Look at the class profile for accepted students to your target programs to see how you measure up.

Based on your goals and qualifications, you can now intelligently choose schools. Look at specialty rankings (U.S. News, BusinessWeek) for a quick start but don’t rely on them blindly. Go thoroughly through school websites. Read student blogs. Talk to current students and recent alumni.

Generate a list of schools that fall into one of the following three categories—reasonable reaches, on-pars, or safeties. It’s best to choose at least one school from each category, though some may want to apply to more (applying to six or seven total is about average).

Here’s a breakdown of these three categories:

•   Reasonable reach – Acceptance to your reasonable reach is a bit of a stretch, but not impossible. A strong application could make your reasonable reach a reality.

•   On-par – You have a solid chance of getting into your on-pars with a good application. Your scores and experiences make you a competitive candidate for these schools.

•   Safety – You should have no trouble getting into the safety schools on your list. (Don’t be too cocky though; slacking off and turning in a half-filled-out application will get you dinged even at the schools in this category!)

When determining which schools fall into which categories you’ll need to keep in mind the following: How does your GPA and GMAT score measure up with the averages of your target school? Are your skills and experiences particularly well matched with your target school? Are your goals in line with one school more than another? Look at the class profile for accepted students to your target programs to see how you measure up. Would you fit in?

Once you can answer these questions, you will have generated a realistic list of schools to apply to—and the more realistic your list, the better your chances are of gaining acceptance to at least some of them, if not all.

Participating in an MBA fair is a great way to know if you are a good fit for your target schools. The MBA Tour will be holding events in the US during July, so register now to attend an event near you!

Like the advice you see in this post? Download Accepted’s special report, MBA Action Plan, for more practical tips on what you can do now to increase your chances of getting in to a top business school next year. (P.S. It’s free!)

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Get ready to read about Heather who will be starting med school in a few months. Heather blogs at

Accepted: Let’s start with some basics: Where are you from? Where and what did you study as an undergrad? Which med school do you attend and what year are you?

Heather: I grew up in Cincinnati, OH all of my life until I moved to Bloomington, IN for college. I graduated for Indiana University in May 2012 (Go Hoosiers!) and then I moved back to Cincinnati for a gap year working as a nursing assistant and reapplying to medical school (CNA).

I majored in Biology while picking up minors in Chemistry, Political Science, and Psychology. If I could go back I would’ve majored in a non-science field. I love the sciences but I was always interested in the humanities. I would have loved to major in History, Political Science, or Economics. I also wish I would have gotten Business certificate which is an area that many doctors aren’t too savvy about.

I will be attending Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine (MU-COM) in Indianapolis, IN this fall as an incoming first year and a member of their inaugural class! I couldn’t be happier or more excited for this opportunity.

Accepted: How many med schools did you apply to? Why did you choose your MU-COM?

Heather: I am a reapplicant so my most recent experience was very different from my first time applying. The first time I applied was between my junior and senior year of college and I applied to about twelve schools and I sent secondaries back to eight. I applied to very poorly selected schools – many schools that were a long shot for me. I sat on the wait list or was rejected from all 12 schools.

This year I applied to fourteen schools, most of which were osteopathic medical schools. When I applied to medical school the first time, I only had a vague idea of what osteopathic medicine was so I only applied to one DO school. After I did more research on osteopathic medicine, I realized the philosophy and training (including osteopathic manipulative medicine) was something that I felt strongly about and something wanted to learn more about.

The most important factors for me when deciding on a school were location, curriculum, and rotation quality. I was accepted to two schools literally days apart in November, one of which was MU-COM. After much research and debating, I decided upon MU-COM and withdrew all my other applications.

I knew I wanted to be somewhere in the Midwest, preferably in a big city. Indianapolis is the perfect mix of big city life with a hometown feel along with being a life sciences hub with premier hospital systems and opportunities for research. Since I’m only about two hours away from my hometown, I’ll have a great support network close by as well as many friends from college in the area. Looking down the road, I would love to do my residency and practice medicine in Indiana or elsewhere in the Midwest.

MU-COM’s curriculum is something that really stuck out to me as it is systems-based instead of subject-based. In college I took a physiology class that was structured very much like a systems-based medical school class. I learned and retained more information from this style of learning than in any of my other classes so I knew this would be a great way for me to learn. I like that all the information is integrated and will be used repeatedly – this will make studying for boards much easier down the road.

While I do not have first-hand accounts of what rotations will be like from other students, I do know that MU-COM has a great plan for rotations. They have already signed agreements with premier hospitals in Indiana and the community support is tremendous! Unlike many DO programs, the clinical sites are all in Indiana – so there’s no traveling across the country although away rotations are encouraged.

Accepted: What are you most looking forward to at MU-COM? Least looking forward to?

Heather: I am very excited to start at MU-COM and I am looking forward to a lot of aspects of school. I can’t wait to be in Indianapolis and to be a member of the inaugural class at Marian. There is the tremendous amount of excitement and support for the school from the community, local physicians, hospitals, and more. Indiana is in desperate need of another medical school (IU is the only other one) so there is a very welcoming atmosphere.

Meeting my fellow classmates and attending my white coat ceremony will be the highlight of my year!

The only negative is that attending a new school is a bit of a risk. There are no older medical students to share information with our class. Instead of receiving second year mentor, we receive a physician mentor at our white coat ceremony which may prove to be more valuable in the long run! We are the “guinea pigs” but you wouldn’t realize MU-COM is a first year school based on the strong community support, amazing faculty, and the innovative curriculum, among other things.

Accepted: Did you go straight from college to med school? Do you think that is the ideal situation?

Heather: I took a year off between college and medical school and I’m definitely glad I did! When I knew I needed to take a gap year, I focused on improving two areas of my application: my MCAT and my clinical experience. I ended up improving my MCAT from a 26Q to a 30T. I did more shadowing and I also decided to take a two week class to become a certified nursing assistant.

While working as a nurse assistant, I was able to interact with a variety of patients on a daily basis. Every day I learned something new because I spent more time with each patient than anyone else on the healthcare team.

Doing this type of work reinforced for me why I want to be a physician. I often felt helpless because I was very limited in what I was able to do for my patients. I know now more than ever that I want to be the head of the healthcare team. I want to make the final decisions with the patient and have the most control over helping the individual reach optimum health.

Taking a year off wasn’t all positive. I’m a year behind my friends that went to medical school this year (hopefully I can learn from their experiences!) and I moved back home which was a hard adjustment.

Overall taking a year off was the best decision for me and I highly recommend it if there are areas of your application that need work. Don’t waste your resources by applying before you are ready.

Accepted: Where do you see yourself in 10 years from now?

Heather: In 10 years I will be fresh out of residency and just starting my career. Creating balance in my life is really important to me. I want to be a successful physician but I also want to be a wife and a mother. Right now my interests lie in OB/Gyn and Emergency Medicine which are two very demanding specialties and not necessarily very family friendly. I hope to join a well-established, supportive group practice that will allow me to make time for family and well as be an excellent physician for my patients. I think if you are doing your very best to care for all aspects of your patients lives and creating balance in your own life, everything else will fall into place!

As far as where I want to practice, I definitely want to stay somewhere in the Midwest. Working with underserved populations is very important to me as well as I am very interested in issues like poverty, rural medicine, and public health. I would love to work both in the city and in rural areas because these populations often have the same problems like access to affordable, quality healthcare which I think all people should have.

Accepted: Can you tell us a little about your blog? What sort of topics do you write about?

Heather: My blog is called Pretty Strong Medicine and I just started writing a little over a month ago so it’s still growing and evolving. I started my blog with the purpose of staying in touch with my family and friends while I’m away at medical school. I also wanted to have something to look back on down the road that documented my experiences in order to see how my views and preferences change over time.

Since I do not start medical school until August, I’m also using my blog to document my journey of getting healthier in all aspects of my life. I share my weight loss goals, clean eating recipes, workouts, inspiration, and more with a wonderful community of bloggers.

My blog is a great way to stay accountable to my goals and document my progress.

The blog is a creative outlet for me to develop my writing skills which suffered a lot since the only writing I did in college was for lab reports and analytical papers. In addition to medical school and getting healthy, I sprinkle in random things from my life – my weekend shenanigans, traveling, my life goals, medical articles, etc. In the future I plan on doing some vlogging, DIY, product reviews, and medical school advice. Really, I’m just a normal twenty-something girl who is about to embark on a new adventure!

Do you want to be featured in Accepted.com’s blog, Accepted Admissions Blog? If you want to share your med school journey with the world (or at least with our readers), email us at bloggers@accepted.com.







Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

     This post was written by our friends at Magoosh. 

Linda Abraham’s upcoming webinar, Destination MBA: Get Directions, will teach you how to narrow down your application choices to b-schools that fulfill your needs and supports your goals.

The webinar will air live on Thursday, June 27th, at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. The 1-hour webinar is free, but spaces are limited, so act now!

Sign up for Destination MBA: Get Directions today to reserve your spot.

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Are you a team leader? Are you committed to sustainable enterprise? Are you seeking resources and intellectual capital needed to shape both business and government? Are you a motivated, goal-oriented, innovative individual? UNC Kenan-Flagler adcoms are interested in seeing your multidimensional personality traits and capabilities. Your challenge: Prove that your goals mesh with the school’s goals and that your talents will contribute to the program’s collaborative nature.

My tips are in blue below.

We have three required essays and two optional essays. The essays for the 2013-2014 application season are:

Essays:

1. What are the 2 or 3 strengths or characteristics that have driven your career success thus far? What are the other strengths that you would like to leverage in the future? (500 words maximum)

Rather than list Strength 1, Strength 2, and Strength 3, I recommend you start with one brief story that illustrates 2-3 of your strengths and shows you as a contributor and doer. Then analyze how those traits have contributed to your career success. Remember to describe your accomplishment in terms of impact and to quantify as much as possible.

Weave into your essay the response to the second questions — a trait that you would like to take advantage of in the future — into your conclusion.

2. Please describe your short and long term goals post-MBA. Explain how: your professional experience has shaped these goals; why this career option appeals to you; and how you arrived at the decision that now is the time and the MBA is the appropriate degree. (500 words maximum)

What do you see yourself doing immediately upon graduation and what would you like to do ten years from now? Describe why this path attracts you. What experiences have convinced you to pursue it? Why do you need an MBA, especially one with UNC’s approach to business education, to proceed down your chosen path. For more tips on writing about post-MBA goals, please see MBA Goals 101.

3. What personal qualities or life experiences distinguish you from other applicants? How do these qualities or experiences equip you to contribute to UNC Kenan-Flagler? (500 words maximum)

Everyone has a story. What’s yours? What makes you tick? What would you like the admissions committee to know about you — you the human being, the individual? What hobbies and experiences will differentiate you from the IT guy, consultant, real estate developer, or banker that the adcom just read about? How will your perspective contribute to the classroom and community at Kenan-Flagler?

4. (Optional) If your standardized test scores are low, or if you have not had coursework in core business subjects (calculus, microeconomics, statistics, financial accounting), please tell us how you plan to prepare yourself for the quantitative rigor of the MBA curriculum. (300 words maximum)

This is pretty straightforward. Just answer it. You may also want to highlight professional preparation that you have already had in quantitative areas.

Essay Five (Optional)

Is there any other information you would like to share that is not presented elsewhere in the application? (300 words maximum)

My favorite: The optional essay. A gift allowing you to give the adcom one more reason to admit you.

UNC Kenan-Flagler 2014 Application Deadlines

 This article is sponsored by PaGaLGuY. PaGalGuy is India’s largest network of MBA aspirants with 700,000 unique visitors per month. 80% of all GMAT takers in India use PaGaLGuY to network with schools and alumni for their application process, research, essays, VISA tips, etc. PaGaLGuY has been continuously solving one of the major challenges faced by a lot of B-schools outside India -to consistently reach-out to Indian GMAT takers/applicants who may be a good fit for their programs.

