Essay Snark

Opportunity lost.

2012-02-24T05:39:00.036-08:00

More than one BSer is in this position -- in fact, it's been happening more and more these days, due to the limited supply of some types of MBA programs and the oversupply of others:

You apply to Really Good School for their full-time MBA program.

Because you're older, and maybe because you're from an oversubscribed candidate pool, or in some other way you're just not quite exactly a perfect match for them -- or, in the case of Columbia, you're in NYC -- they are unwilling to offer you a slot. BUMMER!!

But hold up! They think you have something going for you! They're willing to consider you for their Executive MBA!! Or maybe the P/T MBA -- we've seen that happen at one school lately too.

This is a good thing. Yes it sucks, it's not what you were targeting. You wanted the full-time immersive whole enchilada full monty of an MBA.

However, if they are offering you this other opportunity, you might want to think carefully about it before telling them to take a hike.

AND MOST ESPECIALLY: If all they are offering at this juncture is the opportunity to INTERVIEW with this other program -- you should DEFINITELY think twice before turning them down.

Three reasons:

1. It will give you more experience - you can never have too much experience when it comes to interviewing!!!
2. You never know where you'll end up with the other applications; it can always be nice to have a card in your pocket!
3. If you don't get an offer, some schools will give feedback later on -- but they most likely would not do so if you turn down the interview

And another is... It's free! What's the reason not to?? OK you wanted a pizza, and they're offering a chicken sandwich. But you're hungry, aren't you?

You are not committing to anything by agreeing to being considered for the EMBA or P/T or whatever program you feel is not what you want. Going through the interview process is no sacrifice to you, and you might actually LEARN SOMETHING from the experience.

And, you might end up coming out the other side of this whole ordeal of a gazillion apps and maybe multiple years devoted to it with just that one offer left standing. (Hate to be a downer but it might happen.)

We agree, the EMBA is not the same as the F/T program, in terms of experience, in terms of cost, in terms of what your cohort may be like. The P/T program is not the same as the F/T for a few of those reasons, but mostly because of quality of life and how long it takes (though the ROI may be better due to the lower opportunity cost). But the EMBA might be the best you can do -- and some of these EMBAs are really quite good. They ALL offer you that MBA education which, right now, you claim to want, and do not have.

Options are always good. Why close yourself off when you don't know how this particular chapter might play out?

The BSer's Dilemma (Part 4)

2012-02-23T05:32:00.082-08:00

Had no idea we were gonna belabor this series quite this long but we had another question -- which honestly we don't quite understand -- and we figured we needed to spell things out once again.

ES I still don't feel very good if I had to regret an acceptance. It's definitely not a ED offer.But still...

We started to reply to this in the comments where it originated but we found ourselves going on a little long... thus, another post.

Here's what we started to say:

@Anonymous, can you explain exactly what you would "regret"?? This is puzzling.

1) You applied to this school because you wanted to go there
2) They accepted you - huzzah!!
3) Now you accept them by paying the deposit.

If another "better" school comes along later and also says YES! to you, then there is no problem, ethical or otherwise, to go back to your first school and say "Thanks but no thanks" and proceed along with the "better" school.

What are we missing? Where is there any "regret" here?

Sure, if you are an honorable person, and we hope you all are, it may feel a little weird going back to the first school with an "I changed my mind" message. Might be slightly uncomfortable. Perhaps it's not a conversation that you really want to have, maybe you'll stumble over your words a little on the phone with them. But they get this all the time, every year. You're not doing anything wrong.They will hang up the phone with you, cross you off their list, and go on to the next student... you will not linger in their mind like some complete a$$hole who they then gossip about with their admissions buddies at the water cooler for the next three days.

And circling back to the "regret" issue...

Don'tchya think there might be slightly more "regret" in almost every other possible outcome here?

Here's what ELSE could happen:

A. You pass on first school -- and better school does not admit you. You're left with No School.
B. You accept first school -- and better school DOES admit you -- and you say "no" to them because you already said yes to first school and you have this misplaced sense of obligation.
C. You accept first school, and even go so far as withdrawing your application from better school -- and you'll NEVER KNOW if they were gonna accept you or not.

We're guessing there would be tremendous feelings of regret down the road in any of those scenarios.

This is, by the way, NOT the same situation as looking for a job. Sometimes, people get one job offer from a company they sorta like, and they're still in the interview process for another job that they really like... and they don't know what to do. The first job wants an answer, stat.

If they accept the first job, and then continue to interview, and end up with an offer from the other job -- it's pretty darn slimey to re-neg after accepting the first offer in order to accept the second.

This of course is just EssaySnark's opinion, but we see these as different situations.

WHY? Here's why:

Because there are LOTS of Brave Supplicants lined up behind you to take your place at the first school -- the cost to the school of filling your spot is marginal
Because you would have ALREADY PAID a deposit to the first school, which you're not getting back -- you essentially will be covering their costs (which are small) in going to their waitlist to find someone else who wants to go there

Basically, BSers are somewhat interchangeable, from the school's perspective; if they lose one, they always have another eager to take his place. This is not the same situation with a company hiring a skilled worker. If you accept a job offer, you absolutely should truly accept that job. You are a schmuck if you ditch out because a better deal came along. You would be costing the company actual money, and you run the risk of damaging your reputation in your industry.

EssaySnark cannot see how any damage to reputation could occur in this situation with the bschools.

Ethics of course are individual. If you really truly feel you would be a bad person to cancel your acceptance at that first school, then by all means do not do it!!! EssaySnark is not trying to dictate your decision-making here. And for the person who asked if there were "legal" issues with this, remember that EssaySnark went to business school, not to law school, so if you have questions on legalities of contract law, you really should speak with a qualified professional (but we highly doubt you'll get a different answer).

The Applicant-Friendliest Place on Earth

2012-02-22T05:23:00.000-08:00

We've sung the praises of the Tuck School up in the wilds of New Hampshire before.

But we recently saw their video post about waitlisted candidates and we're gonna do it again.

(Note: That white stuff on the ground outside the window behind her is SNOW, for those of you who've never seen the stuff before.)

If you're on the waitlist at Tuck, not only do they tell you WHEN you can expect to know more (you're gonna have to hang tight till May or so), but they also tell you what to do:

1. Be patient -- this applies to any waitlisted candidate at any school
2. Improve your profile -- try to secure that promotion that you've got pending, retake the GMAT if you think it's a weakness (Dawna doesn't exactly spell it out quite so distinctly but that's what she's saying here)
3. Wait for them to contact you -- they will reach out to you if there's something you can do to improve your profile.

That last one is the kicker: They will TELL YOU what's wrong with your candidacy.

Can't say we've ever heard of a school doing this before.

Tuck is one of the schools that will give feedback to waitlisted candidates who don't make it in -- usually they start offering this in the June/July timeframe. But to tell you what you need to fix while you're still under active consideration... well, that's just one big WOW.

Tuck has just earned the Gold Star of all Amazing Adcoms from this here 'Snark. Can you say "applicant-friendly"? Pretty impressive.

Quick interview tip

2012-02-21T07:10:00.002-08:00

So often, it's easier for us to learn when we see what not to do.

Today we offer one such example.

~~The below video~~* The video here from Forbes is absolutely worth watching for its very useful explanation of and insights about the INSEAD MBA experience:

[video was embedded; now video is simply linked; click here to view video in all its fullscreen glory]

It's also worth watching to learn something very important in the bschool interview experience -- or any interview experience at all, and that is POSTURE.

While this INSEAD dean has great things to say, and he appears articulate and competent, he is not presenting himself from a position of power, simply because he is slouching. Especially in the first half of that video, he's all kicked back and casual. He actually looks a little slovenly because of it, even with the suit and tie.

