The mbaMission Blog : Ask mbaMission

mbaMissionJenK · 2013-12-12T09:30:37-08:00

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The Round 1 Step You Must Take Now! [#permalink]

26 Mar 2018, 11:01

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FROM mbaMission Blog: The Round 1 Step You Must Take Now!

Much of the MBA application process is a “long game.” Earning your desired GMAT score could require a year or more, and building a professional profile or enhancing your community activities takes even longer. We rarely encourage urgency, but this year’s Round 1 applicants need to do one thing now—visit their target programs!

The class visit deadlines for some programs are just a few weeks away, and others just a few days! And you may not realize that the visit periods will not reopen until after next season’s Round 1 deadlines. So if you want to visit before applying, time is running out!

MBA Program
Date of Last Class Visit

Cornell Johnson
March 29, 2018

Michigan Ross
April 16, 2018

Wharton
April 16, 2018

Duke Fuqua
April 24, 2018

Columbia Business School
April 26, 2018

Berkeley-Haas
May 1, 2018

MIT Sloan
May 3, 2018

Yale School of Management
May 3, 2018

Dartmouth Tuck
May 14, 2018

Stanford GSB
June 1, 2018

Harvard Business School
Late April

Is a class visit really that important? Let us assure you it most definitely is—particularly for these reasons:

A. Invaluable Knowledge: Do not just assume that one top school would be just as good a fit for you as the next. Applicants may view a program positively based on what they have heard and read, but once they visit, they discover that certain elements of the environment would not be good for them, or might even be outright terrible. By observing a class, meeting students, touring campus, checking out the surrounding area, and possibly even talking directly with admissions staff, you will get a holistic, firsthand understanding of what your MBA experience would be like there. This is invaluable information you simply cannot obtain from a website or an alumnus. The added depth will ensure you make a more fully informed choice.

B. Personalized Application: Some schools, such as Harvard Business School, explicitly state that a class visit does not factor into admissions decisions. Although this may be true in that you will not win extra points simply for doing so (or be disadvantaged for not), the experience will give you information and stories that will help you better establish and argue your fit with the program in your application. Plus, discussing your firsthand experience of a class or learning team meeting in an interview can make you a more compelling applicant. And some programs do note which applicants have made the effort to visit. A candidate living in New York, for example, who has not visited Columbia will likely be rejected. Why admit someone not motivated enough to visit? Finally, some schools appreciate the respect—if you travel a long distance to visit a school, be assured the admissions committee will notice!

C. Fortuity: On campus, you can network directly with others at the program. We do not mean you should walk around handing out business cards, but register for an admissions session or connect with students/professors with similar interests by reaching out politely. You just might find an advocate for your candidacy, and that can make a world of difference.

Now is also a great time to schedule a free consultation with an mbaMission admissions advisor to learn additional ways of rounding out your candidacy for this application season or next! Click here to sign up!

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Multidimensional Brainstorming for Your MBA Application Essays [#permalink]

27 Mar 2018, 08:01

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FROM mbaMission Blog: Multidimensional Brainstorming for Your MBA Application Essays

We at mbaMission often tell candidates, “You cannot turn a bad idea into a good essay.” We insist on taking our clients through a lengthy brainstorming process—starting with a thorough questionnaire—to discover the stories that make them distinct. As you uncover your stories, you should consider them from as many different angles as possible. Doing so will not only help ensure that you understand the various “weapons in your arsenal,” but will also provide you with maximum flexibility, considering that MBA admissions committees ask questions that vary dramatically from school to school.

For example, an experience coaching a baseball team at an underfunded high school may have multiple dimensions, such as the following:

Creatively motivating an underachieving team and changing attitudes, despite losses
Initiating and leading fund-raising efforts so that each player could afford proper equipment
Mentoring a struggling player and seeing an improvement in his or her on-field performance
Helping a player deal with a family issue off the field
Recruiting other coaches and then working to improve a team’s on-field performance

These are just a few of the stories that could be gleaned through brainstorming, proving that considering your experiences from various angles is beneficial and will help you discover multiple unique approaches to your essays.

In addition, many MBA candidates—whether they are working as bankers or lawyers, in internal corporate finance or corporate strategy—feel they must tell a “deal story” in their application essays. Although discussing a deal can be a good idea, showing your distinct impact on the deal is what is vital—you are the central character, not the deal. A straightforward story about how you dutifully completed your work and steadily supported others as a deal became a reality is not likely to be very compelling. Further, the important thing is that the admissions committee experience your personality, not your spreadsheets.

Ask yourself the following questions to ensure that your story is truly about you:

What did you do that was beyond expectations for your role? Did you grow into additional responsibilities at a crucial time?
Did any particular interactions take place in which you used your personality to change the dynamic, thereby ensuring the deal’s progress or success?
Did you need to take a principled stand at any moment or speak out on behalf of a needful party?
Did you help others overcome any corporate or international cultural barriers?

These are just a few questions to get you started, but the point remains: do not simply offer any deal, but instead provide insight into your deal.

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Professor Profiles: Terry Taylor, UC Berkeley Haas School of Business [#permalink]

28 Mar 2018, 08:01

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FROM mbaMission Blog: Professor Profiles: Terry Taylor, UC Berkeley Haas 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. Today, we focus on Terry Taylor from the Haas School of Business at the University of California (UC), Berkeley.