Universum USA

The Poets & Quants article, “Most Desirable MBA Employers of 2013,” offers a nice summary of the survey. Here we’ll provide some of the highlights:

• Google came in first place (as usual) with 23.4% of respondents placed Google in their top five potential employers.
• McKinsey & Co. recruits the most top MBAs per year, but came in second after Google with 16.6% of respondents placing it in their top five.
• Apple, Amazon, and Boston Consulting Group placed third, fourth, and fifth, respectively, in the running.
• Companies in the top 100 list from last year that didn’t make the cut this year include Groupon (82nd place last year), HSBC (88), Colgate-Palmolive (98), and Zynga (85).
• Newcomers to the top 100 include: Estee Lauder (54th place this year), H&M (66), GlaxoSmithKline (69), General Motors (94), and E&J Gallo (99).
• 1,622 of the responses came from women and 2,097 from men.

Top 25 Most Desirable Employers

Source: Universum USA

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

What did your attending do today that struck you?

Last week, I mentioned keeping a diary during your rotations. But what exactly should you be keeping track of in your Diary? Here are three things you can watch for that will get you in great shape for later:

1. Watch your attendings. What did your attending do today that struck you? This can be anything, from observing how they reacted to a patient’s nonverbal cues or defused an upset family member’s anger to noting how they communicated relevant information to other health professionals. Describe the details so you can recall them later. If what you saw today differed from what you’ve seen in other rotations, think about whether it’s due to the specialty or just this individual’s style. And make critical judgments – did anything you saw about this physician or today’s tasks make you think about the kind of doctor you want to be?

2. Watch your patients. Observe how patients and their family members respond – do they ever surprise you? Which cases really piqued your interest? You may already be keeping a case log; if so, that will help supply the medical side when you want to write about specific patients. But your personal statement will be richer when seasoned with personal details that aren’t recorded in case logs.

3. Watch yourself. Since what you write is private, use this space courageously. What did you do well? What did you do not so well? What were the things that interested you and what bored you silly? Not only can this help you to critically evaluate your educational progress, but it can also give you some insights into your future. What is pushing you towards certain specialties and away from others? How are your actions today helping you to envision the kind of doctor that you hope to be?

Three things to watch for now, ensuring that you’ll have less clock-watching to do as deadlines approach.








By Cydney Foote, Accepted consultant and author of Write Your Way to Medical School, who has helped future physicians craft winning applications since 2001.

For a startup to be eligible for DRF funds, it must have at least one current student or recent graduate on its investment team. Of the 32 students (spread out over three investment teams), there are 7 MBAs from top schools, including Wharton and Columbia Business School.

See Businessweek’s article, “VC Fund ‘for Students, by Students’ Expands to Boston,” for more details.

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Get ready to read about Hamm0, an anonymous MBA applicant who blogs at

Accepted: First, can you tell us a little about yourself? Where are you from? Where and what did you study as an undergrad? 

Hamm0: I was born in the Midwest, and spent my formative years ping-ponging between the Midwest and the Northeast. I went to a well known East Coast school (Think: Lehigh, Bucknell, BC, etc.) and studied Civil Engineering and minored in Business. I did a lot of work in undergrad with Special Olympics, New Student Orientation, and Habitat for Humanity.

After graduating I started working for a construction manager as a project engineer and was on infrastructure projects all over the Eastern seaboard. Recently, I moved from engineering to finance, and now work as an analyst for an asset manager. I currently serve in a leadership role with my local Habitat chapter.

Accepted: What stage of the MBA admissions process are you up to currently? What’s been the most challenging aspect so far?

Hamm0: I am currently writing essay drafts and waiting for essays to come out for my target schools. The most challenging aspect seems to be whatever I’m working on most recently – it only seems to get harder! More seriously, I thought setting up time to visit schools was difficult to balance, even though from an applicant’s standpoint, very little is requested of you during that phase.

Accepted: Can you share your GMAT experience with us?

Hamm0: I took the GMAT several times, and increased my score each time. I started studying with a set of Manhattan GMAT books on my own after work, and eventually decided I didn’t have the dedication to self-study. I signed up for an in-person class with Veritas Prep which coincided with the break I had between jobs and landed a 690. While it is short of where I want to be, I feel that is a solid score, and I definitely do not want to sit for that test again, and am happy with my 100-plus-point improvement. I don’t think there is much difference between the materials, I just really needed the kick in the pants an in-person course provided.

Accepted: What are some of your top choice programs? Are you applying to safety schools?

Hamm0: On my blog I’ve listed 6 schools: Darden, Fuqua, Johnson, Ross, Tuck, and Wharton. I don’t think any of these are safety schools, and I don’t plan on applying to any safety schools (if such a thing exists in MBA-application land).

Accepted: What is your current job? Do you plan on continuing in that function/industry after you receive your MBA?

Hamm0: As I mentioned, I just started working for an asset manager. I work on the fixed income desk doing several tasks, but I’ll sum it up as portfolio analytics. I plan on staying in finance post MBA (hence the move from engineering), but would prefer to be working on deals rather than working with the markets.

Accepted: Do you have any advice to share with your fellow applicants? 

Hamm0: Start early. I started looking at MBA things about a year and a half ago, and it has really helped save on some legwork while I’m gearing up for applications. For me, it all comes down to execution at this point, instead of researching, testing, and writing as it might for a less-prepared applicant. The process is difficult enough – why complicate it by doing multiple steps at once?

Accepted: Why did you decide to blog about your MBA admissions experience? Has the writing process revealed anything new about yourself?

Hamm0: Some of the blogs I’ve been reading over the past year or so have really helped me define my path forward, so I thought I’d pay it forward (I’m looking at you Cheetarah1980, The Senator, MBAover30, and others!). Plus, it’ll be funny to laugh at myself a few years down the road since all of this will be documented in text.  I’ve learned that I’m a rambler when it comes to writing, that I love parenthetical interjections (that readers hate) in the middle of sentences, and that I’m a terrible speller. Lets hope these flaws are corrected before my essays are submitted!

Do you want to be featured in Accepted.com’s blog, Accepted Admissions Blog? If you want to share your MBA/EMBA journey with the world (or at least with our readers), email us at mbabloggers@accepted.com.







Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

MBA Program Deadlines

• 1st Deadline: October 15, 2013

• 2nd Deadline: November 15, 2013

• 3rd Deadline: January 15, 2014

• 4th Deadline: March 15, 2014

*Online applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on the day of the deadline. Any mailed application material must be postmarked by the deadline date.

Please see the NYU Stern Zone for important tips on how to apply successfully to NYU.







Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

The number of tenure-track and full-time jobs has fallen.

While prophecies of doom might be more common regarding the job market for humanities PhDs, a number of studies and articles have pointed out that the situation isn’t too rosy for STEM PhDs, either. A recent story in The Atlantic characterized the current situation as a “PhD Bust.”

In short, the number of tenure-track and full-time jobs has fallen, while more young scientists are spending longer working as post-docs (a position that, while it is an accepted transitional part of a research career, can be exploitative).

In 2010, The Economist critiqued the ever-expanding low-wage post-doc, and the over-supply of PhDs generally.

Many PhD students in STEM fields have goals that lie outside of traditional academe (research in industry, etc). But it is clear that the academic market in the sciences has become even more difficult in recent years.

Obviously, none of this is to say that a PhD is not the right choice. It’s just important to be an educated applicant, and apply for the right reasons. Know your goals, be aware of the (growing) challenges posed by the job market, and plan your strategy accordingly.







By Dr. Rebecca Blustein, Accepted.com editor and former Student Affairs Officer at UCLA’s Scholarship Resource Center, and author of Financing Your Future: Winning Fellowships, Scholarships and Awards for Grad School. Rebecca will be happy to assist you with your grad school applications.

Make Every Word Count.

Harvard Business School MBA Admissions Director Dee Leopold is once again shaking up the admission world. With the 2013-14 Harvard MBA application she is simultaneously demanding less and much more of applicants: Fewer essays. Fewer words. Fewer characters. More thought. More brevity. And as much substance as you can cram into the responses limited not to a few hundred words, but to a few hundred characters.

If any of you think creating a compelling HBS app will be easy, think again.

Required Portions

The required portions represent what Harvard wants to know about you. The HBS admissions committee is quite clear and specific about what it wants to know. And how much it wants to know. Please realize that your resume and the boxes are now the heart of your application

Before you begin completing the application, first review Harvard’s three criteria for admission. Write your descriptions and response so that you show these qualities:

•   Habit of leadership.
•   Capacity for Intellectual Growth
•   Engaged community citizenship.

Because of the brevity required – most of the longer answers have a 500-character limit — you must be succinct:

•   Focus on business and leadership achievements, not technical feats.
•   Don’t merely describe your responsibilities; highlight your accomplishments– where you have made a difference, where you have gone above and beyond the expected, the typical, and the ordinary.
•   Quantify as much as possible.
•   Write tight.

The Optional Essay: (No word limit)

“You’re applying to Harvard Business School.  We can see your resume, school transcripts, extra-curricular activities, awards, post-MBA career goals, test scores and what your recommenders have to say about you.  What else would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy?”

Now what else – really and truly — do you want HBS to know about you? The HBS admissions committee has told you what it wants to know. That’s in the required sections of the application. What do you want the HBS readers to know?

The answer to that question is not something I can give or even suggest to you in a blog post aimed at the many. (For individual advice, please see Accepted’s MBA Admissions Consulting.) It should be different for each of you. Again, refer to the HBS criteria, as you contemplate possible topics, but the options are infinite. A few possibilities:

•   Context for events described in the required elements.
•   Motivations for the decisions or commitments you have made.
•   Challenges you have faced.
•   Something you would like to do at HBS.
•   More depth on an activity or commitment that is particularly important to you.

Please don’t limit yourself to these suggestions. I am offering them to stimulate your creativity, not to shut it down.

Some of you may wonder if you should write this essay given that it is optional. If you don’t have anything to say, say nothing. Nonetheless, I can’t believe that accomplished, remarkable people have nothing valuable to add to the required portions of Harvard’s application. Persuasive, impressive essays simply give Harvard more reasons to accept you, and you should want them to have those reasons. On the other hand, if you slap together something hastily or rehash or copy-and-paste another school’s essay, then you run the risk of actually reducing the quality of your application. Bottom line: Make it worth reading. Write a thoughtful essay that reflects you and complements the required components.

Since I’ve been in MBA admissions consulting (almost 20 years now), HBS has valued concision. And, in today’s tweet- and sound-bite-driven world, it is requiring even shorter responses, at least in the required portion of the application. Don’t take the absence of a word limit on the optional essay as a license for verbosity. Say what you have to say succinctly. Make every word count. If you must pull a number out of me, don’t go over 800 words. And if you can say what you need to say in less than 800 words, do so.

A few caveats and warnings on the essay. It is not:

•   Stanford’s “what matters most to you and why?”
•   The kitchen sink in which you throw everything.
•   An autobiography.

Interview Reflections

On a personal note: While I have no way to know if anyone at Harvard read my post proposing an effective revealing MBA application — and Harvard’s 2013-14 app is certainly quite different from what I proposed — the idea of writing about the three most meaningful experiences in greater depth is something I suggested then.














By Linda Abraham, president and founder of Accepted.com and co-author of the new, definitive book on MBA admissions, MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools.

Successful Fellowship applicants will need to demonstrate excellent academics and career progress plus a strong commitment to India’s development (financial need is also a factor). The Fellowship application is short, asking for educational history, test scores, employment history, a CV, financial information, and only one short essay of 250 words or less: “How do you aspire to shape your country’s future?”

Two-hundred and fifty words is not a lot of space, so I recommend that your past leadership experiences be detailed well in the CV to leave this brief essay solely to your vision for the future: In what areas do you aim to make the greatest headway? How do you plan to undertake that effort? What goals do you aspire to and how do you intend to help India reach them within the next 10 to 20 years?

Obviously, goals based upon previous experiences and involvement will strike the Fellowship’s review committee as the most authentic, so take the time to identify what areas of development are truly the most important in your eyes and share your passion through this essay. Once the top 50 finalists for the Fellowship are selected, they will proceed to complete the regular Stanford application.









