In our How to Write Exemplary Application Essays blog series, you’ll learn how to create exemplary essays by analyzing sample successful application essays. A career goals essay, similar to the graduate school statement of purpose that we discussed in a previous post in this series, demands a laser-like focus. Unlike personal statements, which may discuss career goals but…
Focus on Fit [Most Popular Show Rerun – Episode 176]
![Focus on Fit [Most Popular Show Rerun – Episode 176]](https://blog.accepted.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/focus-on-fit.png)
The most popular post of the last six months is “Focus on Fit,” and since Linda is taking a brief vacation, we are reposting it for this week. In this show, she shares the four not-so-easy steps to make sure you show you belong at your target programs. Whether you heard it the first time or…
Final Miscellany – Plan B, Research, Professional Support
I will wrap up this series with a few miscellaneous points. Plan B Think you’re done with MBA goals? Think again… In the current global economic volatility, having a Plan B for your immediate post-MBA goal can be not only good planning for you, but also enhance your goal essay’s credibility. It’s particularly important if…
The Goals Essay: Writing Nitty-Gritty
Short- and long-term goals Before you start drafting your MBA goals essays, work out three levels of goals: short-term, intermediate, and long-term. It helps to have this whole picture in your mind regardless of where you’ll “zoom in” for a particular essay. Short-term is immediately post MBA to about two years later; intermediate is about…
Exactly What Are Goals?
“I want to move from the buy side to the sell side.” “I want to shift from technology consulting to investment banking.” Not goals. An engineer once really said to me, “I want to go into either finance or consulting.” Not goals. A goal isn’t something you want, it’s something you do, something you want…
Focus on Fit [Episode 162]
![Focus on Fit [Episode 162]](https://blog.accepted.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Linda_Abraham_Showing_Fit_in_Admissions.png)
In today’s episode, Accepted’s founder and director, Linda Abraham, shares the 4 not-so-easy steps of showing fit in your application. While they are not simple to do, these steps are necessary if you want to get accepted to a program where the acceptance rate is less than 100%. STEP 1: Understand the school’s mission and criteria for…
Hone Your MBA Goals [Video]
![Hone Your MBA Goals [Video]](https://blog.accepted.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/7StepsToAStrongMBAApplciation.png)
A solid MBA goal should drive many of the decisions surrounding your business school application and education. In this video, Linda Abraham explores the essential components of a compelling MBA goal and shares a few tips on how to develop it. By Linda Abraham, president and founder of Accepted.com and co-author of the definitive book on MBA admissions, MBA Admission for…
4 Goals of an MBA Application
Do you want to get into a top MBA program? (Silly question: Of course you do. You wouldn’t be reading this post if you didn’t.) Make sure your application fulfills each of these goals, and you’ll be much better positioned to gain the acceptance you deserve. In your application you need to demonstrate that you:…
4 Application Strategy Tips: Stand Out AND Fit In
It can be confusing: Half of the advice you read urges you to stand out in your application, while the other half advises you to explain how you’ll fit in. So which is it? Should you stand out or fit in? The answer, unsurprisingly, is BOTH. You need to show your distinction and demonstrate fit…
Getting Your MBA Goals in Shape
Knowing they’ll have to write essays about their goals, most b-school applicants have identified their goals prior to starting the application process. But I’ve found that “identified” often has a very narrow scope, too narrow to effectively serve the purpose of the essays. With some moderate effort now, you can flesh out your goals message…
Swoon-Worthy MBA Application Tips Video Viewable Now!
Last week Linda presented an exciting webinar – about how to make top b-school adcom members fall in love with you – hosted by our friends over at the GMAT Club. That webinar, 5 Ways to Make B-Schools Love You, is now available for online viewing, anytime and anywhere. Some of the topics that Linda…
Goals Essay-Writing Tip
Goals Essay-Writing Nitty-Gritty Short- and Long-Term Goals Before you start drafting your goals essays, work out three levels of goals: short-term, intermediate, and long-term. It helps to have this whole picture in your mind regardless of where you’ll “zoom in” for a particular essay. Short-term is immediately post MBA to about two years later; intermediate…
Chicago Booth 2013 MBA Application Questions, Deadlines, Tips
The 2014 Chicago Booth tips are now available. Click here to check them out! Chicago Booth has released its 2013 MBA application essays. 1 – Essay: What are your short- and long-term goals, and how will an MBA from Chicago Booth help you reach them? (500 words) This is a classic, straight-forward MBA goals question. What do you want to…
MBA Goals: A Must
It’s amazing to me how committed someone can be to applying to b-school, as early as next fall, and still have no concrete MBA goals. Clear, defined goals are a MUST when applying to a top b-school – in terms of MBA admissions requirements, they’re up there with your GPA, GMAT, and work experience, and…
Wharton Lauder MBA Admissions Director Interview Available Online
We hope you enjoyed our recent Wharton Lauder MBA Q&A. We certainly learned a lot about the Wharton Lauder application process and about how these two programs work together to offer students a unique learning experience. In the following excerpt, Marcy Bevan, Director of Admissions and External Affairs at the Lauder Institute, discusses the career…
MBA Admissions A-Z: A is for Aspirations
Welcome to Accepted’s newest MBA admissions tip series, MBA Admissions A-Z. Get ready for 26 fantastic tips! Let’s begin with defining your MBA goals and aspirations. What is the Difference between a Goal and an Aspiration? A goal is something that you plan to do or accomplish in a particular timeframe. One way to look…
4 Things To Do If You Can’t Define Your MBA Goals
Top MBA programs are looking for candidates who’ve got their heads on straight and have a clear idea of how a business degree will help shape their futures. It’s for this reason that the MBA goals essay is such an important element in the b-school application. So what do you do if you don’t know…
Get Your MBA Admission Smarts ON!
Are you looking for ways to boost your MBA admissions IQ? Interested in acquiring wisdom that will send you to the head of the class? Want advice that covers every aspect of the MBA admissions process that’s all wrapped up nicely in a single, coherent, and succinct BOOK? Look no further – the MBA book…
Wharton Admissions Director Interview Available Online
We had an excellent Q&A last week with Ankur Kumar and Anthony Penna, admissions directors at Wharton. The excerpt below provides an insider look at how the adcom readers approach your goal essays – how you should bridge your past and present experiences to what you’d like to be doing in the future. Linda Abraham:…
Is Ten Days per Business School Application Enough?
Oh, the anticipation of late August! The first business school deadlines, just six weeks away, are filling applicants with excitement and anxiety. Some like The Phoenix are feeling it: he is “really getting the jitters now” as he begins work on his applications, particularly his MBA essays, “even though some people say that I have…
