Stacy Blackman Consulting Blog : Ask Admissions Consultants

StacyBlackman · 2013-12-11T12:44:33-08:00

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Stanford GSB 2015-2016 Deadlines, Essay Questions [#permalink]

08 May 2015, 12:00

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FROM Stacy Blackman Consulting Blog: Stanford GSB 2015-2016 Deadlines, Essay Questions

The Stanford Graduate School of Business has announced the application deadlines and essay questions for the MBA Class of 2018.

Round One Deadline
Application Due: September 22, 2015

Decision: December 9, 2015

Round Two Deadline
Application Due: January 12, 2016

Decision: March 30, 2016

Round Three Deadline
Application Due: April 5, 2016

Decision: May 11, 2016

Essay Questions
Essay A: What matters most to you, and why?
For this essay, we would like you to:

Focus on the “why” rather than the “what.”
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.

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.

Length
Your answers for both essay questions combined may not exceed 1,150 words. Stanford GSB suggests 750 words for Essay A, and 400 words for Essay B.

All materials, including letters of recommendation, are due by 5 p.m. Pacific Time on the day of the deadline. For more information, please visit the Stanford GSB MBA admissions website.

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What to Do Between Now and Round 1 Deadlines [#permalink]

11 May 2015, 06:01

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FROM Stacy Blackman Consulting Blog: What to Do Between Now and Round 1 Deadlines

If you plan to apply to MBA programs this fall, you have a little more than four months until the first Round 1 deadlines hit. What’s one of the most important things you can do between now and then? Get a few more leadership experiences under your belt.

At work, seek out opportunities to manage projects or teams. When you have an idea for how to improve or streamline a process in your office or for a client, take the initiative to work on it in your spare time. If your manager is supportive of your plans to go back to school, ask what other responsibilities you could take on. All of these steps will likely result in additional accomplishments you can add to your resume, write essays about, or discuss in an interview.

Four months is also more than enough time to get involved—or get more involved—in a cause that’s close to your heart. Taking an active role in a community organization or nonprofit is an excellent way to differentiate yourself from the competition. If you’ve volunteered for a certain group before, see what else you can help them with that’s more high profile, or ask if there are any open leadership roles that would be a good fit.

While there are some aspects of your candidacy that are already set in stone—where you earned your undergraduate degree, your GPA, your career choices up until now—there are other things that can certainly be improved over the next few months.

Think of it this way:

***

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Fit the GMAT Into Overall MBA Application Strategy [#permalink]

12 May 2015, 06:00

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FROM Stacy Blackman Consulting Blog: Fit the GMAT Into Overall MBA Application Strategy

This post originally appeared on Stacy’s “Strictly Business” MBA Blog on U.S.News.com
Just about every MBA candidate needs to submit a GMAT or GRE score as part of their business school admission package, but not everyone has a clear grasp on when and how the exam fits within the context of the whole application process.

In an ideal world, you would take the test just coming out of college, while you’re still in study and test mode as a recent student. Since both GMAT and GRE scores are valid for five years, getting the exams out of the way years in advance would free you to focus on all of the other elements of the application.

If, like most applicants, you didn’t have the foresight to take the exam right after college, the next best step is to plan your application strategy so that the GMAT is finished before you finalize your list of schools. Your score isn’t everything, but it is an important part of the admissions equation.

If you bomb the exam and can’t improve your score, you may need to reassess your target schools to include less-competitive options. Conversely, you may be able to add one more reach school if the score was higher than expected.

Round one of business school admissions is about four months away at many schools, and if you still need to take the GMAT, you have a lot of work ahead of you. Unless you’re a natural at taking standardized tests, you’ll need to train your brain to get it back into test-taking form.

Most applicants devote at least 100 hours to test preparation, and depending on where you are in the process, you may have to take a prep class and perhaps take the test more than once. If this is the case, the first round may not be a realistic option unless you’re able and prepared to completely immerse yourself in the process.

One client, Tasha, came to us just five weeks before the round she was targeting with some idea of her school choices and a GMAT score she wanted to improve. With her limited time she needed to schedule the GMAT for two weeks before her application deadlines. That meant she did not have the luxury of focused studying for the GMAT in all of her free time.

