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28 Aug 2021, 08:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: Two Boston-Based MBAs: Public and Nonprofit Management at Boston University and Core Values at Boston College |
 Since 1973, the Boston University (BU) Questrom School of Business (formerly the School of Management) has offered a Social Impact MBA (formerly the Public & Nonprofit Management MBA), specifically designed to cultivate business management skills that can make a real difference in the world. Standing at 28th among U.S. MBA programs in the The Economist’s 2021 rankings and sixth among the best MBA programs for nonprofit in the Princeton Review 2021 ranking, Questrom exposes Social Impact students to a robust general management core curriculum, mirroring that of the full-time MBA program, with one additional core course titled “Social Impact: Business, Society, and the Natural Environment.” Students in the Social Impact MBA program take ten elective courses, just like students in the full-time MBA program, but four of the ten must focus on social impact. Electives that fulfill the requirement include such courses as “Social Impact Seminar,” “Health Sector Issues and Opportunities,” “Environmentally Sustainable Supply Chains,” and “Starting New Ventures.” Nearby, at Boston College’s (BC’s) Carroll School of Management, students enjoy a close-knit classroom environment in which they gain exposure to broad management skills, with a particular emphasis on business ethics. Both the school’s curriculum and the student community engender a set of core values: “honesty,” “integrity,” “mutual respect,” “the relentless pursuit of excellence,” and “accountability to self and others.” In addition to, for example, taking three courses on data analytics, full-time MBA students at the Carroll School must complete a 20-hour community service requirement, which the school believes will help instill in its MBAs an appreciation for and a spirit of giving back to the community. These values are also reflected in the school’s core “Thinking Strategically: A Global Integrative Simulation” course, in which students learn to think critically about the challenges involved in business leadership. As one graduate commented in a past Bloomberg Businessweek profile of the Carroll School, “In the background of your core classes, and many electives, is a strong consideration on the moral and ethical dilemmas that often arise in the business world. I never felt that ‘morality’ was being pushed on us, but the consequences of each decision we make were always placed in front of us and we were left to make up our own mind.” |
30 Aug 2021, 08:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: To Keep or Cancel Your GMAT Scores? |
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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. The GMAT offers various kinds of flexibility around your decision to keep or cancel your GMAT scores—but also some restrictions. It is important to understand your options so that you make the best decision for you! How Does It Work? At the end of the test, you will be shown your scores (for everything except the essay), and you will then be asked whether you want to keep or cancel your GMAT scores. If you keep them, they will go on your official record. If you cancel them, they will not; the schools will not see those scores, nor will the schools even know that you took the test that day. Right at that moment, you will have two minutes to decide whether to keep or cancel your GMAT scores. Later, you can change your mind—but you will have to pay a fee to change the status of your scores. So let us first talk about how to make the best decision during those first two minutes. In short, you need to have an idea of what you would want to do before you even walk into the testing room. What Do Your Schools Want to See? First, what kind of program do you want? MBA programs generally care only about your highest score. Other kinds of programs, such as PhD programs, may look at all your scores. So it is important to find out how your schools are going to use the data. If you are applying to an MBA program, you can assume that they do not care if you take the test multiple times. They are just going to use your best score, and that is that. If you are applying to a PhD program or another type of master’s program, ask the schools directly whether they care about multiple tests and, if so, how they use the multiple data points. (By the way, for any school communication, I highly recommend attending one or more of the various MBA tours that travel around the country, giving you an opportunity to meet representatives from different schools. There are a bunch of different ones, some of which are tied to specific groups of people, such as women or other underrepresented groups. Ask your questions directly, make some connections, and get the ball rolling!) What Is Your Goal Score? Based on where you want to apply and how those schools use GMAT scores, you will come up with a goal score for yourself. Broadly speaking, you can classify the programs into one of three categories: —Safety. I am almost certain to be accepted to this school. —Regular. I have a good chance to get in, but it is not a certainty. —Reach. This school is a stretch, but hey, if I do not even apply, I definitely will not make it, right? So I will give it a shot. Your GMAT goal should be above the average for your safety schools and at least at the average for your regular schools. You may not be above average for the reach schools, but you would still ideally be within that school’s general range. For the purposes of this discussion, let us say that your goal score is a 650. What Is Your Minimum Acceptable Score? Your ideal goal is 650, but let us say that (based on your research) your minimum score is really a 620. You would still feel comfortable applying to your schools with that score. So, first, if you do hit a 620 or higher, you are not even going to think about canceling. You are good to go! What if you score a 610? Close enough. Keep it. 600? 580? 560…? See where I am going with this? At some point, the decision will switch to, “Nope, I am going to cancel this one.” Where is that point? Consider the Worst Possible Scenario Your ideal goal is 650. Your minimum is 620. But what if you just cannot score above 590? You do not want to take the test and score 590 and cancel, and then sign up again and get another 590 and cancel again, and then take it a third time and get a 550 because you are so stressed out… and now you have taken the test three times, and you have no score on your record at all. This scenario is even more likely for those who have really high goals. If someone really wants a 730 and keeps canceling 690 scores… that person might never make it to 730. (You can reinstate your canceled scores at a later date—but you are going to have to pay to do so. Let us minimize your expenditure here.) Know (More) about What the Schools Want Remember how I said that MBA programs do not really care if you take the test multiple times? For those programs, then, you do not actually have to cancel anything. They do not care. Just keep all your scores. I know most students will not be totally comfortable with this. I am going to try to change your mind, though. Anecdotally, we have heard that MBA programs, if anything, consider it a positive to see that you tried again. Let us say that a school’s average is 650. Your first score was a little under 650—say, 620 to 640. That is probably good enough, but you decide to go for it again because you want to hit that average, if possible. This could play out in a couple of ways: —You score 650+. Yay! You are at/above the average for that school! Your hard work paid off. —You increase your score a little but not all the way to the average. You are closer now, and you have signaled to the school that you were willing to try hard to succeed. They like to see that. —You drop below your initial score. You still keep the score to signal to the school that you were willing to keep trying. Yeah, it did drop, but so what; you still have your original (higher) score locked in. I would definitely keep the score in the first two scenarios. I also think it is worth it to keep the score in the third scenario, but I would understand if a student did not feel comfortable doing so (particularly if you knew you would take the test a third time). Final Advice: To Keep or Cancel Your GMAT Scores? So all of this leads me to this: —If you are applying for an MBA and you are okay with my recommendation just to keep everything, then keep your score no matter what. —If that idea makes you uneasy, then keep any score that is within 100 points of your minimum goal score. If you want a minimum score of 650, keep any score of 550 or higher. (If your ideal score is 650 but your minimum is 620, keep anything at 520 or higher.) Caveat: if your goal score is crazy high (e.g., you want a 780), keep anything within 150 points of your goal. I know, I know, a 630 is not anywhere near a 780. But less than 1% of the testing population hits a 780! That is super ambitious. Be really happy if you get there, but do not assume that anyone who just “studies