François Manzoni will assume the role of IMD president starting January 1, 2017 for a five-year term. Manzoni is a French and Canadian citizen with a PhD from Harvard Business School. He was the Professor of Leadership and Organizational Development at IMD from 2004 to 2011, and currently holds the Shell Chair for Human Resources and Organizational Development at INSEAD in Singapore. On his appointment to this prestigious appointment, Manzoni said (in the IMD press release): “Being invited to lead an organization as successful as IMD is a great honor as well as a real challenge. The executive education world is facing increasingly crowded, global and intense competition. We have to keep innovating and finding new ways to create lasting value for executives and organizations. Building on the strong foundation handed over by my predecessor and his team, I will put all my skills, energy and passion into furthering IMD’s success.” Manzoni will be succeeding Prof. Dominique Turpin, IMD’s president since 2010 who was responsible for strengthening the school’s client base, expanding its global footprint, setting up the Executive Learning Center in Singapore, and “rallying IMD to achieve revenue growth and positive financial results despite challenging macro-economic conditions globally and a massive appreciation of the Swiss franc against other currencies.” According to a Financial Times article, Manzoni will be returning to Switzerland and to IMD this coming fall to being teaching full-time before taking on his role as president. “One of the things I like about Switzerland is that things work, people are nice and there is a strong work ethic,” he said. Check out our IMD B-School Zone for tips that will help you apply successfully to IMD.  Related Resources: • IMD B-School Zone • 2016 Financial Times Global MBA Rankings • Navigate the MBA Maze, a free admissions guide Tags: MBA Admissions The post IMD Announces New President appeared first on Accepted Admissions Consulting Blog. |
10 May 2016, 11:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: 2017 Columbia Business School Class Profile |
  Let’s take a look at who makes up Columbia’s class of 2017 (from the CBS website)… • Applications received: 5829 • Students accepted: 1048 • Students enrolled: 762 (Aug. entry class size – 559; Jan. entry class size – 203) • Women: 36% • U.S. minorities: 35% • International students: 42% • Average GMAT score: 715 • Middle 80% GMAT score: 680-760 • Average undergraduate GPA: 3.5 • Middle 80% undergraduate GPA: 3.1-3.8 • Average work experience: 5 years • Middle 80% work experience: 3-7 years • Average age: 28 • Middle 80% age range: 25-31 • Age range: 22-40   Do you want to be counted among Columbia’s next crop of students? Come to our webinar Get Accepted to Columbia Business School to learn the steps you need to take to discover your competitive advantage and GET ACCEPTED!  Related Resources: • Columbia Business School 2017 MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines • Podcast Interview With the Columbia Business School Admissions Team • The Applicants That Stand Out at Columbia Business School Tags: MBA Admissions The post 2017 Columbia Business School Class Profile appeared first on Accepted Admissions Consulting Blog. |
11 May 2016, 10:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: The Importance of Defining Your MBA Goal |
  Be sure you can define your MBA Goals Goals are not an afterthought in MBA admissions. They are front and center in the minds of many admissions directors. Put them front and center in your mind as you prepare to apply. What is an MBA Goal? A goal is something you want to do (not just study), and for MBA admissions purposes it should relate to a specific industry. For some applicants, geography is also an important element in their goal. Your goal should be based on your experience, not television, not what your parents/significant other or friends think you should do, and not simply what will make you a lot of money. I am not saying that you can’t change careers. You clearly can, because roughly 50% of MBA students are career changers, and many estimates place that number much higher. But you need to have a realistic vision of your future based on skills and character traits you have developed and experience that you have had. Defining Your MBA Goal Clear, well-defined goals are as much a requirement of MBA admissions as are your GMAT, GPA, and work experience. Define your goal in terms of the function you want to perform and the industry in which you want to perform it. To define your objectives for b-school, first look inward: 1. What do you enjoy and where do you excel? 2. Examine what you have done off the job and see if there are lessons in your non-professional life for your professional life. 3. Clarify and mine your interests and past experiences. Then look outward: 1. Examine professional paths that will take advantage of your strengths and give you more of what you find satisfying. 2. Research the schools to find those that support your professional goals and provide an educational environment where you can thrive. 3. Establish specific goals you want to achieve within a given program and a career direction for your post MBA years. What’s Your Goal? A strong, clear MBA goal should guide your admissions research and your choice of target schools. And expressing your goals clearly in your essays will help show adcoms why you belong in their programs. Defining your goal is an important first step in the MBA admissions process, and we can help! Check out our MBA admissions consulting services and work one-on-one with an advisor who will help you define your career goals and apply successfully to your top-choice program. Related Resources: • Why MBA, a free admissions guide • Choosing And Visiting Business Schools • MBA Admissions Advice for Career Changers Tags: MBA Admissions The post The Importance of Defining Your MBA Goal appeared first on Accepted Admissions Consulting Blog. |
