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29 Dec 2016, 13:01
| FROM mbaMission Blog: Diamonds in the Rough: An MBA for Working Professionals at Villanova School of Business |
MBA applicants can get carried away with rankings. In this series, we profile amazing programs at business schools that are typically ranked outside the top 15. In 2013, the Villanova School of Business (VSB) received a $50M gift from alumnus James C. Davis, founder of Allegis Group, and his wife, Kim. The donation—part of a $600M capital campaign—was the largest in the school’s history and was reportedly “earmarked to improve academic and career advising, increase internship and study abroad opportunities, perform technology upgrades, and provide scholarships,” according to Bloomberg Businessweek. VSB also planned to use a portion of the funds to “beef up its faculty roster to include more professors focused on teaching as opposed to research.” With a satellite campus in Center City, Philadelphia, VSB specializes in part-time programs for working professionals, allowing them to enjoy the benefits of a full-time curriculum without leaving their job. In this vein, the school offers an accelerated, two-year, part-time Fast Track degree option, which meets twice a week, as well as the more customizable Flex Track degree option, which typically takes three years to complete and accommodates varying course loads. One advantage of the accelerated option is the opportunity to partake in the school’s two-part consulting practicum project, which includes the “Social Enterprise Consulting Practicum” and the “Global Practicum” capstone courses—each lasting 14 weeks. In the former practicum, students work with local nonprofit organizations to identify strategies in such areas as branding, funding, and membership retention. Alternatively, the latter practicum entails working with a multinational corporation to gain firsthand experience analyzing market issues. VSB also hosts a variety of elective international immersion courses, through which students may travel abroad over winter break or during the summer semester. |
30 Dec 2016, 09:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: Friday Factoid: Think Kellogg, Think Entrepreneurship? |
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Let us play a quick game of word association—we will start. “Kellogg.” Ok, go ahead. “Entrepreneurship,” right? No? Aspiring MBAs may be surprised to learn that Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management offers nearly dozens of courses in this discipline and that its Entrepreneurship and Innovation major has been among its most popular areas of study—defying the stereotype that Kellogg produces only marketing MBAs. As part of Envision Kellogg, the school’s strategic plan, the MBA program introduced four new impact initiatives in 2012, one of which is the Kellogg Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative (KIEI). Overseen by the Larry and Carol Levy Institute for Entrepreneurial Practice, the KIEI offers numerous opportunities for students to develop their entrepreneurial acumen. The Levy Institute’s faculty currently features a total of 26 professors. In addition to business plan competitions, the Levy Institute manages the Kellogg Entrepreneurial Internship Program and the Entrepreneur-In-Residence program, an experiential learning option through which, for a day, an experienced entrepreneur hosts half-hour sessions with students who aspire to careers in this field or are seeking advice on their already active projects. The school’s Heizer Center for Private Equity and Venture Capital offers the Private Equity Internship Program, wherein rising second-year students intern with small businesses or private equity firms—receiving a stipend—to facilitate career transitions that would otherwise be challenging for those without experience. In addition, the Kellogg Entrepreneurship Internship Program offers a stipend to first-year students for a ten-week summer internship with a host company. MBA student entrepreneurs coming from or planning to enter a family business will likely be interested to learn that Kellogg’s Center for Family Enterprises not only publishes research and cases on such businesses, but also confidentially consults with family-run companies. Indeed, this is all just the tip of the iceberg… Go beyond the stereotypes. For in-depth information on Kellogg and other leading business school programs, check out the mbaMission Insider’s Guides. |
31 Dec 2016, 09:01
| FROM mbaMission Blog: MBA Admissions Myths Destroyed: I Love You So Much (That I Cannot Stop Writing About It)! |
