As you can see the changes are somewhere between slight and miniscule.  Larger jumps and changes occurred outside the top 10, but the statistical significance of these changes becomes questionable due to fewer responses farther down the list.

And how “reliable” are these rankings? Wait a bit. We’ll be writing more on that.

By Linda Abraham, president and founder of Accepted.com and co-author of the new, definitive book on MBA admissions, MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools.

First of all, for those of you never heard of Tim Tebow, he is the Denver Broncos’ quarterback, who has sporadically played phenomenal (I’m told) football – even if many don’t consider him a great quarterback. He is also a devout evangelical Christian, who after scoring gets down on bended knee, bows his head, and thanks God. His public displays of piety have garnered as much attention as his playing.

Naturally not everyone agrees with his religious views or his compulsion to display them, but there does seem to be admiration, sometimes grudging and sometimes gushing, for his desire to walk the walk of his faith. He strives to be a giving, decent person, to take responsibility for himself, and to express appreciation for assistance be it divine or mortal.

Our celebrities and leaders frequently fail as heroes or role models.  Tim Tebow is – at least so far — a refreshing contrast.

Regardless of his longer term impact and consistency, and regardless of whether you find Tebow nauseating or inspiring, what can you as an applicant learn from the Tebow phenomenon? Should you kneel when meeting an admission officer? When you get accepted?

No. Genuflection is not necessary.  Devotional displays are not required. Faith isn’t a factor. It’s the stuff behind the bended knee that can help you in the admission process, specifically:

1. Appreciation. No one has to admit you or even give your application the time of day. Appreciate the efforts of the admissions readers, interviewers, and evaluators. Send your interviewer a thank you note. If you get waitlisted, thank the school for its continued consideration. If someone –anyone — assists you, say “thank you.” It makes a difference.
2. Show that you live your values. This is most important in an essay like Stanford GSB’s “What matters to you most and why?” but you should show that you “walk the walk” throughout your essays and interviews.
3. Convey integrity and trustworthiness. The Wall St Journal’s video, is entitled “Tim Tebow: Denver’s New Favorite Mensch.” And Tebow comes across as a mensch, a mature, upright, responsible person of integrity. You need to create the same impression whether you are talking to a clerk, shaking hands with the Director of Admissions, or relating a story in your essays.

It goes without saying that these qualities are almost impossible to convey if you don’t have them. However, nurturing them is still easier than faking them. Final bonus: these attributes will help you well beyond your receipt of an admissions decision.

By Linda Abraham, Founder of Accepted.com and author of MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools.

Article first published as Tim Tebow: Three Lessons College Applicants Can Learn from the Football Phenomenon on Technorati.

Poets and Quants

For the second year in a row Harvard Business School was named the top MBA program in the US, with Stanford Graduate School of Business coming in second, University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business coming in third, University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School coming in fourth and Columbia Business School claiming the fifth spot.

John Byrne, editor-in-chief of Poets and Quants, explained that each of the rankings has a different level of impact on the P&Q rankings: “BusinessWeek, U.S. News and Forbes each have a weight of 25%. The FT is at 15% and The Economist is at 10%.” Basically, the P&Q ranking is a weighted average of all the rankings. Byrne believes that by combining these rankings in “a system that takes into account each of their strengths as well as their flaws,” P&Q can create the ideal ranking system void of the “anomalies” and “statistical distortions” of the other rankings.

Yet, developing a weighted average of a bunch of flawed stats does not compensate, much less eliminate, those flaws. In the end, P&Q rankings are guilty of the same mistakes as the rankings they criticize. Their one redeeming quality is that Poets and Quants publishes the index scores on which their composite rankings are based, giving readers the ability to decide how meaningful the differences in ranking are to them.

The data provided by P&Q (as well as the individual rankings that constitute P&Q’s) is far more valuable than the actual rankings. Averages frequently hide what’s important – like salaries in a particular region or field, or admissions stats for different test scores, qualifications and groups. But with the index scores applicants can prioritize what they are looking for in schools and then see how high specific schools scored in those categories.

Bottom line: You need to do your own ranking based on your own values, not a weighted average of others’ values.