When you go for your uber-important bschool interview (or job interview, or anything interview!), you need to SIT UP STRAIGHT.

Your posture communicates many things. In a media interview like this one, the interview subject has the power in the room, and this INSEAD guy certainly didn't embarrass himself or the school simply because of how he was sitting.

When you're going for an interview as a candidate who's trying to get somewhere in life, where your job is to make a strong impression and communicate effectively, then slouching like this absolutely could knock you out of the running -- even if your answers were delivered flawlessly and you seemed otherwise well prepared.

The reason is simply this: You need to show confidence. You need to show that you're proud of yourself. And most importantly, you need to show interest.

If you are sitting all kicked-back and comfy in the chair, then you're both too informal (could even be perceived as a lack of respect), and you're too bored. Even if you're not, really -- even if you're both nervous as all get out and simultaneously fascinated and intrigued -- your body language will not be communicating that. It will negate all the positive practice and hard work you'd put into your application process to that point.

EssaySnark is guessing that his posture is an artifact of the chair he's in. If you find yourself in a laid-back, lean-back, or low-rise chair for your interview, then just compensate for that by sitting forward. There is no rule that says your back must touch the back of the chair. Play it on the edge, man. Lean forward a little. Show that you're awake and alive.

Every little thing MATTERS dammit. Present the full package of confidence and respect (balanced out with humility and maturity) and you will go a long way, baby.

We've got more interview tips elsewhere on the blahg. Want specific feedback on your presentation? Check out our comprehensive interviewing resources and sevices here.

* You would think, given the fact that YouTube and Blogger are owned by the same company, that the default settings of viewing a YouTube video in a Blogger blog post would work just fine. But no. The video appears offset and weird when it's published -- even though it doesn't look this way in the preview when we're putting the post together in the first place. Thanks again Blogger.

The BSer's Dilemma (Part 3)

2012-02-20T05:00:00.000-08:00

In earlier episodes, we learned about the harrowing trials and tribulations of our Brave Supplicants in distress!

Check out Part 1 and Part 2 of The BSer's Dilemma!

And now, for the fascinating conclusion of our tale!!

* * *

OK BSer do you really need us to spell this out for you??

This is what you can do:

Plunk down your deposit at School X, and wait and see what happens.

(This seems like the only real option you have, doesn't it??)

If School Y ends up accepting you too, then woo-hoo!! You got what you wanted, and you didn't risk anything, except a little hard-earned cash. Yes, you will be throwing away that School X deposit (they are typically nonrefundable). But you do want to be sitting in a bschool classroom in the fall, do you not? Consider it an insurance policy.

If School Y does not accept you, and you let the School X offer expire, well.... you sure will be kicking yourself then, won't you? If the School X deposit is like most schools', in the $2500 range, then this is not really a big deal in the grand scheme of things -- remember, the overall bschool nut is well over $100k.

There is no way that $2500 would compensate for the feeling of regret that would consume you if you let School X slide and then School Y does not pan out.

Now, you canNOT do this with any binding Early Action/Early Decision schools -- if they accept you, and it's a binding offer that you agreed to in advance, before you submitted your pretty little app, then you are morally obligated to accept that offer and go there. It does not matter if you subsequently applied to Harvard and now they say they want to interview you. (We have covered many times before that we think you're a schmuck if you reneg on a binding ED offer.)

For any other combination of Schools X and Y, then paying your deposit for the bird in hand is often a very logical and rational answer to the Oh No! dilemma around timing and commitment that you may be faced with right now. There is no problem with changing your mind and backing out of the School X acceptance later, if/when School Y does indeed offer you a spot as well. You are unlikely to see that deposit back from School X, but it's a small price to pay, in our opinion.

Or, if you're a betting man, you can just take the gamble. Let School X go, and roll those dice with School Y. Just don't come crying to us if School Y decides to take a pass on you in the end.

BTW: If anyone has any different experience with negotiating more time from School X, or getting an accelerated answer from School Y, please let us know!!! We've never seen it happen but that doesn't mean it can't.

The BSer's Dilemma (Part 2)

2012-02-17T06:53:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we laid out The BSers Dilemma -- it goes like this:

School X said yes.

But I want to go to School Y.

School X needs an answer now. School Y's decision date is still aways off.

What do I do?

Yesterday we told you that we doubt School X will give you an extension of time.

The other bright idea that BSers in this situation often have is, they decide that they will ask School Y to give them a final decision early.

So let's talk about that.

No wait -- we don't need to talk about it. Just think about it, would you?

Why would School Y do this?

They have planned out their admissions processes with thought and deliberation. They need a certain amount of time to go through all the applications and make their decisions. They've probably already squeezed as much time out of their cycles as they can. (We ranted on about this last week.) Why in heck would they make special accommodations for you -- or wait, to put it another way, Why in heck are you so special that they should expedite their decision just for you?? EVERYBODY wants their decision early. What's so awesome about you that they should do this?

Look at it from their perspective: They simply KNOW that if they were to grant this special consideration just once, that it would be all over the Internets and the blogs and the forums, and then EVERYONE would be calling up to demand it.

It would be like unleashing the furies.

And anyway, do you really think this will make you look good in their eyes? A top school simply does not care that you've been accepted elsewhere. You think you're such hot sh!t that they will want to fight for you?

This would never really happen but... if you force their hand, don't you think they might actually want to reject you? You seem to be a little high maintenance, that you deserve special consideration, that the regular rules don't apply to you. It would be way easier for them to be rid of such a problem child now. Let you go be someone else's hassle for two years.

EssaySnark does not think it's such a great idea to ask School Y for an accelerated decision (or, you can, but it's HIGHLY unlikely they will accommodate).

* * *

Not yet satisfied? Tune in on Monday for another gripping episode of The BSer's Dilemma (talk about a cliffhanger!).

The BSer's Dilemma (Part 1)

2012-02-16T06:24:00.000-08:00

Also known as "Aaargh why do they do this to me?!?"

Last week we had a question in the comments section about a common quandry that many lucky BSers find themselves in at this time of year -- though of course they don't feel all that lucky when they're grappling with this!

The situation is:

They applied to School X and School Y.

School X has accepted them (yay!).

But they really want to go to School Y. And now, School Y has asked them to interview (double-yay!). That's a very good sign. This BSer has something going on! It's exciting to be in this position.

The dilemma is that School X has an accept-our-offer deadline that comes BEFORE School Y's official decision release date.

Basically, the BSer is being asked to commit to School X before he knows his fate about School Y.

Here's a little secret: School X may have planned things this way. This is particularly true for schools outside the Top 10. They realize that they'll be overlooked in favor of schools of the Y caliber, and so they've laid out their acceptance schedule in exactly this manner, to get BSers to commit. They are always losing candidates to better-ranked programs, and this is one tactic they use to prevent some of that drain-off.

BSers in this situation frequently ask EssaySnark what to do. Can they get more time from School X to give their final decision? They are thinking they'll ask School X to give them an extension.

Why would School X grant this?

Basically this is what you are saying:

"I really really like you, but.... I'm sorta in love with this other girl. And if she comes around and says yes to me, then I'm gonna throw you to the curb. But if she doesn't, well, I guess I'd be happy to take you as my second choice."

School X knows that the reason you want more time is because you've got something else in the pipeline. Who are you kidding? Of course they know it.

EssaySnark does not think it's such a great idea to ask School X, who has said they want you, for more time to decide if you really want them after all.

* * *

Tune in tomorrow for another gripping episode of The BSer's Dilemma.

More on plagiarism.

2012-02-15T05:42:00.000-08:00

If you didn't see our post yesterday, you should go back and catch up.

We are talking about plagiarism. And how admissions teams now have a tool to detect it.