 Although admissions officers want to know that you are interested in their school, they do not want to read your repeated professions of love for it. Some candidates mistakenly believe they must include in each essay numerous enthusiastic statements about how they will improve their skills at their target school, regardless of whether the school asks for such information. For instance, consider this entirely fictitious example of an individual who responds to the essay question “What achievement are you most proud of and why?” by writing the following: “In starting ABC Distributors, I learned a great deal about entrepreneurship, and I hope to formalize this knowledge at the XYZ School of Management. Only with XYZ’s vast entrepreneurial resources and profound alumni connections will I be able to take my next venture to a higher level. At XYZ, I will grow my business skills and potential.” We can identify numerous problems with this submission—including that the statements are cloying and have no real substance. However, the most egregious issue is that the school never asked the applicant to discuss how the program would affect his/her abilities. Thus, the “Why our school?” component is just empty pandering. As you write your essays, always focus on answering the essay questions as they are written—do not try to anticipate or respond to unasked questions. So, if your target school does not explicitly request that you address the question “Why our school?,” do not look for ways to sneakily answer that question in your essay(s). Of course, if the school does ask for this information, then certainly do your homework and provide it. Again, the key is to always respond to the school’s question and give the admissions committee the information it wants. |
01 Jan 2017, 10:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: GMAT Impact: The Master Resource List for Reading Comprehension (Part 3 of 4) |
With regard to the GMAT, raw intellectual horsepower helps, but it is not everything. In this blog series, Manhattan Prep’s Stacey Koprince teaches you how to perform at your best on test day by using some common sense. Part 1 of this series covered how to read Reading Comprehension (RC), and Part 2 introduced the first two major question types: Main Idea and Specific Detail. Start with those posts and then continue with this post. Inference In this section, we are going to talk about two big things: how to handle inference questions and how to analyze RC problems in general (you can then use these techniques on any question type). Inference questions ask about specific details in the passage, but they add a twist: we have to deduce something that must be true, given certain facts from the passage. For example, if I tell you that my favorite type of book to read is biography, what could you deduce? Watch out for the trap: do not use your “real world” conclusion-drawing skills. In the real world, you might conclude that I like reading books in general or perhaps that I am interested in history or maybe that I am a nerd. (Really? Biographies are my favorite?) These things do not have to be true, though. What has to be true? I do not like fiction as much as I like biographies. I have read at least one book in a nonbiography category (otherwise, I would not be able to tell that I prefer biographies, which implies a comparison). What is the difference? GMAT deductions are usually things that would cause us to say “Duh!” in the real world. “My favorite category of book is biography.” “Oh, so you must not like fiction as much as you like biographies.” “Uh… well, yeah, that’s what ‘favorite’ means. I don’t like anything else better.” A GMAT deduction should feel like a “duh” deduction—something totally boring that must be true, given the information in the passage. Here, try out an Inference question. That article also explains how to analyze your work and the problem itself. Did you miss something in the passage? Why? How can you pick it up next time? Did you fall for a trap answer? Which one? How did they set the trap, and how can you avoid it next time? And so on. Why Questions Specific questions can come in one other (not as common) flavor: the Why question. These are sort of a cross between Specific Detail and Inference questions: you need to review some specific information in the passage, but the answer to the question is not literally right in the passage. You have to figure out the most reasonable explanation for why the author chose to include a particular piece of information. Test out this Why question to see what I mean. Timing As I mentioned earlier, we really do not have much time to read RC passages. Aim for approximately two to two and a half minutes on shorter passages and closer to three minutes for longer ones. Of course, you cannot possibly read everything closely and carefully in such a short time frame—but that is not your goal! Our goal is to get the big picture on that first read-through. Aim to answer main idea questions in roughly one minute. You can spend up to