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The mbaMission Blog

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What Business School Rankings Should Mean to You [#permalink] The mbaMission Blog   06 Dec 2021, 10:00
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FROM mbaMission Blog: What Business School Rankings Should Mean to You
When talking about business school rankings, the usual 15 schools are invariably mentioned. All are great schools that are worth considering and generally worth applying to. Sure, it may be hard to gain admission, but if you do not apply, your chance of acceptance is 0%! So, go ahead and send that application in.

But then what? Are you done? Should you apply to more schools?

If you only want to attend a very specific set of schools, then maybe your work is done. But if your goal is to go to a business school, not any particular business school, then maybe your work has just begun. As you begin to consider other schools, here are a few different ways of thinking about your options.

What Do You Want to Do?

If you have a clear sense of what you want to do, then start looking for a school whose graduates actually do those things. In this case, research counts and can be very revealing. Which school sends the most graduates into marketing? Northwestern Kellogg, of course, right? Hold on—not only is this not true, but it is not true by a long shot. This past year, only 10% of the Kellogg graduating class is going into marketing. Instead, you have to look north by about 150 miles (and south in the rankings) to find the number one marketing school: the University of Wisconsin. More than one-third of MBA graduates coming out of Madison, Wisconsin, go into marketing—and with an average salary of roughly $110,000, you have to figure most of them are pretty happy.

Similar examples exist across a myriad of functions. Do you want to be a product manager at Amazon? You cannot do better than the University of Washington Foster. A consultant at McKinsey? Try UVA Darden. An entrepreneur? Babson is number one.

What Industry Do You Want to Join?  

Certain schools are known to be “feeders” into certain industries. On close inspection, it can be surprising where some schools can land you. A perfect example is media and entertainment. Although some media companies recruit on campus (such as Disney and Viacom), there is no one recruiting event that can land you a job in this hot field. Instead, you must look to schools that already have deep relationships with a particular industry based on their location and a long history of connections. For media, the places you want to be are New York City and Los Angeles—so for business school, that translates into UCLA, NYU, and Columbia. But digging a little deeper yields schools like Chapman and Fordham. Maybe these schools are not top of mind, but their graduates find themselves at the top of the media industry.

So is the case with other industries. A big portion of the Vanderbilt Owen class will end up in health care, many in the robust health care community in Nashville, while Rice in Houston is a straight shot to oil and gas. Are you thinking about a career in international business? There is no better place than Georgetown McCombs, right in Washington, DC. And for a long time, UNC has been a leading program in real estate, with Kenan-Flagler grads at the top of real estate firms across the country.

Where Do You See Your Future?

If a big part of your business school plan is building connections and developing a network for yourself, make sure that you are starting your network in the right place. If you plan to live in St. Louis for the long term, for example, then WashU Olin makes a lot more sense than Dartmouth Tuck, no matter what the rankings say. This is particularly true for international students who will need a local network of alumni to help support them throughout the rest of their careers. Notre Dame Mendoza and Michigan Ross are known for their deeply committed alumni and outstanding network—but if there are no Ross or Mendoza graduates near you, the quality of their alumni network does not particularly matter. So, start Googling and see which schools have active alumni clubs nearby. If you are in India, Duke may be the one; while in China, USC might be a good network for you.

How About One-Year Programs?

While most European MBA programs are only one year in length, the United States has been much slower to develop shorter programs. However, this has been changing, and over the past few years, some top-ranked U.S. business schools have unveiled programs that are shorter in length but also much more focused. For example, both NYU and Cornell have a one-year Tech MBA, which is perfect for those looking to join a tech industry giant. Similarly, Kellogg unveiled its one-year MBAi program that is geared toward becoming a leader in tech, with a specific focus on data analytics. But one-year programs are not just limited to a tech focus. Consider NYU’s one-year Fashion & Luxury MBA geared toward helping graduates break into an industry that is notoriously difficult to enter.

Based on your background, you may even be able to find one-year MBA programs with a broader focus. For example, Cornell has a one-year option for students who already have certain degrees or professional certifications, such as a CPA. Although one-year programs do not allow for a summer internship, for the right candidates, one year may be more than enough to achieve their desired outcome.

Other Considerations

Choosing a business school is not a scientific process. Although a lot of data is available about each program, do not underestimate the human element. You may simply like one school better than another for all sorts of reasons including industry focus, cohort of students, and maybe also because of quality-of-life issues. A lot of boxes must be checked for business school to be a successful experience; do not be afraid to identify what all those “other” boxes might be. Maybe you have a partner who needs a job, in which case far-flung schools like Tuck or Cornell may not work so well. Do you need to be near a major airport? Emory is a great choice. If you have a young family who would benefit from a family-friendly city, consider the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management in Minneapolis. Do you love to surf? Your search starts and ends with Pepperdine University’s Graziadio Business School in Malibu.

