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25 Mar 2022, 09:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: Reorient Your View on the GMAT’s Math Problems |
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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 Quant section of the GMAT is not a math test. Really! It just looks like one on the surface. In reality, the test writers are testing us on how we think. As such, they write many math problems in a way that hides what is really being tested or even implies a solution method that is not the best solution method. Assume nothing, and do not accept that what they give you is your best starting point! Instead, slow down a little. First, just glance at the whole problem (before you really start reading) to see what kind of problem you have. Next, read the problem and jot down any numbers, formulas, etc. Do not do any translation or simplification at this stage—in short, do not do any actual work yet. Just get the basics on paper, and wrap your brain around what the question is saying. You will be less likely to fall into their traps if you think before you act. Then, reflect and organize: what have you got, and what should you consider doing with it? Do any pieces of information go together? Do you see any clues that give you an idea of how to solve the problem? Is the problem really obviously suggesting a certain path? Maybe that will work—but make a conscious decision that this really is your best path. Most of the time, when an “obvious” path is suggested, some other path is actually faster or easier. Also, remember that your best approach might be to guess and move on, depending on how hard the question is. Finally, if you are not going to guess, then get to it and work. You made some kind of plan during the previous step, so start working that plan! If you get stuck at this stage, you are allowed to give yourself one chance to unstick yourself. Go back to an earlier step in your work to see whether you can find another way forward. If you find yourself still stuck, pick something and move on. Want to see some examples of all this? Glad you asked. I have got a full two-part article for you with three different practice problems. Get to it, and let me know what you think! |
26 Mar 2022, 09:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: MBA Admissions Myths Destroyed: I Need to Tell It All! (Part 1) |
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In your pursuit of acceptance to business school, you are competing against thousands of other applicants. Because you do not actually know these individuals, you may naturally assume that you need any and every edge available to stand out. As a result, you may feel compelled to provide every single detail of your life, exploiting your resume in particular to do so. We want you to maximize your opportunities, of course, but we also want to be sure you do not jeopardize your application by offering too much information. Our experience has shown that many resumes—especially those in which every margin is narrowed and every font is made smaller—provide a detrimental surplus of detail. Some become so dense with text that rather than being easily scannable, which is the ideal, they are entirely impenetrable and therefore easy to ignore. We often tell clients that “less is more,” explaining that a brief resume that will be read in full is more beneficial than a dense resume that will not get read at all. At an Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants Conference, eight leading admissions officers were asked whether they would prefer a one-page or two-page resume, and one person led all the others in declaring, “Everyone together… one page!” Even with a one-page resume, however, you need to understand what is useful to include and what should be excluded. The answer to this riddle is different for everyone. You may consider jettisoning internships from years gone by, for example, or reducing the number of bullet points offered for past jobs. Eliminating entries for community involvements from long ago could be helpful. The agenda for your resume should be to create maximum impact, and sometimes that is achieved by using fewer words and bullet points. You may need to make tough choices, but the time and effort will be well spent if you ultimately submit a stronger resume and thereby make a more compelling statement about yourself. |
27 Mar 2022, 08:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: Get an Early Start on Your Resume and Personal Goals |
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We at mbaMission try to encourage business school candidates to get as much “noise” out of the way as possible before they begin working on their official application(s) and essays, even several months in advance. We want applicants to have the freedom to reflect on their experiences, formally and thoroughly brainstorm, choose ideas, prepare outlines, and then focus on crafting powerful essays. Essentially, we want them to be unfettered as they engage in what is, for many, one of the most significant creative challenges they will ever face. If you are targeting Round 1 deadlines this fall, using this time to address a task such as preparing your resume—a process that often requires several rounds of revisions—will allow you to focus better on the other elements of your application later. By revising your resume now, you can dedicate the time needed to do so at a more leisurely pace, before “crunch time” hits. Further, you will lay the foundation for brainstorming for your essays by reminding yourself of your most significant accomplishments. If you prepare your resume now, you will definitely thank yourself later for having completed this task early. Note: We recognize that you may achieve additional accomplishments before applying. We nonetheless suggest that you update your resume now and