"B-school Blog Round-Up" via MBA in Google Reader

I’ve narrowed my search to a few b-schools I’d like to visit. What key questions should I ask during my visit?

2011-10-03T20:33:00Z

Written by Stephen J. Skripak, Associate Dean for Graduate Programs and MBA Program Director, Pamplin College of Business, Virginia Tech

There are a lot of great MBA programs in the world, but of course you can attend only one. Most offer similar course work, dedicated faculty with deep research and/or industry backgrounds, a nice campus, and support for your job search. How, then, to choose? As I tell my students when they’re trying to decide between job offers, in the end it comes down to one short, simple word: Fit.

But how does one assess fit?

Perhaps you are looking for a very specialized plan of study, such as an MBA paired with a simultaneous degree in an engineering field. In that case, you’ll want to explore how open programs are to you expanding your studies in that direction and how they work with partner departments on campus to assist students in making it happen. You might even look for established cooperative programs between colleges.

On the other hand, you might be looking for placement into a particular field, in which case you’d clearly want to ask about the recent placements of each MBA program into that industry or career track.

Most of that information, though, can be obtained in advance through discussions with the admissions offices or reviewing websites. When visiting the campus, the key is to investigate the sense of community in the program; you’re about to spend two years on a campus and will probably retain many lifelong friends from your days as an MBA student.

Ask to talk to current students and explore their experiences in the program.
Ask about alumni involvement. Do the alumni leave and never look back, or are they engaged in things like mentoring current students or guest lecturing in MBA classes?
Take a tour of the campus and be observant. Is there a sense of energy and an “esprit de corps” among the student body? Can you see yourself spending almost two years of your life in this environment—and loving it?

The key to being happy with your choice: Know what makes you tick and find a program with matching characteristics. Every campus and every MBA program has its own personality. Finding the one that most closely matches your own is critical to enjoying your years as an MBA student.

MBA still in demand despite recession

2010-11-30T09:03:02Z

Article of Business Because, November 29, 2010.

International MBA organisations have released two surveys predicting a future for MBA graduates that is surprisingly optimistic, despite last year's global economic collapse. The UK-based Association of MBAs and QS TopMBA.com have produced individual reports highlighting the stability an MBA degree offers employees during times of market instability...

Jobs for graduating MBAs return but salaries still lag - FT

2010-11-19T17:29:29Z

"Jobs for graduating MBAs return but salaries still lag", Della Bradshaw, November 16, 2010.

Of those MBA students who graduated in the summer of 2010, 88 per cent already had job offers in the bag, according o the latest survey data from GMAC, administrators of the GMAT test. Although 12 per cent of graduates were still looking for jobs, the statistics are a four percentage point improvement on 2009, when only 84 per cent had jobs offers as they graduated.

However, perhaps just as significant was that..

How do I know which school is best for me? (Part 2)

2010-11-17T22:26:00Z

Written by Kurt Ahlm, Sr. Director of Full-Time Admissions, Chicago Booth

You’ve already decided that you want your MBA; now it’s time to think about which program might be right for you. Your plan should include researching and choosing specific programs that meet your needs, satisfy your lifestyle preferences, and will help you to reach your career goals.

What’s Important?

Take time to think about what is important to you in an MBA program. Many things might be obvious to you, such as the location or reputation of a school. But dig deeper and really think about your preferences for factors like the school’s teaching philosophy, how the core curriculum works, and what that will ultimately mean for your experience and the career support you’ll require.

Lifestyle preferences are also very important. Do you prefer a city or small town? Do you want to live in a campus environment or have a variety of housing options within a school community? Is cost a factor in your choice? If so, how much will price sway your decision one way or another? As you answer these questions, make sure to write them down and weigh your preferences against their overall importance in your decision.

Research, Learn, Observe

Once you have identified the fundamental attributes you must have in a program, you can now begin the next phase of school-specific research. It’s time to develop a targeted list of schools that meet your requirements and focus your research on how these programs can deliver on each of the attributes important to you.
The web is the easiest way to get basic program and admission information for each school: class stats, employment reports, the alumni network, and faculty news. You may also want to check out a number of online business school guides that compare top schools across various attributes. There are several MBA discussion boards and networking sites, as well, where applicants can share information and learn from each other.

Be sure to go beyond the web, however, and get to know schools through their communities (alumni and current students). Talk to your mentors and colleagues about their experiences or knowledge about b-schools within their industry and through their personal experiences.

Narrow Your List

Make sure your school exploration allows you to clearly see what makes each school different and helps you to better understand which schools may best fit your needs. This will help you write your essays in a way that clearly shows fit by linking your needs to the schools’ culture and value system.

Finally, once you have a strong interest in a particular program, it’s wise to plan on visiting campus as part of a daily visit program, or attending special on campus events catered to prospective students. There's no better way to get to know a community than by visiting the campus and experiencing it first-hand.

How do I know which school is best for me?

