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06 Oct 2015, 07:00
| FROM Stacy Blackman Consulting Blog: $10M Trustee Gift to Boost Ethics and Leadership at USC Marshall |
 The USC Marshall School of Business recently announced it has received a gift of $10 million from trustee Jerry Neely and his wife Nancy, long-time supporters of the University of Southern California, to establish the Jerry and Nancy Neely Leadership and Ethics Institute. According to the announcement in USC News, the new institute will advance the development of ethical business leadership with the framework of the global economy. ““Jerry and Nancy Neely (…) and their outstanding gift will dramatically bolster USC Marshall’s work in the area of leadership and ethics studies,” says USC President C. L. Max Nikias. “This visionary gift also speaks to the Neelys’ personal commitment to nurturing the next generation of ethical leaders, as the institute will be a living laboratory for understanding ethical leadership and finding new ways to develop it.” The existing course offerings in leadership and ethics are very popular with USC Marshall students, and the new institute plans to bring in faculty from across the university to further strengthen these topics in the curriculum for business degree students as well as for professionals pursuing executive education or certificates, the article notes. The Neelys have supported the university and its business school for decades, and have made additional donations to the school of engineering as well as the USC Roski School of Art and Design. Jerry Neely continues to contribute to the student experience at USC Marshall by participating in monthly meetings and gatherings to mentor MBA students. “I cherish my work with the outstanding students at USC Marshall. They are bright, insightful and want to make a difference in the world,” Neely says. “Nancy and I are honored to be able to contribute to their education by helping them prepare for the global and local leadership roles they will take on in years to come.” You may also be interested in: USC Marshall School to Offer Online MBA Program USC Marshall Introduces MS in Marketing Degree |
07 Oct 2015, 11:00
| FROM Stacy Blackman Consulting Blog: Always Address These 4 Areas in the Optional MBA Essay |
 The Tuck: 360 MBA Blog at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business has some timely advice on how to address all of those tricky situations in your b-school application you may wish you could just sweep under the rug. The optional essay is not something to use just to fill up space, however. The Tuck AdCom points out four instances when you should definitely take advantage of the opportunity to explain your situation fully to avoid anyone reading your application from jumping to the wrong conclusion about something in your profile. Even if Tuck is not on your short list of schools, these tips from the admissions team can help every MBA applicant this season. Employment Gaps If you’re feeling anxious about explaining a gap in employment history, take heart. Admissions committees are comprised of human beings who can and will empathize with someone who has faced a lay-off and lived to tell the tale. The key is to address the issue head-on, because the AdCom will notice and you don’t want there to be any doubts about how you spent that time away from work. Did you use that time off to do volunteer work in Guatemala, or to care for an ailing parent? Or maybe you used the time away to flesh out an entrepreneurial dream unencumbered by the 9-to-5 grind. Whatever the reason, you’ll want to show how you used that break in your career productively and the optional essay is the best place to explain that. Says Tuck: “In this type of situation, we don’t know if the applicant is doing something amazing or if they are sitting on the couch binge watching Netflix. Moral of the story: never make us guess about anything, because we may guess wrong.” Choice of Recommender Business schools typically want to see a recommendation from a current supervisor since this person is the most familiar with you and your work style, but that’s not always possible. It may come as a surprise, but some successful and well-positioned professionals won’t understand why you would want to go to business school. They may even be actively against it. Maybe they don’t want to lose you as an employee for two years, or maybe they aren’t really your biggest fan. If for some reason you cannot have your current supervisor write your recommendation, you should submit a quick note to explain why. Says Tuck: “Many people are hesitant to ask their current supervisor for a letter of recommendation because they fear it might jeopardize their employment. This isn’t a big problem if you tell us that’s the reason, but if you don’t explain it, we are left with the equally realistic assumption that you don’t have a good working relationship with your supervisor.” Major Career Changes By some estimates, two-thirds or more of graduating MBAs use the degree as a means of switching careers. If you’re looking for the fast track to gain the skills and network to launch your career in a new direction, a popular way to do so is through an MBA program. Make sure you clearly convey your long-term career goals within your application and essays, and explain in detail how you arrived at the conclusion that an MBA would help you further your professional aspirations. Business school demands a huge investment of your time, energy, and finances, so make an airtight case to the admissions committee for why you want to go into this new field. Show that you know what the industry requires, the challenges you expect to face, and convey all previous experiences that demonstrate you have the transferable skills to make this switch. Says Tuck: “Things that might seem obvious to you are not necessarily obvious to us. Because you’ve probably been thinking about this switch for a long time, the reasons for the change may seem clear to you, but if you don’t explain them to us, we’re left guessing. Remember, we don’t know you beyond what you tell us.” Academic Weaknesses Many applicants worry that a ho-hum undergrad performance will hamper their chances of getting into a top MBA program. Keep in mind that a 3.5 or better undergraduate GPA isn’t considered low for the purposes of most MBA applications, so look at the mean GPA for admitted students at your target programs to determine whether you have an issue to overcome in that area. If there is an issue, the most important thing is to show exceptional focus and leadership skills in your career, and to openly acknowledge to the admissions committee the reason or reasons for your lackluster college GPA. If there are extenuating circumstances that affected your academic performance, definitely explain what those were. But if it was a simple case of immaturity, you need to fess up to that also. It may be embarrassing, but if you don’t provide those details, the admissions committee will make assumptions that may not be in your favor. Says Tuck: “Acknowledge your academic flaws, whether it was one course or a whole semester. Give us an understanding of the situation (is there a specific reason for the poor performance you can point to?), what you learned from it and, most importantly, why this is an anomaly and not a reflection of the student you will be at Tuck.” As in life, the best bet with your MBA applications is to be honest, show introspection and growth, and let the chips fall where they may. And good luck to everyone submitting an application today for Tuck’s Early Action deadline! You may also be interested in: Dartmouth/Tuck Fall 2016 MBA Essay Tips Dartmouth Tuck School Names New Dean |