then revisit and amend it as necessary one to two weeks before your application deadlines. A similar message applies to personal leadership—you always have time to take steps to bolster your chances of admission. Many candidates completely ignore the personal side of their candidacy. But if you have, for example, completed a triathlon, learned a language, published an article, or simply been an inordinately dedicated neighbor/sibling/mentor in an unofficial capacity, your story can provide an interesting point of differentiation. So, if you have an activity or adventure in mind that you would otherwise complete later anyway, we recommend pursuing it now. We are not suggesting that you start writing poetry tomorrow in hopes of getting something published, for instance, but if you are a dedicated poet and have verses that you have long intended to submit, do so now. If you can run 20 miles and have always planned to run a marathon, do it now. These kinds of personal stories can help set you apart from your fellow applicants. |
30 Mar 2022, 07:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: Career Opportunities at the SMU Cox School of Business and the UMN Carlson School of Management |
 Cox School of Business Corporate connections are a major selling point at the Southern Methodist University (SMU) Cox School of Business. Located in the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex, the school offers its MBA students access to a large network of corporate representatives and recruiters—from the 22 Fortune 500 companies with headquarters in the area to a global university alumni base of nearly 127,000. One highlight of the networking resources Cox provides is its Alumni Association, which has members in more than 40 countries. The Economist ranked Cox’s small, collaborative program sixth for “potential to network” in 2019 (the latest such ranking). In addition, Entrepreneur magazine has ranked business-friendly Dallas second among U.S. cities for entrepreneurs. With 18 Fortune 500 companies located nearby—including UnitedHealth Group, Target, and U.S. Bancorp—the University of Minnesota (UMN) Carlson School of Management also boasts a robust network of corporate ties and high-profile recruiting opportunities. In addition, Carlson prepares its students with a pronounced hands-on approach to building leadership, management, and problem-solving skills. Among the school’s more distinctive offerings, Carlson’s four Enterprise programs expose students to the areas of brand, consulting, funds, and ventures. The Enterprise learning experience is rather unique insofar as it operates as a full professional services firm, serving multiple clients and allowing students to work through real-world business challenges with senior management at major companies. In the Brand Enterprise program, for example, Carlson students have developed key marketing strategies for such brands as Cargill, Boston Scientific, Target, 3M, General Mills, and Land O’Lakes. Students in the Consulting Enterprise program have offered services to such companies as Best Buy, Northwest Airlines Cargo, Medtronic CRM Division, and Polaris. With approximately $35M in managed assets, the Carlson Funds Enterprise program ranks among the three largest student-managed funds in the world. Finally, the Carlson Ventures Enterprise program puts aspiring entrepreneurs in contact with experts, professionals, and investors. |
30 Mar 2022, 09:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: Five Ways to Improve the Effectiveness of Your Job Search |
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We keep hearing that the job market is robust right now—and even seeing lots of posts from people in our LinkedIn network announcing that they have accepted new roles—but that does not mean securing a new job is easy. The process can take significant time, energy, and effort, as well as some luck. If you are feeling frustrated about your lack of interviews, try the following tips to improve the effectiveness of your job search efforts. Tip #1: Do not rely exclusively on online job postings. Many jobs are never posted online, and for the ones that are, the hiring managers likely already have a list of top candidates in mind before the opportunity is even listed. Consider spending at least 50% of your job search time networking. Build relationships with potential hiring managers, learn about the needs of target companies, and identify how you can best position yourself for the roles you want. Action Item #1: Create a list of 10–20 target companies (regardless of whether they currently have a posted opening), and then search your connections to find people who work at these firms. They can help you understand these businesses and their hiring needs. Use your first-degree network on LinkedIn to request introductions to people in their network who are employed at your companies of interest. Tip #2: Leverage your network to gather information and build advocates. According to CNBC, 70% of open positions are never publicly advertised, and up to 80% of openings are filled through job seekers’ professional and personal networks. Action Item #2: Be specific in your requests for networking conversations, but do not outright ask for a job. Customize the conversation to the contact. Learn about their organization and its needs, and gather information on the best way to navigate its application process. Tip #3: Customize your application. Jobscan reported that almost 100% of Fortune 500 companies use applicant tracking systems, but a majority of resumes submitted to these systems are rejected. Using the right keywords and simple formatting is a must. Action Item #3: Analyze your target job description, looking for specific skills or areas of knowledge in the responsibilities section that are especially important for the role. Use information gathered from your networking conversations