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The mbaMission Blog

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How to Approach Quantitative Comparison Questions in the GMAT [#permalink] The mbaMission Blog   21 Jun 2020, 08:00
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FROM mbaMission Blog: How to Approach Quantitative Comparison Questions in 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.

If you are taking the GRE instead of the GMAT, you will have to deal with the GRE’s “weird” question type: Quantitative Comparison (QC). What are these questions, and how do we handle them?

What is Quantitative Comparison?

The GRE and the GMAT really are not math tests, all evidence to the contrary. These tests are actually trying to test us on our “executive reasoning” skills—that is, how well we make decisions and prioritize when faced with too many things to do in too little time.

So QC questions are really about quickly analyzing some information and figuring out a relationship between two quantities. If we label the two quantities A and B, we have four possibilities:

(A) Quantity A is always bigger than Quantity B.

(B) Quantity B is always bigger than Quantity A.

(C) The two quantities are always equal.

(D) I cannot tell, or there is not an “always” relationship; maybe sometimes A is bigger and sometimes B is bigger, or sometimes A is bigger and sometimes they are equal.

We do, of course, have to do some math—and sometimes that math is quite annoying. We usually do not, however, have to do as much as we usually do on regular “problem solving” questions (the normal Quant questions).

How does Quantitative Comparison work?

First, the question is always the same: figure out the “always” relationship, if there is one (in which case the answer is A, B, or C), or figure out that there is not an “always” relationship, in which case the answer is D.

Some QC questions will provide us with “givens”—information that must be true and that we will need to use when answering the question. For example, a problem might read as follows:

x > 0

So now I know that x is positive. Is it an integer? Maybe. But it could also be a fraction or decimal, as long as that value is positive.

Next, the problem will give us two columns with their own pieces of information. For example:

Quantity A                                          Quantity B

x = 3                                                      x2-9 = 0

We do not have to do anything with Quantity A; it already tells us what x is. What about Quantity B? Solve:

(x+3)(x-3) = 0

x = -3, x = 3

It seems like the answer should be D, right? Sometimes Quantity A is bigger and sometimes they are the same. Do not forget about our “given,” though! We are only supposed to use positive values for x, so we can ignore x = -3 for Quantity B. Both quantities are always equal, so the answer is C. 

Okay, these are weird. How do I get better?

These are going to take some practice, yes. In addition, this was only a very short introduction; a ton of great strategies are out there that you can learn. Look for books, articles, classes, and other resources to help. (Here is one to get you started.)

You also, of course, have to learn a bunch of math. What we have presented here, though, should help you get started on this kind-of-bizarre question type in the first place!
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How to Approach Freelance Work and Layoffs in Your MBA Application [#permalink] The mbaMission Blog   23 Jun 2020, 08:01
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FROM mbaMission Blog: How to Approach Freelance Work and Layoffs in Your MBA Application
If you do mostly short-term, project-based work, you might struggle with how to structure your resume so that it does not give the impression that you switch jobs every few months. If you list each job separately, not only will your resume be too long, but you also run the risk that your reader will think you have not had a stable career—when in fact, if you are a successful freelancer or contractor, the opposite is the case. So, how can you organize your resume so that it showcases the strength of your work and avoid having the variety and number of your work experiences come across as a weakness instead?

The key here is “clustering.” Rather than listing each short-term job separately, cluster them all under one heading, such as “independent contractor” or “freelance project manager.” Next to this heading, note the time range (i.e., start and end dates) during which you have worked for yourself. Then, using bullet points, list the individual projects you completed as a freelancer, noting your primary accomplishments for each one, followed by the related company/organization name and dates. The goal is to keep the focus on your accomplishments.

Similarly, many business school applicants worry about the impact having been laid off might have on their candidacy. Do the admissions committees view a layoff as a sign of failure?

One thing to remember is that many MBA candidates share this worry—thousands of them worldwide, in fact. For the admissions committees to dismiss all such applicants outright would simply not be practical. Moreover, the admissions committees know that the global financial crisis and subsequent recession are at the root of the problem, not necessarily the individual candidate’s performance. Indeed, layoffs and firings are not the same thing, so admissions committees will examine your application with that in mind, seeking your broader story.

If you find yourself in this situation, what is important is that you show that you have made good use of your time since the layoff by studying, volunteering, seeking work, enhancing your skills, etc. Each candidate will react differently, of course, but you need to have a story to tell of how you made the most of a difficult situation.
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MBAs for Professionals at Villanova School of Business and Krannert Sc [#permalink] The mbaMission Blog   24 Jun 2020, 12:00
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FROM mbaMission Blog: MBAs for Professionals at Villanova School of Business and Krannert School of Management

Villanova School of Business (VSB)

In 2013, the Villanova School of Business (VSB) received a $50M gift from alumnus James C. Davis, founder of recruitment company 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, for which students meet 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 three-part capstone project, which includes the “Social Enterprise Consulting Practicum,” “Global Practicum,” and “Global Strategic Management” courses—each lasting 14 weeks. In the “Social Enterprise Consulting Practicum,” students work with local nonprofit organizations to identify strategies in such areas as branding, funding, and membership retention. Alternatively, the latter two courses entail 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.

[img]https://www.mbamission.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Purdue-University’s-Krannert-School-of-Management-300x200.jpg[/img]
Purdue University’s Krannert School of Management

Another option for professionals is Purdue University’s Krannert School of Management, whose two executive MBA programs focus on helping professionals gain their advanced business degrees while maintaining a career. Students can select the traditional executive MBA program, which features six residencies at Krannert and one abroad, or the IMM Global Executive MBA program, during which students are divided into cohorts and take part in residencies in each of the six IMM partner schools (in addition to Krannert). Locations for the residencies include Brazil, China, and Italy. Both of these executive MBA programs take place over the course of 19 months and include online learning modules in addition to in-person studies.
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Professor Profiles: Roberto Rigobon, MIT Sloan School of Management [#permalink] The mbaMission Blog   25 Jun 2020, 13:01
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FROM mbaMission Blog: Professor Profiles: Roberto Rigobon, MIT Sloan School of Management

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 Roberto Rigobon from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Roberto Rigobon, the Society of Sloan Fellows Professor of Management and a professor of applied economics, specializes in international economics, monetary economics, and development economics. At an awards ceremony in 2005, Sloan students described him as someone who “epitomized the fine line between madness and genius.” Other award-related descriptions of Rigobon refer to him as “serious but hilarious,” “crazy and brilliant,” and “high energy.” He teaches the reportedly very popular “Applied Macro and International Economics” course, which is said to be often taken by up to 30% of Sloan students at a time. He has won numerous teaching awards during his time at Sloan (including the school’s Excellence in Teaching Award in 2000, 2003, and 2005, and Teacher of the Year in 1999, 2002, and 2004) and is primarily recognized for his accessibility. As one second-year student blogged, “The door to his office was always open.”