two minutes on the more specific questions. In particular, if you run across an Except question, expect to spend pretty close to two minutes; Except questions nearly always take a while. As always, be aware of your overall time. If you find that you are running behind, skip one question entirely; do not try to save 30 seconds each on a bunch of questions. Also, if RC is your weakest verbal area, and you also struggle with speed, consider guessing immediately on one question per passage and spreading your time over the remaining questions. Great, I Have Mastered RC! Let us test that theory, shall we? Your next step is to implement all these techniques on your next practice test while also managing your timing well. Good luck! |
02 Jan 2017, 10:01
| FROM mbaMission Blog: Monday Morning Essay Tip: Lead with Your Goals |
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When business school candidates read an essay prompt, they often interpret it quite literally. For example, when a school asks applicants a multi-part question such as “What will you contribute to our school’s community, and how will being part of it help you extend your professional vision?,” many applicants assume they must answer the subquestions in the exact order they were asked. However, this is not true. Such questions are, in fact, quite flexible, and sometimes you can better engage your reader by pursuing your own structure. We have found that for overrepresented candidates who have unique professional goals, one strategy that can be quite helpful is leading with goals instead of professional history. After all, “typical” experience is not as captivating as unusual (but realistic!) ambitions. So, the technologist who plans to open a boutique hotel or the investment banker who aspires to start a competitive windsurfing circuit can use these bold goals to stand out from the start. We must emphasize, though, that such candidates need to have and portray a compelling connection to their goals, and we do not suggest that overrepresented candidates strive to imagine or create “wild” goals just to catch the admissions committee’s attention. However, if you have a profound connection to an unusual goal, then responding to a school’s questions in a different order and ensuring that your goals are out front could make a difference. |
03 Jan 2017, 09:01
| FROM mbaMission Blog: Mission Admission: I Did Well on the GMAT, but My AWA Score Is Low! |
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Mission Admission is a series of MBA admission tips; a new one is posted each Tuesday. You completed a GMAT prep course, studied hard, and finally “nailed” the exam. However, you later learn that your score on the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA), the essay portion of the GMAT, is low. Should you panic? In short, the answer is no. Although we have always encouraged business school candidates to do the best they can on the AWA, the truth is that we have never been told by an admissions officer—nor, as far as we know, has a candidate ever been told in a feedback session—that the AWA score is a factor in a school’s decisions. Generally, the AWA is not used to evaluate candidates but to detect fraud. If, hypothetically, you had tremendous difficulty expressing yourself via the AWA essays but wrote like a Pulitzer Prize winner in your application essays, the school would get suspicious and begin to compare the two. Not to worry—the schools are not punitive and are not acting as fraud squads. Your AWA essays are expected to be unpolished, so no one will seek out your file if you did your best in both areas. However, if an enormous discrepancy arises between the two, the AWA serves a purpose. So, if you did well on the GMAT and have a low AWA score, that is unfortunate, but it will not be the difference in a school’s decision about your candidacy. Rest easy—as long as you truly did write both! |
03 Jan 2017, 13:01
| FROM mbaMission Blog: B-School Chart of the Week: The Class of 2015 Employment Placement by Job Function |
Last week, we examined the employment placement trends for the Class of 2015. As we await the statistics for this year’s graduating class, a closer look at the job function choices of the previous class is in order. Consulting and finance topped the function statistics as well as the industry choices, as 31.0% of graduates accepted positions in consulting, and 27.6% did so in finance. Marketing was a popular choice as well, though notably less so—14.5% of the Class of 2015 took jobs with a marketing function. General management, business development and strategy, and operations attracted 9.8%, 8.1%, and 5.9% of graduates, respectively. |
04 Jan 2017, 10:01
| FROM mbaMission Blog: Professor Profiles: James VanHorne, Stanford Graduate School of Business |