Yesterday we mentioned that a couple BSers who apparently don't follow us on Twitter had gotten all dramatic about this issue in posting comments on our blahg. One expressed his concern that an innocent Brave Supplicant who had an essay reviewed on the EssaySnark blahg might get somehow entrapped by this software and then rejected by the school.

There are a few problems with this fear, the first of which is, what the hell, do you think the adcoms are stupid or something??

OK let's break it down.

Here's how the plagiarism-detection works, as explained in those previous media articles:

1. In the Similarity Report that it generates, the Turnitin software tells the school where the identical text was found. They cite the source.

2. These newspaper articles where the adcoms are interviewed about how they use the software are all pretty darn clear (if you bother to read them): In the very small number of cases where an admissions essay gets a positive hit from the Turnitin software, the admissions people at the different schools basically all said they react the same way:

- First, they look at the report carefully and check out the sources where those hits appeared. There's an awful lot of positive hits from websites that have Steve Jobs quotes, for example. Because an awful lot of admissions essays have lame Steve Jobs quotes in them..

- If they cannot determine that it was a false positive through their own research, then they ask the applicant about it, and let the applicant explain.

They are clearly giving candidates the benefit of the doubt.

So, if an innocent BSer ends up on a Turnitin report saying that there's duplicative text in their essay and on the web -- and that text is duplicative because this same BSer had submitted an earlier draft to EssaySnark for a public review on the blahg -- then what, exactly, is the problem? YOU ARE NOT PLAGIARIZING IF YOU ARE THE PERSON WHO WROTE IT IN THE FIRST PLACE.*

And if anyone else ends up on the Turnitin report based on a hit from the EssaySnark blahg... well then, we applaud Turnitin and the adcoms who are employing it. That is exactly what the software is for, and that is exactly why the admissions people appreciate it.

If anyone is concerned about using EssaySnark for an essay review based on the possibility of later showing up on a Turnitin report, remember: All the top bschools are well aware of admissions consulting, and while some haven't exactly embraced it, many of them recognize that a good admissions consultant can add value to your process, and help you present yourself better -- which all the schools do appreciate. Using EssaySnark for advice and feedback is absolutely not violating any ethical code. In our "other life", EssaySnark has had plenty of one-on-one conversations with admissions officers at many of the top schools. We have established relationships with these people, with open communication. We have nothing to hide -- and you don't, either, as long as you're going about this the right way.

The other point is, if you have been reading the EssaySnark blahg for any period of time at all, you will have noticed that we do not tend to post essays that are GOOD. (Unlike the poor schmuck of a so-called admissions consultant who is called out in this post from the Ross admissions director.) We post essays that are BAD. And we explain why they are bad, in the expectation that the writer of said bad essay will go back to the drawing board and try again.

And in pretty much every case that we can ever recall, that is exactly what has happened. The BSer who sent in the essay for the freebie review goes back and COMPLETELY REWRITES THE DARN THING. Because they realize how off they were in that first rendition.

So, while we don't know the exact algorithms and underpinnings of the Turnitin software, we suspect that in most cases, the overhauled essay that said BSer ends up submitting is most likely not going to result in a hit on the website from that self-same BSer's previous version. Just a hunch.

Not to mention the fact that @turnitinadm is following @EssaySnark on Twitter -- as are a bunch of other admissions peeps. Like, members of admissions and career services staff at UCLA and Haas and Ivey (up in Canada). Or, like @TuckAdmissions, who has even retweeted EssaySnark before. Same with @JonathanFuller, admissions guy at Michigan Ross. The adcoms spend nearly as much time on the Internet as you do (OK no they don't, that's not possible). They *do* know their market. They know the players. They know what the EssaySnark blahg is all about. If they see a hit on a plagiarism report, they will have the proper tools to investigate it and interpret those results.

These people are not stupid. And they also, believe it or not, actually LIKE YOU GUYS. They want you to SUCCEED. They are all about empowering the next generation of leaders and all that malarkey. They are actually on your side. They also know there are a few unscrupulous folks rattling around in the world. If they are using a tool like this piece of software, they will most likely be coming from the position of "trust but verify" -- they are not using it against you, they are using it to protect themselves.

And so what, exactly, is the big deal here?

Oh yeah: If you really are scared about showing up on a plagiarism report, then don't include quotes from famous people in your essay. (Or just don't include quotes from famous people anyway. Just don't.)

*you idiot.

Plagiarism.

2012-02-14T05:33:00.000-08:00

We know that none of you would ever cheat. You'd never lie on your application to graduate school. You'd never write your own letter of recommendation. You'd never copy an essay that you found on a website.

So this post is definitely not for any of you.

We just figured we'd point to some recent news items about plagiarism in university admissions. And what some adcoms are doing about it. Just, you know, because it's interesting. And we like to know what adcoms are doing.

We've been following Turnitin on Twitter for some time. They're this company that makes plagiarism-detection software. We first heard of them several years back, when we had a client who we suspected had plagiarized his work: the drafts he was submitting to us were way better than what this guy could write. At the time, we did some research on available options, and even toyed with the idea of getting a license to the Turnitin thing. But then we realized that the proper response was to educate the client. Clearly he must not realize the problem (he was a foreign candidate, morals are different in different countries). So we talked to him. But that didn't work. The next set of drafts had the same issues, but worse: this time, he included sentences lifted straight from the target school's website. We found it easy enough with Google.

So he made it easy on us. We fired him.

Yes, we can, and will, fire a client if we feel you're being unethical in your application process. If you're lying. If you're plagiarizing.

Turnitin got significant play a few weeks ago when an LA Times article talked about how their software was being adopted by grad schools - including UCLA Anderson and Stanford. We tweeted about it the morning that article came out:

In other words: Yes, we are well aware of this. And yes, we are in favor of it, too.

But since then, a couple BSers who apparently don't follow us on Twitter have gotten all dramatic about this issue in posting comments on our blahg. One expressed his concern that an innocent Brave Supplicant who had an essay reviewed on the EssaySnark blahg might get somehow entrapped by this software and then rejected by the school.

EssaySnark is actually not concerned by this at all, and given a proper perspective and sensible analysis of the situation, you will realize that you need not be either.

We'll cover this in much detail tomorrow. For now, suffice it to say that EssaySnark is not into plagiarism. It ranks right up there with parking in a handicapped spot when you're not disabled, and not picking up after your dog when you're out on a walk, and a long list of many other things that get EssaySnark plenty riled up. EssaySnark is, uh, a writer by trade. We detest it when someone takes credit for work they did not do. And we cast plenty of blame on Wall Street and the ratings agencies and all those other bad actors for the state of economic affairs that the world is still suffering through. If you're gonna cheat on your MBA admissions essays, where else are you gonna cut corners and take advantage in your quest for #1? Nope, not gonna let that slide, ever.

More tomorrow.

For today, all you Round 2 candidates can go back to manically checking your email for your 12noon Eastern time announcement of your Harvard Business School fate.

The best waitlist advice ever.

2012-02-13T07:25:00.000-08:00

We know, we know, we know. Ending up on the waitlist sux.

We prefer to see it as glass-half-FULL, however we realize that most people who get put on the waitlist think it's a horrible thing and they're totally depressed and they feel like it's a rejection. (Earth to Applicant: It's not.)

We've had a few posts on the waitlist before: see here and here.

Our strongest advice is to follow the instructions that the school has given you.

Each school has their own policy. Some accept updates; others do not. READ what they have sent you and do not deviate from what they have stated that you do.

Here's a great post from UCLA Anderson about the waitlist -- and in particular, EVERYONE should review the very last set of bullets, at the bottom (the "Before you rush..." part), where they are basically WARNING YOU that you can SCREW UP YOUR CHANCES COMPLETELY by being an absolute pest at this stage. This part is true of any waitlist, at any school.

