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Escrito en Technorati Search for: business school

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Escrito en Technorati Search for: mba

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As I’m slowly getting sucked into the blogosphere, I’m starting to realize just how much material there is about getting into business school.  Of particular interest are the daily blogs of the people chronicling their quest for business school admission.  Instead of actually trying to be a well-rounded, interesting person whose profile is appealing to business schools, these people are spending hours online writing blogs, reading blogs, linking to blogs, reviewing GMAT strategies, writing about writing their essays, debating endless strategies for interview prep.  Really?  To what end?  

What about me?  Am I becoming one of those bloggers who’s getting a weird thrill from the climbing stat numbers?  Would I rather write about the quotidian instead of going out and experiencing the world?  Well, I went to see Renee Fleming sing today.  If this were a blog about opera, or if there were a rant in it, I would write about that.  I also saw a wonderful French film Les Choristes.  It confirmed my fear that I do not know an ounce of French despite my best (read: uninspired) efforts with the Coffee Break French podcasts.  I also ate a tasty meal with my family that’s finally done brawling over the election outcome.  And then I spent the evening packing my suitcases for a trip to the old country to see about a boy.  But my wonderful day is entirely unrelated to what I want to talk about.  

Right.

So… what I’ve concluded is this: somehow simply getting into a business school automatically makes one an expert on the subject matter and therefore capable of giving advice to others.  And what’s more is that those others are taking that advice!  I’ve gotten hits from people googling “Is INSEAD hard to get into?”  

Out of curiosity, I googled this myself.   Whereas one can readily learn that HBS has an admission rate of 12%, and Stanford of 6%, INSEAD does not publish official figures figures.  Though in an 06 chat on accepted.com, the Director of Admissions mentioned that adcom accepts 1 in every 3-4. 

That kind of takes the wind out of my sails.  I was hoping that this cheateau-bound bunch was a tad more exclusive.  But I find solace in thinking that it’s quite a self-selected group already.  Most speak at least 3 languages already.  Most fit the international profile (son of a Moroccan mother and North Korean father, grew up in New Zealand, but now works as a banker in London.  That sort of thing…)  Most are headed to INSEAD to party.  Otherwise they’d be going somewhere dry, like IESE.  (Mom, Dad, calm down. I’m kidding, ok?)  

I don’t write this blog because I have some great insight to offer.  I write this blog because it’s therapeutic.  And I get off on that little map that shows where the hits come from.  It’s neat-o.

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Haas was probably the most interesting and most draining application process. They have 7 questions with varying lengths from short answers to 250 word essays to a 500 and a 1000 word essay. I had so much to say and cramming it to 250 words was a pain. Thanks to Joy and Pai for helping me out in this. Sometimes I wonder when they are gonna get fed up and beat me…

I’ve finally done it and to my satisfaction. I think I’ll have some of that California wine for myself tonight

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I needed a way to ensure that I would not stay in my job if I had gotten rejected by the school.  So I bought a one-way plane ticket.  

The idea came from my then four-time-ex (now maybe-no-longer-an-ex-but-I’m-not-sure-what-we-are-but-will-be-traveling-to-visit-to-see-next-week).  He told me of a company started by some of his friends.  I can’t remember the name but the idea is that you commit a certain amount of money to a personal goal.  Like, $500 to quit smoking – something I highly advise as to all my future European classmates – and you set a deadline.  If you don’t accomplish this goal, your credit card gets charged and you get to donate the money to charity.  I didn’t delve too deeply into it – I imagine the whole thing works (if it does) on the honor system.  In the event that you did not accomplish your goal, your money goes to a good cause.  It’s a little ass backwards that the charity is funded only if you fail.  But it’s a cute idea.  That was the rationale behind buying the ticket – I would purchase the airline ticket and if I didn’t get into INSEAD, I would still quit my job to use the ticket.      

While trying to find available dates on frequent flyer miles, the guy on the other end of the phone offered to come with me, promising delightful company. 

The joke around the old office was that I “give good phone.”  When talking to our company’s vendors or suppliers on the phone, I would inevitably invite some kind of personal digression.  A couple of times I even received gifts along with a product sample I requested – a laser pointer/pen, some candy – small, creepy mementos from lonely sales reps in rural Ohio [read: real America].         