Here are a few posts, articles, and resources that proved particularly popular:

Top Ten Most Visited Accepted Admissions Blog Posts of 2011

1. Harvard Business School 2012 Essay Questions, Deadlines, Tips
2. INSEAD 2012 MBA Application Questions, Deadlines, Tips
3. London Business School 2012 MBA Application Questions, Deadlines, Tips
4. 2011 Rankings: BW’s Best Undergraduate Business Schools
5. NYU Stern 2012 MBA Application Questions, Deadlines, Tips
6. Kellogg 2012 MBA Application Questions, Deadlines, Tips
7. Columbia 2012 MBA Application Questions, Deadlines, Tips
8. 2012 Common Application Essay Tips
9. Stanford GSB 2012 MBA Application Questions, Deadlines, Tips
10. Chicago Booth 2012 MBA Application Questions, Deadlines, Tips

5 Most Downloaded Special Reports of 2011

1. 5 Fatal Flaws to Avoid
2. From Example to Exemplary
3. Best MBA Programs: A Guide to Selecting the Right One
4. Leadership in Admissions
5. MBA Rankings: What You Need to Know

5 Most Popular Articles

1. Writing Your Grad School Personal Statement
2. Go for the Goals in Your Statement of Purpose
3. Tips for Writing Letters of Recommendation
4. MBA Admissions: Low GMAT or GPA
5. The Letters of Rec Too?!?

6 Most Viewed Webinars

1. AMCAS Essays for Acceptance
2. Law School Personal Statements with Pizzazz
3. Highlighting Your Strengths in the Common Application
4. MBA Reality Check: Evaluate Your Profile for Acceptance
5. 4 Essentials in an Executive MBA Application
6. The Art of a Gripping MBA Goals Essay

5 Most Visited Chats Pages:

1. Duke NUS Medical School Admissions Q&A
2. Consortium 2011 MBA Application Strategies (2012 version is here.)
3. 2011 London Business School MBA/MiF Admissions Chat (2012 version is here)
4. 2012 INSEAD MBA Admissions Q&A 
5. 2011 Columbia MBA Admissions Q&A

With the year drawing to a close, I have a request. We moved to a new blogging platform in September, and since then, you folks have really stopped asking us questions. On the old blog, we frequently received profile evaluation requests and “what are my chances?” questions on school tip posts. We welcome them! And miss them in our new abode.  Don’t be shy. If you have a question or would like your profile evaluated, just ask.

And what’s the mostest of the mostest at Accepted? The absolute best? YOU! Our readers, followers, circlers, fans, friends, participants, and most of all, our clients. Thanks for a wonderful 2011.

By Linda Abraham, founder and president of Accepted.com, co-author of MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools.

Applicants, learn the 5 fatal flaws to avoid in your application essay, statement of purpose, personal statement, or secondary essay with our FREE special report, 5 Fatal Flaws.

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Look no further – the MBA book of all books is here, MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools, written by Accepted.com founder, Linda Abraham, and editor Judy Gruen. And now, for a very limited time only (Monday, Dec. 5 – Tuesday, Dec. 6) you can purchase this must-have book for $10 OFF the cover price by using coupon code SMARTIES at checkout. That’s almost 2/3 off the list price!

In MBA Admission for Smarties you will learn how to:

• Determine “fit” with a program.
• Establish your post-MBA goals and present them in a compelling goals essay.
• Write dazzling, memorable application essays.
• Secure winning letters of recommendation.
• Optimize your MBA application resume.

…and much, much more!

So what are you waiting for?

Be smart. Buy MBA Admission for Smarties now!

(Non-U.S. residents should buy MBA Admission for Smarties from Amazon.com where international shipping is available. Sorry – no coupon available to ship outside the U.S.)

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Stanford Sloan Master’s in Management 2012 Essay Questions

These three straightforward questions are comprehensive and wide ranging in effect. They give the Stanford Sloan MiM adcom both factual information about you such as your current work responsibilities, your goals, and details of work experiences, and also insight into your thought process, self-evaluation skills, and ability to synthesize and draw conclusions. The questions reflect the adcom’s interest in admitting people with the requisite experience who are movers-and-shakers in their current context and who will be path-breaking leaders in the future. While no work or page length is specified, the instructions say to “use separate sheets of paper to answer the following questions.”

When I reflect on our many successful Stanford clients, initiative in the face of need is the common thread among them. They are always the ones who revealed, especially in Essay A, that they do not turn away or see a problem or need for action. They grab the initiative when they recognize an opportunity to contribute. They are comfortable expressing emotion and their values, and their actions reflect both, but particularly the latter. Think purpose-driven, principle-driven lives. 

Essay 1: Tell us about your current duties and responsibilities, including references to the total number of people you supervise and/or the amount of assets you manage. Describe one or two of your major accomplishments and explain why they are meaningful to you.