To help Tasha manage her time, we wrote down all of her tasks, including the number of essay iterations we expected her to go through, and then we worked backward from her deadlines to see how many days she had to work. Tasha then started alternating essay writing and GMAT study until the day she took the test.

This abbreviated yet methodical time management system worked for her, and Tasha was able to improve her GMAT by 30 points and submit a strong application to her three target schools. She ultimately gained admission to Stanford Graduate School of Business and Cornell’s Johnson Graduate School of Management.

Tasha’s strategy won’t work for everybody, but we see applicants pull off the impossible every season.

I typically advise clients to plan for two attempts at the GMAT, leaving a buffer for a retake if needed. There’s no harm in taking the test two or even three times, and unless you score really well right out of the gate, you often will do better the second time. This is because you’ll have fewer nerves, more familiarity with the process and no big surprises. There is no such thing as a bad test, just opportunities to build on and learn from.

Average scores are creeping higher every year at the top MBA programs, making it hard to offset a bad GMAT score. It truly is a level playing field, and I often cringe when I read essays where people try to rationalize a low score.

What you can do, however, is acknowledge the score and say you don’t find it truly reflective of your abilities. Then show why you are actually strong in quant or going to excel academically by pointing to your college GPA, work experience or by encouraging your recommenders to focus heavily on your intellect.

Timing and planning are key to reducing the stress of the application process. I generally encourage applicants to not cram everything into too short of a timeline, but everyone has their own style and you need to figure out what makes the most sense for you, your goals and your schedule.

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Tuesday Tips: 2015 MIT Sloan MBA Essay Tips [#permalink]

12 May 2015, 06:00

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FROM Stacy Blackman Consulting Blog: Tuesday Tips: 2015 MIT Sloan MBA Essay Tips

MIT Sloan has just announced the essay questions and deadlines for the class of 2018. This year there is only one required question, a second required short-answer for those invited to interview, and an optional open-ended essay.

For many years MIT asked a series of behavioral questions for the admissions essays because past performance was considered to be the best predictor of candidates’ future success. This year the one required essay is a behavioral question again. As you approach topics for the required question consider if you will also answer the optional question. MIT Sloan is looking for people with integrity, passion, creativity, intellectual abilities and drive and determination. Do you have a recent success that will demonstrate some or most of those traits? The success can be professional or outside of work, though should have some relationship to your professional aspirations if possible. If the situation is not one that demonstrates many of the traits MIT Sloan is seeking in candidates, you may also decide to include the optional essay in your application.

We have one required essay at the time of submission: Tell us about a recent success you had: How did you accomplish this? Who else was involved? What hurdles did you encounter? What type of impact did this have? (500 words or fewer).

This essay question is set up to be a behavioral essay question, one that seeks to understand how you think and act in various situations. We often recommend using a framework called STAR to approach questions like this and make sure you are covering all of the required components. STAR stands for: Situation, Task, Action, and Results.

The SITUATION sets the stage and introduces the challenge you faced. It can be a simple sentence like: “My company’s key product was aging and we needed to find an area of growth to maintain revenues.”

Your TASK is a bit more detailed and identifies what solution you decided to implement to address the situation. For example: “I proposed setting up an innovation tournament for our global strategy team to come up with ideas.”

The meat of the essay is the ACTION. Describe in detail what you did to implement the task. Talk about the stakeholders you had to convince, any hurdles to setting up the tournament, how you encouraged buy in among all employees and any other action you personally took to accomplish your goal.

RESULTS can be relatively brief, and ideally quantitative. For example: “the tournament revealed 10 viable new product ideas, 3 of which are currently in development.”

The ACTION part of the essay should be the majority of the response, but setting up the situation clearly and demonstrating results is important and effective to a strong response. As MIT typically asked in the past, make sure to describe: “what you thought, felt, said, and did.” The admissions committee wants to see you developing creative solutions, leading others, and overcoming challenges to “visualize you in action.”

A second short-answer question will be asked of those invited to interview: The mission of the MIT Sloan School of Management is to develop principled, innovative leaders who improve the world and to generate ideas that advance management practice. Please share with us something about your past that aligns with this mission. (250 words or fewer).