11 May 2016, 12:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: Harvard Business School 2016-17 MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines |
 Harvard Business School Admissions is not adverse to change and here are a few elements in the 2016-17 application that are different: • The essay question itself is different and much more straight-forward than last year’s question. It is very similar to the question posed two years, which I though was an excellent question. • HBS 2+2 applications will only be reviewed R3. So there is no advantage to 2+2 applicants in applying in Round 1 or 2, and probably downside. • Unlike the last few years, there is no advice on the Direct form the Director blog giving insight into the question. The silence is probably because the current director, Dee Leopold, is leaving this position shortly, and the new director, Chad Losee (HBS MBA 2013), will assume the director role in June. • The deadlines are only slightly different from last year. The Round 1 deadline is Sept. 7, 2016, just two days earlier than last year’s Sept. 9 round 1 due date. What has stayed the same: • The essay is required, unlike two years ago, and like last year. • There is NO word limit. There is one question for the Class of 2019: As we review your application, what more would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy for the Harvard Business School MBA program? There is no word limit for this question. We think you know what guidance we’re going to give here. Don’t overthink, overcraft and overwrite. Just answer the question in clear language that those of us who don’t know your world can understand. Before you begin to write I have two suggestions for you:
2017 Application Deadlines:https://blog.accepted.com/resources/mba-admissions/mba-essay-tip-posts/    By Linda Abraham, president and founder of Accepted and co-author of the new, definitive book on MBA admissions, MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business SchoolsWhat Is Harvard Business School Looking For? • Harvard Business School: The Habit of Leadership • Two Years After My Harvard MBA Tags: MBA Admissions The post Harvard Business School 2016-17 MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines appeared first on Accepted Admissions Consulting Blog. |
12 May 2016, 09:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: Indian School of Business 2017 MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines |
 Indian School of Business continues to thrive and improve the career prospects of its graduates. The class of 2015 received 20+% more job offers this year compared to just 2 years ago, with the largest percentage of the class entering the consulting industry (28%) with global firms such as McKinsey, Accenture, A.T. Kearney, and KPMG. The e-commerce industry was the second strongest, with 15% of the class entering this field with companies such as Amazon and Flipcart. For applicants interested in consulting, general management/strategy, and sales/marketing, ISB certainly offers strong career placement upon graduation. ISB has changed its application essay questions slightly this year, reducing the required essays to just 2 and eliminating their own guidance in how to answer essay 1. No longer are applicants offered an explicit opportunity to describe their risk-taking or exposure to diversity – though applicants may still choose to share one of these in the 200-word optional space. Here are this year’s questions with my advice in blue: Essay 1: If we were to admit just one more candidate to the Postgraduate Programme (PGP) at the ISB, why should it be you? (400 words max) Last year’s essay prompt started out similarly but then guided applicants to share the personal or professional achievement that they were most proud of to earn that coveted seat in the class. This year, the applicant gets to decide what evidence will best persuade the admissions committee of their worthiness. Frankly, your greatest leadership experience or largest impact are most likely still the ideal way to win the adcom’s attention here. Essay 2: Describe your short and long term career plans. How does the PGP fit in with those? (300 words max) MBA programs ask this question to make sure that your goals are reasonable: can their program prepare you for them and has your career so far positioned you to achieve them? If the answer to either of these questions is no, then they cannot accept you – you will simply be unhappy when you graduate – so speak with recent graduates about their recruiting experiences and take the initiative to speak with post-MBA professionals with 10 or more years of experience about longer-term career options. In particular, ISB’s recruiting for the finance function has certainly shriveled over the years – down to just 4% of the class in 2015 – so anyone with a mediocre GMAT score and no experience in this field would best not discuss an aspiration in finance. Essay 3: Please use this space to provide any other information not