2010-11-10T21:19:00Z

Written by Wendy Flynn, Director of Admissions, Mays Business School, Texas A & M University

Pursuing an MBA is one of the most significant professional, personal, and financial investments you’ll make. It’s critical to select the program that is both a good fit and a good match for your post-MBA goals. Here are three steps to help you determine what school is best for you.

Create Your Own Ranking: Many candidates look first to the b-school rankings to identify the “best” or top-ranked schools. I recommend a slightly different approach—create your own ranking. Create a matrix of the items that are essential to you in your MBA. This may include things like geographic location, class size, quality of faculty, placement rates, etc. Add information on the student profile (GMAT range, work experience range, etc.) to consider your own profile relative to the kind of student each school is seeking.

Be Your Own Reporter: Once you’ve narrowed your list, it’s time to dig deeper into the data and collect first-hand knowledge. First, tap into the admissions team at each school to seek out a greater depth of information, and to connect to others at the school—faculty, current students, alumni. Ask your contacts to give you an honest perspective of both the strengths and the weaknesses of the school. Look for contacts in your own network who can provide input. Continue to add the information to your personal ranking analysis.

Conduct Site Visits: Now that you’ve collected information from your primary and secondary sources, it’s time to visit your top choices. This is a critical step. I always tell candidates that selecting a school without visiting first is like buying shoes over the internet. The pictures may look good, but until you walk around—on campus (or in the shoes)—you won’t be able to get a good feel for what you’re buying. Ask yourself, “Is this a place where I can learn and grow—both personally and professionally—according to the goals I have set for myself?”

In the end, you’ll have a personalized school analysis that reflects both factual data and your impressions from your interactions with the schools. And it’s very likely that you’ll learn a lot about yourself in the process. Good luck!

Admissions Tip: The Comparison Trap

2010-11-15T07:00:07Z

We wanted to take some time today to discuss a frequently-made mistake in the application process. In their desire to make their case to their target MBA programs, many applicants devote sentences and even paragraphs to explaining why the school in question is their “first choice” and arguing its superiority over other schools.

Though certainly understandable, this is actually not a very productive exercise. Let’s consider a few reasons why, from the schools’ point of view:

Tell me something I don’t know. A popular strategy – and not always bad one – for applicants seeking to demonstrate their fit with one school above any other is to study its website to understand the program’s self-determined selling points, and then profess an interest in those. The thing that essay writers don’t always consider is that while a school’s distinguishing characteristics might be the factors that set it apart from others, this is not necessarily what the admissions committee wants to read about in an applicant’s essays. The very admissions officer reading your file spends months every year pushing this marketing message out to prospective students. Members of Harvard’s and Darden’s admissions staff know all about the merits of the case method, Kellogg and Duke’s admissions committees are already up to their ears in team-orientation, and Stanford and Yale could not be more aware of the benefits of a small class size. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t touch briefly on these key points (the schools highlight these for a reason), only to suggest that to put together a really compelling application, it’s important to push beyond high-level differentiators and immediate association and demonstrate that you’ve learned about the program on a deeper level. In making room for this level of detail within a restrictive word limit, cutting other schools out of the picture is a great starting point.

Enough about us, let’s talk about you. It’s not uncommon for applicants to become so engrossed in explaining how their target program differs from other business schools that they neglect to really articulate how their own interests, personality and preferences fit into the picture. Very nearly every school requires that prospective students compose an essay explaining how the MBA program will help them accomplish their goals, but there’s not a single one that adds “better than any other MBA program.” Though several schools do explicitly inquire about other target programs if an applicant advances to an interview, at this early point the adcom is much more interested in hearing about the candidate and his or her fit with the school. It’s a bit premature to assure a school that it’s your number one pick when the adcom hasn’t even decided whether they’re interested. It’s better to use all the space at your disposal in the essays to cover your experiences and accomplishments, share your aspirations and showcase your research on the MBA program.

I bet you say that to all the girls. Seriously, though, if an applicant goes out of his way to profess that Chicago Booth is the best school for him, is his first choice, etc., Booth really has no assurance that this applicant hasn’t written an equally passionate love letter to regional rival Kellogg. If a strategy seems likely to work in one place, might as well use it everyplace, right? Yes, it’s generally true that schools prefer to admit students who are excited about their program and seem likely to attend, but actions speak louder than words. The details of campus visits and conversations with students and alumni are far better topics to cover in your essays. To invoke a classic essay-writing maxim, “show, don’t tell” the adcom that you care. Further, the best way to convince the adcom that you “only have eyes for their school” is to not mention any other school at all.

We hope that this offers a number of helpful “do”s to offset this big essay “don’t.” It is very important to get an in-depth understanding of your target MBA programs and engage members of the community. Taking the time to learn about the school’s curriculum, special programs and extracurricular activities – whether through a visit to campus, conversations with members of the community or reading the Clear Admit School Guides – will pay dividends here. Happy writing and researching!

Next Generation GMAT: Integrated Reasoning Question Testing

2010-11-05T15:45:00Z

This month, from November 19 to 24, about 5,000 GMAT test takers around the world will get a sneak peek at the new Integrated Reasoning section of the GMAT exam that will launch in June 2012. We’re rolling out some potential question types to see how well they measure the reasoning skills b-school requires.