After stints at Columbia Business School and the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, Terry Taylor joined the faculty at the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business in 2007, where he is currently the Milton W. Terrill Chaired Professor of Business Administration. Considering that Taylor, who has a PhD from Stanford in management science and engineering, is often named in student blogs and online student chats as a favorite among the school’s aspiring MBAs, he not surprisingly won the Earl F. Cheit Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2009 and again in 2011. He was also named the fifth most popular professor at a top U.S. business school by Bloomberg Businessweek in 2011.

Taylor’s academic interests include the economics of operations management and supply chain management. His “Operations” (previously “Operations Management”) course looks at operational issues confronted by manufacturing and service companies. In addition to reportedly having a well-organized curriculum and classes—which a second year we interviewed said include “no down time”—Taylor can make technical subjects very interesting, sometimes even using references to Seinfeld episodes to illuminate concepts. A second year told mbaMission, “He’s pretty young and has a style that mixes high energy with a dry sense of humor.”

For more information on the defining characteristics of the MBA program at UC Berkeley Haas or one of 16 other top business schools, check out the free mbaMission Insider’s Guides.

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See the World During Your Studies at Michigan Ross and NYU Stern [#permalink]

29 Mar 2018, 08:00

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FROM mbaMission Blog: See the World During Your Studies at Michigan Ross and NYU Stern

For incoming first-year students at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business who want to get a head start on building friendships within their class or make use of some time off before school begins, the MTrek program may be just the answer. MTreks, which were first offered in 1999, are small-group, multiday, outdoor adventure trips that take place before the academic year begins. Organized in locations around the world, the trips are entirely student led (by second-year MBA students) and are designed to provide a team-based environment similar to that found at Ross and to promote leadership in a team setting. MTreks look to be as inclusive as possible—trips are available to suit a wide variety of interests and thus range from hard-core adventure to relaxing sightseeing excursions.

2017 treks included “A Song of Fire and Ire,” which took participants to Iceland and Ireland; “African’t Stop, Won’t Stop,” an off-the-beaten-path trip to South Africa and Swaziland; and “Netflix and Chile,” an outdoor adventure in Chile and Argentina. In 2016, treks ranged from “Not Your Basic Beaches,” during which participants explored private beaches and the countryside of France and Spain, to “Guate Get Down,” which took place in the historic areas of Belize and Guatemala. Other treks in previous years included “Edward Fjord-y-Hands,” which featured hiking, kayaking, and mountain biking in Sweden and Norway, and “Best Friends Pho Ever,” where participants boarded a train and explored local food and culture in Vietnam.

So, whether you are interested in hiking and rafting in Iceland or beaching and snorkeling in Mexico, MTreks provide a chance to build friendships and develop leadership skills while having a great time.

Similar to Michigan Ross, New York University’s (NYU’s) Stern School of Business provides ample opportunity for its students to spend time abroad during one- or two-week trips, through its “Doing Business in…” (DBi) program. DBi trips take place between the fall and winter semesters, during spring break, and in May (after classes conclude). Each course (trip) is tailored to its specific locale and includes a mix of lectures given by Stern faculty as well as by local business practitioners and/or government representatives. Complementing the classroom learning are hands-on field experiences at corporate headquarters, factories, ports, development sites, and other such locations. DBi destinations in recent years have included Costa Rica, Spain, Brazil, Singapore, Israel, and Australia, just to name a few. Students who participate in the DBi program gain a new perspective on conducting business in a different culture while making some great memories with fellow “Sternies” along the way.

For more information on other defining characteristics of the MBA program at NYU Stern, Michigan Ross, or one of 15 other top business schools, please check out the free mbaMission Insider’s Guides.

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Getting the 80/80 Score on the GMAT [#permalink]

30 Mar 2018, 09:01

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FROM mbaMission Blog: Getting the 80/80 Score on the GMAT

With regard to the GMAT, raw intellectual horsepower helps, but it is not everything. Manhattan Prep’s Stacey Koprince teaches you how to perform at your best on test day by using some common sense.

What is the “80/80”? All schools look at your overall three-digit GMAT score (the one given on the 200–800 scale). In addition, a few of the very top business schools, such as Harvard, Stanford, and Wharton, look for the 80/80: an 80th percentile score or higher on the individual Quant and Verbal subsections. Essentially, if someone hits a 700 but does so by scoring 99th percentile in one subsection and only 60-something in the other, the schools might be concerned about the lower-scoring area. From their point of view, an “80/80” minimum ensures that you have got a solid base in both areas.

What if I score in the 75th percentile?

The 80/80 guidelines are just that—guidelines. The schools do not use these parameters as a hard cutoff. In other words, a score in the 70s is generally fine, as long as the overall score is also within a school’s desired target range. If, on the other hand, the overall score is a bit low, the GPA is a bit low, and one or both of the GMAT subscores are low… Well, you still might get in, but doing so just became a lot harder.

What if I score in the 60s?

Unless there is something else that is stellar in your profile and can therefore offset this lower score, the 80/80 schools will likely be concerned about a Quant or Verbal percentile in the 60s—particularly so for Quant. For Verbal, they have a whole host of other tools with which to assess your communication skills, starting with your essays. A 60s (or lower) Quant score, though, could indicate that you will have trouble handling the quantitative portions of the MBA curriculum. You might be able to offset this concern if you can demonstrate that your current job involves significant quantitative components; make sure that your recommendations highlight your quant skills. Alternatively, perhaps you excelled in quant-focused classes in school (calculus, accounting, physics, statistics), and your transcripts show A grades.