enough” will get there. I Canceled, but Now I Am Thinking I Should Reinstate the Score… (or Vice Versa) As of this writing, here are the details for canceling or reinstating a score after you leave the testing center. (Note that any details, especially pricing, could change in the future—so check mba.com to make sure that nothing has changed.) If you keep your scores in the testing center but later decide that you want to cancel them, you have 72 hours to do so; after that, you cannot cancel your scores. You will have to pay a $25 fee. If you cancel in the testing center but later decide that you want to reinstate your scores, you can do so as long as the scores are still valid (they expire after five years). This will cost you $50. It costs less to cancel after the fact, but you have a time limit of 72 hours. If you are just not sure what to do in the testing center, I would recommend keeping the scores, then using the next day or two to think about what to do (and ask others that you trust for their opinion). Then, if you do decide to cancel, you will only have to pay $25 to do so. One Unusual Circumstance in Which You Actually Should Cancel This last bit will not apply to 99.9% of people taking the test, but just in case this happens to you, read on. If you become ill or otherwise feel that you cannot finish while you are at the testing center, then a weird thing happens if you leave the test before getting to that “keep or cancel” screen at the very end. You will not have any reported scores (since you did not finish), but the fact that you showed up to take the test that day will still show up on your official score report. It is sort of an in-between case with an odd outcome. So, if this happens to you, here is what I recommend you do. If you have to leave the testing room (maybe you feel queasy and have to go to the bathroom), do so. Just let the test keep running. If you decide, when you get back, that you cannot keep going, then click through all of the remaining questions randomly to get yourself to the end of the test. On the Keep or Cancel screen, cancel your scores. In Sum Know what your goal scores (ideal and minimum) are. Know what you want to do before you get into the testing room. (For example, tell yourself, “If I score 530 or higher, I am keeping my score. If I score 520 or lower, I am canceling.”) If you just cannot decide at the end, keep the scores. Know that you will have 72 hours to change your mind and cancel instead. Get out of the testing room, clear your mind, decide what to do, and move ahead. |
31 Aug 2021, 09:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: “Lead” versus “Led” and Not Overusing Techniques in Your Application Essays |
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A common mistake we see in our clients’ MBA application essays is the misuse of the verb “lead.” A deeply entrenched and widespread misunderstanding seems to exist as to which spelling connotes present tense and which connotes past tense. One of our consultants even had a client raise their voice in passionate defense—of the wrong usage! In case you are not completely confident about this word yourself, we hope this blog post helps clear up the issue for you. Lead or Led?
Confusing the spelling and/or pronunciation of this verb’s different tenses is a simple mistake but one that stands out clearly to admissions professionals who have probably seen this verb more times in the past year than most people do in a lifetime! So, pay close attention to which is which, and be sure you are using the correct version every time. Another essay-related issue encountered by some applicants is changing the structure from one essay to the next. For example, a candidate might choose to use a quote at the beginning of an essay to create a sense of urgency: “This cannot be fixed. This cannot be fixed!” I stared blankly at the broken machinery and knew that the next few hours would be crucial… Using this kind of attention-grabbing technique can certainly be effective, but you should never use any technique more than once in an application. By starting more than one essay in the same manner, you are essentially telling the admissions reader that you understand how to use a gimmick but not how to tell a compelling story in your own way. This is also a quick way to lose your reader’s interest! Be sure to vary your approach in each new essay within a single application. Presenting your ideas in fresh and different ways will help catch the admissions committee’s attention with each introduction and, indeed, each essay. |
02 Sep 2021, 08:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: MBA Admissions Myths Destroyed: I Have to Write the Optional Essay |
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In the past, we have discussed how challenging competing against a faceless mass of fellow applicants can be and how disadvantaged people can feel if they do not seize every opportunity to do so. Although we want you to make the most of every possible chance to set yourself apart, you also need to be judicious in choosing those opportunities. Some can actually work against you and thereby turn into negatives. Allow us to elaborate… Not every applicant needs to write the optional essay, and by neglecting to write it, you are not putting yourself at any kind of disadvantage. This extra essay is an opportunity for you to discuss problems that the admissions committee will likely notice in your profile, and it can allow you to “get ahead of the scandal,” so to speak. So, if you earned an F grade, had a bad semester in college, received a low GMAT score, or have been dismissed from a position, the optional essay will allow you to proactively address and explain the issue. Similarly, if you are applying with a partner, and the admissions committee may not be aware of this, you could use the optional essay to inform them of this relevant and potentially interesting information. MBA candidates have many reasons for writing the optional essay, but you should absolutely not feel that you must write one. If you have nothing to explain and have generally performed well, do not use this opportunity to submit an essay from a different school just to fill the space or write a new essay repackaging your strengths. If you have nothing new or important to share, you are in an advantageous position and should take a step back and appreciate it, rather than fretting. For more information about optional essays, check out our free mbaMission Optional Essays Guide. |
04 Sep 2021, 09:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: Professor Profiles: Katherine Schipper, Duke University Fuqua School of Business |
 Many MBA applicants feel that they are purchasing a brand when they choose a business school. However, the educational experience you will have is what is crucial to your future, and no one will affect your education more than your professors. Today, we focus on Katherine Schipper from the Duke University Fuqua School of Business. Katherine Schipper is the Thomas F. Keller Professor of Business Administration at Fuqua and has typically taught one of the MBA program’s core accounting courses, “Financial Accounting.” She previously served in several roles for the American Accounting Association and is currently the president of the International Association for Accounting Education and Research. Schipper was editor of the Journal of Accounting Research for many years and was a member of the Financial Accounting Standards Board from 2001 to 2006, before joining Fuqua. In 2007, Schipper was the first woman inducted into the Accounting Hall of Fame. A second-year student we interviewed who had taken the course “Global Institutions and Environment” (which was not available during the 2020–2021 academic year) with Schipper said, “She was outstanding. It was amazing to have professors of their caliber teaching the first class we experienced at Fuqua.” Another second year told us, “I was really nervous about accounting, but she made it very accessible, and even occasionally fun.” When asked which professor impressed her most, a second year we interviewed named Schipper, praising her rigor in the classroom: “She held every single person to an impeccably high standard and set the tone for graduate level expectations.” For more information about the Duke University Fuqua School of Business and 16 other top-ranked business schools, check out our free mbaMission Insider’s Guides. |
06 Sep 2021, 09:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: Cold Calls and Capital Management at Darden |