When writing my good-bye e-mail, I still did not know whether I would be attending business school after I returned from my travels.   By then I had had a disappointing interview (only one, whereas everyone I had met had two) with a woman who barely gave me an hour of her time and seemed incredibly bored to be telling me about the “best year of her life.” So I was not feeling very confident that I would get in.  I was also too scared to re-read my application essays that I had written over the course of a week while nursing a 102 degree fever.  

It’s sort of a tradition at our office to write a good-bye e-mail long before you actually leave.  This way, for your last month, you get to be the center of attention as you talk about the exciting next thing you’re doing to everyone who is staying behind working for that jackass client on that project that just won’t end.  As I’ve no doubt established here, I’m a huge attention whore.  (Thus, I’m not feeling confident that I’ll be able to keep this blog anonymous.)  

Somehow, during my absence, the word had gotten around that I was moving to France.  But in the interoffice game of broken telephone, I was now moving to France to go to culinary school.  I was known in the office as a giant gastroslut and thus, culinary school probably went along with that image better than an MBA.

When I came back to correct this notion, people looked almost disappointed.  When I was leaving, jumping into the void, behind the admiration and support of my coworkers, I could see their thinly veiled amusement that I had gone nuts.  Now, MBA seemed like such a normal, rational thing to do even (if I am moving to such an unlikely place to do it).  So, fear not my friends in cubicles, I’m already calculating the earliest I could pay off my loans so that I can quit my life again.  These days, I have an itch to move to Buenas Aires and dance tango all night.

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Ya…with the submission of Carey and McCombs, the application journey is half way through! Last few days have been really hectic with lot of things in the plate with sweet dish being the ISB interview (fingers crossed!). It was not that I was not getting any free time, but whatever I got was used for relaxing which was a must (guitaring/music/jog). I feel that relaxation – say even a break of half an hour – is the key to keep your perseverance through this long, ardous effort of application process.

Carey and McCombs have a pretty relaxed word limit on the essays – you can imagine things as they would have happened as you run through the essays. The word limit for Carey was around 700 words per essay whereas for McCombs it gradually reduced from 900 to 350. This is expected to give a decent idea of me as a person to the adcom. Hope they are able to figure it out!

I am finding that the essay writing is getting more familiar as I progress with the schools one by one. The goals, career progression, etc. are taking firm roots now and coming easy on the paper. Now that the ideas are strong, it is just a matter of putting the right words to take care of the word limit – the gist remains the same – and half the essays are done! Hope most of my friends out there also second my opinion.

The idea of applying to a safe school is still at bay and I have decided to take the risk – afterall reach schools are something you ought to get into now that you have what it takes!!

Feeling half as good half way and awaiting to finish by taking the breaks (and brakes ) on the way! Njoi! ATB!

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I’m at the moment on a bus that has internet.  Now, we may not have high speed rail in America, our bridges may be on the verge of collapse, our 60-year old crumbling interstate highways may be over capacity with all our 12mpg SUVs, but we have buses with internet.  That’s 21st century.  Take that, Europe!

I’m taking this bus to visit some dear friends but also to attempt to defraud the French visa process by applying at a less meticulous consulate than the one in my current city.  When applying for the Visa, it’s not enough that you have to fill out multiple applications, notorize statements that your parents will support to the tune of $600 per month (what does 400 EUR/month get you these days?  a baguette?), plus provide their bank statement, take copies of your college diploma in addition to copies of your INSEAD admission letter (that one, with the typo about the tuition amount).  Blah blah blah…

You also have to register with a delightful organization called Campus France.  They help you pick out a program to attend!  

That’s great, you say, but I already have a program to attend.  

Oh, in that case, we’ll just take your money.  In fact, we’ll double the amount.  

As far as I can tell, Campus France is geared toward high school and college kids who are going on a year abroad.  This organization asks you to list all of your grades (since high school), list your awards and write essays about why you want to study abroad in France.  It wouldn’t be quite so painful, if the forms you had to fill out didn’t require another 5 page document just to decipher it and all the error messages didn’t come up in French.  ”Next click on icon of pencil,”  then “click on paperclip”  Do you remember what internet used to be like back in the days when we had all-numeric addresses? 104621.1250@compuserve.com?  Well, that form may have been created by the same genius designers writing code for Compuserve.  And the best part, is that after you write essays about your future aspirations in a sort of omniscient future tense, you get to send Campus France a money order for $120 and wait two weeks to get a response.  A money order?  I thought money orders were for people who bought things on late-night QVC.  