So, what should rankings mean to you? Rankings are a tool—and not much more than that. Although they certainly will influence your thinking, do not let them dominate it. Remember, the end goal here really is not to go to the highest ranked school possible; the end goal is to take the best first step toward your aspirations. Many schools can help you do that—now you just have to figure out which ones.
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Luxury Brand Management at the GCU British School of Fashion and Londo [#permalink] The mbaMission Blog   08 Dec 2021, 12:00
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FROM mbaMission Blog: Luxury Brand Management at the GCU British School of Fashion and London Business School


Scotland’s Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU)—known as a leader in fashion education since the 19th century—inaugurated a new fashion business school in London in 2013 and soon after opened a satellite campus in New York City. Rather than focusing on the design aspect of fashion, however, the GCU British School of Fashion offers a specialized business education with applications to the fashion industry, as the school’s then-director, Christopher Moore, explained in a BBC article when the new campuses were being revealed: “The remit of the school is clear: we are about the business of fashion. And while there are other great international design schools, we are quite different. Our aim is to be a leading school for the business of fashion.”

The GCU British School of Fashion’s MBA in Luxury Brand Management program aims to impart industry tools and skills related to such topics as consumer behavior, globalization, and strategic management. The school also professes a commitment to social responsibility, sustainability, and fair trade as part of its core values. With support from a number of British fashion brands, which have included Marks & Spencer, House of Fraser, AllSaints, and the Arcadia Group, the school’s faculty also features a team of honorary professors and fashion industry leaders. The program was designed “to meet the growing demand for experienced managers who really understand luxury brand management in a global context,” the school’s website states. The school also offers programs in Luxury Marketing, Fashion and Lifestyle Marketing, and Fashion Business Creation.


London Business School has also taken steps to attract applicants with an interest in luxury brand management and retail. Although the school does not offer a degree on the subject, students can partake in numerous activities in the field throughout their studies. One of the most notable opportunities is the Walpole Programme in Luxury Management, a partnership with the Walpole British Luxury brand. The program equips students with the tools necessary to enter global management positions after graduation. Students take elective courses, visit companies, participate in workshops, complete internships, and work with a mentor from Walpole throughout the program. In 2019, for example, 16 MBA students participated in the program.

The London Core Application Practicum (LondonCAP) module, which was launched in 2017, is a hands-on learning opportunity during which students work with companies on projects related to their interests—a notable past partner is the British Fashion Council. Students can also join the Retail & Luxury Goods Club, which is one of the largest clubs on campus, with reportedly more than 4,500 members. The group welcomes industry speakers and organizes career treks to such locations as Milan and Paris, in addition to hosting an annual e-commerce conference, whose past speakers have represented such companies as Net-a-Porter, Marks & Spencer, and LVMH. The theme of the Retail & Luxury Goods Club’s virtual 2021 conference was “Rebuilding Retail’s Future: Consumers and Technology in the New Normal,” and the event welcomed such speakers as the CEO of Walpole, the managing director of Harrod’s, and the chief operating officer of Drest.
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Being Grateful in Your Job Search [#permalink] The mbaMission Blog   09 Dec 2021, 09:00
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FROM mbaMission Blog: Being Grateful in Your Job Search
As candidates navigate the job search, they can easily become frustrated and start focusing on what is not going right. However, as a job seeker, you actually have many things to be grateful for and many ways of demonstrating your gratitude during your search.

How to Be Grateful

  • Focus on your job search as an opportunity to learn new things and meet new people. Not everybody you encounter will be able to help you with your job search goals, but expanding your network and knowledge base is valuable regardless.
  • Remember that networking offers you the chance to confirm your interest in a target job. Learning more about a role or company will help you be more successful when you join the organization.
  • Observe your increased level of comfort in talking about yourself in a concise and compelling way as a result of your job search activities.
  • Realize that you are building resiliency and adaptability as well as gaining job search savviness and marketplace information whenever you receive critical feedback or encounter a setback or rejection.
How to Demonstrate Your Gratitude

  • Send follow-up emails to thank your contacts for their time and insights or to update them on your progress.
  • Be the connector; offer to make introductions. Think about the people you could help by connecting them with someone else in your network.
  • Refer others to new job opportunities or share job postings with your LinkedIn network.
  • Take the call and share your wisdom with a graduate of your undergrad institution or someone who worked at one of your previous employers.
  • Find joy in the “silver linings” by keeping a journal of all the positive things that are happening in your search.
Gratitude can also come into play at work:

  • Make sure to thank your boss and coworkers for the opportunity and their support if you decide to leave the organization; build bridges for the future.
  • Elaborate on why you are appreciative of their support after a new experience; reveal your takeaway or the benefit you gained from it. This is giving feedback and affirmations, which are valuable to you and your boss.
  • Enhance relationships with your colleagues and direct reports; show them that they matter to you in a meaningful and substantive way.
Finally, even in the midst of the Great Resignation, excelling at job and searching for a new one require a lot of hard work, patience, and resilience, so we encourage you to reframe your mind-set. Be grateful and proactive!