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MBA students at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business are known to work quite hard amid the rigors of the case method. Each day, they are expected to read a business case and perform their own analysis of the situation presented. Then, they must compare and reason through their analysis with a small, diverse group of fellow students—their Learning Team. Students can often spend two to four hours prepping on their own and then two to three more with their teammates to arrive at an answer (as opposed to the answer). And what might be the reward for all this work? The student may be selected for a “cold call” to start off the class. At Darden, most first-year and some second-year classes begin with a professor randomly selecting a student to lead the day’s discussion by presenting their case analysis. This student can be subjected to anywhere from five to 20 minutes of questioning, as the professor teases out key points of discussion for the broader class to explore. Many students have sweated through a cold call only to gain the applause of their peers at the end. (Others, of course, may not do as well.) These cold calls can be daunting, but they force students to prepare thoroughly and think on their feet—a key feature of the Darden learning experience. Outside the Darden classroom, students can apply principles of the school’s general management program in the Darden Capital Management (DCM) club, where they evaluate equities to understand the entire firm while also specializing in asset management to further their careers in this finance industry niche. Many think that because Darden casts itself as offering a general management program, the school has no specialties. General management, however, is a philosophy that suggests that no business problem can be viewed in isolation—for example, a finance problem relates to marketing, a marketing problem relates to operations, and so on. Through DCM, first-year students pitch long and short investment ideas to second-year student fund managers who oversee approximately $20M of Darden’s endowment, which is divided among five funds, each with its own focal area. The first years ultimately “graduate” and run these funds themselves for credit as second years, reporting on their investment decisions and performance to Darden’s finance board. Students who manage these funds report that they have had an advantage breaking into asset management, because this hands-on experience gives them plenty to discuss in interviews. Managing around $20M will do that… For more information on Darden or 16 other leading MBA programs, check out our free mbaMission Insider’s Guides. |
08 Sep 2021, 09:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: Tackling Reading Comprehension Problems in the GMAT |
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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. We previously examined how to read Reading Comprehension (RC) passages. If you have not read our earlier article, go ahead and do so right now. Today, I want to talk about the three primary types of questions that appear on RC: Main Idea, Specific Detail, and Inference. I also want to talk about how to analyze RC problems. In general, we learn the most from a problem after we have finished doing it. Our review is the real learning experience. Any problem can (and should!) be analyzed using the questions discussed in this “How to Analyze a Practice Problem” article. How would that work with a Reading Comprehension question? Glad you asked. This article contains an example of a complete RC Inference problem analysis—you will learn not only how to analyze an RC problem but also how to tackle Inference problems. (In general, Inference problems ask us to deduce something from some piece of evidence provided in the passage.) Let us tackle Main Idea questions next. These questions focus on the main point of a passage, though we could also be asked to give the main point of just one paragraph. Specific Detail questions ask us to address some particular detail mentioned explicitly in the passage. We could be asked what the passage says. Knowing if you are dealing with a What question is important. Think about the answers to these two questions: What are you studying? Why are you studying it? Completely different answers! Those will cover most, if not all, of the RC question types you will see when you take the GMAT. You might also encounter a Strengthen or Weaken question, similar to the questions that we see in the Critical Reasoning section. These are fairly rare in RC, though—chances are good that you will not actually see one. So go ahead and tackle those Reading Comprehension question types and remember this: when you are studying, your goal is not (just) to get the question right. Your goal is to learn something that you could apply on a different question (or questions) in the future! |
09 Sep 2021, 08:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: The George Washington University School of Business Essay Analysis, 2021–2022 |
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[url=https://i2.wp.com/www.mbamission.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/The-George-Washington-University-School-of-Business-GWSB.png?ssl=1][img]https://i2.wp.com/www.mbamission.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/The-George-Washington-University-School-of-Business-GWSB.png?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1[/img][/url] The George Washington University School of Business (GWSB) demands just a single 500-word essay from its applicants, one that covers several key elements of a traditional personal statement. In fact, on its website, the school refers to the submission as a “Statement of Purpose.” To craft an effective response, candidates will need to spend time really getting to know the program in depth. Reapplicants are asked to explain how their profile has changed (and ideally strengthened) since they last applied—also a pretty standard and straightforward request. Our full analysis of both prompts follows. [b]Admissions Essay (MBA Program specific) – In no more than 500 words, tell us why studying at the GW School of Business (GWSB) is the program best suited for you and your academic interests, and explain how you will leverage both your past professional career and future academic experience at GW to achieve your post-MBA aspirations.[/b] With this rather plainspoken and traditional essay prompt, the admissions committee is requesting fundamental information that will help it understand your motivation for pursuing an MBA, and specifically one from the GWSB. By not explicitly requesting that you present well-defined short- and long-term goals, the school leaves the decision of how to frame your motivation(s) up to you. Nevertheless, one or both goals will likely play a part in your essay response. After all, explaining why you feel you need an MBA without referencing what you expect to do with it after you graduate would probably be pretty difficult. The school is naturally assuming that if you have reached a point in your professional journey where you believe an MBA is necessary to move forward, you must have an understanding of why the degree is a critical part of continuing on that journey. This is simply your chance to outline your reasoning and needs for the admissions committee so it can be confident you have given this important step an appropriate amount of thought and are committed to your decision. To illustrate how the GWSB can help you, you must demonstrate a thorough understanding of what the program offers and a well-thought-out game plan for engaging with these offerings. Effectively doing this and subsequently writing a reasoned, nuanced essay requires that you familiarize yourself with the school’s various resources and pinpoint those that truly pertain to you and the direction in which you hope to head. Go the extra mile in learning about the program. If possible, given the ongoing pandemic, visit campus and sit in on a class, and/or at least attend an admissions event in your area. And connect directly with students and alumni (online or via phone, Skype, Zoom, etc.), read student blogs and the program’s recent press releases, and peruse the [b][url=https://www.youtube.com/c/TheGeorgeWashingtonUniversitySchoolofBusiness]GWSB’s YouTube channel[/url][/b]. This will provide the kind of in-depth insight you will need to be able to show the admissions committee you are serious about the school and are confident you belong there. Simply presenting a list of classes and clubs you think sound interesting will not suffice, and absolutely avoid vague, pandering statements about how great the school is. You must reveal clear connections between what you need to learn or experience (with respect to skills, network, experiences, exposure, and/or knowledge base) to be able to reach your aspirations and the specific resources and opportunities at the school that you believe will allow you to do so. Your goal is to convince the admissions committee that the GWSB is the missing link between who and where you are now and who and where you envision yourself in the future. An effective response will provide evidence that you (1) have done your research as to what is required to attain your goals, (2) understand where you are on that trajectory (what skills and experience you already possess that are key to success in your envisioned future), and (3) why/how attaining an MBA from the GWSB will move you further in the right direction. Although this prompt does not encompass all the elements of a standard personal essay, it does involve certain core ones, so we encourage you to download a free copy of the [b][url=https://shop.mbamission.com/products/personal-statement-guide]mbaMission Personal Statement Guide[/url][/b], which could be helpful in crafting your response. This complimentary guide offers detailed advice on approaching and framing these topics, along with multiple illustrative examples. [b]Re-Applicant Essay: Please describe any actions you have taken to strengthen your candidacy since your last application. Focus on any steps you have taken toward professional and personal growth. Maximum of 500 words.[/b] Thankfully, this essay is pretty clear-cut. Whether you have improved your academic record, received a promotion, begun a new and exciting project, increased your community involvement, or taken on some sort of personal challenge, the key to success with this essay is conveying a very deliberate path of achievement. The GWSB wants to know that you have been actively striving to improve yourself and your profile, and that you have seized opportunities during the previous year to do so, because an MBA from the school is important to you. The responses to this essay question will vary greatly from one candidate to the next, because each person’s needs and experiences differ. We are more than happy to provide one-on-one assistance with this highly personal essay to ensure that your efforts over the past year are presented in the best light possible. |
