The chat will take place in the Accepted chat room.

During our most recent MBA admissions chat, we hosted a busy event with the Consortium. Here are a few excerpts from the transcript.

Linda Abraham (Oct 20, 2009 7:05:14 PM)
To all the school reps, does the applicant ranking influence the evaluation of the application?

WendyHuberUVA (Oct 20, 2009 7:06:22 PM)
Linda, applicants should apply as if the schools do not see the ranking. Rankings are only looked at when we are deciding fellowships, they are not used in the admission decision.

JacquelynnDayROCHESTER (Oct 20, 2009 7:09:08 PM)
Linda: While we do consider an individual's rankings, we look at the application as a whole, therefore we encourage students to focus on submitting an overall competitive application

RTorres (Oct 20, 2009 7:05:50 PM)
What happens with applicants that apply to the Consortium and to the specific MBA programs at schools when they are not accepted into the fellowship? How are their MBA applications handled? Are they still considered by the schools?

ErinNicklesburgWISCONSIN (Oct 20, 2009 7:07:59 PM)
RTorres: Each applicant is evaluated independently by each school in terms of both admission and Fellowship decision. An offer of admission does not indicate a guaranteed Fellowship offer, as they are separate. The admission offer will stand regardless of the Fellowship offer. If a Fellowship offer is not given, the applicant will go into the general merit-based aid pool.

AmyPR (Oct 20, 2009 7:12:34 PM)
What is the difference between the November application date and the January application date? Do chances of acceptance increase one date vs. the other?

LaurieShunneyCORNELL (Oct 20, 2009 7:15:21 PM)
AmyPR- Competitiveness for admission and scholarship may increase in later rounds. In general, we recommend submitting the strongest application possible. If you are prepared to apply during the November round, it may help.

The Top 10 per Aspen:

1. York (Schulich)
2. Michigan Ross
3. Yale SOM
4. Stanford GSB
5. Notre Dame (Mendoza)
6. UC Berkeley (Haas)
7. RSM Erasmus
8. NYU Stern
9. IE Business School
10. Columbia

If you are not the least bit interested in the topics Aspen is highlighting, then this ranking is irrelevant to you. However, if you are interested in sustainable development or social entrepreneurship, then you will want to review the profiles contained in Beyond Grey Pinstripes.

• Tepper
• Darden
• Emory
• NYU Stern
• Wisconsin
• Yale SOM
• Washington
• Rochester
• Kelley
• Cornell
• Marshall

If you are interested in the Consortium, its missions, simplified application process, and fellowships, be sure to participate in the chat in Accepted's chat room.

I also want to let you know that we posted the transcript of last week's NYU Stern Admissions Director Chat with Anika Davis Pratt, Assistant Dean of MBA Admissions & Financial Aid; Isser Gallogly, Executive Director of MBA Admission; Paula Steisel Goldfarb, Senior Director of MBA Admissions & Financial Aid; and Emily Zwanziger, NYU Stern Class of 2010. Check it out in full, but for now, here are a few excerpts.:

naman (Oct 14, 2009 11:13:19 AM)
Isser: Stern MBA is traditionally renowned for finance, probably due to its location in NY. This is also supported in the recruitment profile for the last few years. How competitively are Stern MBAs (in other areas, specifically, consulting) viewed by the recruiters when compared with other top business schools?

IsserGalloglyNYU (Oct 14, 2009 11:17:16 AM)
Naman - Stern is great across the board. In consulting, we had recruiters from Bain, McKinsey, BCG, Deloitte & Booz plus many others hire students. In fact, McKinsey and BCG were two of our top recruiters this year for the class as a whole.

IsserGalloglyNYU (Oct 14, 2009 11:19:31 AM)
Naman- Another reason we do so well in Consulting is the students IQ+EQ. Not only are our students really smart, but they have superior interpersonal skills. Part of the reason we do the interview process the way we do is to get people with great EQ (emotional intelligence quotient). Recruiters really notice and appreciate that aspect of our students.

lcpink12 (Oct 14, 2009 11:18:58 AM)
Anika: What % of students does a term abroad on exchange? How much does this affect recruiting/interviewing on campus?

AnikaPrattNYU (Oct 14, 2009 11:24:16 AM)
LcPink12: Over 300 full-time and part-time students participate in our international programs each year. This includes semester exchange, our popular Doing Business in (DBi) program, and short-term opportunities in the summer. About 60 participated in semester exchange, 250 participated in the DBi trips, and 9 participated in short-term study. Students typically choose their semester to go abroad based on the recruiting schedule for their career of interest. If you want to immerse yourself fully in NYC, the DBi program is ideal because it is a one to two week format.