This question focuses on your intellectual skills, leadership and character. When you consider topics for this question the most important aspect will be to demonstrate character. Improving the world doesn’t have to be working for an NGO in a developing country, it could also be improving your company to have more benefit to customers or employees.

For example, perhaps you were part of an employee resource group that helped new employees with their careers, increased diversity, or served the community through volunteering. MIT Sloan also wants to see creative solutions to business problems, so make sure to explain your thinking during the experience you describe.

The Admissions Committee invites you to share anything else you would like us to know about you, in any format. If you choose to use a multimedia format, please host the information on a website and provide us the URL. More information on the MIT Sloan website.

MIT Sloan’s entirely open-ended optional essay invites applicants to respond to the essay in any format desired. This allows you to do anything you need to with this space, including clarifying any concerns or highlighting interesting aspects of your background or profile. Because there is only one required written essay this year it may be useful to use this opportunity to show the admissions committee a different angle on your candidacy. The format can be a creative way for you to showcase any technical or design skills you have, but the content should be primary.

Because this essay is highly dependent on who you are and what you wrote in the required essay, consider carefully your overall strategy and refer to the list of traits MIT Sloan is looking for in admitted students. If you have an unusual background, hobby or extracurricular experience, this may be an opportunity to provide that information to the admissions committee.

With similar questions asked by other MBA programs in the past Stacy Blackman Consulting has advised candidates on everything from photo journalism projects to customized multimedia presentations. We treat the application as a holistic process and would advise you on which aspects of your background to consider revealing in this optional essay.

Stumped by your MIT Sloan MBA application? Contact Stacy Blackman Consulting to learn how we can help.

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Tuesday Tips: 2015 Stanford MBA Essay Tips [#permalink]

12 May 2015, 18:01

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FROM Stacy Blackman Consulting Blog: Tuesday Tips: 2015 Stanford MBA Essay Tips

Stanford Graduate School of Business continues to ask applicants to delve deep into their personality, values and motivations for this set of MBA essays. The classic “what matters most” essay should be your primary focus, and secondly you will answer why Stanford is the next step in your journey.

Total word count for the essays must not exceed 1,150 words, so be judicious in deciding how much or little to write for each prompt. As a general guideline, Stanford GSB suggests 750 words for essay one and 400 words for essay two. Check your deadlines before you get started to make sure you are maximizing the time on your essays.

Essay A: What matters most to you, and why? (suggested 750 word limit)

– Focus on the “why” rather than the “what.”

– 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.

This classic Stanford GSB MBA essay is your opportunity to demonstrate who you are, what motivates you, and why. Topics can range from personal history to grand visions of the future. While this topic should not be explicitly career related (and the strongest essays are likely not career oriented at all) it is possible that some of your themes will continue in your career essay.

Your accomplishments and achievements are part of why you have developed into the person you are today, however it’s far more important to explain your influences, lessons learned and motivations. Introspection and honesty should persist through the entire set of essays.

To generate ideas, try brainstorming over a period of a few days. Ask friends and family what values they see you demonstrating in your life and choices. Keep a notebook by your bed so you can record your first thoughts upon waking up, and mine your personal history for ideas. What keeps you awake at night? When you look back at your life what will you admire and regret about your choices? These are the kind of questions to ask yourself as you approach topics for this essay.

Though the essay question may seem open-ended, answering the question with vivid and specific examples will provide solid evidence that you have demonstrated or experienced “what matters most” throughout your life. Keep in mind as you select examples that Stanford GSB specifically advises focusing on people and experiences that have influenced you, rather than accomplishments or achievements.

Essay B: Why Stanford?

Enlighten us on how earning your MBA at Stanford will enable you to realize your ambitions. (suggested 400 word limit)

– Explain your decision to pursue graduate education in management.

– Explain the distinctive opportunities you will pursue at Stanford.

After you have explained what is most important to you in life you need to explain why your next step is a Stanford MBA. The sub questions for this essay cover both why you are interested in pursuing an MBA at all, and why you specifically want to attend Stanford GSB. Stanford GSB wants to know your aspirations will be uniquely satisfied by the program at Stanford GSB, and research will help you determine what aspects of the academic program, community and students are crucial to your aspirations.

Be as specific as possible in your response to provide evidence that you have done your research. You should know everything about the aspects of the program that most appeal to you. Have you met current students and alumni? Who are the professors you are excited about? What are the unique programs?