10 Sep 2021, 09:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: mbaMission Releases Updated Insider’s Guides for 2021–2022 |
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mbaMission is proud to be the leader in the MBA admissions consulting space, not only for the one-on-one services we provide thousands of business school applicants, but for the wealth of free, actionable content we provide. Our business school Insider’s Guides, recently updated for the 2021–2022 MBA application season, are the most robust MBA guides on the market—ranging from 56 to 104 pages of resources full of firsthand insight from students, alumni, program representatives, and admissions officers. Featuring 17 individual top-ranked business school titles such as Harvard Business School, the Stanford Graduate School of Business, Chicago Booth, Columbia Business School, and Northwestern Kellogg, this collection of guides offers detailed information on the following subjects: [list] Defining characteristics of the business school’s location, class size, curriculum, teaching methods, facilities, alumni base/involvement, and rankings[/*] Courses, experiential opportunities, faculty, and clubs related to MBAs’ most common career areas (consulting, finance, entrepreneurship, etc.)[/*] The business school admissions committee’s stance on GMAT/GRE/TOEFL scores, recommendations, the waitlist, layoffs/unemployment, and other MBA application elements[/*] Notable professors and social/community events[/*] Special year-over-year tables of rankings, class profile statistics, and top industries for each MBA program[/*] [/list] Each year, we revisit the information in these guides to ensure we are providing the most up-to-date factual information to help spur along your b-school research. For the 2021–2022 season, we have added updated data and statistics on new business school deans and faculty, as well as additions and changes made to business school facilities across the country. You will also find school-specific, insightful comments and recommendations from our [url=https://www.mbamission.com/who-we-are/team/][b]elite team of full-time admissions consultants[/b][/url], on subjects that span across the MBA admissions process—from brainstorming to essay writing, recommendation advisory, interview prep, and more! We created our business school Insider’s Guides to help arm today’s MBA hopefuls with a comprehensive picture of the resources, environments, activities, and communities at each school, so they can ultimately choose the program that is truly best for them. We hope you find the guides to be informative and helpful throughout your business school application journey! [url=https://shop.mbamission.com/collections/insider-s-guides][b]Download your free copy[/b][/url] of each of our comprehensive business school Insider’s Guides today! Are there other business schools you would like us to cover in our Insider’s Guide series? Do you have feedback about our existing guides? Email [email=info@mbamission.com][b]info@mbamission.com[/b][/email] to let us know! |
11 Sep 2021, 07:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: How to Use Parallel Construction in Your MBA Application Essays—and More on Being Appropriately Personal |
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Longer and more complex sentences often require parallel construction. Simply put, parallel construction ensures that any given longer sentence has a balanced rhythm or structure. With parallel construction, each pronoun corresponds with another pronoun, each verb corresponds with another verb, each adjective corresponds with another adjective, and so on. Parallel construction can certainly be found in shorter sentences as well, and to great effect. Consider the example of Hamlet’s words “To be or not to be”—some of the most famous in the English language. Shakespeare wrote this short sentence in perfect parallel form; “to be” is matched perfectly with its corresponding negative “not to be” and is separated only by the necessary word “or.” Another short example of parallel construction from history is “I came, I saw, I conquered.” With these words, Julius Caesar spoke in perfect parallel construction—a pronoun (here the word “I”) followed by a verb in the past tense (“came,” “saw,” “conquered”). If we were to change that second famous phrase just a touch, the powerful quality it now has would be lost, and the phrase would become unremarkable. For example, if Caesar had said, “I came, I saw, and I became the conqueror,” he would likely not be quoted today because the rhythm would have been destroyed. Keep this rule in mind for everything that you write, especially for longer sentences. Here are a few more examples: Bad: We are successful for three key reasons: we understand our client, we try harder than our competition, and teamwork. Good: We are successful for three key reasons: understanding our client, trying harder than our competition, and working as a team. (In this example, gerunds [the words ending in “ing”] parallel each other, unlike in the previous, “bad” example.) Bad: We are in the forestry business. We sell wood to hardware stores and paper to stationery stores. Good: We are in the forestry business. We sell wood and paper. On another note, we have previously discussed the importance of thoroughly exploring and accessing your personal stories when writing your application essays. Of course, having too much of a good thing is always a risk as well—admissions committees can be put off by candidates who go too far and become too personal. Some stories are particularly challenging for admissions committees. For example, we strongly discourage candidates from writing about divorce as a moment of failure. If an individual were to take responsibility in an essay for a failed marriage, they would likely end up revealing intensely personal issues, rather than portraying themselves as having learned from a constructive professional or personal challenge. Always keep in mind that in many ways, the admissions committee is meeting you for the first time via your application. So, a simple way to judge whether you are being too personal in your materials is to ask yourself, “Would I be uncomfortable if, immediately upon meeting someone, they were to share this sort of information with me?” If your answer is “yes,” you should most likely consider changing your topic. |
12 Sep 2021, 08:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: USC Marshall Essay Analysis, 2021–2022 |
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[url=https://i1.wp.com/www.mbamission.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/USC-Marshall.jpg?ssl=1][img]https://i1.wp.com/www.mbamission.