08 Oct 2015, 11:01
| FROM Stacy Blackman Consulting Blog: R1 Admissions Update from MIT Sloan School of Management |
 Though still deep in Round 1 application review, the admissions team at the MIT Sloan School of Management has paused to update first-round candidates on the upcoming timeline for interviews and status updates. Invitations to interview will start going out in mid-October (next week) and will continue to be released until the week of November 9th, at which time all R1 applicants will have received word of their status. The six-week interview period will run from October 26th through December 4th, and interviews may be scheduled on campus or at one of the 15 satellite locations planned in other U.S. cities and abroad. Applicants who choose to come to MIT Sloan for their interview will be able to attend a special program for on-campus interviewees, including lunch with current students and a class visit, according to the school. Finally, interviewed applicants who will not be offered admission will receive notice of their release by December 16th. Good luck to all applicants awaiting word from MIT Sloan! You may also be interested in: MIT Sloan Fall 2016 MBA Essay Tips |
09 Oct 2015, 14:00
| FROM Stacy Blackman Consulting Blog: Business School Trends in 2015 |
 The MBA degree continues to evolve, as more and more business schools expand their focus to include greater numbers of women, international opportunities and experiential learning requirements, and new formats like online degree programs and free MOOCs. Current and prospective applicants always seem interested in the latest trends related to graduate management education. I recently spoke with John Dodig at the education website Noodle to talk about what’s going on in the world of MBA admissions these days, and want to share some excerpts from our conversation here. You’ve talked about how “white spaces” — or the things between the listed items on someone’s resume — can convey just as important a story as the bullet points on a person’s MBA application. Do you think that your “white spaces” along the way are typical of someone with an MBA? I think a lot of people apply for MBA programs, and they kinda want to fit into one of four traditional types of jobs — like marketing, consulting, banking, entrepreneurship — and as time goes on, seeds are planted during the program. Whether it’s immediate or gradual, there are often a lot of twists and turns. So, in a way, it’s typical to have a lot of these twists and turns and to end up finding yourself. Yes, I would say I was typical in the sense that there isn’t really any typical. Do you work with a lot of American students who are interested in going to business school abroad? Or, on the flip side, do you work with a lot of international students interested in studying in the U.S. for an MBA? We do both, for sure. I would say probably there are more international students who want to come to the U.S. than the reverse, but we’re definitely placing plenty of Americans in international programs. And that is something that I think has grown a lot over the past 10 years — the growth of different types of programs, different options, and the increased popularity of programs outside the U.S. Is there any big advice that you give to international students who want to come here for business school? I think there can be challenging logistics for people who are coming from abroad to go to school in the U.S. In the beginning, things are a lot harder, ranging from financial aid, to finding housing, to overcoming some culture shock and finding their way. It’s very common for someone in the States to have friends in their class, you know, people they know from college, or just throughout life. But coming internationally, they may know no one. It can just be more challenging. My advice would be, in the beginning, be realistic. Take it slow. Being careful and clearing all those hurdles can lead to a very, very rewarding experience. To read more of my Noodle interview about the state of MBA admissions in 2015, please followthis link to the original article. |
12 Oct 2015, 10:01
| FROM Stacy Blackman Consulting Blog: Advice for Business School Applicants From Asia |
 This post originally appeared on Stacy’s “Strictly Business” MBA Blog on U.S.News.com According to the Graduate Management Admission Council’s 2015 Application Trends Survey report, China and India are the top countries where MBA and business school master’s programs recruit international candidates. The interest is mutual, with Indian and Chinese applicants showing an overwhelming preference for studying in the U.S. There is, however, a very diverse marketplace across Asia, and these two countries in particular couldn’t be more different. The two major divergences are the number of men versus women sitting for the GMAT exam and the type of program to which citizens of these countries most often apply. The GMAC, which administers the GMAT and produces surveys on various management education topics annually, reports that for the 2014 testing year, there were 28,325 exams taken in India, of which 7,771 test-takers were women. Contrast that with China, where GMAC administered 57,783 exams last year – 37,631 of which were taken by women. In fact, China is the second-largest source country after the U.S. for women interested in going to business school. According to GMAC’s 2014 Data-to-Go report on regional testing trends, GMAT testing in China has seen an annual growth rate of 22 percent over the past five years, and this explosive increase is coming exclusively from increasingly younger test-takers. In 2014, 79 percent of them were under 25, up from 63 percent just five years ago. Chinese citizens send three-quarters of their scores to programs in the U.S., and six out of 10 Chinese women say developing general business skills and increasing job opportunities are