Linda Abraham (Oct 14, 2009 11:20:04 AM)
Isser what is unique about NYU's interview process that hones in on EQ?

IsserGalloglyNYU (Oct 14, 2009 11:29:04 AM)
Linda-There are a few things that are unique about our interview process. It is by invitation only - we only ask to meet you if we are very serious about you after reviewing the application. About 60% of those interviewed are admitted, about 30% of those who apply are selected to interview. The interviews are almost always here in NYC at Stern and conducted by a trained admissions professional. You have 30 minutes to make your case in person to the committee. The interview is not blind. The interviewer will have studied your application and ask you deeper and more specific questions. While you are at Stern, you may visit a class and have lunch with a student (depending on the time of year). If you apply to Stern, save some vacation days and money to fly here for your interview. We take the interview very seriously and it's a unique part of our process.

AnikaPrattNYU (Oct 14, 2009 11:29:09 AM)
Naman: NYU Stern is a great place to be if you want a career change into Consulting. Typically, over half of our incoming class plans on making a career change. At Stern, programs like the Industry Mentoring Initiative (IMI) partner with lead consulting firms and senior executives to mentor students changing careers into consulting. In addition, our student club - the MCA - has a rigorous casing training and prep leading up to consulting interviews -- just to mention a couple of the great resources here at Stern.

If you are interested in NYU Stern, review the chat transcript. The Stern representatives provide meaty, specific answers to a broad range of applicant questions.

So what are my thoughts at the end of a hectic week?

• Accepted's editors have noted a rash of bloopers in applicant essays. While these malapropisms (and too many others to list) can make for hilarious reading, they will not add to your chances of acceptance. Please note.

"Message" and "massage" are very different nouns. A "hands-on massage" is not the same as a "hands-on message."

"Morale" and "morals" or "moral" are also very different. "My team's morals sunk lower than low after she addressed us." creates a very different image than "My team's morale sunk lower than low after she addressed us."

Your essays need proofing!

• I listened this morning to the entire MBA Podcaster episode "What Not To Do On Your Application: MBA Application Pitfalls & How To Avoid Them." Please, please, please before you submit your applications, listen to this show with Liz Riley Hargrove, Associate Dean of Admissions, Fuqua School of Business, Duke University; Rose Martinelli, Associate Dean of Student Recruitment and Admissions, University of Chicago Booth School of Business; Graham Richmond, CEO, ClearAdmit; Kellee Scott, Senior Associate Director of MBA Admissions at USC's Marshall School of Business; and myself. It is excellent and could prevent you from making some serious mistakes.

• I received a lovely note last night from a current client. He wrote:

"Natalie has been absolutely terrific! My essays are really coming along -- I really don't know what I'd do without her.

Thanks for all your help. Regardless of what happens with my B-school applications, I honestly think that accepted.com provides a tremendously valuable service. I'd even venture to say that the vast majority of applicants who do not use accepted.com are putting themselves at a terrible disadvantage. (You and Natalie have made me a believer!)

• In addition, I also received several, outstanding feedback reports from clients using other Accepted editors' services.

I don't think it will surprise any of you -- I strongly believe that the overwhelming majority of applicants can benefit from having their applications and essays reviewed before they submit them. You are much better off if we find your mistakes than if the admissions committee does.

At this point in time, with the earliest deadlines less than a week away, we still have some availability, but it is very limited before Oct. 1. If you have any plans to use Accepted's services, please either purchase or register ASAP.

Best of luck to all Round 1 Applicants!

On deck: London Business School on September 16.

Turning to chats past, we already posted the transcript form last week's Yale School of Management chat with:

• Bruce Delmonico, Director of Admissions
• Michelle Vitali, Associate Director of Admissions

It was a very informative chat and will teach you a lot about Yale's MBA program, but you can judge for yourself. Here is an excerpt:

Tconigl1 (Sep 2, 2009 12:10:27 PM)
Do members of your career services sit on the admissions committee?

MichelleVitaliYALE (Sep 2, 2009 12:11:35 PM)
Tconigl1, we do have career services folks who sit on the admissions policy committee.