to effectively highlight your qualifications on your resume and in your cover letter. Make sure the hiring manager can easily understand how your experiences will allow you to contribute to the role you are applying for. Tip #4: Follow up on your job applications. Many candidates submit numerous job applications each week in hopes of being selected but do not take any initiative to further demonstrate or affirm their level of interest. Action Item #4: If you do not hear back on a job application within two weeks, reach out to the hiring manager, the recruiter, or your internal connection via email or LinkedIn. Confirm that they received your application, reiterate your interest in the role, and ask about the company’s timeline for hiring. If you are not selected for the position, see if you can gather any insights on how to enhance your application for future postings. Tip #5: Develop and leverage industry-specific knowledge. Just being knowledgeable about an industry is no longer enough; employers expect candidates to have a passion for the business and ideas about how to move it forward. With so many qualified job seekers looking for their next opportunity, the onus is on you to clearly connect the dots for the hiring manager and demonstrate why you are the best candidate to meet the firm’s needs. Action Item #5: Read (a lot!) about your target companies and industry. Sign up for e-newsletters from trade associations and for relevant industry publications. Follow your desired companies and key influencers on LinkedIn. Use that information and any insights you have gleaned from networking conversations to form and share your perspective on trends and opportunities. We believe these actions—in addition to tracking every conversation and revisiting your progress on a monthly basis—will greatly increase your chances of success by giving you access to information that will help you better position yourself. Good luck! |
31 Mar 2022, 14:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: Wharton and Chicago Booth Top the U.S. News 2023 MBA Rankings |
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The 2023 U.S. News & World Report Best Business Schools list, which was released on Tuesday, named two MBA programs the best in the country. The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, which was ranked second last year, shared the top spot this year with the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. Chicago Booth was third in the previous rankings and has been named the top MBA program by U.S. News only once before, in the 2019 list. The Stanford Graduate School of Business, which held the number-one spot last year, shared third place with the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University this time. Harvard Business School remained in fifth place this year, tied with the MIT Sloan School of Management. One school made its way into the top ten—the University of Michigan Ross School of Business was 13th last year and tenth this year—and a few fell out: the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and the New York University Stern School of Business shared tenth place in the previous list but were ranked 11th and 12th, respectively, this year. Among the most notable changes in the current rankings were the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame, which was 25th, up 11 spots from the previous list, and the D’Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University, which was ranked 85th, down 30 spots from last year. |
04 Apr 2022, 09:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: Professor Profiles: Julie Hennessy, Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management |
 Many MBA applicants feel that they are purchasing a brand when they choose a business school. However, the educational experience you will have is what is crucial to your future, and no one will affect your education more than your professors. Today, we focus on Julie Hennessy from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Before students even began describing the quality of their educational experiences with Julie Hennessy to mbaMission, they noted that she “cares a lot” and “makes herself available to chat and talk about recruiting.” In addition to teaching Kellogg MBA students as a clinical professor of marketing, Hennessy teaches executive education at leading firms, and she previously served as associate chair of Kellogg’s Marketing Department. Students we interviewed reported that she draws on her firm experiences in class but does not just tell stories. Instead, Hennessy challenges students and teases out the responses that facilitate learning. Students with whom we spoke also referred to her as “funny and energetic.” Not surprisingly, then, Hennessy won the school’s L.G. Lavengood Outstanding Professor of the Year Award—which is voted on by Kellogg students—in both 2007 and 2017. In addition, she has won seven student impact awards and five Chair’s Core Course Teaching Awards—most recently in 2018 and 2010–2011, respectively. And in 2016, Hennessy received the school’s Certificate for Impact Teaching Award. Kellogg’s website notes that Hennessy focuses her writing on producing new cases for class discussion; she has completed cases on such brands as TiVo, Apple iPod, Invisalign Orthodontics, and (as separate cases) the antibiotics Biaxin and Zithromax. Her recent cases have focused on such topics as “Stella Artois in South Africa: Cause Marketing and the Building of a Global Brand” and “With a Little Help from ‘Nuestros Amigos’: Hispanics and Kidney Transplants.” For more information about Northwestern Kellogg and 16 other top-ranked business schools, check out our free mbaMission Insider’s Guides. |
04 Apr 2022, 09:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: I Studied This Part of the GMAT—I Should Know How to Do It! |