Don't blow your chances by being a dork, dude.

If you want help developing a plan for how to get off the waitlist, you can enlist EssaySnark's services through an email consultation via Evisors.

How did you find us?

2012-02-10T05:38:00.000-08:00

So often -- particularly after getting back their first round of feedback on a paid essay review and realzing that they were slightly misdirected in their original approach -- Brave Supplicants lament, "Oh, how I wish I'd found you sooner!"

So, EssaySnark wants to know! If you could take two seconds out of your busy day to answer a quick question, we would be most appreciative:
Your feedback will be helpful, please take a moment to tick a box and let us know!

Maybe this year will be different? Maybe...

2012-02-09T07:05:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we either freaked many of you out, or got you fully depressed, or just generally PO'ed, by telling you you're too late to the admissions game.

What we said was: Round 3 is typically not where success stories are born. And we referred you to the series of posts that we offered about it last year.

Here's one of those, in case you missed it:

Considering applying to bschool now? DON'T
This post will point out to you the sad truth that you are late to the party. It is really (really really really) hard to get into bschool at this stage of the admissions cycle. Trust us. We've seen it. Over and over and over again.

And we mean that.

Except that maybe this year might be a tad different. (The operative word in that sentence is "maybe." Or "might". Or "tad.")

Rumor has it that some schools are reporting down numbers. Haven't heard much about Round 2 stats as of yet, but a few sources (media, other consultants) claim that trends were for fewer applications in the October round. We heard this about international applicants (from some random other consulting firm), and we heard it about European schools from the WSJ (who we assume got it direct from the schools). We also noted that MIT Sloan added a third admissions cycle for its Master of Finance program this year, the timing of which announcement basically means that they didn't get enough (or good enough) applications in the first two rounds.

Note that EssaySnark has not heard this from any of the schools themselves; we have yet to know of a specific admissions person stating publicly that their numbers are down. In fact, UCLA has said their Round 1 and 2 numbers were both up. Lower-ranked Penn State says MBA apps are up 17% (and that's sex-scandal plagued Penn State, in case you didn't recall the unfortunate events there last fall.... maybe that adage is true, there's no such thing as bad publicity?).

Whatever.

If these trends-are-down rumors are true, then that might mean that there's more leeway for a late-round application than normal.

Just for the record, EssaySnark is kinda doubting that there's been significant change in app volume at the top schools. Our crystal ball is as cloudy as the best of them, but from what we've seen in terms of the profiles of who's been accepted at which school/which round this year, and who's had trouble, it's the same pattern as ever. We stand by our view that a late-round app is a troubled strategy. Maybe not doomed, but most definitely not an easy route to take. We honestly do recommend, with your own best interest in mind, that you sit tight and wait for the next season to open up instead of cramming apps out at this point.

A final word to the wise: Admissions consultants who claim that Round 3 is do-able might be more interested in having you sign up for their consulting services now, during their slow season, than they are in helping you succeed.

Just our two cents.

Our annual "Should I apply now?" reality check

2012-02-08T05:34:00.000-08:00

Last year we did a series of posts right around this time, and we're realizing that we need to bring them all back.

For those of you who just crawled out from under your rock and decided to apply to bschool, like, NOW.... read these, please:

Considering applying to bschool now? DON'T
This post will point out to you the sad truth that you are late to the party. It is really (really really really) hard to get into bschool at this stage of the admissions cycle. Trust us. We've seen it. Over and over and over again.

Still want to go for a Round 3 application?
This post explains why, if you're serious about bschool, you should sit on your hands and resist the urge to apply now, and instead wait for the next application season, which, believe it or not, will be here mere months from today. Honest. Before you know it, you'll be scrambling for a Round 1 deadline.

More reasons why a Round 3 application is not a good idea.
This post diagnoses all your failings (sorry). It explains why you're most likely not coming from a position of power if you're considering a Rd 3 app.

One of the best reasons NOT to apply in Round 3.
This is our most direct statement, written to those who've been trying in prior rounds this season.

Please note that everywhere we say "Round 3" we mean "a school's last round." There are some schools that still have TWO deadlines coming up -- in which case, you might have decent luck in their second-to-last round. LBS is in this category. INSEAD is also exempt from these "round rules" based on their near-constant deadlines and year-round processes.

Here's our list of exceptions -- since everyone always wants to be exceptional.

Possible PROGRAMS where a Round 3 application might make sense
Here are a few ideas if you're bound and determined to start your MBA right away -- and you're open to different flavors beyond the standard full-time program at the best schools.

Possible SITUATIONS where a Round 3 application might make sense.
This post gives you some wiggle-room if you're a candidate in a different category.

Basically, we have very little hope for anyone coming at the bschool application game in February or later. At least, not if you're looking at going to the best of the best. If you're bound and determined to be sitting in a bschool classroom in the Fall, then yes, there are options. But if you're bound and determined to starting full time at a Top 10 school in August.... well, good luck with that.

Yes, you do have to be nice to the receptionist

2012-02-07T06:11:00.000-08:00

In honor of HBS Interview Invite Drama Day the Second:

Many of you Brave Supplicants are/will be heading to campus to interview. (Yay!)

Interviewing can be very stressful.(Awwww!)

Everything you do matters. (cue creepy Halloween noise) YOU ARE BEING WATCHED.

(Really?!?)

Check out this blog post from last May from the Michigan Ross Director of Admissions, Ms. Koh.

Note her comments to all of you Brave Supplicants.

The admissions people are paying attention.

How you treat the receptionist (and everyone else in the food chain, whether you think they're worthy of your respect or not - c'mon, grow up) totally matters. Even just coming in prepared - like, knowing who you're supposed to be meeting with - matters.

Admissions directors say this all the time when they are interviewed by the media.

Don't be a jerk. It will take you far in life. Promise.

* * *

If you want more practical input on how to prepare for your interview, whether in person, on the phone, or over Skype, check out the new Interview Prep Resources from EssaySnark, available here.

Timing of interview invites

2012-02-06T06:04:00.000-08:00

To follow on our rant from Friday:

IN MOST CASES, THE TIMING OF WHEN YOU GET INVITED TO INTERVIEW DOES NOT MATTER.

The only case where there is a tiny bit of info to be gleaned from the timing of your interview invite is at Columbia -- but even then, there's only a little you can discern from it, and even THEN, in the big-picture view of your candidacy, it DOES NOT MATTER.

Here's what we mean.

At Harvard Business School:

Whether you submitted your app early, or if you submitted on the day of the deadline, has NO BEARING on when (or IF) you will be invited to interview.
Getting an interview invite in the first wave *might* indicate that they really like your app... and if you did not get one in that first wave, it might just indicate that they haven't gotten to your app yet!
Someone who gets invited to interview at HBS in the last wave of invites has just as much a chance of getting in as someone who was invited in the first wave. There is literally no difference.

At Columbia Business School:

Getting invited to interview relatively soon after they start reviewing apps is a good sign. It might mean you have a slightly better chance -- mostly because there are more slots still available early in the process.
Any other change in status on your application is near-meaningless. You cannot interpret anything about your app based on how quickly or slowly it moves through all the other stages of the review cycle.
The only exception? The timing of when your interviewer submits her report after your interview. If your status in your online application does not update for two weeks after your interview, contact the admissions office to ask them to investigate, since something went screwy (or your interviewer was asleep at the wheel).

For every invitation-only school:

ANYONE getting invited to interview is in a good position. They only interview you if they like you.