Happy (belated) Thanksgiving!
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How to Explain Gaps in Your MBA Resume [#permalink] The mbaMission Blog   10 Dec 2021, 12:00
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FROM mbaMission Blog: How to Explain Gaps in Your MBA Resume
MBA applicants tend to believe they need to have had a perfect trajectory in their professional past, going seamlessly from job to job, from promotion to promotion. The reality, however, can be quite different. Applicants sometimes get laid off and are unable to find a new job for several months. Sometimes, an illness or other personal reason forces them to take time off. The COVID-19 era has certainly seen its share of workplace disruptions.

So, if you have a gap on your resume, is all hope for your MBA future lost?

In short, no.

First, let us define what we mean by a job gap. The rule of thumb is that any lapse of more than three months between jobs should be explained in your application. This means that if your job gap is shorter than three months, you can simply note the beginning and end dates of the interval on your resume and not worry about it again.

But what should you do if your gap is four months, six months, or even a year? Even then, you have no need to panic. You will need to explain the gap in your application (some schools ask specifically in their application about any gaps longer than three months and want you to discuss what you did during that time; others expect you to use the Optional Essay to do so). The key to minimizing any concern about the gap is showing that you used the time effectively. For example, imagine you are an admissions committee member reading the following:

“I had a job gap of six months. During that time, I slept a lot because my previous job had been busy. So I relaxed and eventually found a new position.”

This “explanation” does not convey to the admissions committee a sense of drive, initiative, or proactivity. Contrast it with the following:

“In the six months between leaving [previous company] and starting at [current company], I embraced the chance to explore areas of interest that I had not previously had time for. I committed myself to learning to play the piano, with twice-weekly lessons and two hours of practice every day. I completed XYZ course on [something relevant to career goals] to bolster my understanding and skills in that area, and I shadowed [someone working in target career area] for ten hours a week to confirm that it is the direction I want to pursue professionally and to learn about the daily life and responsibilities of individuals in that role.”

The second example represents someone who used their time off for personal, intellectual, and professional growth, and that should easily dispel any concerns the admissions committee might have about the applicant’s job gap.

If you would like a professional’s opinion on how best to address any discontinuities in your resume, simply sign up for a free consultation with one of mbaMission’s admissions consultants!
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Dean Profiles: David Schmittlein, MIT Sloan School of Management [#permalink] The mbaMission Blog   11 Dec 2021, 10:00
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FROM mbaMission Blog: Dean Profiles: David Schmittlein, MIT Sloan School of Management


Business school deans are more than administrative figureheads. Their character and leadership often reflect an MBA program’s unique culture and sense of community. Today, we focus on David Schmittlein from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

David Schmittlein first came to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2007 after almost 30 years at Wharton, where he served as the Ira A. Lipman Professor in the school’s marketing faculty. He is the first Sloan dean to be hired from outside the ranks of MIT’s faculty and staff, thus bringing with him a wealth of new ideas and energy. Upon joining MIT, Dean Schmittlein announced his top priorities in a press release: “to enhance MIT Sloan’s visibility and engagement with leaders of the business community, regionally and globally, especially among the school’s alumni. MIT Sloan should be a wonderful focal point for the professional lives and development of Sloan alumni and others in the broader MIT community who are engaged in business and innovation.”

In addition to enhanced global visibility, a significant focus of Schmittlein’s deanship thus far, according to MIT’s website, has been “to work with the faculty in creating new high-quality management education programs, to develop enhanced educational opportunities for current students, and to develop and disseminate business knowledge that has impact and that will stand the test of time.” In an interview with mbaMission, the school’s assistant dean of admissions at the time, Rod Garcia, remarked that one noticeable change since Schmittlein entered the position is that “the dean has placed a huge emphasis on concept-based action learning. We have our Entrepreneurship Lab, our [Sustainable Business] Lab, our China Lab, our India Lab … among others. The movement toward these labs has accelerated during the dean’s tenure as he has engaged with our alumni around the world.”

For more information about MIT Sloan and 16 other top-ranked business schools, check out our free mbaMission Insider’s Guides.
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The Master Resource List for GMAT Reading Comprehension, Part 4 [#permalink] The mbaMission Blog   12 Dec 2021, 10:00
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FROM mbaMission Blog: The Master Resource List for GMAT Reading Comprehension, Part 4
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.

Part 1 of this series covered how to read Reading Comprehension (RC), and Part 2 introduced the first two major question types: Main Idea and Specific Detail. In Part 3, we discussed Inference questions and Why questions. If you have not already done so, start by reading those posts, and then continue with this final post in the series.

Put It All Together

All right, now you have all the pieces:

  • What to read and what not to read
  • How to find the main point
  • How to answer Main Idea, Specific Detail, Inference, and Why questions
We should now test your skills! This first article talks about how to read tough science passages.