For more information about MIT Sloan and 16 other top-ranked MBA schools, check out our free mbaMission Insider’s Guides.
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MBA Admissions Myths Destroyed: I Have a Gap in My Resume [#permalink] The mbaMission Blog   26 Jun 2020, 10:00
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FROM mbaMission Blog: MBA Admissions Myths Destroyed: I Have a Gap in My Resume
The perfect MBA applicant does not actually exist. However, the perception of the perfect applicant absolutely does—such an individual scales greater and greater personal, community, and professional peaks unabated until finally applying to business school. Because of this idealized image of an applicant, candidates who have taken any time off from their professional pursuits think of themselves as disadvantaged. They worry that the admissions committees will see the gap(s) in their professional timeline and dismiss them outright. After all, the schools probably have numerous other, seemingly more determined individuals they could admit, right?

Time off has the potential to be destructive, true. If you spent a year sitting on your couch watching reality TV, you may be in trouble. If you have a strong professional history and spent one month between jobs sitting on your couch watching reality TV, your record should still speak for itself. But even if you do take (or have taken) an extended leave, as long as you are productive during that time and grow personally, you should still be just fine. In fact, an adventure may even add to your story and help you differentiate yourself.

If you spend six months or a year traveling before you start your professional career, you are certainly still eligible for a top MBA program. If you take personal leave to care for a family member, do charity work, or even pursue a personal passion—an art form, for example—as long as you can show purpose and reveal a broad record of competency, an admissions officer should still see your merits. Admissions officers are (this may be surprising to some!) actual human beings. They understand that applicants are not robots and that they have interests, passions, and personal lives. If you make good use of your time, they will not condemn you. They just might envy you.
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How to Approach Data Sufficiency Questions on the GMAT [#permalink] The mbaMission Blog   27 Jun 2020, 08:00
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FROM mbaMission Blog: How to Approach Data Sufficiency Questions 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.

If you have only recently started studying for the GMAT (or even if you have been studying for a while!), you are likely annoyed by Data Sufficiency (DS). What is this weird question type, and why do they ask it? More importantly, how do we handle it?

What is Data Sufficiency?

The GMAT really is not a math test. (Neither is the GRE.) These tests are actually trying to test us on our “executive reasoning” skills—that is, how well we make decisions and prioritize when faced with too many things to do in too little time.

So, DS questions are really about quickly analyzing a collective set of data and trying to figure out which pieces you need to do the job. Imagine your boss dumping a bunch of stuff on you and saying, “Hey, our client wants to know whether they should raise the price on this product. Can you answer that question from this data? If so, which pieces do we need to prove the case?”

We do, of course, have to do some math—and sometimes that math is quite annoying. We usually do not, however, have to do as much as we usually do on regular “problem solving” questions (the normal Quant questions).

How does Data Sufficiency work?

First, we are given what is called the “question stem.” Here is an example:

How old is Oliver?

The question stem asks us a question, naturally. It can also provide information, such as the following:

If Oliver’s age is even, how old is Oliver?

Now we know that Oliver’s age is an even number. If they told me, for example, that Oliver is either 13 or 14 years old, now I know he is definitely 14, because I should only consider even numbers as possible values for Oliver’s age.

Next, the problem will give us two statements, such as the following:

(1) Oliver is 4 years older than Sam.

(2) Sam will be 11 years old in 5 years.

So, can we figure out how old Oliver is? What information would we need to do so? The first statement, by itself, does not help, because we do not know how old Sam is. The second statement, by itself, also does not help, because it does not tell us anything about Oliver.

If we put the two statements together, however, then we can actually figure out how old Oliver is. In this case, using both statements 1 and 2 together is sufficient to answer the question. (And this situation corresponds to answer choice C on the GMAT.)

DS questions have five possible answers:

(A) Statement 1 does help us to answer the question but statement 2 does not.

(B) Statement 2 does help us to answer the question but statement 1 does not.

(C) Neither statement works on its own, but I can use them together to answer the question.

(D) Statement 1 works by itself and statement 2 works by itself.

(E) Nothing works. Even if I use both statements together, I still cannot answer the question.

Okay, these are weird. How do I get better?

These are going to take some practice, yes. In addition, this was only a very short introduction; a ton of great strategies are out there that you can learn. Look for books, articles, classes, and other resources to help. (Here is one to get you started.)

You also, of course, have to learn a bunch of math. What we have presented here, though, should help you get started on this kind-of-bizarre question type in the first place!
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Avoid Negativity and Multiple Famous Quotes in Your MBA Application Es [#permalink] The mbaMission Blog   29 Jun 2020, 09:00
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FROM mbaMission Blog: Avoid Negativity and Multiple Famous Quotes in Your MBA Application Essays
Sincerity. Honesty. Candor. We encourage MBA candidates to incorporate these attributes into their applications, and when they do, successful essays tend to follow. But can an applicant go too far? The answer is “yes,” especially when candor turns to negativity. Sometimes, when MBA candidates believe they are just being candid, they are actually revealing themselves to be predisposed to pessimism. As a result, the admissions committee has difficulty identifying with their file. Such situations are unfortunate, but luckily, they are often also avoidable; an ostensibly “negative” idea can almost always be expressed in a positive and optimistic manner.

[b]Example[/b]

“In my current position, I am no longer learning and am afraid I will continue to stagnate without my MBA. I cannot achieve my objective of becoming a leader in the marketing department at my firm unless…”

Common sense would dictate that admissions committees probably do not get very excited about applicants who believe that they have stopped learning or that their career progress can be thwarted by basic obstacles.

[b]Revised Example[/b]

“As I look to the future, I recognize that with MBA training, I could dramatically increase my impact on my firm. With an eye toward a leadership position in our marketing department, I am…”

In this revised example, the candidate is expressing the exact same need for an MBA in positive terms and thereby comes across as a warmer and more engaging prospect, while still candidly stating a need for further education.

Before submitting your file, check for unnecessarily negative statements. Although we would never suggest that every line in your essays must be full of sunshine, you should certainly take steps to avoid portraying yourself as a pessimist.

Take care also to avoid relying on quotes in your essays. Sometimes, incorporating a famous quote (or perhaps a lesser-known quote by a well-known person) 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:

[b]Example 1[/b]

“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…

[b]Example 2[/b]

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 fall into the trap of using quotations 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 quote in your writing, ask yourself these three questions:

[list]
[*]Does the quote fit the essay’s main theme?[/*]
[*]Does the quote reflect who you are or what you believe?[/*]
[*]Does the quote truly enhance the essay?[/*]
[/list]
If you can answer “yes” to all three questions, incorporating it into your essay might be a good idea. But first make sure your story is sufficiently strong to stand on its own without the quote, and limit yourself to just one quotation per application—not per essay.
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Columbia Business School’s Financial Studies Program and Increasingly [#permalink] The mbaMission Blog   30 Jun 2020, 08:00
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FROM mbaMission Blog: Columbia Business School’s Financial Studies Program and Increasingly Flexible Curriculum
Already well known as a finance powerhouse, Columbia Business School (CBS) stepped up its finance game in 2010 with the establishment of the Program for Financial Studies. This umbrella initiative connects faculty who approach financial studies from a variety of disciplines with students, alumni, and external organizations. The program’s main goals are to support research, to enhance the CBS finance curriculum and related resources, and to create opportunities for the exchange of ideas between CBS students and faculty and members of the external finance community. The program’s case studies include “The Norwegian Government Pension Fund: The Divestiture of Wal-Mart Stores Inc.” and “Don’t Be Evil: Google’s 2004 Dutch Auction Initial Public Offering.”