For all these schools - including HBS and Stanford and all the rest - the FACT that you are invited to interview is what matters. It is completely irrelevant if that invitation comes on the first day that they start issuing them, or the last day. The schools say this all the time (see this recent post from Michigan Ross) but do people listen?

Believe it or not, we've seen people get into bschool even when their interview invite came on the last day of the round. Meaning, the day that decisions are promised, the school sends them an interview invite, and they end up getting accepted.

Some schools are more generous in issuing more invites (Wharton used to do this, they seem to have pulled back somewhat lately); other schools are more selective (MIT and NYU are in this category). Regardless of which end of the spectrum your school is in, if they want to interview you, you're in good shape! Quit obsessing about "what it might mean" and just work on preparing for the opportunity.

It seems like all you Brave Supplicants spend so much time trying to read the tea leaves. There is often nothing to be read from them! It's often just the luck of the draw, or how the chips fall, or the way the cookies crumble, or whatever lame cliche you want to use here.

So, this is another post to tell you: CHILL OUT. Please find something to put your time and energy into that is NOT stalking the business school did-you-get-in-yet forums!!!

Shortened admissions cycles and what you can do about them

2012-02-03T09:43:00.000-08:00

We know you're impatient. It seems like ages ago since you submitted those Round 2 apps.

Shakespeare said: "Expectation is the root of all heartache."

Some schools are issuing interview invites... But not fast enough! you think.

You're getting antsy. You start wondering, Shouldn't I hear back by now?

Earth to Brave Supplicant:

The only school where you have a right to be wondering that is MIT Sloan. And that is only if you applied in their Round 1.

MIT moves dinosaur-slow. They take their sweet time in processing apps -- their first round decisions aren't going to be released until this coming Monday. For applications that were submitted in late October. They must be veritably INUNDATED with annoying requests from Brave Supplicants who are more like Pushy Supplicants who are demanding to know when they will hear back.

If you applied to any other school -- and most specifically, if you applied to any other school only like three weeks ago -- this post is to tell you to GET A LIFE.

This phenomenon has been inreasing each year. It didn't used to be this bad. With the influx of more and more Brave Supplicants posting and posturing on all those MBA forums and websites and with everyone doing their self-centered blogging about applying to bschool, it is become all too pervasive. And it is annoying.

People. The process of evaluating your candidacy for admission to your Esteemed Business School takes time.

Even more important: You do not have a right to dictate the process.

Do you *really* think it helps your chances to be bugging the admissions office about when you'll hear back from them?

Do you really think it helps them to get through the piles of applications any faster when all of you are constantly badgering them?

ALL the schools list the dates on their websites for when decisions will be released. All of them do this. They TELL you when to expect an answer. Many of them tell you when to expect to know about the interview invitation. They are communicating to you what to expect. So then, what's your problem?! Why are you so friggin' impatient? You do realize, don't you, that IF you're admitted, that you won't be STARTING school till more than six months from today?? Why do you need to know RIGHT NOW whether you're in or not? What is the effing crisis?

Why can't you go get a hobby or something?

We've been wanting to write this rant for awhile. You people are truly ridiculous sometimes. When we saw Dee Leopold's very politely phrased post this week, we figured we'd translate. She was very politely saying "Back off people!"

If you keep pressuring these adcoms, they're just gonna change the process so it's easier for THEM.

Many of these schools have already been bending over backwards to try and be more transparent, to communicate more, to be more accommodating. They all know how stressful this process is. You are not, as a group, demonstrating very high EQ when you keep up this chorus of drama.

HBS is not the only one to make such a point. Read this from the UC-Berkeley admissions team -- especially that last bullet. It basically tells everyone to chill.

Do you realize that several years ago -- like only 10 or so -- applications were submitted on paper. Through the MAIL. Yes we know, it's hard to relate to this concept. Believe it or not, that's how you got your decisions back, too. Basically what happened was, you typed up your essays and printed them out, and sent everything in, and then you FORGOT ABOUT IT. You lived your life. And a couple months later, a letter appeared in your mailbox one day, telling you your fate. OK, we're oversimplifying here - there was still the interview process etc - but the point is, NOBODY EVER THOUGHT TO HOUND THE ADMISSIONS OFFICE!! Maybe all those BSers from a bygone day were just naive. Maybe they just TRUSTED more. Whatever. Everyone knew that these things take time, and everyone let time happen, and then they discovered the results.

Check out this post from Derrick Bolton, Admissions Director at Stanford GSB. Note what he said:

Interviews for Round 1 applicants start as soon as possible after the application deadline-- typically early November--and last through mid January.

Now before you freak out -- that post was written in 2008. For those of you who didn't do so well on the GMAT, that was only four years ago! Already they've made such big changes in their processes that anyone who applied in Round 1 received their decision in December!!! In other words, they have condensed their processes down from an interview cycle of three months, to about six weeks. And the GSB likely was receiving less apps four years ago than today.

Here's the deal people: The best schools get oodles of applications. (Yes that's a technical term.) They have already squeezed their review processes down to a skeleton of what they used to be.

If they squeeze them further, that means they will be spending LESS TIME PER APP than they already do.

If you believe that a school like HBS is carefully reading every single word of every single essay and recommendation -- when they get around 8,000 apps per year (which translates to 56,000 essays and letters of recs -- not counting the rest of the application paraphenalia) -- you're living in fantasy land. They do not read everything carefully. They skim. They know what they're looking for, and if your app isn't screaming that out at them in the most obvious way, there is a real chance that they'll just skip you and move on. And now you're asking them to do everything even more quickly? Sheesh, do you really want a chance at this or not?

EssaySnark is just sick and tired of hearing all the whining. This process takes time. Who are YOU to insist that you should get an answer back more quickly than what the school says they can accommodate? Don't you realize that you're asking for something that cannot help you??? Shortened admissions cycles cannot be good for ANYONE. You pressuring the schools does what, exactly, for your chance of admission? Don't you get it that you are not in control of this situation?

We actually wish that more schools would have the cojones that Sloan does.

These Bratty Supplicants are getting on our nerves. Thank gawd that EssaySnark is not running that show at any of these schools or we'd be telling all of you to take a hike.

planning (way ahead) for HBS 2+2: which round?

2012-01-31T05:49:00.000-08:00

HBS is in the air today, since the first of the HBS interview invites are going out today.

This post is not about that.

It is about HBS though, however it's geared to people at the complete opposite end of the process.

Awhile ago we has an exchange we had with a motivated Brave Supplicant who's currently finishing college and is planning for an application to HBS 2+2 before graduation. We were so impressed that this Brave Supplicant was starting to do research so early -- the first inquiry came in July or August of 2011 and this kid isn't going to be applying for a full year from then! To (hopefully!) start the 2+2 program a full year later! Which actually means not starting classes until 2015! Which means not graduating with the MBA until 2017!!

Phew! Talk about planning things in advance!

Anyway, we told you before about the question on GRE vs GMAT and timing.

This time we're going to share an earlier exchange we had, about application rounds, specifically about interviewing. Note that this is specific to HBS 2+2. Some of what we've got here tells you about the standard HBS application process, but read it carefully if you're applying to that program since not everything that we say is fully relevant to a standard Harvard MBA application.

Here's the question we got:

First of all I'd like to thank you for your very prompt responses, all of which have been of great help to me. [You're welcome! ES.] There is this one thing that i am a little confused about. The HBS 2+2 program invites applications in four rounds, including a summer round. Now, in the summer round the chosen applicants are required to fly to Boston for their interviews. This might prove to be slightly inconvienient for me, considering that I live near [foreign city]. At the same time I have heard from quite a few people that if one applies in one of the earlier rounds at HBS there is a greater probability of getting in. [Uh, yeah. You probably heard it from EssaySnark.] So I m a little torn as to when I should apply for the program. I do want the advantage of applying early but at the same time flying to Boston might be a little difficult. I will once again be very grateful for your valuable advice.