When you discuss how Stanford will help you achieve your ambitions consider that Stanford likes to see applicants who dream big, and have the credibility to achieve their goals. Be bold with your aspirations. Don’t focus on what your parents or partner want you to do. Don’t think about the next job on the corporate ladder. What do you, with your own unique background and values, want for your life?

If the question seems too vast, take a few minutes to close your eyes and reflect. Envision your life in twenty years. Where do you live? How do you spend your days? What is your favorite activity? How does this vision fit into your career aspirations? Don’t be shy about your ambitions. Once you have identified your dream career, you also need to make sure an MBA is an important part of achieving your plans and explain that part in your essay.

Though you should think big, don’t make the mistake of acting as if you are already perfect with no development needed. Remember that MBA programs want to help promising candidates reach their goals and be a step on an ambitious career trajectory.

Finding the Stanford essays challenging? Contact Stacy Blackman Consulting for personalized guidance through the application process.

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$10M Gift Honors Tuck School Dean Paul Danos [#permalink]

13 May 2015, 06:01

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FROM Stacy Blackman Consulting Blog: $10M Gift Honors Tuck School Dean Paul Danos

When Paul Danos announced in March 2014 that he would step down from his position as dean at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business after 19 years, the news was met with considerable emotion. After all, his deanship has been the longest in the school’s history, and is one of the longest in management education. By the end of his fifth term, nearly half of Tuck’s 10,000-plus living alumni will have graduated under his deanship.

This week, the school announced it has received a $10 million endowment from more than 50 alumni and friends of Tuck to name the business school’s deanship in honor of Paul Danos. The endowment, announced May 8th at an event in Danos’ honor, will support future deans in perpetuity, thereby freeing up funds for other priorities at the school, a news release confirms.

In addition to the endowment gifts, another 100 alumni and faculty have recognized Danos by establishing a fund to provide Tuck with resources for curricular innovation and faculty excellence. This innovation fund will support the type of leading-edge initiatives that have been a hallmark of Danos’ tenure.

“Paul has really transformed Tuck,” says David Southwell, Tuck ’88, a member of the Tuck Board of Overseers. “He’s changed the curriculum, built new buildings, and raised a huge amount of money. What’s unique is that he’s been able to expand the school while keeping the culture the way it is. One of the things that we Tuckies love about the school is its intimate feel. Paul has kept that while offering a world-class set of programs.”

Danos will step down at the end of June, but the school says he won’t be leaving Tuck or Dartmouth. The retired dean will advise President Phil Hanlon on several projects and teach a course at the business school.

You may also be interested in:
Dartmouth Tuck School Names New Dean

Tuck School Creates New Global Insight Requirement

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Michigan Ross Winds Down 2014-2015 Application Season [#permalink]

14 May 2015, 06:01

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FROM Stacy Blackman Consulting Blog: Michigan Ross Winds Down 2014-2015 Application Season

The Michigan Ross School of Business plans to make its admit calls to successful Round 3 candidates today, but MBA Admissions Director Soojin Kwon says that the admissions committee’s work to shape the Class of 2017 is far from over.

In fact, Kwon explains in a recent blog post that at this point in the game, the team reviews the waitlist daily, and will make offers on a rolling basis as they determine how many spots are available and what backgrounds and goals Ross wants to add to the class.

Although there are always those very last-minute admit offers made in August, Kwon predicts the class will largely come together by early June. Also, Michigan Ross will host an admitted student weekend in June for those Round 3 and waitlisted admits.

As the admissions committee prepares to gear up for the next application cycle, the director says that they are currently finalizing the Fall 2016 application, essay, recommender and interview questions and aims to post them next week, so stay tuned for that information.

For more on what is keeping the Michigan Ross admissions team busy in the coming weeks, read Kwon’s blog post, We’re Not “Done” Yet.

You may also be interested in:
The Michigan Ross Admissions “Formula”

Michigan Ross Director on Interviewing, Team Exercise

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UCLA Anderson Receives $100M Gift from Namesake’s Widow [#permalink]

14 May 2015, 13:00

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FROM Stacy Blackman Consulting Blog: UCLA Anderson Receives $100M Gift from Namesake’s Widow

The UCLA Anderson School of Management has announced the largest gift in its history: $100 million from longtime supporter Marion Anderson to position the school for continued excellence and honor the legacy of her late husband John, for whom the school is named.