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/USC-Marshall.jpg?resize=300%2C154&ssl=1[/img][/url] The University of Southern California (USC) Marshall School of Business takes a very traditional approach to its application essay questions. For the first required essay, applicants must detail their immediate short-term career goal—without much elaboration, given the 100-word limit. For the second required essay, which can be as long as 600 words, candidates are asked to write a letter to the Marshall admissions committee, though no specific requests are made beyond that, leaving applicants significant latitude. An optional essay gives candidates who feel they have an issue to explain or a particularly significant story to share the opportunity to do so, albeit succinctly. Our analysis of all USC Marshall’s essay questions for this season follows. [b]Essay #1 (Required): What is your specific, immediate short-term career goal upon completion of your MBA? Please include an intended position, function, and industry in your response. (word limit: 100)[/b] Quite simply, Marshall wants to know that you have a specific intention in mind and are not just applying to business school with the expectation of figuring everything out later, once you are enrolled in the program. Many MBA applicants have a long-term vision for their career, of course, but with this prompt, Marshall is asking you to prove you have really given thought to the necessary steps in between. Your goal in this short essay is therefore to demonstrate that you do indeed have a plan, not just broad ambition. The school’s other key concern is whether its MBA program is truly the right one to help you attain your stated goal and that you have done the necessary research to discover and confirm this for yourself. Marshall has very little impetus to admit you—and you have very little to attend it—if you will not ultimately be equipped or positioned to pursue your intended goal once you graduate! For example, if you aspire to work in a field or position for which Marshall is not known to have particularly strong courses, professors, or other offerings, or if you want to work for a company that has no recruiting history with the program, it might not be the best choice to get you where you want to go right away. At just 100 words maximum, your response needs to be fairly straightforward. Avoid any generalities and vagueness. Do your research to ensure that Marshall can indeed position you to attain what you intend, and simply spell things out. Given that this essay involves at least one key element of a traditional personal statement, we encourage you to download a free copy of our [b][url=https://shop.mbamission.com/products/personal-statement-guide]mbaMission Personal Statement Guide[/url][/b], which provides advice on effectively addressing this topic in an essay. [b]Essay #2 (Required) – Please draft a letter that begins with “Dear Admissions Committee.” (word limit: 600)[/b] [b]This letter is meant to be your personal statement that provides the Admissions Committee with an understanding of your candidacy for Marshall beyond what is evident in other parts of your application. This essay is purposely open-ended. You are free to express yourself in whatever way you see fit. Our goal is to have an appreciation for and an understanding of each candidate in ways that are not captured by test scores, grades, and resumes. [/b] As the admissions committee itself admits in the prompt, this is essentially a request for a personal statement, which typically covers (1) why the candidate feels they need an MBA, (2) why the MBA is necessary now, and (3) why they wish to attend the specific school in question. So, at the risk of sounding repetitive, we will start by encouraging you—again—to download a complimentary copy of the [b][url=https://shop.mbamission.com/products/personal-statement-guide]mbaMission Personal Statement Guide[/url][/b], which is available for free and includes detailed guidance on approaching and writing such essays, along with multiple illustrative examples. Note the admissions committee’s acknowledgement that it already has a lot of information about you from the other parts of your application, including your resume, extracurricular activities, recommendations, short-answer question responses, academic transcripts, and GMAT/GRE score. You should therefore think first about what these elements convey about who you are as an individual and candidate, so you can determine which parts of your profile would best complement this information and the image it collectively presents of you. This does not necessarily mean that you cannot touch on anything mentioned elsewhere in your application but rather that you do not want to use up valuable word count repeating anything unnecessarily. Focus on supplementing the data the school already has. And despite the somewhat stuffy intro the school provides—“Dear Admissions Committee”—keep in mind that this is an opportunity for you to present yourself as a well-rounded, dynamic individual who would be a positive addition to the Marshall community, so do your best to infuse your essay with authenticity and personality, as well as information. [b]Optional Essay: Please provide any additional information you would like the admissions committee to consider. (word limit: 250)[/b] In general, we believe candidates should use a school’s optional essay to explain confusing or problematic issues in their candidacy, which this prompt does indeed allow. So, if you need to, use this opportunity to address any questions the admissions committee might have about your profile—a poor grade or overall GPA, a low GMAT or GRE score, a gap in your work experience, etc. Consider downloading our free [url=https://shop.mbamission.com/products/mbamission-optional-essays-guide][b]mbaMission Optional Essays Guide[/b][/url], in which we offer detailed advice (and multiple annotated examples) on how best to approach the optional essay to mitigate any problem areas in your application. That said, Marshall clearly leaves the door open for you to discuss any other information about your candidacy that you feel might be pivotal or particularly compelling—that you think the admissions committee truly needs to know to be able to evaluate you fully and effectively (and that might not have been appropriate for your required essay). We caution you against submitting a response to this prompt just because you fear that not doing so would somehow count against you, though. Remember that with each additional essay you write, you are asking the admissions committee to do extra work on your behalf, so you must make sure that the added time is warranted. If you decide to use this essay to impart information that you believe would render your application incomplete if omitted, strive to keep your submission brief and on point. |
13 Sep 2021, 09:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: How to Prep for Your HBS Interview the Right Way |
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[url=https://i2.wp.com/www.mbamission.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/HBS-campus.jpg?ssl=1][img]https://i2.wp.com/www.mbamission.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/HBS-campus.jpg?resize=300%2C169&ssl=1[/img][/url] Harvard Business School [url=https://www.mbamission.com/who-we-are/team/devi-vallabhaneni/]Devi Vallabhaneni[/url], a Harvard Business School (HBS) graduate and former HBS MBA interviewer, is mbaMission’s HBS Interviewer in Residence and conducts [url=https://shop.mbamission.com/collections/services/products/hbs-in-person-intensive-interview-simulation]HBS Intensive Interview Simulations[/url]. Your Harvard Business School (HBS) application is in. Now, the waiting game for the interview invitation begins. Predicting exactly what questions you will be asked in your Harvard Business School interview is impossible, given the dynamic nature of the meeting and the school’s individualized approach, but this does not mean you cannot prepare to navigate the interaction effectively and increase your chances of leaving your desired impression. [img]https://i2.wp.com/www.mbamission.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/devi-vallabhaneni.jpg?resize=225%2C300&ssl=1[/img] Devi Vallabhaneni, mbaMission Managing Director/HBS Interviewer in Residence Join us for “[b]Decoding the HBS Interview[/b],” a free webinar hosted by mbaMission Managing Director/HBS Interviewer in Residence Devi Vallabhaneni (HBS Class of 1997, former HBS Admissions Board Candidate Interviewer) at one of the following times: [list] [*][b][url=https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/classes/details/26730/]Wednesday, September 15, at 7:00 p.m. EDT[/url][/b][/*] [*][b][url=https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/classes/details/26731/]Friday, October 1, at 10:00 a.m. EDT[/url][/b][/*] [/list] In this 60-minute workshop, you will learn: [list] What makes the HBS interview so different from all the other business school interviews[/*] The philosophy behind the HBS approach[/*] How to prepare for the interview[/*] [/list] Coming out of the session, you will have a much better sense of what to expect in your HBS interview and how to prepare for it so you can approach your interview with competence and confidence. Drawing on her six years as an interviewer at HBS, Devi Vallabhaneni shares a few helpful tips on how to properly prepare for your HBS interview, what to expect, and how to answer the questions you are asked. [b]Know what prepping really means.[/b] No one perfect way of preparing for your Harvard Business School interview exists for all candidates. Feedback from my clients indicates that each person generally prepares multidimensionally. Some people prep by writing. I have heard of applicants writing out talking points to remind themselves of important aspects of their stories. However, make sure that you indeed write talking points and not full answers that you will be tempted to memorize. Some people prep by speaking in front of a mirror. Doing this allows you to hear and see yourself answering a question. It might feel awkward at first, but this method could be an important part of your “interview practice repertoire.” However, the potential downside is that sometimes, individuals who practice too much in front of a mirror end up editing themselves too much, so their answers sound less natural and authentic. Some people prep by dialoguing back and forth with a friend or colleague. This method helps develop the ability to answer both anticipated and unanticipated questions naturally and spontaneously. The feedback you receive from dialoguing can then be incorporated into your next mock interview. [b]Yes, feeling nervous is okay.