If not, then something needs to be done. Two paths are possible here, and you can follow just one or both. First, the no-brainer: take the GMAT again and get a score in the 70s (or higher!). I call that a “no-brainer” in the sense that there is no question that you should try to do this. You might not succeed, though. An alternative, then, is to take a calculus or accounting class at a local university. If you do this, you must get an A; getting a B at this stage will not inspire confidence in the admissions staff. In addition, taking such a class will involve a decent amount of lead time; these classes often run over a period of two to four months, so this is not a last-minute solution.

The big picture? Ideally, get the GMAT done well in advance of admissions season so that you have ample time to address unexpected or unwelcome surprises during the process.

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MBA Admissions Myths Destroyed: Reapplicants Should Not Reapply [#permalink]

31 Mar 2018, 09:00

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FROM mbaMission Blog: MBA Admissions Myths Destroyed: Reapplicants Should Not Reapply

You applied to business schools once and did not get in. It took a lot of effort and caused a lot of heartache. Now what do you do? You cannot apply to those schools again, can you? What would be the point? They already rejected you once, so they will definitely do the same thing next time, right? Not quite so.

Remember, MBA admissions committees are governed by self-interest. Simply put, the schools want the best candidates out there. If you are among the best candidates, why would any admissions director think, “Well, this is an outstanding candidate who can add something special to our school and has unique potential going forward, but he applied last year, so we’ll just forget about him.” Indeed, the reapplication process is not a practical joke or a disingenuous olive branch to those permanently on the outside. If the schools were not willing to admit reapplicants, they would not waste time and resources reviewing their applications.

Although many candidates fret about being reapplicants, some admissions officers actually see a reapplication as a positive—a new opportunity. Soojin Kwon, the managing director of full-time MBA admissions and student experience at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, told mbaMission, “They are certainly not ‘damaged goods.’ We have had many successful reapplicants join our program after they’ve spent a year strengthening their candidacies.”

Meanwhile, the Yale School of Management’s assistant dean and director of admissions, Bruce DelMonico, noted, “I can certainly bust [that] myth. Our admit rate for reapplicants is actually the same as it is for first-time applicants. It’s important, though, for reapplicants to explain to us how their candidacy has improved from the previous time they applied. Reapplicants need to make sure they enhance their application, rather than just resubmitting the same application.”

In short, reapplicants, you have no reason to believe that you only have one chance. Like any competitive MBA applicant, continue to strive and achieve; if things do not work out this time, they just might the next time.

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Finding “Safe” Writers for Your Recommendation Letters [#permalink]

02 Apr 2018, 08:01

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FROM mbaMission Blog: Finding “Safe” Writers for Your Recommendation Letters

Letters of recommendation are an important part of your overall application package. However, one of the most stressful parts of the application process can be choosing your recommenders. The first question you should ask is who can write a valuable letter on my behalf?

Many candidates believe that recommenders must have remarkable credentials and titles to impress the admissions committee. However, selecting individuals who can write a personal and knowledgeable letter that discusses your talents, accomplishments, personality, and potential is far more important. If senior managers at your company can only describe your work in vague and general terms, they will not help your cause. Lower-level managers who directly supervise your work, on the other hand, can often offer powerful examples of the impact you have had on your company. As a result, their letters can be far more effective.

Nonetheless, not everyone who knows you and your capabilities well will make a good recommender. For starters, you should of course feel confident that your potential recommender likes you and will write a positive letter on your behalf. As you contemplate your choices, try to gather some intelligence on your potential recommenders. Have they written letters for anyone else? Are they generous with their time with regard to employee feedback and review sessions? Will they devote the effort and time necessary to write a letter that will really shine?

One step that you can take to ensure you submit the strongest applications possible is doing some research on your recommenders to confirm that your choices are indeed “safe.” After all, if you are playing by the strictest interpretation of the rules of recommendations, you will not get to see what your recommenders ultimately write about you. By doing a little intelligence work in advance, you can better understand whether you are making the right decision before committing to a certain individual.

By doing some “intelligence,” we mean—where possible—contacting past colleagues in a discreet and diplomatic way to find out what their experiences were like with your potential recommender. For example, was your potential recommender a generous advocate or was he/she a disinterested third party who had a tendency to be harsh? Clearly, learning more about your target recommender’s approach in advance can help you understand whether or not you should offer him/her this important responsibility.

Past colleagues can also guide you in how best to manage your recommenders, which can be just as important as choosing them. Knowing up front that your recommender is a procrastinator or performed better after being given a list of accomplishments from which to work can help ensure the best letter possible and can prevent you from inadvertently antagonizing your recommender or delaying the process.

If your prospective MBA program asks for two letters of recommendation, you should generally approach two of your recent supervisors, with one ideally being your current supervisor. Your letters will have added credibility if they are written by individuals who are senior to you, because your recommenders are in evaluative positions and will not have anything to lose by critically appraising your candidacy.

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Get All Your MBA Application Questions Answered in This Six-Part Onlin [#permalink]

02 Apr 2018, 08:01

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FROM mbaMission Blog: Get All Your MBA Application Questions Answered in This Six-Part Online Event Series!

Are you thinking of applying to business school this year? Perhaps you are just starting to prepare for the GMAT or GRE exam, or maybe you have not yet begun to assess your overall fit at the top business school programs. How will you differentiate yourself from so many other applicants? Where will you start?