As an editor with Accepted for 14 years and a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW), Jennifer Bloom has gained great experience in crafting CV’s and essays that truly differentiate applicants from the rest of the driven applicant pool. If you would like help with your Fellowship application, please consider Accepted’s editing services for both your CV and essay.

I’m going to summarize here a few of my take-aways from the conference and refrain from merely repeating the raw information provided:

• HEC provides incredible diversity in a small class placed just outside Paris, one of the business and cultural capitals of the world. (And I had forgotten how beautiful Paris is, but it is a gorgeous city!) Its 220 students represent 40 different countries.

• HEC also offers flexibility with two intakes and a program that takes 12-16 months, depending on internships. Students can participate in up to three internships, which can facilitate career change.

• It is a superb program if one wants to work in Europe either immediately post-MBA or long-term. If a student wants to experience Europe, develop an international network, and then return to his or her home country, HEC recommends that the student do an exchange in the country or at least the region where the student wants to work. There are approximately 40 different exchange opportunities; more and more grads have been returning to their home countries since the 2008 financial crisis.

• The Financial Times has consistently ranked HEC’s MBA highly for marketing. It is also well known for luxury goods marketing with strong ties to Cartier and other elite luxury goods vendors. The school may be less well-known as a factory for CEOs, but according to Dean Garrette, HEC (MBA and other degrees) is ranked #4 worldwide for the number of alumni holding CEO positions in Fortune 50 companies.

• HEC, like many MBA programs, invests enormous time and energy in career development. Indeed, it is an integral part of the HEC program. The HEC career management curriculum is on one hand structured and at the same time individualized, with Fridays devoted to career management events.

• While HEC’s Career Management Center (CMC) provides broad guidance to MBA students both as to the viability of their goals as well as to the best means for achieving them, realize that a member of the CMC sits on all admissions committee meetings, and post-MBA employability is clearly an admissions factor.

• The student panel was the last part of the program that I attended. Not surprisingly, the four students – all from different places – were happy with their HEC experience. They all enthused specifically about the geographic diversity of the student body and faculty. Talk about diversity at HEC clearly isn’t just hype or marketing.

I want to again thank HEC for hosting me and the other consultants. Paris is beautiful. The conference was informative. I welcomed the opportunity to learn more about this top European business school. And if you are seeking an MBA that either prepares you to live in Europe or offers you a European experience you too should make the effort to learn more about HEC.







By Linda Abraham, president and founder of Accepted.com and co-author of the new, definitive book on MBA admissions, MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools.

It’s going to receive one of those frustrating  “it depends” answers. It depends on your qualifications, the schools you are aiming for, whether you are willing to tolerate the possibility of reapplication if rejected, your goals, and the people you ask. Some advisors recommend applying to 3-4 schools. Period. I am a little less doctrinaire, but offer the following guidelines.

•   If you have 2-3 schools that support your goals with acceptance rates north of 30% and where you are strongly competitive, then 2-3 schools total is fine.
•   If you can find only 2-3 schools that support your goals and meet your needs, and no others do, which happens rarely but it does happen, then 2-3 is fine.
•   If you have target schools that you are dying to attend but either competition is extremely intense (acceptance rates under 15%) and/or your qualifications are not competitive, then you need to apply to perhaps 1-2 of these and 3-6 where you are more likely to gain admissions.
•   If you are applying to schools with acceptance rates in the 15-30% range and you are competitive but certainly not a shoe-in (and most people aren’t), then I suggest applying to 3-6 in this range and 1-2 in the range where you are likely to be accepted.

Your goals and your qualifications relative to your competition are paramount. If you are from a group that is over-represented in the applicant pool, like Indian IT males, you may want to apply at the higher end of the ranges I provided above. Please keep in mind that you don’t need to apply to all schools first round. You can split the schools between first and second round deadlines. You may also be interested in my perspective on a safety schools.

Some will argue that 6-8 schools spreads the net too wide, is expensive, time-consuming, and will dilute your ability to pursue excellence in your applications. If you try to apply to so many schools within a month, I agree with those critics. If, however, you want to maximize your chances of acceptance and can spread your applications out over two rounds, then it is a reasonable option. Not a requirement. An option. Like I said, it all depends.






By Linda Abraham, president and founder of Accepted.com and co-author of the new, definitive book on MBA admissions, MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools.

Just Don’t Go to Grad School: Good Advice?

Pursuing a PhD in the Humanities or Social Sciences has never been an “easy” path, or one that is guaranteed to lead to the tenure-track job of your dreams. Recently, the question of the “worth” of a PhD has received a great deal of attention from journalists and bloggers.

A recent article in Slate (“Thesis Hatement”) triggered a series of responses, some pro, some con, and of varying levels of thoughtfulness (see this Slate article, this New Yorker article, this Aljazeera article, and this LinkedIn article).

As a humanities PhD (and someone who helps others apply to grad school), I wanted to comment, with some thoughts and a little advice.

A classic of the “don’t go to grad school” genre is William Pannapacker’s “Grad School in the Humanities: Just Don’t Go,” from 2009. The problems Pannapacker outlines—declining jobs, a university system that is designed to take advantage of cheap/free grad student labor, etc—have only gotten more pronounced since then.

When I decided to pursue my PhD in Comparative Literature, I knew the job market for humanities PhDs was bleak. I listened to a great deal of conflicting advice, from parents, professors, mentors, bosses. “There are always jobs out there for the right people,” said the academics. “It would be such a waste to do anything else.” “You’ll never get an academic job,” said other people. “There just aren’t any to get. Is this what you really want to do? Spend your 20s in school, with no likely job at the end?” “Are you sure?” said my parents.

I was. I really, really was. I’d fallen in love with a fascinating corner of medieval literary studies (Old Irish!), and I had ambitious research goals. Grad school was the only way for me to get the training I needed. I figured I would deal with the job market question when I came to it. In the meantime, I worked hard: teaching, publishing, presenting papers, helping to run conferences—all the tasks of a “professionalizing” grad student.

For me, grad school was a valuable experience. My work with students ultimately led me to the work I do now. I did work I loved and learned skills I could gain nowhere else. I wouldn’t give it up. Was it “worth” big money? It was of value to me, intellectually and for my career. I didn’t go into debt—I was fully funded. At the same time, I spent the majority of my 20s earning less than $20k/year, at a time when my peers were moving through their careers, saving money, etc. This is something to think about.

We live in a society that places little value on the humanities in general. (If you’re serious about studying the humanities, you already know this: how many times have you explained what you do to people who tell you it’s essentially useless?) And the structure of the university is only shifting more towards contingent labor. If anyone tells you that well-worn myth about faculty positions being bound to open up because all the old professors are going to retire, please don’t believe it: even when those professors do retire, their jobs will not be replaced with tenure-track jobs, but with cheaper, adjunct positions.

So, if you’re a committed undergrad eager to do a PhD in the humanities, what to do? While I might sound a little jaded, I don’t subscribe to the blanket “don’t go” advice. I think the decision to pursue a PhD is intensely personal and case specific. Only you know whether your goals and research interests can be met via a PhD or another route. I advise that you consider the realities of the situation as you make your choice:

1. Don’t go to grad school to “avoid the real world” or “sit out a recession.” Go because you have goals and research interests that can only be achieved with a PhD.

2. Research funding options. Because of the realities of the job market, I strongly encourage applicants not to go to a program without funding. Don’t multiply your student debt for a PhD.

3. Take into account the opportunity costs of a long program. Be sure.

4. Take advantage of career support opportunities at your PhD program. More and more grad schools, recognizing the reality that many PhDs will never work full-time in academe, offer support for people preparing for the non-academic job market. Make yourself aware of these offerings and prepare to expand your job search.

By Dr. Rebecca Blustein, Accepted.com editor and former Student Affairs Officer at UCLA’s Scholarship Resource Center, and author of Financing Your Future: Winning Fellowships, Scholarships and Awards for Grad School. Rebecca will be happy to assist you with your grad school applications.

Accepted: First, can you tell us about yourself: Where are you from? Where and what did you study as an undergrad?

Narendhar: I was born and brought up in Godavarikhani, a small town located in Andhra Pradesh, India. I completed my Bachelors in Electronics & Communication Engineering (ECE) from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh, India) in the year June 2000. Over the last 12 years I worked extensively in the Information & Communications Technology (ICT) Industry in diverse roles across the globe.

I enjoy traveling, reading, playing tennis, cycling, cooking and lately blogging.

Accepted: Why did you choose to attend London’s Sloan Fellows Program? (In other words, why pursue the degree and why London?)

Narendhar: Management is what I liked inherently ever since I was in college. In 2008, after gaining some work experience, I started researching for a 1 year management program. I first heard about the Sloan Masters at London Business School (LBS) when one of my ex-managers joined this program. After doing a lot of research about Sloan Program, I decided that Sloan Masters in Leadership and Strategy at LBS is the ideal program for me for the following reasons:

•   Curriculum fit with my objectives: This program has several courses that would enable me to realize my career goals.
•   Class maturity: Sloan students at LBS come with an average of 16 years’ experience and are already accomplished professionals in their industry.
•   School credentials: LBS has been consistently ranked among the top b-schools in the world.
•   Value for money: The fee at LBS is the lowest of all three Sloan programs offered worldwide at LBS, MIT Sloan and Stanford.

Accepted: What is your current job? Do you plan on continuing in that industry/function after you receive your Sloan MSc or switching careers?

Narendhar: I am currently working as a Principal in Telecom Practice based out of Melbourne with Infosys Limited, Australia. I work in consulting roles with telecom service providers in the Australia and New Zealand region.

Consulting and Product Strategy are two key functions I worked in all through my career. Post Sloan program, I would like to continue in the same industry and would like to transition into leadership roles in strategy in IT Product/Telecom companies.

Accepted: It looks like you’ve lived/worked/studied all over the world. Where do you think you’ll end up long-term, or do you plan on continuing to globe-trot?

Narendhar: Travel is something that I enjoy personally as it gives opportunities to meet new people, visit new places and experience different cultures.

However I am more keen about the role I would get than the geography. I would like to get into a role where I can apply the skills acquired during the program. In the long term I would like to settle in India.

Accepted: As a successful applicant to a top program, you must have some good admissions advice. What would you say are your top three tips for Sloan MSc or MBA applicants?

Narendhar: In my opinion, applicants have to spend quality time on the following (assuming GMAT is done at this stage):

1. First jot down your career goals. Think objectively to see if an MBA program will help you get there. This clarity is important for sustained motivation.
2. Find a school/program that helps you achieve your goals. Do thorough research on school websites (course details, faculty, class profile, career reports, research centers etc), attend information sessions, and talk to admissions officers, current students and alumni.
3. Be honest and accurate in your essays. It is important to demonstrate that you bring in a breadth of experience and quote relevant examples from different projects/instances spanning your entire career.

Accepted: Why did you decide to blog about your experience?  

Narendhar: When I started my application process for Sloan, the primary source of information was the school website. I wanted to get more insight into the actual student experiences right from the application stage to what goes on during the 1 year at school. While I could find a few articles here and there, I could not find everything at one place. The idea of this blog is to share the information, resources combined with my experiences with prospective students.

I am glad that a lot of prospective students are finding this blog informative and useful. As of today this blog is followed by readers across 48 countries.

I also do career counseling as a hobby. I am providing a starting point to prospective students through this blog.

Do you want to be featured in Accepted.com’s blog, Accepted Admissions Blog? If you want to share your MBA/EMBA journey with the world (or at least with our readers), email us at mbabloggers@accepted.com.







Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

How many interesting details can you remember from your rotation six months ago?

What are you doing to prepare for the residency match? Chances are, you’re up to your eyeballs with rotations and exams and everything else that goes into finishing your medical degree. Chances are, you’re really not thinking much about your personal statement.

Not to sound like a Bowflex commercial, but what if I told you that spending just five minutes a night would take hours of stress and hassle out of the application process?