their main reasons for pursuing graduate management education. Indian citizens say the top motivators for pursuing business school are a desire to develop leadership, managerial and general business skills, as well as career acceleration, the report states. A significant motivation expressed by female applicants in India, according to the survey, is to help make a bigger difference in their field of interest, cited by 46 percent of women, versus 39 percent of male applicants. The difference in the types of management programs that attract Indian and Chinese applicants is also dramatic. In China, the majority of test scores are sent to master’s programs, and just 28.7 percent of scores go to MBA programs, both in the U.S. and otherwise. Meanwhile in India, 86.4 percent of scores went to MBA programs both in and out of the U.S., and a mere 11.6 percent were sent to non-MBA master’s programs. According to the GMAC survey, applicants who seek master of finance programs are often unsure of the economy or job prospects and are seeking international opportunities rather than a career change, which is often the motive for MBA hopefuls. Challenges for Chinese and Indian MBA Applicants Business school admissions committees often cite insufficient English proficiency as a roadblock for international students applying to U.S. schools. But even more problematic is the overwhelming number of applicants who have an engineering background, particularly among Indian applicants, which makes standing out from the masses much more difficult. Even though U.S. schools receive more international applications from this part of the world than any other, proportionally speaking, more candidates are denied admission from this region than any other as well. The reason for this level of rejection of highly qualified applicants is twofold. Business schools in the U.S. want to create a rich learning environment through a diverse class of individuals representing various professional industries and walks of life. Secondly, the career services office must make sure these students will be able to land a job when they graduate. International students hoping to stay in the U.S. face stiff competition from similarly prepared American graduates as well as serious hurdles obtaining work visas. Application Advice for Indian and Chinese Candidates An increasing number of programs have incorporated video interviews and video essay questions into their admissions requirements, allowing schools to better observe how applicants express themselves and think on their feet. Active class participation and communication skills are a vital component of the MBA experience, so making sure international candidates possess English fluency levels that are competitive with native speakers is an absolute must for any applicant to a top MBA program in the U.S. While the odds may be tougher, even applicants in over-represented groups can prevail and land a seat at an elite business school. It happens many times during every single admissions season. The key is finding a way to differentiate themselves from their peers, and the best place to do so is in the MBA essays. By showing that they have real leadership and managerial experience, have made a significant, quantifiable impact on the job or in their extracurricular activities, have ambitious career goals and can paint a vivid picture of their dreams and passions that go beyond a stellar GMAT score, these applicants will absolutely have a shot at admission at their dream MBA program. |
13 Oct 2015, 07:01
| FROM Stacy Blackman Consulting Blog: UM Ross School to Offer Lifetime Learning to Alumni |
 The University of Michigan Ross School of Business will now offer its alumni lifelong, tuition-free professional development through a new program called Alumni Advantage that is part of the Ross commitment to serving as a partner in alumni’s lifetime of success, the school announced this week. The benefits of this program for Ross alumni as well as all alumni from the University of Michigan include free access to executive education and leadership development, and exclusive access to Ross thought leadership, online and in-classroom courses, livestream events, videos, and more. “Our alumni are our most powerful and passionate resource,” says Alison Davis-Blake, dean of the Ross School. “We created Alumni Advantage to ensure that our alumni know that resources and support from Ross don’t end when they receive their diplomas.” Exclusive Alumni Advantage offers for Michigan Ross alumni include:
“Learning is a lifelong pursuit, and our commitment to the personal and professional growth of our alumni is unwavering. This new program will engage alumni in a journey of professional development and personal growth,” DeRue says. |
14 Oct 2015, 12:01
| FROM Stacy Blackman Consulting Blog: 5 Common Interview Questions from Harvard Business School |
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Today is the final day Harvard Business School will extend Round 1 interview invitations, and to prepare nervous applicants, the school’s independent newspaper The Harbus has shared five common MBA interview questions that cropped up last year during the admissions interviews of current first-year students. Here, we share excerpts from the article, which provides valuable, first-hand tips for successfully navigating the questions frequently posed by HBS interviewers: Walk me through your resume. The Harbus says: “Make your resume a narrative rather than merely relating a series of unconnected events. Focus on upward progression…Keep your ‘walk’ to 5 minutes, and don’t spend all your time in one area versus another.” What is one thing I’d never have guessed about you, even after reading your application? The Harbus says: “Here is an opportunity to go beyond your achievements – or at least your business-related achievements – and tell your interviewers about something that really makes you tick…Think about what would make you an interesting or valuable section mate to have at HBS.” What is the most interesting conversation you’ve had this week? The Harbus says: “Keep this professional, worldly and, most likely, news-related…use this as an opportunity to showcase your preparation, especially your morning news routine.” How do you make big decisions? The Harbus says: “This is another perfect question for examples. Tell a story, but make sure the actual decision has a logical, step-by-step process behind it. Show your personality in the answer too…don’t be afraid to talk about your gut.” Describe an ethical grey area you had to navigate. The Harbus says: “The hardest, most complicated, problems and questions often result in the best leadership development. Don’t try to whitewash the situation; acknowledge how hard the choice was and walk the interviewer through the process you went through to come to your final outcome.” For more tips on how to answer each of these real Harvard Business School application interview questions, follow the link above to the original Harbus article. You may also be interested in: MBA Essay Advice for Harvard Business School Harvard Business School Fall 2016 MBA Essay Tips Harvard Business School Introduces Case Method Podcast |