We know you have questions as you prepare to begin the application process.

The leaders in the MBA admissions space—mbaMission and Manhattan Prep—are coming together to make sure you will be ready for the 2018–2019 MBA admissions season. Join us for a free, six-part online event series that will answer all of your MBA admissions questions—from taking the GMAT (or GRE) to assessing your MBA profile and eventually applying (and being accepted) to the school of your dreams!

During the live online seires, Senior Consultants from mbaMission will address and explain different significant admissions issues, while experts from Manhattan Prep will help you tackle some of the toughest challenges GMAT and GRE test takers face, offering valuable insight and advice.

These live online events will be held twice a week from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m. EDT.

Please sign up for each session separately* via the links below. Space is limited.

Step 1—Tuesday, April 17, 2018: Should I Take the GMAT or the GRE?Applying to business school is a process rife with decisions, and a common one giving candidates some serious pause these days is which exam to take—the GMAT or the GRE? As the number of programs accepting the GRE continues to grow, aspiring MBAs are becoming more and more confused about this element of the application process. During this live session, learn how the two tests differ, which test specific MBA programs accept, how the content and scores relate, and other useful details—and move a little closer to crossing another important decision off your to-do list!
Step 2—Thursday, April 19, 2018: Which MBA Program Is Right for Me?During this event, mbaMission will elaborate on areas that will profoundly affect both your academic life and your social life in business school, including flexibility of a program’s curriculum, breadth of core courses, different methods of instruction, and varying sizes of the cohorts. Start preparing now so you can be sure to make an educated decision when you apply!
Step 3—Tuesday, April 24, 2018: What Factors Will Help Get Me into a Top MBA Program?In this session, learn to assess the quantitative and qualitative factors you bring to the table to better anticipate how you might be viewed by the admissions committee at the school of your dreams…and what you can do to improve that assessment!
Step 4—Thursday, April 26, 2018: How Do I Get a Top Score on the GMAT or the GRE?What is a “Harvard”-level score on the GMAT or the GRE? What level of difficulty should you be prepared to face to attain that score? Join our expert GMAT and GRE instructors to see the toughest content on both exams. Plus, learn strategies for overcoming it and achieving your goal score.
Step 5—Tuesday, May 1, 2018: How Do I Write a Standout MBA Essay?How can you write essays that grab the attention of MBA admissions committees? In this session, mbaMission will use this simple but often perplexing question as the starting point to a workshop for prospective business school applicants. Attendees will walk through a series of exercises that challenge them to uncover their personal and nuanced stories, craft compelling opening statements, develop meaningful goal statements, connect their goals to their target school’s resources, and more.
Step 6—Wednesday May 2, 2018: Top MBA Admissions Directors Answer Your Questions!During the final installment of our six-part series, mbaMission’s founder/president, Jeremy Shinewald, will facilitate a Q&A session with admissions directors at three of the top-5 business schools in the United States. Jeremy will take and share questions from attendees, while Bruce DelMonico (assistant dean and director of admissions at Yale SOM), Amanda Carlson (assistant dean of admissions at CBS), and Dawna Levenson (director of admissions at MIT Sloan) offer invaluable insight and advice.

We hope you will join us for these valuable events. Enroll for free today!

* Event recordings will be sent to all registrants within one week of the registered event’s completion.

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Professor Profiles: Clayton Christensen, Harvard Business School [#permalink]

04 Apr 2018, 08:01

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FROM mbaMission Blog: Professor Profiles: Clayton Christensen, Harvard Business School

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. Today, we focus on Clayton Christensen from Harvard Business School (HBS).

With research interests in the areas of technology management and innovation management, Clayton Christensen (MBA ’79, DBA ’92) joined the HBS faculty in 1992, after having cofounded CPS Technologies (where he was chairman and president) in 1984, working as a consultant for Boston Consulting Group (1979–1984), and serving as a White House Fellow (1982–1983). He is currently the Kim B. Clark Professor of Business Administration at HBS. Christensen’s “Building and Sustaining a Successful Enterprise” course is an elective he designed that shows students how to manage a successful company using theories of strategy and innovation to better understand which tools may be effective in various business situations. Students address such questions as “How can I beat powerful competitors?” and “How can we create and sustain a motivated group of employees?”

Christensen is the author or coauthor of numerous books, including The Innovator’s Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book That Will Change the Way You Do Business (Harvard Business Review Press, 1997), The Innovator’s Solution: Creating and Sustaining Successful Growth (Harvard Business School Press, 2003), Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns (McGraw-Hill, 2008), How Will You Measure Your Life? (HarperBusiness, 2012), and Competing Against Luck: The Story of Innovation and Customer Choice (HarperBusiness, 2016). He received an Extraordinary Teaching Award from the HBS Class of 2010 as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award. In both 2011 and 2013, Thinkers50, a ranking released every two years by the consulting group CrainerDearlove, named Christensen the World’s Most Influential Business Thinker, and in 2015, he received an Edison Achievement Award for his contributions to the field of innovation.

For more information on the defining characteristics of the MBA program at HBS or one of 16 other top business schools, please check out the free mbaMission Insider’s Guides.

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Which mbaMission Service Is Right for Me? [#permalink]

05 Apr 2018, 09:01

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FROM mbaMission Blog: Which mbaMission Service Is Right for Me?