We’ve made a tutorial available online, to demonstrate how to navigate and respond to sample questions. We do hope those participating in this research will give their best—their experience is critical to our evaluation of these preliminary question types.

The Integrated Reasoning questions being researched won’t count toward test takers’ official GMAT scores or be sent to schools. Because it won’t affect scores, we don’t expect test takers who see these questions to study for this section. Test takers who’ll get a glimpse of possible Integrated Reasoning questions will spend an extra 30 minutes at the testing center. For their time, their reasonable effort at completing these sample questions, and their feedback, we’ll refund $25 of their GMAT fee.

Although the question types we’re testing during this five-day period are complete and designed to test Integrated Reasoning, we do want to emphasize that they are all still under consideration. They may be approved, altered, or discarded entirely if our research shows that they are less effective than expected. As always, the primary goal of the GMAT is to measure the skills most likely to predict success in graduate management education—we’ll adjust the question types as needed to meet the needs articulated by the faculty who helped define this section.

We’ve got a lot of work ahead to get this exciting new section ready for GMAT exam—stay tuned!

— Ashok Sarathy, Vice President, GMAT Program

Three questions to ask after admission

2010-11-03T20:01:00Z

Written by Lawrence P. Ward, Associate Dean for Academic Programs, Kogod School of Business, American University

You have been admitted to a graduate program in business or management and need to make an important decision about where to enroll. First, take a bow because you have conquered the most difficult part of the process—gaining admission. As you enter the next phase, consider the following questions:

Faculty engagement outside of class?

Business school faculty represent a significant amount of the intellectual capital and expertise that define the graduate academic experience. Beyond the classroom, graduate students should expect to be appreciably engaged with their faculty on consulting practica, independent research projects, case competitions, special topics symposia, professional development activities, and so forth. The value added to students’ graduate management education is regular and meaningful engagement with faculty outside of the classroom. Prospective students should look for specific “evidence” of faculty engagement in the student experience before submitting a deposit.

My contribution to the community?

Prior to admission, you undoubtedly asked several informational questions that helped you to understand the unique features and benefits of one program versus another. Informational questions address, “What can this program do for me?” After admission, be sure to ask yourself, “What can I do for this program?” As an academic dean, I expect that my students will understand the importance of contributing something specific to our community—something unique to them—and endeavor to do so. Graduate school is not a passive experience. When you join the community, we expect you to share a lot of what we read about in your application and observed during our recruitment interactions with you.

Do I see myself here?

After you have exhausted all other questions, there is no more important or fundamental remaining question than, “Do I see myself here?” Too many candidates obsess over decision factors that ultimately are not terribly important. A decision to attend the highest-ranked school that you can get into even if you do not feel a strong connection—or worse, would struggle to afford—is curious at best. The goal of earning a graduate management degree is not simply to impress at cocktail parties, but rather to expand your professional toolkit, build stronger analytical and strategic acumen, and increase your ability and confidence to make complex decisions with incomplete information. Choose the program that you feel puts you in the best position to be successful and where you know that you will enjoy the experience.

g-match.com - GMAC sponsored: Global GMATCH Virtual MBA Fair - Nov. 22 & 23

2010-11-11T10:22:31Z

GMAT Sponsor Organizes Online Fair to Connect
Prospective MBA Students with Business Schools

Global GMATCH Virtual MBA Fair Takes to the Internet November 22 and 23

Reston, Virginia (October 7, 2010)—Prospective MBA students will be able to quiz admissions professionals from dozens of the world’s top business schools during a global online event developed and managed by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC). The GMATCH Virtual MBA Fair, scheduled for November 22 and 23, will enable people interested in attending full-time MBA programs to speak directly with admissions officials, learn effective self-marketing strategies and chat with alumni and current students—all from the comfort of their own computer and at no cost.

More than 56 business schools have signed up to participate in GMATCH, including London Business School, INSEAD, the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, the UCLA Anderson School of Management, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and Nanyang Business School.

GMATCH—the first truly global virtual fair bringing together business schools and potential students regardless of their location—will be open for four hours on each of the two days it occurs and is structured so people in different time zones may participate when it is most convenient for them. The November 22 session is optimal for people in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The session set for November 23 is aimed at individuals in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the Pacific Islands.

“Today’s global economy means international recruitment is particularly important for MBA programs around the world,” said Julia Tyler, GMAC’s executive vice president of member services and school marketing. “GMAC is pleased to play a key role in helping business schools and students tap the power of technology to connect with each other conveniently and effectively, no matter where they happen to be.”

The innovative GMATCH concept employs a rich graphical interface featuring virtual booths and a multimedia auditorium stocked with material about each participating school’s programs as well as management education in general. Participants will be able to use webcams to enable face-to-face interaction.

Students can register for GMATCH by visiting www.g-match.com. Details for schools interested in exhibiting during the virtual fair are at www.gmac.com/gmatch. Questions about GMATCH may be directed to gmatch@gmac.com.