The structure of CBS’s core curriculum has also evolved—the school’s first year was at one time very rigid, and all first-year students took all core courses with their cluster unless they were able to pass an exemption exam. Students complained, however, that this inflexible system meant they could take only one elective course their first year, which could put them at a disadvantage when competing for summer internships. For example, previously, a CBS student who accepted a summer internship at a bank may have completed only one finance elective by the end of their first year, but that student’s counterparts on the internship from other schools may have taken two or three—thus potentially putting the CBS student at a disadvantage with regard to being considered for a full-time job at the end of the internship. So, after an intense process of research and evaluation, CBS launched a more flexible core curriculum in 2008.

Five years later, in 2013, CBS implemented further changes to its core curriculum, including an increased emphasis on cross-disciplinary thinking, in addition to even more flexibility. The revamped core courses also make greater use of online teaching tools in an attempt to “free up more classroom time for deeper dives and discussions,” as a 2013 Poets&Quants article explains. In the second term of the first year, students can pick three full-term electives and three half-term electives, replacing the school’s previous “flex-core” configuration and allowing students to better prepare for summer internships. In addition, students may take exemption exams in areas in which they are already proficient, thereby accessing the option to replace core courses with electives. This revised curriculum was developed in response to student feedback that a full term was not needed to cover the “core” elements in certain courses, and the change has given students significantly more flexibility in the first year.

CBS has thereby attempted to find a middle ground where students learn what the school considers fundamentals while having the latitude to specialize, and anecdotally, students have responded favorably.

For a thorough exploration of what CBS and 16 other top U.S. business schools have to offer, please check out our free mbaMission Insider’s Guides.
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University of Chicago (Booth) Essay Analysis, 2020–2021 [#permalink] The mbaMission Blog   01 Jul 2020, 08:00
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FROM mbaMission Blog: University of Chicago (Booth) Essay Analysis, 2020–2021
[url=https://www.mbamission.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/155902_10153939359275402_1622823825_n.jpg][img]https://www.mbamission.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/155902_10153939359275402_1622823825_n-300x300.jpg[/img][/url]
For the 2020–2021 MBA application season, the University of Chicago Booth School of Business has made no changes to the required essay prompts it first introduced two years ago. Actually, that is not entirely true. Although the wording of the questions is the same, the admissions committee has made an interesting tweak to its note about word counts. The stipulated minimum for both essays is still 250, but the school has now added “no maximum” to this directive. Last year, when Chicago Booth posted these same essay questions for the second time, the [b][url=https://www.chicagobooth.edu/blog/ftadmissions/2019/the-2019-2020-full-time-mba-application]admissions committee said[/url][/b] the prompts had produced essays that “disclosed amazing insights into our applicants’ professional aspirations as well as personal interests.” Our assumption, then, is that a good number of more recent candidates may have misinterpreted the guidance—or did not trust that the admissions committee was truly open to longer submissions—and kept their essays on the briefer side, thereby potentially withholding some of these “amazing insights” the school had been so excited about learning. The new, if subtle, reassurance that longer essays are indeed acceptable indicates that Chicago Booth wants to hear as much of your story (that fits the question, of course) as you feel compelled to share. The school’s first essay is a very traditional career statement, in which you will need to reveal that your MBA is a well-thought-out professional imperative and that Chicago Booth is a clear bridge to your future. In the second essay, you have an opportunity to turn inward and share more personal aspects of your character and journey. Our more in-depth essay advice follows.

[b]Essay 1: How will the Booth MBA help you achieve your immediate and long-term post-MBA career goals? (250 word minimum, no maximum)[/b]

If this essay prompt seems rather simplistic and straightforward, that is because it is. Chicago Booth is requesting very fundamental—yet incredibly important—information and really just wants you to provide it so the school can understand your motivation for pursuing an MBA from its program and where you expect to go in your career afterward. Be as specific as possible in your description of where you see yourself after graduation and several years down the line, from the industry and role to any additional details about which you currently feel confident (perhaps specific companies or responsibilities that appeal to you in particular). Explain what has brought you to this point in your professional life, not only your career progression to date but also what has inspired you to earn an advanced degree as a vital tool in moving forward. And ideally, take the extra step of noting which of the program’s resources you believe will be most helpful to you in your pursuits. To be effective, this needs to be more than a passing mention, so do your research on the school and draw a clear picture for your admissions reader as to how and why the particular offerings you have identified relate directly to your needs and how you intend to apply them.

This essay includes many of the most elemental components of a traditional personal statement essay. We therefore encourage you to download your free copy of the [b][url=https://shop.mbamission.com/products/personal-statement-guide]mbaMission Personal Statement Guide[/url][/b], in which we provide much more in-depth guidance on how to consider and respond to these sorts of questions, along with numerous illustrative examples. Please feel free to download your complimentary copy today.

And for a thorough exploration of the Chicago Booth academic program, unique offerings, social life, and other key characteristics and resources, download a free copy of the [b][url=https://shop.mbamission.com/products/university-of-chicago-booth-school-of-business-insider-s-guide]mbaMission Insider’s Guide to the University of Chicago Booth School of Business[/url][/b].

[b]Essay 2: Chicago Booth immerses you in a choice-rich environment. How have your interests, leadership experiences, and other passions influenced the choices in your life? (250 word minimum, no maximum)[/b]

Although Chicago Booth asks about your “interests, leadership experiences, and other passions,” the admissions committee does not expect you to check all of these figurative boxes. Instead of focusing on each of these aspects and trying to formulate a response that would fit one, invert your approach by taking a step back from the question and reflecting on how you have arrived at where you are today, both personally and professionally. What has led you to this point in your life and/or career? What has been your primary motivation? In considering your path to date with this mind-set, you should be able to easily identify inflection points that fall within the scope of the “interests, leadership experiences, and other passions” that have shaped you.

You should know that no specific interest, leadership experience, or passion is either “right” or “wrong.” What will make your response powerful is identifying the actual influences in your life and writing about them with sincerity. And you must go beyond simply stating an interest/experience/passion—to truly convey authenticity, you will need to present your experiences in a narrative form. By giving your essay a voice and allowing your reader to visualize how your influences manifest, you will be on the road to a sincere essay.

As we often do, we suggest skipping a long introduction and launching directly into your narrative. Immersing the admissions reader in your story right away is a good way to capture their attention. If you have a single, very strong core narrative, you might start by sharing the emergence of your passion in your first paragraph(s) and then describing its manifestation in the later one(s). For example, if you were a particularly outdoorsy youth and are now a leader in your position as a product developer at The North Face, this approach could reveal a clear cause and effect. If, however, you have a portfolio of formative experiences, you might strive to reveal this cause-and-effect relationship between passion and manifestation two or even three times within your essay. The permutations are many, but our point is that your best chance of standing out comes from revealing how a particular aspect of your life (or more than one) blossomed over time into something more and has helped create the person you are today.