[/b] Feeling your nerves kick in is totally normal, but would you believe that every time I interviewed an HBS prospect, I was just as nervous? You might find that hard to imagine, but it is the truth! I felt like I owed each and every interviewee the courtesy of bringing my best to them, really getting to know them, and working just as hard as they had to arrive at the interview. So, know that the person on the other side of your Harvard Business School interview is eager and sincere about wanting to know the real you. [b]You have to know your story cold.[/b] Your story should be within you, right? Well, maybe you wrote about your love of Chinese cookery in the personal section of your resume, but since then, you have not given another thought to the last cooking class you took—which, by the way, was a good story two years ago! Although I was never specifically trying to find weak spots in interviewees’ stories, I would sometimes start by asking about interests and hobbies they had listed that sounded interesting, so I just might have asked you about your Chinese cooking. Before your interview, familiarize yourself with your entire application, even the parts you think are trivial. [b]Learn to master the what and how.[/b] How you accomplished something is just as important as—if not more important than—what you actually accomplished. The how shows the real level of effort you had to expend to reach your end result. To me, providing the how also lets you share a deeper version of your story with your interviewer. I once interviewed an HBS applicant who had worked on a seemingly common financial transaction. Because of the regulatory and political complexity of the transaction, she had to create more than 30 different potential scenarios to anticipate and quantify the client’s next steps. In this case, the how gave me better insight into the applicant’s depth of analysis, creativity, and experience. Without that information, this project, on its face, might not have stood out to me as something meaningful. Be sure to detail the how of your achievements for your HBS interviewer so that they can better understand the rigor and impact of your experience. [b]Give full answers.[/b] I once asked an applicant to tell me about a growth experience he had had while studying abroad. He responded by reporting that he had learned to make his bed. I have to admit that on the surface, this is not much of an answer. However, after a few follow-up questions, I realized that he was humbly trying to explain that he had been coddled up to that point and that he had had an awakening about independence. I wish he had proactively connected these ideas, because we ultimately spent much more time than necessary on this topic, which precluded us from fully exploring other parts of his background. Giving full answers means demonstrating the broader context of your responses and anticipating the interviewer’s potential perceptions so that you use your 30 minutes as wisely and efficiently as possible. [b]Strive for practiced, not scripted.[/b] You worked really hard on your Harvard Business School application, which is what led to this interview opportunity. But your application probably took weeks or months to complete and required multiple revisions and edits, whereas your interview is a one-shot 30 minutes. This is why practicing your answers verbally is a great idea, but practice should not mean memorization or rehearsal. I once interviewed a woman I later ran into on campus when she was a first-year student. While we were catching up, she told me how nervous she had been for our interview and how she had practiced by writing out bullet points and verbalizing them in front of a mirror. I still remember her interview to this day. She was natural, conversational, and in the moment. The way she had prepared enabled her to convey what was salient while still being fully present and engaged. In contrast, another candidate I interviewed responded to my every question with “I have three reasons…” or “I have three examples…,” and in most cases, his replies did not match my questions! He had memorized premade answers and simply recited them when given the chance to speak. When preparing for your HBS interview, the most important thing to avoid is memorization of the answers you prepared. Be present and answer the question you are being asked—not the question you perhaps practiced. Listening is just as crucial as responding, if not more so. Think of the interview as a dialogue or conversation, which are two-way communications, rather than a speech, which is a one-way communication. Make sure to prepare useful points and stories and practice verbalizing them beforehand, but once you are actually in the interview, pay attention to the questions your interviewer is asking and call on those points and stories as appropriate. [b]Forget about the introvert-versus-extrovert factor.[/b] Prospective interviewees regularly ask me, “Am I at a disadvantage if I’m an introvert?” and assume the interview is better suited to—and more beneficial for—extroverts. But the truth is that I have seen both personality types be extremely successful. Shy, quiet, low-key people can be just as compelling as those who are outgoing, animated, or gregarious. I remember an interview I had with a soft-spoken individual who had intriguing manufacturing experience in a foreign country. He really blossomed when he shared his worries about that country’s upcoming elections and how the outcome might affect his company and export potential. Your HBS interviewer is much more interested in your experiences, background, values, and interests—so just be thoroughly you. [b]Anticipate the interviewer’s homework.[/b] I once interviewed an HBS applicant who was working at a start-up in a foreign country. I had never heard of it, so I read up on it, including its funding structure, mission, and founding team. I even found a news report that explained that one of the funding rounds had not gone smoothly. During the interview, we got on the topic of raising money, and the candidate was shocked when I asked about one of the investors. When he asked how I knew about that investor, I explained that I had researched his start-up—not to create “gotcha” questions but to better understand his work environment. Expect your Harvard Business School interviewer to go beyond just reading through the information you included in your application. The philosophy has always been (1) to meet candidates where they are and (2) that the more we know about an interviewee beforehand, the deeper and more helpful the interview will be. [b]Remember to enjoy the moment.[/b] I used to begin my HBS interviews by briefly introducing myself and then enthusiastically asking, “Ready to have some fun?” The candidates would look at me like I was crazy, clearly incapable of thinking the interview could possibly be fun, but by the end of our conversation, they understood what I had meant. Your interview is an opportunity to talk about yourself, your background, your goals, and your experiences—and to let your personality and style shine through. Try to loosen up and enjoy it! The 30 minutes go by really fast. By the time the interview starts, you cannot do anything more to prepare, so try to push through any nervousness you might be feeling and make the most of the experience! The Harvard Business School interview is an extremely human process for both the interviewer and the interviewee. Embrace the opportunity to engage with the school on this next level, and show your readiness for its unique MBA experience. If you feel you could benefit from targeted interview preparation, [url=https://www.mbamission.com/who-we-are/team/devi-vallabhaneni/]Devi Vallabhaneni[/url] is conducting [url=https://shop.mbamission.com/collections/services/products/hbs-in-person-intensive-interview-simulation]HBS Intensive Interview Simulations[/url] throughout the Round 1 interview season. [url=https://shop.mbamission.com/collections/services/products/hbs-in-person-intensive-interview-simulation]Click here[/url] to view all the details on this offering and email [email=info@mbamission.com]info@mbamission.com[/email] to inquire about being added to the HBS Intensive Interview waitlist. |
14 Sep 2021, 08:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: MBA Admissions Myths Destroyed: The Admissions Committee’s Glass Is 99% Empty |