In describing duties and responsibilities, focus on those that have a higher level component and/or large scale. Be selective; don’t detail every single thing you are responsible for. Also, do highlight the breadth of your work – include your people management (not just number of reports but their professional levels and scope), strategic role, operational role, key decision-making responsibilities, P&L responsibility, global involvement. In selecting accomplishments, I suggest using two, ideally representing different types of skills/capabilities. At least one should be fairly recent. In describing why they are meaningful to you, avoid generalities like “from this experience I learned how to lead large global teams” – to make this statement meaningful you’d add some words about exactly HOW you DO lead large global teams.

Essay 2: What educational and personal objectives do you hope to satisfy through the Sloan Program? What type and level of work do you expect to be engaged in five years from now?

This essay will show that you are focused and that your objectives align with the program’s offerings. You might start sketching your answer by addressing the last part first (regardless of how you structure your final essay) – clarifying your professional plans for five years hence will reveal development needs both educational and personal. Describing that target role and industry, you will naturally see the challenges of getting from where you are now to that future place and doing it well. These developmental needs create your educational and personal objectives. Finally, discuss in concrete terms how the Sloan program will address them, providing details and examples.

Essay 3: Describe a situation that challenged your leadership skills and explain what you learned about your strengths and weaknesses.

The bulk of this essay should be a straightforward narrative – tell the story of a time when your leadership skills were challenged. In selecting the content, keep in mind the accomplishments you discussed in essay 1 in order to avoid redundancy. This essay provides another opportunity to show you working in an interesting context, dealing with high level and/or high stakes issues, interacting with significant decision makers. Conclude the essay with a frank discussion – don’t focus only on strengths and skim over weaknesses. Show how learning about the stated weakness has helped you by providing a very brief (even one sentence) example of how you’ve applied that learning. Alternatively, you can link the weakness to the objectives in the previous essay. 

Deadline: December 15, 2011

Decisions by: mid-January 2012

If you would like professional guidance with your Stanford Sloan MiM essays, please consider Accepted’s MBA essay editing and MBA admissions consulting.

By Cindy Tokumitsu, co-author of The EMBA Edge, and author of the free special report, “Ace the EMBA.”

Statement of Objectives: What are your immediate and ultimate professional objectives for attending the program. Specifically, please indicate how your objectives fit with the purposes of the MIT Sloan Fellows Program in Innovation and Global Leadership and indicate what you would contribute to the Sloan Fellows community. (500 words or less, limited to one page)

Translation: What do you want to do immediately after attending the Sloan Fellows program and farther into the future that requires you to attend the Sloan Fellows Program in Innovation and Global Leadership?

Clearly you will need to know about the Sloan Fellows Program’s goals and objectives. Realize that the long name is there for a reason. It reveals the program’s purpose. Do you need to know about “Innovation and Global Leadership”? You should be able to demonstrate that you need those skills to achieve your goals.

For further insight into the MIT Sloan Fellows Program in Innovation and Global Leadership, please see my 2010 interview with Stephen Sacca, Director of the MIT Sloan Fellows Program.

Essay 1: Discuss a defining experience in your development as a leader. How did this experience demonstrate your strengths and weaknesses? (500 words or less, limited to one page)

Choose your crowning leadership example and briefly provide some of the challenges you faced, how you handled them, and the impact of your leadership. Make sure you answer the last part of the question. Focus on the strengths, but please show the maturity and self-awareness to honestly reveal a weakness — one that the Sloan Fellows Program may actually help you address.

Essay 2: Discuss a time when you made an unpopular decision. What did you learn from the experience? (500 words or less, limited to one page)

Leadership and innovation frequently cause the person in charge to take an unpopular position. Advocating change (innovating) is frequently opposed. When have you faced such flack? What did you learn that will improve your ability to spearhead in the face of human headwinds?

Please answer only ONE of the next two essays.

First of wall which of these options should you choose? The one that allows you to write most easily and with the most enthusiasm; the one that will produce an essay that complements the other essays and information found in your application. You want your each essay to add value.

Essay 3: Please give an example of when you were part of a high or low performing team. Describe your position in the team and how you contributed to making it successful, or if low performing, what actions you did take (or, in retrospect, would have taken) to improve the performance. (500 words or less, limited to one page)

This question is about impact in a team setting.  Whether the team was performing well or poorly, describe the story of your team. What challenges did it face? How did you help it meet those challenges? Or, what should you have done?

OR

Essay 4: Please give an example of a significant innovation (product or process) that you developed for your organization. (500 words or less, limited to one page)

This is a pretty straightforward question and actually gives you a little room to go in a direction of your choosing, as long as you reveal how you innovated for your organization. You could start with the innovation or with the problem that propelled an innovative solution. Discuss some of the challenges you faced, how you resolved them, and ultimately the impact of your innovation.