covered elsewhere in the application that could significantly impact your candidature at ISB. Note: It is not necessary for you to write this essay. Please use this space only if there is something really significant that you would like us to know. (200 words max) It is difficult to believe that 700 words allowed for the required essays is enough to capture who you are and why ISB should admit you. If possible, I recommend using this space to share evidence of your initiative, risk taking, or international experience (bonus points if your story can cover more than one!). And be sure to use all of the characters allowed in the Professional Experience section of the application (since ISB does not even allow a CV upload with your application!): five 100-character lines describing your job responsibilities and – even more important – five 100-character lines describing your initiatives and achievements for each role. The only comfort in such a short application is that your fellow applicants are just as limited in how much they can share! Deadlines:  If you would like professional guidance with your ISB PGP application, please consider Accepted’s MBA essay editing and consulting or our application package which includes advising and editing of all of the application materials plus interview coaching.  Jennifer Bloom has been a consultant with Accepted for 17 years and is an expert at crafting application materials that truly differentiate you from the rest of the driven applicant pool. If you would like help with your ISB application, Jennifer can suggest a number of options that work with any budget. Related Resources: • 5 Fatal Flaws to Avoid in Your Application Essays! • Best MBA Programs: A Guide to Selecting the Right One • 4 Application Strategy Tips: Stand Out AND Fit In Tags: MBA Admissions The post Indian School of Business 2017 MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines appeared first on Accepted Admissions Consulting Blog. |
12 May 2016, 10:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: Can You Get Into B-School with Low Stats? |
 Yes you can! Not everyone who goes to Harvard scores a perfect 800 and has a GPA of 4.0 (in fact, very few actually hit those perfect scores). If your stats are less than ideal, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to cross your top schools off your list!  Now’s your chance to catch up on valuable information you may have missed during last week’s webinar, Get Accepted to Top B-Schools with Low Stats. MBA applicants with low GPA and/or GMAT scores: you don’t want to miss this!  View Get Accepted to Top B-Schools with Low Stats for free now! Tags: MBA Admissions The post Can You Get Into B-School with Low Stats? appeared first on Accepted Admissions Consulting Blog. |
13 May 2016, 10:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: Wharton, Google & Submarines: Steve’s MBA Story |
  This interview is the latest in an Accepted blog series featuring interviews with MBA students, offering readers a behind-the-scenes look at top MBA programs. And now for a chat with Steve Weiner, a student at UPenn Wharton. Accepted: We’d like to get to know you! Where are you from? Where and what did you study as an undergrad? Steve: I grew up on Long Island, NY and graduated from the US Naval Academy in 2008 with a BS in Economics. Accepted: Can you share 3 fun facts about yourself? Steve: 1. I once ran 2 marathons in 1 week because of a scheduling error. 2. I am an avid (but still amateur) yogi. 3. My first live concert was Hootie and the Blowfish. Accepted: What year are you at Wharton? Why did you choose this program? How would you say you are a good fit with the program? Steve: The hardest decision I ever made was to leave the military, because I could continue to have global impact while serving my country. When I met the members of the Wharton Veterans Club on my admissions visits, I saw that they shared my same vision. That’s how I knew Wharton was right for me. Accepted: What is your favorite thing about Wharton? Is there anything you’d change? Steve: My favorite thing about Wharton is the latitude that students have to explore new opportunities during and after business school. I always tell people that Wharton gave me time to think…and I fully took advantage of that freedom. There’s often a whole lot of guesswork when you leave the military and I needed to catch my breath. Wharton was like a fresh hit of oxygen and everything was new and different. The one thing I would change is the recruiting process and timeline. I believe strongly that students are exposed to employers much too early and once you are in the recruiting jetstream, almost nothing else matters. I think employers should be told to wait, because it places an undue sense of urgency on students to make a decision on their career before they have time to fully understand their options. Accepted: Where are you currently working? What role did Wharton play in helping you secure that position? And I see you interned at Google last year! Can you tell us about that as well? Steve: I am Operator-in-residence at Expa, a company that creates new companies with the mission to bring to life businesses that will makes millions of people’s lives better. I’m in the process of building one of those companies. My time at Wharton made me realize just how much I love being a part of “zero to one efforts.” I like to identify big opportunities and figure out ways to address them at scale. I believe that the combination of my