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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. When was the last time you thought, “I studied this! I should know how to do it!”? For me, it was sometime within the past week. I knew that this problem was not beyond my reach! Meanwhile, the clock was ticking away, and all I could focus on was the fact that I could not remember something that I should have been able to remember. That horrible, sinking feeling is universal: we have all felt it before and—unfortunately—we are all going to feel it again. How can we deal with this? What does the “But!” feeling really mean? When you catch yourself thinking…
Our brains are not perfect. Sometimes we are going to forget or stumble over something that we really do know. (Also, sometimes we are going to think we should know something that we really do not know as well as we thought we did.) Change your response We are never going to get rid of the “But!” feeling, so the remedy here is not to try to train ourselves to lose it. Rather, the remedy is to recognize that we are feeling this way and change how we respond. When you feel the “But!” feeling, start treating the problem like one that you know you do not know how to do. Do not give into the feeling; it is trying to distract you and cause you to waste time. From now on, “But… but… but…” = “I do not know what I am doing.” If I have already used up all my time, I guess randomly and move on. If I still have some time left, and I have some ideas about how I might make an educated guess, then I try to do that for about 30 seconds or so. Then, I pick and move on. Next steps Still struggling with the idea of cutting yourself off like this? Read my mind-set article In It to Win It to understand why letting go on a few problems here and there is not really a big deal. Here is another resource for time management. (We all have at least minor problems with time management on a test like the GMAT.) |
05 Apr 2022, 10:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: MBA Admissions Myths Destroyed: I Need to Tell It All! (Part 2) |
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Recently, we discussed observing limits with your resume. This time, we take a similar approach with your essays—in particular, your goals essay. Some business schools ask applicants to discuss their career progress first in a classic goals essay: Briefly assess your career progress to date. Elaborate on your future career plans and your motivation for pursuing an MBA. Whereas other schools do not request any professional context: What are your short-term and long-term post-MBA goals? How will our school help you achieve these goals? Applicants tend to seize on these broad, open-ended questions as opportunities to discuss their entire career history in depth, offering far more than mere context for their goals. In response to a question like the first one here, some candidates will mistakenly use 75% or more of the word space provided just discussing their career progression to date. Although this may seem “brief” to you, the truth is that focusing so extensively on your past minimizes your opportunity to discuss other crucial aspects of your candidacy. If you devote too much of your essay to detailing your past career progress, you will be unable to thoroughly address your reasons for wanting an MBA and your interest in the school. Providing context for your goals by giving an overview of your professional life to date is unquestionably important, but you must be sure to balance the different sections of your essay. Clearly conveying your goals and your reasons for choosing a particular school is crucial so that you connect with your target, rather than miss it entirely. |
07 Apr 2022, 09:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: Are You Too Young (or Old) to Pursue an MBA? |
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Here at mbaMission, one of the most common questions we are asked is “Am I too young [or old] to pursue an MBA?” Most applicants to traditional two-year MBA programs have between three and seven years of full-time work experience by the time they matriculate. For example, the average number of years of professional experience for Harvard Business School’s Class of 2023 is five. Schools typically publish the average amount of work experience students have in their different MBA programs as part of their class profiles. The good news is that admissions committees consider not only the amount of work experience you have but also what you have actually achieved in your career. Here are some factors that can help you decide whether you are ready to apply to a traditional two-year MBA program, regardless of your age. Professional experience The top business schools are interested in applicants who make an impact at their work, no matter how long they have been in a particular role. How have you made a positive impact on your team or clients? Do your best to quantify these achievements. For example, perhaps you took the initiative to improve a reporting process, and this change has ultimately saved your team valuable work hours each week. Additionally, signals—such as promotions, increasing responsibilities, and internal or external recognition (e.g., MVP awards)—can show the admissions committees that you are a strong performer and a valuable contributor at work. Career goals No matter your age, clearly articulating your future career goals and how an MBA will help you achieve them is important. This information helps the admissions committees understand what motivates you and how their MBA program can support and add value to your career trajectory. Describing your career goals is especially crucial for more tenured applicants who have a demonstrated track record of success in their career. For these candidates, the admissions committees also want to know “Why now?” So carefully consider why now is a good