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 applies to the timeframe immediately post-MBA to about two years later; intermediate …
By following the advice in the previous post you can create goals that are clear, credible, and convincing, but they won’t necessarily be exciting. They won’t make the adcom reader think as she reads, “Wow, it would be great if he could do that!” And this latter reaction is really what the goals essay should …
“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 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 to …
A few years ago, in the good old days when Wharton still offered feedback to rejected applicants, I talked with a potential client who was reapplying to Wharton. I asked him whether he’d obtained feedback on his application, and he said yes. Well? “Actually they said they really liked my application. They said I was …
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 misconstrued scope, either too narrow or too broad to effectively serve the purpose of the essays. With some moderate effort, you can flesh out your …
There are loads of MBA programs out there. How do you decide which ones are best for you? It’s time to unlock the secrets to the elusive “fit” factor. “Fit” is established by the relationship between your needs and desires and what a given program presents. What elements do you seek in an MBA program? …
Ask yourself this question: Is THIS the program that will help you reach your goals? Most schools ask why you want an MBA and why you want it from this school. And really, even if they didn’t ask you, you should still ask yourself. Before you invest the time and money in an MBA, you …
Whether you’re applying for an MBA, a PhD in Public Policy (or many other doctoral fields), or a Masters in Social Work, you’re likely to talk about social enterprise or community service goals in your application. For some, this will be your primary objective – those of you seeking careers in the non-profit sector, for …
As an IT consultant, how do you know equity research is the right career for you? How do you know you can handle the hours, the more Darwinian industry and company culture, the stress of having a pivotal impact on huge investment decisions? If you are an MBA applicant pursuing a career change, then you …
One of the biggest motivations, if not the biggest motivation, for applying to graduate school is career enhancement and achievement of professional goals. For many MBAs and some other graduate students, consulting has irresistible appeal. Today it is my distinct pleasure to have on Admissions Straight Talk Keith Bevans, Partner and Global Head of Consulting …
A quick glance at Columbia Business School: Columbia currently ranks in eighth place as one of the best business schools, according to US News & World Report (March 2012). It is known for having a particularly strong media and entertainment track. Columbia’s Class of 2014 and Media/Entertainment 5409 people applied to Columbia Business School; 741 applicants …
A quick glance at Wharton: Wharton currently ranks in third place as one of the best business schools, according to US News & World Report (March 2012). In 2011, 5.89% of Wharton graduates accepted job offers with health care/pharmaceuticals/biotechnology functions. Incoming Wharton Students and Health Care/Pharmaceuticals/Biotech The class of 2013 has an average of four years …
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