It’s not the expense of it.  When spending 50K EUR on tuition, I’m not really worried about $120 for Campus France here, $700 for medical insurance there, some $2K for business attire and accessories.  The fee is small change.   It’s the principle of it all – an organization created with no other purpose than to take money without providing a single service.

I’m done ranting.  All better now.

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By Laura Milligan

If you’re in the midst of your MBA application, you’re probably swamped by rankings, school comparisons, essay writing, letters of recommendation, and even more headaches. We’re urging you to take one step back, breathe deeply, and browse this list before diving back in. Below are 100 tips and resources to keep you organized and on top of it all.

Rankings and Research

Take school rankings with a grain of salt, but they can be useful when picking back-up schools and evaluating your chances of getting in.

1. Business School and MBA Surveys: Read reviews of business schools like University of Virginia, Purdue, Yale, UT Austin and others.
2. Choosing a Business School: This resource has tips for researching full-time programs, part-time programs, accelerated and Executive MBA programs.
3. Rankings and Admission Criteria: Review percent of applicants accepted, average GMAT score and average student age for schools like MIT, Duke, University of Chicago and more in this chart.
4. Business Schools: BusinessWeek’s rankings are well-respected. Check to see how they rank your top school.
5. Best Business Schools 2008: Get stats of top business schools from U.S. News and World Report here.
6. The Best Part-Time MBA Programs: Going to business school doesn’t mean that you have to quit your job and try to get into Harvard. Here’s a look at the top part-time programs at places like Indiana University and Rollins.
7. Business School Diversity Profiles: Find out which of the top schools offer the best diversity.
8. Best distance-learning MBAs: The Economist lists international distance-learning programs from Open University and IE Business School as its top choices.
9. How do you research programs?: The Wharton Business School has put together this tips guide for researching business schools and programs.
10. Quick Search: Business Programs: The Princeton Review publishes this very useful directory as well as its guide to the rankings.

GMAT Tips

Check out our GMAT tips below.

1. GMAT Score: Before you take the test, understand how it’s scored and what score you’ll need to get into your top school.
2. Build up your floor: Your floor is the level of questions you can consistently answer correctly. Practice easier questions first.
3. Pay attention to the first questions: Your answers to the first few questions of each section are used to determine your level of difficulty, so take your time on these.
4. Don’t fill in guesses randomly: This technique actually counts against you, so West.net recommends that you “try to eliminate at least one answer choice before you confirm your response.”
5. Advice on Test Preparation: Learn how to focus on only certain areas, and don’t over prepare yourself.
6. GMAT Math: Achieve a Top Score: Learn how to get a better math score here.
7. GMAT Tips: The Numbers Game: Don’t look for trick questions on the GMAT: everything is supposed to be pretty straightforward.
8. Need-to-Know GMAT Tips and Strategies: Get tips for reading comprehension, data sufficiency questions and more here.
9. GMAT Prep Resources Hacks: Use study guides like the ones found on this list to familiarize yourself with the format of the test beforehand.
10. Take a practice test: Learn the format and prep yourself with practice questions to make yourself feel more comfortable with the GMAT.

Important Dates

Don’t miss the test! Here are links to keeping your dates straight.

1. Take the GMAT: Schedule the GMAT using these tools.
2. Clear Admit application deadlines: This blog posts upcoming application deadlines in its left sidebar.

Standing Out

For help figuring out how to stand out from the rest of the applicants, take a look at this list.

1. The Admissions Office Finds Facebook: This article explains how admissions offices “are seeking applicants through social networking sites,” so clean up your profile.
2. How to get into a top MBA program: This About.com article offers advice from admissions representatives from schools like Columbia, UT and others.
3. Understand what sets you apart: Admissions reps want to know how you’re different, so take some time to figure out what it is that makes you different from everyone else, like your family background, small business story or something else.
4. How B-Schools Catch Resume Liars: If you think no one will catch the way you padded your resume, think again. It’s best to be honest.
5. Don’t be shy: The admissions process can be cutthroat, so don’t be shy about sharing your story, speaking up during an interview or acknowledging your racial or ethnic background.
6. Have a clear, specific plan for post graduation: If you want to go to a business school in order to network and learn the skills you need to start your own cosmetics line, put that in your essay and include it in your interview. The more specific, the more you stand out.
7. Letters of recommendation: These can really help your cause, so pick people who know you really well and who believe in your potential.
8. Write a winning essay: Your essay may be one of the most important factors in your entire application process, so make sure it’s error-free, well-organized, and personal.