time for you to return to school. Importantly, what will business school teach you that you cannot learn on the job? Test scores Although strong test scores will not necessarily get you into the most competitive business schools, weak test scores could keep you out. This is especially true for candidates who are younger or older than the average student at their target school. If you have been out of the academic setting for a number of years, having a strong GMAT or GRE test score could reassure the admissions committees that you would be able to hit the ground running, so to speak. Thinking through these three factors can help you determine whether you might be a good fit for a traditional two-year MBA program. And keep in mind that other options exist. We are seeing the rise of MBA programs that cater to applicants at different stages of their career. For example, mid-career candidates (those with 8 to 15 years of work experience) can choose a one-year program such as the MIT Sloan Fellows or Stanford MSx. College seniors can apply for deferred admission to many business schools (see our blog post An Overview of Deferred Admissions MBA Programs). If you would like to discuss your profile in more detail or receive targeted guidance on your business school application, simply sign up for a free 30-minute consultation with an mbaMission admissions expert. |
08 Apr 2022, 09:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: Addressing Sustainability at UCLA Anderson and Thinking Social at NYU Stern |
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Applicants to the UCLA Anderson School of Management may be well aware of the school’s strengths in media and real estate, but they might be surprised to learn that Anderson also offers a cutting-edge multidisciplinary program for students interested in environmental sustainability. The school’s Leaders in Sustainability (LiS) certificate program allows Anderson students to take courses at different graduate schools within the university network, thereby offering them opportunities to address issues of environmental sustainability in an interdisciplinary manner. Students must apply to the program, which typically has more than 190 participants from graduate programs across the university. Students in the LiS program must take four classes, including the LiS core course and three sustainability-related elective courses—at least one of which must be taught outside the students’ primary graduate school. In total, the greater university offers more than 50 sustainability-related courses that Anderson students may choose from, ranging from “Business and Environment” to “Economic Analysis for Managers” to even “Marine Ecology” and “Oceanology.” In addition to completing the program’s required four courses, LiS students must complete a leadership project related to sustainability. Meanwhile, on the East Coast, New York University’s (NYU’s) Stern School of Business is perhaps not well known among the top MBA programs for sustainable enterprise or social entrepreneurship. However, the school in fact offers an array of resources for those interested in pursuing careers in such fields. The Berkley Center for Entrepreneurship (formerly known as the W.R. Berkley Innovation Labs) serves as the hub of all entrepreneurial activities and events at the school, and Stern offers a Sustainable Business and Innovation (formerly Social Innovation and Impact) specialization, thereby formalizing an academic track for students with this career path in mind. Courses available within the specialization include “Global Markets, Human Rights, and the Press,” “Investing for Environmental and Social Impact,” and “Strategy with a Social Purpose.” Through the Stern Consulting Corps program, students can partner on consulting projects with New York City–based nonprofits. And for those who also have the entrepreneurial bug, Stern added a Social Venture Competition—in which participants compete for a $50K prize—to its traditional for-profit $250K Entrepreneurs Challenge. In short, socially conscious Sternies have quite a bit to keep them busy! For a thorough exploration of what UCLA Anderson, NYU Stern, and 15 other top business schools have to offer, please check out our free mbaMission Insider’s Guides. |
11 Apr 2022, 07:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: Professor Profiles: Adam Brandenburger, NYU Stern 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 Adam Brandenburger from New York University’s (NYU’s) Leonard N. Stern School of Business. An expert on game theory and its practical application to business strategy, Adam Brandenburger was voted the NYU Stern MBA Professor of the Year in 2006, and in 2008 he received an NYU Excellence in Teaching award in recognition of his teaching and course development work. From 2011–2014, he served as vice dean for innovation at NYU Stern, and he is now the J.P. Valles Professor at the school. His latest book—called The Language of Game Theory: Putting Epistemics into the Mathematics of Games (World Scientific, 2014)—contains eight papers coauthored by Brandenburger and his colleagues over a period of 25 years. Students with whom mbaMission spoke reported being consistently impressed by his capacity to make the complex simple in the classroom, stating that Brandenburger is able to take the “complicated, theoretical and intangible” world of game theory and make it “easy to understand and practical.” Brandenburger holds additional appointments at NYU as global network professor, distinguished professor at the Tandon School of Engineering, and faculty director of the university’s Shanghai Program on Creativity and Innovation. For more information about NYU Stern and 16 other top-ranked business schools, check out our mbaMission Insider’s Guides. |
12 Apr 2022, 09:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: How to Analyze Your GMAT Practice Problems |
