This is the third post in our series, What HBS is Looking For. 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…
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…
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…
How MBA Adcoms Evaluate Your GPA
“But my undergrad school was highly competitive…” “But I worked 20 hours a week during college…” “But I was a varsity athlete at a Division I school…” “But even though it took me a couple of years, once I got it together I made dean’s list every semester…” “But my PhD GPA was 3.9…” These…
Do MBA Rankings Matter?
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 & Quants, student and adcom blogs, school open houses, your neighbor’s sister’s boyfriend’s dad –…
7 Tips to Jumpstart Your 2019 MBA Mission – Ready, Set, Go!
It’s not even spring yet. So why are we nagging you to get moving on your MBA application prep? It’s not just because those Round 1 deadlines creep up with wicked stealth and speed, but also because there is so much you can still do between now and then to improve your candidacy (sometimes a…
HEC Paris 2019-20 MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines
The HEC Paris MBA application essays – and there are many compared to most MBA applications these days –give the adcom a well-rounded view of you. They go beyond what you’ve done to capture how you think and respond, even how you imagine. Moreover, they require you to communicate complex thoughts and experiences succinctly. For…
So, You’re Applying to Business School with a Low MBA GPA or GMAT Score?
First, are your numbers really so bad? “Low numbers” for the purposes of this article, and for most applicants, are GMAT scores and GPAs at the lower end of or below the mid-80% range for a given school. It may be difficult to find average GPAs for your target programs, but if you have a…
INSEAD MBA Criterion #4: Leadership Potential
This is the last post in a 4-part series that examines INSEAD MBA’s admission criteria. What is leadership potential? INSEAD is not unique among MBA programs in desiring leadership potential in applicants. All do. It is unique in how it characterizes leadership and leadership potential. The adcom has a two-pronged view of leadership: factual (what you did, your…
INSEAD MBA Criterion #3: Academic Capacity
This is the third post in a 4-part series that examines INSEAD MBA’s 4 admission criteria. The operative word in this criterion is capacity. This word conveys the adcom’s perspective on the academic component of the application: it’s dynamic, focusing on how you can grow and perform and achieve academically going forward. The only way for the adcom…
INSEAD MBA Criterion #2: International Motivation
This is the second post in a 4-part series that examines INSEAD MBA’s 4 admission criteria. Sure, international experience is a big plus for an INSEAD applicant. But the website says that they seek candidates with international motivation which, in their eyes, means having “perceptive insights into the complexities of business in an international setting.”…
INSEAD MBA Criterion #1: Ability To Contribute
This is the second post in a 4-part series that examines INSEAD MBA’s 4 admission criteria. The adcom gives, as its first admission criterion, “ability to contribute.” I take the liberty to add: ability to contribute as a person of quality and substance. All the criteria involve factors such as insight, growth, connection with people…
London Business School Masters in Finance Application Essay Questions, Tips & Deadlines
The LBS Masters in Finance essay questions, together, convey the adcom’s interest in two interrelated points: (1) how you envision and plan your future career and (2) your knowledge of and interest in the LBS Masters in Finance program. It’s particularly important because it’s a rare MiF program that targets more experienced finance professionals (most…
London Business School Masters in Management (MiM) Essay Questions, Tips & Deadlines
The London Business School Masters in Management application essay questions indicate that the adcom values applicants who, at an early stage in their careers, already have self-understanding and the ability to reflect and self-critique. Why? For people who are just starting their careers and don’t yet have extensive real-world experience to draw on, these qualities…
Masters in Finance Interviews: What You Need to Know to Ace Them
Congratulations! You received an invitation to interview for a Masters in Finance (MFin or MSF) program. That invitation is usually competitive, so you should feel great that you’ve cleared the first bar! Now, how do you avoid potential interview pitfalls, and how do you make the interview work for you? Let’s start at the beginning…
University of Michigan Ross Executive MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines
Taken together, the two Ross EMBA essays provide both a forest-level (essay 2, goals) and tree-level (professional achievement) view of your career. Both also reflect you as a person and an individual. Each question gives a specific lens through which to focus and shape your answer. Thus, while you address the two questions’ given points…
Backup Plans, Research and Professional Support
I will wrap up this series with a few additional points. Creating a backup plan Think you’re done with MBA goals? Think again… In the current global economic volatility, having a backup plan for your immediate post-MBA goal can be not only good planning for you, but also enhance your goal essay’s credibility. It’s particularly…
Masters in Finance Alternatives to Consider
For some people, it’s the Masters in Finance (MFin or MSF), period. It’s the right type of program at the right time. Yet, the MFin has some overlaps and similarities with several other types of masters programs, and some people’s educational needs may be met by more than one type. In fact, I’ve known and…
Which Applicants Get Accepted to Chicago Booth?
This is part 2 in a series about the “Chicago Approach.” If you missed part 1, check it out here. Introducing 4 Chicago Booth Students: Qi: A female Chinese investment banker (who is also a fashion blogger). Goals: A leadership role in Chinese PE or VC focusing on consumer goods following a stint in private…
How to Edit Your MBA Goals Essay
Short- and long-term goals Before you start drafting your MBA goals essays, work out three levels of goals: short-term, intermediate, and long-term. It helps to have this whole picture in your mind regardless of where you’ll “zoom in” for a particular essay. Short-term applies to the timeframe immediately post-MBA to about two years later; intermediate…
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