Avoid These 5 Fatal Flaws in Your Application Essay, Statement of Purpose, or Personal Statement.
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HBS’s 2+2 Program Doesn’t Always Add Up to Four
HBS continues to tweak the 2+2 program
When Harvard Business School began offering Harvard seniors the opportunity to apply to HBS, but commit to spending two years post-grad in the workforce before starting their MBAs, the plan seemed pretty straightforward—two years of work, and then two years of business school. Over the past few years, however, Harvard has learned to relax those requirements a bit, as many admitted in the 2+2 Program defer their enrollment, choosing instead to spend more time in the working world first.
As The Harvard Crimson reports, of the first class of 106 accepted in 2008, only 65 are matriculating on time, with 40 deferring, and one who dropped out. More than half of the next class has postponed matriculation. Harvard doesn’t seem fazed by these deferrals, as more time gaining work experience before pursuing an MBA isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
And with the 2+2 Program, the HBS ‘cohorts,’ as they’re called, have had strong representation form Harvard College: Out of 106 students in the 2013 cohort, 22 were Harvard undergrads, with 27 out of 115 the next year, and about 20 out of 100 the following year.
The 2+2 Program also attracts those with more technical experience, and “the Business School aims to fill at least half of each cohort with students who have backgrounds in STEM—Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.”
HBS is still tweaking the program. In its first year, students could receive assistance in their job search through career counseling and a recruiting partner system, but now they must find jobs on their own. For those who have succeeded, it’s not always easy to turn around two years later and return to Cambridge. HBS is aware of the difficulties involved, and evaluates on a “case-by-case basis when it goes beyond the three years.” Those who do return, however, emerge four years after college with work experience under their belt, plus an MBA from Harvard Business School—not bad…
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MBA Admissions A-Z: Q is for Quantitative Skills
5 Ways Poets Can Overcome Quant Quandaries
Schools want to see evidence of quant skills. They want to confirm your ability to handle the demands of a rigorous program. For liberal arts majors who haven’t taken math since high school, the quant score on the GMAT takes on greater importance because it can be the only evidence of quant ability.
If you fall into this “poet” category and have received a less-than-ideal quant score on the GMAT, then I suggest you do one or more of the following:
- Take a GMAT prep course and retake the exam if you believe you can increase your score.
- Brush up on your math skills by taking online classes like MBAMath, or more traditional courses like calc, accounting, statistics for business, and econ. Traditional classes are preferable if one also has a low GPA. Indicate somewhere in your application that you’re addressing this weakness.
- Offer specific examples or anecdotes in your application essays that highlight your competent quant skills, despite your not-so-high GMAT quant score.
- Take advantage of the optional essay as yet another place to boost your competitive edge.
- Ask your recommenders to vouch for your quant abilities.
If after taking these steps you’re still not a competitive candidate at your first choice schools, consider reevaluating your qualifications – maybe you’re aiming too high with these target programs and should choose schools that will view your scores as competitive.
Your MBA application strategy should address these issues. Please see A Winning MBA Application Strategy and GMAT Prep, Your Score, and MBA Admissions for more information.
This post is part of an ongoing series, MBA Admissions A-Z, that offers applicants insightful tips on every aspect of the business school admissions process. Join us as we explore the ABCs of the MBA!
Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best
Preparing for IMD’s Interview
IMD campus in Lausanne, Switzerland
Without a doubt, IMD conducts the most thorough MBA interview. The interview day is divided into four evaluative sections. When you arrive on campus, you will be introduced to the adcom and faculty evaluators as well as a group of applicants who will partake in the same experience as you. Since the adcom will evaluate you on your team interactions and most of your peer-applicants will become your classmates, get to know them, have fun with them, and expand your network.
For the first part of the interview, our website’s interview section will help you. Review the interview questions and prepare response to them, or contact one of our consultants to help you prepare for the MBA interview. IMD’s adcom is trying to get to know you, your intentions, and your fit with the school. The questions are similar to those at other schools. They will ask you about your background and goals, team skills and leadership, successes and failures. This part of the interview day will take 45 minutes to one hour and is a great way to help you prepare for the rest of the day.