The Graduate Management Admission Council (www.gmac.com) is a nonprofit education organization of leading graduate business schools worldwide dedicated to creating access to and disseminating information about graduate management education. GMAC is based in Reston, Virginia, and has a European office in London. The GMAT® exam was created in 1954 and is used by nearly 5,000 graduate management programs at approximately 1,900 business schools around the world to assess applicants. The GMAT—the only standardized test designed expressly for graduate business and management programs worldwide—is continuously available at more than 530 test centers in over 111 countries. More information about the GMAT exam is available at www.mba.com.

Admissions Tip: Interviewing the Interviewer

2010-11-08T07:00:26Z

We’ve been offering a good deal of advice lately on how to conduct oneself and prepare responses to MBA interview questions. Today we’d like to highlight the importance of thinking about what you might ask. Virtually all business school interviewers conclude their discussion by offering the applicant a chance to ask some questions about the program. While it might be tempting to claim that you’ve already learned all you need to know about the school, this is actually a great opportunity to gain additional insight, show your enthusiasm about a specific element of the curriculum or community, and demonstrate that you appreciate the opportunity to learn from your interviewer’s experiences.

Here are a few simple guidelines to keep in mind while thinking about what you might ask:

1. Focus on the positive. Now is not the time to conduct due diligence or express skepticism about a school’s academic program or career resources. You’re still marketing yourself to the adcom at this stage of the process, so you’ll want to project enthusiasm and demonstrate a desire to become more familiar with a program’s merits and your potential fit.

2. Avoid the obvious and the obscure. Because this is an opportunity to tap the interviewer’s unique knowledge and point of view (and he or she will assume that you did your basic research before applying), it’s best to avoid asking questions that could be answered by perusing the school’s website or speaking with anyone you might happen to encounter on campus. On the other hand, you don’t want to ask something so obscure or specific that your interviewer might not have an answer. Seeking the interviewer’s opinion on or impression of some element of the program often makes for a discussion that both parties will find interesting and enjoyable.

3. Mind your audience. Remember that students, alumni and admissions staff will all have a different perspective on and level of familiarity with the program, and that it’s wise to pose inquiries tailored to his or her experience with the school. For instance, alumni interviewers generally feel strongly about their schools but might not have the most current information on the academic programs and campus culture, so a good question might focus on the classes they have found most useful in their post-graduation career.

We hope that these guidelines are helpful in thinking about how you might approach the end of your discussion, and wish everyone interviewing at business schools in the coming weeks the best of luck! For personalized interview coaching, mock interviews and school-specific advice, feel free to contact Clear Admit at info@clearadmit.com or investigate the downloadable Clear Admit Interview Guides in our online shop.

When comparing full-time, part-time, accelerated, and online programs, what should I consider? (Part 2)

2010-10-27T12:00:00Z

Written by Kevin D. Malecek, Director, Part-Time MBA Program, Case Western Reserve University, Weatherhead School of Management

When weighing the different formats of business education, you need first to examine yourself, your interests, and your needs. Are you going to be able to satisfy your demands for income and lifestyle if you are a full-time student? Can you allocate the amount of time necessary during your professional life for a part-time program? Do you have the time management skills and self-motivation necessary for an online program? Do you have other concerns like family, location, and academic background that may play into your decision? Before looking at specific programs, you need to have answers to questions about yourself and what you want.

As a future business student, you need to examine the various attributes of programs to determine their applicability and benefit to your future. A business education is a serious investment of time and money—students attend business school because they want a return on their investment during or soon after they undertake their education.

Once you have narrowed down and decided upon the personal factors that play in your decision-making process, examine aspects of programs that make sense for your future professional aspirations. For instance, if you are interested in corporate finance, do the schools you are looking at have reputable finance departments? If you are interested in a future involving sustainable enterprise, do the schools you are looking at have a track record in the practice of sustainable business?

After you have ascertained schools that fulfill your professional interests, match up the formats of their programs to the formats that may fit your lifestyle and personal desires—you are sure to find something that will fit the way you personally do business. If you find areas that interest you, the formats will follow.

If you are weighing different program formats at a specific university, find out if the academic benefits in a full-time program (faculty, course topics, elective options) extend to accelerated, part-time, and possible online options. When looking at several different programs across schools, make a grid of the formats of each program and each school so that you can examine the strengths of different schools, and also the formats of their programs.

Besides the academic components you will get in a graduate program, the other half of the degree's value is the professional network you will create with other students, faculty members, and other colleagues. While in a full-time or accelerated program, the value of networking is underscored and the opportunities widely available, you should carefully weigh the options for networking and getting to know your classmates in part-time and online programs.

My advice: Know yourself—your strengths, your values, and your limitations—before you start narrowing your program format options.

There are so many options for attending b-school out there in terms of program format, academic strengths, and networking that you are sure to find something that aligns with your professional and also personal desires. Best of luck in your search!