 Many MBA applicants feel that they are purchasing a brand when they choose a business school. However, the educational experience you will have is what is crucial to your future, and no one will affect your education more than your professors. Each Wednesday, we profile a standout professor as identified by students. Today, we focus on James VanHorne from the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB). In an interview with mbaMission, a Stanford GSB alumnus described James VanHorne as an “old school professor,” because he addresses students formally, calling them “Mr./Ms./Mrs.” He is notorious for cold-calling students, and once he has selected a student to cold-call, he often focuses on that same student for the duration of the class. As a result, students tend to prepare for his class with vigor. The alumnus added, “He pushes and pushes to make you justify every excruciating detail of your decisions, and will force you to make a definite decision before continuing with the discussion.” VanHorne is professor emeritus at the GSB and is a recipient of the school’s MBA Distinguished Teaching Award (1982, 1997) and Sloan Teaching Excellence Award (1997). During the spring semester of 2015, he returned to the GSB to teach the core course “Corporate Finance”—a full 50 years after he first taught finance at the school. For more information about the Stanford Graduate School of Business and 15 other top-ranked business schools, check out the mbaMission Insider’s Guides. |
05 Jan 2017, 10:01
| FROM mbaMission Blog: Beyond the MBA Classroom: From Philly to Florida for Wharton’s Beach Week |
When you select an MBA program, you are not just choosing your learning environment but are also committing to becoming part of a community. Each Thursday, we offer a window into life “beyond the MBA classroom” at a top business school. Each spring, between finals and graduation, second-year students at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania prepare to reenter the “real” world by retreating to South Beach in Miami, Florida, where they partake in almost a week’s worth of partying, relaxing, and beach-going. The week’s events are organized, but not funded, by the Wharton Graduate Association (student association). In recent years, more than 400 students have taken part in Beach Week. Activities offered during the 2016 Beach Week included multiple pool parties, a daytime boat cruise, and an evening beach party. For in-depth descriptions of social and community activities at Wharton and 15 other top MBA programs, check out the mbaMission Insider’s Guides. |
05 Jan 2017, 13:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: Diamonds in the Rough: Krannert for STEM Professionals |
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MBA applicants can get carried away with rankings. In this series, we profile amazing programs at business schools that are typically ranked outside the top 15. As technical knowledge becomes increasingly relevant across diverse industries, many MBA programs seem to be vying to dominate the intersection of science and management education. Supplementing its global focus, Purdue University’s Krannert School of Management has developed a program specifically targeting students with a background in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Krannert launched this one-year, full-time MBA program for STEM professionals in 2014, and it was designed to bring management education to applicants who possess at least four years of work experience in a technical field. The specialized STEM program reflects, as Bloomberg Businessweek suggests, the growing role of STEM professionals in entrepreneurship, consulting, and managerial positions. The program’s curriculum entails five modules, including a summer session, that combine a business core and a wide selection of electives with STEM-related case studies and learning projects. |
06 Jan 2017, 09:01
| FROM mbaMission Blog: Friday Factoid: Thinking Social at NYU Stern |
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Although New York University’s (NYU’s) Stern School of Business is perhaps not well known among the top MBA programs for sustainable enterprise or social entrepreneurship, the school in fact offers an array of resources for those interested in pursuing careers in such fields. The W.R. Berkley Innovation Lab serves as the hub of all entrepreneurial activities and events at the school, and in 2008, Stern introduced a Social Innovation and Impact specialization, thereby formalizing an academic track for students with this career path in mind. Attending or helping to plan the “Think Social, Drink Local” marquee fundraiser is one of many options that socially conscious aspiring MBAs will find to fulfill their interests at Stern. With help from corporate sponsors such as Brooklyn Brewery and Crop Organic Vodka, the school’s