Next, test your understanding of the passage on this Inference question, and then try this Why question.

Timing

As I mentioned earlier, we really do not have much time to read RC passages. Aim for approximately two to two and a half minutes on shorter passages and closer to three minutes for longer ones. Of course, you cannot possibly read everything closely and carefully in such a short time frame—but that is not your goal! The goal is to get the big picture on that first read-through.

Aim to answer Main Idea questions in roughly one minute. You can spend up to two minutes on the more specific questions. In particular, if you run across an Except question, expect to spend pretty close to two minutes; Except questions nearly always take a while.

As always, be aware of your overall time. If you find that you are running behind, skip one question entirely; do not try to save 30 seconds each on a bunch of questions. Also, if RC is your weakest verbal area, and you also struggle with speed, consider guessing immediately on one question per passage and spreading your time over the remaining questions.

Great, I Have Mastered RC!

Let us test that theory, shall we? Your next step is to implement all these techniques on your next practice test while also managing your timing well. Good luck!
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Waitlist Strategies for MBA Applicants [#permalink] The mbaMission Blog   14 Dec 2021, 10:00
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FROM mbaMission Blog: Waitlist Strategies for MBA Applicants
Each admissions season, many candidates receive a response from MBA admissions committees that can sometimes be far more frustrating than a rejection: “You have been placed on our waitlist.” What should you do when your status is uncertain?

The first and most important thing is to listen to the admissions committee. If the committee tells you not to send follow-up material of any sort, then do not yield to temptation and send material that you think will bolster your case. If you misguidedly choose to do so after being specifically instructed not to, you will most definitely identify yourself in a negative way—not the type of message you want to send to the group that will decide your fate.

Does this rule have any exceptions? Yes, actually. If you know a current student or an alum who can tactfully, diplomatically, and independently work on your behalf, you can have this third party write a letter to or otherwise contact the admissions committee in support of your candidacy. But again, this is acceptable only if this individual truly understands the delicate nature of the interaction. If you have no such person on your side, you will have to wait patiently, as difficult as that may be.

Conversely, if the school encourages applicants to provide updates on their progress, the situation changes. In the previous scenario, the frustration candidates experience derives from a sense of helplessness. But in this scenario, candidates tend to lament the lack of time in which to have accomplished anything significant, often thinking, “What can I offer the MBA admissions committee as an update? I submitted my application only three months ago!”

First and foremost, if you have worked to target any weaknesses in your candidacy—for example, by retaking the GMAT and increasing your score, or by taking a supplemental math class and earning an A grade—the admissions committee will certainly want to hear about this. Further, if you have any concrete news regarding promotions or the assumption of additional responsibilities in the community sphere, be sure to update the admissions committee on this news as well.

Even if you do not have these sorts of quantifiable accomplishments to report, you should still have some news to share. If you have undertaken any additional networking or have completed a class visit since you submitted your application, you can discuss your continued (or increased) interest; when you are on a waitlist, the admissions committee wants to know that you are passionately committed to the school. If you have not been promoted, you could creatively reflect on a new project that you have started and identify the professional skills/exposure that this project is providing or has provided (for example, managing people off-site for the first time or executing with greater independence). Finally, the personal realm is not off-limits, so feel free to discuss any personal accomplishments—for example, anything from advancing in the study of a language, to visiting a new country, to completing a marathon.

With some thought and creativity, you should be able to draft a concise but powerful letter that conveys your continued professional and personal growth while expressing your sincere and growing interest in the school—all of which will fulfill your goal of increasing your chances of gaining admission.
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The Best MBA Programs for Social Impact [#permalink] The mbaMission Blog   16 Dec 2021, 11:00
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FROM mbaMission Blog: The Best MBA Programs for Social Impact
In recent years, more and more companies are taking into account the impact their business activities have on society and the environment. Investors, customers, governments, and other stakeholders are increasingly focused on matters in environmental, social and governance (ESG). You might have also heard of corporate social responsibility, which refers to a socially conscious business model that strives to make a positive impact on society and the environment.

We at mbaMission have worked with many applicants over the years who are interested in a social impact–related career, such as joining an ESG investment fund or starting a social enterprise. As these career options rise in popularity, we are seeing top MBA programs adapt their curricula accordingly, aiming to equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to enable them to thrive in these industries.

Here, we describe three of the best MBA programs (in no particular order) that can help you jump-start your career in social impact.

Yale School of Management

The Yale School of Management (SOM) has a long, rich tradition in social impact. Its Program on Social Enterprise offers a broad range of courses that prepare students to work with diverse social impact issues, including “Aligning Profit and Purpose,” “Financing Green Technologies,” and “Impact Measurement & Financial Reporting in the Social Sector.”

In addition, the school hosts conferences and workshops that allow students to interact with thought leaders and grow their networks, such as the Social Impact Lab (a weekly forum that brings in external speakers), the Economic Development Symposium (an annual conference on economic development issues), and the Philanthropy Conference.

Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business

At Duke Fuqua, MBA students can choose from among several social impact concentrations: Social Entrepreneurship, Leadership & Ethics, and Energy & Environment. And the Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE) concentrates its offerings on three areas of focus—education, practitioner engagement, and thought leadership—to achieve its goal of “build[ing] the ecosystem that allows social entrepreneurs to succeed and scale.” Specific initiatives are built around impact investing and global health.

Fuqua students can participate in such student organizations as the Net Impact Club, Fuqua on Board, the Student Advisory Committee for the Social Entrepreneurship Accelerator at Duke , and the CASE Launch Pad (which awards $10,000 plus coaching to help aspiring social entrepreneurs bring their idea to life).

The University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business

Berkeley Haas builds social responsibility into its core curriculum and also offers students numerous hands-on opportunities to specialize in the sector. At the Center for Social Sector Leadership, students can serve on a nonprofit board through Social Sector Solutions or the Berkeley Board Fellowship. They can also participate in the Haas Sustainable Investment Fund, one of the largest student-run ESG funds among the top business schools.

As many as 20 Applied Innovation courses offer Berkeley Haas students experiential learning opportunities. For example, students interested in clean energy can work with start-ups in this sector through Cleantech to Market. And the Social Lean Launchpad helps social entrepreneurs think through topics such as company legal structures, social impact assessment, and stakeholder engagement.

These three MBA programs represent just a small sampling of the many schools that have social impact resources and courses. If you would like even more targeted guidance on choosing the right MBA program through which to launch your social impact career, sign up for a free 30-minute consultation with an mbaMission admissions consultant.
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MBA Admissions Myths Destroyed: I Have No Real Options [#permalink] The mbaMission Blog   17 Dec 2021, 10:00
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FROM mbaMission Blog: MBA Admissions Myths Destroyed: I Have No Real Options
In the late 2000s, Harvard Business School (HBS) made a change to its application essay questions that surprised many. Its previously mandatory “long- and short-term goals” essay prompt changed its focus more broadly to “career vision” and became one of four topic choices from which applicants could select two. Immediately, MBA candidates tried to read between the lines and decipher HBS’s hidden agenda behind the change. As a result, many perplexed applicants called us, asking, “Every other school asks about goals, so HBS must want to know about them, too. I need to answer the essay question option about career vision, right?”

This question, in turn, compelled us to ask rhetorically: Why would HBS make a question an option if the admissions committee expected you to answer it? If it did, why would the school not simply designate the question as mandatory, as it had been previously? We believe that in this case, HBS made the question an option because the admissions committee did not feel that applicants must have a definite career vision to be admitted. Essentially, HBS was saying, “If you have a well-defined career vision that would help us better understand who you are as a candidate, tell us about it. If not, we would love to hear something else that is interesting about you.” Note that HBS no longer poses this particular essay question, but we offer it here as a way of illustrating how candidates can sometimes overthink or misinterpret the “optional” elements of a school’s application.

Essay options are just that: options. None of HBS’s essay choices—or those of any other MBA program—are necessarily “right” or “wrong.” The admissions committees are not trying to trick you, nor does a secret answer exist that will guarantee your acceptance. The programs offer multiple essay question options because they know that each applicant is different, and they want to provide an opportunity for each candidate to tell their unique story. So, as you approach your essays, focus on what you want to say—not what you think the admissions committee wants to hear.
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Heading South for an MBA: The University of Texas McCombs School of Bu [#permalink] The mbaMission Blog   18 Dec 2021, 10:00
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FROM mbaMission Blog: Heading South for an MBA: The University of Texas McCombs School of Business and Emory University’s Goizueta Business School
The McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas, Austin, features several highlights in its MBA program that allow students to benefit from expanded opportunities for work experience (including with nonprofits), entrepreneurship, and leadership programming. For example, in the Texas McCombs Labs program, students learn marketing and supply chain skills by working hands-on for such major firms as Dell and Sam’s Club. All first-year MBA students are eligible to apply to the program, which runs through the course of one academic year.

Another notable program, the Texas Venture Labs Investment Competition, awards MBA scholarships to the winners of a start-up pitch competition, in which both admitted and prospective students can compete. The competition awards nearly $60,000 in prizes annually. In the area of nonprofit work, McCombs hosts a chapter of the Net Impact program, which affords students the chance to work on socially and environmentally responsible projects aimed at solving major societal problems. In 2014, the McCombs chapter was chosen as the Net Impact Graduate Chapter of the Year.

