Columbia Business School Essay 2 asks you to watch a short video entitled, “How will you take advantage of being at the very center of business?” The application then asks you to write the answer in 250 words or fewer. The video and the essay question have enabled Columbia to secure its brand and market…
MBA Letters of Recommendation: Who, What, Where, When & How
Selecting your recommenders requires a strategy. I like to begin with the basics: Who, What, Where, When, and How. I also like to suggest that you waive your right to access it. The waiver makes the recommendation more credible to the admissions committee. Who? Who are the best people to address the questions the schools…
Top MBA Programs That Defer
Most U.S. MBA programs will allow students to defer acceptance (push off starting the program for a year) for U.S. military deployment, illness, or illness of a loved one for whom the candidate is the sole or a major caregiver (you will need proof of the above). Check with the individual programs, but here are…
Multiple MBA Acceptances: Negotiating Scholarship Offers
On a day like today, I’m doing my happy dance. My MBA clients have been contacting me with good news from the schools to which they applied. Several of them have multiple offers with scholarships attached, which immediately present the question: Can they negotiate their scholarship offers? Since most of you have yet to take…
6 Tips for Talking About Your Weaknesses
How do you react when you read/hear the weakness question? With this question, schools are assessing how well you self evaluate. Like a business problem, they want to hear your plan of action, your implementation, and your success rate. Here are some tips to help you a) think about and evaluate your weaknesses, and b)…
What’s The Rush? Round 1 vs. Round 2 For MBA Applicants
Right now, most of my clients are scurrying about trying to complete their round 1 applications. Many of them will be ready to submit for round 1, but there are a handful of clients I’ve suggested wait until round 2, and we’ve discussed whether or not there is a true advantage to round 1 vs….
MBA Admissions Decisions: Should You Go Full-Time Or Part-Time?
When I was applying to b-school, I contemplated part-time vs. full-time, and one of my best friends, Colleen, had to make the same decision at the same time. Ultimately, I decided to attend the full-time program at the University of Michigan. Colleen decided to attend a part-time program at the University of Michigan. We shared…
Getting Ready to Apply to Top Tier Colleges and Universities: Senior Year
This is the final post in our series Getting Ready to Apply to Top Tier Colleges and Universities, a 4-part series for freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors. Accepted can help bring out your best in your applications and my colleagues and I are here to help. Tips for High School Seniors 1. Create a spreadsheet that…
Getting Ready to Apply to Top Tier Colleges and Universities: Junior Year
This post is the third in our series Getting Ready to Apply to Top Tier Colleges and Universities, a 4-part series for freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors. As it becomes increasingly difficult to gain admission into the country’s elite schools, knowing how to navigate the system should become important for you. Tips for High School Juniors 1….
Getting Ready to Apply to Top Tier Colleges and Universities: Sophomore Year
In this second post of our series Getting Ready to Apply to Top Tier Colleges and Universities, a four part series for freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors, I offer tips to high school sophomores. This year is a pivotal year for high school students and an important year for admissions directors. Tips for High School…
Getting Ready to Apply to Top Tier Colleges and Universities: Freshman Year
This post is the first in our series Getting Ready to Apply to Top Tier Colleges and Universities, a 4-part series for freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors. Having consulted with numerous clients on college admissions, I have been facing the same personal decisions as my clients. I’ve already sent one happy stepson off to college and…
Do Low Stats Sink Your App?
Applicants and Admissions Directors almost always seek the same thing. Applicants want to be desired by Admissions Directors and Admissions Directors want their schools to be desired by applicants. Applicants want to optimize their ability to gain admission to the highest-ranking school that fits their education/career needs, and Admissions Directors want to optimize their ability…
The GMAT and the Law of Diminishing Returns
There is a time in every applicant’s life where you need to look long and hard at your GMAT score and ask: “Is my score high enough to get me into my schools of choice? Or should I retake the GMAT? What are my chances of getting into b-school with low stats? How will retaking…
8 Things MBA Applicants Should do After Submitting Their Applications
Within twelve hours I heard the same question from three clients, so I suppose this question may be on the minds of more than three, “now that I’ve submitted my applications, what should I do?” The following are a list of suggestions of what you can do until those interview invitations come pouring in: 1. Continue…
How Does Your GMAT Score Fit into the Holistic MBA Application Puzzle?
There’s a lot of talk about the holistic approach admission directors take to evaluate applications. How much weight is really put on different aspects of the application during evaluation? If the approach is so holistic, then why do so many applicants with low GMAT scores get dinged compared to applicants with high GMAT scores? Here’s how it…
MBA Scholarships: How do I Apply and What Should I Emphasize?
While each school has its own unique scholarship offerings (merit only, merit and need, need only), they do so for a variety of reasons. Similar to admissions, a director will consider your academic indicators, your work experience, your extra-curricular activities, your goals and your community service. They also consider socio-economic factors for need-based and outstanding…
Wharton: “Putting Knowledge Into Action”
Does the oldest business school actually have a brand? Does the oldest business school actually need a brand? Ironically, Wharton is a more powerful global brand than the elite Ivy League university of which it resides. In fact, many people don’t know that the University of Pennsylvania is a highly regarded Ivy League institution. Outside…
Disclosing a Learning Disability
Learning disabilities such as dyslexia or ADHD fall under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Those laws assure you of your right to obtain reasonable accommodation for education. As such, admissions offices cannot discriminate against you because of your disability during the admissions process. However, the admissions officer is also…
Goal Setting as an Entrepreneur
I always ask my clients to state their long and short-term goals for me on our first meeting. Eighty percent of the time I hear the response, “I want to be an entrepreneur.” So I begin to peel away at the onion. • What problem is your business going to solve? • Why is it different than…
Wharton: “Putting Knowledge Into Action”
Episode 4 in our Big Brand Theory Series for MBA applicants: Wharton’s motto. Does the oldest business school actually have a brand? Does the oldest business school actually need a brand? Ironically, Wharton is a more powerful global brand than the elite Ivy League university of which it resides. In fact, many people don’t know that the…
