Where do you begin? The foundation of a successful MBA application is self-knowledge combined with school research. If you’ve been reading this blog, you’ve seen that concept before. To start learning about the different programs, begin at your computer. Review the school web sites and Accepted’s b-school zones. After developing a list of schools…
MBA ADMISSIONS
2011 INSEAD Admissions Director Interview Posted
If you attended our recent conversation with INSEAD‘s Kara Keenan and Melissa Jones, Assistant Directors of Marketing, then you know what a success it was. You can review the Q&A by reading the whole INSEAD Q&A transcript, by listening to the full audio clip online, or by subscribing to our podcast in iTunes and…
MBA Admissions Advice for Career Changers
MBA career switchers carry a burden that other applicants don’t: the need to demonstrate an understanding of and fit with a new industry or job function. For example, if you’re already an IT consultant and your post-MBA goals involve IT consulting, then you should have no trouble drafting an MBA goals essay that explains…
2011 London Business School Admissions Director Interview Posted
We’d like to extend a hearty thank you to the London Business School representatives who helped make our recent Masters in Management Admissions Q&A a huge success. We discussed a wide range of topics, including London Business School admissions policies, the differences between the MiM and the MBA programs, student life, scholarships, and more….
MBA Admissions Tip: Dealing with a Low GPA
Explaining a low GPA can be difficult and it requires you to examine your GPA’s trend. Consider the following scenarios: Scenario A – 3.0 GPA, upward trend – You goofed off for your first few semesters and didn’t weigh the consequences. You failed some classes and started out with an embarrassingly low GPA not because…
MBA Admissions Tip: Handling a Low GMAT Verbal Score
Yesterday I talked about overcoming the challenge of a low GMAT quant score. Today we’ll discuss how to handle a less-than-perfect verbal score. With such a strong emphasis on teamwork and communication in b-school (and for the rest of your life as a successful businessperson), it’s no wonder that stellar written and spoken verbal skills…
Indian School of Business: Thoughts After My Visit to Hyderabad
Teeming, packed, noisy streets connecting the serene, sprawling, park-like campuses of Infosys and the Indian School of Business. Slum hovels just yards/meters away from beautiful apartment buildings. These are a few of the images from the busy three days I, and roughly 16 other MBA admissions consultants, spent in Hyderabad, India as guests of the…
MBA Admissions Tip: Handling a Low GMAT Quant Score
A low quant score on the GMAT (at the lower end of the school’s 80% range) is never good news, but it doesn’t equal immediate rejection. As I mentioned last week, no single score is scrutinized independently, but rather your entire profile is examined as a unified package. Interpret your scores as an adcom member…
2011 UNC Kenan-Flagler Admissions Director Interview Posted
We hope you enjoyed our recent Q&A with Sherry Wallace of UNC Kenan-Flagler. During the session we discussed a number of important topics related to UNC admissions, student life, scholarships, and more. If you missed this informative event, or if you’d like to review, you can read the whole UNC Kenan-Flagler Q&A transcript, listen…
2011 UT McCombs Admissions Director Interview Posted
If you attended our recent conversation with UT McCombs‘s Vicki Duran, Director of MBA Admissions, Jolene Ashcraft, Senior Associate Director, and Jaryn Creasy, a second-year student at UT, then you know what a success it was. You can review the Q&A by reading the whole UT McCombs Q&A transcript, by listening to the full…
2011 Dartmouth Tuck Admissions Director Interview Posted
We covered a wide range of admissions-related topics during our Dartmouth Tuck Q&A last week. Thank you to Dawna Clarke, Director of MBA Admissions, and Pat Harrison and Amy Mitson, Associate Directors at Tuck, for an excellent conversation! To review, you can read the whole Tuck Q&A transcript, listen to the full audio clip…
2011 Indian School of Business Admissions Director Interview Posted
Last week’s conversation with Hima Bindu, the assistant director of admissions and financial aid at the ISB, and current ISB students Atma Shivalanka and Chandrasekhar Ghoda, was yet another Q&A success. If you missed the ISB event or if you wish to review it, you can read the whole transcript, listen to the full…
It’s Not Fair! How to Deal with Dings
It may or may not be fair, but many of you are going to get at least a few rejections. What are you going to do about them? First and foremost—if you’ve gotten dinged at your top choice school, that doesn’t mean that you’re never going to get in. It doesn’t even mean that you…
LBS Sloan Fellows Guru Interview
During my recent visit to London, I spent the morning at London Business School. I have several posts worth of thoughts and material. The first one will focus on the Sloan Fellows program at LBS. I spoke interviewed Balbir Guru, Recruitment and Admissions Manager, Sloan and Executive MBA Although I am presenting our conversation in…
What’s the rush?: Round 1 v. 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….
Personal Branding in Admissions
The term “personal brand” is bandied about a lot in admissions. I don’t claim to be an expert on branding, but after fifteen years editing essays and advising applicants, I know a bit about admissions. I see the concept of “personal brand” as a threat and opportunity for applicants. Want to know more? See this…
Sustainable MBAs
Thinking about a career in sustainable enterprise? Each year the Aspen Institute ranks MBA programs in their Beyond Grey Pinstripes edition on the schools’ ability to provide curriculum, research and careers while looking at the triple bottom line. This list continues to grow, but according to the 2010 rankings, candidates looking at MBA programs that…
The GMAT and the Law of Diminishing Returns
his is the time of year when you face the facts: Is my GMAT score high enough to get me into my schools of choice or should I retake the GMAT? As an Accepted.com consultant, I would advise you to take the GMAT to achieve your highest possible score, but I also warn you that…
MBA Applicants: What McKinsey (and HBS) Wants
They were looking for four things. I didn’t know until I’d made it to the third and last round of interviews, but McKinsey and Company, the strategy consulting firm perennially ranked among the top “dream” employers of MBA students, was looking for four specific qualities in the candidates they hired. By my calculations, McKinsey made…
GMAT Math Tip: Halving and Doubling
Doing well on the GMAT is a function of accuracy and timing. With only 75 minutes to complete 37 math questions, you have approximately 2 minutes to complete each question. You need to find ways save time, and the “halving and doubling” math tip described in the video and examples below will help you do…