MichelleVitaliYALE (Sep 2, 2009 12:18:25 PM)
This year about 4% of our class is from Europe, although we would love to increase that number. About 5-7% of our students pursue international jobs post MBA, but that number will likely increase. We just hired a relationship manager in the career development office who is focused on international positions.

aspirant (Sep 2, 2009 12:18:35 PM)
Michelle: How will you convert the average grade 7.0 (out of 10) to the GPA? Is it equivalent to 3.0? Do you have minimum requirement for the GPA?

MichelleVitaliYALE (Sep 2, 2009 12:19:29 PM)
Aspirant, You don't need to convert your GPA. Just enter it into the application as 7/10.

Linda Abraham (Sep 2, 2009 12:19:54 PM)
Bruce, are you looking at the raw GRE score or the percentile? If the latter, what would you like to see, while acknowledging that the score is just one element in the application and is not viewed in a vacuum?

BruceDelMonicoYALE (Sep 2, 2009 12:22:06 PM)
Linda, the same raw score on each test may indicate something different. We look more at the percentile to get a sense of the applicant than the raw score. One advantage of the GRE (other than it's cheaper) is that it's more widely used across graduate programs so it has broader applicability. Conversely, it doesn't have universally acceptance among business schools, so that's a drawback. And certainly for applicants who have taken the GRE, we want to make sure they're serious about business school and aren't just throwing their hat in the ring lightly.

For more great insight into the Yale MBA Admissions process, please click on the link.

Are you wondering what the MBA experience at Yale School of Management is like? How does its focus on integration actually work? What are they seeking in their applicants and students? Take advantage of this opportunity to ask your questions about the business school's admissions policy, student life, and program. Our guests will provide the answers.

So set a reminder and join us for the chat today in the Accepted chat room.

• Wharton Admissions Chat On Wednesday, August 26, 2009 at 10:00 AM PT/1:00 PM ET/5:00 PM GMT, J.J. Cutler, Director of Admissions and Ankur Kumar, Senior Associate Director of the world’s first collegiate business school will participate in a Wharton admissions chat at Accepted.com. Please come and ask your questions about this elite business school.
• August Special End Aug. 31. Save 10% on MBA services with a minimum purchase of $1000 if you purchase on or before August 31. Just enter AUG09 at checkout.
• Yale Admissions Chat Join us for our annual Yale School of Management chat on Wednesday, September 2, 2009 at 10:00 AM PT/1:00 PM ET/5:00 PM GMT when Director of Admissions Bruce DelMonico and other members of the Yale SOM community will be available to answer your questions.

For the US, the top 10 is:

1. Stanford
2. Dartmouth (Tuck)
3. Harvard
4. Chicago (Booth)
5. Pennsylvania (Wharton)
6. Columbia
7. Cornell (Johnson)
8. Northwestern (Kellogg)
9. Virginia (Darden)
10. Yale

The lead article associated with the rankings has additional noteworthy data-points:

• Although most graduates at top MBA programs see a significant return on the MBA investment, rising tuition and pre-MBA salaries mean that breaking even (not to mention profiting financially) takes a little longer than it has in the past.
• "Europe is home to the seven best business schools when it comes to a return on your investment, led by top-ranked INSEAD, whose graduates had a five-year gain of $192,000."
• Forbes plans to publish its Best Business Schools report annually in the future, instead of biannually as it has in the past.
• Excellent piece on "How to Get Into Business School" by Matt Symonds.

The rankings also includes articles about the individual programs including a worthwhile piece on entrepreneurship at INSEAD.

If you're curious about my views on rankings, please see The Rankings.

My comments are in red:

SHORT ANSWERS:
Please answer each of the four questions below with a short paragraph of no more than 150 words. This is an opportunity to distill your core ideas, values, goals and motivations into a set of snapshots that help tell us who you are, where you are headed, and why. (600 words maximum)

1. What are your professional goals immediately after you receive your MBA?

2. What are your long-term career aspirations?

3. Why are you choosing to pursue an MBA and why now? (If you plan to use your MBA experience to make a significant change in the field or nature of your career, please tell us what you have done to prepare for this transition.)

4. What attracts you specifically to the Yale School of Management’s MBA program?

You've seen this before -- a classic goals question. What do you want to do after your MBA short-term and long-term and how will an MBA help you achieve that goal.

However, this year, they have broken down the questions and ask specifically about Yale. You need to explicitly connect the Yale MBA experience to the achievement of your goals. Yale's curriculum emphasizes the integration of business functions. In your essays discuss how an integrated, general management approach is important to you. How will a structured, but innovative program, with a required international project help you arrive at your desired professional destination? That program just happens to be Yale's.

