TABLE OF CONTENTSFOREWORD .................................................................................. 6
1. WHY MBA? WHY NOW? ............................................................ 7
2. WHICH SCHOOLS TO APPLY TO? ......................................................... 9
Joe ................................................................................................ 10
Jane ............................................................................................. 10
Ajay .............................................................................................. 11
Jack .............................................................................................. 11
3. WHAT IS A GOOD GMAT SCORE? ................................................ 13
Why Do Business Schools Care So Much About the GMAT? .........................14
How Much Effort Would it Take to Increase Your GMAT? ............................. 15
Other GMAT QuesKons ................................................................ 15
4. SHOULD I APPLY IN R1 OR R2? ................................................. 17
5. R1 VS R2 - THE GREAT DEBATE ................................................18
Who Should Apply Round 1? ........................................................ 18
Who Should Apply Round 2? ........................................................ 18
Why should I hit submit a day or two before the deadline? ................ 20
6. THE MBA SCHOLARSHIP LANDSCAPE ......................................... 21
Show Me the Money .................................................................... 21
Can I Ask for More Money? ......................................................... 22
7. RESEARCHING MBA PROGRAMS VIRTUALLY ............................... 24
8. OVERARCHING ESSAY TIPS ......................................................26
9. IS MY GMAT GOOD ENOUGH? .................................................. 30
Overrepresented Applicant Strategy ....................................... 31
10. MBA ESSAYS - THE BEST ADVICE ............................................ 32
Read the queston ................................................................... 32
Outline your response .................................................................. 32
Start wriKng the essay ................................................................. 32
Revise your essay ......................................................................... 32
Common Mistakes ....................................................................... 33
11. HOW TO RESEARCH BUSINESS SCHOOLS? ................................ 34
Research Tip #1: Think About What You Really Want ...................34
Research Tip #2: Look Up Stats ..................................................... 35
Research Tip #3: Consider Career Outcomes ................................... 35
Research Tip #4: Reach Out To Current Students ..............................36
12. MORE ON SCHOOL RESEARCH ................................................... 38
Recommended Resources ............................................................ 38
Common Mistakes ....................................................................... 39
The Correct Approach .................................................................. 39
13. OVERCOMING A LOW GPA ....................................................... 40
14. GMAT VS GRE ........................................................................ 42
Which one does more for my application? .................................42
Which one is easier? .................................................................... 43
By the numbers ............................................................................ 43
15. GETTING TO KNOW YOUR SCHOOLS .................................. 45
Passive Research .......................................................................... 45
Active Communication with Representatives of the School: ....................... 46
16. POWERFUL FAILURE ESSAYS ........................................................... 47
Tip 1: It’s Not About the Failure, It’s About the Triumph ......................... 47
Tip 2: Pick an Actual Failure ......................................................... 47
Tip 3: Approach the Question from a Perspective of Humility and Self-Reflecton . 48
17. FIT VS RANKINGS ................................................................... 49
18. BEST AND WORST RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................. 51
Choose People Who Know Your Work Well ........................................... 51
Do Not Focus on the Person’s Title ............................................................51
Ensure That Your Recommender Is Reliable and Supportive .......................... 52
Prioritize Ability to Provide Content over Writing Proficiency ........................... 53
19. FATAL FLAWS IN YOUR RESUME .................................................... 54
Fatal Flaw #1: Mistakenly Including Everything You’ve Ever Done ............. 54
Fatal Flaw #2: Focusing On Things That Are Too “Low Level” For Them To Care About ..... 54
Fatal Flaw #3: Drowning Them In Jargon .................................................... 55
Fatal Flaw #4: Forgetting The Bottom Line Impact ........................................... 56
20. THE EFFECTIVE RESUME ........................................................ 58
Be Thoughtful About What You Include ................................................. 58
Consider Your Audience ............................................................... 58
Showcase Your Accomplishments ............................................................... 59
Include Nonquantifiable Results ................................................................. 59
Apply Easy Space Savers .............................................................. 60
Use Formatting Appropriately ....................................................................... 60
21. HOW TO WRITE GOALS ESSAYS .................................................... 61
What makes compelling career goals? ................................................... 61
During interviews ......................................................................... 62
22. SEVEN TOUGH INTERVIEW QUESTIONS ......................................... 64
Tough Interview Questions & How To Respond ....................................... 64
What To Do If You Give A Bad Answer ......................................................... 66
23. THE FIT INTERVIEW ............................................................... 67