Anderson says her gift is motivated by her appreciation of the role and impact of UCLA Anderson as a global innovator in management education, and that it is a tribute to her husband’s passion for education and community priorities.

Sixty million dollars will be used to establish an endowment to support priorities such as student financial aid and fellowships, faculty and research funding, and program innovations to prepare future graduates for leadership positions in the 21st century global economy.

Forty million dollars will provide seed funding for a new building that will advance students’ learning and development experiences by adding technology-enhanced classrooms and spaces that connect students with faculty and alumni. The new building also will house research centers and faculty.

The school was named the John E. Anderson Graduate School of Management in 1987 in recognition of the first gift from John and Marion Anderson. John Anderson earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration at UCLA in 1940 and later founded Topa Equities, which owns and operates numerous businesses involved in agriculture, insurance, real estate, beverage distribution and automotive dealerships. He died in 2011 at the age of 93.

Marion Anderson is chair of Topa Equities. A Los Angeles resident, she also is a member of the UCLA Anderson Board of Visitors executive committee and the Centennial Campaign for UCLA executive committee. She also is a member of the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles board of trustees. An endowed professorship and a courtyard at UCLA Anderson are named in her honor. With the most recent gift, the couple has donated $142 million to UCLA Anderson.

The $100 million donation formally launches Into the Next: The Campaign for UCLA Anderson, which is part of the Centennial Campaign for UCLA, a $4.2 billion fundraising drive scheduled to conclude in 2019, the university’s 100th anniversary. UCLA Anderson has already received gifts or pledges of more than $183 million toward its revised goal of $300 million for Into the Next.

Judy Olian, dean of UCLA Anderson, says she feels humbled by the generous gift. “From student fellowships to faculty recruitment and retention, to innovative research programs and the state-of-the-art facilities that will house them, Marion Anderson has enabled our future and empowered us with her confidence in the path we are taking.”

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HBS Introduces New Class of 2018 MBA Essay Question [#permalink]

15 May 2015, 10:00

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FROM Stacy Blackman Consulting Blog: HBS Introduces New Class of 2018 MBA Essay Question

Harvard Business School has decided to switch things up this season and will forgo the optional essay prompt of the previous two years. According to the admissions website, there is one question for the Class of 2018:

It’s the first day of class at HBS. You are in Aldrich Hall meeting your “section.” This is the group of 90 classmates who will become your close companions in the first-year MBA classroom. Our signature case method participant-based learning model ensures that you will get to know each other very well. The bonds you collectively create throughout this shared experience will be lasting.

Introduce yourself.

Note: Should you enroll at HBS, there will be an opportunity for you to share this with them.

Harvard Business School admissions suggests you watch this video about the Case Method before beginning to write. Note that there is no word limit for this question, but as always, the team stresses that the goal is not to overthink, overcraft, and overwrite. Just answer the question in clear language that anyone outside of your industry would understand.

You may also be interested in:
Harvard Business School 2015-2016 Application Deadlines

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Harvard Business School 2015-2016 Application Deadlines [#permalink]

15 May 2015, 10:00

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FROM Stacy Blackman Consulting Blog: Harvard Business School 2015-2016 Application Deadlines

Harvard Business School has announced the following deadlines for the MBA Class of 2018.

Round 1
Application Due: September 9, 2015

Notification: December 2015 (date TBA)

Round 2
Application Due: January 6, 2016

Notification: March 2016 (date TBA)

Round 3
Application Due: April 4, 2016

Notification: May 2016 (date TBA)

***

Application materials are at 12 noon EST on submission deadline dates. To avoid overwhelming server traffic generated by the high volume of applications, candidates are encouraged to submit their application as early as possible prior to the deadline of each round. HBS encourages applicants to apply in the first or second round, as space in the class may be limited by the third round.

