I've noticed some interesting posts and articles. And there are a few items of note at Accepted.com too.

• November Specials at Accepted.com. Start your Round 2 applications early so you can ensure a joyous holiday season and applications that present you at your best. Plus during November, save $100 on Accepted.com's Buy-7-Get-1-Free and  $50 on any B-School Comprehensive Package.
• Yale's New Curriculum. In "Rewriting the Business Plan" The Boston Globe's Robert Weisman presents an excellent review of Yale's new curriculum and the goals of its energetic, new dean Dr. Joel Podolny. If you are applying to Yale, read this article. Thanks to Dave at Journey to my MBA for publicizing this article.
• MBA Interview Feedback Database. Feedback is coming in steadily from applicants who already interviewed at Darden, Tuck, Duke, Kellogg, Chicago, and other schools. These 2006 interview reports will soon to be joined by their cousins at Harvard, Stanford, Wharton and the rest who start interviewing later. Please take advantage of the rich resources in the database. Oh yes, please remember to share your interview experience after you interview. And if you visit the schools, please compete in the Beautiful B-School Photo Contest.
  
• BW Interview with Dawna Clarke, Director of Admissions at Tuck. Excellent interview. Dawna answers Kerry Miller's questions thoughtfully and directly. Here's a short excerpt :

"What are some common mistakes that candidates make in their applications?

"I think the most common mistake is that sometimes when people write their essays they will take direct quotes from our Web site or viewbook, or they will start an essay off with something like, "According to Thomas Jefferson, leadership is…." That might tell us a lot about what the particular person that you're quoting thinks about leadership, but we really want to know about what the applicant has to say.

"Quoting from viewbooks or the Web site or quoting from other people isn't particularly compelling, because we're really trying to get to know the applicants themselves. We want to see that they have done their research, but not to the point that they need to quote the brochure.

"Another common mistake is making very broad, sweeping statements like, for example, "I'm a strong team player." It's much more compelling when they use an anecdote or a vignette or an example. And tell your recommenders to do that as well. Some applicants make broad, sweeping statements but don't necessarily substantiate them."

• GMAT Volume through Sept. 30 2006 continues the trend that has prevailed for the last several months: A small but steady increase in registration over last year (3.28%) and a shrinking decline in test taking when compared to last year at this time (.93%). I suspect that test taking and registration will both be up modestly by the end of the year.