[b]Optional Question: Is there any unclear information in your application that needs further explanation? (300 word maximum)[/b]

Chicago Booth’s optional essay prompt is a little quirky in that the admissions committee uses the word “unclear,” which to us sounds like a more direct way of saying, “Don’t share additional information just to ‘sell’ your candidacy, but use this space only to address a problem area.” So let us be especially clear: however tempted you may be, do not use this space to simply share a strong essay you wrote for another school or offer a few anecdotes you were unable to share in your required essays. This is your opportunity to address—if you need to—any lingering questions that an admissions officer might have about your candidacy, such as a low GMAT or GRE score, a poor grade or overall GPA, or a gap in your work experience. For more guidance, we encourage you to download your free copy of our [url=https://shop.mbamission.com/products/mbamission-optional-essays-guide][b]mbaMission Optional Essays Guide[/b][/url], in which we offer detailed advice on when and how to take advantage of the optional essay, with multiple examples, to help you mitigate any problem areas in your application.

[b]Reapplicant Question: Upon reflection, how has your perspective regarding your future, Chicago Booth, and/or getting an MBA changed since the time of your last application? (300 word maximum)[/b]

[b]Response Guidelines: We trust that you will use your best judgment in determining how long your submission should be, but we recommend that you think strategically about how to best allocate the space.[/b]

With this essay question, Chicago Booth is testing your resolve and your reasoning. We surmise that the school wants to be certain you are not just stubbornly following a path and trying to “finish what you started,” so to speak, but that you have truly reassessed your needs in the aftermath of your unfortunate rejection. We recommend that you discuss your subsequent growth and development as they pertain to additional personal and professional discovery, which validates your need for an MBA. In the interim, some of your interests or goals may have changed—that is not a bad thing, and the admissions committee will not automatically assume that you are “wishy-washy,” unless you give them good reason to do so. Just be sure that any of your goals that have changed still logically connect to your overall story and desire for an MBA. Your aspirations—new or original—need to represent a compelling progression of the growth you have achieved in the past year.   

[b]The Next Step—Mastering Your Chicago Booth Interview:[/b] Many MBA candidates find admissions interviews stressful and intimidating, but mastering this important element of the application process is definitely possible—the key is informed preparation. And, on your way to this high level of preparation, we offer our [b][url=https://shop.mbamission.com/collections/interview-primers]free Interview Guides[/url][/b] to spur you along! Download your free copy of the [b][url=https://shop.mbamission.com/products/chicago-booth-school-of-business-interview-guide]Chicago Booth School of Business Interview Guide[/url][/b] today.
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On-the-Job Performance: Taking Action on Feedback  [#permalink] The mbaMission Blog   02 Jul 2020, 09:00
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FROM mbaMission Blog: On-the-Job Performance: Taking Action on Feedback 
As many of you begin internships or full-time roles, we encourage you to proactively seek feedback and evaluate your performance. Doing so will help you build new skills, demonstrate a desire to grow, and solidify your reputation within your organization as a high-potential person.

When seeking to improve your performance, probe your supervisor and coworkers to get specific feedback (a few tactical approaches are included in this [b][url=https://www.mbamission.com/blog/2015/04/14/mba-career-advice-turn-a-disparaging-comment-into-usable-feedback/]blog post[/url][/b]), and then unpack and act on that feedback as outlined below:

[list]
[*][b]Diagnose[/b] the severity, cause, and implications of each problem identified by your colleagues. Ask yourself the following questions:
[list]
[*]Why is this a problem/obstacle at work?  [/*]
[*]How does this issue play out in a negative way? [/*]
[*]Why do you want to improve in this area? [/*]
[*]Is this a real or perceived problem? Who within your organization observes it? Who thinks it is a problem?[/*]
[/list]
[/*]
[*][b]Evaluate[/b] the problem to understand why you are unable to behave as you (or others) desire. Ask yourself the following questions:
[list]
[*]Do you know when you are exhibiting the behavior? If so, what is going on at that moment? How do you feel when the behavior is happening?[/*]
[*]Can you pinpoint (or hypothesize) why you are exhibiting the behavior? [/*]
[*]Is a lack of training or something else blocking your success? [/*]
[/list]
[/*]
[*][b]Brainstorm and experiment[/b] with new tactics to improve your behavior. Seek advice from colleagues who excel in your problem areas or who have a long tenure at the company. Ask yourself the following questions:
[list]
[*]What behaviors are most valued by this organization?[/*]
[*]How does this person improve their performance/internalize feedback? [/*]
[*]What is this person’s perception when you exhibit a problematic behavior? [/*]
[*]Does this person have any suggestions for you to change this behavior?[/*]
[*]What resources/training exist within the organization to help you build skills to overcome this problem? [/*]
[/list]
[/*]
[/list]
Here is a simplified, real-world example of implementing the above steps to address an employee’s lack of concise communication in meetings:

[list]
[*][b]Diagnose[/b][b]:[/b] This problem is noticeable because the audience stops listening, which lowers the employee’s credibility within the firm and inhibits their ability to influence others effectively. [/*]
[*][b]Evaluate[/b][b]: [/b]This employee’s excessive talking happens most frequently in meetings when the employee does not fully understand the question asked by a colleague or internal stakeholder. [/*]
[*][b]Brainstorm and experiment[/b][b]:[/b] The employee should try new tactics and then reflect on their success. Here are some potential tactics for this employee:
[list]
[*]Observe other employees’ communication styles—both before and during meetings. [/*]
[*]Anticipate questions. Before the meeting, talk with attendees about their areas of concern regarding the topic you are presenting. Prepare answers to these questions. [/*]
[*]Seek clarification. During the meeting, ask for clarification on questions causing you confusion before you answer them. [/*]
[/list]
[/*]
[/list]
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Explore Virtual MBA Admissions Events Hosted by Top Business Schools [#permalink] The mbaMission Blog   03 Jul 2020, 09:00
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FROM mbaMission Blog: Explore Virtual MBA Admissions Events Hosted by Top Business Schools
Are you interested in earning your MBA at a top program? Below, we at mbaMission present a list of MBA programs and their various events, which feature application workshops, information sessions, virtual chats, and more! For many programs, more targeted offerings are available, such as sessions on diversity, career-focused seminars, workshops for women in business, and LGBTQ+ events.

If you do not see your target program on the list, email us at [email=info@mbamission.com]info@mbamission.com[/email]. We will do our best to add relevant information for the program and keep this page up to date.

Are you looking for events focused on improving your MBA application? Each month, mbaMission offers a number of free business school workshops—covering such topics as essay writing, interview prep, choosing the right business school, assessing your MBA profile, and more. [url=https://www.mbamission.com/resources/events/]Click here[/url] to view our current event lineup and enroll today!