Over the years, many MBA hopefuls have come to us with one resounding question:

Which admissions consulting service is right for me?
Maybe you are just getting started with the GMAT exam and admittedly have not even thought about your business school applications yet. Or maybe you are already well into the application process but are seeking some last-minute advice from an honest professional. Or perhaps you are a reapplicant who cannot understand what went wrong the first time around.

No matter where you are in the application process, mbaMission is here to help you. If you are unsure about which service might be the most beneficial to your candidacy, read on. In this blog post, we provide several different scenarios (one of which you might find yourself in now) and the corresponding best mbaMission service for each one.

“I need help with my MBA applications, but I don’t know where to start!”

The Complete “Start-to-Finish” Package (our most comprehensive service)

Best for: Those who are (or plan to be) committing themselves fully to the MBA application process

The cost: Flat fee per school, starting at $4,700 for a one-school package

The commitment: Extensive—This flat-fee option gives you unlimited brainstorming assistance, ongoing feedback and advice, and as many revisions to your essays, resume, and other application elements as you feel you need to craft the most successful application possible.

Our package services work best for those who are beginning the MBA application process and have committed themselves wholeheartedly. mbaMission’s package clients benefit from having no limitations on the amount of time spent brainstorming for essay ideas, the number of essay revisions allowed, the number of rounds of changes to resumes, and so on. If you intend to devote significant time to the application process, our Complete “Start-to-Finish” Package is for you.

With the Complete “Start-to-Finish” Package, you have the option to add additional schools to your purchase at any time within your contract agreement (May 1–April 30). So, if you decide to apply to another school (perhaps in a later round), you can do so with the help of mbaMission.

“I’ve started my applications, but I need help with a few elements.”

A la Carte Hourly Services

Best for: Business school applicants who need help with discrete tasks rather than their overall application

The cost: $325 per hour, with special “bundle” pricing available for clients purchasing five hours.

The commitment: Flexible—Use your hours however you choose, whenever you choose. Start with our minimum of two hours, and if you require more guidance, you can add hours to your purchase at any time within your contract agreement (six months from the purchase date).

Hourly services are a great option for applicants who need help with a few application elements rather than their entire application. For example, perhaps you feel your essays are strong, but you are unsure of how to assemble a compelling resume to accompany them. Or maybe you have been invited to interview and could benefit from some practice and feedback beforehand. Or perhaps just one essay is giving you trouble, so you feel you need assistance only with that portion. Whatever the task, we can serve your needs through our a la carte hourly services.

“I applied and, unfortunately, got rejected. What went wrong?”

“Ding” Review/Reapplicant Strategy

Best for: Reapplicants who want to improve on their failed application(s)

The cost: $650 for one application

The commitment: Low—Approximately two hours

One of our Senior Consultants will first examine all aspects of your previous application—including your test scores, resume, essays, transcript, short-answer responses, reference letters (if available), and any other related materials. Then, your consultant will provide written feedback, highlighting your strengths and weaknesses and offering recommendations for improvement in your next application. Finally, you will have a 30-minute phone call with your consultant to discuss this feedback and ensure that your questions are answered. Ding Review clients will also be eligible for a $250 discount on any Complete Start-to-Finish Package service, redeemable within three months of your completed review.

“I submitted my MBA application(s), and I just got invited to interview! What can I do to prepare?”

Mock Interview Sessions

Best for: Applicants who require focused interview preparation

The cost: Starting at $650

The commitment: Moderate—The Mock Interview Session and subsequent debrief will last approximately two hours.

In our individual interview preparation sessions, you will meet* with an experienced mbaMission Admissions Advisor who has read either your entire application or just your resume, depending on the approach the school with which you are interviewing prefers, and who will use actual questions posed to previous applicants by your target school’s interviewers. You will therefore be able to familiarize yourself with the content and style of a typical interview at that program and practice both forming and presenting effective responses. Through Q&A, feedback, and thorough planning, we can help you improve the content of your answers, your time-management skills, and your overall presentation.

We also offer a specialized Mock Interview Session for Harvard Business School (HBS), which includes an HBS-specific mock interview plus support for the post-interview reflection.

And for those applicants who are interviewing at The Wharton School, we offer our Wharton Team-Based Discussion Simulation to help you prepare for this unique group interview experience.

*Mock Interview Sessions can be held over the phone/Skype or in person (subject to availability).

“I see myself applying to business school…but not yet! What can I do to preparenow so that I am ready to apply in a year or two?”

Pre-Application Strategy Service

Best for: Those who are 6–24 months from applying

The cost: Starting at $1,300

The commitment: Moderate—Your consultant will schedule periodic check-ins and offer comprehensive, ongoing coaching leading up to your application season.

As you approach your business school applications, having a long-term plan in mind and benchmarks to achieve is crucial to prepare for this incredibly important step in your life. We can help you navigate this stage of the admissions process so that when the time comes to differentiate yourself, you will have a host of professional, community, and personal achievements on which to draw.

“I did not see my personal scenario in this blog post!”
We are always willing to work with you. If you find yourself in a unique situation and are not certain whether any of the services we have outlined here are quite right for you, please contact us for more information.

If you are unsure about which service would be ideal for you or how much time your business school application(s) will actually take to prepare, we encourage you to sign up for a free 30-minute consultation. During this session, we will honestly assess your candidacy and recommend what we truly feel is best for you. For a complete list of our services (and pricing), please visit our Services page.