military experience and Wharton education gave me the tools to do that effectively. Working at Google last summer gave me a front row seat to how a business can positively affect people’s lives every day. My summer internship made me realize that I want to start a business just like that. Accepted: Looking back at the b-school admissions process, what would you say was your greatest challenge? How did you overcome that challenge and how would you advise others who may be facing similar hurdles? Steve: My challenges with the application process and matriculation to business school are a result of spending 6 years in the US Navy. I never had to write a resume in the Navy and networking just isn’t done. I didn’t know what I didn’t know and I was navigating without a chart – something I’d never attempt on my submarine. The Wharton Veterans Club was my North Star and many members reviewed my application in order to “civilianize” my previous military experience. I always tell prospective military applicants to start early and budget at least 1 year to take the GMAT, visit schools, and work your resume and essays. It’s a process. Accepted: What are some of your most rewarding extracurricular activities (both before entering Wharton and current activities)? How have those activities helped shape your career? Steve: My two most rewarding experiences while at Wharton were starting Wharton FinTech and VetTechTrek (more on that later). Coming off performing the first Bitcoin market diligence at Goldman Sachs, I wanted to get more involved with FinTech on campus. When I began school, there was nothing going on and I realized that way more needed to be done to make FinTech synonymous with Wharton. Together with my colleagues, we built Wharton FinTech into a significant academic voice in the industry. We publish original content on our blog, host industry leaders every week, and I’ve had the honor to speak internationally on FinTech and millennial consumer preferences for financial services. Accepted: Okay, next up is VetTechTrek. What are you hoping to accomplish with this venture? Steve: I co-founded VetTechTrek (a 501c3 nonprofit) with my best friend and roommate from the US Naval Academy, Mike Slagh. We launched the organization because of our own experiences transitioning from the military and how unsatisfied we were with the existing off-ramps to civilian life. VetTechTrek works with industry leaders to provide a baseline for veterans transitioning to technology. We’ve partnered with 50+ leading tech companies to host high-impact, immersive recruiting and networking events for 150+ military veterans and spouses. We recently launched Project Standard to build a digital library of educational content geared toward military transitions and has been referred to as the “Khan Academy for Veterans.” Accepted: Can you tell us more about your military service? What was it like to work on submarines in the Arctic? Were you able to use any of those stories in your MBA application? Steve: I spent 6 years on active duty in the US Navy, the majority of which was on my fast-attack, nuclear submarine, USS Connecticut (SSN 22). I deployed twice to the Western Pacific and once to the Arctic Oceans. I can’t really talk about most of the things that I did, but I can tell you without hesitation it was the best first career I could have asked for. I operated nuclear reactors at sea, led some really neat covert operations and engineering tests, and broke through the polar ice cap and surfaced at the North Pole. But life could get pretty lonely underwater for months at a time. We had no internet, very limited email access, and on one deployment we ran out of coffee. That said, I wouldn’t trade my Naval experience for anything. And yes, I wrote about the North Pole in my business school essays. ☺ You can follow Steve’s story by checking out his LinkedIn, Twitter, and website at https://www.steve-weiner.com. Thank you Steve for sharing your story with us – we wish you loads of luck! For one-on-one guidance on your b-school application, please see our MBA Application Packages.  Related Resources: • Leadership in Admissions, free guide • An NYU Stern Grad and Strat Consultant Helping Vets Get Into School, podcast • Wearing My Military Uniform in the Business World Tags: MBA Admissions The post Wharton, Google & Submarines: Steve’s MBA Story appeared first on Accepted Admissions Consulting Blog. |
15 May 2016, 10:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: Goal Setting as an Entrepreneur |
  I always ask my clients to state their long and short-term goals for me on our first meeting. Eighty percent of the time I hear the response, “I want to be an entrepreneur.” So I begin to peel away at the onion. • What problem is your business going to solve? • Why is it different than a solution that exists today? • Is there a market for the goods or services you plan to sell? • How big is that market? • Who is your competition? • Can you patent your solution? • What will your margins be? • How will you finance this business? • What is your expected return on investment? • What is the exit strategy? You can’t just say, “I want to be an entrepreneur” and leave it at that. You also can’t just have an idea or concept. You need to have the skeleton of an actual business plan if you want to credibly declare yourself an entrepreneur in your MBA application.  By Natalie Grinblatt Epstein, an accomplished Accepted.com consultant/editor (since 2008) and entrepreneur. Natalie is a former MBA Admissions Dean and Director at Ross, Johnson, and Carey. Related Resources: • Leadership in Admissions, free guide • Your MBA Goals Essay: Get Ready, Get Set, THINK! • Jon Medved And OurCrowd: The Remarkable Story Of An Entrepreneur, podcast Tags: MBA Admissions The post Goal Setting as an Entrepreneur appeared first on Accepted Admissions Consulting Blog. |