[b]Virtual MBA Admissions Events by Business School/Organization[/b]

[list]
[*]Berkeley Haas: [url=https://mba.haas.berkeley.edu/admissions/upcoming-events]https://mba.haas.berkeley.edu/admissions/upcoming-events[/url][/*]
[*]Carnegie Mellon Tepper: [url=https://www.cmu.edu/tepper/programs/mba/admissions/attend-admissions-events/index.html]https://www.cmu.edu/tepper/programs/mba/admissions/attend-admissions-events/index.html[/url][/*]
[*]Columbia Business School: [url=https://www8.gsb.columbia.edu/programs/mba/admissions/events]https://www8.gsb.columbia.edu/programs/mba/admissions/events[/url][/*]
[*]Cornell Johnson: [url=https://www.johnson.cornell.edu/programs/full-time-mba/admissions/events/]https://www.johnson.cornell.edu/programs/full-time-mba/admissions/events/[/url][/*]
[*]Dartmouth Tuck: [url=https://www.tuck.dartmouth.edu/admissions/online-events]https://www.tuck.dartmouth.edu/admissions/online-events[/url][/*]
[*]Duke Fuqua: [url=https://www.fuqua.duke.edu/virtual-events#/]https://www.fuqua.duke.edu/virtual-events#/[/url][/*]
[*]Emory Goizueta: [url=https://goizueta.emory.edu/engagement/full-time-mba-events]https://goizueta.emory.edu/engagement/full-time-mba-events[/url][/*]
[*]Harvard Business School: [url=https://www.hbs.edu/mba/admissions/admissions-events/Pages/default.aspx]https://www.hbs.edu/mba/admissions/admissions-events/Pages/default.aspx[/url][/*]
[*]Michigan Ross: [url=https://michiganross.umich.edu/graduate/full-time-mba/admissions/events]https://michiganross.umich.edu/graduate/full-time-mba/admissions/events[/url][/*]
[*]MIT Sloan: [url=https://mitsloan.mit.edu/admissions-events]https://mitsloan.mit.edu/admissions-events[/url][/*]
[*]Northwestern Kellogg: [url=https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/programs/full-time-mba/admissions-events/virtual-events.aspx]https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/programs/full-time-mba/admissions-events/virtual-events.aspx[/url][/*]
[*]NYU Stern: [url=https://www.stern.nyu.edu/programs-admissions/full-time-mba/meet-with-us]https://www.stern.nyu.edu/programs-admissions/full-time-mba/meet-with-us[/url][/*]
[*]Stanford Graduate School of Business: [url=https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/programs/mba/admission/events]https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/programs/mba/admission/events[/url][/*]
[*]Texas McCombs: [url=https://www.mccombs.utexas.edu/MBA/Events]https://www.mccombs.utexas.edu/MBA/Events[/url][/*]
[*]UCLA Anderson: [url=https://www.anderson.ucla.edu/degrees/full-time-mba/admissions/events]https://www.anderson.ucla.edu/degrees/full-time-mba/admissions/events[/url][/*]
[*]UNC Kenan-Flagler: [url=https://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/events/?programs=mba-ft]https://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/events/?programs=mba-ft[/url][/*]
[*]USC Marshall: [url=https://www.marshall.usc.edu/programs/mba-programs/full-time-mba/admissions/events]https://www.marshall.usc.edu/programs/mba-programs/full-time-mba/admissions/events[/url][/*]
[*]Virginia Darden: [url=https://www.darden.virginia.edu/mba/events]https://www.darden.virginia.edu/mba/events[/url][/*]
[*]Washington Foster: [url=https://foster.uw.edu/academics/degree-programs/full-time-mba/admissions-events/]https://foster.uw.edu/academics/degree-programs/full-time-mba/admissions-events/[/url][/*]
[*]Wharton: [url=https://mba.wharton.upenn.edu/events/]https://mba.wharton.upenn.edu/events/[/url][/*]
[*]Yale School of Management: [url=https://som.yale.edu/programs/mba/admissions/events]https://som.yale.edu/programs/mba/admissions/events[/url][/*]
[*]*Seasonal (The MBA Tour) : [url=https://thembatour.com/events-calendar/]https://thembatour.com/events-calendar/[/url][/*]
[*]*Seasonal (ROMBA Conference): [url=https://www.reachingoutmba.org/romba-conference]https://www.reachingoutmba.org/romba-conference[/url][/*]
[/list]
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Avoiding Getting Multiple GMAT Questions Wrong in a Row [#permalink] The mbaMission Blog   04 Jul 2020, 08:00
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FROM mbaMission Blog: Avoiding Getting Multiple GMAT Questions Wrong in a Row
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.

“How do I make sure I don’t get more than two, three, or four questions wrong in a row?”

Students ask this all the time—they have heard that GMAT scoring penalizes us for getting a lot of questions wrong in a row.

This is true, to some extent. The GMAT test writers prioritize steady performance over the length of the entire test, so they have built safeguards into the algorithm to ensure that if, for example, we spend too much time early on, we will get penalized for running out of time at the end.

So… how do I avoid getting multiple questions wrong in a row?

People will say something like, “I am pretty sure I got the last two wrong—I just outright guessed on the last one. Now, how do I make sure I get the next one right?”

You cannot. You can never “make sure” that you get any particular question right. If you could… well, then you would not need any help, right? Nobody on the planet, not even the best test takers, can guarantee that they are going to answer any particular question correctly.

What do I do when I know I have just gotten a couple of questions wrong?

You are going to hate my answer: you ignore it. Do not even think about it in the first place.

You likely hate that answer because you feel that you have no control—and you are right. We cannot control this at all. That is why we should not waste a single second thinking about it. Try the question in front of you for some reasonable amount of time. If you just cannot do it in the expected time frame, find a way to make a guess and move on.

Spending more time (more than the rough average) does not actually increase the chances that you will get something right!

But then, how do I get better?

Expect that you are not going to be able to answer everything.

Know how to make an educated guess wherever possible.

Acknowledge when a problem just is not going your way, and, when needed, make a random guess without wasting a single second longer.

Change your response to the thought “I have to get this one right.” Have you already read this article: But I studied this – I should know how to do it!? If so, then you will remember that we talk about changing your response to the “but!” feeling. (If not, go read the article right now.)

The same thing applies here. When you find yourself thinking, “Oh, I need to get this one right!,” change your reaction. Instead of spending extra time and stressing yourself out, tell yourself, “I cannot guarantee anything. If I can do this one in regular time, great. If not, I will guess without losing time on it and move on.”
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MBA Admissions Myths Destroyed: Do Alumni Connections Help Get You Adm [#permalink] The mbaMission Blog   05 Jul 2020, 08:00
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FROM mbaMission Blog: MBA Admissions Myths Destroyed: Do Alumni Connections Help Get You Admitted?
From time to time, we at mbaMission visit admissions officers at the top-ranked business schools, which gives us the opportunity to ask rather frank questions. On one such visit, we urged an admissions officer to give us the truth about the extent of alumni influence in the admissions process, and the response we got was rather surprising: “We get ten letters each year from [a globally famous alumnus], telling us that this or that MBA candidate is the greatest thing since sliced bread. He gets upset when we don’t admit ‘his’ applicants, but what makes him think that he deserves to decide ten spots in our class?”

Many applicants fret about their lack of personal alumni connection with their target schools, and the myth persists that admission to business school is about who you know rather than who you are or what you can offer. Of course, these latter qualities are much more important, and a standout applicant who knows no graduates at all from the MBA program they are targeting is still a standout applicant and should get in—just as a weak applicant who knows a large number of alumni or a particularly well-known graduate is still a weak applicant and should not get in. Clearly, some extreme exceptions exist where influence can be exerted, but “standard” applicants do not need to worry that every seat at the top programs has already been claimed by someone with good connections.