Social Enterprise Association hosts the event in partnership with the Stern Luxury & Retail Club. In March 2016, the 11th annual event took place at 404 NYC and featured an open bar and the “I Heart New York” runway fashion show—a fundraiser for Stern’s Social Impact Internship Fund—in which Stern students and administrators modeled clothing by ecofriendly designers. The fashion show is a highlight of the evening each year and has raised more than $10K in past years. Through Stern Consulting Corps, students can partner on consulting projects with New York City–based nonprofits. And for those who also have the entrepreneurial bug, Stern added a Social Venture Competition—in which participants compete for a $75K prize—to its traditional for-profit $300K Entrepreneurs Challenge. In short, socially conscious Sternies have quite a bit to keep them busy! For a thorough exploration of what NYU Stern and 15 other top business schools have to offer, please check out the mbaMission Insider’s Guides. |
07 Jan 2017, 10:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: MBA Admissions Myths Destroyed: HBS Is for Everyone |
 Harvard Business School (HBS) offers an excellent MBA program—this is largely a given, and we are not questioning that. However, what we will call into question is whether HBS (or any other school, for that matter) is right for you. Every year, we get a few calls from confused MBA aspirants who say, “I visited HBS, and I am not sure if there is a fit,” as if that indicates some sort of problem. Indeed, and this may be shocking to some, HBS is not for everyone—particularly those who do not relate well to case-based learning, those who want a lot of flexibility in their first-year curriculum, and those who would prefer a small class size (HBS’s Class of 2018 has 934 students, while the same class at the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business, for example, has just 252). We hope that applicants will use this post as a jumping-off point to critically appraise their target MBA programs and determine which schools are indeed right for them. Start by asking yourself the following questions:
Again, these questions are just a start—we could pose many more, but the point is that you will get far more than a brand from your MBA studies. You will gain an education and an alumni network in return for your investment of two years and thousands of dollars. You should therefore skip the rankings, determine what is important to you, and then do your homework to identify a program that truly fits your personality, needs, and goals. |
08 Jan 2017, 09:01
| FROM mbaMission Blog: GMAT Impact: The Master Resource List for Reading Comprehension (Part 4 of 4) |
 With regard to the GMAT, raw intellectual horsepower helps, but it is not everything. In this blog series, Manhattan Prep’s Stacey Koprince teaches you how to perform at your best on test day by using some common sense. Part 1 of this series covered how to read Reading Comprehension (RC), and Part 2 introduced the first two major question types: Main Idea and Specific Detail. In Part 3, we discussed Inference questions and Why questions. If you have not already done so, start by reading those posts, and then continue with this final post in the series. Put It All Together All right, now you have all the pieces:
Next, test your understanding of the passage on this Inference question, and then try this Why question. Timing As I mentioned earlier, we really do not have much time to read RC passages. Aim for approximately two to two and a half minutes on shorter passages and closer to three minutes for longer ones. Of course, you cannot possibly read everything closely and carefully in such a short time frame—but that is not your goal! Our goal is to get the big picture on that first read-through. Aim to answer main idea questions in roughly one minute. You can spend up to two minutes on the more specific questions. In particular, if you run across an Except question, expect to spend pretty close to two minutes; Except questions nearly always take a while. As always, be aware of your overall time. If you find that you are running behind, skip one question entirely; do not try to save 30 seconds each on a bunch of questions. Also, if RC is your weakest verbal area, and you also struggle with speed, consider guessing immediately on one question per passage and spreading your time over the remaining questions. Great, I Have Mastered RC! Let us test that theory, shall we? Your next step is to implement all these techniques on your next practice test while also managing your timing well. Good luck! |
09 Jan 2017, 09:01
| FROM mbaMission Blog: Monday Morning Essay Tip: Use Just One Famous Quote per Application |
