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Making the Most of Short GMAT Breaks

Vanessa Bronte (noreply@blogger.com) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 18:30:00 GMT

We heard from our friends at Manhattan GMAT that as of today, the Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC) may be shortening the length of break time in between test sections during the three-hour GMAT. Rumor has it that the break times will be shortened from ten minutes to eight minutes, leaving test takers with two less minutes to refresh themselves mentally for the next section.

We don't have confirmed information from GMAC on this change, so if you are planning to take the GMAT soon, don't freak out just yet. But in case it happens, we wanted to share some tips we found on making the most of your GMAT breaks:

Snack on something with a little bit of sugar to keep your mind alert. That means you'll need to remember to bring a snack with you on test day. You aren't allowed to bring food into the testing area, so the breaks are a good time to sneak in a few bites.
Use the restroom, even if you don't think you need to. You don't want to be bothered by the urge to go during testing time!
Go outside for some fresh air. You may start to feel cooped up inside a stuffy test center, so refresh yourself by taking a few breaths outside.
Splash your face with cold water. This will help you stay awake and alert during the next section.
Last but not least, try not to analyze how you did on the last section and instead focus on being mentally prepared for the next section.

A good idea to prepare for test day is to practice taking these breaks when you are taking practice tests at home. This will give you a good idea of how to manage your time during the real breaks on test day.

Good luck!

MBA Admissions Tips for the New Finance Landscape

Stacy Blackman — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 18:58:43 GMT

Wall Street Journal’s FINS website posted my MBA admission tips today. If you are (or were) in finance and are looking to apply to business school, it’s worth a read!

Coming Soon to Accepted.com!

Linda Abraham — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 23:17:59 GMT

Coming soon to your local, handy-dandy computer screen: A whole new Accepted.com. Yes folks, Accepted.com will have facelift. (I decided I didn't want one. May be needed, but too painful. I'm chicken.)

Check back on Monday morning, maybe even Sunday, and you will find a brand new and improved Accepted.com with:

Improved navigation and ease of use.
Cleaner look.
Less clutter.

But some qualities of Accepted.com are classic and timeless. They will remain:

Rich variety of informative articles and resources.
Commitment to quality and service.

And if you find things a little out of whack, not in the right place or just plain broken, please let us know. Accepted's staff and webmaster, Synet Systems, have worked very hard to have a seamless transition, but I expect a few glitches.

Speaking of glitches. While our Roadmap to Bold & Brilliant MBA Essays webinar was generously praised by those who attended, the aftermath proves that Murphy's law is alive and well. I am happy to report that at this point in time, the webinar file is where it should be and in the format it needs to be in. We will post it when the new site goes live. Apologies for the delay.

France Approves Use of Palm-Vein Scan as GMAT Security Measure

Clear Admit — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:00:35 GMT

The French National Commission for Data Protection and the Liberties (CNIL) has granted approval to the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) to collect biometric data to authenticate the identity of students sitting to take the GMAT exam, according to a press release issued by GMAC earlier this week. GMAC, which owns and administers the GMAT, is the only testing service to have obtained such permission.

In authorizing GMAC’s use of the new PalmSecure biometric device to verify students’ identities, CINL acknowledged the guarantees taken by GMAC to protect privacy. The GMAT is currently the only examination to use PalmSecure vein identification technology, which uses a near-infrared light to capture a palm vein pattern, generating a unique encrypted biometric template that can then be matched against the pre-registered candidate’s palm vein pattern to verify identity.

The technology is considered highly reliable from a privacy perspective because no image is ever stored and the data cannot be read by other devices. “It is not likely to be captured without the knowledge of the person concerned and therefore presents very little risk for the civil liberties and fundamental rights of the individuals,” CINL noted in its approval.

Soon, data collected from the PalmSecure device in France will be used to match candidate information across a central database that includes biometric data from individuals sitting for the exam at other test centers around the world.

“We want to express our appreciation to the CNIL for reinforcing, in its decision, our commitment to leadership in protecting personal data and complying with international data privacy laws,” David Wilson, president and CEO of GMAC, said in a statement. “The CNIL’s action in granting approval for the collection of biometric data only to the GMAT exam reflects the importance of the high priority we place on vigilant security.”