 “I was the first in my class to be promoted at McKinsey. I have a 710 GMAT score and completed Level 1 of the CFA exam, but I had a B- in calculus during my freshman year. Will that grade ruin my chances for admission?” “My company has been under a hiring and promotion freeze for the past three years, but during that time, I have earned pay increases and survived successive rounds of layoffs. Will the admissions committee accept someone who has not been promoted?” “I have been promoted, but my company changed names. Will the admissions committee think I am going somewhere at a sketchy company?” Although these questions may seem somewhat silly—the individuals’ strengths are obvious and their “weaknesses” comparatively innocuous—we get asked about scenarios like these every day. In short, we can assure you that your candidacy, even at vaunted schools like Harvard and Stanford, is not rendered tenuous by such trivial “shortcomings.” The admissions officers do not consider you guilty until proven innocent, and they are not looking for little reasons to exclude you from contention. Many candidates have mythologized the “perfect” applicant and fear that any small area of concern means that they do not measure up to this myth—and thus that their candidacy is insufficient. Rather than fixating on small details that in truth are inconsequential, you should think about the big picture with respect to your overall competitiveness. You can take us at our word on this. Or, if you prefer, heed the words of a former admissions officer at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, who explained to mbaMission that “everyone has something, or more than one thing, in their application that they need to overcome.” But he added, “We read with an eye toward wanting to find all the good things about an applicant. We look for their strengths. We look for things that make them stand out, that make them unique. We look for their accomplishments. We look for positive parts of the application. |
15 Sep 2021, 08:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: Professor Profiles: Margaret Neale, Stanford Graduate School of Business |
 Many MBA applicants feel that they are purchasing a brand when they choose a business school. However, the educational experience you will have is what is crucial to your future, and no one will affect your education more than your professors. Today, we focus on Margaret Neale from the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB). One former GSB student described Margaret (Maggie) Neale to us at mbaMission as “somewhat intimidating” but quickly added, “I love her teaching style! She pushes each student way out of their comfort zone to make them a better negotiator using whatever style is appropriate for the situation.” Neale’s research is based on the psychology of conflict and negotiation. She was appointed the Adams Distinguished Professor of Management in 2012 and serves as faculty director for two of Stanford University’s executive programs—Influence and Negotiation Strategies, and Managing Teams for Innovation and Success—and as co-director of the Executive Program for Women Leaders and the High-Potential Women Leaders Program. In 2011, she became the 13th recipient—and first woman—to be presented with the business school’s Davis Award, which is bestowed upon a faculty member for lifetime achievement. More recently, Neale was chosen as a Robert and Marilyn Jaedicke Faculty Fellow for the 2017–2018 and 2018–2019 academic years. Neale has been a professor emerita since 2019 but continues to teach at the school—during the 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 academic years, she has taught the “Managing Groups and Teams” course. A first year described Neale to mbaMission as “wonderful, legendary,” and continued by saying, “She’s been around the Stanford community for a long time. She is very popular, engaging, and friendly. If you have the opportunity to take a class with her, you should. But be warned, her classes are oversubscribed.” For more information about the Stanford GSB and 16 other top-ranked business schools, check out our free mbaMission Insider’s Guides. |
16 Sep 2021, 12:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: Kelley School of Business and Fisher College of Business Offer MBAs in the Midwest |
 Kelley School of Business As the demand for business-savvy health care professionals grows, business schools are taking notice. Leading the way is the Business of Medicine Physician MBA at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, which is designed to train practicing physicians to assume management positions and face a changing health care business environment. The two-year degree program was launched in the fall of 2013 and presents a new kind of opportunity at the intersection of business management and medical practice. The degree combines the basic curriculum of Kelley’s full-time MBA with specialized health care courses supported by the school’s Center for the Business of Life Sciences. Core courses within the program include “Data Analytics for Physician Leaders,” “Leading and Managing Human Capital in Healthcare,” and “Anatomy and Physiology of the U.S. Healthcare System.” Idie Kesner, who was interim dean at the time but has since been appointed dean, said in a Financial Times article regarding the launch of the program, “With this degree, physician leaders will emerge with the full skillset to transform individual institutions, the broad healthcare field and, most important, patient outcomes.” Part of the Business of Medicine Physician MBA program—approximately 10–14 hours a week—is taught online, drawing on Kelley’s pioneering strengths in distance learning, while the other part entails one weekend residence per month, allowing for a more flexible time commitment. (Note that during the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic, these details may change. As always, refer to the school’s website for the most up-to-date information.)  Fisher College of Business – Despite the size of its parent institution, the Fisher College of Business at Ohio State University, another Midwestern business school, boasts a relatively intimate classroom experience—with typically 100 students in each incoming full-time MBA class, although the latest incoming class was smaller with 59 students—and a close-knit community. Fisher students consequently benefit from the school’s wider university network (more than 580,000 alumni) and its proximity to major companies based both in Columbus and throughout the Midwest. Bloomberg Businessweek ranked Fisher 41st in its list of top full-time U.S. MBA programs in 2019. The Fisher curriculum consists of a core sequence spanning the first year of the program and offers a plethora of optional pathways in which students can major, including Leadership, Corporate Finance, and Supply Chain. Of the 60 credit hours required for graduation, 4.5 credits consist of experiential course work, including the Business Lab Challenge and the Social Impact Challenge. In these hands-on projects, students work with local and international businesses to apply the skills they have learned within the classroom to real-life scenarios. Nearly half (27 credit hours) of the required credit hours are dedicated to elective courses, proving that the Fisher MBA is a widely customizable program. |
17 Sep 2021, 08:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: How to Study for the GMAT |
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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. This time, I have got a short and sweet post for you. Take a look at your calendar, and find a weekend to take off from your studies (or even an entire week). Yes, I am serious! People tend to get really burned out studying for the GMAT; you will be doing your brain a favor if you give it a bit of a break. (Note in general: when your brain is fatigued, it cannot make solid new memories. Do not keep pushing yourself to study under those circumstances!) Second, I have a few resources for you. I put together a couple of posts that highlight what I think are the most useful articles from recent years. Take a look at What Would Stacey Do? for resources and advice on areas with which you may be struggling. I do want to take time to mention explicitly the one post that I think is the most important and the first thing that every GMAT student should read: What the GMAT Really Tests. Third, recently we discussed how to study for Critical Reasoning. Here are two available resources: Explaining a Critical Reasoning Discrepancy Top 10 Tips for GMAT Critical Reasoning Finally, go take a break! Take a look at your calendar, and find a good time to rest your brain. I have never met anyone who can study effectively for months straight without at least one solid weekend break (and an entire week is often better!). |
18 Sep 2021, 09:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: Avoid Negativity and Overusing Quotes in Your MBA Application Essays |
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Sincerity. Honesty. Candor. We encourage MBA candidates to incorporate these attributes into their applications, and when they do, the result tends to be successful essays. 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 as predisposed to pessimism—which can make connecting with their profile challenging for the admissions reader. Such situations are unfortunate, but luckily, they are 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 famous quotes in your essays. Sometimes, incorporating a well-known quote (or perhaps a lesser-known one 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 a shortcut to a more impressive essay. Before using a quote in your application essay, ask yourself 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 the quote into your submission might be a good idea. But first make sure your story is strong enough to stand on its own and make a positive impression without the quote, and limit yourself to just one quotation per application—not per essay. |