And what if I told you it would cost you nothing, other than those five minutes?

And what if I told you that this miraculous time-saving activity was the same thing that so many teenage girls do to keep track of their hopes and dreams – keeping a diary?

You’d say I was being silly, but it’s true. Look at it this way: You’re in the midst of a rotation. Every day you see new cases, learn new things, watch attendings do amazing things that you dream of doing someday. Right now, it’s all fresh in your mind. If someone asks “what did you learn today?” you’d be able to give them an answer without hesitating.

Will you remember these specific experiences in six months when you sit down to write your personal statement? How many interesting details can you remember from your rotation six months ago? How many attendings impressed you back then, and can you remember exactly what they did?

Time and again, when I begin working with a residency applicant, I watch them struggle to recall the insights they’ve gleaned over the past few months. More often than not, they end up scratching their heads and agonizing over their faulty memories until they can dredge up a compelling example or two.

So if I can give you one valuable piece of advice now, at this stage in your education, it’s to keep a diary. Or a journal, or a log, or whatever you’d like to call it. Each day, spend five minutes jotting down (or dictating to your smartphone or computer) the momentous events of that day. That’s all you need, just five minutes. Then when it comes time to write your personal statement, you’ll have a wealth of material to explore and will feel much better prepared to tackle this important part of your application.








By Cydney Foote, Accepted consultant and author of Write Your Way to Medical School, who has helped future physicians craft winning applications since 2001.

So now I’d like to present you with the other side of the story – the rankings’ limitations. Blinding yourself to the rankings’ flaws could lead to an expensive, time-consuming mistake: choosing the wrong MBA program for you.

•  They don’t measure your priorities.

•  General rankings hide strengths (and weaknesses) in specific areas. There are numerous “gem” programs that thrive outside the top ten or top twenty. Many MBA students have a great chance of gaining acceptance PLUS receiving financial aid at these gem schools.

•  Averages are exactly that. Average. They aren’t a cut-off and don’t reflect extenuating circumstances or the interplay between myriad factors in an admissions decision. At every school there will always be applicants who are accepted with below-average stats and who are rejected with above-average stats.

•  Surveys, especially surveys of students and alumni, can be gamed. Students and alumni know that higher rankings increase the value of their degrees and have an incentive to think kindly of their schools.

In short, don’t give the rankings too much importance. Don’t replace school research and self-reflection with rankings to determine where you should apply or attend.








Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Looking to be a “Triple-Jumper”

Get ready to read about Poeticquant, an anonymous MBA applicant from Eritrea (in Northeast Africa) and, more recently, Columbus Ohio, with a background in engineering and an interest in international business. You can read about Poeticquant’s admissions adventure below, and at his blog The Poetic Quant. Thank you Poeticquant, and best of luck to you!

Accepted: Let’s start with some basics: Where are you from? Where and what did you study as an undergrad? And what is your current job?

Poeticquant: I am from Columbus, OH by way of a small northeast African nation called Eritrea. Like any good African immigrant’s child I was predestined for a career in either Engineering or Medicine (heaven forbid I study *gasp* Liberal Arts!). I naturally gravitated towards engineering, eventually finding my home in Civil Engineering. I went on to gain my Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Ohio State University. Following graduation I started working in state government as a transportation engineer. From the start I could tell that engineering wasn’t going to stimulate my soft skills enough, so I began making active career choices that would steer me towards the career I wanted. Tasting what it’s like to be a project manager, and not just the technical lead as an engineer, has opened my appetite to go into a career that will use my analytical mind and my soft skills. A career that allows me to have the influence in decision making that I crave. For me, this means I need an MBA. So here I am.

Accepted: What stage are you up to in the b-school admissions process? 

Poeticquant: I am currently prepping to take the GMAT for the first time. I have also started school visits after doing some intensive research and creating a list of my target schools. From what I hear, this is supposed to be the fun stage of the admissions process. This is before you are waiting to hear back from schools, or worrying about how you are going to gather good enough recommendations. And true indeed: to this point I have immensely enjoyed the process.

Accepted: What’s been your greatest challenge so far? How have you approached it?

Poeticquant: My greatest challenge so far, by far, has been informing my work colleagues and supervisors of my decision to go to business school. The projects that I’ve taken on are very unique in scope and will be hard for anyone else to take over seamlessly, so it’s only natural for there to be some angst. Government work is not a traditional feeder into business school and as such it’s a foreign concept to most of the people I work with. I’ve approached this issue by making an effort to explain what I want out of a CAREER, and not just out of a singular job. Once people can see the “story,” and see that the organization you’re leaving is just as much a part of your progression as the places you hope to go to, they begin to advocate for you. It just so happens that people who are rooting for your personal development are the best recommendation writers (just saying).

Accepted: Where do you planning on applying? Which is your top choice, and why?

Poeticquant: My current target list reads (alphabetically):

• Fisher College of Business (Ohio State)
• Fuqua School of Business (Duke)
• Harvard Business School
• Keenan-Flagler School of Business (North Carolina)
• Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern)
• London Business School
• S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management (Cornell)

It’s hard to say which schools I favor, as I haven’t visited all of them yet. Given my life background, I’ve always been inclined to see things from an international perspective which lends itself towards LBS. But I’ve made it a point that each and every school I target emphasizes international business or immersion in some form or another. I’m very pragmatic (engineer after all) and understand that I’m far from the “homerun applicant,” so in all honesty I will consider myself truly blessed to gain admission into any of these schools!

Accepted: Do you plan on staying in the same industry after you receive your MBA? Or switching careers?

Poeticquant: I’m looking to be what they call a “Triple-Jumper” in that I would change location, job-sector, and function in one fell swoop post-MBA. I will always carry my engineering background like a badge of honor, however. Without the level of analytic and critical thinking rigor that my undergraduate engineering degree provided me, I don’t think I would be anywhere near what I am today. But I also realize that to reach my full potential, it’s time to move on and to develop my other skills. Business school is the perfect medium to start this career-long journey.

Accepted: Why did you decide to blog about your admissions experience? What do you hope to gain from blogging?

Poeticquant: I’ve always been an avid reader and writer (hence the “poetic” in my “poeticquant” moniker). I needed a place to store my ideas and feelings on the MBA admission process. My friends’ eardrums had their fill, so a blog was the natural outcome of these two desires. I find the keyboard and the warm glow of a laptop screen to be much more willing listener to my MBA tales. Blogging for me has a similar feel to keeping a journal, though it is much more pointed. Catharsis, if you will. I hope my readers are enjoying the blog!

Do you want to be featured in Accepted.com’s blog, Accepted Admissions Blog? If you want to share your MBA/EMBA journey with the world (or at least with our readers), email us at mbabloggers@accepted.com.








Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Express yourself like a real person.

It’s summertime, and here that means barbecues on the deck – grilling meat, specifically, if you’re one of a certain group of friends who invited me over for a recent Stanley Cup game. Gracious as my hosts were, I felt a bit daunted by the huge piece of steak that filled my plate, accompanied by a small scoop of potato salad grabbed at the grocery store as an afterthought. Unlike my friends, I don’t think ketchup is a side dish.

Your AMCAS application is a bit like a plate at a barbecue. A lot of attention is given to the “meat” of your application – the personal statement–but it’s what you write about in the activities section that adds flavor and variety to your profile. Here’s a recipe for delicious post-secondary descriptions:

1. Use these descriptions to connect with the admissions committee. You started this process in your personal statement by showing a side of yourself beyond the CV. Do that here as well. Avoid the bland job-descriptions-in-bullet-points approach – for one thing, bullet point formats are lost in the application’s text box, and you’ll end up with a jumbled block of partial sentences. For another, you can use this as another way to humanize yourself, and the best way to do that is to express yourself like a real person. Treat these like mini-essays that fill in empty spots on your plate.

2. Select your experiences wisely. You might have more than 15 impressive activities, and you almost surely have more than three meaningful experiences. Include those that required your most active participation. Demonstrations of leadership, teamwork, and clinical exposure are always important. And avoid reusing activities you have written about in your personal statement as your meaningful experiences. Reveal the breadth of your experience.

3. Introduce the organization. If you worked for a well-known group like the Red Cross, this can be very brief. Otherwise, succinctly share the purpose of the organization. For instance, “Friends for Life is a national mentoring organization for disadvantaged youth; our campus branch tutored 4th and 5th graders in the Boston area.” If your experience is in a lab, explain in layman’s terms the research goal.

4. Describe your responsibilities. This is the heart of your experience, so be specific about what you did – and the impact you had. This might be your role as a team member in a lab: “I used PCRs, Western blots, SDS-gels, plasmid DNA and total RNA purification methods in experiments to express and purify genes for use in hemorrhagic shock experiments; my analysis was used in experiments intended to improve organ preservation.” Or it might be your leadership of a student group: “I recruited a 12-member working group that investigated safety concerns; our report to college officials resulted in increased patrols and dorm escorts that reduced on-campus crime by 20%.” Whatever it is, go beyond the superficial job description and use this space to identify your strengths and accomplishments.

5. Identify how this experience will help you as a physician. Don’t ask the Admissions Committee to connect the dots for you. Whether improving your retention through teaching MCAT courses, communicating with a diverse group of people as a food bank volunteer, or learning the art of compromise as you negotiated with university administrators, your last sentence should make the connection between that experience and your medical studies and/or career.

6. Tell us why you chose your meaningful activities. Your three meaningful activities should expand on these points above, but they also need to tell us why each one matters to you. This is a chance to reveal your goals, values and personal qualities in a way that the shorter descriptions of your responsibilities don’t allow. Through these three activities, we’ll see how you put your beliefs into action, so don’t be afraid to get personal here. It’s great to hear that you made a strong impact on a person or a community, but also tell us be sure to tell us why making that kind of impact is important to you. And of course, emphasize again how this is going to make you a better physician.

Clocking in at 700 characters each, with an additional 1325 characters for your three meaningful ones, it may be a challenge to make your activities seem as hearty as the main course. But with some skillful organization and creativity, these tasty sides will add a lot to your meal.

Need help adding spice to your activities section or your AMCAS essay? Contact Accepted.com and one of our experienced editors will help you prepare a delicious AMCAS application.







 By Cydney Foote, Accepted consultant and author of Write Your Way to Medical School, who has helped future physicians craft winning applications since 2001.

Which brand is the best fit for me?

This is the second post in our new blog series Against the Odds: MBA Admissions for Indian Applicants.

Close your eyes and name the top two MBA programs that come to mind.

Bet I can guess which ones you picked. Harvard and Stanford right?

Harvard boasts former US presidents, CEOs of JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs and business tycoons like Ratan Tata who cut their teeth on its famed case study curriculum. Stanford has produced tech giants like Sun Microsystems co-founder Vinod Khosla, and these days, a bounteous crop of start ups nurtured by Silicon Valley investors with money to burn. They both enjoy a world-famous brand and attract recruiters in droves.

Family pressure and internal ambition may mean limiting your choice to only a handful of the world’s most famous MBA brands. But what you really need to ask yourself is – what brand is the best fit for me?

Return on investment

First, you need to think about the return on investment for your time – both pre- and post-MBA.

You’ll have limited hours to put together a stellar application – time shaved off from sleep, leisure, and away from family and friends – so put it to optimal use, not into a pipe dream. Beyond studying for the GMAT, you need to reserve time for researching programs, networking with current students or alumni and writing essays tailored to each school. Don’t apply to a dream school just give it a shot. Apply to the right schools to get in.

You’ll also be taking 2 years off from the work force and spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on tuition. Carefully weigh whether your MBA path will lead you to make up these lost earnings quickly – that doesn’t always mean one of the top two or three ranked schools, according to this excerpt from AOL Jobs:

At Notre Dame’s Mendoza School, last year’s MBA graduates landed average salaries that exceeded their pre-MBA pay by 149 percent. At the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School, the increase was 132.2 percent, and at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, it was 122.2 percent, and these numbers exclude starting bonuses and other bennies that are often handed out to MBAs when hired.