16 May 2016, 09:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: London Business School September 2016 Executive MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines |
 In the LBS EMBA website landing page, a short introduction to the program includes the words “transformation,” “journey,” and “catalyst.” Also, “engagement” and “inspirational” (the last referring to its faculty!). This is a clear message: the program goes beyond delivering necessary skills for senior managers; it is for people who have a dynamic sense of their future and a willingness to change and grow. Your essays should mirror and convey this dynamism, this energy, this vigor. At the same time, the content in this write-up reflects a practical slant, as shown in the words “balance,” “reputation,” and “flexible” – don’t overlook this practical focus in your essays. Question 1: How will the Executive MBA help you achieve your career objectives? (500 word maximum) You may want to start by discussing your current career situation to set the context, and clarify how the MBA education will enable you to achieve your immediate goals. You can then naturally move on to your future goals sequentially. Give more detail in the roles you plan immediately post-MBA and the several years following; this time frame should comprise the bulk of your goals discussion. These details should include position, company, likely responsibilities and scope of accountability, perhaps adding in some interesting points such as possible challenges or trends you’ll encounter. Longer-term goals need less detail, but they still should present a clear direction. In describing your goals at any given point, indicate why you are taking that step. In discussing how the EMBA will benefit you, be specific: identify what skills and knowledge you need, and how the program meets those needs. While the question asks about EMBA broadly, it would be great to refer to specific aspects of the LBS EMBA curriculum, structure and/or special features of the program, detailing how they will support you and your goals. Ideally, in presenting your goals, you’ll incorporate both of the qualities noted in the introduction above – a sense of dynamism, vision; and a concrete, practical plan or dimension. Question 2: What was your response to a piece of feedback that you have received regarding an area of weakness? (500 words maximum) The adcom wants to see how frankly you portray the feedback and your own shortcoming, and how insightfully you contextualize your experience. Secondarily, it’s about change –did you grow and change as a result of the feedback? This essay will be most compelling and engaging if written as a story. Start right in with the story’s setting – where, who, when (ideally make it recent enough so it shows that you handle serious responsibility and long ago enough so that you can show you responded seriously and improved as a result of the feedback). Then progress through the story, highlighting not just what you and the other party said and did, but also your thinking as the story progresses. Finally, give a short example of how you have applied this feedback (or your learning from this feedback experience) subsequently – in other words, how you grew. Question 3: Please choose ONE essay from the following two options: (500 words maximum) If you could choose any three people who have ever lived to join you in your ideal Executive MBA study group, who would they be and why? OR How would you contribute to the London Business School community as an alumnus? If the first two questions are rooted in real-world, concrete experience, this question urges you to “play” a little and use your imagination, wit, creativity, and possibly broader passions in answering. Which should you answer? Both are equally good; it depends on you. The first invites you to “dream” a bit and convey your broader passions. The second invites you to express these broader passions, as well as experiences and personal qualities, in the practical context of projected real contributions. So, back to the choice: If one of these questions naturally strikes a chord with you, engages you, and you have an idea for it that you like, it’s a good indication to use that question. Go with it! BUT, do apply some objective, focused analysis as well. Ensure that your content truly illuminates you in some new and fresh way relevant to the application, and use detail and example to make your essay credible and vivid. Another approach is strategic. If your imagination isn’t tickled by these questions, instead analyze and plan. What relevant and interesting aspects of your profile aren’t yet portrayed (or portrayed adequately) in the application? Identify one or two such points, and work back from that to find suitable topics for one of the two questions. Random pitfalls: • If you choose the first question, please don’t use very obvious or overly angelic people (I’ve seen this essay answered with Gandhi and Mother Teresa more often than I can believe over 15 years.) Rather, discuss people who show your creative thinking and/or are personally meaning to you. • If you choose the second