Tools for Staying Organized

From calendars to practice tests, these tools will keep you better organized.

1. MBA Depot: Use this website to keep track of your choice schools and more.
2. HipCal: HipCal is a great little web-based calendar, address book and alert system that can help you keep track of study time, exam dates and more.
3. Check Seat Availability: Use this tool to preview testing centers before you register.
4. GMAT Practice Tests: GMATCAT.com’s free sample questions are a great help for nervous test takers.
5. Study Suggestions: MBA.com, the website for the Graduate Management Admission Council, has lots of suggestions and tips here.
6. Timing your application: Check out this guide that has tips for planning out the best time to submit your application.

Your Application

Below are tips for cleaning up your application and making sure it’s error-free.

1. Make copies: Before marking up the original, make sure you can make copies or print out several editions so that you won’t have to scratch through or white-out your mistakes.
2. Triple check each question and box: It’s absolutely important that you don’t leave anything blank.
3. Remember your name: Don’t forget your name and/or signature!
4. If you have bad handwriting, type it: Type in your answers if you have terrible, illegible handwriting.

Scholarships and Grants

Part of the admissions process is evaluating what kind of financial aid you need and where you can find it. Read our tips below for help locating scholarships and grants.

1. How to Go to Business School for Free: Don’t discount options like full tuition and hefty grants.
2. Funding and Scholarships: Read tips for evaluating your financial need here.
3. FastWeb: This site lists all kinds of scholarship information that will help you pay for business school.
4. National Association of Women MBAs: Women MBA hopefuls should consider applying for this scholarship.
5. National Black MBA Scholarship Programs: African American applicants may want to apply for assistance through the National Black MBA Association, Inc.
6. NSH MBA: The National Society of Hispanic MBAs also has scholarship programs for Hispanic students going to business school.
7. Scholarships.com: Search by school or scholarship to find the best solution for your needs on this site.
8. FAFSA: You can find federal aid for graduate school, too.
9. Paying for Your MBA: School-Based and Federal Aid: Learn about these two types of MBA tuition assistance here.
10. 4 Things to Know About Receiving Tuition Reimbursement from Your Employer: Getting your boss to pay for your MBA is very tempting, but make sure you’re aware of all the loopholes and fine print first.

Evaluating Your Skills and Experience

From preparing for interviews to asking for letters of recommendation to finding the best MBA program for you, we’ve got a lot of advice and resources to help you evaluate your skills and experience.

1. Career Planning: Learn how to identify your skills using this guide.
2. Leadership Skills Assessment Questionnaire: Rate your leadership skills to help you design your resume and application.
3. How Schools Evaluate Your Application: By understanding how admissions departments analyze your application, you’ll have a better feel for what to include and what to leave out.
4. Personal and Professional Career Assessment: The Harvard Business School has put together this resource to help students identify their strengths, goals and career goals.
5. SMU Admissions Criteria: Here you’ll find plenty of admissions tips as well as gain insight into the kinds of skills and experience candidates are expected to have when they apply to a respected MBA program.
6. Credit for Work Experience: If you’ve already put in many years in the business sector, you might be able to enroll in a program with some credits already satisfied.
7. HBS Gives Advice on Letters of Recommendation: Learn what to ask for when you request letters of recommendation.
8. Work after your undergraduate degree: Most competitive business schools, including international schools require, or at least prefer, their incoming students have a few years of experience working in a business environment.
9. Foundation Skills: Use this resource from The Career Key to better evaluate your marketable skills.
10. Are You Ready for an MBA?: Before you even start researching schools, ask yourself if you’re ready to take the next step and if you’re at the right place in your life to go back to school.
11. Work Experience: Learn “what your work experience says about you” and how others view your experience.

Essays and Interviews

Follow these links to even more tips about acing the interview and writing a winning essay.