When comparing full-time, part-time, accelerated and online MBA programs, what should I consider?

2010-10-22T17:57:00Z

Written by: Kate E. Klepper, Associate Dean, Graduate Business Programs College of Business Administration, Northeastern University

To narrow down your search of MBA programs, you need to consider many factors and options like the ones outlined in the title. But before you decide on the style of delivery, you need to think about WHY. Why are you pursuing an MBA? Are you looking to completely transform your career? To move from one functional skill to another? Or to change industries? Are you looking to enter the corporate sector? These questions will help you determine what, besides the excellent classroom experience, a particular school or program has to offer to help you attain your goals.

Another huge factor is WHO. Who is depending on you and your income and your time? Are you supporting a partner? Kids? Parents? Can you really afford to move and earn virtually no income for the next one to two years?

If in fact you can afford it, and if you are looking to change your career focus, I would recommend you seriously consider a full-time program. The full-time option will give you the time to explore different functional areas, and take your new career goal on a test drive through a corporate residency or internship. Gaining up to six months of full-time work experience in your chosen field will help you learn about the industry or function you’ve selected and will give you a valuable addition to your resume when it’s time to re-enter the workforce.

If your career goals are more focused on accelerating your career progression, or if you are not in a position to walk away from a steady income, there are many options for working professionals. You need to consider many aspects of these programs as well when deciding which path is right for you.

Part-time, accelerated, and online programs typically are designed with working professionals in mind. Part-time programs traditionally offer a great deal of flexibility. Students can take often take classes one night per week, or on Saturdays, which may make continuing in the program less of a challenge. Part-time MBA programs can be a long journey. Taking one or two classes per semester adds time to the pursuit, but remember that you’re gaining valuable knowledge and continuing to develop your career.

Accelerated programs might be right for you if you have an undergraduate background in business, or if you have specific training or experience in a particular field and are interested in pursuing an industry-focused MBA. For example, our High-Tech MBA is focused on developing students’ management skills for a work environment that is driven by technology. Students with engineering, science, or other technical degrees, and who are working in technology-driven environments, participate in an intensive, focused program and complete the MBA in just two years, while working full time.

Online programs are a great way to attain your MBA where it may not have been possible in the past. If you live or work in a remote area and have no access to a university, or if your work involves a lot of travel and you cannot commit to every Tuesday night for a 15-week semester, online might be right fit for you. Students studying in an online program must be self-motivated and focused, but they also have flexibility in that they are not required to be in a specific physical location at a certain time and day. We have students across multiple time zones, in many countries participating in our Online MBA program. Many of our students tell us that there’s no other way they’d be able to complete the MBA if not for online.

So in the end, you have a lot of options to consider when it comes to HOW you will pursue your MBA. This is not a one-size-fits-all proposition, so carefully consider your true needs, motivations, and goals, and I’m confident you’ll find the right program for you. Good luck!

For another perspective on what to consider when comparing program types, come back on Wednesday, October 27, to hear from Weatherhead School of Management's Kevin D. Malecek...

Admissions Tip: MBA Interview Prep

2010-11-01T07:00:40Z

With interview invitations from a number of programs already on their way out to Round One applicants, we wanted to offer some more advice on this element of the admissions process. Last week we posted some very basic etiquette information that will help candidates ensure that everything is in order on the big day. Today, we turn our attention to some steps one can take to prepare for the interview itself.

1) Know what to expect. This might go without saying, but interview types and duration vary across programs. For instance, nearly all invited Stanford applicants interview with alumni, while on-campus Wharton interviews are conducted by second-year students (and in rare cases admissions staff). Candidates for Columbia admission participate in an informative resume-based chat, while HBS and MIT interviewers have in-depth knowledge of the applicant’s entire file. Thinking carefully about the format of the interview and the person conducting it will influence the sort of questions you might come prepared to ask and help you arrive at a mindset conducive to success.

2) Review your materials. Because it’s important that you reinforce your positioning during the interview, reading over your essays and reflecting on the themes presented in your application is a great first step in preparing to speak about your ideas and objectives.

3) Tell them something they don’t know. In addition to reinforcing your existing message (a critical component of most interviews), the interview is also a great time to expand or add new information to your file via the interviewer’s notes. Have there been any major developments in your candidacy that you should share? Have you visited the campus or spoken with students since submitting your written materials? Have you made any strides toward your goals? Even if just an example from work or an activity that relates to the interview question but didn’t fit into your essays, it’s a great idea to approach the interview with the goal of enhancing the admissions committee’s knowledge of your candidacy.

4) Anticipate and practice. Though it’s impossible to predict the exact questions you will be asked, the type of interview and historical data will provide some great clues as to the sort of information the interviewer will be seeking. The Clear Admit Wiki could serve as a great starting point, as it features detailed firsthand interview accounts from applicants to the top MBA programs. After arriving at a list of possible inquiries, it’s a good idea to not only reflect on what you might say in response, but to actually practice articulating your responses, explaining your goals and recounting some significant professional and extracurricular experiences.