question, don’t turn the essay into a recitation of future good intentions. Root your prospective contributions in your actual experiences, insights, commitments, and interests, and include some anecdotes and examples to lend both credibility and interest. Deadlines remaining for September, 4 2016 start:   By Cindy Tokumitsu, co-author of The EMBA Edge, and author of the free guide, Ace the EMBA. Cindy has helped applicants get accepted to top EMBA programs around the world. She is delighted to help you too! Related Resources: • Why MBA, free guide • 5 Key Qualifying Factors the EMBA Adcoms Look For • Excellent Executive MBA Admissions Advice, podcast Tags: MBA Admissions The post London Business School September 2016 Executive MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines appeared first on Accepted Admissions Consulting Blog. |
17 May 2016, 10:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: Stanford GSB 2017 MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines |
  Stanford’s Knight Center earned the highest LEED Platinum rating for environmental sustainability. And the focus on recycling has apparently carried over to Stanford GSB’s MBA essays. Stanford has recycled its 2015-16 essays for the 2016-17 application cycle. This recycling is done for good reasons: These are excellent questions that succinctly get to the heart of what Stanford wants to hear from you. They are not easy questions, but they are thoughtful, probing ones. 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. As we announced a few weeks ago, Stanford was the first top MBA program to release its application due dates for 2016-17. Those dates are virtually unchanged from last year. My tips are in blue below. Stanford GSB 2017 MBA Application 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. When writing your essays, resist the urge to “package” yourself into what you think Stanford wants to see. Doing so will only prevent us from understanding who you really are and what you hope to accomplish. The most impressive essays are the most authentic. Essays: We request that you write two personal essays. The personal essays give us glimpses of your character and hopes. In each essay, we want to hear your genuine voice. Think carefully about your values, passions, aims, and dreams prior to writing them. Essay A: What matters most to you, and why? For this essay, we would like you to: • Do some deep self-examination, so you can genuinely illustrate who you are and how you came to be the person you are. • Share the insights, experiences, and lessons that shaped your perspectives, rather than focusing merely on what you’ve done or accomplished. • Write from the heart, and illustrate how a person, situation, or event has influenced you. • Focus on the “why” rather than the “what.” This superficially straightforward question has been Stanford’s first for at least the last sixteen years, and 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, really reflect on what you value, how you have acted upon those principles, and why you value 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 revealed, especially in Essay A, that they do not turn away when they see a problem or need for action. They grab 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, principle-driven lives and leadership. More than anything else, initiative and self-awareness characterize the successful Stanford 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. Essay B: Why Stanford? Enlighten us on how earning your MBA at Stanford will enable you to realize your ambitions. • Explain your decision to pursue graduate education in management. • Explain the distinctive opportunities you will pursue at Stanford. • If you are applying to both the MBA and MSx programs, use Essay B to address your interest in both programs. Now that question is succinct, and really says what they want to know. Similar to questions that have occupied this Stanford application slot for years, this question is a variation of a standard MBA goals question, as revealed in the bullet points after it. For this forward-looking question, you need say why you want an MBA. The best way to do so is in terms of your desired post-MBA professional direction. Then explain how Stanford’s program specifically will help you travel down that path. Note the emphasis in the bullet points about the “distinctive opportunities you will pursue at Stanford.” Do your homework. You need to know what are the distinctive characteristics of the Stanford MBA program or you simply can’t answer the question. Understand the flexibility inherent in Stanford’s curriculum, its integrated approach to management, its entrepreneurial culture, and how all these elements (and others) will help you learn what you need to know to achieve your career goals. Realize that the curriculum allows for personalization based on your goal and your past experience, specifically your previous business education. Two pieces of information are required to answer this question: A clear MBA goal and an in-depth understanding of Stanford GSB’s curriculum. (Folks: It’s not just the ranking, brand, or location.) Essay Length: Your answers for both essay questions combined may not exceed 1,150 words (1,200 words if you are applying to both the MBA and MSx programs). Each of you has your own story to tell, so please allocate these words between the essays in the way that is most effective for you. Below is a suggested word count, based on what we typically see.
