Writing about nothing tends to bore, like a trite sitcom or movie with no plot. They lack substance and so will your essay if it isn’t based on: • Substantive self-reflection. • Use of specifics, examples, and anecdotes. • Willingness to reveal your thought processes and feelings. So start your writing process with self-knowledge. You…
Winning Tips for a Successful Business School Interview
For some Round 2 and Round 3 applicants, business school interview season is still in full swing, which means you still have time to prepare for and ace the interview that will help you gain acceptance to your top choice MBA program. There are endless articles and books you can read about preparing for…
MBA Interview Feedback Database is Back Up
The MBA Interview Feedback Database is back up! We apologize to those of you who attempted to access it and couldn’t. Many of you are trying to access the questionnaire to share your feedback because this is the last month for the MBA iPad giveaway. The questionnaire is also back up and awaiting your input….
MBA Admissions Interviews: Behavioral AND Qualitative Questions
Even though behavioral questions have been used for the last several years, since “WhartonLeaks” broke in November and Wharton promptly moved away from exclusive use of the leaked questions, applicants have wondered if they should prepare for behavioral questions or the more general, qualitative questions that had been the backbone of MBA admissions interviews for…
The Waiting Game: What MBA Applicants Should Do After Hitting SUBMIT
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: 1. Continue to learn about each school by speaking with faculty, alumni and…
Part I: The Dos and Don’ts of Audio and Video–Application Style
Paper application? That’s like, so yesterday. Now you Gen X, Y and Millennial candidates get a chance to wow the admissions committee with your dope multimedia “skillz.” According to a recent article in Businessweek, UCLA Anderson School of Management (Anderson Full-Time MBA Profile) already gives candidates the option to submit an audio or video clip….
Make (and Complete) Your Interview Checklist
For some of you, it may be just a little too late. For others, this post is right on time. Because it’s about interviews—how to prepare for them, excel in them, and follow up after them. Whether you’re applying to college, graduate school, or a job, you’ll likely have to interview. Here are items to…
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…
QS World MBA Tour: Exclusive Tips from Top MBA
The QS World MBA Tour is coming to a city near you starting today September 9 in Santiago and Taipei. It continues with events throughout North American, Europe, the Middle East, India, Asia, and Latin America. In addition to the traditional MBA fair and booths, The World MBA Tour offers Connect 1-2-1, a program where…
Prepare for Interviews with Positive Imagery
In the conference room, I imagined myself standing on a tennis court: I tossed the ball into the air then smashed an ace serve right past my opponent. Back in real life, I smiled to myself when the assistant came to tell me the McKinsey partner was ready to meet with me. With confident steps,…
Weakness, What Weakness?
I saw it. The question was looming in an essay and hiding behind a corner in the brain and/or instruction sheet of my interviewer. “So Natalie, tell me about your weaknesses and what you did to overcome them”? Gosh, there are so many, I don’t even know where to begin. Ding! What do you do…
MBA Admissions: Prepare for Probing Interviews
The interview was going great, my friend said, until they got to the “How can you contribute to our program?” This was just last month, at an interview for the MBA program at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. Booth’s interviews are by invitation only, and my friend’s interviewer had a similar background…
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…
Personal Statement Tip: Pick Yourself Up and Applaud
Essay questions dealing with failure, risk, mistakes, and difficult interactions or conflict cause applicants to cringe, squirm, and bite their nails. After all, you want to show yourself succeeding and conquering the world in your application essays and personal statements. Not falling down. Schools ask these questions because they want to see how you get…
What is an Accomplishment?
Accomplishments constitute the bread and butter of personal statements and application essays. Nothing too exciting in that statement. However, a fascinating brainstorming session on Accepted’s Editor Mailing List reveals that applicants don’t always know what an accomplishment is. What goes into this application staple? The bread: Impact. Your accomplishment must show you as a contributor…
MBA Admissions Chats: Haas, Wharton, Consortium,
During this week’s upcoming Haas MBA admissions chat, Stephanie Fujii, Senior Associate Director of MBA Admissions at the Haas School of Business, will answer your questions about Haas’ top MBA program and its focus on innovation and leadership. Please join us tomorrow Tuesday November 20 at 10:00 AM PT/1:00 PM ET/6:00 PM GMT for an…
MBA Admissions Interview Tips
In my last blog post on Accepted’s MBA Admissions Interview Month, I highlighted Accepted resources and events to help you prepare for your MBA interview. In this post I am going to highlight non-Accepted resources for MBA interview preparation. Probably at the top of this list would be the schools themselves. It is vital that…
MBA Admissions: What’s at Accepted for R1, R2 Applicants
Accepted offers MBA applicants so many forms of assistance, I thought it would be a good idea to review what we have for MBA applicants at different stages in the process. For Round 1 applicants: Hopefully you are almost finished now with your MBA essays and soon will receive MBA interview invitations. You may want…
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…
MBA Admissions Interview Must Know #4: The Interview Type
The Interview Type. Is it blind (where the interviewer knows only what’s on your resume and what you tell him or her)? Or is it informed with an interviewer who has gone thoroughly through your file (for example, HBS or MIT). If blind, then you can use material from your application because that material presents…