15 Oct 2015, 06:00
| FROM Stacy Blackman Consulting Blog: UC Berkeley Haas to Provide Seed Funding to Student Entrepreneurs |
 The UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, already a global powerhouse in the study of entrepreneurship, has announced it will further strengthen support for its students by providing $100,000 in seed funding for Haas student startups this year. In addition to seed funding, Berkeley-Haas intends to boost its entrepreneurial offerings for both MBA and undergraduate students by pooling a variety of resources from across the Haas School. A new umbrella organization, called the Berkeley-Haas Entrepreneurship Program (BHEP), will help integrate entrepreneurial thinking throughout the Haas student experience. Those resources include:
“Our student entrepreneurs are already thriving within the Berkeley-Haas and Bay Area startup ecosystem,” Haas Dean Rich Lyons says. “This new effort will continue to build on and expand that success, creating a new generation of leaders who will be mixing with alumni and giving back to the entrepreneurial ecosystem.” |
16 Oct 2015, 12:00
| FROM Stacy Blackman Consulting Blog: Chicago Booth Tops The Economist MBA Rankings Again |
 For the fifth time in six years, the Chicago Booth School of Business takes the top spot in The Economist’s annual ranking of the best business schools in the world. Despite Booth’s reputation for finance and “super quants”, The Economist finds it to be a well-rounded MBA program, with graduates gushing about finding nearly guaranteed employment in the widest range of industries, and students believing the Chicago Booth career services, faculty, and facilities were top-notch. Although the rankings are global, 14 of the top 20 schools in the 2015 ranking are located in the U.S. Here’s a look at this year’s Top Ten:
The Economist wants to find out how effective the MBA degree is at opening up new professional opportunities, and says its ranking is based on a mix of hard data and subjective marks given by the students. “Each year we ask students why they decided to take an MBA. Our ranking weights data according to what they say is important. The four categories covered are: opening new career opportunities (35% weighting), personal development and educational experience (35%), increasing salary (20%) and the potential to network (10%),” the magazine explains. While we don’t like to encourage clients to focus too heavily on rankings when they’re making their MBA program selections, we also know those headed for b-school really can’t help themselves. But placing too heavy an emphasis on rankings can actually become a distraction for some applicants, so be sure to consider multiple factors when making your final school selection. You may also be interested in: Columbia’s Dean Hubbard on MBA Rankings Rethinking MBA Rankings The Truth Behind 3 Common MBA Rankings Myths |
19 Oct 2015, 10:01
| FROM Stacy Blackman Consulting Blog: B-School Campus Visits…Are They a Must? |
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You might have experienced a moment of panic as you began to work on your MBA applications for Round 2. It may have occurred after you took note of the January deadlines. And it could have gone something like this: “Wait a second—I won’t have time to visit any schools before my materials are due! Does that put me at a disadvantage?” The answer is no. If you weren’t able to sit in on a class or take a campus tour of a program you’re interested in before it’s time to submit your application, you’re not going to be dinged for it. International applicants really don’t have to fret over this; no admissions committee member is going to expect candidates to shell out thousands of dollars for a multi-day trip to their school before they’re even admitted. You’re going to be paying enough money for tuition as it is! The same logic applies for cross-country applicants in the United States. AdComs understand that it may be impossible for you to take time off of work—much less afford—to visit a campus that’s hours and hours away. But what if you live in, say, Manhattan, and are applying to several programs within a fairly close radius? A campus visit would certainly help prove that you’re serious about the school and could help differentiate you from other similar applicants. However, it’s hard to believe that sitting in on a class could outweigh any red flags in your materials. The AdCom is going to judge you on your years of accomplishments at school and at work—not whether you were able to visit them in person. That being said, if you live in or are otherwise going to be near a city that’s home to a program you’re interested in and you have time to spare, why not swing by? Even easier is if the school comes to you in the form of a traveling road show. Many top programs hold informational events in cities across the world, and their web sites list these schedules. Even easier than that is to dial in or log in to an online admissions webinar hosted by your dream school. From diving into a program’s extensive web resources to talking to alums to experiencing a class firsthand, there are several ways to get to know a particular business school better. You certainly don’t have to stress out if you’re not able to make it to campus. That won’t be what’s going to ultimately determine whether you get in or not! Remember:  *** Do you want to stay on top of the application process with timely tips like these? Please subscribe to our weekly newsletter and you’ll receive our expert advice straight in your mailbox before it appears on the blog, plus special offers, promotions, discounts, invitations to events, and more. |
20 Oct 2015, 07:00
| FROM Stacy Blackman Consulting Blog: MBA Director at Michigan Ross on Best Time to Visit Schools |