Bottom line – take the time to look beyond the brand to the stats. You may uncover some pleasant surprises.

Know how you fit the stats

With a nosebleed GMAT score (740 or above), solid GPA, work experience at a known feeder firm or entrepreneurial venture, and a robust extracurricular leadership role you may beat the 7 percent acceptance rate at Stanford or the cut of 1 of 10 to become Harvard bound. But if you lack in one of the above criteria, especially if you belong to the overrepresented pool of Indian applicants, you’ll need to realistically expand your options.

Bottom line –  you should place above the average GMAT and GPA scores to consider an MBA program a good fit. Otherwise it’s a reach school, and other factors from your background will need to compensate.

Career interest

Carefully review your target schools’ career placement data. You may be surprised that the company you’re interested in working for recruits elsewhere besides Harvard and Stanford. With a little extra effort or travel on your part you can land an internship or job in a top market.

This MIT student gained a spot at top consulting firm BCG in Chicago – the heartland of US manufacturing. This Cornell Johnson student won a place at Accenture consulting.

This Darden student says he’d have no problem landing a position at a top consulting firm outside Virginia. This Duke student landed an i-banking job in New York, and she said the one-hour flight worked to her advantage.

Bottom line – do your research now for where you’d like to work when you graduate. The recruiting season starts almost immediately when you arrive on campus. The specific niches and location of an MBA program may appeal to you more once you scratch below the surface.

Location and Size

Are you a bright lights, big city kind of gal? Are you the type of guy who wants personal attention, after attending a big university where you were just a number?

It’s essential that you evaluate the fit and feel of your MBA picks before plunging in. New York, London or Boston may seem exciting, but as this Darden student shares, sometimes smaller class sizes in smaller cities mean better bonds between batchmates, professors and alumni.

You may already have an established network or family ties to a specific city. Perhaps there’s a strong religious or immigrant community that you or your spouse can tap into to help feel more at home as you transition into your new life. Maybe this city is the hub of your preferred industry.

Bottom line – if you can visit campus before applying, do so. Just because it looks good on a website or on a business card, doesn’t mean it’s the best fit for you. You’ll be spending two years of your life at this school, and it’s the launch pad for your future. Make sure it’s a great fit.

Stay tuned for more posts in this upcoming series …

- Speak to your audience (in their language)

– Find a way to pay

– Prepare for your job hunt now … at home or abroad, what’s best

 Michelle Stockman is a professional journalist, former Columbia Business School admissions insider, and experienced MBA admissions consultant.

00:01:52 – Meet Jeff Reid, Director of the Georgetown Entrepreneurship Initiative.

00:02:51 – The Entrepreneurship Initiative at Georgetown University: What is and how it works.

00:04:16 – Why universities struggle with entrepreneurship. (Do you know what the opposite of an entrepreneur is?)

00:07:54 – Location, location, location. Entrepreneurial culture thrives alongside the government presence of DC.

00:15:28 – More on “the power of entrepreneurial communities and networks to create social value.”

00:19:51 – What is the Entrepreneurship Initiative doing for MBA students? (Classes, competitions, mentorship, internships, and more)

00:21:46 – Not just for business students: law and med students join the bandwagon.

00:23:36 – Do you advise students to work for someone else before starting their own ventures?

00:25:04 – The most important quality for future entrepreneurs to develop.

00:27:14 – Important courses for the entrepreneurially inclined.

00:28:19 – Are entrepreneurs at a disadvantage when applying to b-school because lower salaries reduce rankings?

 Subscribe to Admissions Straight Talk in iTunes to keep up with the latest in admissions news and trends! You know you want to give us a 5-star rating!

*Theme music is courtesy of podcastthemes.com.

Show Note Links:

• StartupHoyas

• Georgetown Entrepreneurship Initiative

• Focus on Entrepreneurship – posts about entrepreneurship at Accepted.com

Related Admissions Straight Talk Shows:

• MBAs Across America: The Coolest HBS Internship

• Interview with Anne Perigo, UM Master in Entrepreneurship

Subscribe to Admissions Straight Talk:

• Admissions Straight Talk on iTunes

• Admissions Straight Talk on Stitcher

But something shocking happened when I wore them. Someone whom I didn’t know and had never even seen before – okay, I admit I was in Israel for the summer, so it was an Israeli (a population not known for its subtlety) – literally stopped me on the street and told me I looked fat. Actually, two separate strangers told me that on two separate occasions.

After the second time, I threw out those Liz Claiborne shorts.

Why do I bring this up? Because last week one of my successful clients who earned a spot in two of the top 5 MBA programs in the world told me that she was not going to accept either offer. After visiting the programs, she just didn’t feel they matched her personality or career goals. She had gotten the “Liz Claiborne shorts” but also realized too late that they just didn’t fit right!

Now – months before the first application deadline – is the time to research programs and get a good sense what the students are like, what the recruiting picture is, and how these fit your own needs and personality. Talk to students and alumni, visit the campus once classes are in session, and scrutinize each program’s employment statistics. Only then will you ensure that you’ve gotten a good fit – and not just a good brand!

By Jennifer Bloom who has been helping applicants to the top MBA programs draft their resumes, application forms, letters of recommendation, and essays for 14 years. She is happy to serve as your personal coach and hand-holder throughout the entire process. There’s no time like the present to begin!

Stata Center at MIT

MIT Sloan applicants should be aware of the following application deadlines – mark your calendars!

MBA Program Deadlines

• Round 1: Tuesday, September 24, 2013 by 3:00 PM Eastern Time
• Round 2: Tuesday, January 7, 2014 by 3:00 PM Eastern Time

LGO Program Deadline

• Monday, December 16, 2013

Please see the MIT Sloan B-School Zone for important tips on how to apply successfully to MIT.







Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Oh, and if you don’t want to wait for the monthly posts, please download Preparing for College in High School: A To-Do List for Eleventh Graders. It’s all there.

At many colleges, an applicant’s SAT or ACT scores are just one piece of the admissions picture. Many times, a student’s test scores nicely correlate with his or her transcript, providing a one-time corroboration of the day-to-day achievement. But what if you are one of the students whose test scores are lower than you think they should be?

I encourage most students to plan to take the SAT or ACT more than once, and to take at least one full scale practice exam for each test prior to the real thing. Unless you score at the very upper echelons of either test, familiarity is likely to result in at least modest score increases. If your first test administrations don’t produce the scores you are seeking, then consider your test prep options.

While you are preparing for the tests and planning for subsequent test dates, keep in mind that your
scores should influence the final list of colleges to which you apply, and remain honest with yourself. Look at the scores range for admitted students. If your scores fall outside the middle 50%, your chances for admission are not as high. Not impossible, but spend time thinking about your strengths and making certain that you have explained them well in your application.

Fairtest has a comprehensive list of colleges that do not require (but may accept) standardized test
scores as part of their assessment for admission. Not all applicants to these colleges are students with
test scores below the range for the institution, but if testing is an obstacle for you, it might be worth
looking to see if these colleges and universities meet your other criteria.

Above all, it is important to remember that you are not simply a number between 0 and 2400. Each
student can bring tremendous assets to a college community, and leave after an intellectually and
socially fulfilling experience. Embrace your strengths and try to find college communities that meet
your needs.

By Whitney Bruce, who has worked in college admissions since 1996. She has served as a Senior Assistant Director of Admissions (Washington U), Application Reader (University of Michigan), Assistant Director of College Counseling (private prep school in St. Louis), and an independent college counselor. She is happy to advise you as you apply to college.

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

It’s harder to write concisely than verbosely.

HBS has announced a new essay-optional application. But according to Businessweek, this “optional” question will be optional in name only. In other words, if you’re applying to Harvard, you’d be silly to pass on this singular opportunity to give Harvard more reasons to admit you.

To add to the buzz this radical step is generating, the question has no word limit and is a fairly open one:

“You’re applying to Harvard Business School. We can see your resume, school transcripts, extra-curricular activities, awards, post-MBA career goals, test scores and what your recommenders have to say about you. What else would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy?”

According to Accepted’s very own Linda Abraham (who is quoted in Businessweek), “It would be a big mistake to say, ‘This is how this essay should be written,’ It should be personal. I’ve consistently said Stanford’s ‘What matters most to you and why’ is the toughest question. I think this may replace it.”

Linda is also quoted in a recent Poets & Quants article with the following: “The biggest impact will not be on the admissions consulting business. It will be on HBS application volume. Harvard is making the app easier and easier, and more applicants will say, ‘Heck, just one more essay, I don’t need a third recommender. I’ll give it a shot.’ It’s great for application volume.

“For our business,” Linda continues in the P&Q article, “there will be less editing-only for HBS, but more consulting on what to include. I also suspect that those essays will be longer than either one of the essays last year, but shorter than the two essays combined. A well-written essay still needs to be concise, and it’s harder to write concisely than verbosely.”

For more info, please see our recent blog post, Harvard Business School: There is Only ONE Essay Question.

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

“Never get discouraged; you’ve already made it this far.”

Get ready to read about Dr. Mareková, a med school intern who blogs about life and medicine at Dr. Mareková. Thanks Doc for sharing your med school experience with us!

Accepted: First, can you tell us a little about yourself? Where are you from? Where and what did you study as an undergrad?

Dr. Mareková: First of all, I am from Czech Republic. Born and raised in a multi cultural and multi ethnic family and home schooled part of my life. I’ve been living in Canada for years, because my parents were born here from immigrant parents and their decision to come back here was to give us a better education that has a better value world view.

Helping others is a big part – or at least I’m trying to make it a big part – of my life ever since I was younger but I never knew what to really do. So when I came around to college I signed up in natural sciences and arts just to get by and sign up for university 2 years later. When the time came, I applied to every university that had a medical faculty in Québec (I’ve always done my education in French so I picked a university that was French). Choosing the right university was hard after being accepted to all of them and I went with the best offers and the best ranked one.

Where I got my education, we don’t have undergrad school and then med school. We have high school until 17 then college until 19 (college here is general in a field a little more specific but nothing like premed and such). And then, you can go to university and the program can be completed in 2 years (all year long) to 5 years (smaller semesters and only 2 semesters for classes) and then another 2 years are in the field before the one year intensive internship. So it’s a 4 to 7 year process once you get there depending on your motivation.

Accepted: What stage are you up to in med school?

Dr. Mareková: Well, I finished med school…technically. I have been an intern since November 2012.

Accepted: How many med schools did you apply to? How did you select your current program?

Dr. Mareková: I applied to 4 med schools. And picked the one where I had the best of everything. The staff and the facilities are amazing and we have 4 different hospitals with so many specialties to pick from. Ever since I was younger, it was my dream university so that kind of helped too.

Accepted: What is your favorite thing about med school? Least favorite?

Dr. Mareková: My favorite thing about med school are the labs. Getting to touch and see all sorts of things, I just love it. I wouldn’t say I have a least favorite thing about it.



Accepted: What is your biggest challenge? How would you advice incoming students so that they have an easier time adjusting to or overcoming that challenge?

Dr. Mareková: The biggest challenge is to adjust yourself. Get used to everything really fast. All I can say is never give up. Never get discouraged; you’ve already made it this far.

Accepted: Do you know yet what you plan on specializing in?

Dr. Mareková: I know I want to specialize in surgery but I am still unsure about which kind. General surgery is amazing because you get to touch a little of everything but neurology amazes me.



Accepted: Can you share some med school admissions tips with our applicant readers?

Dr. Mareková: The best tip I can give to anyone applying or passing exams for med school admission is to just be yourself. Don’t over dress but don’t be too casual; just be comfortable. Being calm is the key to the interviews.

Do you want to be featured in Accepted.com’s blog, Accepted Admissions Blog? If you want to share your med school journey with the world (or at least with our readers), email us at bloggers@accepted.com.

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Due to technical issues on the AMCAS site, the opening for 2014 AMCAS application submissions will be delayed until Monday, June 10th at 9:30 AM Eastern Time.