We look forward to helping you apply to the business school of your dreams!

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Innovative Opportunities at the University of California’s Business Sc [#permalink]

06 Apr 2018, 08:00

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FROM mbaMission Blog: Innovative Opportunities at the University of California’s Business Schools

Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California (UC), Irvine

Thanks to its proximity to the Tech Coast, the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California (UC), Irvine, offers significant opportunities for students with an eye toward innovative business. Indeed, an emphasis on innovation and business pioneering is built directly into what Merage calls its “visionary curriculum,” supplementing conventional business disciplines with four core, cross-disciplinary areas: strategic innovation, information technology, analytic decision making, and collaborative execution.

In addition, several of Merage’s special course offerings and programs showcase the school’s commitment to putting students in contact with the rapidly shifting face of business. The “EDGE” course, for example, offers a notable opportunity to gain cutting-edge insight into the relationship between business trends, globalization, and technology. Similarly, through the school’s MBA Applied Consulting Project, students have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with current business practices by working directly with locally based global companies for a ten-week period. Merage students can also participate each year in the university-wide New Venture Competition, whose winners collectively claim more than $100K in funding for their proposed start-up ventures.

UC Davis Graduate School of Management

At the UC Davis Graduate School of Management—under the same university umbrella but approximately an eight-hour drive from the Merage School of Business—the full-time MBA program is focused on preparing students to become innovative leaders. Leadership is woven into the curriculum in the form of core courses, a ten-week management capstone course, and the Leadership Fellows Program, which, in partnership with recruiting firm Korn Ferry, offers students leadership assessment using the UC Davis MBA Leadership Competency Model, coaching, and a Personal Leadership Development Plan.

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How to Minimize Careless Errors While Taking the GMAT [#permalink]

07 Apr 2018, 09:00

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FROM mbaMission Blog: How to Minimize Careless Errors While Taking the GMAT

With regard to the GMAT, raw intellectual horsepower helps, but it is not everything. Manhattan Prep’s Stacey Koprince teaches you how to perform at your best on test day by using some common sense.

Remember those times when you were sure you got the answer right, only to find out that you got it wrong? For a moment, you even think that the answer key must have a mistake in it. Then, you take another look at the problem, check your work, and say, “I can’t believe I did that!”

By definition, a careless mistake occurs when we did actually know all of the necessary info and we did actually possess all of the necessary skills, but we committed an error anyway. We all make careless mistakes; our goal is to learn how to minimize these mistakes as much as possible.

A lot of times, careless errors are due to one of two things: (1) some bad habit that actually increases the chances that we will make a mistake or (2) our own natural weaknesses.

Here is an example of the former: they ask me to find how long Car B takes to go a certain distance, and I do everything perfectly, but I solve for Car A instead. So, what is my bad habit here? Often, I did not write down “Car B = ?” I also noticed that I was more likely to make this mistake when I set up the problem such that I was solving for Car A first; sometimes, I would forget to finish the problem and just pick Car A’s time.

So I developed several different good habits to put in the place of my various bad habits. First, I set up a reminder for myself: I skipped several blank lines on my scrap paper and then wrote “B time = ______?”

I also built the habit of solving directly for what I wanted. Now, while I am setting up the problem, I always look first to see whether I can set it up to solve directly for Car B, not Car A.

So, what did I do here? First, I figured out what specific mistake I was making and why I was making it. Then, I instituted three new habits that would minimize my chances of making the same mistake in the future. Incidentally, one of those habits (solving directly for what is asked) also saves me time!

Happy studying, and go start figuring out how to minimize those careless mistakes!

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MBA Admissions Myths Destroyed: I Am Too Old to Get into Business Scho [#permalink]

08 Apr 2018, 08:01

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FROM mbaMission Blog: MBA Admissions Myths Destroyed: I Am Too Old to Get into Business School

We at mbaMission often receive panicked phone calls from applicants in their late 20s, asking if they are too old to get into business school. Why does this happen?

Over the past decade or so, several top schools have declared their openness to younger candidates and have even been courting them. Harvard Business School has welcomed “direct admits” (those entering immediately after completing their undergraduate degrees) and started the 2+2 Program to encourage undergraduates to consider deferred acceptance. Chicago Booth followed suit, launching the Chicago Booth Scholars Program, granting deferred admission to University of Chicago seniors, in addition to various Early Career Candidate programs to attract candidates with one to three years of experience. Although the Stanford Graduate School of Business does not publish the average age of its students, it does state that its students’ average work experience is four years. So, if you are an “older” candidate at 27, 28, 29, or—dare we even write it?—30, should you even bother applying?

First of all, we must note that not all schools are on the bandwagon to admit younger candidates. Dartmouth Tuck, for example, states that “in general,” it does not accept students with fewer than two years of work experience. The average work experience of students at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business is listed as one to ten years—meaning that the school typically does not accept direct admits, although the school notes on its Web site that it does not have an official minimum work experience requirement. Michigan Ross requires that students complete their undergraduate degree before applying, meaning that seniors are ineligible.

However, if you are focused on a school that is open to younger candidates, you should still think logically about the situation: you cannot get any younger, so you can either self-select out of the application process or let the admissions committees read your applications and make their own decision. Further, applicants should not mistake an openness to younger candidates as an aversion to older candidates. If you have something special to offer, you are still in the running—no secret cutoff is in play that would immediately eliminate you from the applicant pool.