Campus visits are an important part of deciding where you will apply, though as we mentioned yesterday, you won’t be at a disadvantage if circumstances—financial, distance, no vacation time—make it too difficult to visit prior to submitting your application. Soojin Kwon, director of MBA admissions at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, recently posted about the best time to visit MBA programs on her blog. “A school visit can confirm your perceptions, or it can surprise you in ways that could change where you place a school on your list,” Kwon says. At Michigan Ross, the ideal time to visit is when classes are in session—September through November, and January to February—although the school does offer visits at other times as well. Watching students in action is, however, the best way to really get a feel for your fit with the program. The main, and quite valid, reason to visit campus prior to applying is so that you can incorporate details about your visit into your application. That’s not possible for everyone, though. Kwon strongly suggests applicants visit every school they are applying to before making a decision to enroll, whether that means before or after submitting, for the interview, or eventually, for the admit weekend. The director also offers a a few choice tips for candidates planning a campus visit. First, Kwon suggests contacting people you would like to meet in advance, such as student ambassadors, to see if it’s possible to schedule a brief meeting. Also, if you can time your visit to take advantage of a special conference or event taking place at the school, that’s a great way to further familiarize yourself with the program. If it’s financially feasible and fits into your schedule, we here at SBC always recommend a visit. When you visit the campus, you develop a better understanding of the school’s culture, which is sure to come through in your essays and interview. While others will be referencing the school website, you can cite specific, first-hand experiences. So enjoy yourself and be open-minded. This is a fun opportunity to start planning a very exciting next step in your life. You may also be interested in: Make the Most of Your B-School Campus Visit |
20 Oct 2015, 10:00
| FROM Stacy Blackman Consulting Blog: Michigan Ross MBA Director on Best Time to Visit Schools |
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Campus visits are an important part of deciding where you will apply, though as we mentioned yesterday, you won’t be at a disadvantage if circumstances—financial, distance, no vacation time—make it too difficult to visit prior to submitting your application. Soojin Kwon, director of MBA admissions at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, recently posted about the best time to visit MBA programs on her blog. “A school visit can confirm your perceptions, or it can surprise you in ways that could change where you place a school on your list,” Kwon says. At Michigan Ross, the ideal time to visit is when classes are in session—September through November, and January to February—although the school does offer visits at other times as well. Watching students in action is, however, the best way to really get a feel for your fit with the program. The main, and quite valid, reason to visit campus prior to applying is so that you can incorporate details about your visit into your application. That’s not possible for everyone, though. Kwon strongly suggests applicants visit every school they are applying to before making a decision to enroll, whether that means before or after submitting, for the interview, or eventually, for the admit weekend. The director also offers a a few choice tips for candidates planning a campus visit. First, Kwon suggests contacting people you would like to meet in advance, such as student ambassadors, to see if it’s possible to schedule a brief meeting. Also, if you can time your visit to take advantage of a special conference or event taking place at the school, that’s a great way to further familiarize yourself with the program. If it’s financially feasible and fits into your schedule, we here at SBC always recommend a visit. When you visit the campus, you develop a better understanding of the school’s culture, which is sure to come through in your essays and interview. While others will be referencing the school website, you can cite specific, first-hand experiences. So enjoy yourself and be open-minded. This is a fun opportunity to start planning a very exciting next step in your life. You may also be interested in: Make the Most of Your B-School Campus Visit |
21 Oct 2015, 07:00
| FROM Stacy Blackman Consulting Blog: MBA Essay Advice for IT Candidates |
 We often field questions from clients working in Information Technology about how best to frame their work experiences within a 500-word MBA application essay, especially since the technologist often believes it necessary to provide meaningful context when describing the “What I did” aspect of the essay question. Truth is, business schools don’t really care whether you can code in java or possess multiple certifications in Oracle, Linux, or Cloud+. The admissions committee doesn’t even need to know those aspects when reading about your technical projects, and getting bogged down in such details is the number one mistake that engineers applying to business school often make. When describing a technical project, try to sum up the essence of the project in a non-technical way in one to two sentences. Share your essays with a friend outside of your industry to see if it makes sense to the lay person. Then, shift gears to devote the majority of the essay toward demonstrating the qualities that MBA programs do care about: leadership, teamwork, problem-solving, and international experience. IT applicants typically have a lot of experience working in teams, so play up your interpersonal skills and describe how adept you are at collaborating well with others to meet goals. Leadership potential is huge at the top business schools, so talk about how you have showed leadership thus far, or discuss any cross-functional leadership experience you have had. As business becomes ever more connected across the globe, the ability to work well with colleagues abroad will become critical to success. If one of your projects crossed international lines, you can talk about how you managed working with different cultures across time zones and what you learned from the experience. Show examples of when you solved a problem or overcame a challenge by coming up with a unique or innovative solution. Did you resolve a conflict, demonstrate teamwork, or act with integrity? The thesis of the essay should be based on one of these qualities that an MBA admissions committee would value, not technical details. Another place to differential yourself from other IT applicants is when describing your professional goals. Where do you envision yourself five or ten years from now? Rather than stating a generic goal such as transitioning into strategy consulting, think about whether you ultimately see yourself owning your own business, creating innovative ways to improve cybersecurity, or becoming the CTO of an environmental non-profit. While information technologists may fret about competing against a sizeable pool of similar applicants, your MBA essays provide the ideal platform to show you are more than your job. Use the essays to focus on the