Keep in mind that the admissions committees want to ensure that a diversity of ideas and experiences is represented in the classroom. Every top MBA class includes people from various socioeconomic backgrounds, nationalities, religions, professional backgrounds, ages, and so on. Harvard Business School, for example, has approximately 900 students in each incoming class, and the vast majority of these students do not personally know a CEO or the president of a country. And who knows—these days, such connections could even be a liability.
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London Business School Essay Analysis, 2020–2021 [#permalink] The mbaMission Blog   06 Jul 2020, 08:00
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FROM mbaMission Blog: London Business School Essay Analysis, 2020–2021

Like many top MBA programs this year, London Business School (LBS) has elected to make no changes to its application essay prompts. Except for some slight variations in phrasing and allowed word count, the school has been posing these same questions since 2015, so we presume they have proved effective in providing the additional information about the school’s candidates that the admissions committee seeks. Although LBS strictly requires only one essay—one that largely constitutes a traditional personal statement—you may want to seriously consider submitting the optional essay as well if you feel that doing so will facilitate a fairer or more thorough evaluation of your candidacy. In our analysis, we offer our advice on crafting your approach, whether you ultimately decide to craft just one submission for LBS or two.

Question  1: What are your post-MBA goals and how will your prior experience and the London Business School programme contribute towards these? (500 words)

As we have noted, LBS’s required essay covers several basic elements of a traditional personal statement. You will need to show that you have a long-term vision for yourself and your career and that you have a clear plan for how to get there via the LBS MBA program. The basic assumptions, of course, are that business school is the next logical and necessary step in your progress and that you need to pursue your degree at LBS in particular, because the school provides specific experiences, knowledge, skills, exposure, and/or other elements that are necessary for you to attain your aspirations and thrive in your chosen career. Ideally, you have already researched the program thoroughly to discover these important resources and areas of fit, but if not, do not skip this important step and/or refer only to basic offerings most business schools have. Your essay must be LBS specific. Demonstrating your authentic interest in the program by giving concrete examples and drawing clear connections between what the school offers, what you need, and who you are is key to crafting a compelling essay response here.

Because 500 words is not a lot, avoid going into excessive detail about your past, though you will need to offer enough information to provide context and support for your stated goals. Given this essay’s significant overlap with a standard personal statement, we encourage you to download your free copy of the mbaMission Personal Statement Guide. In this complimentary guide, we present a much more detailed discussion of how to approach and craft this kind of essay, along with multiple illustrative examples.

Question 2 (Optional): Is there any other information you believe the Admissions Committee should know about you and your application to London Business School? (500 words)

Applicants typically use the optional essay to explain confusing or problematic elements of their candidacy—a poor grade or GPA, a low GMAT or GRE score, a gap in work experience, etc.—and LBS’s can certainly be used this way. If you feel you need to clarify an aspect of your profile, first check the other parts of the school’s application, which already includes several opportunities to address certain issues (such as academic performance and disciplinary instances). If you can discuss your concern elsewhere instead, do so, and avoid using this essay to simply repeat any information provided via that avenue. If you have a problem to address that is not mentioned in the LBS application, we suggest downloading a copy of the mbaMission Optional Essays Guide, which is also available for free, and in which we offer detailed advice on deciding whether to take advantage of the optional essay and, if so, how to do so to effectively mitigate any concerning elements of your application.

If you do not feel that your candidacy includes any elements that need further clarification, however, you might use this essay to instead offer a more rounded, positive representation of yourself—but be thoughtful about this opportunity. Do not just copy and paste an existing essay you wrote for a different school here and hope for the best. Take a step back and carefully consider what the admissions committee already knows about you from the other parts of your application, including, of course, your required essay. Then, do your utmost to develop and convey a narrative that is truly crucial to understanding your character. Because this question is so open-ended, your options are somewhat limitless. You will need to honestly check your instincts and ask yourself whether you are simply tacking something extra onto your application with this essay or whether you are offering something that is truly additive and would be helpful for the school to know to fully and fairly evaluate you. Be mindful and respectful of the admissions committee’s time, and remember that each additional file you submit requires more resources on behalf of the admissions office, so whatever you write must be truly worthwhile and clearly reveal that you made good use of this opportunity to provide further insight into your candidacy.

Business schools outside the United States are increasingly popular among MBA hopefuls, and we at mbaMission are proud to offer our latest publications: International Program Guides. In these snapshots we discuss core curriculums, elective courses, locations, school facilities, rankings, and more. Click here to download your free copy of the London Business School Program Guide.

The Next Step—Mastering Your LBS Interview: Many MBA candidates find admissions interviews stressful and intimidating, but mastering this important element of the application process is definitely possible—the key is informed preparation. And, on your way to this high level of preparation, we offer our free Interview Guides to spur you along! Download your free copy of the London Business School Interview Guide today.
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Pluralize Nouns and Vary Sentence Length in Your MBA Application Essay [#permalink] The mbaMission Blog   08 Jul 2020, 09:00
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FROM mbaMission Blog: Pluralize Nouns and Vary Sentence Length in Your MBA Application Essays
One way to conserve words in your MBA application essays and short-answer responses is by pluralizing nouns whenever possible. Singular words often require an article such as “a,” “an,” or “the.” These words can add unnecessarily to your word count, thereby cluttering your page without contributing to your argument or style. Consider the following example:

“A manager with an MBA can ascend the corporate ladder faster than a manager who lacks an MBA.” (18 words)

Now consider this version, in which many of the singular nouns have been pluralized:

“Managers with MBAs can ascend the corporate ladder faster than managers without MBAs.” (13 words)

As you can see, both sentences present the same idea, but one sentence is five words shorter than the other. Given that essays can include dozens or even hundreds of sentences, pluralizing wherever possible is helpful in meeting word count requirements and decluttering the text.

Although decluttering your essays is important, ensure that all of your sentences are not the same length. Many business school applicants use medium-length sentences (like this one) in their essays. Few use short sentences (like this one). Likewise, few use long sentences in their essays, even though long sentences (like this one) can often play a useful role in an essay’s structure and story.

Confused? Consider the following example:

“At XYZ Inc., I was the manager in charge of leading a team of 12 staff members. Included in my team were four engineers, four marketing professionals, and four market analysts. Our goal was to develop a new thingamajig within six months. We worked really hard over the six months and succeeded. The new thingamajig is now on the market and is selling well. As a result of my efforts, I was promoted to vice president.”

All these sentences have approximately the same number of words and the same rhythm/cadence, making the paragraph fairly boring to read. Nothing changes—the structure just repeats itself over and over again, with one medium-length sentence following another medium-length sentence.

Now consider this example:*

“At XYZ Inc., I was the manager in charge of leading a thingamajig development team of 12 staff members, four of whom were engineers, four were marketing professionals, and four were market analysts. We had just six months to launch our new product. The team worked really hard and succeeded, and the new thingamajig is now on the market, where it is selling well. As a result of my efforts, I was promoted to vice president.”