Another Southern institution, Emory University’s Goizueta Business School—named after late Coca-Cola CEO Roberto C. Goizueta—is deeply rooted in a legacy of global business leadership. Goizueta’s MBA program offers one- and two-year formats, strives to maintain an intimate learning environment, and offers its students the benefit of being located in a significant global commercial hub. One of the program’s notable advantages has been its success in attracting recruiters. The school’s recruiting strengths seem to be reflected in its latest employment report as well—92% of the Class of 2020 received job offers within three months of graduation and accepted positions with such major companies as Amazon, Barclays, Deloitte, Delta Air Lines, Google, J.P. Morgan, Microsoft, PwC, and UPS.
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Professor Profiles: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell, Harvard Business School [#permalink] The mbaMission Blog   19 Dec 2021, 10:00
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FROM mbaMission Blog: Professor Profiles: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell, Harvard Business School
[url=https://i0.wp.com/www.mbamission.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Ramon-Casadesus-Masanell-Harvard-Business-School.jpg?ssl=1][img]https://i0.wp.com/www.mbamission.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Ramon-Casadesus-Masanell-Harvard-Business-School.jpg?resize=288%2C230&ssl=1[/img][/url]

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 [url=https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/profile.aspx?facId=24279][b]Ramon Casadesus-Masanell [/b][/url]from Harvard Business School (HBS).

[b]Ramon Casadesus-Masanell[/b] has been a member of the Harvard Business School faculty since 2000 and is currently the Herman C. Krannert Professor of Business Administration. His “Competing Through Business Models” course is an elective that, according to a second-year student we interviewed, is typically oversubscribed. The second year noted that students must rank it among their top five course choices to have a shot at getting in, adding, “People enjoyed him so much they were willing to sign up for his 8:30 a.m. class.” As a part of the course, Casadesus-Masanell teaches cases on many industries, including airlines, consumer packaged goods, and manufacturing. A recent graduate we interviewed mentioned that Casadesus-Masanell keeps cases fresh and has included interesting business models such as Betfair (an online betting website), Greenpeace, and Osho (the spiritual guru). He also teaches the RC “Strategy” course.

Students told mbaMission they love his teaching style, which they describe as incredibly engaging and high energy—sometimes he even jumps up on tables or runs quickly around the classroom. He pushes students in a good, even-tempered way and leverages technology well, incorporating video and game simulations into case discussions. Casadesus-Masanell also serves as co-editor of the Journal of Economics and Management Strategy, which his faculty profile describes as “the leading academic journal on the economics of strategy.”

For more information about HBS and 16 other top-ranked business schools, check out our free [url=https://shop.mbamission.com/collections/insider-s-guides][b]mbaMission Insider’s Guides[/b][/url].
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How to Solve Any Sentence Correction Problem on the GMAT, Part 1 [#permalink] The mbaMission Blog   20 Dec 2021, 10:00
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FROM mbaMission Blog: How to Solve Any Sentence Correction Problem on the GMAT, Part 1
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.

Manhattan GMAT has developed a special process for Sentence Correction (SC). Some students and classes have seen it, but here we are sharing it publicly! Read on and let us know what you think.

The Five Steps for Sentence Correction

  • Take a first glance.
  • Read the sentence.
  • Find a starting point.
  • Eliminate answers.
  • Repeat steps 3 and 4.
As with any process, you will sometimes decide to deviate for some good reason. For most questions, though, you will follow this basic process.

  • Take a First Glance
The idea here is to take a “holistic” glance at the entire screen: let your eyes go slightly out of focus (do NOT read!), look at about the middle of whatever text is on the screen, and take in three things:

– the problem type (in this case, SC)

– the length of the whole sentence

– the length of the underline (or the length of the answers)

This first glance will help you formulate a plan of attack.

[*] Read the Sentence[/list]
Next, read the sentence as a complete sentence, not just a collection of potential grammar issues. Pay attention to the overall meaning that the sentence is trying to convey.

[*][b]Find a Starting Point[/b] [*]Eliminate Answers[/list]
When you spot something you know is wrong, immediately cross off answer (A) on your scrap paper. Check that same issue (and only that issue!) in the remaining answer choices; eliminate any answers that repeat the error.

[*] Repeat Steps 3 and 4[/list]
SC is a bit annoying in that your initial starting point often will not allow you to cross off all four wrong answers. You usually have to find multiple starting points.

Once you have dealt with one issue, return either to the original sentence or to a comparison of the answer choices, wherever you left off.

What to Do When You Are Stuck

In general, once you get stuck, give yourself one shot to “unstick” yourself. Try comparing different answers to see whether anything new pops out at you. If not, guess and move on.

Half the battle on the GMAT is knowing when to stop trying. Set explicit “cutoffs” for yourself—rules for when to let go—and stick to them!

Next Steps

Got all of that? Good!

In the second and third parts of this series, I will give you some drills that you can use to build the different skills needed to get through an SC problem. Until then, go ahead and practice the overall process until you internalize the different steps. Good luck!
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Will I Get In? And If I Do, Will I Want to Attend After All? [#permalink] The mbaMission Blog   21 Dec 2021, 11:00
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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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MBA Admissions Myths Destroyed: Reapplicants Should Not Reapply [#permalink] The mbaMission Blog   23 Dec 2021, 14:00
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FROM mbaMission Blog: MBA Admissions Myths Destroyed: Reapplicants Should Not Reapply
You applied to business school(s) once and did not get in. It took a lot of effort and caused a lot of heartache. Now what do you do? You cannot apply to those schools again, can you? What would be the point? They already rejected you once, so they will definitely do the same thing next time, right? Not necessarily!