aspects of your personal life that make you unique: hobbies, community service activities, passions and interests that make you stand out. When we began working with Abhi, an Indian engineer with his heart set on attending the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, his biggest roadblock was pertaining to an overrepresented demographic that would be competing with literally thousands of other MBA applicants. Fortunately, Abhi had an admirable record of community involvement. But to make his candidacy really stand out from the masses, we decided to focus on a unique event in which he had coordinated a sizeable group to train for a marathon with the goal of raising funds to help a six-year-old girl with leukemia. In his essays, Abhi focused on the leadership aspects of the experience: how he recruited participants, organized several fundraising events, and dealt with the inevitable obstacles that arose during the planning phase. By allowing the MBA admissions committee to better understand who Abhi was as a person, and what motivated him and ignited his personal and professional passions, he became much more than just another male IT candidate from India in the pile… and Wharton ultimately did extend an offer of admission to him. No matter what your professional background is, the MBA essays are the place to show off your individuality, leadership potential, and exactly why you are b-school material. So don’t let industry jargon or the nitty gritty of your job description get in the way of creating memorable essays that capture the interest of the school of your dreams. This article originally appeared on F1 GMAT image credit: Flickr user Dean Johnson CC By 2.0 |
21 Oct 2015, 11:01
| FROM Stacy Blackman Consulting Blog: Harvard Crowned No. 1 in Bloomberg Businessweek 2015 MBA Ranking |
 Bloomberg Businessweek has released its 2015 global rankings of best business schools,and Harvard Business School claims the number one spot among 74 full-time U.S. programs. Chicago Booth School of Business is number two, and Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management is number three. Bloomberg Businessweek‘s top school of 2014, Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, fell to number eight. Of 29 international MBA programs, Western University’s Ivey Business School in Ontario, Canada is number one (retaining its top spot in 2014’s ranking), London Business School is number two and INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France is number three. Among the 74 part-time U.S. MBA programs evaluated, Northwestern’s Kellogg ranks number one, Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business ranks number two, and Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business ranks number three. Top Ten Full-Time MBA Programs in 2015
According to the news magazine, the rankings are based on five measures: 1. Employer Survey (35 percent of total score): Recruiter feedback on the skills they look for in MBAs, and which programs best equip their students with those skills; 2. Alumni Survey (30 percent of total score): Feedback from the Classes of 2007, 2008, and 2009 on how their MBAs have affected their careers, their compensation change over time, and their mid-career job satisfaction; 3. Student Survey (15 percent of total score): The Class of 2015’s take on academics, career services, campus climate, and more; 4. Job Placement Rate (10 percent of total score): The most recent data on how many MBAs seeking full-time jobs get them within three months of graduation; 5. Starting Salary (10 percent of total score): The most recent data on how much MBAs make in their first jobs after graduation, adjusted for industry and regional variation. “By refining our focus and updating our methodology, we’ve created the most effective ranking yet for helping career-oriented students choose an MBA program,” says Ellen Pollock, editor, Bloomberg Businessweek. Not everyone agrees, however, that the updated methodology accurately reflects the standing of the best business schools in the land. “Changes in methodology…result in vast swings in rankings that have nothing to do with the quality of an MBA program’s experience,” notes Poets & Quants editor John A. Byrne in his analysis of the new rankings. “Even among the truly elite MBA programs, there were double-digit changes which tend to be rare and hardly credible,” Byrne writes. In the article he calls out some head scratchers—schools that have either skyrocketed or plummeted over last year’s standing—but Byrne says that in general, the new methodology has produced a somewhat more credible list than last year’s, “which severely damaged the standing of the Businessweek ranking.” In the end, despite any debate over rankings and methodology, one thing remains clear: the MBA continues to be a sound investment in one’s career. Jonathan Rodkin, research and rankings coordinator at Bloomberg Businessweek, says, “Most MBAs have no trouble landing jobs: Three months after graduation, 88 percent of MBAs have been hired—and offered a nice pay bump. Graduates saw an 81 percent jump over their median compensation before B-School. After six to eight years, pay typically increased another 64 percent to around $169,000 a year.” You may also be interested in: Chicago Booth Tops the Economist MBA Rankings Again Columbia’s Dean Hubbard on MBA Rankings Rethinking MBA Rankings |
22 Oct 2015, 11:02
| FROM Stacy Blackman Consulting Blog: Flexibility is Key for Women Pursuing MBAs |
 Guest post by MBA@UNC’s Molly Greenberg There is a clear lack of female representation in senior leadership positions in the corporate world, and leading businesses are failing to rectify this imbalance even though gender diversity is good for business. While only five percent of Fortune 1000 companies are led by a female CEO, they generate seven percent of the Fortune 1000’s total revenue. These woman-led companies, including Mary Barra’s General Motors, outperformed the S&P 500 index over the course of their respective tenures. Companies with a woman at the helm reward investors well, generating high returns. Given these facts, why aren’t more women present in the upper ranks of Corporate America? That’s the question The Wall Street Journal’s Joann S. Lublin and Nikki Waller set out to answer. In a recent article in The Wall Street Journal, Lublin and Waller wrote about a study of women in the workplace conducted by LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company. The study found that apprehension about balancing work and family life are among the biggest deterrents for women interested in an executive role, even though 93 percent of women CEOs in the Fortune 1000 are married and 84 percent have children. Women interested in pursuing an MBA experience this same hesitation where timing