GMAC notified the CNIL in 2005 of other security measures under the Data Protection Act to protect the GMAT exam against fraud, including audio-visual recording in the test room and photos of candidates. At the time, France and some other countries would not authorize the collection of fingerprints, then also part of GMAT exam security measures, which led GMAC to begin a search for alternatives to fingerprinting that would comply with international data privacy laws.

GMAC will now implement PalmSecure and file requests for its use with other European countries. Portugal has already authorized it, and GMAC expects to use the PalmSecure technology in all test centers by the end of the year.

To learn more, click here.

Fast Company´s 100 Most Creative People in Business

blogmaster@deanstalk.net (Santiago Iniguez) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 22:01:00 GMT

How Long is Your Resume?

Clear Admit — Wed, 27 May 2009 07:00:05 GMT

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

MBA Math Monday: Time Value of Money

MBA Math — Mon, 04 May 2009 07:01:18 GMT

Quantitative finance is built on a foundation of time value of money relationships that allow a single amount of money at one point in time to be converted into an equivalent amount of money at a different point in time given a specified time period and applicable rate.

This rate is typically referred to as an interest rate (when moving forward in time) or discount rate (when moving backward). Sometimes we're wondering how investments will grow over time. Other times we wonder what future cash flows are worth today or how much we should invest today to meet future obligations.

Judgments about applicable rates are at the heart of current debate about the value of illiquid assets on Wall Street and the negotiations with GM's bondholders. It all starts with the time value of money formula that unlocks exercises like this.

Exercise:

A zero-coupon bond is a security that pays no interest, and is therefore bought at a substantial discount from its face value. Using a discount rate of 8%, how much would you pay today for a zero coupon bond with a face value of $2,300 that matures in 7 years?

Solution (with audio commentary): click here

Prof. Peter Regan created the self-paced, online MBA Math quantitative skills course and teaches live MBA courses at Dartmouth (Tuck), Duke (Fuqua), and Cornell (Johnson).

MBA Math Monday: Introduction

MBA Math — Mon, 04 May 2009 07:00:17 GMT

I welcome Dr. Peter Regan of MBA Math as a contributor to Accepted's Admissions Almanac. The self-assesment that Peter writes about is a critical part of the evaluation requred to develop a sound MBA admissions strategy. -- Linda Abraham

This post introduces a new weekly feature intended to help MBA applicants to assess their readiness for the quantitative elements in the first-year MBA curriculum.

Thousands of incoming admitted students each year use the self-paced, online MBA Math quantitative skills course to build a solid quant foundation for the MBA core curriculum. Of greater interest to readers of this blog are the many MBA applicants who complete the course and submit their MBA Math transcript as part of their admissions package. Some applicants do so at the recommendation of admissions officers; others complete the course on their own initiative.

As a complement to the GMAT's aptitude focus, MBA Math's focus is proficiency with the most MBA-relevant quantitative basics of finance, accounting, economics, statistics, and spreadsheets.

Let me briefly introduce myself. My name is Peter Regan. I created the MBA Math course based on years of teaching multi-day pre-orientation quant skills courses at Dartmouth's Tuck School and Cornell's Johnson School. I also teach second-year decision consulting courses at Tuck and Duke's Fuqua School.

Each Monday, I'll post a sample exercise and a step-by-step solution with audio commentary. Exercises will cycle through finance, accounting, economics, and statistics, becoming progressively harder with each iteration.

The Halo Effect - ...and the Eight Other Business Delusions That Deceive Managers

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 20:20:01 GMT

In this summary you will learn:

What the "Halo Effect" is
Why it is so powerful
Why managers believe nine delusions about building high-performance companies
What characteristics make a company an actual top performer

Why you should read The Halo Effect
This serious book will change the way many people think about the pursuit of managerial excellence and, indirectly, about the criteria they use for managing (and coincidentally) investing. Phil Rosenzweig provocatively challenges prevailing concepts about the traits that drive corporate performance. He asks revealing questions about previous research assumptions that labeled companies "excellent." It seems that earlier accolades about "the best" companies - including the claims in some blockbuster books - were based on faulty research techniques that led authors to mistakenly attribute achievements to companies that did not accomplish them or could not sustain them. Rosenzweig distills his compelling ideas clearly, and buttresses his case with specific examples and original research, adding to the book's power. As a result, getAbstract would compare this very readable, focused book to fine brandy: palatable, enjoyable, memorable, a little heavy - and imbued with the potential to change your mind. Highly recommended.