Here's what we said:

Hi [BraveSupplicant] - that's a very good question.

You are right: In past years, when they had just one (summer) deadline for the 2+2 program, HBS had a requirement that in order to apply, you needed to be willing to fly to campus in Boston to do the interview if they were interested in you. That requirement is still true to apply in that first early (summer) 2+2 round. However, now that they've opened up the three additional rounds for 2+2 applicants, they can fit the interviewing in with their standard admissions process. That means that if you apply in one of those three rounds, you'll be able to interview in any of the cities that the HBS adcom travels to. In previous years, interviews for candidates applying through the main application Round 1 and Round 2 cycles have been held in [foreign city near where BSer lives] (along with many other cities too). The adcom does not travel all over the world for Round 3 interviews, usually those are only held in the U.S.

So, yes you should try to apply in the earliest round if you can, however if you would be unable to travel to the Harvard campus for the interview, then you probably should NOT apply in the summer 2+2 round. It sounds like maybe the second cycle (the main Round 1 process with the October deadline) would be the ideal target for you.

Of course, the school might change their processes and policies again next year when it comes time for you to apply, so you'll need to make all these decisions when they make those announcements. But that's probably how it will work out next year.

A few links:

Here's the current HBS 2+2 application info page; note that this is being posted when the application for HBS 2+2 Class of 2016 is active.
Here's the standard interviewing info for Harvard - note that they also will do interviews via Skype however this isn't ideal for you, the Brave Supplicant, so we didn't discuss it above.

As we stated before, very impressed with this BSer's motivation and all the planning-ahead. Good stuff! You're gonna need it to be successful at this school. :-)

And for those of you biting your nails in advance of the Rd 2 interview invites going out -- GOOD LUCK!!

If you're in NYC and you applied to Columbia, read this.

2012-01-30T05:54:00.000-08:00

If you applied to Columbia Business School's full-time MBA program and you:

live in the NY area
have a decent profile (GMAT at least 680-ish, GPA above 3.0)
are on the "older" side -- especially if you're 29 or 30+

Columbia may have an offer for you! (But you may not be interested...)

Columbia has been doing a semi bait-and-switch dance with some BSers lately. This started last application season and it seems to be happening even more this year.

If Columbia likes you for their F/T MBA, they may like you even more for their EMBA.

What happens is, you submit your app.... you go through your interview.... you anxiously await the days, jumping at every phone call (since you know that the Columbia adcom calls BSers when they're accepting them). And then one day, the phone rings and yes, this time it's them! Columbia is calling!! Woo hoo!

But instead of just telling you "You're in!" they go off in some other direction.

They tell you, "Your profile is great for Columbia EMBA, have you considered it?"

You're stumped. You applied to the full-time MBA. You already went through the full interview for that program. Weren't they supposed to be just accepting you now?

Argh the confusion!

If they do this, don't feel pressured. You don't have to say yes to EMBA.

If you have another admit in your back pocket, this might be a time to mention it (remember that "What other schools have you applied to?" question? This is why it's important to tell the adcom about them!).

When this has happened with EssaySnark's clients, the person has said "No thank you" and then Columbia has admitted them -- just like they were supposed to! Our clients have reported all this going down in a single phone call, although we read on a forum that some BSer was asked "to think about it and let us know" -- talk about stress! They make you stew in it and you have to wonder what they'll do if you decline the EMBA offer. It is possible, we suppose, that Columbia could do that -- they could make the EMBA offer and then if you say no to that, they could reject you from F/T -- but we doubt that they'd bother to do it through a phone call. They'd just reject you from F/T and then mention in the reject notice that maybe you should consider the EMBA instead (yes, this is happening now too).

EssaySnark could be wrong, but we're fairly confident that if you get the call from Columbia asking you to do the EMBA instead... that they're planning on admitting you no matter what.

Regardless, the EMBA is totally a different experience. Some might even claim that it's a different education. Just because you're interested in getting an MBA does not mean that you're interested in doing so through an EMBA. These programs are not interchangeable!!! If you go for the EMBA, they require that you remain fully employed throughout your studies! This is a VERY BIG DEAL. There's also no built-in internship opportunity with the EMBA (though you could perhaps orchestrate one for yourself).

The irony is that it's usually the schools that are insisting upon these differences -- we often hear about candidates being told that their profile is not appropriate for one track, but it is for another.... yet here Columbia is substituting one for the other -- at their convenience. Talk about introducing confusion into the marketplace! Columbia is messing with their brand image here, in the 'Snark's opinion. An MBA is an MBA is an MBA.... is NOT an EMBA!! Yes you end up with the same diploma, the same three little letters after your name*, the same amazing alumni network -- but sorry folks, the experience is just not identical. Does Columbia think that their applicants are uneducated about the MBA marketplace?

So why are they doing this?

Here's why.

Last year, Columbia expanded its EMBA program into two different tracks: the original Friday/Saturday EMBA (where you have to take Fridays off work, and you need corporate sponsorship of time -- your boss needs to give formal permission by writing a letter of support for your application), and the new Saturday-Only EMBA, where you don't have classes on weekdays. This expansion offers more "supply", ostensibly in response to the "demand" for the high-caliber Columbia program (we actually think it's $$$-driven), and also perhaps to be competitive with the NY P/T Langone program (though we don't really think the EMBA is quite comparable to Langone even - but that's another rant).

We think Columbia overextended. (We talked about this in more detail last summer.) They went too big too soon. They're feeding the MBA bubble with these EMBA offerings. And now they're scraping the bottom of the barrel. We've seen folks get into the MBA who.... well, let's just say we were SURPRISED. ("You? Got into Columbia???" Yeah, that bad.)

The reason Columbia is doing this quasi bait-and-switch to their local F/T applicants is they expanded their EMBA program too fast and they're having trouble filling it -- yet then can always fill up the regular F/T MBA class. So when they come across someone local to NY who they like for the F/T program (note: particularly older ones), they're pulling this little offer out to try and meet their EMBA enrollment goals.

If enough of their best candidates take the bait, then Columbia is in great shape, since they get you into their very lucrative EMBA clutches, and plus, they're increasing the quality of their EMBA class. Win/win for them!

Is it win/win for you?

Moral of the story:

1. If you're top bschool material, Columbia might want you in their EMBA program instead - but you don't have to take that offer (perhaps slight risk involved - we cannot state definitively that you'll get into the F/T program if you don't, but we are pretty sure that you would)
2. If you're almost top bschool material, Columbia might still take you in their EMBA program, even if they say no to you for the F/T MBA (sort of depressing, actually)
3. If your profile has some, ahem, flaws, and you're in NYC, and you really want to get an MBA.... Try the Columbia EMBA. We hear there might be seats available.

*When you finally get your MBA, you cute little Brave Supplicant you, PLEASE DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES PUT IT AFTER YOUR NAME ON YOUR BUSINESS CARD OR ON YOUR RESUME OR IN YOUR SIG. Because like UGH. There are soooo many MBAs out there. This degree is not that hard to get. It's not like an MD or a PhD. It seems only insurance agents put "MBA" after their "John Doe" and it's just nauseating. Don't be one of them.

Interview help now available!

2012-01-27T17:21:00.000-08:00

So you're going to interview -- and you're panicking. And that little interviewing guide we just put out is only making it worse. ;-)

Additional EssaySnark services have just been announced to give you all that you could possibly need to make a strong impression:

Practice Interview Sessions! Get a comprehensive review of your content, delivery, and overall interview performance from EssaySnark! Separate options for blind and open interviews
Help for Harvard Interviews! (And others that are not blind.) Get a personalized list of questions tailored specifically to your candidacy! Be better prepared for whatever the adcom may ask in an open or comprehensive interview. The perfect solution for those stressed out about an interview at Stern, LBS, Harvard, or MIT.