•Double-spaced • Indicate the question you are answering at the beginning of each essay (does not count toward the word limit) • Number all pages • Upload one document that includes both essays Be sure to save a copy of your essays, and preview the uploaded document to ensure that the formatting is preserved. 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: • Extenuating circumstances affecting academic or work performance • Work experience that did not fit into the space provided • Academic experience (e.g., independent research) not noted elsewhere This is optional. Respond if you have something to explain or need the additional space because you can’t fit in your work experience or all academic info. Responses should be succinct and to-the-point and should provide the context necessary for Stanford to understand the circumstances surrounding whatever you are writing about. If you would like professional guidance with your Stanford GSB 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 Stanford GSB application. Stanford GSB 2017 MBA Application Deadlines:  * Applications, application fee, and letters of reference are due by 5:00 PM, Pacific Time  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 SchoolsWhat Stanford is Looking for: Personal Qualities and Contributions • What Stanford is Looking for: Demonstrated Leadership Potential• Valentine’s Day, Economics, and Stanford GSB Tags: MBA Admissions The post Stanford GSB 2017 MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines appeared first on Accepted Admissions Consulting Blog. |
17 May 2016, 10:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: Columbia Applicants – Have You Registered? |
|
Hey future Columbia students, have you signed up for our upcoming webinar? The event will take place at 10am PT/1pm ET on Wednesday, May 25th. During the webinar, Linda Abraham, Accepted CEO & Founder, will explain the do’s and don’ts of applying to CBS. This is important stuff folks – you don’t want to miss it! It’s not too late (though it will be soon), so grab your seat by registering now! Tags: MBA Admissions The post Columbia Applicants – Have You Registered? appeared first on Accepted Admissions Consulting Blog. |
18 May 2016, 10:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: HBS 2016 Grad Reflects on her Experience as a Harvard MBA |
  What’s it like to be about to graduate from Harvard Business School? Listen to today’s episode for an insider perspective. [0:38] Meet Anndrea Moore, a member of HBS’s class of 2016. She graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 2010 with a degree in Marketing and International Business. After graduating she worked as a Brand Analyst at the Nielsen Company and then in Operations at Google. Welcome! Her path to HBS [1:20] After studying Marketing and International Business at U of Cincinnati, she interned at Neilsen, and ultimately took a full time job there as a brand analyst. The exposure she gained there to online marketing and social media led her to a marketing position at Google. Why the MBA, and why HBS [3:20] Leaving undergrad, she considered pursuing a masters in marketing. But an adviser suggested that she work for 3-5 years and then consider b-school. Having worked in the tech industry, she felt some pushback against returning to school, but she wanted the skills she would gain in b-school (finance, management, etc). She thought HBS was the best fit. What was the most challenging part of the application process? [5:00] Managing it: preparing for and taking the GMAT (she took it twice); deciding who she should ask to write her letters of rec. And the essay was pretty difficult – HBS has a broad essay question, and figuring out a strategy was challenging. How much time did she budget for her essays? [6:35] She applied Round 2, and started writing in October. After writing a rough draft, she showed it to friends, her mom, and a coach – people she trusted. She went through multiple revisions. What were the most memorable/difficult interview questions she faced? [7:45] The interviewer asked why, if her goal was brand management, she hadn’t considered going straight to PnG (based in Cincinnati). It was a very specific question based on her education, experience and goals. Was the interview high stress because of the stakes? Or the questions? [9:00] Both. Once you’re at the interview stage, it feels like it’s yours to lose. And the interview consisted of rapid fire questions on all aspects of the application. It’s important to show continuity with your application. What she wrote about in her interview reflections [10:45] She addressed the PnG question with more detail, thanked the interviewers, and referenced the questions she’d asked them at the conclusion of the interview. Any surprises about HBS life? [11:35] You really get a chance to understand how people think. The way classmates approach cases shows their reasoning process and can help you create better arguments. Has HBS met her expectations? [12:55] Yes! She’s met great friends, heard wonderful speakers, and made connections to a helpful alumni network. It feels like she’s part of a family. Her FIELD experience (Field Immersion Experiences for Leadership Development) [14:10] She went to Peru. Their client was a fast food hamburger chain – their team’s job was to prepare the business for the next 5 years. They visited the food processing center, restaurant locations, etc. And they presented their recommendations to the company’s leadership team, who said they’re