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

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

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

In short, reapplicants, you have no reason to believe that you only have one chance. Like any competitive MBA applicant, continue to strive and achieve; if things do not work out this time, they just might the next time.
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A Sense of Community at UC Berkeley Haas and Stanford GSB [#permalink] The mbaMission Blog   24 Dec 2021, 10:00
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FROM mbaMission Blog: A Sense of Community at UC Berkeley Haas and Stanford GSB
The Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, is one of the smaller top MBA programs in the United States, with an average class size of between 300 and 350 students. Despite its small size, however, Berkeley Haas offers a diverse community, both regionally and professionally. Roughly 40% of each incoming class is made up of international students, and each entering class as a whole reflects a wide array of interests and professional backgrounds. Each of Berkeley Haas’s incoming classes is divided into smaller groups, called cohorts, and students remain in their cohort for the first semester, taking all core courses together. Within the cohort, students are further divided into study groups. Study group members work together to prepare for presentations and exams as well as to study cases, and these small groups help enhance and reinforce the relationships between classmates. Noted a second-year student with whom mbaMission spoke, “With everyone trying to work out their identity at the start,” the cohort “makes everything less overwhelming.”

Located just an hour’s drive from Berkeley Haas, the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) is similarly well known for its close-knit atmosphere, though its typical class size is a bit larger, with approximately 400 to 450 students. However, the school’s relatively small class size allows it to provide students with individualized coaching. First-year students at the GSB receive academic advising to help them create a customized plan for fulfilling their core requirements based on their strengths, weaknesses, experiences, and interests. Students can also take advantage of Career Management Center advisors, who can offer new perspectives on life beyond the GSB, and Arbuckle Leadership Fellows, who work with first-year students through lab sessions and one-on-one meetings.

For more information on Berkeley Haas, the Stanford GSB, or 15 other leading MBA programs, check out our free mbaMission Insider’s Guides.
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Professor Profiles: James E. Schrager, University of Chicago Booth Sch [#permalink] The mbaMission Blog   26 Dec 2021, 09:00
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FROM mbaMission Blog: Professor Profiles: James E. Schrager, University of Chicago Booth 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 James E. Schrager from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Although he has a PhD from the University of Chicago in organizational behavior and policy, James E. Schrager is not just an academic, but also a practitioner who helped take the first private American company public on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and helped turn around aspects of the Pritzker family holdings, which were ultimately sold to Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway. Students we interviewed noted that Schrager brings his high-level experiences to class but remains entirely in touch with students’ more modest perspectives, adapting his anecdotes accordingly and creating practical learning points that pertain to what students will face early in their post-MBA careers.

Schrager is a three-time winner of the university’s Emory Williams Award for Excellence in Teaching (in 2007, 2001, and 1996), and he received the Faculty Excellence Teaching Award in 2017. One second-year student told mbaMission, “He is not up in the sky, but very practical, and by the way, his class is always full.” Students’ grades in Schrager’s “New Venture Strategy” class are based in part on the success of a business idea the students present to their peers—the other students act as venture capitalists and give feedback on the idea.

For more information about Chicago Booth and 16 other top-ranked business schools, check out our free mbaMission Insider’s Guides.
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How to Solve Any Sentence Correction Problem on the GMAT, Part 2 [#permalink] The mbaMission Blog   27 Dec 2021, 10:00
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FROM mbaMission Blog: How to Solve Any Sentence Correction Problem on the GMAT, Part 2
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.

In Part 1 of this article, we talked about the five-step process to answer Sentence Correction (SC) problems:

  • Take a first glance.
  • Read the sentence.
  • Find a starting point.
  • Eliminate answers.
  • Repeat steps 3 and 4.
If you have not already learned that process, read Part 1 before continuing with this article.

Drills to Build Skills

How do you learn to do all this stuff? You are going to build some skills that will help at each stage of the way. The drills are summarized in this post; if you want the full description of each, check out the original article on the Manhattan GMAT blog.

Drill Number 1: Take a First Glance

Open up your Official Guide (OG) and find some lower-numbered SC questions that you have already tried in the past. Give yourself a few seconds (no more than five!) to glance at a problem, then look away and say out loud what you noticed in those few seconds.

As you develop your First Glance skills, start to read a couple of words: the one right before the underline and the first word of the underline. Do those give you any clues about what might be tested in the problem? For instance, consider this sentence:

Xxx xxxxxx xxxx xx and she xxx xxxxx xxxx xxxx xxx xxx xxxxx.

I have a strong suspicion that this problem might test parallelism, because the word and falls immediately before the underline. When I read the sentence, I will be looking for an X and Y parallelism structure.

