Is it phony to start volunteering three months before applying to business school? What can I do to prepare to hit the ground running when my target programs release their applications? What is the worst thing to ask a school rep when I come to visit?

Get the adcom perspective on these questions and more in our enlightening conversation with Esmeralda Cardenal, former admissions director and current Accepted admissions consultant.

00:00:37 – Featured Applicant Question: I have a low GMAT quant score and few extracurriculars, but want to attend Stanford/Harvard/Wharton. Am I aiming too high?

00:08:59 – How Esmeralda got involved in MBA admissions.

00:10:14 – Applicants who sell themselves short and why they do it.

00:13:21 – What b-school applicants would be so much better off knowing.

00:15:54 – An overview of how an application is reviewed.

00:17:31 – Differences between U.S. and U.K. schools and admissions.

00:19:35 – Advice for Latin American applicants to United States b-schools.

00:21:52 – Get to work before applications are live!

00:27:10 – What to look for when visiting schools.

00:29:24 – Questions to ask (and not to ask) when you visit and interview.

00:31:20 – The best way to prepare for a blind interview.

00:32:25 – Important advice for business school reapplicants.

00:35:50 – Final words of wisdom. Pay heed.

*Theme music is courtesy of podcastthemes.com

Related links:

• Esmeralda Cardenal’s Bio Page
• Selling Yourself Short?
• Get Accepted to Columbia Business School
• Get Accepted to Harvard Business School
• MBA Admission for Smarties
• Application Rejection Review Aka Ding Analysis

Related shows:

• The Admissions Team at the Very Center of Business
• Exploring the Part-Time MBA Options at NYU Stern
• Bruce DelMonico on The Yale School of Management
• At the Nexus of Business & Law: Penn/Wharton’s JD/MBA
• Honing in On the Cornell Johnson MBA
• The Tuck School of Business and the Global Insight Requirement