About the Author
Phil Rosenzweig, Ph.D., is a professor at IMD, the International Institute for Management Development, in Lausanne, Switzerland. He holds a Ph.D. from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and taught at the Harvard Business School.

The Innovator's Dilemma - When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 20:20:01 GMT

In this summary you will learn:

How disruptive innovations can make great companies fail
Why this happens even if they keep doing everything that made them great in the first place
Why it sometimes makes sense to do the wrong things

Why you should read The Innovator's Dilemma
Professor Clayton M. Christensen’s excellent book is a classic of strategy literature. The innovator’s dilemma is that doing the right things can lead to failure. Sometimes it is wrong to listen to customers, invest in the highest return opportunities and do all of the things that made a successful company succeed. Clearly written, amply documented, provocative and challenging, this book is indispensable for anyone in business. If it has a shortcoming, it is that it focuses more on the dilemma than on resolving it and it does not offer specific remedial prescriptions. However, Christensen has authored or co-authored two other books that attempt to remedy that deficiency. getAbstract.com heartily recommends this book, which remains the leader of the three. It has the potential to change the way managers think about business - any business.

About the Author
Clayton M. Christensen is the Robert and Jane Cizik Professor of Business Administration, with joint appointments in Technology, Operations Management and General Management, at Harvard Business School. He holds a doctorate in business administration.

Columbia ODYSSEY, Outrageous Business Plan Competition Winners Announced

Clear Admit — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:00:07 GMT

Following up on two recent blog posts about competitions taking place at Columbia Business School (CBS) in past weeks, we wanted to let you know who won.

Top prize in the first competition, a triathalon of business management contests pitting teams from 15 of the world’s top business schools against one another, went to London Business School.

Called ODYSSEY, the competition was developed by two CBS students who, at a conference in India just months after the Olympics in Beijing, decided that there needed to be an opportunity for students from schools around the world to exchange ideas and compete on more than a single topic.

“Basically, we set out to create an Olympics for MBA students,” explained Peter Novak, MBA ‘09, one of the event’s co-founders. Novak and the event’s other co-founder, Mark Trayling, MBA ’09, identified the ODYSSEY 15, a list of 15 schools deemed to represent the top MBA programs in the United States and around the world. Teams from each of these schools were invited to travel to CBS to participate in ODYSSEY’s three events – the Negotiation, the Pitch and the Case.

“Most definitely the international aspect is what really makes it,” said Trayling. “It couldn’t function nationally, international was the real key component,” he continued.

The roster of winners reflects this claim. A team from Harvard Business School took second place, and a team from the Indian Institute of Management (Ahmedabad) took third.

For Björn Koertner, a member of the winning LBS team, what stood out most about the competition was the opportunity it provided to go head to head with teams from so many other top schools. “There was really a team from all the top 15 business schools in the world,” he said, compared to other competitions that only draw teams from six or seven schools.

That they were schools from all over the globe also was critical, he added. “For us this was very important because giving people a global education is one of the core elements of LBS and why most of the students are at LBS,” he said.

The speakers the competition drew – including Didier Lombard, chairman and CEO of France Telecom, Orange; Steve Forbes, Forbes chairman and CEO; and Ian Davis, McKinsey & Company managing director – were also a high point, Koertner said. “I don’t know another case competition or b-school competition where you have such a showing of high-level speakers,” he added.

Finally, the fact that the competition consisted of three distinct challenges to be completed under very tight time constraints also made it unique, Koertner said. “In other case competitions it’s sufficient to have one superstar on your team who has the ideas, but in this it was necessary that you have a team of five people who are all very good,” he continued.

Even though CBS didn’t come out on top, Trayling and Novak were thrilled with how the event turned out. “The students, participants, attendees, companies, speakers – from all aspects it was a great success,” Trayling said. “The question for us now is how to make it even better next year,” he added.

Upon winning, the LBS team broke out into a spontaneous performance of “God Save the Queen” on the steps of Columbia’s Low Library. Which country’s anthem will be sung next year remains to be seen.