is called into question. Kristen Fanarakis would know. She is a graduate of MBA@UNC, UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School’s online MBA program. In a blog post for her alma mater, Fanarakis asks: “If an MBA is one of the key conduits to top positions in the Fortune 500 and the time versus investment trade-off tips the scale against pursuing the degree, then what is the solution?” The answer is flexibility. According to Fanarakis, top business schools need to offer more programs that better align with a woman’s life and career. “Many top business school programs offer part-time or executive MBA programs, but these programs can take three to four years to complete and students are still required to live in a specific location,” writes Fanarakis. Leading business schools need to provide geographically neutral programs that can be completed in two years. Fanarakis cites the study in The Wall Street Journal, which explains why businesses must help funnel women into line roles that lead to the C-suite, rather than staff roles. However, it’s not just businesses that must propel women forward. “In any given year, approximately 40 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs have an MBA,” says Fanarakis. “Education is clearly one of the keys to staying on the path to the C-suite and colleges and universities must do their part to address one of the root causes of this disparity.” With women comprising of only 25 percent of the business school population, business schools need to determine new ways to attract and retain female students. They can do so by “providing advanced degree programs that allow women to fit education into their lives rather than having to fit their life around education,” says Fanarakis. Business school changes like this will contribute to resetting the balance of the top ranks of Fortune 500 companies. You may also be interested in: B-School Deans Convene at White House to Promote Women in Business Gender Balance Scorecard at B-Schools Worldwide Targeted Tips for Women MBA Applicants image credit: Flickr user Steve Wilson (CC BY 2.0) |
23 Oct 2015, 10:00
| FROM Stacy Blackman Consulting Blog: Stay in the Know with News Recommended by MBAs |
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Once you’re in b-school, your time is at a premium and it can be a struggle to stay on top of everything that’s going on across the business world. I think the new website 10Thoughts, started by a Darden School of Business 2015 MBA grad, can really help applicants and students (or anyone, actually) who want to keep up with today’s relevant problem solving, thinking and ideas across the business spectrum. Jack Mara, founder and CEO of 10Thoughts, says he became frustrated with having to search through many publications in order to stay well-versed on important topics and issues in business while a student at Darden. The site shares original content as well as news stories recommended and vetted by actual MBAs, professors, and executives, and covers content across different topics, functions, and publications. “Our readers trust the quality of the content because it comes with the recommendation of a talented peer rather than a machine or algorithm,” Mara says, adding that 35% of students across the top 20 schools in the incoming class of 2017 currently use 10Thoughts. The site is a great resource for b-school applicants because, while most professionals tend to focus closely on their own area of expertise, it’s really important to be conversant on a range of relevant business issues—particularly for those MBA interviews. “Companies are looking for general managers and leaders that can think across functions and understand how different pieces of the puzzle all interact,” Mara says. ” This will help you speak more intelligently about the business world and different career paths in both your MBA applications and interviews.” I contributed an article of my own last week called , but the advice rings true for MBA applicants as well. So go ahead and check out 10Thoughts – it’s free – and you can sign up to receive the weekly featured article email, too. |
26 Oct 2015, 06:01
| FROM Stacy Blackman Consulting Blog: Keep MBA Message Board Comments in Perspective |
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Is there anything more tempting to an MBA applicant than business school-related message boards? We understand the allure—in fact, many of our consultants cop to obsessively scouring those sites and threads when they were pulling together their own applications. But here’s something we all agree on now: browsing message boards can serve as a way to distract yourself from the agony of waiting for interview invites, at best. At worst, participation in these online conversations can subconsciously influence your application strategy and send you off in the wrong direction. Who’s on these message boards? Mostly it’s other applicants, just like yourself. They are not AdCom members and cannot judge your odds of being accepted somewhere, nor do they have any special insight into a certain school’s admissions process, as much as they might like to think they do. Here are just a few of the types of posts you’ll find on b-school message boards: “My father went to Wharton and talked with someone there who said…” “My old co-worker who’s got the exact same profile as me got into Stanford, so…” “I’ve crunched the numbers from this site and it looks like only people from Ivys with 730+ GMATs are getting HBS invites this year.” “I have a friend who got a 650 on the GMAT and was accepted at HBS two years ago, so that must mean…” “I have a friend at Kellogg, and she said…” Now, really. We challenge you to take a step back and ask yourself why you would ever let anything posted by a complete stranger worry you or stress you out about your own chances of being admitted to your dream school. We’ve been advising MBA applicants since 2001, and we can assure you that nothing good has ever come from listening to—or comparing yourself to—other business school hopefuls. Use that precious time to beef up your resume, work on your essays, or do something else productive. Remember:  *** Do you want to stay on top of the application process with timely tips like these? Please subscribe to our weekly newsletter and you’ll receive our expert advice straight in your mailbox before it appears on the blog, plus special offers, promotions, discounts, invitations to events, and more. |
27 Oct 2015, 06:00
| FROM Stacy Blackman Consulting Blog: 4 Reasons to Write an Optional Business School Application Essay |