Know the school ........................................................................... 67
Know your interviewers ............................................................... 67
Know your application ................................................................. 68
Know yourself .............................................................................. 68
24. MOST COMMON INTERVIEW QUESTIONS ....................................69
The 10 Core Questions ................................................................. 69
Personality Based Questions (#11-#16) ..................................................... 69
GMAT Club MBA Guide 2023 4
Career Goal Related Questions (#23-#28) ................................................... 70
Your Industry/Functional Area Questions (#29-#33) ..................................... 70
Situational/Story-based Questions (#34-#39) ..............................................70
Weakness/Extenuating Circumstances Related Questions (#46-#50) .............. 71
25. COMPLETE GUIDE TO INTERVIEWING .................................................................................. 72
26. DECIDING AMONG MBA PROGRAMS ................................................................................... 74
Do you have two to seven years of post-undergrad work experience? ..................................... 74
Are you just finishing your undergrad degree? .......................................................................... 75
Are you further along in your career? ........................................................................................ 75
Are your goals in a targeted industry? ...................................................................................... 76
27. BEHAVIORAL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS .................................................................................. 77
28. BEST MBA RECOMMENDATIONS ......................................................................................... 79
Your recommenders should know you well ................................................................................ 79
Your recommenders should believe you are one of the best ..................................................... 79
Your recommenders should complement one another .............................................................. 80
Your recommenders should support what they write about you with specific examples ............. 80
29. WRITING ABOUT SUCCESS ................................................................................................... 81
Move Beyond the CV items .......................................................... 81
Create a Villain and Convey the Stakes ...................................................................................... 81
Focus on Growth and Learning .................................................................................................. 82
30. TIPS FOR THE OPTIONAL ESSAY ............................................................................................ 83
31. BUILDING YOUR EXTRACURRICULAR PROFILE ...................................................................... 85
5 Top Tips For Positioning Extracurriculars In Your MBA Application ........................................ 86
32. THE 12 - STEP WAITLIST GUIDE ............................................................................................ 88
The Waitlist Acceptance Rate Landscape .................................................................................. 88
Your First Steps As A Waitlisted Applicant ................................................................................. 88
The What, How, And When Of Your Waitlist Outreach .............................................................. 89
Waitlist Update Categories To Consider .................................................................................... 90
33. CRITIQUING YOUR REJECTED MBA APPLICATIONS ............................................................... 93
34. CRAFTING A REAPPLICATION STRATEGY ............................................................................... 96
35. NEGOTIATING SCHOLARSHIPS ............................................................................................. 99
How Scholarships Are Determined (Application Quality Majers) ............................................. 99
Six Steps And Considerations When Negotiating MBA Scholarships .......................................... 99
36. EIGHT TIPS TO GET INTO HARVARD AND STANFORD ........................................................... 102
37. IS AN MBA WORTH IT? ......................................................... 104
The Cost of an MBA ................................................................... 104
Post-MBA Compensation: the MBA Employment Report ......................................................... 104
The Long-Term Value of an MBA ............................................................................................. 105
39. MBA EXPERT SHOWCASE -
ADMISSIONADO ....................................................................... 108
40. MBA EXPERT SHOWCASE -
APPLICANT LAB ........................................................................ 109
41. MBA EXPERT SHOWCASE -
ARINGO .................................................................................... 111
42. MBA EXPERT SHOWCASE -
AVANTI PREP ............................................................................ 112
43. MBA EXPERT SHOWCASE -
EXPERTS GLOBAL ...................................................................... 113
44. MBA EXPERT SHOWCASE -
GURUFI ..................................................................................... 114
45. MBA EXPERT SHOWCASE -
IVY GROUPE ............................................................................. 115
46. MBA EXPERT SHOWCASE -
VANTAGE POINT MBA .............................................................. 116
47. MBA EXPERT SHOWCASE -
MBAMISSION .......................................................................... 117
48. MBA EXPERT SHOWCASE –
PERSONAL MBA COACH ........................................................... 118
49. MBA EXPERT SHOWCASE - MER (MY ESSAY REVIEW) ........................................................ 119
50. MBA EXPERT SHOWCASE -
SIA ADMISSIONS ..................................................................... 120
51. MBA EXPERT SHOWCASE -
STACY BLACKMAN CONSULTING .............................................. 121
52. MBA EXPERT SHOWCASE -
STRATUS ADMISSIONS COUNSELLING ..................................... 122