Next you will be asked to present a topic they give you in the morning. You will have 30 minutes to prepare the topic and 5 minutes to present the topic. This is what I call a mini-case. Take a stand on the topic and offer supporting evidence in a cohesive and dynamic manner. You can practice by thinking about issues you have at work or that are in today’s business news. For instance, they may suggest that you present your opinion of the European debt crisis or your opinion of the Euro. Should Germany have to bail out Greece? Can countries that have different political systems successfully use one currency? Give it some thought and present a good argument. They will evaluate your presentation on analysis and delivery, but not on your opinion itself (every business issue has multiple dimensions).
Then you will have lunch with alumni. Alumni are trying to get to understand how you will fit in with the culture of the school and they will report what they learn. Let your personality shine through, but be on guard. Alumni are evaluating your value-added to the school.
Finally, you will be asked to present the “Case”. Most applicants don’t know how to tackle a case, but from an adcom’s point of view, I believe offering the case is a stroke of brilliance. Much of your MBA education will be case-based and if you know how to tackle a case from day 1, you will have smooth sailing throughout the program. I suggest you read Mark Consentino’s book Case In Point or William Ellet’s The Case Study Handbook well before the interview. IMD will send you the case two weeks prior to your interview day. You will need to prepare that case and on the interview day, faculty will observe you and moderate the case discussion as you and your peer group dissect and present the case. They will be looking for your analysis, teamwork, leadership and presentations skills during the case. Again, Accepted.com’s consultants are experts in helping you with case interview preparation.
At the end of the day, you will be asked to sit in on a class. This is not part of the evaluation, but more of a chance for you to see the IMD faculty and students in action. Most applicants just observe and don’t participate in class, however, if they are discussing a topic in which you are familiar, I suggest you raise your hand and add to the discussion. If you are unfamiliar with the topic, you should just observe the students and how they interact with the faculty.
While IMD’s interviews are intense, you should gain a lot from the day. And if offered admission, you will know if IMD is a good fit for you.
By Natalie Grinblatt Epstein, an accomplished Accepted.com consultant/editor (since 2008) and entrepreneur. Natalie is a former MBA Admissions Dean and Director at Ross, Johnson, and Carey.
New ScoreSelect Option for GRE
New ScoreSelect option makes GRE even more user-friendly
Following the success of the new GRE revised General Test, ETS announced another step in making the exam more “test-taker friendly,” with a ScoreSelectSM option.
On the test day itself, once test takers have viewed their scores at the test center, they can either choose the ScoreSelect Most Recent option, so only the scores from their current test administration are released, or the ScoreSelect All option, where all their scores from the last five years are sent off. Both of these options are free, and “test takers can decide which option to use for each of their [four] free score reports.”
For a fee, test takers can release Additional Score Reports after test day and choose one of three options: Either ScoreSelect Most Recent option, and only send their most recent test scores; the ScoreSelect All option, and send all their scores from the last five years; or the ScoreSelect Any option, in which they can “send their scores from one OR many test administrations in the last [five] years.”
These new options will certainly ease the whole test taking experience for students, lessening some of the pressure often felt on test day. And, “the new ScoreSelect option will be available for both the GRE revised General Test and GRE Subject Tests, and can be used by anyone with reportable scores from the last five years.”
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Indian School of Business 2013 Essay Questions, Deadlines, and Tips
Indian School of Business campus in Hyderabad
The Indian School of Business has become one of the strongest graduate business programs in Asia: it ranks 13th in the Financial Times’ MBA rankings – only two Asian programs surpass it according to FT, more than 98% of its graduates secure job offers within 3 months of graduating, and the salaries those graduates receive are high – 187% above their pre-ISB earnings! Competition for seats in this esteemed 1-year program is steep and the admissions process is highly competitive for native Indians.