MIT Sloan Fellows 2012 Deadlines

The application deadlines for the next MIT Sloan Fellows class are:

• November 15, for non-U.S. citizens and U.S. citizens currently residing outside of the United States.
• January 16, for U.S. citizens currently residing in the United States.

Admissions decisions will be announced before March 31, 2012.

If you would like help with your MIT Sloan Fellows application, please consider Accepted’s EMBA essay editing and EMBA admissions consulting or our MIT Sloan Fellows Packages, which include advising, editing, interview coaching, and a resume edit for the MIT Sloan Fellows application.

By Linda Abraham, President and Founder of Accepted.com.

Check out more 2012 EMBA application tips!

When one applies to business school they typically worry about whether they have enough work experience under their belt, or whether they can compete with Ivy League graduates and 4.0 GPAs.  But statistics show that since the financial crisis MBA programs are no longer looking for cookie cutter students. “Diversity” is the name of the game.

An article in the Financial Times (“Variety is the Spice of Life”) looks at how recruiters are now focusing on finding all different kinds of students to enroll in their MBA programs.  Schools like Harvard, Wharton and Stanford are enrolling fewer investment bankers and more women, entrepreneurs, military personnel, environmentalists and not-for-profit managers in future classes. In fact, only 12%-14% of the admitted students at Harvard and Wharton in 2011 had investment banking backgrounds.

Even the average age of incoming MBA students is changing! The typical incoming Harvard Business School student is now 27, up from 26 a year ago.  

Wharton is also working to diversify its student body. Ankur Kumar, deputy director of admissions at Wharton, explains, “This has been a focal point for the past few years. We wanted to dispel some of the stereotypes and misconceptions [about MBA programs].” Wharton has gone so far as to reach out to high school students and teach them about the importance of a business education.

Stanford has even developed its own approach to incorporating diversity into its program. The school has ensured that one in six accepted MBA students is studying for another degree alongside their MBA.
Although American schools still need to incorporate more international students into their student body (Wharton is only 36% international and Harvard is only 34%), the MBA programs have made enormous strides towards accepting more women, applicants in a wider age range, and out-of-the-professional-box MBA candidates. This openness to diversity, if not commitment to wider definition of diversity, allows future applicants to think more creatively about how to market themselves to business schools.  Getting into MBA programs no longer requires fitting into the investment banking mold, but is more about breaking the mold altogether.

I have seen several articles about the increasing diversity of accepted MBA applicants and we have seen less emphasis on the classic professions with our clients as well. I recently spoke, however, to one admissions director who told me that this openness is driven as much by a change in the applicant pool as by the increased openness touted in this article.

Since the financial crisis and the subsequent layoffs of a few years ago, there are fewer investment bankers, and there are fewer investment bankers applying to MBA programs. There were also fewer college grads hired into investment banking in 2008 and 2009. But over the next few years members of those college classes will apply in increasing numbers. It will be very interesting to see if the trend discussed in this article represents a real increased commitment to professional diversity in MBA admissions, or simply a response to necessity combined with spin.

If the latter, investment bankers will once again have the inside track, and we’ll read that an MBA is a typical stop on the investment banking career track; if the former, professional diversity will continue to reign.

By Linda Abraham, President and Founder of Accepted.com

Photo credit: lju photo

US News is at it again!  The magazine’s newest top ten list is the top 10 Business Schools That Receive the Most Full-Time Applications. Not surprisingly, almost all the top 10 programs listed in US News’s rankings of the best business schools were also on the list of the top 10 business schools that received the most applications for full-time admissions in the 2010-2011 academic year (Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business was the only exception).

A total of 261 business schools provided US News with application data. On average, programs received 525 applications for admission.  But Harvard Business School surpassed them all with 9,524 applications, 32% more than the Stanford Graduate School of Business, which received the second highest number of applications.

However, the US News data does not reveal the number of students accepted into the class, making application numbers misleading. For example, Stanford has a class of fewer than 400, whereas Harvard’s class size is approximately 930. These statistics are also just a close approximation of the upcoming US News’ top 10.

Other schools that made the list of “the 10 business schools that received the most applications for full-time admission in 2010” were: University of Pennsylvania (Wharton),  Columbia University, Northwestern University (Kellogg), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan), New York University (Stern), University of Chicago (Booth), University of California—Berkeley (Haas), and Duke University (Fuqua).

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Photo credit: lotyloty