going to implement some of them. Anything she wishes she’d known about the FIELD experience? [15:55] Even though you prepare at home, there’s nothing like being on the ground in person – you pick up a local perspective. How does the second year (EC) differ from the first year (RC)? [16:55] They’re very different. The case method still applies. But in the first year, everyone takes the same courses. In the second year, you can focus – take different electives, independent study, etc. She’s taken tech courses, retail & marketing courses, etc. Is year 2 more experiential, or still case? [18:30] There’s some experiential learning. Her marketing course is an example. Another example is a short course she did over winter break, where they traveled to Ethiopia and Tanzania to study city-building and innovation. Benefits of the case method? [20:05] You have to be very prepared when you go to class. You need facts to back up your stance, and you need to be able to think on your feet. Is the social life expensive/elitist? [21:00] B-school is expensive across the board. She feels like participating in expensive activities (weekend trips, etc) is a personal choice. Her summer internship [22:10] She interned as a product manager at Apple. She wanted to learn more about brand management, e-commerce, etc – and she wanted to return to tech. It was a great experience, and she’ll be returning full time after graduation. What’s it like to be ready to graduate from HBS? [23:00] After spring break, she realized how quickly graduation was coming, and that she’s about to part from her b-school friends (who are moving around the country). What she will miss [23:50] It’s a unique time to be around lots of smart people from different industries. And it’s a unique time in that it’s time off work to reflect and think about who you want to be and what you want to do. Her advice for applicants [25:10] Know yourself! Your application needs to be truly representative of who you are: your essay needs to represent you; your letters of recommendations should speak to your impact.  Related Links: • Anndrea Moore’s website • Connect with Anndrea Moore on Twitter • Get Accepted to Harvard Business School, Accepted’s on-demand webinar • Harvard Business School 2016 MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines• HBS Post-Interview Reflections, a video • Sample Essay from Admitted HBS Student Related Shows: • Alula Eshete podcast• Stanford GSB Alum Transforming Online Dating for the Ambitious• Harvard MBA, 2+2 and How to Get In• Insights into MIT Sloan MBA Admissions with Dawna Levenson• Breaking Some HBS Stereotypes: An Interview with Ben Faw• Tuck Talk: IV with The Dean Of Admissions Subscribe:   Tags: Admissions Straight Talk, MBA Admissions The post HBS 2016 Grad Reflects on Her Experience as a Harvard MBA [Episode 154] appeared first on Accepted Admissions Consulting Blog. |
19 May 2016, 10:01
| FROM Accepted.com Blog: The Applicants That Stand Out At Columbia Business School |
 My observation as a former insider at CBS is that Columbia is looking to build a diverse class of high-achieving world citizens who’ve got a bit of grit. World Citizen What do I mean by a world citizen? For a small fraction, it means applicants who are internationally famous due to their own achievements or by association. Let’s say, the guy who won an Olympic medal, or the gal who gets a call from the former president of “X” country and says, “Hi, Dad.” A world citizen also means someone who will add their own confident, distinct vibe to a cosmopolitan student body. Columbia wants to admit people with strong intellects and big ideas. They want confidence, but not arrogance. They like people who thrive in large group settings and don’t need a lot of handholding. They’re looking for admits with resilience and who exude a joie-de-vivre — kind of like the city itself. The Greatness of Grit And what do I mean by grit? That means someone who has achieved extraordinary things in the context of his or her job. It’s someone who has mapped out a plan for his or her future, and has done the hard work of really getting to know Columbia’s program and can prove it’s a good fit. It can also mean someone who doesn’t have good test scores or a glossy international background. But that person (usually a New York local) builds a relationship with an adcom member (though is not annoying!), retakes tests and makes efforts to improve at work or have an impact in the community. He or she might have to reapply, but showing that grit can eventually mean an admit. The New York Connection Finally, Columbia is looking for that New York connection. Why this city? Do you know what it has to offer? Can you thrive in its hyper-competitive business scene? Have you ever lived or worked here? A campus visit can be a huge plus–confirming for the adcom that you’re serious about attending. New York can break your heart, or fulfill your wildest dreams. It will absolutely affect your experience at Columbia. They want to know you’ve got the right stuff to make the most of it.  Michelle Stockman is a professional journalist, former Columbia Business School admissions insider, and experienced MBA admissions consultant. Related Resources: • Columbia Business School 2017 MBA Essay Tips and Deadlines • What Not to Include in Your Columbia Business School Application • Columbia Business School Zone Tags: MBA Admissions The post The Applicants That Stand Out At Columbia Business School appeared first on Accepted Admissions Consulting Blog. |
|
|
||