19 Sep 2021, 09:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: MBA Admissions Myths Destroyed: I Can Use the Same Essay for Multiple Schools |
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You have poured your heart and soul into your business school applications and taken the time to craft the perfect essays. Now you are eagerly looking forward to finishing up a few more applications to your target schools. You have heard that you can expect to spend as much time on your second, third, and fourth applications combined (!) as you did on your very first one. Encouraged, you might scan your third application and think, “Oh, look—here’s a ‘failure’ question. I can just adapt the ‘mistake’ essay I wrote for my first application to answer that one!” or “There’s a question about leadership. I’ve already written an essay on that, so I can just reuse it here!” Not so fast. First applications usually do take longer to complete than subsequent ones. However, this is not because once you have crafted several essays for one or two schools, you can then simply cut and paste them into other applications, adjust the word count a bit, change a few names here and there, and be done. Admissions committees spend a lot of time crafting their application prompts, thinking carefully about the required word limit and about each component of the questions. They present prompts they believe will draw specific information from applicants that will then help them ascertain whether those candidates would fit well with the program. Therefore, if you simply reuse an essay you wrote for School A for your application for School B because you believe the schools’ questions are largely similar, you could easily miss an important facet of what School B is really seeking. For example, consider these two past questions: Northwestern Kellogg: Describe your key leadership experiences and evaluate what leadership areas you hope to develop through your MBA experiences. (600-word limit) Dartmouth Tuck: Discuss your most meaningful leadership experience. What did you learn about your own individual strengths and weaknesses through this experience? (approximately 500 words) Even though both essay prompts ask you to explore leadership experiences, they certainly do not ask the exact same question. Kellogg wants you to share more than one leadership experience and outline the areas you want to develop while at Kellogg. Tuck, on the other hand, asks about only one leadership experience—your most meaningful leadership experience, in particular—and wants to know what you learned about yourself as a result. In this case, if you were to simply take your 600-word Kellogg essay, cut out 75–100 words, and then submit it as your response to Tuck’s question, the admissions committee would immediately recognize this and know that you had not taken the time to sincerely respond to the school’s prompt. Believe us, the admissions committees have seen hundreds, if not thousands, of cases in which applicants clearly submitted an essay originally intended for one school in response to another program’s question—and vice versa. Understandably, this is not the way to win them over. Although you may use the same core story for more than one application essay, always stop and examine that story from the angle proposed by your target school’s question and respond accordingly. One simple rule will always stand you in good stead: answer the question asked. |
20 Sep 2021, 09:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: Meet Devi Vallabhaneni, Our Harvard Business School Interviewer in Residence |
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[img]https://i2.wp.com/www.mbamission.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/devi-vallabhaneni.jpg?resize=225%2C300&ssl=1[/img] Devi Vallabhaneni, mbaMission’s HBS Interviewer in Residence [url=https://www.mbamission.com/who-we-are/team/devi-vallabhaneni/]Devi Vallabhaneni[/url] has almost two decades of admissions experience, including interviewing and evaluating Harvard Business School (HBS) candidates, a passion she first developed when she herself was a second-year student at the school. She is a Managing Director at mbaMission, as well as our Harvard Business School Interviewer in Residence, offering [url=https://shop.mbamission.com/collections/services/products/hbs-in-person-intensive-interview-simulation]HBS Intensive Interview Simulations[/url] to HBS hopefuls. In fact, her services are so popular that she always has a waitlist of candidates who want to prep with her for the coveted HBS admissions interview. Here, she answers some questions about the Harvard Business School interview, excerpted from a recent conversation between Vallabhaneni and mbaMission Founder and President Jeremy Shinewald. [b]How do you prepare to prepare others for their Harvard Business School Interview?[/b] The HBS interview season is only about eight weeks over the two rounds, so it’s what I do the remaining 44 weeks that’s important. There is a through-line between each year’s MBA applicant pool and current events in business, which is why I think of admissions as being in the business of business. CNBC or Bloomberg is always on in my office. I love following the markets, which allows me to be several steps ahead of my interviewees, who are working on the most newsworthy SPACs [special purpose acquisition companies], latest innovations across industries, newest business models, and the most pressing societal problems. My job isn’t to give them answers but to ask the right questions and challenge their thinking for them to formulate their own viewpoints. [b]I hear you give homework to your clients. What does that mean?[/b] Recently, I was helping an interviewee who was sharing his struggles at his service-based start-up. He was advising leadership that to be customer-centric, they had to be employee-centric first, but leadership was having a hard time making this connection. I gave him homework: to study the Service Profit Chain developed by HBS Professor James Heskett. He shared it with his leadership, who started listening to him. Because there is no divining rod of who will be accepted, I make sure to leave them with something tangible they could use on their job as well as during the HBS interview. [b]How do you address EQ [emotional quotient]?[/b] Some clients haven’t fully processed their emotions around their path and inadvertently infuse their answers with regret and negativity. The interview process can be emotional, and at times, people cry telling me heart wrenching stories about their setbacks or disappointments. The more that is processed during practice, the better. Confidence comes when you understand yourself emotionally, so if that’s the bottleneck, that’s what we focus on. It’s amazing to see the lightness of their persona when emotions are processed in a safe and nonjudgmental way. [b]Why is this so important to you?[/b] Prepping clients for the HBS interview is a strangely intimate, intense, and personal experience for me. They know nothing about me, yet I know everything about them. Our exchanges become their biggest priorities for a few weeks. They place their past, their future, their hopes, their disappointments, their goals, and, most importantly, their trust in my hands. I’m constantly thinking, What do I need to ask them to get them to where they need to go or for them to see their path differently? My process is more of an art than a science. I view each client like a protagonist in a case study. Instead of analyzing whether a company should launch a product or build a new plant somewhere, the case study is their life. It’s a privilege to be trusted with someone’s yet-to-be-written story. It’s a privilege to be the second call after their immediate family to share in their acceptance!! Do you want to prep for your HBS interview with Devi? [url=https://shop.mbamission.com/collections/services/products/hbs-in-person-intensive-interview-simulation]Click here[/url] to learn more about her HBS Intensive Interview Simulations and email [email=info@mbamission.com]info@mbamission.com[/email] to inquire about being placed on the waitlist*. *Those who join the HBS Intensive Interview Simulation waitlist will receive and email with detailed instructions once HBS releases interview invitations. |
21 Sep 2021, 09:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: Understanding the MBA Job Market: Fall 2021 |
With the start of job recruiting for full-time MBAs, many students are pondering questions such as the following:
And finally, remember, that even when indicators predict a strong job market, you have to show up as a compelling candidate. Focus on your ability to take advantage of the opportunities available to you—and less on the potential competitiveness of the market. The following blog posts provide tips for helping you stand out in a positive way: |
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Hi Generic [Bot],
Here are updates for you:
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Tuck at Dartmouth
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