The initial transfer of AMCAS applications to med schools is scheduled for Friday, June 28th.







Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

SoFi Extends Refinancing Options to Doctors

According to a recent SoFi/PRWeb press release, doctors who have graduated from med school (one of 85 approved programs) and completed residency will now be eligible to refinance their educational debt through SoFi. According to an AAMC report, 86% of 2012 med school graduates have student loans – the median debt is $170,000.

SoFi’s refinance fixed interest rate for doctors will be 5.74% APR (on a 5-year term) or 5.49% APR if doctors agree to an automatic monthly payment on the principal and interest. (Just to compare to other refinancing companies, Stafford loans have interest rates of 6.8^ and Grad PLUS loans at 7.9% interest.)

On the new doctor refinancing option, Mike Cagney, CEO of SoFi, says: “SoFi cannot succeed in transforming student loans without addressing the critical debt burdens experienced by those who ensure the health of our community. We are excited to offer loan products that provide more flexible options and meaningful savings.”

Another benefit of refinancing with SoFi is subsequent involvement in the SoFi community. Cagney explains: “We help our borrowers realize their goals beyond paying off student debt. Whether seeking employment opportunities, career advice, access to industry luminaries, or simply a like-minded network, our borrowers have many reasons for choosing SoFi.”

See the PRWeb press release, SoFi Tackles Medical School Debt with Refinancing Options for Doctors, for more details, or head to the SoFi site.







Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Letters of rec can make or break your review.

For the last part of our med school blog series, A Second Chance at Medical School, we’ll discuss what YOU can do to ensure the BEST letters of recommendation. Thanks for joining us for this postbac series — be in touch if you have any questions!

Your letters of recommendation strongly influence the admissions committee that reviews your application. They can make or break your review. Given their importance, it may feel like you do not have much control over them. However, how you request them and whom you request them from actually determines the type of letters you will receive. The following guidelines can ensure that you will get the best letters to support the success of your application.

• Timeline

Set up a timeline for yourself that includes the deadlines for your application materials. Request your letters of recommendation as early as you can. Most professors are not easily accessible during the summer months or towards the end of each semester or quarter. The earlier in the term you can secure your letters, the better.

• Choose Letter Writers Carefully

Only request letters from professors in whose classes you earned A’s or mentors with whom you established a strong rapport. By making a list and thinking carefully about who knows you best and is therefore in a better position to write about you knowledgeably, you’ll be ensuring that you receive strong letters. If you only have a couple of names on your list, start going to office hours and networking to find a suitable mentor.

• Request the Letter In-Person

It is always best to request letters of recommendation in-person. This way you can demonstrate by your actions how important the opportunity is to you. When you request the letter, it’s best to look the person in the eyes and ask, “Would you be willing to write a strong letter of recommendation to support my postbac application?” Based on the person’s response, you can provide them with the materials they need.

• Letter Packet

Prepare a packet for each letter writer that includes a copy of your personal statement, resume or CV, and any other information they might need to write you a strong letter. Some students even include an addressed pre-paid envelope so that the letter writer can mail their letter easily and without any additional cost besides their time.

Using these guidelines can help you to formulate a successful strategy in gathering the types of letters that will lead to your acceptance. Be confident and focus on each small goal you set for yourself in your strategy. Even the most intimidating professors were students once who also had to request letters from their mentors.

Oh, and don’t forgot to send thank you notes to your recommenders!






 Alicia Nimonkar is an Accepted.com advisor and editor specializing in healthcare admissions. Prior to joining Accepted, Alicia worked for five years as Student Advisor at UC Davis’ postbac program where she both evaluated applications and advised students applying successfully to med school and related programs.

Here’s a talk with Jenna Lee, a soon-to-be graduate of NYU Stern. Jenna talks about her b-school experience, and offers some important advice about planning ahead when applying to b-school. Thank you Jenna for sharing with us!

This interview is the latest in an Accepted.com blog series featuring interviews with current MBA students, offering readers a behind-the-scenes look at top MBA programs. We hope to offer you a candid picture of student life, and what you should consider as you prepare your MBA application.

Accepted: First, some basics: Where are you from? What and where did you study as an undergraduate? Do you hold any other degrees?

Jenna: I am originally from Seoul (Gangnam), S. Korea, but was educated and worked mostly in the U.S. I studied engineering in undergrad. Before returning to b-school, I also studied economics and accounting at Harvard.

Accepted: What year are you in your MBA studies?

Jenna: 2.5 year – I began my Stern MBA as a part-time student under employer sponsorship (weekend commutes between Boston and NYC); eventually, I relocated to New York and took courses on a full-time basis. (Note: you cannot formally join the full-time core but can accelerate progress in special circumstances with permission.)

Accepted: Why did you choose NYU Stern? Which other programs had you considered?

Jenna: It was one of the few part-time programs offered by top business schools and within a commute distance from Boston. I also considered Chicago Booth, but the commute option was limited (flight only).

Accepted: Are you currently working? How do you juggle your job with school obligations (not to mention other obligations…)?

Jenna: I finished my coursework in February and am working full-time for TechStars, a premier seed stage Venture Capital/Accelerator. I help our portfolios companies in all facets of early stage company building – strategy, branding, investor pitch, customer acquisition, market research, hiring, and connecting with investors/domain experts/business partners.

Accepted: Can you share some application tips for our NYU Stern applicants (or applicants in general)?

Jenna: Plan ahead – Know where you stand against competition and build additional credentials or experience as necessary. Get the GMAT out of your way ASAP. Reflect deeply on why you want to pursue an MBA, now, and at [Stern]. Your answers should be very specific and personal.

Accepted: What one piece of advice would you give to incoming NYU Stern students?

Jenna: Know what you want to get out of the program beforehand. It will help you focus, prioritize (a.k.a. keep your sanity), and ultimately, reach you post-MBA goal. And make sure to play hard too!

For one-on-one guidance on your b-school application, please see our MBA Application Packages. 

Do you want to be featured in Accepted.com’s blog, Accepted Admissions Blog? If you want to share your MBA/EMBA journey with the world (or at least with our readers), email us at mbabloggers@accepted.com.






Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Today, the Admissions Director’s Blog announced the one and only essay question of the 2014 Harvard Business School application:

“You’re applying to Harvard Business School.  We can see your resume, school transcripts, extra-curricular activities, awards, post-MBA career goals, test scores and what your recommenders have to say about you.  What else would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy?”

That’s it.  No word limit.  Use your own judgment as to how much to tell us.  We have neither a “right answer” nor a “correct length” in mind.  We will review all the elements of the written application to decide who moves forward to the interview stage of our process.

This question presents a unique challenge and opportunity. We will be posting some great tips in the coming days – so check back soon.

An Accepted.com MBA admissions consultant will be happy to help you present yourself at your best in your HBS application. Check out our MBA Application Packages or contact us for one-on-one guidance through the application process.

Oh. And one more thing: It’s optional.

Deadlines:

Round 1: September 16, 2013

Round 2: January 6, 2014

Round 3: April 7, 2014







Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

The deadline for these applications is on MONDAY, JULY 15, 2013 at Noon EDT.

Need help getting it all together before the buzzer? Contact us and we’ll guide you to the finish line successfully!







Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

This report is perfect if you are considering reapplying (whether you are certain that you want to reapply or if you aren’t quite sure yet), and will guide you through the reapplication process, from assessing your profile to reviewing your previous application to improving each and every component of the med school application.

Here’s an excerpt from the repot on improving your MCAT score:

Your goals in preparing for the MCAT should be to:

1. Understand why you got each wrong answer. If you understand the material, you may be having issues with the format of the question, and this is something you need to straighten out before test day.

2. Be able to choose right answers even when you don’t know the material. It’s unlikely that you can answer every question, but a keen test taker can read clues in the question that help narrow down the possible answers.

3. Finish every question in your timed practice tests with at least five minutes to spare.

Download the full report for FREE right now! Click here: Medical School Reapplicant Advice: 6 Tips for Success








Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Improve your application AND save! Now that’s reason to celebrate!

You have THREE MORE DAYS to take advantage of Accepted’s super sale on medical school services.

Through Friday, May 31, 2013, you can save 10% on any medical school service by entering promo code MD10 at checkout.

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•  Write essays that capture your unique candidacy.

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We’ll help you create polished, compelling AMCAS essays to secure your spot in the top medical program of your choice – use MD10 at checkout to save 10% on your chosen medical school service today.

We look forward to working with you!

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

• 75% of the 900+ companies surveyed worldwide plan to hire recent MBAs in 2013. This is up from 71% in 2012.

• Furthermore, companies plan on boosting the number of MBAs they hire in 2013, from 11.4 in 2012 to 14.6 in 2013 – a 28% increase.

• MBA graduates are starting their jobs with a higher salary this year than last year, up to $95, 000 in 2013 from a median salary of $90,000 in 2012.

• The Northeast region of the U.S. is home to the highest number of companies looking to hire fresh MBA or business masters graduates, at 92% of those surveyed.

• The South is expected to see the greatest increase in non-MBA masters hiring.

The industries experiencing the greatest increase in demand for MBAs are energy/utilities and health care/pharmaceuticals sectors – ironically, not the industries traditionally dreamed of by MBAs. See this helpful chart, and then the actual report, for more info.








Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

This deferral program is similar to Harvard Business School’s 2+2 Program. Clearly the latter is a success.

Pursuing rich work and life experiences and building wide networks is encouraged (actually, required) over the two-year deferral period. There is an option to expand this period.

Applicants to the program must submit an academic transcript, LSAT scores, letters of recommendation, and a personal statement. In-person interviews on the Harvard Law campus will be conducted.

Resources:

• “Law School To Launch New Deferred Admission Program for College Juniors” – The Harvard Crimson
• “Harvard Law School Agrees To Start Accepting Harvard Students Early IF They Promise To Go Get A Life First” – Above The Law

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Unlike most schools, Stanford gives a lot of advice and guidance as to what it’s looking for in the essays. My tips are in blue. 

Stanford GSB 2014 MBA Application Questions

We read your essays to get to know you as a person and to learn about the ideas and interests that motivate you. Tell us in your own words who you are.

In other parts of the application, we learn about your academic and professional accomplishments (i.e., what you have done). Through your personal essays (Essays 1 and 2), we learn more about the person behind the achievements (i.e., who you are).

Because we want to discover who you are, resist the urge to “package” yourself in order to come across in a way you think Stanford wants. Such attempts simply blur our understanding of who you are and what you can accomplish.

We want to hear your genuine voice throughout the essays that you write and this is the time to think carefully about your values, your passions, your hopes and dreams.

In your short answer responses (Essay 3, options A, B, or C), we learn more about the experiences that have shaped your attitudes, behaviors, and aspirations.

Truly, the most impressive essays are those that do not begin with the goal of impressing us.

Essays:

1. What matters most to you, and why?

      •   The best examples of Essay 1 reflect the process of self-examination that you have undertaken to write them.
      •   They give us a vivid and genuine image of who you are—and they also convey how you became the person you are.
      •   They do not focus merely on what you’ve done or accomplished. Instead, they share with us the values, experiences, and lessons that have shaped your perspectives.
      •   They are written from the heart and address not only a person, situation, or event, but also how that person, situation, or event has influenced your life.

This superficially straightforward question has been Stanford’s first for the last several years, and it is actually one of the most difficult , if not the most difficult MBA essay questions to answer. It demands introspection. Before you put finger to keyboard or pen to paper, really reflect on what you value, how you have acted upon those principles, and why you value them. Stanford’s advice urges reflection. The question requires it.

When I reflect on our many successful Stanford clients, initiative in the face of need is the common thread among them. They are always the ones who revealed, especially in Essay A, that they do not turn away when they see a problem or need for action. They grab the initiative when faced with an opportunity to contribute. They are comfortable expressing emotion and their values, and their actions reflect both, but particularly the latter. Think purpose-driven, principle-driven lives.