The More Outrageous, the Better
Also announced this week were the winners of the Tenth Annual A. Lorne Weil Outrageous Business Plan Competition, which also took place at CBS in late March. The competition, open to teams of CBS MBA or EMBA students, challenges budding entrepreneurs to submit a business plan and deliver a two-minute elevator pitch to win the support of a panel of venture capitalist judges.

The title of Most Outrageous Business Venture went to two ventures this year based on their ambition, innovation, creativity and persuasiveness. The first-place winners were Megan Bordi ’09 and her business partner Nate Altschul for Green Panda Games™ (greenpandagames.com), a safe, free-to-play virtual world and game website for kids and tweens in China, and Joshua Hecht ’10 and business partner Darren Molovinsky for Curtain Call, a program book for Off-Broadway theaters and performing arts venues. Each team won $4,000 to help fund the launch of their businesses.

For more on the results of the Outrageous Business Plan Competition, click here.

Fridays From The Frontline

Clear Admit — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 06:45:04 GMT

Welcome back to another installment of Clear Admit’s Fridays From The Frontline! Last week we looked in on the ever burgeoning MBA blogosphere while simultaneously preparing to announce the nominees for this year’s Best of Blogging competition. This week the nominees have been announced and bloggers are abuzz. Nominees have been quick to congratulate their peers and seem to take the competition with the spirit of fun and lightheartedness that we here at Clear Admit intended.

For those concluding their application cycle for the year, their issues went from how to get a good GMAT score and/or write a compelling essay to matters more logistical in nature. Kellogg ‘11 D.G. had a harrying but ultimately successful day at the US Embassy and had the visa to prove it. Helen was experiencing FAFSA confusion. The.Grey.One. reflected on how America’s banking crisis differs from the banking troubles of India. Samantha, much to her surprise, found herself enjoying networking and outlined a number of useful observations on how to be a successful networker. IIMC ‘11 MyNameIsNeo was sure that his first two weeks at the school were relatively easy compared to what was coming. Goizueta ‘11 Ahembeea was pleased to find himself a BoB nominee, though he still had to walk the line between being lean and mean. Columbia ‘11 Maxwriter was also pleasantly surprised to be a nominee in this year’s competition, but still hadn’t received any news from Columbia about issues related to visas and scholarships. Kellogg ‘11 Mike prepared for his move to Evanston and considered how he improved his application this year. Goizueta ‘11 MissionMBA was another with finance concerns, though he was happy about his BoB nomination as well as his role as judge for a b-school photo contest.

Wake Forest ‘11 Omne had a hard week, having attended two funerals, but congratulated his fellow BoB nominees and found a trace of solace in Easter’s deviled eggs and ham. UC Davis ‘12 Chandara decided that Davis was the school for her and thanked Clear Admit for her BoB nomination. Stanford ‘12 PaloAltoForAwhile met a promising venture capital mentor and saw that person’s journey as inspiration for her own business apsirations. Chicago Booth ‘11 Soni officially had a place to lay his head in Chicago and expressed his appreciation for his BoB nomination. Yet another BoB nominee, Lauren, shared her thoughts on her first day at Fuqua’s Blue Devil Weekend. Fuqua ‘11 Choc Heaven may have missed the recent Devil’s Weekend, but she did solidify her intention to attend the school, promised a detailed account of her time in Ghana and expressed gratitude for her own BoB nomination.

First year students, having finally adapted to the b-school lifestyle, looked forward to all they would achieve this summer and in their second and final years. Marshall ‘10 Andrew discussed how being the President of the school’s Net Impact chapter would help him get out the message that “sustainability is good”. Darden ‘10 JulyDream, a repeat BoB nominee, was excited about her summer sublet and internship in Atlanta. HBS ‘10 Rob weighed the pros and cons of hosting a luncheon instead of a presentation and shared photographs from the recent HBS talent show. McCombs ‘10 Paragon2Pieces missed the first round of bidding for the next semester’s classes because she was on a plane, and suffered for it. Paragon2Pieces wasn’t alone in her frustrations, McCombs ‘10 Metal was also stressed by the bidding system. Darden ‘10 Mechanigal saw Thomas Jefferson on campus. Kellogg ‘10 La Coguette gave her official and unofficial takes on the recent Kellogg GIM trip in which she participated, and went to a Kellogg-subsidized Cubs game.