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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. Did you know that, on any particular problem, roughly 80% of your learning comes after you have picked the answer? Turns out, we do not learn much while in the process of doing a problem, especially when the clock is ticking. We are just trying to remember (and use!) everything that we learned before we started working on that problem. Afterward, though, we can take all the time we want to figure out how to get better—that is where we really learn. Did I understand what they were asking? Did I know how to do the math or reasoning necessary to get to the answer? Is there a more efficient way to do that work? Did I make any mistakes or fall into any traps? If so, which ones and why? How could I make an educated guess? In a nutshell: if you are not spending at least as long reviewing a question as you spent doing it in the first place, then you are not maximizing your learning. Take a look at this article: How to Analyze a Practice Problem. It contains a list of questions to ask yourself when reviewing a problem. Take note of a couple of things: – Yes, you still ask yourself these questions even when you answer the question correctly. – No, you do not need to ask yourself every single question for each problem you review; choose the most appropriate questions based upon how the problem went for you. Want some examples of how to do this? Glad you asked. Below, you will find links to articles containing an analysis of a sample problem for each of the six main question types. Happy studying! How to analyze the following: Sentence Correction Critical Reasoning Reading Comprehension Data Sufficiency Problem Solving Integrated Reasoning Table |
13 Apr 2022, 12:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: MBA Admissions Myths Destroyed: You Need a 750 GMAT to Get into Business School |
We often hear MBA applicants ask some form of the following question: “Do I need a 750 GMAT score to get into a top MBA program?” Although a 750 can certainly be helpful, it is not a prerequisite. We wanted to dispel this myth and put some who believe it at ease. Here are a few simple reasons why this is just not true:
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14 Apr 2022, 12:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: Choosing the Right Business Schools |
Which MBA program(s) you should apply to is one of the most important—and certainly one of the earliest—decisions you will have to make in the application process. Yet we often see candidates targeting business schools without having fully thought through their options. These applicants typically end up in one of the following predicaments:
First, rather than asking yourself, “Where do I want to go to business school?,” ask yourself, “Where would I want to go to business school more than I would want to stay in my job?” In other words, which MBA program is the “worst” one that would still better than remaining at your current job, and which school is the “best” one that would still be worse than staying where you are? (Note that “worst” and “best” here do not refer to a school’s objective quality; we are referring to how well—or not—a program matches your specific personality and needs.) Once you have identified these two schools, you will have positioned yourself not only to be accepted to business school (by applying to “safer,” more appropriate options) but also to be accepted at programs you would actually want to attend. The next step is to factor in other criteria. Our Insider’s Guidesaddress and explore nine key factors you should consider when selecting schools. For example, location: do you prefer to live in a city where you will have easier access to recruiters but less of a community feel on campus and potentially higher tuition? Or do you want to be in a smaller college town, where the community and network are strong but not a lot of resources are available off campus? Something else to consider is a program’s primary teaching method, or pedagogy. For example, Harvard Business School and the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business are both 100% case method. The case method requires a tremendous amount of reading and problem solving, both alone and as part of a group, before you even get to class. This appeals to some learners but not to others. On the other hand, the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business is very hands on, with students required to complete a Multidisciplinary Action Project in which they solve a real-world problem for a company. As you narrow down your school list, think about whether you prefer to learn via traditional lectures, the case method, or a more hands-on, project-based approach. Of course, another key consideration is whether a school offers career opportunities and academic specializations that align with your goals and will therefore help you more easily advance professionally. Our Personal Statement Guide and Career Guides will help you better understand how to assess your professional aspirations and needs so you can identify which business school might provide the best preparation for your career. Again, a truly thorough exploration of a business school involves at least nine main criteria, and we have mentioned only a few here, so we encourage you to download our Insider’s Guides for more information and advice. You also need to decide how many schools to apply to. We recommend taking a portfolio approach to manage your risk: apply to one or two “stretch” schools, one or two safer options, and two or three that are in the middle of your range. If you would like help identifying what these schools would be for you, sign up for a free 30-minute consultation with an mbaMission consultant. |