More than anything else, to me initiative and self-awareness characterize the successful Stanford applicant. Implication: You have to know your values and those times you have acted upon them. Yes I wrote that a few seconds ago, but it bears repeating. Climbing Mt. Everest or suffering from terrible social ills is not a requirement of admission, but you do have to know the person occupying your skin.

2. What do you want to do—REALLY—and why Stanford?

      •   Use this essay to explain your view of your future, not to repeat accomplishments from your past.
      •   You should address two distinct topics:
            •   your career aspirations
            •   and your rationale for earning your MBA at Stanford, in particular.
      •   The best examples of Essay 2 express your passions or focused interests, explain why you have decided to pursue graduate education in management,  and demonstrate your desire to take advantage of the opportunities that are distinctive to the Stanford MBA Program.

Similar to similar questions that have occupied this Stanford application slot for years, this question is a variation of a standard MBA goals question. For this forward-looking question, you need to define your goals and then explain how Stanford’s program will help you attain them. Understand the flexibility inherent in Stanford’s curriculum, its integrated approach to management, and how both will help you learn what you need to know to achieve your career goals. Realize that the curriculum allows for personalization based on your goal and your past experience, specifically your previous business education. Two pieces of information are required to answer this question: A clear MBA goal  and an in-depth understanding of Stanford GSB’s curriculum. (Folks: It’s not just the ranking, brand, or gorgeous location.)

3. Answer one of the three questions below. Tell us not only what you did but also how you did it. What was the outcome? How did people respond? Only describe experiences that have occurred during the last three years.

The first issue you must address when looking at Essay 3 is “Which do you choose?” Answer: the one that, when added to your required essays, allows you to present the most impressive, authentic, and comprehensive portrait of you.  Finally, these questions are experiential , not hypothetical. They are about the recent past — last three years — not the future. Stanford wants to know how you achieved, what was the response of those around you, and what was your impact. For further insight, please review the Dean’s Corner where you’ll get  Derrick Bolton’s perspective. Derrick Bolton is the Assistant Dean for MBA Admissions.

Keep in mind as you answer #3 that Derrick Bolton likes to say, “most Stanford MBA students have excelled by doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.” Show that you have too.

Option A: Tell us about a time in the last three years when you built or developed a team whose performance exceeded expectations.

This essay, like most experiential questions, requires specifics and works well with an anecdotal response. Stanford does not want to know about all the times that you may have built or developed a team. It wants to know about “a time,” a specific incident, when your performance exceeded expectations. When did you build a team that faced challenges and succeeded? What were the expectations? What impact did your team have and how did it exceed expectations? Make sure you relate your role in its success.

Option B: Tell us about a time in the last three years when you identified and pursued an opportunity to improve an organization.

This question reflects Stanford GSB’s motto, “Change lives. Change organizations. Change the world,” as do all of the experiential options. It also mirrors Stanford’s entrepreneurial culture.  Again, choose one experience. The interesting twist here is that you had to have identified the opportunity and then acted on it. Describe the opportunity, how you pursued it, and the results.

Option C: Tell us about a time in the last three years when you went beyond what was defined or established.

This is a very broad question. It allows you to discuss any event when you went beyond the norm. The suggestions for the other questions hold here too. Choose to respond to this question if  you don’t have a great teamwork on entrepreneurial example; it allows you to demonstrate the individuality and initiative that Stanford values in a setting other than those defined in options A and B.

Essay Length:

Your answers for all of the essay questions cannot exceed 1,600 words.

You have your own story to tell, so please allocate the 1,600 words among all of the essays in the way that is most effective for you. We provide some guidelines below as a starting point, but you should feel comfortable to write as much or as little as you like on any essay question, as long as you do not exceed 1,600 words total.

      •   Essay 1: 750 words
      •   Essay 2: 450 words
      •   Essay 3: 400 words

Additional Information:

If there is any other information that is critical for us to know and is not captured elsewhere, please include it. Examples of pertinent additional information include:

      •   Extenuating circumstances affecting academic or work performance
      •   Explanation of why you do not have a Letter of Reference from your current direct supervisor or peer
      •   Explanation of criminal conviction, criminal charges sustained against you in a juvenile proceeding, and/or court-supervised probation
      •   Explanation of academic suspension or expulsion
      •   Any other information that you did not have sufficient space to complete in another section of the application (please begin the information in the appropriate section)
      •   Additional work experience that cannot fit into the space provided
      •   Additional information about your academic experience (e.g., independent research) not noted elsewhere

This is optional. Respond if you have something to explain or need the additional space because you can’t fit in your work experience or all academic info. Responses should be succinct and to-the-point and should provide the context necessary for Stanford to understand the circumstances surrounding whatever difficulty you are writing about.

If you would like professional guidance with your Stanford GSB application, please consider Accepted’s MBA essay editing and MBA admissions consulting or our  MBA Application Packages, which include advising, editing, interview coaching, and a resume edit for the Stanford GSB application.

Stanford GSB 2014 MBA Application Deadlines

* Applications and Letters of Reference are due by 5:00 PM, Pacific Time

By Linda Abraham, president and founder of Accepted.com and co-author of the new, definitive book on MBA admissions, MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools.

Michigan Ross applicants – mark your calendars with the following application deadlines!

Full-Time MBA starting in Fall 2014

• Round I – October 1, 2013
• Round II – January 2, 2014
• Round III – March 3, 2014

EMBA starting in Fall 2013 (for Ann Arbor or Los Angeles)

• Standard deadline – June 1, 2013

(The Priority deadline for EMBA applicants was on April 1, 2013.)

Need help submitting excellent applications ON TIME? Check out our MBA Application Packages or EMBA Application Packages now!

 This article is sponsored by PaGaLGuY. PaGalGuy is India’s largest network of MBA aspirants with 700,000 unique visitors per month. 80% of all GMAT takers in India use PaGaLGuY to network with schools and alumni for their application process, research, essays, VISA tips, etc. PaGaLGuY has been continuously solving one of the major challenges faced by a lot of B-schools outside India -to consistently reach-out to Indian GMAT takers/applicants who may be a good fit for their programs.

Earning a Masters of Business Administration (MBA), allows professionals to increase their earning potential and launch their careers to new heights. This versatile degree is designed to advance careers in the areas of finance, business, logistics, management and more. While a full-time program can be completed in as little as a year, you may find you do not have the time or resources to complete an MBA in a traditional setting. Today, more people are turning to online MBA programs — and with good reason.

Greater Flexibility

Online programs offer you greater flexibility. Instead of adhering to a specific schedule, most online MBA programs allow you to choose when you complete your course work. This flexibility means you can tailor your school schedule around your busy life, instead of the other way around. You can also complete course work from any location with a computer and an Internet connection, allowing you to travel or relocate all while you continue working toward your degree.

Keep Working

One of the major challenges of earning an MBA is financing it. If you are working to support yourself (and your family), you can’t afford to stop working to finish your degree. An online MBA is a great way to work and go to school without compromising either. An online MBA program can be accessed from anywhere you have the Internet, which means you will not need to put your career on hold by leaving your current position.

Real-Time Learning

If you continue working while attending an online MBA program, you will experience the benefits of real-time learning application. This means you can easily apply what you learned in class one day to the work you perform at your job the next day. This is often not possible with traditional MBA programs because many students need to scale back their hours or quit working altogether to effectively earn their degree.

Global Networking

Online MBA programs attract business professionals from across the country and around the world. During the course of your instruction, you will have the chance to collaborate these classmates, making global connections that can help you grow your career. In addition to networking with people who are earning the same degree as you, you will establish connections with students in other career areas, which can be useful in advancing your own career in the future.

Schools with Great Reputations

In the past, employers often looked upon an online degree as questionable. They felt employees couldn’t possibly receive the same level of education without the structure of a brick-and-mortar school and a set schedule. Today, however, there are many credible schools — including top-ranked universities — that offer MBA programs online. Employers are also more accepting of these degrees. As long as you choose the school and program carefully, you can still experience all the benefits of earning a top-tier, traditional MBA.

An MBA does not have to be beyond your reach. With the advances in technology and increased offerings from reputable universities, online degrees are growing in popularity and acceptance. If you have been trying to determine how you will earn the MBA you need but were unsure how to fit school into your busy schedule, an online MBA can be the perfect solution.

The MBA@UNC is an innovative online MBA program offered by UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School that continues the school’s tradition of excellence embodied by each of our on-campus programs.

Downtown LA

According to a New York Times article, “Two Musical Minds Seek a Different Kind of Mogul,” celebrity record producers and talent scouts Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre are giving the University of Southern California a gift of $70 million. The gift will go towards starting a new degree that combines business, product development, design, marketing, and liberal arts. The goal: to find the next Steve Jobs or launch the next Facebook.

Mr. Iovine and Dr. Dre themselves run their own business – Beats headphones – that makes $1 billion in sales each year. Neither of the two men went to college; the inaugural director of the program will be USC’s dean of fine arts, Erica Muhl, who will devise the curriculum, select faculty, and review applications.

The degree will be offered in the new USC Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation. The first class, starting in the fall of 2014, will have 25 students.

The details of the program are not yet finalized. Mr. Iovine tells the New York Times, “We have no idea where this is going….We’re not quite sure what it is.”

Hopefully they’ll figure it out by fall 2014.






Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

With its application questions this year, Columbia continues the industry-wide trend towards ever shorter essays, although it did not reduce the number of essays. Specifically:

      •   Its question  about your immediate post-MBA goal has gone from 200 to 100 characters. Yes, that was    characters, not words.
      •   Last year, Columbia had three required essays, two with 500-word limits and one with a 250-word limit.  This year, that’s reversed; two have 250-word limits and one has a 500-word limit.

In short, you will need to make every word, indeed every character, count.

My tips are in blue below.

Applicants must complete one short answer question and three essays.

Short Answer Question:

What is your immediate post-MBA professional goal? (100 characters maximum)

Note the character limit. Your response must be less than a tweet. What do you want to do professionally and in which industry immediately after earning your MBA? You may want to provide a geographic location if it is important to your MBA goal. 

Warning: This question is not asking about intended area of study while in business school or a non-professional goal or even a long-term goal.

Essays:

1. Given your individual background, why are you pursuing a Columbia MBA at this time? (Maximum 500 words)

This is a new question. What aspects of your background are motivating you to pursue your MBA at Columbia now?  On one hand, you can talk about any element of your background that has steered you in CBS’ direction. That can be fun and interesting, and that part of the question is very open-ended.

However, in order to answer the Why Columbia and Why Now part of the question, you will need to really know the Columbia program as well as why you want at CBS MBA at this point in your career.

The essay that shines will do a great job of showing both fit and self-awareness.

2. Columbia Business School is located in the heart of the world’s business capital – Manhattan. How do you anticipate that New York City will impact your experience at Columbia? (Maximum 250 words)
Please view the videos below:

New York City – limitless possibilities
New York City – fast paced and adaptable

After watching those videos, think about how you intend to take advantage of the infinite opportunities and energy that is New York City. Will it be the ability to stretch your wings and live in the Big City after having grown up in a small rural area? Will it be exploring the cultural riches of NYC? Taking advantage of the incredible business opportunities.

Be careful not to speak of those opportunities in the generalities that I have.  If you are interested in luxury goods marketing, as stated in your short answer, then talk here about how you will take advantage of Madison and 5th Avenues. If you are interested in finance or consulting, Manhattan and all the businesses in it are at your feet. How will you take advantage of this incredible location? If you love art, whether it’s part of your professional goals or is an avocation, what museums do you intend to transform into a second home?

Keep in mind that 250 words in approximately three paragraphs.

3. What will the people in your Cluster be pleasantly surprised to learn about you? (Maximum 250 words)

Make sure you understand Columbia’s Cluster System.

Again, you only have 250 words here. I would use them to bring out something fun that you like to do now. Would you try to get your cluster to train for a marathon? Set up a karaoke night? Plan a ski trip? How have you contributed to social groups in the past? Relate you plans to a past successful initiative, and you will enhance your answer to this question.