Best of luck to all those who are eagerly awaiting invitations and preparing for interviews! For more information about Clear Admit’s school-specific Interview Guides visit our shop and access immediate downloads of all the latest interview questions for your target school. For more information about our tailored one-on-one mock interview services, feel free to send an email to info@clearadmit.com.

GMAC to Host GMATCH Virtual MBA Fair November 22-23

2010-10-08T17:00:08Z

The Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC) will host an online MBA fair next month designed to give prospective applicants a convenient and cost-free way to interact with admissions representatives from dozens of top business schools from around the world.

The GMATCH Virtual MBA Fair, scheduled for November 22nd and 23rd, will feature virtual booths for participating schools and a multimedia auditorium filled with material about the schools and management education in general. Using webcams, participants will be able to interact face to face with admissions representatives, alumni and current students at their target schools.

The online event will be open for four hours on each day at times designed to correspond to time zones in different parts of the world. The November 22nd session will be optimal for people in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, while the session set for November 23rd is aimed at individuals in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the Pacific Islands.

More than 40 business schools have signed up to participate, including London Business School, INSEAD, the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, the UCLA Anderson School of Management, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Nanyang Business School.

“Today’s global economy means international recruitment is particularly important for MBA programs around the world,” Julia Tyler, GMAC’s executive vice president of member services and school marketing, said in a statement announcing the event. “GMAC is pleased to play a key role in helping business schools and students tap the power of technology to connect with each other conveniently and effectively, no matter where they happen to be,” she continued.

For students interested in registering for the free virtual event, click here. For schools interested in exhibiting during GMATCH, click here.

Admissions Tip: Essay Basics

2010-10-18T07:00:07Z

We often stress that, to present oneself effectively in one’s application essays, it is critical to think carefully about what a given question is asking and what this might indicate about a specific school’s admissions priorities. Of course, it’s also imperative to communicate clearly and appropriately regardless of the target program or particular inquiry. Today, we’re going back to basics and offering a few broadly applicable tips on tone and style to keep in mind when drafting written materials for your applications.

1. Be Professional. While a number of schools ask fun questions and most urge applicants to be themselves rather than submitting “overly polished” materials, it’s important to remember that this is a graduate school application and you should approach your essays with a degree of formality. You do want your unique narrative voice to come through, but even professional writers know to vary their tone based on their audience. As such, you should avoid using slang and conversational speech patterns in your writing.

2. Emphasize Action. A common pitfall for many applicants is lapsing into the passive voice, constructing sentences about how some unseen force or agent acted upon something or someone else (e.g. “we were required to” or “the project was completed”) rather than putting their own thoughts and actions at the fore. By making a conscious effort to write “I/he/she did x” rather than “x was done to y” you can make your comments more informative, dynamic and, often, more concise.

3. Avoid Repetition. It’s often a good idea to give the reader a sense of an essay’s direction through an introduction and to sum up the key ideas through a conclusion, but ideally each sentence of an essay will add some new information to the document or build the reader’s understanding of what you’ve already written. Keeping this rule in mind as you revise can help trim a response down to the word limit and ensure that you are including as much relevant information about your candidacy as you can within the allotted length.

Best of luck! For more information about how Clear Admit might assist you in communicating your experiences and goals to the adcom in a way that will be engaging and well received, contact us at info@clearadmit.com to set up a free initial consultation.

New MBA Student? Start Your Job Search

2010-10-17T12:54:25Z

You’ve just figured out your class schedule, course syllabi, and some good (and cheap) eating spots around campus. Studying is well underway with the usual demand of a top MBA program (with many questions about accounting material and something called marginal cost).

Bzzzzzz. In your email appears a message from Career Services with the subject line, “Resume deadline – NEXT FRIDAY.” And, they keep coming: Career panels, workshops, corporate events, student group events, learn about case interviews, hear about marketing projects, how to prepare a stock pitch, sign-up for Training the Street. Bzzzz, Bzzzz, Bzzzz!

“I can’t even think of just a few words to describe the first year recruiting process,” says Beni Chhun, a second-year MBA at The University of Michigan Ross School of Business. “It was a huge learning process – very exciting, a tremendous opportunity, and fairly ridiculous all at once.”

I think Beni’s thoughts reflect a common sentiment of first-year MBAs. The pace of the job search comes surprisingly fast or feels even faster than described by alumni or second-year classmates. There is a lot of activity to keep up with – the calendar and deadlines might make you feel like you are looking at the flight schedule of an airline rather than the calendar of an MBA student. But, thinking about the timeline and your career plans in advance allows you to plan and react differently when the mobile device starts to rattle vigorously. You will feel more prepared, controlled, and confident.

MBA Job Search Timeline

The MBA job search for first-year MBAs moves on a fairly standard timeline. It is unique to each school based on the academic calendar, recruiting schedules, and policies, but, generally, the timelines are similar across programs.