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Sometimes, incorporating a famous quote (or perhaps a lesser-known quote by a well-known person) into one of your application essays can add a little something special to the story you are trying to tell. If the quotation truly enhances your message in a significant way, it can serve as an effective tool, making your submission that much more compelling. Consider the following examples: Example 1: “The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.” – Theodore Roosevelt Roosevelt’s words are as true today as when he spoke them. The essence of a manager is… Example 2: As Peter F. Drucker said, “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” I have found the distinction between management and leadership especially important… However, some candidates may be tempted to use a quotation as a kind of crutch, essentially relying on someone else’s clever or poignant wordsmanship in place of their own. Think of using a quotation as a way of enriching an already interesting narrative, rather than as an easy shortcut to a more impressive essay. Before using a quotation in your writing, ask yourself these three questions:
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09 Jan 2017, 13:01
| FROM mbaMission Blog: HomeMade Modern Founder Ben Uyeda Shares Why Building Things by Hand Is Underappreciated |
 Today, many aspiring MBAs and MBA graduates want to join start-ups or launch such companies themselves. Is entrepreneurship as exciting as it seems? Is it really for you? mbaMission Founder Jeremy Shinewald has teamed up with Venture for America and CBS Interactive to launch Smart People Should Build Things: The Venture for America Podcast. Each week, Shinewald interviews another entrepreneur so you can hear the gritty stories of their ups and downs on the road to success. Ben Uyeda has had a love for craftsmanship since he was a young boy, and he was determined to let others take advantage of his tips on building things. His inspiration took the form of YouTube—as it often does these days—where Uyeda launched his DIY channel HomeMade Modern. In addition to his helpful and innovative videos, Uyeda is the founder of Free Green (which offers home design plans free of charge), the owner of architecture design firm ZeroEnergy Design, and a visiting lecturer at Northeastern University. And that is only the tip of the iceberg! Tune in to the podcast episode to hear what else Uyeda is doing, in addition to these stories:
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10 Jan 2017, 09:01
| FROM mbaMission Blog: Mission Admission: Do I Need to Know Alumni? |
 Mission Admission is a series of MBA admission tips; a new one is posted each Tuesday. We find that because the overall pool of MBA candidates is so anonymous, many applicants believe that even the tiniest negative difference that exists between them and other candidates could represent a huge disadvantage. For example, an applicant who has no alumni connection to his/her target school may become anxious that he/she is already “behind” at the starting line. We can assure you that if you are a strong candidate, you will not be “dinged” by a program just because you do not have a relationship with any of the school’s graduates. In fact, the vast majority of applicants do not have direct connections with alumni from their target business schools. The bottom line is that in some cases, if you know a powerful alumnus or alumna, he/she may be able to help you in your candidacy. However, a standout candidate who does not have such a connection will generally still succeed, and a weak candidate with an alumni connection will likely still fail. So focus on crafting your best application possible, and do not worry about minor perceived weaknesses. You can succeed on your own, regardless of who you know—or do not know. |
10 Jan 2017, 14:01
| FROM mbaMission Blog: MBA Career News: Putting Resolutions into Practice |
 In this new blog series, our mbaMissionCareer Coaches offer invaluable advice and industry-related news to help you actively manage your career. Topics include building your network, learning from mistakes and setbacks, perfecting your written communication, and mastering even the toughest interviews. To schedule a free half-hour consultation with one of our mbaMission Career Coaches, click here. Now that 2017 is officially here, it is time to stop talking about our New Year’s resolutions and start acting upon them! Whether you are looking to take your career to the next level, gain new experience, build a new skill set, or transition into a new role or a new career, mbaMission Career Coaches can help you achieve your work-related resolutions. Here are our tips for making your 2017 resolutions a reality: 1. Write down your resolutions in detail—not just a phrase or a sentence. Really invest time into thinking about the specifics of what you want to achieve and how you can achieve it.