1. Application Tips from the MBA Class of 2008: Stanford MBA students share tips in this video.
2. MBA Admissions Essays: Learn strategies for successful essay writing here.
3. Look at Your Competition: Before heading into an interview or writing your essay, anticipate how your competition is going to try to stand out.
4. MBA Admissions Interview: Tips, Sample Questions, Feedback: Access sample interview questions that will help you prepare.
5. Sample MBA Application Essays: Read examples of four types of essays: the background essay, the goals essay, the personal essay and the example of what not to write.
6. MBA Admissions Interview Tips: Before going to an interview, learn how to set your own communication objectives and speak coherently.
7. Write for Acceptance: Consider taking an essay-writing class or getting professional help designing your MBA essay.
8. Application Essay Dos and Donts: Listed in this guide are 20 different dos and donts for MBA application essay writing.
9. Essays: MBA.com’s resource features a list of things all essays should consider and important points to remember when crafting your MBA admissions essay.
10. Admissions Interview Tips: Click on a specific business school to find out what kinds of interview questions they typically ask.

Articles and Guides

This list includes tips about tweaking your resume, analyzing your GPA, and more.

1. MBA Admissions Resume: Read this guide to learn about the characteristics of a good resume.
2. GMAT Test-taker Rights and Responsibilities: You’ll need to familiarize yourself with your rights before taking the tests.
3. Recipe for Disaster: Application Mistakes You Want to Avoid: Learn what not to do when you read this guide.
4. Academic Record: Know how admissions offices will regard your academic record and GPA.
5. Letters of Recommendation: Kaplan shares more tips for making your letter of recommendation personal.
6. MBA Admissions: Low GMAT or GPA: Learn how to address a low GMAT score or GPA during the applications process by reading over this guide.
7. Managing Your Offers: Get tips on what to do when you’re rejected, admitted and deferred.
8. How Important is Your GMAT Score?: If you’re a nervous test taker, read this guide to get a more realistic idea of how much your score matters.
9. Admissions to Business School: Yahoo! Education’s guide to applying to business school lists top schools and admission statistics, and gives you insight into the competition.
10. Glossary of Terms: Look up business school terms to make your application process easier.

Forums and Blogs

Turn to these resources for advice from the people who’ve already been there.

1. GMAT Hacks: This blog has daily tips for cracking the GMAT.
2. MBA Forums: Check out what MBA students are saying to get an impression of what you’ll really encounter in business school.
3. MBA Zone: Categories and threads here include “What are my chances?” and “Application questions.”
4. BW Business Schools: BusinessWeek’s forum includes discussions about going back to school, early decision and more.
5. Beat the GMAT: Get tips for acing GMAT strategy, math and verbal sections.
6. GMATClub: Here’s another forum for cracking the GMAT.
7. Veritas Prep: The blog for the Veritas organization has tips on essay writing and more.
8. MBA Admissions Wire: MBA applicants can find plenty of advice and links here.
9. Journey to my MBA: Get tips on the TOEFL, interviews and more on this blog.
10. The MBA Insider’s Blog: UCLA Anderson School of Management offers up plenty of tips and news for its programs.

General Tips

Our last list features a round-up of tips that can help you organize your admissions process.

1. Know why you want to go to business school: This question will come up in your essay, interviews, and everywhere else in the admissions process. Expressing a clear set of goals for how business school will affect you personally is what deans and presidents want to hear.
2. Be thorough: Be thorough with your research, tracking down teachers who can write your recommendations, evaluating your skills, and reviewing your application.
3. Be honest: Admissions directors conduct background checks, so if you lie on your application, you’ll be disqualified immediately.
4. Pick a backup school: It’s the same rule as college, but even more necessary now, since MBA schools are even more competitive. Have a backup school waiting in the wings in case you don’t get in to your first choice.
5. Emphasize Your Leadership Skills: Business schools have an invested interested in how well you can demonstrate leadership skills before, during and after you earn your MBA.
6. Proactively Address Academic Gaps: Make sure all of your prerequisites and transcripts are in order.
7. Every Contact Counts: Don’t blow off an interview or make a rude phone call. Know that every contact with your business school counts.
8. Visit the campus: This shows the school how interested you are and gives you a better idea of how you think you’ll fit in.
9. Prepare adequately for the GMAT: Take practice tests, understand the format, and of course, get a good night’s sleep and eat breakfast before the exam!

For more information and FREE online practice tests visit www.tenaday.in

Source: http://www.bschool.com/blog/2008/100-best-mba-admission-tips-all-in-one-list/

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