As we have written before, business schools are governed by self-interest. They want the best candidates out there! If you are among the best, your age will not be an obstacle.

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How to Take Ownership of Your Post-MBA Goals and Show They Are Attaina [#permalink]

10 Apr 2018, 08:01

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FROM mbaMission Blog: How to Take Ownership of Your Post-MBA Goals and Show They Are Attainable

When admissions officers read your MBA application, they want to feel inspired by your personal statement; they want to know that you have a strong sense of purpose and will work energetically to attain your objectives. Thus, you must ensure that you are not presenting generic or shallow goals. Although this problem is not industry specific, it occurs most often with candidates who propose careers in investment banking or consulting but do not have a true understanding of what these positions entail.

For example, a candidate cannot merely state the following goal:

“In the short term, when I graduate from Wharton, I want to become an investment banking associate. After three years, I will be promoted to vice president, and then in the long term, I will become a managing director.”

This hypothetical candidate does not express any passion for his/her proposed course, does not show any understanding of the demands of the positions, and does not explain the value he/she could bring to the firm. To avoid these kinds of shortcomings, conduct this simple test when writing your personal statement: if you can easily substitute another job title into your career goals and the sentence still makes perfect sense (for example, “In the short term, when I graduate from Wharton, I want to become a consultant. After three years, I will be promoted to vice president, and then in the long term, I will become a managing director.”), you know you have a serious problem on your hands and need to put more work into your essay.

To effectively convey your goals, you need to truly own them. This means personalizing them, determining and presenting why you expect to be a success in the proposed position, and explaining why an opportunity exists for you to contribute. For example, a former forestry engineer could make a strong argument for joining an environmental impact consulting firm. (Note: This candidate would still need to explain why he/she would want to join one.) Similarly, a financial analyst in the corporate finance department at Yahoo! could connect his/her goals to tech investment banking. Although the connection need not be so direct, especially for candidates seeking to change careers, relating your past experiences and/or your skills to your future path is still extremely important. This approach will add depth to your essay and ensure that the admissions committee takes you seriously.

While some candidates struggle to effectively convey their post-MBA goals, many also have difficulty defining their long-term goals. Although short-term goals should be relatively specific, long-term goals can be broad and ambitious. Regardless of what your short- and long-term aspirations actually are, what is most important is presenting a clear “cause and effect” relationship between them. The admissions committee will have difficulty buying into a long-term goal that lacks grounding. However, do not interpret this to mean that you must declare your interest in an industry and then assert that you will stay in it for your entire career. You can present any career path that excites you—again, as long as you also demonstrate a logical path to achieving your goals.

For example, many candidates discuss having ambitions in the field of management consulting. Could an individual with such aspirations justify any of the following long-term goals?

Climbing the ladder and becoming a partner in a consulting firm
Launching a boutique consulting firm
Leaving consulting to manage a nonprofit
Leaving consulting to buy a failing manufacturing firm and forge a “turnaround”
Entering the management ranks of a major corporation

The answer is yes! This candidate could justify any of these long-term goals (along with many others), as long as he/she connects them to experiences gained via his/her career as a consultant. With regard to your goals, do not feel constrained—just be sure to emphasize and illustrate that your career objectives are logical, achievable, and ambitious.

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Getting Ahead: Prep For Your Post-MBA Job Now [#permalink]

11 Apr 2018, 08:00

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FROM mbaMission Blog: Getting Ahead: Prep For Your Post-MBA Job Now

In this new blog series, our mbaMission Career 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.

Congratulations—you have been accepted to your target business school, so you are one step closer to realizing your professional goals. But this is no time to rest on your laurels! In fact, the work of finding and securing your dream job is just beginning.

When MBA orientation begins in August, it will be an exciting (and intense) time packed with opportunities and activities. You will be meeting new people, acclimating to studying again, learning about your school’s career resources, and exploring a new city. Amid this flurry of activity, finding time to reflect on your job goals and to create a plan to achieve them will be challenging. So the key is to start now!

Arriving on campus with a clear idea of the role you want to pursue, a resume already tailored to that role, and a list of eight to ten target companies means you will be able to immediately engage with and make a positive impression on employers. You will also have less need to attend information sessions, club events, and employer briefings that do not relate to your career goals. This will free up valuable time in your schedule, which you can then use to focus more on your classes, enjoy social events, and pursue all the other interesting opportunities your MBA program has to offer.

So what is the best way of accomplishing all this? We have devised a four-phase plan for doing the kind of career-focused groundwork that will position you for success from day one of your MBA experience.

Phase 1: Figure out what you want.

To begin, you will need to be introspective about what drives your satisfaction and motivates you. Start by writing down the name of each of your previous employers and the role you held at each company. Next, note what you liked most about each role, what you liked least, what you learned in each one, and why you ultimately left. Then, carefully review and analyze your notes to pinpoint key trends and themes. Reviewing each bullet point on your resume is a great way to identify your proven skills and knowledge and to reflect on which activities and responsibilities you liked most and least.

Phase 2: Research your primary areas of interest.

Take the time now, while you still have some to spare, to educate yourself about your target industry, potential employers within it, and their services and products, as well as how the MBA recruiting process typically works. Read industry guides such as mbaMission’s free Career Primers—which cover such industries as investment banking, asset management, marketing, real estate, tech, and consulting—to better understand the kinds of roles MBAs often enter and what those positions entail. Once you have decided on your target roles, review the LinkedIn profiles of people in those positions, paying particular attention to these individuals’ previous jobs, accomplishments, and skills. Connect with friends (and friends of friends) who work in your area of interest to discuss the realities of the job in more detail.