For those in their final years of b-school, travel and goodbyes were the predominant subjects of the week. Darden ‘09 Anand couldn’t believe he was graduating in a month and was immensely excited about his impending train trip through Europe. Chicago Booth ‘09 MaybeMBA said goodbye to the blogosphere but made sure that the whole of her perspective on the MBA experience was accurately summed up. Darden ‘09 Mandy was going without blogging while in the Bahamas.

There certainly has been a lot going on since we last checked in with MBA bloggers, and we wouldn’t want it any other way. We hope that all bloggers, nominated or not, continue to allow us to read about their experiences in the classroom, during the application process or anywhere in between. We can’t wait until next week and encourage those nominated for the BoBs to get their ballots in as soon as they can!

MBA News: Growing Interest in HBS’s 2+2 Program

MBA Mission — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:41:06 GMT

Harvard University’s undergraduate newspaper, The Crimson, offered some interesting information on HBS’s “2+2” program, which is entering its second year. The program – which despite significantly increased interest from prospective applicants will still only admit 100 students next year – allows undergraduates to apply to HBS after their junior year of college and be admitted to start 2 years after they have graduated.

Contrary to popular assumption, the program is not designed purely for traditional business students, but “as a way to attract students who might not otherwise think of business school as an option. Some of the benefits of 2+2—such as access to an HBS career coach—were meant to appeal to students whose colleges do not have high-caliber career services offices” according to Dee Leopold, HBS Director of Admissions.

Leopold and her staff have visited 58 schools this year, and are focusing on science and engineering undergraduates by showing the relevance of a business degree to those fields.

The Layoff - HBS Case

MizWeb Communities — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 07:33:36 GMT

"If Astrigo Holdings is to remain competitive, 10% of its workforce must be cut. Who goes, and who stays? “Why aren’t layoffs taught as a subject at business school?” Robin Astrigo asked himself....

Oust the SEC as Sole Accounting Watchdog?

MizWeb Communities — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 20:14:36 GMT

"Are you ready for the FAOB? New House bill would install instead a five-member oversight board made up of heads of Treasury, the Fed, FDIC, and PCAOB, along with the SEC chair... Politics are...

Watching the Crisis from B-School

MizWeb Communities — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 01:12:51 GMT

"If the business world is changing, there is no better time to be where I am in this educational endeavor... They say that even the gods fear the fates. As the agents of destiny would have it, the...

Fridays from the Frontline

MizWeb Communities — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 15:28:07 GMT

"Welcome back to another round of b-school revelations courtesy of Clear Admit’s Fridays From The Frontline! Over the past week students and applicants alike have had their fair share of learning...

The Wisdom of Crowds - Why the Many Are Smarter Than the Few and How Collective Wisdom Shapes Business, Economies, Societies and Nations

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 07:00:00 GMT

In this summary you will learn:

Why large groups of people seem to be better than experts when it comes to forecasts, valuation and other tasks
How scientists prove that crowds are wise
Why it matters

Why you should read The Wisdom of Crowds
This well-written bestseller explores the apparent anomaly that crowds of nonexperts seem to be collectively smarter than individual experts or even small groups of experts. This basic insight is at the heart of contemporary financial investment theory, with its emphasis on the difficulty of outguessing the market. Beginning with British scientist Francis Galton’s remarkable discovery in 1906 that a crowd of nonexperts proved surprisingly competent at guessing the weight of an ox, financial columnist and author James Surowiecki skillfully recounts experiments, discoveries and anecdotes that demonstrate productive group thinking. The concept does not come as news to anyone reasonably well read in modern financial literature, but getAbstract recommends this comprehensive, fresh presentation.

About the Author
James Surowiecki is a staff writer at The New Yorker, which publishes his popular business column, "The Financial Page".

AIG's Bonuses: A Dangerous Failure of Leadership

Ben W. Heineman, Jr. — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 13:45:00 GMT

The furor over $165 million in bonus payments to 400 people in AIG's rogue Financial Products Group threatens AIG CEO Edward Liddy, Secretary Treasury Timothy Geithner and the Administration's economic recovery plans.