Drill Number 2: Read the Sentence

Take a look at some OG problems you have tried before. Read only the original sentence. Then, look away from the book and articulate aloud, in your own words, what you think the sentence is trying to convey. You do not need to limit yourself to one sentence. You can also glance back at the problem to confirm details.

I want to stress the “out loud” part; you will be able to hear whether the explanation is sufficient. If so, try another problem.

If you are struggling or unsure, then one of two things is happening. Either you just do not understand, or the sentence actually does not have a clear meaning, and this is precisely why the choice is wrong! Decide which you think it is, and then check the explanation.

Next Steps

Spend some time drilling these skills for steps 1 and 2. Then come back here to join us for the third part in this series, in which you will learn two more drills for the later steps of the SC process.
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“Lead” versus “Led” and Not Overusing Techniques in Your Application E [#permalink] The mbaMission Blog   28 Dec 2021, 09:00
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FROM mbaMission Blog: “Lead” versus “Led” and Not Overusing Techniques in Your Application Essays
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?

  • Lead—verb, present tense, rhymes with “seed”—refers to actively and presently guiding others.
“In my current position as managing director, I lead a team of six analysts in completing market analysis.”

  • Led—verb, past tense, rhymes with “bed”—refers to the act of having guided others at an earlier time or at some point in the past. “Led” is both the past tense and the past participle of “lead.”
“As part of my first job after college, I led two summer interns in a competitive assessment” and “I have led multiple teams of salespeople during my five years at the firm.”

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.
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MBA Admissions Myths Destroyed: I Should Quit My Job to Study for the [#permalink] The mbaMission Blog   30 Dec 2021, 14:00
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FROM mbaMission Blog: MBA Admissions Myths Destroyed: I Should Quit My Job to Study for the GMAT

The GMAT score is the sole piece of data that is truly consistent from one candidate to another. Therefore, many MBA applicants place undue emphasis on it, when the test is only one of several important aspects of a person’s application. In extreme cases, some candidates even consider quitting their jobs to focus on the GMAT full time—not a great idea!

Why is leaving your job to focus on improving your GMAT score not ideal? Quite simply, it sends the message that you are incapable of managing what thousands of other MBA candidates can manage quite well. In your application, you will need to account for any time off; if you honestly admit that you quit your job to study for the GMAT, you will place yourself at a disadvantage relative to others who have demonstrated that they can successfully manage their work, study, and possibly volunteer commitments simultaneously. By taking time off, you will send the (unintended) message that you cannot achieve what many other applicants do unless you have an uneven playing field. This is not a message you want to send your target academic institution, which wants to know that you can handle the academic course load an MBA requires, not to mention a job hunt, community commitments, and other such responsibilities.

Regardless of the admissions committees’ perception of taking time off, we believe a calm and methodical approach is your best bet. By furthering your career as you study, you will maintain a sense of balance in your life. On test day, you will have a far better chance of keeping a level head, which will ensure that you will do your best—and of course, this was the whole point all along.
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Global Perspective MBAs at Georgetown University and George Washington [#permalink] The mbaMission Blog   01 Jan 2022, 10:00
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FROM mbaMission Blog: Global Perspective MBAs at Georgetown University and George Washington University
Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business has featured a global emphasis in its curriculum for almost a decade, starting with an updating of its MBA curriculum in 2012. The school’s dean at the time, David A. Thomas, announced the changes as a response to the evolving global business landscape, meant to equip students “with the skills to be innovative leaders—whether they are joining established organizations or becoming entrepreneurs.”

During the fall semester, first-year students are required to take “Structure of Global Industries,” an immersive core course that provides a foundation in international business. The global emphasis continues in the second year, when students take the core course “Business and Policy in a Global Economy,” and culminates with the school’s signature Global Business Experience. In this program, students take on consulting roles working for actual international organizations or Fortune 500 companies. In the spring, student teams travel to their respective client’s country—in 2019, for example, these included Ghana, South Korea, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, and India—to gain firsthand experience working in a global consulting and management setting. After the participating students return to campus, they present the stories and takeaways from their experiences to their classmates at the school’s Global Business Conference.

Just four miles away from Georgetown, the George Washington University School of Business offers a similarly international MBA experience—in fact, the program is titled “Global MBA.” During the first year of the program, students take such core courses as “Microeconomics for the World Economy” and “Competition in the Global Economy” before taking part in the Consulting Abroad Program, during which all Global MBA students spend seven weeks preparing on campus in Washington, DC, and then two weeks abroad in the partner company’s country. Although the novel coronavirus outbreak prevented students from traveling abroad in 2020 and 2021, the teams delivered their presentations virtually to their partner companies in Germany, South Africa, and Singapore.

Finally, Global MBA students have the option of enrolling in one of the school’s graduate certificate programs—such certificates as “Global Management” and “Tourism Management” may be of interest to those hoping to focus on international experiences.
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