The Admissions Office just released the application deadlines and questions for the 2013-2014 academic year. This year calls for a video submission of 90 seconds in addition to a new first question. My recommendations are in blue beneath each essay question. Unlike most other graduate business programs that allow applicants to exceed their word limits by up to 10% without penalty, the ISB application will not allow even one additional word, so applicants will need to be concise and exact!
Upload Video
Life to me is……………………. ( Please complete the following statement in your own words on Video) 90 Secs/15 MB in the format specified below.
An increasing number of programs are requesting audio or video submissions from their applicants. These “essays” enable admissions committees to get a strong sense of the applicant beyond the written word – does he make eye contact, have good stature, appear poised, speak clearly, and with confidence? While in the past these qualities were only revealed via an in-person interview, a video submission serves as a simple screening tool for these qualities. Choose a topic and a supporting example that has special meaning to you so that you can concentrate on your delivery in this addition to the application.
Essays
1. Please make a strong case to differentiate yourselves from an exceptional set of applicants applying for PGP 2013-14. You could cite personal/ professional achievements to present your case. (300 words max)
Last year’s essay prompt was to detail your two most significant accomplishments. The difference this year is that the admissions committee is guiding you to tell about accomplishments that most other applicants cannot also describe. This is a tip that we at Accepted.com are always recommending: if someone else can tell the same story, don’t write about it. A team-leader role in a traditional IT consulting gig is probably not going to catch the admissions office’s attention, so if you do find yourself in a highly populated pool of applicants, take yourself out of that box by describing unique situations and impacts. In your essay, focus on the unique challenges you faced and how you overcame them. Do not make the mistake of listing only the awards you received without explaining what you did and how you did it. This error would make your application generic, not genuine.
2. Where do you see yourself three years after you graduate from the ISB? (300 words max)
ISB’s Admissions Director has listed “Clarity of thought in terms of career aspirations and goals” as one of the three most important qualities sought in the ISB application essays. The goals essay is your opportunity to show that you possess that clarity. If entrepreneurship is in your future, it should really appear in your past as well. If you aim for a technology or consulting role, you’ll need to demonstrate that you know what qualities you will need to succeed in these and bring some proof as to your readiness for this career. You do not need an exact map of your future, but you do need to reveal a thought process, reasoning, and evidence of your ability to reach your goals.
3. Please provide additional information that will significantly affect the consideration of your application to the ISB. (300 words max)
The open-ended nature of this question causes infinite hand-wringing, but it should really be viewed as a gift: here is your opportunity to share whatever makes you special. This could be from your work, community service, education, or travels, so take some time to reflect and perhaps even ask your friends, relatives, or mentors their thoughts on what differentiates you. Then, go the extra step of sharing how this quality has shaped your past and future at ISB and beyond.
Key Application & Decision Dates
|
Round 1 |
Round 2 |
|
|
Application Deadline |
September 15, 2012 |
November 30, 2012 |
|
Offer Decision |
On or before |
On or before |
|
Acceptance Decision |
15 days from |
15 days from |
These deadlines apply to submission of complete application. Mere online submission of application by the deadline without supporting documents will not be considered complete. All documents have to be submitted online only. Incomplete application will not be considered.
International applicants are granted much more time to submit their applications: ISB conducts rolling admissions for them until January 15th, and liberal scholarships have been awarded to international applicants who choose to attend the program.
Resume: There is no need for submitting a separate resume. The online application module will generate a resume in the format that we require, with the details you have filled as part of the application. It includes your Academic details, Employment details (along with responsibilities/achievements) and awards & activities.
If you would like help with your ISB MBA application, please consider Accepted’s MBA essay editing and MBA admissions consulting or our ISB School Packages, which include advising, editing, interview coaching, and a resume edit for the ISB MBA application.
Jennifer Bloom has been helping applicants to the top MBA programs draft their resumes, application forms, letters of recommendation, and essays for 13 years. If you would you like to work with Jennifer on your application, just fill out an inquiry including any information you think will be helpful. Jennifer will contact you ASAP.