15 Apr 2022, 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 two latest incoming classes have been smaller with 61 and 59 students, respectively—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 49th in its list of top full-time U.S. MBA programs in 2021. 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. |
16 Apr 2022, 09:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: Dean Profiles: William Boulding, Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business |
 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 William Boulding at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. In the fall of 2011, William Boulding became dean of Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. Boulding began teaching at Fuqua in 1984 and served as the business program’s deputy dean before being appointed to a shortened two-year term as dean (a full term is five years) upon the previous dean’s departure. In early 2013, an international search committee recommended that Boulding continue his deanship for an additional five years. Then, in February 2018, Boulding was appointed for a second five-year term. He has received several distinctions for his teaching in the areas of management, marketing, and strategy, including the school’s 1989 Outstanding Teacher Award and the 1997 NationsBank Faculty Award. A member of the search committee stated in a 2013 article in Duke’s student newspaper, The Chronicle, that Boulding’s vision for the school would “address globalization with more innovation and modernization in the classrooms, while also focusing on stabilizing the school’s budget.” Another search committee member noted in the article that Boulding “has the whole package, plus he knows Fuqua and Duke intimately.” In the school’s announcement of Boulding’s appointment for a second full term, Provost Sally Kornbluth commented: “Bill is a valued colleague and well-respected scholar and administrator. … His leadership, dedication to Fuqua and commitment to higher education and service have been the foundation of his success as dean.” In a 2012 Forbes interview, Boulding described the type of students who attend Fuqua by highlighting the collaborative principles encompassed by Team Fuqua, saying, “Increasingly, so called ‘leaders’ seem to fight for narrow self-interest around issues and ideas. At the same time, more than ever before, answers to problems, solutions to challenges, innovation, and the creation of value comes through collaboration and co-creation.… Our students have a burning ambition to make a difference in the lives of others.” Boulding also explained in a 2013 Bloomberg Businessweek interview the high rate of success for Fuqua graduates in finding jobs: “The reason they’re [companies are] hiring Fuqua students comes back to what we produce and who we attract, and that’s people who understand how to co-create and take advantage of a team’s potential. It’s people who are personally humble, tremendously ambitious, and have no sense of entitlement.” For more information about Duke Fuqua and 16 other top-ranked business schools, check out the free mbaMission Insider’s Guides. |
18 Apr 2022, 09:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: Four GMAT Myths Busted |
A lot of well-intended advice for GMAT test takers can be found out there. Unfortunately, some of the most reasonable-sounding and frequently repeated claims are actually false. In this article, our friends at Manhattan Prep look at—and debunk—four of the most common GMAT-related myths.
[*]Quant is more important than Verbal.[/list] This is a tricky one. In part, it depends on the programs you are applying to and the strengths and weaknesses of the rest of your profile. Some schools want a high Quant score, while others care more about whether you hit a particular overall number. In some situations, Quant might be very important. However, with respect to achieving a high overall GMAT score, Verbal is slightly more important than Quant. Getting a 90th percentile Verbal score and a 50th percentile Quant score, for example, will give you a slightly higher overall score than if these two scores were reversed. Also, many candidates, especially native English speakers, find improving their Verbal score easier, quicker, and more fun than improving their Quant score. If you just want to earn a particular overall score, you might get there faster by focusing on Verbal. Do not leave points on the table by ignoring Verbal! Even if you are starting with a high Verbal score, an improvement of just ten percentile points can go a long way. [*]The first eight problems in each section are the most important.[/list] Like most GMAT myths, this one has a kernel of truth to it. As you work through each section of the GMAT, the test will get harder when you answer a question correctly and easier when you answer a question incorrectly. These difficulty changes are larger at the beginning of the section than at the end. This creates the impression that the earlier questions are very important, while the later questions hardly matter at all. However, that is not really the case. Getting the first eight questions right would cause your GMAT to rapidly increase in difficulty, up to the maximum level. However, your score is not based on the highest difficulty level you hit. Instead, it is based on the difficulty level at the end of the test. A strong start is nice, but spending extra time on the early problems means having very little time to answer hard problems later on. You might even run out of time at the end, which carries a hefty score penalty. So, if you can answer all the early questions correctly and quickly, go for it. Otherwise, work at a steady pace throughout the test, and proactively guess on hard questions that you cannot answer quickly—even at the beginning of each section. [*]If I want a 700, I should mostly study 700- to 800-level problems.