You may also be interested in:
HBS Introduces New Class of 2018 MBA Essay Question

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Yale SOM 2015-2016 MBA Application Deadlines [#permalink]

18 May 2015, 11:00

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FROM Stacy Blackman Consulting Blog: Yale SOM 2015-2016 MBA Application Deadlines

While the online application won’t go live until early July, Yale School of Management‘s Director of Admissions Bruce DelMonico has previewed the upcoming application deadlines for the MBA Class of 2018.

Round 1
Application Deadline: September 16, 2015

Decision Release: December 7, 2015

Enrollment Deadline: February 12, 2016

Round 2
Application Deadline: January 7, 2016

Decision Release: March 25, 2016

Enrollment Deadline: May 6, 2016

Round 3
Application Deadline: April 21, 2016

Decision Release: May 20, 2016

Enrollment Deadline: May 31, 2016

DelMonico also notes the SOM will again have a single essay prompt this season, which the school will share in early June to allow Round 1 candidates to get a head start on their applications.

For more information, visit the Yale SOM admissions website.

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Tuesday Tips: 2015 Harvard Business School MBA Application Essay Tips [#permalink]

19 May 2015, 07:01

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FROM Stacy Blackman Consulting Blog: Tuesday Tips: 2015 Harvard Business School MBA Application Essay Tips

This year Harvard Business School has decided to continue with one open-ended essay. The question has changed slightly and focused emphasis on the case method and your interaction with classmates. The HBS admissions director blog notes that the “optional” element was dropped because: “this season, every applicant submitted a response. We get it. You want to tell us things.”

The most challenging part of this essay is remaining disciplined. With unlimited space to make your case, you may be tempted to compose a laundry list of everything interesting or impressive you have ever done. That urge could backfire, as the essay is used to determine who isn’t a fit for HBS as much as those who deserve the chance to move into the interview round. Maturity, accomplishment, and leadership are highly valued qualities and this essay is your chance to display those qualities through the stories you choose and the voice coming through your writing.

There is one question for the Class of 2018 application essay:

It’s the first day of class at HBS. You are in Aldrich Hall meeting your “section.” This is the group of 90 classmates who will become your close companions in the first-year MBA classroom. Our signature case method participant-based learning model ensures that you will get to know each other very well. The bonds you collectively create throughout this shared experience will be lasting.

Introduce yourself.

Note: Should you enroll at HBS, there will be an opportunity for you to share this with them.

A note on word count: HBS values brevity in essays. Do not be tempted to go overboard with a 2,000 word essay, rather focus on concise and clear writing and consider keeping this essay to 1,200 words or less. Our clients have successfully composed essays anywhere from 500-1,300 words, though you should take a pass through your essay to cut any unnecessary words if you find yourself on the upper end of that range.

The goal of this essay is to know yourself, know HBS, and know how to match the two to demonstrate your fit for the school as you introduce yourself to your classmates. Your first task should be to evaluate all of the other aspects of your candidacy – what is the story your resume tells? What do you think recommenders will say? How does your transcript communicate your skills, accomplishments and interests? Then you need to evaluate how to fill the gaps with the essay.

When you view the recommended video on the case method you can see that diverse perspectives are valuable to the case method experience. Think about what diverse experience you bring. We have found that both personal and career oriented topics can work, and most candidates tell more than one story in the essay. Consider that from your classmates’ perspective the most interesting information will be both personal and professional. You will be studying together and socializing together. Later, you will be professional contacts in your classmates’ career network. In the past we have observed that successful HBS essays also demonstrate of a core driving passion.

As you consider possible stories to tell in this essay keep in mind that HBS has always been highly focused on leadership and wants to accept candidates who have a track record of leadership impact and a success trajectory that indicates upper management potential. Accomplishments have traditionally been a strong focus of HBS essays, and using at least one accomplishment story in this essay may be a good strategy, particularly if your accomplishments are not obvious when reading your resume or transcripts.

A note on what not to do: We see many applicants tempted to include “why HBS” type information in HBS essays. Explaining why the case method specifically is a good fit for you and your learning style is absolutely appropriate, but more detailed “why HBS” content has never been asked for in an HBS application essay question. HBS admissions is quite clear on the value of an HBS degree, and they would rather see you use the space to provide more information about yourself and your candidacy.

Looking for guidance on your HBS application? Contact us to learn more about Stacy Blackman Consulting.