To become better acquainted with relevant firms, read trade publications and industry resources such as TechCrunch, Shop.org, and CB Insights, and review target companies’ websites. You can even set up Google Alerts on the firms that interest you most to stay abreast of company news and developments.

Phase 3: Master your professional story.

To best prepare yourself for job interviews, you must determine how you will talk about your interests, experiences, and strengths in a way that will be clear and compelling to your target audience. First, based on your understanding of the key qualifications for your desired role, identify and write down your six to eight most relevant experiences and accomplishments, both personal and professional. Consider what these experiences say about you, your skills, your motivations, and your interests. Also, talk to your current colleagues about how they perceive you as an employee and the value you add to the firm.

Phase 4: Update your resume and LinkedIn profile.

Find out whether your MBA program has a required resume template, and if so, convert your resume into that format. Make sure to highlight skills and achievements that are relevant to your target audience and to quantify the impact you had in your past roles. Indicate on your LinkedIn profile that you will soon be an MBA student, and be sure to share this news with individuals in your network as well.

Employers seek candidates who know what they want and why they want it, and who can articulate how they will contribute to the hiring organization. Completing the tasks we have outlined before you get caught up in the excitement and workload of your MBA experience will give you a distinct advantage in meeting these employer expectations and help you excel in the recruitment process. You will likely secure more interviews and will perform better in those interviews, thus increasing your odds of landing your desired internship and giving you a greater return on your MBA investment. In addition, it will give you more time to bond with your classmates and make great memories. So take steps now to set yourself up for success!

Have you been admitted to business school? If so, do you 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 a free 30-minute consultation!

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Professor Profiles: Youngme Moon, Harvard Business School [#permalink]

12 Apr 2018, 09:01

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FROM mbaMission Blog: Professor Profiles: Youngme Moon, Harvard Business School

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. Today, we focus on Youngme Moon from Harvard Business School (HBS).

In addition to receiving the HBS Student Association Faculty Award seven times, Youngme Moon was also the inaugural recipient of the Hellman Faculty Fellowship in 2002–2003 for distinction in research. Moon is currently the Donald K. David Professor of Business Administration and has served as the senior associate dean for strategy and innovation and as the senior associate dean for the MBA program at the school. Her work has been published in the Harvard Business Review, the Journal of Consumer Research, the Journal of Consumer Psychology, the Journal of Experimental Psychology, and the Journal of Applied Social Psychology.

Moon’s 2010 book, Different: Escaping the Competitive Herd (Crown Business), is described by the publisher as showing “how to succeed in a world where conformity reigns…but exceptions rule.” Students described her to mbaMission as being extremely friendly and accessible, even going out for casual dinners with students.

For more information about HBS and 16 other top-ranked business schools, check out the free mbaMission Insider’s Guides.

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International Opportunities at Wharton and Dartmouth Tuck [#permalink]

13 Apr 2018, 08:01

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FROM mbaMission Blog: International Opportunities at Wharton and Dartmouth Tuck

To think that the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania excels only in churning out investment bankers and management consultants would be a mistake. In fact, Wharton boasts a truly international program that was ranked #3 in this area in the 2018 U.S. News & World Report MBA specialty rankings.

International students constitute 33% of the school’s Class of 2019 and represent 65 countries, and 11.3% of the school’s 2017 graduates took jobs outside the United States. Students who wish to study international business at Wharton have no shortage of options for doing so, including the following:

Numerous students study at a partner school each year. One popular option is to leverage Wharton’s alliance with INSEAD by taking classes at one of that program’s campuses in Fontainebleau, France, or in Singapore. Alternatively, students can choose a semester-long international exchange program option at one of 18 partner schools in 15 different countries.
Students who wish to pursue a dual degree in business and international studies can combine a Wharton MBA with an MA in International Studies from the Lauder Institute, a 24-month intensive program designed for those who seek to conduct high-level business in a country other than the United States. This program has been described by Bloomberg Businessweek as “arguably the single best global management experience anywhere.”

In contrast to Wharton, whose urban location in Philadelphia might seem ripe with international opportunities, the Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth is located in the quaint town of Hanover, New Hampshire, which has a population of approximately 11,000 and is thus considered a small college town. However, “Tuckies,” as the school’s students are known, have no shortage of access to global learning opportunities.

Students gain hands-on international experience through the “OnSite Global Consulting” (formerly “Tuck Global Consultancy”) course, which gives second years the chance to put their education into practice worldwide. Since 1997, students have consulted with approximately 145 global organizations on more than 214 projects in more than 50 countries. On-site consulting projects are led by small teams of students working under the supervision of Tuck professors with extensive consulting backgrounds. A large percentage of the second-year class participates in this elective, defining projects in the spring or early fall, then traveling to their assigned countries in either August, November and December, or March to perform on-site research and analysis. At the end of the program, students present their findings to their clients. Past clients include major corporations such as Alcoa, British Telecom, DuPont, Hewlett-Packard, Home Depot, John Deere, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, Nike, and Walmart.

For more information on other defining characteristics of the MBA program at Wharton, Dartmouth Tuck, or one of 15 other top business schools, please check out the free mbaMission Insider’s Guides.

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