 When brainstorming ideas for this essay, make sure to choose a subject that cannot be addressed elsewhere in your application packet. This post originally appeared on Stacy’s “Strictly Business” MBA Blog on U.S.News.com When it comes to the optional essay question posed by most business schools, MBA hopefuls often wonder if it is really optional. Many applicants feel an obligation to write something, and struggle with what that something should be. While some programs state explicitly that this essay should only be used to address extenuating circumstances, others ask more broadly whether there is anything else about your candidacy you would like to share with the admissions committee. My advice regarding the optional essay is to first complete your entire application package, except for the optional essay. Don’t worry about that piece of the puzzle just yet. Once you have finished, review your application and ask yourself if there is something extra you would like to communicate. Make sure that you cannot address the subject elsewhere in the application. However, if there is something missing, by all means, use the optional essay as an opportunity to say what you need to say. The following advice should be considered within the context of your overall strategy and the school you are considering, but these areas are prime material for the optional essay. Academic Weaknesses If there is a grade of C or below on your undergraduate transcript, the admissions committee will want to know why and feel comfortable that it’s simply an outlier in your overall academic record. Strike an upbeat tone here and avoid excuses. Make sure you emphasize your improved performance either later in your college career or in subsequent work or classes since college. Explain your issue clearly and focus the balance of your essay on looking forward. Explain what have you done in the recent past to prove your skills and intelligence. If you have a new GMAT score or took classes in calculus or statistics, you have a solid case for improved academics. If you had a disciplinary issue in college, spend most of the essay demonstrating that you learned from the experience and have been an ideal citizen ever since. If there are extenuating circumstances that affected your academic performance, definitely explain what those were. But if it was a simple case of immaturity, you need to own up to that also. Though embarrassing to admit, if you don’t provide those details the admissions committee will make assumptions that may not be in your favor. Employment Gaps or Major Career Changes You don’t have to explain a short gap between school and a secured job, but something like several months between two jobs should be addressed. Otherwise, the admissions team may assume you spent that time binge-watching “Game of Thrones.”? Did you use that time off to do volunteer work in Guatemala, or care for an ailing parent? Maybe you used the time away to focus on an entrepreneurial dream unencumbered by the 9-to-5 grind. Ideally you can point to additional education, training, volunteering or traveling that you engaged in while unemployed. If you recently switched careers and feel concerned that the admissions committee may not see how you arrived at the conclusion that an MBA would help further your professional aspirations, use the optional essay space to make an airtight case for why you want to go into this new field and show that the decision was not capricious, but reasoned and well-thought-out. Choice of Recommender Business schools almost always ask for a letter of recommendation from a current supervisor, as typically this is the person most able to observe and comment on your abilities and leadership skills as they stand today. Not every applicant feels comfortable asking their employer for a recommendation letter, however. Perhaps they aren’t ready to let their boss know of their MBA plans, or maybe there is a personality conflict that might not lead to the most glowing recommendation. Sometimes, the issue is that the applicant hasn’t worked with the supervisor long enough for him or her to comment meaningfully on the candidate’s performance. Whatever the reason, you should briefly address your decision not to seek a recommendation from your current supervisor in the optional essay space. The admissions committee understands the various circumstances which may prevent it, but you need to explain why anyway to eliminate any doubts or wrong assumptions about the quality of your working relationship with your employer. Information That Adds to Your Candidacy This is where you can introduce information about yourself that you simply couldn’t find a way to incorporate elsewhere. If you are a re-applicant, the optional essay is the ideal place to explain what you have done since your last application to strengthen your case for admission – such as receiving a promotion – which would signal career development and leadership. Even if you don’t have a clear-cut development to describe, you can use this space to explain how you have improved your thinking, career goals or fit. Finally, if you don’t have a weakness to address and the school has an open-ended optional essay question, this is opportunity to provide information you couldn’t work into the other required essays. For example, if you have an unusual background, hobby or extracurricular experience, this may be a chance to showcase your unique profile. Yes, the optional essay truly is optional. So take advantage of it if necessary, but exercise good judgement and restraint. |
28 Oct 2015, 10:01
| FROM Stacy Blackman Consulting Blog: HBS Admissions Director Leopold to Step Down in May 2016 |
 Managing Director of MBA Admissions & Financial Aid Dee Leopold, the voice of Harvard Business School admissions for the past decade, announced today that she will be moving on in May 2016 at the end of this admissions season. In a brief post on her blog to officially announce the news to applicants, Leopold assures she will be on the job until the Class of 2018 is all set and ready to go. “It’s Business As Usual in Dillon House,” the director writes, quoting the headline of her post. “I’ve told you many times that Dillonites are the Dream Team – and I will say it again. So please go back to figuring out how to Introduce Yourself and Round One interviewees should be making sure they have clean socks picked out for their interview!” You may also be interested in: 5 Common Interview Questions from Harvard Business School Harvard Crowned No. 1 in Bloomberg Businessweek 2015 MBA Ranking |
29 Oct 2015, 12:00
| FROM Stacy Blackman Consulting Blog: Free Download on Success from the Wharton School |
 Act fast, because today is the final day to access Conversations on Success: 6 Thought Leaders Redefine What It Means to Succeed, the free download from the newly launched Knowledge@Wharton Books. The interviews featured in this eBook include:
Don’t delay…October 29th is the last day to download a free copy. |
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