PERSONAL STATEMENT 1
Describe an accomplishment that exhibits your leadership style. The description should include evidence of your leadership skills, the actions you took, and the impact you had on your organization. (500 words maximum)

When have you made a significant contribution to an organization or team? What was the challenge? How did you lead? What was the impact and outcome? A PAR approach to this question could work well.

PERSONAL STATEMENT 2
Choose one of the following topics and answer it in essay form. Please indicate the topic number at the beginning of your essay. (500 words maximum)

1. A central premise of our teaching about leadership at the Yale School of Management is that true leadership—leadership that helps to address a significant problem in a new way—is necessarily personal. It is only when personal passion aligns with meaningful aspirations that individuals are able to inspire others to act in support of an important goal or cause. What are you most passionate about, and how have you demonstrated a commitment to this passion?

2. What achievement are you most proud of and why?

3. What is the most difficult feedback you have received from another person or the most significant weakness you have perceived in yourself? What steps have you taken to address it and how will business school contribute to this process?

4. Describe a situation in which you devised and implemented a creative or unique solution to a difficult problem. What obstacles did you face and how did you overcome them?

5. Required for reapplicants: What steps have you taken to improve your candidacy since your last application?

Which option should you choose? The one that fits you like a well-made suit. The one that enables you to relate the story you are dying to tell. The one that allows you to show what is distinctive about you and important to you.  Choose one that will allow you to write revealingly and easily about yourself and go for it! Also make sure that your essays complement each other, including the Optional Essay, if you write it. Disclose another facet of your life experience that shows you are a values-driven leader.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (OPTIONAL)
If any aspect of your candidacy needs further explanation, please provide any additional information that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider. (250 words maximum)

Why isn't your current supervisor writing your rec? Why did your grades dip during the first semester of your senior year? Why is there a six-month gap on your resume? What are your responsibilities while working for a family business after having left a prestigious investment bank and why did you make the change? Answering any of those questions (but not all) could be the topic of your optional essay. And of course an infinite number of similar subjects could be worthwhile discussing in the optional essay.

If you would like help with your Yale SOM MBA application, please consider Accepted.com's MBA essay editing and admissions consulting or a Yale SOM Comprehensive Package, which includes essay editing, interview coaching, consultation, and a resume edit for the Yale SOM MBA application. All are 15% off, but only through July 31, 2009.

Yale SOM 2010 MBA Application Deadlines

APPLICATION DEADLINES

Round 1 Application Deadline -- October 8, 2009

Decisions Due--December 18, 2009

Round 2 Application Deadline -- January 7, 2010

Decisions Due--April 2, 2010

Round 3 Application Deadline -- March 10, 2010

Decisions Due--May 7, 2010

ESSAY QUESTIONS

SHORT ANSWERS

Please answer each of the four questions below with a short paragraph of no more than 150 words. This is an opportunity to distill your core ideas, values, goals and motivations into a set of snapshots that help tell us who you are, where you are headed, and why. (600 words maximum)

1. What are your professional goals immediately after you receive your MBA?

2. What are your long-term career aspirations?

3. Why are you choosing to pursue an MBA and why now? (If you plan to use your MBA experience to make a significant change in the field or nature of your career, please tell us what you have done to prepare for this transition.)

4. What attracts you specifically to the Yale School of Management’s MBA program?

PERSONAL STATEMENT 1

Describe an accomplishment that exhibits your leadership style. The description should include evidence of your leadership skills, the actions you took, and the impact you had on your organization. (500 words maximum)

PERSONAL STATEMENT 2

Choose one of the following topics and answer it in essay form. Please indicate the topic number at the beginning of your essay. (500 words maximum)

1. A central premise of our teaching about leadership at the Yale School of Management is that true leadership—leadership that helps to address a significant problem in a new way—is necessarily personal. It is only when personal passion aligns with meaningful aspirations that individuals are able to inspire others to act in support of an important goal or cause. What are you most passionate about, and how have you demonstrated a commitment to this passion?

2. What achievement are you most proud of and why?

3. What is the most difficult feedback you have received from another person or the most significant weakness you have perceived in yourself? What steps have you taken to address it and how will business school contribute to this process?

4. Describe a situation in which you devised and implemented a creative or unique solution to a difficult problem. What obstacles did you face and how did you overcome them?

5. Required for reapplicants: What steps have you taken to improve your candidacy since your last application?

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (OPTIONAL)

If any aspect of your candidacy needs further explanation, please provide any additional information that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider. (250 words maximum)