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HBS Admissions to Launch New ‘MBA Voices’ Blog [#permalink]

19 May 2015, 11:00

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FROM Stacy Blackman Consulting Blog: HBS Admissions to Launch New ‘MBA Voices’ Blog

HBS Admissions Director, Dee Leopold

Dee Leopold, director of MBA admissions at Harvard Business School, made a couple of interesting announcements on her blog last week. For one, the space has been renamed “Direct from the Director,” and will continue to focus solely on updates and information related to the MBA admissions process in an attempt to make the experience as transparent as possible.

The director also revealed that the team at Dillon House will debut a brand-new blog later this month called “MBA Voices,” which will have the following purpose:

“We want to tell you compelling stories from around HBS. We want you to get to know our students, alums and faculty. We want to help you get a better understanding of our clubs, initiatives and the student experience. We want you to gain insight into the career choices our students make and the myriad activities that make our campus come to life.”

MBA hopefuls will no doubt welcome having this insider view of the top-ranked business school, which may help the undecided take the plunge and apply. We’ll keep you updated here on the launch of this new online space, and make sure to bring to your attention all of the most relevant, interesting stories to come from Harvard Business School’s “MBA Voices” blog. Stay tuned!

You may also be interested in:
Tuesday Tips: 2015 Harvard Business School MBA Application Essay Tips

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2015 Survey Results of Prospective MBA Applicants [#permalink]

19 May 2015, 15:00

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FROM Stacy Blackman Consulting Blog: 2015 Survey Results of Prospective MBA Applicants

More than 34% of business school applicants believe that the admissions process is less rigorous for women, the annual survey by Stacy Blackman Consulting reveals. The poll also indicated that 63.46% feel that the lower number of women in business school is a significant issue.

“The issue of women in business school is in the spotlight, and the good news is that it may encourage more women to apply and more schools to improve the environment for women,” says Stacy Blackman, President of Stacy Blackman Consulting. “We have seen that women are very successful in the admissions process, as well as in business school and throughout recruiting.”

The survey also reported that 44.92% of respondents plan to apply to five or more business schools, with 17.1% planning to apply to six schools, and 23.34% planning to apply to five schools. Last year, only 22.86% planned to apply to five schools, and 10.57% to six schools.

In fact, reduced application requirements (fewer essays and shorter essays), prompted 60.49% to apply to more programs, according to the survey. However, with many b-school programs adding video as part of the application process, 29.3% of respondents cited limitations in revealing their true selves, ideas and goals via video essays or video interviews.

Other survey results include:

*Interest in consulting careers post business school continued with a slight increase from 37.72% last year to 39.21% this year, while job interest in finance decreased from 24.4% last year to 18.37% this year. Interest in Entrepreneurship was steady, capturing 24% of career plans this year and 24.72% last year.

*48.91% indicated reputation is the most important factor influencing the decision to attend a particular business school, followed by 17.44% for strength of job placement, and 12.67% for strength of alumni network. Last year, 50.87% cited reputation and 21.87% cited strength of job placement.

*Career advancement ranked as the top reason to attend business school at 44.95% (43.7% ranking it as most important last year), followed by career change at 34.02% (compared to 38.17% of respondents last year).

*Interest in the GRE grew from 7.65% last year to 10.91% this year, while 89.09% plan to take the GMAT this year, compared to 92.37% last year.

The survey was conducted between April 21, 2015 and May 6, 2015, with 739 respondents.

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Harvard Business School Launches Gender Initiative [#permalink]

20 May 2015, 06:01

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FROM Stacy Blackman Consulting Blog: Harvard Business School Launches Gender Initiative

In an effort to accelerate the progress of women leaders, Harvard Business School announced this week it will launch the Gender Initiative to to support research, teaching, and knowledge dissemination that promotes gender equity in business and society. Inspiration for the Gender Initiative emerged during the 2013 commemoration of the School’s 50th anniversary of admitting women to its two-year MBA program.

“So much of what people think they know about gender is simply not substantiated by empirical evidence but instead is based on gender stereotypes,” says Robin Ely, Harvard Business School’s Diane Doerge Wilson Professor of Business Administration and Senior Associate Dean for Culture and Community.

