UPDATE- THE TIPS FOR DARTMOUTH TUCK’S 2012 MBA APPLICATION ARE NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE. PLEASE POST QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS TO THE NEW POST. This Dartmouth Tuck 2011 MBA Application tip post is one of a series of posts providing MBA application and essay advice for applicants to top MBA programs around the world. You can access…
Stanford Wins First Place for Forbes’ “The Most Satisfied MBAs”
Forbes took its survey findings from “The Best Business Schools” and compiled a second rankings report: “The Most Satisfied MBAs.” Stanford won top slot for both rankings. It is #1 for providing the best return on investment for its graduates, as well as for churning out MBAs who are extremely satisfied with their current jobs…
MBA Essay Tip: Responding to Criticism
2012 MBA Applicant posted recently that thanks to an upcoming employment review he will have material for the question, “What is the toughest criticism you have ever received and what did you learn?” While we’re glad that 2012 MBA Applicant has material, I thought you (and maybe even 2012 MBA Applicant) may want tips on…
MBA Math Monday: Introduction
I welcome Dr. Peter Regan of MBA Math as a contributor to Accepted’s Admissions Almanac. The self-assessment that Peter writes about is a critical part of the evaluation required to develop a sound MBA admissions strategy. — Linda Abraham This post introduces a new weekly feature intended to help MBA applicants to assess their readiness for…
Best of Blogging Awards
Clear Admit announced its Best of Blogging awards for 2008-09 for those MBA applicant and student bloggers “who have made significant contributions to the online MBA community over the last year.” The winners were chosen by a vote among the Clear Admit staff, nominated bloggers, and celebrity judges Dawna Clarke, Director of Admissions at the Tuck School of Business,…
US News Grad Rankings Are Out!
The US News just released its 2009 Grad School Rankings. I’m going to list the top ten for business school, law school, and medical school (research) and provide links to the ranking methodology for each category. For other graduate specialties, please visit the US News site. Business School Rankings and methodology 1. Harvard2. Stanford3. Northwestern Kellogg…
Extra-curriculars in MBA Admissions
In “Extracurriculars: The Extras That Count” BusinessWeek’s Francesca Di Meglio explores the role extracurriculars play in admissions decisions. (I’m quoted) A few highlights: To add breadth and multiple dimensions to your profile, discuss your activities outside of work. These activities do not have to be altruistic or exotic. The best reveal passion and commitment. Don’t…
7 Signposts to Differences Among MBA Programs
After reading “Musings on Kellogg’s Differentiators” by Managing Magic, who describes well a few distinguishing characteristics at Kellogg, I decided to explore the factors MBA applicants should examine to uncover the differences between programs. Researching these elements will help MBA applicants as they start their school research. They may also be worth a second look…
MBA Admissions: Multiple Acceptances and Waitlisted
A few MBA applicant bloggers are dealing with questions now that they have received first round decisions. First Hakuna Matata!!! is thrilled to be accepted to Yale SOM and Cornell Johnson. Congratulations! He asks several questions in “3 down…1 to go!” and I am going to respond to those that aren’t visa-related. (I know nothing about immigration…
MBA Admissions: No-Cosigner Loans for International Students
There has been a lot of talk about the sudden dearth of financing options for international students who would like to attend American MBA programs. Some applicants are questioning whether to apply if they will have no way of paying for the degree. I decided to research the situation and find out just how bad…
Accepted Welcomes Natalie Grinblatt
It is with great pleasure that I welcome Natalie Grinblatt to Accepted’s staff. Natalie previously served as: Assistant Dean at Arizona State University’s W P Carey School of Management. Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at Cornell’s Johnson School Director of MBA Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at the University of Michigan (where she also…
MBA Admissions: Approaching the “wild card” essay questions
Every MBA candidate expects to write a goals essay. Everyone expects to tell a leadership story. These are the “flagship” pieces of any application–the essays that will help the admissions committee figure out what you’ve achieved and how you approach your professional life. But then, there are the “wild card” questions–these are almost always very…
MBA Admissions: Brownie Points for Visits?
School visits. They are time-consulting and expensive. And they contribute to global warming. Furthermore, Dee Leopold in The Director’s Blog at HBS’ web site makes clear that HBS does not weigh a visit as a factor in an admissions decision. The Wharton adcom blog made a similar statement a few years ago. Is personally visiting…
Admissions Tip from Dr. Pausch’s Last Lecture (Part 2)
In my last blog post I discussed some of the ways Dr. Pausch enlivens his lecture and engages the reader, but his presentation is not just a collection of spiffy techniques, it has profound content and substance. Let’s look at the substance, not in the context of his tragic circumstances — he has cancer of…
Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants
Two years ago I attended Tuck’s first Conference of International Educational Advisors. I went with the purpose of learning more about Tuck. And I did learn a lot about Tuck, as expected, but I discovered that I enjoyed meeting my competition and professional colleagues much more than I anticipated. The networking was great! I have…
MBA Admissions: B-School Bulletins — Fuqua, Tuck, Wharton, Yale
It’s been an interesting week in MBA-dom. Both good and bad. Let’s get the bad out of the way: Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business found that 34 first-year M.B.A. students cheated according to an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education. According to the article, Fuqua‘s Judicial Board found 33 students guilty of inappropriate…
MBA Admissions: Visit to Columbia Business School
I had a most enjoyable morning yesterday. I visited Columbia Business School, met with Linda Meehan, a few students, and attended a class. In our meeting I asked Linda about the possible tension that exists between being a top (in her words “the top”) finance program with roughly 50% of all MBA’s going into finance-related…
Q&A with Tuck Dean Paul Danos
This Q&A represents a distillation of an hour-long meeting I had with Dr. Paul Danos, Dean of the Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth. If you want to understand Tuck’s values, culture, and goals, read it (long post). Tuck’s MBA program is at the top of all the major business school rankings, including BW,…
Tuck Recruits in India
Last month I wrote about applicants who obsess over their "group" or label. Probably one of the most competitive groups in MBA admissions is Indian IT guys. As a group it is highly qualified, and my gut tells me it is over-represented. Consequently it is also intensely competitive. But is it unwanted? Hardly. Tuck last…