2. Prioritize your resolutions by their importance to you, the scope of your goal, and your ability to achieve them. Select one or multiple resolutions to work toward. 3. Create a specific, measurable, and actionable plan for executing on each resolution:
Have you been admitted to business school and want to get a head start on defining your career goals? Do you need help preparing for job interviews or learning how to effectively network with your target employers? Or maybe you want to be a top performer in your current role but are unsure how to maximize your potential. Let an mbaMission Career Coach help via afree 30-minute consultation! |
11 Jan 2017, 09:01
| FROM mbaMission Blog: Professor Profiles: Katherine Schipper, Duke University Fuqua School of Business |
 Many MBA applicants feel that they are purchasing a brand when they choose a business school. However, the educational experience you will have is what is crucial to your future, and no one will affect your education more than your professors. Each Wednesday, we profile a standout professor as identified by students. Today, we focus on Katherine Schipper from the Duke University Fuqua School of Business. Katherine Schipper is the Thomas F. Keller Professor of Business Administration at Fuqua and has typically taught the MBA program’s core accounting course, “Financial Accounting.” She previously served in several roles for the American Accounting Association and is currently the president of the International Association for Accounting Education and Research. Schipper was editor of the Journal of Accounting Research for many years and was a member of the Financial Accounting Standards Board from 2001 to 2006, before joining Fuqua. In 2007, Schipper was the first woman inducted into the Accounting Hall of Fame. A second-year student we interviewed who had taken the course “Global Institutions and Environment” with Schipper (co-taught with a fellow professor) said, “She was outstanding. It was amazing to have professors of their caliber teaching the first class we experienced at Fuqua.” Another second year told us, “I was really nervous about accounting, but she made it very accessible, and even occasionally fun.” When asked which professor impressed her most, a second year we interviewed named Schipper, praising her rigor in the classroom: “She held every single person to an impeccably high standard and set the tone for graduate level expectations.” For more information about the Duke University Fuqua School of Business and 15 other top-ranked business schools, check out the mbaMission Insider’s Guides. |
11 Jan 2017, 14:01
| FROM mbaMission Blog: 7 Steps To Take Before Applying in 2017–2018 |
 Why am I writing about next year’s MBA application cycle when we are only at the end of the second round of this season? Because each year, the application cycle seems to begin earlier and earlier. We have only about 150 days until the schools start releasing their 2017–2018 essay questions and 250 days until Round 1 applications are due. You may have a lot to do between now and then, but do not panic. Here are some simple and methodical steps you can take now (and for some of you, right now!) to ensure that you are the best applicant you can be when that first deadline comes around. Choose Your Standardized Test: Although the GRE and GMAT are now essentially equal in the eyes of virtually all admissions officers, they should not be equal in your eyes. Why not? Some MBA ranking systems factor a school’s GMAT average into their final assessment, but not its GRE. So, if you are convinced that no matter how hard you try, you will score below average on the GMAT, consider taking the GRE instead. If you ultimately do not do all that well, the schools may be less concerned about your score’s impact on their averages. If you believe you will do well on the GMAT, then take it—the programs are always happy to see applicants who can lift their averages and potentially improve their rankings. (Note; this is not to say that you will get in with a low GRE, merely that this is a better position relative to a low GMAT). Start Studying For Your Chosen Test: Of course, studying for the GMAT or GRE is much harder than just choosing one or the other. Our partners at Manhattan Prep suggest that if you intend to take a preparatory course, plan to allot three months for the entire process—nine weeks for the class, plus an additional month of study after. This means that if you started today, you would take the test in early April. Maybe you anticipate needing to take the exam more than once? If so, your schedule may extend into May or even June. Some MBA programs release their essay questions as early as May, so unless you want to be managing your work, social life, test prep, community activities, and essays simultaneously, your test prep needs to start today. Visit Your Target Schools: We created our series of Insider’s Guides to the top business schools (which Poets&Quants loved so much, it sponsored them!), and although they are incredible resources for learning about your chosen MBA programs, nothing beats actually visiting a school. Did you know that unless you visit your target program in the next few months, you will not have another opportunity to do so before submitting your Round 1 application? Many class visit programs do not begin until mid-October, and most first-round deadlines are in September or early October. Visiting your target schools can help you respond in a more informed and personal way to each program’s essay prompts and interview questions, not to mention that as a consumer, you should educate yourself as much as possible about this major investment, and seeing the environment firsthand can be a valuable part of that process. Build Your Community Profile: Did you stop all your community activity after you graduated college? If not, continue your volunteer efforts throughout the coming months, because this is a rich and important facet of your MBA profile. If so, you thankfully still have some time to develop this part of your candidacy. You may run some risk of appearing as though you simply signed up for some volunteer work and punched the clock until August, but if you focus on having a significant impact on an individual or organization between now and application day—even within such a short window—no admissions officer will discount your contribution or results simply because they occurred within months of the application deadline. In short, if your participation is sincere and positively influenced a person or organization, the experience can help you in your MBA efforts. Build Your Personal Profile: Many applicants think that the admissions committees are not interested in hearing about their personal lives, when in fact, the schools are actually quite eager to get to know you in a holistic way—which includes your personal accomplishments. Take this time to delve even more deeply into any hobbies or passions you have, and try to put some weight behind them and validate your talents. For example, if you are an amateur photographer and have been wanting to have an exhibit of your prints, take the necessary steps to make that happen in the short term. (And be assured that it does not need to be at the Museum of Modern Art—a local café is fine.) We are not saying that you should suddenly try to learn a new skill or master an unfamiliar hobby, but if you already have a passion to which you can make an extra commitment now, go for it! Take Supplemental Classes: Perhaps you were a strong undergrad student but took mostly nonquantitative subjects. Or maybe you have a weak overall record and need to show some academic maturity. Or you generally did well in your past studies, but your weakest grades were all in quantitative subjects. If any of these statements apply to you, consider addressing this weak spot in your profile by taking a course in a quantitative subject now and making sure to earn an A grade (at least an A-). By taking an introductory class in statistics, calculus, economics, accounting, or finance—or preferably, two such classes—you could assuage any concerns the admissions committee might have about your ability to handle the quantitative workload that awaits you in business school. Keep in mind, however, that these decisions are case specific and can also involve other factors, including your GMAT/GRE performance and any designations you may or may not have achieved, such as the CFA. A good, inexpensive way to start a class is through a MOOC offered by a prominent business school (see P&Q’s monthly guide to the best business MOOCs). Develop Your Career Goals: Most schools still ask applicants to discuss their post-MBA short- and long-term goals, but beyond just having a goal, you need to have a credible goal. Now is the time to thoughtfully and comprehensively consider your professional aspirations, if you have not already done so. Contact individuals in your target industries or positions for informational interviews, and consider job shadowing one or two. In short, educate yourself well about your target field or role, and determine as definitively as possible what appeals to you about your choice and why it is the right one for you. This will position you to present your goals in a credible and convincing manner. Very simply, if an admissions committee does not believe that you understand and can achieve the aims you have set for yourself, it will not admit you. But if your target school can clearly perceive your excitement about your goals and feels assured that you will actualize them, you will be a step ahead of your fellow applicants—and every step matters in this competitive process. This post originally appeared on poetsandquants.com on January 11, 2017. |
12 Jan 2017, 09:01
| FROM mbaMission Blog: Beyond the MBA Classroom: Stanford GSB Brown Bag Lunches |
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When you select an MBA program, you are not just choosing your learning environment but are also committing to becoming part of a community. Each Thursday, we offer a window into life “beyond the MBA classroom” at a top business school. During Brown Bag Lunches at the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB), company founders or experienced alumni come to chat with students, or students share information with one another about fields with which they are familiar. All the attendees bring their own lunch. One first-year student told mbaMission, “These are a great way to get exposure. In the student-run panels, students host a presentation for their classmates about an industry they have worked in. These lunches are open to all students, in all fields of interest. Because everyone knows each other well, people are much more willing to help each other out and teach each other, which is great.” Some student organizations, such as the GSB High Tech Club, host their own Brown Bag Lunches with guest speakers from different fields. For in-depth descriptions of social and community activities at the Stanford GSB and 15 other top MBA programs, check out the mbaMission Insider’s Guides. |
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Hi Generic [Bot],
Here are updates for you:
ANNOUNCEMENTS
 Wednesday, Apr 24, 2024 11:30am NY / 3:30pm London / 9pm Mumbai Watch earlier episodes of DI series below EP1: 6 Hardest Two-Part Analysis Questions EP2: 5 Hardest Graphical Interpretation Questions
Tuck at Dartmouth
AGSM at UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE
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