At its core, the MBA is a graduate program in business administration for professionals who seek knowledge, skills, a credential, and/or a network to advance in business and to maximize their business performance. While “MBA” makes many people automatically think of a two-year, full-time program, in recent years the variations on the MBA theme have…
How Do Your Top Choice MBA Programs Rank in Accepted’s Selectivity Index?
This year’s MBA Selectivity Index™ is here! Accepted developed the MBA Selectivity Index to help you apply realistically and effectively to business school. The index takes the most recent U.S. News rankings data and reflects the schools’ average GPA, test scores, and acceptance rates so that you can assess the relative difficulty of acceptance. You…
Top 10 or Bust: Dispelling 2 MBA Myths
I constantly hear two comments from applicants related to MBA admissions. Both of them are myths that I want to bust once and for all: Myth #1: Once you attend an MBA program outside the Top 10, it doesn’t matter which school it is, so you may as well go to the least expensive one…
U.S. News MBA Rankings 2023 [Full-Time & Part-Time]
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Chicago Booth and Wharton (University of Pennsylvania) share the #1 spotlight in U.S. News’ Best Business Schools of 2023 rankings, released March 29. The metrics for the rankings are based on career placement success, student excellence and qualitative assessments by experts. MBA rankings are studied voraciously by applicants, students, and alumni but remain controversial. Notable changes…
Shortlisting and Visiting Business Schools
In deciding whether to apply to specific MBA programs, you need to understand how the schools differ. What are their relative strengths and weaknesses? It isn’t easy to get a real sense of what makes a school unique: they all claim top faculties, great student bodies, and professional networks that will sizzle when you graduate….
Do MBA Rankings Matter?
You’ve defined your goals and assessed your qualifications. Now it’s time to move on to the program research stage of the MBA admissions process. There is a sea of information out there: rankings, books, MBA program websites, MBA fairs, Poets & Quants, student and adcom blogs, school open houses, your neighbor’s sister’s boyfriend’s dad –…
From the Mouths of MBA Adcom Members: How to Get Accepted
Looking for the best possible admissions advice? How about admissions advice from the admission committee members themselves? Linda Abraham, founder of Accepted and host of the Admissions Straight Talk Podcast has a collection of highly enlightening interviews with directors of admissions and adcom members of top business schools! Listen in as Linda asks her adcom…
M7 MBA Programs: Everything You Need to Know in 2022
What are the M7 business schools? Harvard Business School Stanford Graduate School of Business MIT Sloan School of Management Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania Columbia Business School Talk about diversity! Seven distinct, vivid cultures – each with its own history,…
Top STEM MBA Programs: A Comprehensive List and Overview of STEM-OPT Eligible B-Schools
U.S. STEM MBA Programs: An Overview Restrictions on work visas during the 2019-2020 academic year–when the COVID-19 pandemic was at its height–depressed numbers of international MBA applicants. In fact, 48% of U.S. MBA programs reported a decline in international applications for their 2019 entering classes; 23% of U.S. MBA programs reported a significant decline (a…
Which MBA Program is Right for Me? The Ultimate Guide to Choosing an MBA Program
In 20+ years of MBA admissions consulting, I have found that otherwise highly capable and focused people often flounder when creating their target list of business schools. I’ve heard things like: “I’m just applying to all the top ten.” Top ten according to what source? Or: “I realize now [after R2 deadlines have passed] I was overreaching….
Is an MBA Worth It, or Is the Sky Falling Down on the MBA Degree? [Episode 346]
Accepted founder Linda Abraham discusses when pursuing an MBA justifies its cost [Show Summary] Linda Abraham, Accepted’s founder and president explores the latest headlines about the value of an MBA. This is a must-listen for anyone trying to decide whether or not to get an MBA degree. Why we’ve been asking the wrong question about…
Top MBA Programs for Entrepreneurs
Poets & Quants has just released their inaugural rankings for the top MBA programs for entrepreneurs, and Washington University’s Olin Business School tops the list. 20.7% of its graduates from 2016-2018 launched companies within three months of graduation, and has a whopping $1 million in annual funding available for student entrepreneurs. By comparison, the second…
Harvard, Stanford, Wharton: What’s the Difference?
True, Harvard, Stanford, and Wharton have a lot in common. But what if you are in the enviable position of having to choose between the three? What really differentiates the programs and how can you decide which is best for you? For more important information about the differences between top business schools, check out M7 MBA Programs:…
4 Steps to Choosing the Right School for You [Webinar Recording!]
Applying to business school in 2019? Watch this webinar to learn how to refine your post-MBA goals, research business schools, assess your qualifications, and then evaluate this information to develop a list of programs to apply to. This webinar was hosted by The MBA Tour. Related Resources: • Best MBA Programs: A Guide to Selecting…
7 Ways to Distinguish Between Similar MBA Programs
School marketing materials/presentations/websites superficially sound very much the same. So how can applicants wisely research their options and discern the points of difference? When doing MBA research, pay special attention to the following differentiating features: Employment Profile See where graduates find jobs. Which schools send the most grads to the companies, industries, and locations you…
Should You Apply to a Safety School?
Many applicants who are targeting top ranked programs wonder if they should consider adding a lower-ranked school to their list as a “safety school.” Should you? And is there such a thing? What is a safety school? A safety school is one where you are highly competitive, that is strong in your area of interest,…
3 Ways to Determine Which B-Schools Are a Good Fit for You
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?…
Are You a Good Fit for Your Target MBA Programs?
MBA Smarties need to strategize their MBA applications before actually filling out any applications or writing any essays. Because I’m such a firm believer in the “ready, aim, fire!” philosophy of school applications (and not the reverse), the first three chapters of this book have focused on what I consider the three essential steps in…
Narrowing Down Your B-School Options – Part-1
This is the first post in our MBA Profile Series, in which we’ll explore the different criteria that factor into your decision of WHERE to apply to b-school. Where Should You Apply? You’ve decided that you are going to apply to b-school. Now you need to ask yourself the next critical question: WHERE? Where should…