See all the new interview support options described here. Rush service available. Email EssaySnark (at gmail) to inquire further.

And Good Luck to all those getting ready!! Yes it's a big deal - you need to take some time to make it shine!

The SnarkStrategies Interviewing Guide is now available!

2012-01-27T09:08:00.000-08:00

Thanks for all your interest in the new Interviewing Guide - and congrats to all who've already gotten the invites!! Some of you are really rackin' them up, the veritable belle of the ball it seems!

SnarkStrategies Interviewing Guide

Paperback edition: $17.95
This is a softcover book
Click here to purchase from CreateSpace (an Amazon affiliate)

Kindle edition: $14.95
Click here to purchase from Amazon

Ebook edition: $14.95
Electronic format for Sony NOOK and other epub readers
Click here to purchase from Smashwords

Anyone who pre-ordered, you should have received instructions for downloading your copy.

We have also opened a poll to track Rd 2 interview invites (see sidebar) - if you've gotten yours, please let us know!!

business etiquette

2012-01-25T06:10:00.000-08:00

Now that many of you are starting to chomp your fingernails already - Rd 2 deadlines have only just passed yet there's so much to stress about!! -- here's some quasi-interesting stuff on business etiquette:

Disregarding the fact that everyone in this video is female -- in EssaySnark's career we definitely were grossed out by dining habits of men more often than women during a power lunch -- there could be some value in reviewing it whether you're a chick or a dude.

Or you can just go back to manically checking your email for an update from the schools.

(It's too early for news, people. Unless you applied in like November to the Columbia regular-round. For everyone else, just chill.)

Guest post! Another Take Two story! With advice from an MBA friend!

2012-01-20T05:30:00.000-08:00

Yay! Another it-took-two-years success story to present to you, with another strong message! And some amazing results this time around. And some honesty, too. And a real friend who also offered some words of wisdom along the way. Here's to friends, and to getting real, and to not giving up.

Note that the only outside help this particularly BSer got was submitting an essay for a free review on the blahg; you really don't need to pay the big bucks for admissions consulting to get into bschool (though we're here to help if you want to pay some little bucks!). Nice job, you Admitted Student, you!.

Last October (2010), I was invited to an MBA information session by a friend who attended the school. During this session, I realized an MBA was definitely something I wanted to pursue. I began researching the requirements for application and scheduled a GMAT appointment for early December. Coming away with a 730, I was over-excited at the possibilities of schools that I could apply to. My GMAT would be in the upper 80% in the majority of the top schools that I researched!

I immediately began working on R2 applications for 3 schools. I only had 3 weeks, but I thought if I couldn’t just write a few silly essays and get some recommenders to submit a letter in that timeframe, I wouldn’t be able to handle the fast paced business environment anyway. After all, I scored high on my SAT and threw together my application for college at the last second and was accepted, so I figured I could do it again.

Boy was I wrong! Three months later, I was 0 for 3 with all dings.

Like others who were part of the 0 admit club, I felt defeated. I even had a bit of unfounded bitterness towards the anonymous admissions committees that had not “given me a chance” that I for some reason felt entitled.
I spoke with my MBA friend and he gave me the best advice I could have received: “Not getting into b-school isn’t the end of the world. Pick yourself up and try again!”

I took this advice to heart and did exactly what he suggested. I picked myself up and began figuring out WHY I really wanted to go to b-school. In my original essays, I threw together some ideas that in hindsight don’t really make much sense. I also thought about WHERE I wanted to go and WHAT I wanted to get out of my time a b-school.Most importantly, I nailed down my career goals. I took about a month just to sit down and reflect on really defining my goals. I wanted to make sure I was more than fully prepared for the next application cycle, and not setting myself up for failure again.

I also used this time to begin strengthening my profile. I sought out extra-curriculars that would not just look good on an application, but that I truly enjoyed. [Love this. -EssaySnark] I felt that if I wanted to write or speak passionately about something, I would have to legitimately enjoy the activity. Also, I researched different options to off-set my low-ish GPA.

Around mid-summer I began to really research schools and figure out where I wanted to apply to for this cycle. I contacted alumni, current students and anyone else associated with the programs. Further, I set up visits for the majority of the programs I was applying to for the fall. I really wanted to have as much information as I could when making my choice of where to apply and completing my applications for those schools.

As the essay questions for each school began coming out in late summer I began writing immediately. I thought I was doing well, until I submitted one of my career goals essay to ES. My essay was torn to bits on this blahg, but the suggestions helped me more than I could have imagined. Having his/her expert eyes read my essay brought out issues with the essay I would never have found on my own. I went back to the drawing board and used these suggestions across the board for all the essays I was writing. Also, ES was able to really pick out a unique part of my profile that I didn’t pick up on, and I was able to leverage this in all of my applications.
Using the advice from ES, my personal interaction with the school, and my newly strengthened profile, I tried to put together the best application possible.

After 16 long months and 4 rejections, I am thrilled to finally announce that I was accepted to my top choice, while being interviewed (decisions pending) at 2 of the other 3 schools in which I applied.

If I had to pass on any advice it would be this: Don’t give up. If you feel you have it in you to succeed in a top MBA program, don’t let a few setbacks discourage you. Take these setbacks in stride and use them as motivation to put together a better application the second time around. Reflect on the process and figure out what went wrong and work to make sure those issues don’t hold you back again. Also, (non-solicited plug) I would encourage everyone to let ES at least take a look at your essays. You will probably come out the other end feeling a little silly when your essays are killed, but you will find improvements that need to be made and mistakes you made that you never would have seen by yourself.

There were plenty of times when I wanted to give up, but the reward of finally calling myself an ‘admitted student’ is worth all the work I put in.

Good Luck to all the BSers out there and I hope to see some of you in my class next year!

More Success Stories

"Should I apply to Columbia? Like, now?"

2012-01-19T04:40:00.000-08:00

Columbia Business School's application deadlines are the confusingest of the confusing.

They have two different intakes and rolling admissions and this Early Decision thingy and whatever. And that's just for the standard F/T MBA. Then they've got like five different flavors of EMBA, all with different dates too.

The worst of the confusing though is the fact that their Regular Decision deadline is in April.

"Whoa, that gives me plenty of time!" we hear you think, a sudden burst of Columbia inspiration hitting your bloodstream.

Or maybe you smashed together a whole bunch of apps in these first two weeks of January and now you're on a deadline high, looking around, seeking another target to apply your newfound application dedication towards.

Hold up big fella.

1. If you're just now thinking about deadlines and considering Columbia, then that tells us you're getting started waaaaay late. Which means we have little hope for you. You're rushing things, you're panicked, you're riding an artificial I'm going to bschool! euphoria and you don't know what you're doing. You're cutting corners, or your clueless. This is not the way to get into Columbia (or any other top school).

2. Or, if you're just now considering Columbia because all your other schools have said no then you need to step back and assess the reasons why. Columbia is not an easy nut to crack, particularly with a Regular Decision app.... and even more so if you're coming to the game now.

We have so many cautionary tales for you -- we hear about so many BSers just like you who went before, desperate folks who crammed together some last-minute apps in the January timeframe... and came up with nothing. Basically, they did exactly what you're doing now, and it Did Not Work Out. Yes, they often are able to turn it around the next time through... but oh wouldn't it be so much lovelier to not go through the gummi-worm stage?

Here's the deal on Columbia:

1. Their process is rolling. This means they evaluate applications in the order they're received, and they're filling the class as they find qualified candidates.