Or perhaps you would take a slightly more serious approach to this question and discuss a challenge overcome. Show that you are a survivor, not a victim and far stronger as a result of this experience. If you take this approach, don’t make it too heavy or too personal. You will have barely met these people. 

Optional Essay. An optional fourth essay will allow you to discuss any issues that do not fall within the purview of the required essays.

Clearly you can use this optional essay question to address a weakness in your profile or qualifications, but in my mind, this question is also open-ended enough to allow you to discuss a diversity element in your personal background or simply some unique area of interest. Also, tucking a weakness explanation somewhere else would allow you to end the application with a strength and not a flaw.

Don’t use this essay as a grand finale or wrap up. And definitely don’t use it to rehash your reasons for wanting to attend Columbia; those reasons should be perfectly clear from the required essays. If you decide to respond to this essay, use it to educate the reader about another talent, interest, or commitment of yours. As always try to show leadership and impact. In short, give them more reasons to admit you.

Knight-Bagehot Fellows. Rather than answer Essay 1, Part A above, current Knight-Bagehot Fellows applying to Columbia Business School should use the space allocated to the first essay (500 words) to complete the Wiegers Fellowship application essay.

If you would like professional guidance with your Columbia Business School MBA application, please consider Accepted’s MBA essay editing and MBA admissions consulting or our  MBA Application Packages, which include advising, editing, interview coaching, and a resume edit for the CBS MBA application.

Columbia Business School 2014 Application Deadlines

August 2014 Entry

Early Decision: October 2, 2013
Merit Fellowship Consideration: January 6, 2014
Regular Decision: April 9, 2014

January 2014 Entry

October 2, 2013

*All deadlines are 11:59 p.m. EST on the date listed.

By Linda Abraham, president and founder of Accepted.com and co-author of the new, definitive book on MBA admissions, MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools.

Mark your calendars with these important dates to ensure that you stay on track for a timely application:

MBA Deadlines for a Fall 2014 Entry

•  October 1, 2013 – Round 1 deadline
•  January 7, 2014 – Round 2 deadline
•  March 27, 2014 – Round 3 deadline

MBA/MA-Lauder Deadlines for a Fall 2014 Entry

•  October 1, 2013 – Round 1 deadline
•  January 7, 2014 – Round 2 deadline

Let us help you submit stellar applications on time with our MBA Application Packages – check ‘em out now!








Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

One of the most common mistakes that students make in writing personal statements is that they write about other people or events and not about themselves. Often it can be challenging to write about ourselves—especially in an application process—in which we know that we will be judged or evaluated as an applicant in competition with others. Below I have listed a few steps that can help you excel in this challenging rhetorical position.

• Recognize that you are a unique individual and that there is no one else in the world like you. You’re an original!

• Congratulate yourself for arriving at this point in your life—you are on your way to medical school.

• Decide what unique qualities or talents you have that you would like a selection committee to know about you.

• Be sure to introduce yourself in the first paragraph of your essay. Be present!

• Include examples of the ways you have actively helped or interacted with others to improve their health outcomes. Show, don’t tell!

• Highlight your talents and skills throughout the essay.

• Check to see that, after reading the essay, you are pleased with how well the essay represents you and reveals your individuality and values.

It can be intimidating to write about yourself. By using these tips, you can ensure that you represent yourself well throughout your essay and that you remain front and center. If your aunt or grandma wants to apply to medical school, let them write their own essay! Take your time and have others provide feedback as you write your essay.

Even the strongest writers struggle when faced with writing about themselves. But take heart! Tell your story as only you can tell it.








 Alicia Nimonkar is an Accepted.com advisor and editor specializing in healthcare admissions. Prior to joining Accepted, Alicia worked for five years as Student Advisor at UC Davis’ postbac program where she both evaluated applications and advised students applying successfully to med school and related programs.

Here we have a talk with Benny Joseph, a recent graduate of Chicago Booth and SoFi entrepreneur who heads the startup GoodApril, an awesome site that will help you save money while filing your taxes. In this post Benny talks about his experience at Booth and offers fantastic advice for incoming Booth students or those thinking about applying to Booth. Thanks Benny!  

Accepted: First, some basics: Where are you from? Where and what did you study as an undergrad?

Benny: I was born and raised in Michigan, in the suburbs just north of Detroit. I decided to stay close to home for college and attended the University of Michigan where I majored in Computer Engineering. After graduating, I moved to San Francisco where I worked in several software engineering roles before deciding to go to business school.

Accepted: Why did you decide to attend Booth? Looking back over the last two years, would you say you made the right choice?

Benny: Chicago Booth’s location, reputation for academic rigor, and flexible curriculum convinced me that it was the right school for me. Chicago is an amazing city and I wanted to try something different and experience my MBA in a city rather than a college town like I did at the University of Michigan. I also didn’t want to take the basic classes, and Booth (for the most part) allowed me to skip those classes and enroll in those that I thought would be valuable in my career. My classroom experience has certainly prepared me for my career, and my Chicago Booth network seems to be always introducing me to new career opportunities. But I think more importantly, the great friends I made during the program leave no doubt in my mind that I made the right choice.

Accepted: As a recent Booth graduate, can you offer some tips to some of our readers who may be starting Booth in the fall? Is there anything you wish you’d known about the program before you started?

Benny: It is no secret that business school is about expanding your personal network. That said, you need to work at it. Get to know your classmates. Do all the fun trips, events, and other social activities because that is where you will make those friendships that will last a lifetime.

The other thing that is important is to really spend this summer thinking about exactly what you want to do after your MBA. There isn’t much time to think when you start classes and recruiting literally kicks off the second week of school. Looking back, I wish that I took some time off from work to focus on this by reaching out to people that were currently in the position that I wanted to be in and learn how they got there, what they do every day, and what they like and don’t like about their career.

Accepted: What was your favorite class?

Benny: That is a really tough question to answer. I had several great professors and learned so much. But if I had to pick one, I would have to say the New Venture Challenge was my favorite. I took that class during the last quarter of my 2nd year and it gave me the opportunity to put everything I had learned together in the creation of a new business. Our team ended up placing 3rd that year and we learned quite a bit about the business creation process, especially on how to pitch your company to potential investors.

Accepted: Where you involved in any clubs? How central to student life is club involvement?

Benny: Clubs are certainly a big part of the MBA experience. That said, I think most students make the mistake of joining too many clubs. My advice is to pick a few and be deeply involved in them. I was involved in several clubs at Booth, some social and some professional. I was one of the Co-Chairs of the Hi-Tech Group, a club that helped MBA students prepare for and find careers in technology companies.

While professional clubs are certainly important, the social clubs were equally important and a great way to get to better know your classmates. For example, I was a part of the Risk and Gaming club, which was a fun way to interact with my classmates over a weekly poker game, trips to the local casino, and an annual trip to Las Vegas for the MBA World Series of Poker.

Accepted: Can you tell us about your experience with SoFi? What does it mean to be a SoFi entrepreneur? 

Benny: I found out about SoFi because I was searching for a way to lower the interest rate on my school loans. That said, I decided to sign up for SoFi because I really liked the concept of connecting with alumni who were interested in helping and interacting with recent graduates. One example of this is my experience as a SoFi Entrepreneur. GoodApril, the company that I founded, was selected to the inaugural SoFi Entrepreneur class.

SoFi is a company led by a stellar team of serial entrepreneurs who have spent several hours with us reviewing our investor pitch materials and improving our elevator pitch. They have introduced us to several angel investors and recognized us publicly on their website and to the press.  SoFi is also hosting a demo/pitch day where several alumni investors will have an opportunity to learn more about and potentially invest in GoodApril.

Accepted: What does GoodApril do? Is that something you knew you wanted to do before heading to b-school? If not, how did the idea develop?

Benny: I always knew that one day I would be an entrepreneur, but I didn’t know exactly what business I would try to start until after I graduated from Booth. The idea for GoodApril was a result of my own personal frustration when I filed my taxes and found out that I would just barely miss out on some deductions that I had thought I would qualify for. I discovered a fundamental flaw in the way that Americans file their taxes: By waiting until April to deal with your taxes, you miss out on any opportunity to take action to lower your taxes. However, there are no good planning tools on the market that can help you with these financial decisions. GoodApril is your year-round tax guide, helping you make better financial decisions today so that you are prepared for and paying the least amount of taxes come April.

Do you want to be featured in Accepted.com’s blog, Accepted Admissions Blog? If you want to share your MBA/EMBA journey with the world (or at least with our readers), email us at mbabloggers@accepted.com.








Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Fall 2014 applicants to UC Berkeley Haas: Are you ready to rev up this year’s application season? Don’t miss important deadlines – write these down now!

- Round 1 deadline – October 16, 2013
- Round 2 deadline – January 8, 2014
- Round 3 deadline – March 12, 2014

We can help you meet your deadlines and create outstanding applications for UC Berkeley Haas. For specific advice on how to get into UC Berkeley Haas, check out our Haas B-School Zone. For one-on-one guidance through the application process, see our MBA Application Packages.

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Check out our new and updated ebook, Write Your Way to Medical School, for insightful tips on how to construct the perfect med school application – from writing your AMCAS essay to choosing experiences to creating secondaries to securing winning letters of recommendation…and everything in between!

The ebook is written by Linda Abraham, Accepted’s CEO and founder, and Cydney Foote, Senior Editor at Accepted – i.e. these are people who know what they’re talking about!

Buy Write Your Way to Medical School now!

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Victor Cheng, is now a strategic adviser and consultant to owners of mid-size business with $1M – $25M in sales and a speaker and expert on business issues. That’s his day job.

When he’s not working at his day job, he advises applicants to McKinsey & Company and other elite strategy consulting firms how to join those firms. And it’s in this capacity that Linda invited him to Admissions Straight Talk. Listen to the full recording to hear Victor’s insider advice and insights.

00:02:01 – Why is a podcast about admissions worrying about post-graduation careers?

00:02:30 – Meet Victor Cheng, Author of Case Interview Secrets, and former McKinsey consultant, resume screener, and interviewer.

00:03:33 – Caseinterview.com beta: Victor’s senior year of college. What a story!

00:06:06 – Linda shares a bit of her own story. ☺

00:07:04 –3 changes in how McKinsey selects candidates.

00:09:56 – If you don’t like case interviews, you probably won’t like consulting. Really.

00:12:55 – The qualities and/or skills that make for a good consultant. (What qualifies you at age 25 to advise a Fortune500 CEO at a cost of a quarter of a million dollars a year!?)

00:16:56 – IQ and EQ. Equal factors?

00:18:47 – Victor’s advice for liberal arts graduates who’d like to break into management consulting. Poets, this discussion is for you.

00:21:32 – The best of the best: Consulting firms are less focused on an applicant’s academic preparation and more concerned about a mindset and “mental horsepower.”

00:23:20 – What is the difference between the skill sets that the top consulting firms are looking for. Or is there a difference?

00:24:22 – How to project confidence without arrogance, and other great advice on self-confidence in a case interview.

00:29:46 – Check out Case Interview Secrets. Learn what to do and why to do it.

 Subscribe to Admissions Straight Talk in iTunes to keep up with the latest in admissions news and trends! You know you want to give us a 5-star rating!

Stitcher fans, we’ve got good news! Admissions Straight Talk is now available on Stitcher! Check it our here. 

*Theme music is courtesy of podcastthemes.com.

Show Note Links:

• MBA In Sight: Focus on Management Consulting, Accepted’s free guide to b-schools for management consultant wannabes.
• Recent articles related to management consulting
• Case Interview Secrets by Victor Cheng
• Case Interview.com

Subscribe to Admissions Straight Talk:

• Admissions Straight Talk on iTunes
• Admissions Straight Talk on Stitcher

Coming next: A conversation with the director of the Entrepreneurship Initiative at Georgetown University

Linda Abraham is going to analyze 4 different applicant case studies focusing on their GMAT scores and the question of retaking or not.

So register for That GMAT Score: Implications for Your MBA Application and mark your calendars now!

The webinar will take place today, Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at 5:00 PM PT / 8:00 PM ET.