The sentences in this paragraph are varied—the first is quite long, the second is very short, the third is medium-long, and the fourth is medium-short. Sentence variety makes for a much more interesting read, and one very short sentence in the middle of some longer ones can provide precisely the kind of contrast and drama that MBA application essays so often need.

*Please note that this is a simplified example for illustration purposes. If this were an actual essay, we would encourage the applicant to offer greater insight into their experience launching the product.
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University of California Los Angeles Anderson Essay Analysis, 2020–202 [#permalink] The mbaMission Blog   09 Jul 2020, 12:00
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FROM mbaMission Blog: University of California Los Angeles Anderson Essay Analysis, 2020–2021
[url=https://www.mbamission.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/UCLA-Anderson-New-Logo-2019.png][img]https://www.mbamission.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/UCLA-Anderson-New-Logo-2019-300x63.png[/img][/url]
We are living in complex, interesting times, and the changes the UCLA Anderson School of Management has made to its application essay questions this year appear to derive from that. The school is requiring applicants to provide just one essay, rather than two, but its new single question drills much deeper than its more traditional “long- and short-term career goals” and “community fit” prompts from last season did, asking candidates to discuss an effect the events of the past year have had on them. In addition, the admissions committee has slashed its maximum word count yet again, from 550 total to a mere 250 (versus 800 in 2018), meaning that applicants must be concise and direct in their response and leaving no space for extended philosophical expositions or analysis. Candidates might therefore be tempted to use the school’s optional essay to squeeze in more information about themselves, but they must be prudent about doing so because Anderson very clearly states that this submission is for “extenuating circumstances” only. Read on for our full analysis.

[b]Required Essay: How have events of the past year influenced the impact you would like to make in your community, career, or both? (250 words maximum)[/b]

Oh, boy. Countless books could be written about the repercussions and fallout of everything that has occurred in the past 12 months. And Anderson is asking you to distill your thoughts on it all down to just 250 words. Where do you even start?

In an email the admissions department sent out about its new essay prompt, it states, “The events you discuss could be anything in your personal or professional life, or in the broader society,” and the school’s [b][url=https://www.anderson.ucla.edu/degrees/full-time-mba/admissions/requirements#essay]application requirements page[/url][/b] confirms, “We welcome reflection on any events that influenced you in your personal or professional lives, or in society in general.” So, you are not restricted to choosing just a single event, nor must you focus on only those you suspect are most prominent in people’s minds, but rather on those that have most significantly affected or resonated with you personally. This might therefore include a situation or incident that the media (news or social) has never mentioned and that relates exclusively to your life. Do not feel that the admissions committee is expecting you to weigh in on any specific occurrence or development that has been widely covered in the public eye and will therefore view you as uncaring or out of touch if you do not. Anderson is seeking to get to know you better as an individual and to get an idea of what inspires and motivates you, why, and in what way. To successfully provide this information, you need to be authentic and sincere.

Selecting the most relevant events is only half the equation, though, if not less. Anderson is even more interested in hearing about how these events have altered, inspired, or otherwise contributed to your aspirations for the future. In the aforementioned admissions email, candidates are encouraged to read the school’s new brochure in preparing to write their essay. The brochure asserts, “At UCLA Anderson, we’re not content with how things are; instead, we look to the future to discover and chart what will be,” and adds, “Our faculty and students provoke new thinking and experimentation with bold ideas.” Clearly, Anderson seeks individuals who want to have an impact on the world around them and effect positive change. The specific events you choose to write about are not as important as the subsequent effect they have had on your viewpoints and goals.

In your essay, then, you will need to clearly convey what your chosen events taught or revealed to you and then show a direct connection between these insights and how you now plan to interact with the world. Anderson wants to see that you are thoughtful, reflective, and motivated. You do not need to have a set plan in place for achieving your goals just yet (ideally, Anderson will play a central role in helping you do so), but you do need to have—and communicate—a concrete vision of the result you hope to facilitate. What kind of impact do you aspire to have, on whom, to what end?

[b]Optional: Are there any extenuating circumstances in your profile about which the Admissions committee should be aware. (250 words maximum)[/b]

Anderson’s option essay is your opportunity—if needed—to address any lingering questions that an admissions officer might have about your candidacy, such as a poor grade or overall GPA, a low GMAT or GRE score, or a gap in your work experience. Do not simply try to fill this space because you fear that not doing so would somehow count against you. The admissions committee states very clearly on its application requirements page, “No preference is given in the evaluation process to those who choose to respond to this optional essay, so please use your best judgment.” So, no matter how tempted you might be, this is not the place to reuse a strong essay you wrote for a different school or to offer an anecdote or two that you were unable to include in your required essay. However, if you truly feel that you must emphasize or explain something that would render your application incomplete if omitted, write a very brief piece on this key aspect of your profile. But before you do, we suggest downloading your free copy of the [b][url=https://shop.mbamission.com/products/mbamission-optional-essays-guide]mbaMission Optional Essays Guide[/url][/b], in which we offer detailed advice on deciding whether to take advantage of the optional essay and how best to do so (with multiple sample essays), if needed.

[b]Reapplicant Essay(s): (For applicants who applied for the MBA program in the previous two application years.) Reapplicants may answer one or both of the essay questions above as options, and they must provide additional updates within text boxes given in the application for any new test scores, career developments, or other changes since their last application.[/b]

Rather than asking reapplicants to provide an update on their candidacy and reassert their interest in Anderson’s MBA program, this year, the school is inviting them to write either or both of the essays first-time applicants will submit. This seems to underscore the importance of the new required essay question and the admissions committee’s interest in learning about this aspect of their candidates’ character.

[b]The Next Step—Mastering Your UCLA Anderson Interview: [/b]Many MBA candidates find admissions interviews stressful and intimidating, but mastering this important element of the application process is definitely possible—the key is informed preparation. We therefore offer our free [url=https://shop.mbamission.com/collections/interview-guides][b]Interview Guides[/b][/url] to spur you along! Download your free copy of the [url=https://shop.mbamission.com/products/ucla-anderson-interview-guide][b]UCLA Anderson Interview Guides[/b][/url] today.
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Professor Profiles: Rawi Abdelal, Harvard Business School [#permalink] The mbaMission Blog   10 Jul 2020, 12:00
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FROM mbaMission Blog: Professor Profiles: Rawi Abdelal, 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 profile Rawi Abdelal from Harvard Business School (HBS).

Rawi Abdelal is the Herbert F. Johnson Professor of International Management and the director of Harvard’s Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies. In addition to teaching, he serves as a faculty associate for such groups as Harvard’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs and the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies.

His first book, National Purpose in the World Economy: Post-Soviet States in Comparative Perspective (Cornell University Press, 2001), won the 2002 Shulman Prize for outstanding monograph dealing with the international relations, foreign policy, or foreign-policy decision making of any former Soviet Union or Eastern European state. In 2016, Abdelal was granted the HBS One Harvard Faculty Fellowship, and in 2013, he received the Robert F. Greenhill Award, given to outstanding members of the HBS community who are making significant contributions to the school. Moreover, in 2004, he was awarded the Student Association’s Faculty Award for outstanding teaching in the required curriculum.