2. The application has been open since May. People have been applying all the way along. They started reviewing the Regular Decision candidates in December -- and they've already been admitting a good number of them. Between Early Decision and the already-admitted Regular Decision peeps, they could be moving towards like half the class already accepted.

3. The bulk of Columbia's Regular Decision apps come in right around the January 4th fellowship deadline (which you've obviously already missed). If you apply now, you'll be sitting in the queue behind a whole slew of other candidates (others who had their act together 'cuz they submitted in time for some possible $$$). They won't even start to look at your app until they work through all those others.

What do these points add up to?

If you haven't yet gotten that Columbia app in, you'd best make it happen like SOON or you really should not bother.

Let's say that again: If you're serious about Columbia, you need to get your application in *now* - with their rolling admissions process, anyone applying after mid-to-end-January is at a serious disadvantage and has a very low chance.

We've seen absolutely amazing candidates who applied to Columbia in like February, and got waitlisted and then rejected - but they were admitted immediately when they reapplied in the early round the next season. This tells us that the reason they were rejected originally was simply because the class was full. There was no more space.

So once more with feeling:

If you're serious about Columbia, GET YOUR APPLICATION IN IMMEDIATELY.

If you can't pull this off -- if you're not able to submit a solid application within the next 10 days or so -- you should just wait till next season.

That "10 days" advice is arbitrary. If you can submit on like February 5th, maybe you're fine. Or maybe even February 15th could work out. Or maybe not. Who knows, EssaysSnark is not sitting in the Columbia admissions office, we don't have any inside info -- all we have are patterns of what we've seen in many past seasons. Columbia has been doing rolling admissions forever, and this is pretty much always how it patterns out.

Not sure if this will register for you but we'll say it again: It is always easier to get into Columbia through the Early Decision process. That deadline is in October (they already filled probably a third of the class from those candidates.) And even though it feels like a world away, believe it or not, if you hold off on applying now, you would be able to submit your ED app for next season in about six months. As we just said, they open their application for the next season in May. It's likely that they might change their questions -- EssaySnark is guessing that their current essay 3 will go away, however essays 1 and 2 are likely to be similar -- regardless, you'd need to spend some time in crafting up some quality answers to whatever the questions are at that point. If you apply in the June/July timeframe, you will almost certainly have an answer back by September.

Yes, this would mean delaying your bschool ambitions for a full year -- you'd be starting school in Fall 2013 if you go this route. But you could also have a much easier time getting in if you do. If you flail an application together now for the current-season Fall 2012 start, then we're not holding our breath that you'll be successful anyway.

And as we've cautioned against for ages, it is WAY easier getting in to a top school as a "fresh" applicant than as a reapplicant. (Important note: If you're considering one of the flavors of EMBA that Columbia offers, you should go for it -- all this freak-out stuff about timing is specific to the full-time MBA -- Columbia EMBA Saturday-Only has a deadline on February 8th and you're not "too late" to apply to that.)

So. Considering an app to Columbia now? OK fine -- do it now and you may have a chance. Or, step back from the edge and let the voice of ~~EssaySnark~~ reason speak to you, and take a calm, cool, rational approach, and perhaps you'll avoid some heartbreak and gummi worms.

Want more insights into Columbia with detailed information on how Early Decision works and when you should apply and even more important, how to put together a good application? Check out the SnarkStrategies Guide for Columbia available in hardcopy and various ebook versions.

nothing here today

2012-01-18T05:35:00.000-08:00

Today isn't exactly a 'blackout' of the EssaySnark blahg -- everything we've ever posted previously is still available -- but we are not posting anything new today, in support of the anti-SOPA* demonstrations around the web.

Here's information on the SOPA Strike.

If you're in the U.S., here's how you can take action and participate in our participatory government.

*Of course, that link to Wikipedia won't give you anything, since they are on blackout today...

"Should I try again?" (this time, something helpful)

2012-01-17T05:26:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, we laid out the situation:

"I got into Vanilla School but I was rejected from Cherry School.

Should I reapply to Cherry next year?"

Here's some hopefully helpful advice.

Most top schools are open to reapplicants -- but you need to figure out why Cherry School said no to you. Do you need to retake the GMAT? Is your quant score all that it needs to be? Is your GPA borderline? Do your career goals make sense? We've seen plenty of Vanilla Schools overlook one of these weaknesses in an applicant, but it's highly unlikely that a Cherry School will do so.

If you were to reapply to Cherry School, what would your strategy be? Can you really fix whatever the issue is? You would need to COMMIT to this new strategy -- that might mean, retaking the GMAT and nailing it this time. Or signing up for a class, and actually finishing it, and getting an A.

Next, how old are you? If you're already pushing into your 30s, then isn't it perhaps time to get started on bschool and into your new career by now? Every top school has a different preference for how old (or young) they like its students to be. But most students at the top schools are, in fact, kids (we use this term with affection, whippersnapper). Adding a year to your plans may be a non-issue... or it might be a non-starter with some of the best schools.

Finally, what will you do in between? If you'd be reapplying, then you'd not be starting bschool for another 1.5 yrs, and it seems like a very long time to be putting off your career goals. If your current job is a dead end, how will you use this time wisely? What will you do to progress towards the goals that you've set out for yourself in those essays? As a reapplicant, you'll need to show the adcom that you are on a track to success, that come hell or high water, you're bound and determined to get there... and you'll need to show evidence of making progress in your reapp essay.

And finally finally: Do you have the stomach for it? Are you really that committed? Is the fire in your belly burning brighter now? Or are you so completely burned out by all of this that you'll be unable to muster the energy to tackle essays anew? What if you go through all this again and don't get in?? Regret is an evil beastie (as you know - 'cuz you're feeling it now). Tossing away a sure thing might be... ill advised. You need to be honest, did you get motivated by this unfolding of events, are you finding your grit now? Or are you gonna fizzle out and not go through with all the work that you need to do to pull this off?

The most important advice: Keep in mind that Cherry Schools -- and we're not even talking Harvard and Stanford here -- this is about Kellogg, Columbia, NYU -- are in a totally different class. Acceptance rates at Columbia are less than half what they are at Georgetown; they are worlds apart. Getting into a Vanilla School is just not that difficult with a decent set of stats and a middling career goals essay. (No offense, Brave Supplicant - we're not trying to diss you here - you obviously did SOMETHING right to be in this situation!). But you're playing in a different ballpark with Columbia et al, the competition is fierce and they scrutinize everything in a completely different way. There's no relationship between an acceptance at a Top 30 school and one at a Top 10. The inverse is true -- if you're accepted at Cherry then it's likely you'll be accepted at Vanilla -- but the opposite is not.

If you got into a Vanilla School, then it means you're doing something right -- in the Vanilla School domain. It does not automatically say that you're Cherry School material. (Ouch. OK that was a little harsh wasn't it.) Maybe you have a chance at Cherry -- and maybe you just had a really flawed pitch to your Cherry Schools the first time through -- again, Vanilla Schools can overlook such flaws. The problem is, getting in to Cherry as a reapplicant is HARDER than it would've been if you were applying fresh. You canNOT simply write a better career goals essay and expect that to be enough. You need to prove to them how you are a STRONGER CANDIDATE now than you were the first time through -- and if you change your goals, you need to explain how you got to this new vision for life. The best way to decide is to look at those career options and see which school will be the best way to get there. Sometimes people just decide that they really want to go back to school NOW and so they go for a second-choice school instead of throwing the dice again.

Brave Supplicant, if you want more personal advice on your specific situation, then feel free to submit an Evisors question and we'll be happy to help you out. Or, if you want an in-depth Rejection Analysis to help you understand what went wrong with your Cherry School app, then that might be a good investment at this stage.