July/August – Resume: Provide an updated resume in the school’s standard template/format
August/September – Career Exploration/Focus: Learn about MBA careers, evaluate your long-term career goals/passions, and narrow your focus for your internship position.
October – Resume (Again): Provide a revised resume for the school’s resume database, purchased by companies who hire MBAs. Resume books are released mid to late-October.
October-December – Company Events: Network with recruiters and professionals from various companies, including formal presentations or meet-n-greets/networking.
December/January – Applications: Submit resume and cover letter to companies, this application is used by companies to invite candidates for interviews.
Late-January-March – Internship Interviews: Conduct interviews (one or more) on-campus (“at your school”). For off-campus interviews (from jobs posted by companies or organizations you contact), this can extend to the end of the academic year.
March-April – Internship Acceptance: Communication of decisions about offers are expected within 2-4 weeks, depending on the firm and the policy of your school for on-campus interviews. This can extend to the end of the academic year for off-campus opportunities.

Most of the career centers for the schools conduct numerous workshops and appointments during the fall – these activities cover career choice and focus, resumes, networking, cover letters, interviewing, and researching companies.

Something to highlight: One of the major benefits of your business school experience (and tuition) is career support. The career centers at the top schools are outstanding – take advantage of their services.

Preparing before Matriculation

I’ve observed there are many motivated, ambitious professionals who allow the time between application submission and matriculation to sit idle. (Matriculation: the proud moment when your feet hit campus and you are officially an MBA student.) That is unfortunate. This is a great time to do some proactive career preparation. You might be asking, “What in the world can I do at this point, I don’t have any career resources.” Not true. I talked with several current MBA students and recent alumni who shared several lessons learned, advice, and resource ideas. Here’s some guidelines:

Revisit Career Goals: In your MBA application, you write about your career goals. In this time, think more deeply about those goals. Does your application reflect what you “really” want to do? Have you modified or clarified your thinking since? Get clear about this.

“It is hard to believe,” says Cosimo Leipold, of Chicago’s Booth Class of 2009, “but, you have so little time to think when you get to school. You can’t do it all – meaning, you can’t learn about all the different careers. Take time to do this before school starts.”

What you should be doing now if you want to be an MBA

2010-10-04T03:31:00Z

I am surrounded by amazing and brilliant people at the Haas School of Business. During class, I never cease to be amazed by how quick my classmates are, how well they understand the concepts, and how they are able to ask nuanced and substantial questions. Some of them are even able to sprinkle in cohort jokes, such as saying "I'm kind of a big deal" in a question to the professor. The sheer, humbling ability of my class mates made me start thinking about what it takes to be a Haas MBA and what prospective students should be doing today to get ready.

What makes my classmates so effective is that they aren't just smart, they are knowledgeable. If you want to be an MBA, start getting to know your industries and areas of interest. And I mean really get to know them. Knowing that Facebook is one of the hottest companies in the Bay Area isn't going to surprise anyone here but understanding how Facebook Credits works just might. Hint, it is going to be a billion dollar business. Knowing a lot about the areas you are truly interested in is going to show in your club activities, chats with class mates, and even your class discussions.

You are also going to want to be a fan of business in general, because you are going to be living and breathing this stuff for 20 months. Start reading the Economist, Wall Street Journal, and niche blogs dedicated to your areas of interest. Revel in the dynamics of business, learn more about business heroes like Warren Buffett, and come up with a list of companies you really respect. You should be comfortable commenting on vague or esoteric business questions because in a short amount of time, your boss is going to be looking to you for the answers.

The single most important thing you can do right now is to know yourself. When you get to the MBA program of your choice, you are going to be under a constant barrage of great opportunities. You will not have enough time to do even a fraction of them. So you need to figure out what your objectives are and how to fulfill them. Don't create a project plan for the next two years (I'm looking at you consultants). Instead be flexible and know your top 2 or 3 goals and how you want to meet them. If you know yourself, you're going to have a great time during your MBA and you'll come out ahead on the other side.

Brian Guenther also writes at his personal blog, www.digitalerudite.com, on topics ranging from technology to marketing. He can also be found on Twitter (@bguenther).

Admission Tip: MBA Application Data Forms

2010-09-27T07:00:03Z

With MBA programs’ R1 deadlines just around the corner, we wanted to offer some words of advice about an often overlooked element of one’s file: the application data forms. All too often, we see candidates leave these online application forms for the last minute, even rushing to enter all the required information from work on ‘deadline day’. The truth is that a weak effort on these forms can do serious harm to one’s candidacy, as it might reflect poorly on the applicant’s professional polish or commitment to the application process. This being the case, here are a few tips for those who are in the midst of completing this component of the application:

1) Don’t be lazy. We know that many applicants feel ‘burned out’ from their essays, and that it’s tempting to zip through the application forms and provide a bare minimum of information. While it’s fine to use your resume as a starting point, make sure that you think beyond this ready-made content and consider other information that might be of interest. In many cases, the forms are a great opportunity for you to list outside activities in depth, offer a quick explanation of a bad semester, share the significance of some professional awards you’ve received, and so on. In fact, your application forms will often be the starting point for the admissions officer’s review of your file, so it’s important to put your best foot forward.

