Join us for an in-depth conversation about Cornell Johnson with Randall Sawyer, Director of Admissions, Financial Aid and Inclusion, on Thursday, October 21, 2010 at 10:00 AM PT/1:00 PM ET/5:00 PM GMT. If you’re intrigued by Johnson’s close-knit, active student body, strong business fundamentals, and concentrated emphasis on leadership, then you won’t want to miss…
MIT Sloan MBA Admissions: Interview with Rod Garcia
Last week I had the pleasure of speaking with Rod Garcia, Director of Admissions at the MIT Sloan School of Business. He was kind enough to provide an update on MIT Sloan admissions, and insight into Sloan’s evaluation process. Accepted.com: What’s new at MIT Sloan? Is there anything new in MIT admissions? RG: We offer…
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…
Haas New MBA Curriculum–Interview with Pete Johnson
I recently chatted with Peter Johnson, Director of Admissions at the Haas School of Business, about the new curriculum that Haas announced a couple of weeks ago. Peter clarified specific aspects of the new curriculum and also discussed with me its impact on applicants. This post is a summary of our discussion. Linda Abraham: How…
Admissions Resume: What to Include
Recently in “MBA Admissions:The May-October Romance,” I suggested that applicants for Fall 2011 entry begin assembling materials for their applications now – a full five months in advance of the first fall deadlines. One of the ideal documents to begin now is a resume, something that any professional should always have updated and at the…
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…
12 Secrets to the Good Life at HBS: Tips and Advice
The HBS cheerleaders at the Harbus newsletter tip off future HBS students about student life at one of the world’s best business schools. If you want to get to campus and already be in the know, read on for our interpretation of “12 Things You Should Know About Life at HBS”! Harvard Business School will…
5 Tips for Essay Writing: Plan With a Calendar, Not an Egg Timer
The blogger of MBA on the Horizon recently noted the irony of her situation: after devoting months to prepare for her MBA applications, including attending information sessions, reading blogs, and researching through other means, she ended up cramming all her essay writing for Wharton into a single weekend. A Saturday marathon writing session produced a…
Applying for an MBA: Why U.S. MBA Aspirants Need Work Experience
This post is authored by Meredith Curtin Siegel, Director, The MBA Tour. Thanks for examining the benefits of work experience as preparation for business school.Why is work experience so important for an MBA program? The MBA degree develops practical knowledge and skills using methodologies that require a high level of participation from every student in…
Forté Foundation Upcoming Events
The Forte Foundation, an organization dedicated to educating and directing talented women toward leadership roles in business, is having an excellent series of events for prospective MBAs called the MBA Value Proposition. These events, which aim to encourage women to pursue careers in business, will take place around the world in September and October. September…
MIT Sloan 2010 MBA Application Questions, Deadlines, Tips.
UPDATE: The Tips For MIT SLOAN’S 2011 Application Are Now Online- Please post questions or comments on the new Post. MIT Sloan 2010 MBA Application Deadlines Round Due Date Notification Round 1* Oct 27, 2009 Feb. 1, 2010** Round 2 Jan 12, 2010 Apr. 5, 2010 Application must be received by 12 noon pacific time….
Highlight Your Kellogg Kontributions
(note: “contributions” is normally spelled with a ‘c’) Describe how your background, values, academics, activities and/or leadership skills will enhance the experience of other Kellogg students. That’s good old Question 2 on Kellogg’s MBA application. It’s a simple enough query, but one that stymies many of my clients, leading to several questions:…
Law School Admissions: Yale Law Admissions Blog
I am a fan of Yale Law’s admissions blog, 203. An Admissions Blog, but I have to take issue with a recent post, New Questions, specifically the author’s response to the question, “Is it still okay to have an admissions consultant give me guidance on my application?” The author, Asha, states clearly that applicants who…
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…
Kellogg’s GIM Program and You
Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management is a dream school for many of my MBA clients. And why not? The program features a top-notch marketing and general management curriculum, the standard-issue highly accomplished but well-rounded student body, and what’s viewed as the most people-focused culture among top business schools. Today an increasingly popular Kellogg offering is…
Demonstrating a Growth Mindset
The New York Times‘ article “If You’re Open to Growth, You Tend to Grow” was practically a step-by-step guide for applying to MBA programs. In it, science writer Jane Rae-Dupree discusses the three-decade research of Stanford Professor Carol Dweck. The article discusses Dweck’s research into brain development and learning behavior and Dweck’s conclusion that business…
Accelerated Two-Year JD Program at Northwestern University Launches in 2009
Northwestern University will offer an accelerated two-year JD degree program beginning in 2009, hoping to attract highly motivated students who might otherwise have considered a two-year MBA program or others interested in fast-tracking a law degree. The two-year program will require the same number of credits as the traditional three-year program, relying on a compressed…
The Many Faces of Leadership
“I figured it all out.” That’s how I would paraphrase the essays many of my clients—MBA applicants and others—write in response to the ubiquitous “Describe a leadership experience” question. Now of course “figuring it all out,” my shorthand for “I came up with a creative solution to a tricky problem” or “I developed a killer…
Before you write: some tips for getting the most out of your pre-writing process
It’s nearly July, and many business schools are already starting to release their new or revised essay topics for the coming admissions season. During this pre-season warm-up period, many applicants seem to feel a strong temptation to grab those questions as soon as they come out, paste them into a Word file and just start…
The Stanford Reliance Dhirubhai Fellowship
All Indian students considering applying to the Stanford MBA program should check out the new Reliance Dhirubhai Fellowship. The scholarship covers everything for up to 5 Indian students to attend Stanford GSB, and the top 50 finalists for the Fellowship will even receive a break on applying – taking the GMAT and submitting Stanford’s application…