Abdelal is a student favorite, we were told by those we interviewed, because of his willingness to spend time with students outside the classroom (even those who are not in his section), explaining macroeconomic concepts that can be difficult to grasp. He is also known for incorporating unusual references from literature and popular culture into his class discussions. He has made allusions to Shakespeare, the movie Fight Club, and even rapper Jay-Z’s song “Blue Magic” to help explain complex topics.

For more information about HBS and 16 other top-ranked business schools, check out our free mbaMission Insider’s Guides.
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Should I Consider Chicago Booth and Wharton for Marketing? [#permalink] The mbaMission Blog   11 Jul 2020, 08:00
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FROM mbaMission Blog: Should I Consider Chicago Booth and Wharton for Marketing?
You may be surprised to learn that the University of Chicago Booth School of Business is making inroads into an area that its crosstown rival (Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management) is known to dominate: marketing. Through the James M. Kilts Center for Marketing—named for the Chicago Booth alumnus who was formerly CEO of Gillette and Nabisco (and is now a partner at Centerview Partners, which he co-founded)—Chicago Booth offers students roughly ten marketing electives. In particular, the school is growing its experiential opportunities in the marketing field, with students taking part in marketing management labs (semester-long consulting projects) at companies that in the past have included Abbott Laboratories, Bank of America, and Honeywell International. Further, professors in the department saw opportunities for increased practical involvement and created “hybrid” classes such as “Marketing Research Lab” and “Lab in Developing New Products and Services” that involve a lecture component but also allow students to work on shorter-term consulting projects. In addition, students can apply for Marketing Fellowships, which provide scholarship funds and a two-year mentoring relationship, or the Kilts Scholar Program, which is available to second-year students and offers tuition support in addition to recognition for academic achievement.

Another potentially overlooked destination for marketing-driven MBA applicants is the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, which might be best known for its reputation in finance (as its original name, the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce, would imply). Nevertheless, the school prides itself on the breadth and depth of its expertise in a multitude of business areas.

For instance, consider these facts about Wharton’s highly regarded marketing program:

  • Wharton has “the largest, most cited, and most published marketing faculty in the world,” according to the marketing department’s website.
  • The school’s marketing department was ranked #2 in the 2021 S. News & World Report MBA rankings by specialty.
  • A Wharton marketing professor developed conjoint analysis, a tool that has helped shape 20th century marketing practices.
  • The Wharton Marketing Conference brings together approximately 300 students, faculty members, alumni, and leading marketing experts to explore various themes central to the industry. The latest conference—held in October 2019 with the theme “Marketing at the Center of Business: Innovation, Creation, Disruption”—featured keynote speeches by the chief brand officer of Procter & Gamble. Panelists and speakers hailed from such companies as Colgate Palmolive, Google, PepsiCo, and Glowbar.
Indeed, to dismiss Wharton as simply a finance school would be a mistake.

For a thorough exploration of what Chicago Booth, UPenn Wharton, and other top business schools have to offer, check out our free mbaMission Insider’s Guides.
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What NOT to Read on GMAT Reading Comprehension Passages [#permalink] The mbaMission Blog   12 Jul 2020, 09:00
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FROM mbaMission Blog: What NOT to Read on GMAT Reading Comprehension Passages
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.

Ironically, to do a great job on Reading Comprehension (RC) on the GMAT, we actually have to learn what NOT to read. So many people struggle with what and how to read, but a big part of the battle is knowing what you can skim or skip!

I am going to give you a quick overview of what I mean by “what NOT to read,” and then I am going to point you to some resources containing full examples of the technique.

Learn the Process

First, read the introduction entitled How to Read a Reading Comp Passage. (Hint: Take some notes! You are going to be trying this out on a real passage in a few minutes.)

Next, you are going to try a couple of examples; one contains a Manhattan Prep passage, and one contains an Official Guide (OG) passage.

When you do the exercises, keep a few things in mind:

(1) Look for language clues that help distinguish between “high level” and “detail.” You want to read the “high level” information and skim or skip the “detail.” The “detail” clues tend to be more obvious: for example, for instance, one type of something, and so on.

(2) The bigger the words get, the more likely we will want to skim. They are going to use technical language, but that language will almost certainly be described in easier words at some other point—ignore the technical stuff and go look for that easier description.

(3) Despite #2, we are still expected to have a decent vocabulary. If you run across an unknown-to-you word that is not otherwise defined, then you are forewarned: learn this vocabulary word before you take the GMAT.

Test It Out!

All right, let us try some examples. I am going to have you do the Manhattan Prep example first. Once you think you have mastered that, then try the OG example.

Also, if you have access to Manhattan Prep’s OG Archer study tool, I have posted a video discussion of the passage used in the article to which I linked. Try it yourself first (using the article), but you then might want to reinforce the lesson by watching the video.
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Will I Get In? And If I Do, Will I Want to Attend After All? [#permalink] The mbaMission Blog   14 Jul 2020, 08:00
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FROM mbaMission Blog: Will I Get In? And If I Do, Will I Want to Attend After All?
Not surprisingly, one of the most common questions we receive from MBA candidates is “Will I get in?” Of course, this is an important question to consider before applying, and we suggest that you honestly assess and understand your candidacy and risk profile within the context of your target school’s typical student body before completing or submitting an application to that school. However, once you have determined that you will in fact apply to a particular school, you should not let this question haunt you or halt your progress. Many applicants spend too much time worrying and not enough time working. Your admissions decision is ultimately out of your control, so just focus on submitting the best application you possibly can.

The following scenario may be hard for you to imagine when you are still in the midst of applying to business schools, but every year, we at mbaMission see clients get accepted to an MBA program only to realize it is not a place they actually want to attend after all. Alternatively, we occasionally see applicants who are not accepted to any school and realize they must remain in a job they were more than ready to leave.

So, how do some candidates end up in these kinds of situations? In both of these scenarios, the applicants chose and applied to schools without first taking an honest look at their candidacy, goals, and alternatives. We encourage all applicants to very thoroughly consider where their true tipping point lies in terms of attending business school. At what point would not going to school be better than going to X school? Some candidates feel that if they do not go to Harvard Business School, they may as well not go to business school at all. Others believe they must attend a school in the top ten. Still others think, “I really hope to go to a top ten program, but I’ll be happy to attend any top-30 school.” Having a frank discussion with yourself (or perhaps with us) on this topic may help you pinpoint where this cutoff point is for you.

Start by researching all the MBA programs at which you believe you would be competitive, and then organize them into three clusters: dream schools, reasonable schools, and safer schools. Next, further investigate the schools you deemed “reasonable” and “safer,” and as you do so, ask yourself, “Would I rather be at this school next year or not be in school at all?” Essentially, we are suggesting that you imagine your worst-case scenario—not getting into any of your dream schools—and decide what you would do in that situation.

Then, in addition to applying to your dream programs, apply only to those reasonable and safer schools for which you felt going would be preferable to not attending any MBA program at all. This way, you can avoid finding yourself in either of the situations we described at the beginning of this post and instead will be well positioned to embrace the choices you ultimately have.
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