“We want to develop the Initiative so that Harvard Business School becomes the ‘go-to place’ on gender issues, where both researchers and practitioners can come together to find ways to advance gender equity in the workplace and help both women and men lead whole, fulfilled, and sustainable lives.”

The news comes just as we release the results of Stacy Blackman Consulting’s annual survey of prospective business school applicants, in which more than 34% of respondents believe that the admissions process is less rigorous for women. Our survey also revealed that 63.46% feel that the lower number of women in business school is a significant issue.

“We have seen that women are very successful in the admissions process, as well as in business school and throughout recruiting,” says Stacy Blackman, President of Stacy Blackman Consulting. “The issue of women in business school is in the spotlight, and the good news is that it may encourage more women to apply and more schools to improve the environment for women.”

You may also be interested in:
Targeted Tips for Women MBA Applicants

Gender Balance Scorecard at B-Schools Worldwide

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Michigan Ross Dean to Step Down in 2016 [#permalink]

20 May 2015, 19:00

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FROM Stacy Blackman Consulting Blog: Michigan Ross Dean to Step Down in 2016

Alison Davis-Blake has announced she will resign as dean of the University of Michigan Ross School of Business when her five-year term ends in June 2016, according to an e-mail sent to Ross School students and staff Monday.

Davis-Blake, who is one of only nine female deans heading a top-50 business school in the United States, says she is hoping to take up a broader university role, such as provost or president, to focus on the problems and opportunities facing universities.

The dean counts numerous successes during her tenure at Ross, including launching a successful capital campaign that has already raised more than $213 million; hiring 25 percent of all current tenure-track faculty; and tripling the number of undergraduate students who have a global experience as part of their education.

Before her deanship at the Ross School began in 2011, Davis-Blake had served as dean of the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota since 2006. Previously, she was a management professor and associate dean at the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas. Prior to that, she was a faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business.

“Beyond the business school realm, there are significant challenges that face all universities, in both professional and liberal education,” she tells Michigan news outlet MLive. “I find myself eager to contribute solutions to these larger challenges during what will surely be a time of significant change in higher education.”

With more than a year left in her term, Davis-Blake has allowed time for a smooth transition as university Provost Martha Pollack and President Mark Schlissel begin to recruit for her replacement.

You may also be interested in:
Female Leadership: Where it’s Strong, Where it Can Improve

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Michigan Ross 2015-2016 MBA Essay Questions [#permalink]

21 May 2015, 11:00

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FROM Stacy Blackman Consulting Blog: Michigan Ross 2015-2016 MBA Essay Questions

The University of Michigan Ross School of Business has posted the following MBA essay questions for the 2015-2016 application cycle. While the first essay also appeared last year, the second is a revamped essay prompt.

What are you most proud of and why? How does it shape who you are today? (up to 400 words)
What is your desired career path and why? (up to 400 words)

The Michigan Ross admissions blog states that:

The first question is intentionally broad. We want to give you the option to pick something from either your personal or professional life. The context (personal or professional) is less important than your reason for being proud of something. We want to understand what makes something important to you. It gives us a glimpse into how you think about and process things, and what your priorities and values are.

This is how we assess fit – through alignment of your values with the values of our community – not whether you pick a personal or professional example.

The main purpose of the career path question is so we can evaluate whether business school makes sense. A “good” answer isn’t about saying you want to go into a traditional business field. In fact, many of our students pursue a wide range of careers outside of traditional business fields (e.g., education, nonprofit, emerging markets). A good answer will describe your rationale for being interested in a particular path.

For both questions, there isn’t an answer that we “want to hear” other than a response that demonstrates that you’ve done some self-reflection and gives us a sense of you as a person.

A note about writing style: we like clear and succinct. “Up to 400 words” means it can be less than 400 words. It’s not a word count test, nor is it a creative writing test. Don’t write two paragraphs of introduction before stating what you’re most proud of. You can even start with, “I am most proud of….” Write as you would speak. To a real person. We, who read the essays, are real people.

For more information, please visit the Michigan Ross MBA admissions page.

You may also be interested in:
Michigan Ross 2015-2016 MBA Application Deadlines

Michigan Ross Dean to Step Down in 2016

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Michigan Ross 2015-2016 MBA Essay Questions [#permalink]

21 May 2015, 11:00

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