[/list] Do not base the problems you study on the score you want. Instead, base your studies on your current ability level. When you take the GMAT, the difficulty of the test will change depending on your performance. To get the test to show you tough questions, you need to be very quick and consistent on the slightly easier questions. If you are not quite there yet, you will not even see the super-hard stuff—so there is no point in studying it just yet. In fact, spending a lot of energy on studying hard material can be counterproductive. If you see a very hard question on test day, the best move is often to proactively guess on it: missing a hard question will not hurt your score very much, and attempting it could waste a lot of time. However, if you have spent a lot of time studying really tough questions, you will have a harder time making yourself guess on them when you need to. Instead, study the questions that will really help you on test day: the ones right at or slightly above your level, or easier questions in areas that tend to trip you up. Happy studying! Manhattan Prep is one of the world’s leading test prep providers. Every one of its instructors has a 99th percentile score on the GMAT and substantial teaching experience. The result? More than 20 years and thousands of satisfied students. By providing an outstanding curriculum and the highest quality instructors in the industry, it empowers students to accomplish their goals. Manhattan Prep allows you to sit in on any of its live GMAT classes—in person or online—for free! Check out a trial class today. |
20 Apr 2022, 12:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: MBA Admissions Myths Destroyed: I Do Not Have to Rework My Resume |
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Many MBA candidates do not thoroughly consider and revise their resumes for their applications, often dismissing this element because an existing version may already be saved on their computer. We strongly caution you not to underestimate the value of this document—the admissions committees, in fact, review applicants’ resumes carefully because they serve as a road map of each candidate’s career. In the past, we have highlighted that your resume is not the place to “stuff” all of your life experiences. Somewhere between the two extremes—cramming your resume with information and ignoring it altogether—lies the ideal: a clear, easily scannable, action/results-oriented resume that tells a story that will capture the attention of an admissions officer who has reviewed hundreds of similar files. One of the most common errors candidates make is leaving their resume in an industry-specific format, filled with jargon and acronyms recognizable only to an expert in their field. Remember, the admissions committee is not hiring you for a task but is trying to understand your progress, your accomplishments, and even your character. Each bullet point in your resume needs to highlight achievement more than positional expertise. As you prepare your resume to be included in your application, think about your audience, and recognize that your resume can be a strategic tool to reinforce certain characteristics that are important to you—characteristics that may complement information provided in other parts of your application. For example, if you aspire to a career that is international in nature, you may place more emphasis on your international experience in your resume. Or, if you come from a field that is not known for its management orientation—you were a teacher who administered a school’s $50,000 student activities budget, for example—you may use your resume to emphasize disciplines that are important to an MBA admissions audience. Some candidates are surprised to realize that one page can communicate so much and therefore deserves a significant level of attention, but investing some time in this short but crucial document is definitely worth the effort. |
21 Apr 2022, 10:00
| FROM mbaMission Blog: Attention Re-applicants – Free Ding Reviews! |
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Did we say “free”? Why yes, we did. During our consultations, we occasionally speak with confused and disappointed applicants who did not get the results they wanted and would like to try again. We want to help them improve their chances for the coming year. There is no catch. We are offering free “ding reviews” to 10 re-applicants. If you are interested in this free service, simply [b][url=https://share.hsforms.com/1kNa6TGfwQRWx4jxulO_siA2nso]complete this form[/url][/b] by Friday, April 29, 2022. If you are selected, the consultant doing your ding review will reach out to ask you for a copy of a complete application (letters of recommendation included if you have them.) [b]What you will get[/b]: Within two weeks of sending your application to your consultant, you will have a phone call with that consultant to review strengths and gaps, offer suggestions, and answer any questions you have about the review or about your strategy for your reapplication. |
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9:30 AM PST | 12:30 PM EST | 10:00 PM IST Everything you wanted to know about MBA Admissions with ARINGO  ✅ Kelly, a current Duke Fuqua MBA student talks about her favourite classes at Duke Fuqua. ✅ Subscribe to us on YouTube AND Get FREE 7-Day Access to our Premium GMAT Question Bank  ✅ Jai had an interesting 7 weeks preparing for the GMAT, and he hopes this video can help you prepare for your GMAT journey. ✅ Subscribe to us on YouTube AND Get FREE 7-Day Access to our Premium GMAT Question Bank  ✅ Diana Economy, former Ross AdCom, provides strategic advice on how to make the best use of MBA spotlight fair ✅ Not Registered for MBA Spotlight yet? Spot are Limited. Reserve your spot now ✅ Subscribe to us on YouTube AND Get FREE Access to Premium GMAT Question Bank for 7 Days
AGSM at UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE
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