In my decade-plus of experience assisting MIT Sloan Fellows applicants (successes every year), I have seen that the adcom values applicants who, among other things, demonstrate consistent, outstanding impact and are on track to become leaders in their company and even industry (“high performing” per the MIT SF website). While your application, as a whole,…
Understanding Stanford GSB’s Take on Demonstrated Leadership Potential
What are the qualities that Stanford GSB is looking for as they build their class? How do successful applicants stand out from the crowd? At a school as competitive as Stanford, it’s a fact that many smart, accomplished applicants won’t get in—so how can you demonstrate that you have that “it” factor? Let us walk…
Distinguishing Yourself as a Masters in Finance Applicant
You’re qualified for a Master’s in Finance (MFin or MSF) program. Great. But that’s only the starting point. Given how competitive MFin programs are, most people they reject are qualified – often highly qualified. Given these circumstances, distinguishing yourself is essential. Yet many applicants are similar in various ways. If you do not have a…
Understanding Stanford GSB’s Interest in Personal Qualities and Contributions
What are the qualities that Stanford GSB is looking for as they build their class? How do successful applicants stand out from the crowd? At a school as competitive as Stanford, it’s a fact that many smart, accomplished applicants won’t get in—so how can you demonstrate that you have that “it” factor? Let us walk…
Know Your Career Goals for Your Masters in Finance Application
Whether you’re applying to an early career Masters in Finance program (MFin or MSF) or one for experienced finance professionals, you’ll be writing a goals essay. It may be 100 words or 750, or anything in between – but I haven’t yet seen a Masters in Finance application that doesn’t ask for goals. Make your…
How Your Undergrad GPA & Test Scores Affect Your Masters in Finance Application
Your undergrad GPA and GMAT or GRE score are pillars of your Masters in Finance (MFin or MSF) application. What can you do to integrate these elements – whether high, average, or low – effectively in your application? Follow these 4 steps to evaluate your scores for your Masters in Finance application. 1) Understand How…
How to Get Accepted to Masters in Finance Programs
You know what you want: a Master’s in Finance (MFin, also sometimes MSF). That goal raises questions, perhaps the most important one being: What does the Master’s in Finance adcom want to see in you, the applicant? And that leads to two additional critical, practical questions: • How do you determine what MFin programs are…
What Harvard Business School is Looking For: Engaged Community Citizenship
This is not about “community service” — it’s not about doing halo-worthy things in your free time. (Though neither Harvard Business School nor I will discourage that, and “engaged community citizenship” and “community service” certainly can overlap.) Community service is an activity that you do; engaged community citizenship is a quality that you embody. Doing…
What Harvard Business School is Looking For: Analytical Aptitude and Appetite
This is the second post in our series, What HBS is Looking For. So, HBS wants “analytical aptitude and appetite.” Hardly a surprise. You might be tempted to simply skim that section of the website message without giving it much thought. Maybe it’s not as obvious as it sounds. Let’s break it down. Understanding the…
How to Research MBA Programs
There is a sea of information out there: Make sure you’re not swimming in circles. You’ve defined your goals and assessed your qualifications. Now it’s time to move on to the program research stage of the MBA admissions process. There is a sea of information out there: rankings, books, MBA program websites, MBA fairs, Poets…
What Harvard Business School is Looking For: The Habit Of Leadership
Thank you, Harvard Business School. That’s what applicants should think when they visit the program’s website and find “Habit of leadership” on its “Who are we looking for?” admissions page. It’s common knowledge that HBS values leadership, but with this phrase, the adcom succinctly expresses how they view leadership – dynamic, deep, intrinsic, long-term. It’s…
3 Key Ways to Stand Out Through Your EMBA Essays
This is the sixth post in our Ace the EMBA series on how to apply successfully to a top executive MBA program. After demonstrating that you’re a well qualified applicant comes the biggest challenge: differentiating yourself. You must show your uniqueness and value as an individual and as an applicant in a way that is relevant to the…
MBA Admissions Advice for Career Changers
As an IT consultant, how do you know equity research is the right career for you? How do you know you can handle the hours, the more Darwinian industry and company culture, the stress of having a pivotal impact on huge investment decisions? If you are an MBA applicant pursuing a career change, then you…
5 Key Qualifying Factors the EMBA Adcoms Look For
This is the fifth post in our Ace the EMBA series on how to apply successfully to a top executive MBA program. After you decide which programs you’ll apply to, you’re ready to start the hands-on application work. As you update your resume, plan your essays and choose recommenders, keep in mind several “qualifying” factors that EMBA…
EMBA Employment and Career Services
This is the fourth post in our Ace the EMBA series on how to apply successfully to a top executive MBA program. Given today’s volatile business climate, almost everyone in the business world must continuously evaluate and recalibrate their career path, whether they are planning an imminent change or not. It’s an ongoing part of being…
4 Tips for Applying to Part-Time MBA Programs
The extensive available advice about applying to MBA programs was largely created with applicants to full-time MBA programs in mind. If you are applying to part-time MBA programs, most of this advice will be pertinent for you as well. But there are some nuances to applying to part-time programs that warrant attention. Here are a few things that set the…
EMBA Program Variety
This is the third post in our Ace the EMBA series on how to apply successfully to a top executive MBA program. Once upon a time, EMBA programs primarily targeted and attracted managers working in local corporations. The typical EMBA schedule was every weekend or every other weekend, sometimes weeknights. This scenario has changed radically. Today many,…
NYU Stern Langone MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines
The Stern Langone part-time MBA essays, together, cover “the whole you” – your professional side and your non-work side. And they require you to address both highly structured, specific questions (essays 1-2) in conventional written format and a relatively open, “free form” question (essay 3), employing visual elements. The applicants who can best handle this…
EMBA Admissions: Sponsorship and the GMAT
This is the second post in our Ace the EMBA series on how to apply successfully to a top executive MBA program. The changes in the EMBA applicant/student profile that we explored in the previous post are accompanied by new trends in the EMBA world. Now we will examine two of these trends: changes in sponsorship and…
MBA Interview Formats: Video Essays
This post is part of a series exploring the different forms MBA interviews take and how you can ace them all! Kellogg and Rotman among many others have included required video essays in their applications. Why adcoms use this method: • It allows the adcom to see the applicants respond in almost-real-time to questions. •…
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