2) Follow instructions. If a school asks you to list activities in order of importance to you, then do not list them chronologically (as you may have done for another school). If the school asks for a contact person, title or the number of hours/week, do not leave these fields blank. As attention to detail is very important, spell checking another important step in this process. In fact, many admissions officers have stated that they use the application forms as a way to see whether or not candidates have the ability to follow instructions and show attention to detail.

3) Make everything clear. The last thing you want is for your reader to have to play detective in understanding your career progression, making sense of gaps in employment, or evaluating your undergraduate performance. If your listings are not clear, the reader may assume you are hiding something – a conclusion that could seriously damage your chances. By the same token, you should avoid using industry jargon and be sure that all of your statements will make sense to a reader who is not familiar with your industry or function. Given the level of competition in the applicant pool, the admissions office can afford to dismiss files that are confusing or difficult to follow.

4) Don’t go overboard. Admissions officers typically review several files in a sitting – devoting much less time than you might imagine to each file. With this in mind, avoid listing 18 activities, 22 awards and 17 publications – especially if some of those items date back to high school (or are more than 10 years old). Stay focused on the elements of your background that are most relevant, while following the instructions that have been outlined. Remember that the application process is an exercise in marketing, and that the schools appreciate applicants who are discerning about what details to share and know how to present themselves most effectively.

As always, best of luck to those of you who are applying!

Admissions Tip: Know Your Audience

2010-09-20T07:00:56Z

As Round 1 deadlines approach, applicants are coming to understand that applying to business school is an incredibly demanding process. In addition to taking the GMAT, assembling academic transcripts and providing recommendation letters, candidates are required to draft multiple essays, job descriptions, lists of activities and more.

With the obvious incentive to save time where ever possible, it’s understandable that many applicants simply cut and paste content from an existing resume and write about their work in the manner that comes most naturally. However, in doing so, countless candidates each year assemble their materials without ever asking a fundamental question:

Who will read my application?

While the answer to this question may vary from school to school, one thing is certain: it is unlikely that the person reading your file will have an intimate level of familiarity with your specific industry or job function. This being the case, if you use industry-specific jargon or assume prior knowledge of your field on the part of the admissions officer, you undoubtedly will lose your reader.

It’s also important to keep the big picture in mind; many applicants become so mired in the details of their own work and role that they fail to provide sufficient context for a company outsider to understand the importance of one’s efforts to the department or organization as a whole. The solution is to write about your experiences in a way that the average person will understand. While this is easier said than done, it underlines the importance of sharing your materials with an unbiased advisor (ideally not a work colleague or family member) to make sure that you aren’t off-base with some of your assumptions.

To learn more about who will actually read your essays at the various schools, or to inquire about our application editing services, simply contact Clear Admit with your CV/resume and sign up for a free initial assessment.

Admissions Tip: Declare Your Love and Explain It

2010-09-13T07:00:27Z

With round one deadlines for a number of programs just around the corner, it’s the time of year when many applicants are working hard on their application essays and learning more about their target programs in the process of rounding out their “why MBA/why school X” discussions. Keeping this important component of the admissions process in mind, we wanted to take the time today to offer some advice on how to polish this element of one’s file and get the most mileage out of this section.

1. Make it personal. Schools look for applicants who seem genuinely excited about their program, and the best way to bring this across in your essays is to come right out and say it. Many applicants are well-researched but present their findings in the form of objective facts. The adcom will already know whether their program features a flexible curriculum, is very strong in marketing, or offers an international focus. What they don’t know – and what you should be explaining in your essays – is what you find exciting and appealing, and why. Stating your interest in a school by connecting its offerings to your goals and interests is a great way to help the adcom understand (and ideally get them to agree with) your opinion that you would be a good fit with the program.

2. Cite your sources. In addition to hearing about your impressions of the program, the adcom will also wonder how you arrived at your conviction that their program is right for you. Did you attend an information session or an MBA tour? Visit the campus? Sit in on a class? Contact the heads of student clubs? Speak with alumni in your current or target field? Comb through student blogs and other online sources of information? Sharing the steps you’ve taken to familiarize yourself with the school will showcase the effort you have put into learning about the program, and will also add credibility to your comments about your commitment.

3. Keep it tailored. Just as it’s important to mention aspects of the curriculum or community that make a particular school unique in comparison to others, it’s also essential that you highlight how your own interests and goals guide your discussion of school-specific elements. This approach will not only have the benefit of showing off the research you’ve done on the program in question, but will also help you to stand out from other applicants by virtue of your unique goals and interests. Sure, it’s reasonable to mention the core curriculum, as this is an important aspect of the business education, but because this could be a draw for any applicant to a given program, you would be better served by focusing on those classes that are most relevant to your particular educational needs.

Of course, arriving at in-depth knowledge is the first step in this process, and those applicants who are looking to gather key facts for their essays may want to use the Clear Admit School Guides as a starting point. Good luck to everyone who is hard at work on this challenging element of the application process!