The reason is simple: the near-complete failure to explain (or even try to explain) the inexplicable. Leaders confront reality. Liddy and Geithner have tried to obfuscate it. In doing so, they have fed popular sentiment against the financial system which has risen from sudden dismay to full-out fury.

What possible reasons could there be to pay bonuses to the very people whose greed and misjudgments created untold liabilities in AIG's credit default swap portfolio that brought down the company--leading to 80 percent government ownership, an injection of $170 billion in taxpayer dollars and a recently announced $60 plus billion quarterly loss?

Liddy and the Administration give two reasons: the bonuses were required by law and the bonuses were needed to retain people key to unwinding the mess they had made.

Both are counter-intuitive and thus incredible--a perilous condition made more so by as inept an attempt to communicate as one could imagine.

The legal argument carries no weight because we haven't seen the contracts or been enlightened about the nature of the negotiation. This building block of a highly controversial action is nothing, at this point, but rhetorical mush. It will be Exhibit A in the case of terrible communication by leaders in a white hot public controversy. (What is the Admistration's senior economic advisor doing on Sunday morning TV defending a legal position he can't explain?)

Moreover, countless legal experts have already suggested numerous reasons why it is likely that there is no ironclad legal obligation to pay the bonuses to the people who caused the problem. These range from legal theories about non-performance to equitable theories of recission or reformation due to fraud or unconscionable terms to the doctrine that governmental take-over excuses bonus payment because the point of the contract has been destroyed.

Were the current AIG and Treasury lawyers so witless that they couldn't come up with a good faith argument that the big bonuses to senior managers need not be paid; that they would force the employees to bring suit; and that they should let a court decide, rather than lay supine as money flies out the door.

If a senior AIG Financial Products Group officer had murdered an employee on the trading floor, would they get the bonus? Of course not. Should the result be different if that person killed the company. Surely the law is not such an ass--and surely it is appropriate, on the likely assumption of a credible theory justifying non-payment, to put the burden on the senior employees to get a court to order payment of bonuses from a company they destroyed.

The second reason for paying the bonuses--retention--is just as incredible. In any responsible corporation, the first question after such dismal performance is whether the individuals responsible should be fired. Clearly, most CEOs would want to clean house as fast as possible after such a disaster, and, according to press reports, AIG current management acknowledges that all the bonus recipients could have been terminated for cause, without bonus payments.

So wouldn't any leader--and this includes the government as dominant shareholder--start immediately to fire or, at a minimum, sideline those responsible and start building a new restructuring team of people who were not culpable.

Given the inevitable furor, wouldn't both AIG and Administration officials be prepared to explain why these particular disastrous individuals were the only ones who could clean up the mess? Instead, they simply asserted that was the case, obfuscating the critical facts of what was required and what skills were needed to get the company on track. Why was this restructuring so unique that new people couldn't take it over? And, of course, the retention argument was ludicrous for the large numbers of employees who took the money and ran.

Finally, there is a basic rule about crisis management for senior leaders: It's your problem the moment you hear about it. But, both Liddy and the Administration seem to have been oblivious to the combustible nature of the bonuses, which have been on their screen for some time. That makes their failure to get rid of the rogue employees and their acquiescence in bonus payments--compounded by their woeful, behind-the-curve communications--even harder to understand. And even more dangerous to the far more important issue of garnering public and political support for future, systemic reforms of the distressed financial system.

Ben W. Heineman, Jr., GE's former Senior Vice president for Law and Public Affairs, is distinguished senior fellow at Harvard Law School's Program on the Legal Profession and senior fellow at the Kennedy School of Government's Belfer Center. He is the author of "High Performance with High Integrity" (Harvard Business Press 2008).

Clear Admit’s Graham Richmond Elected President of AIGAC

Clear Admit — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 16:00:42 GMT

The Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants (AIGAC), the largest professional organization for consultants specializing in admissions consulting for graduate and professional schools, this week announced the election of its new officers and board for 2009.

Clear Admit co-founder Graham Richmond was elected president, Anna Ivey of Anna Ivey Consulting was elected vice president, Accepted.com founder Linda Abraham was elected treasurer and Maxx Duffy of Maxx Associates was elected secretary.

AIGAC members also elected Richmond, Abraham, Duffy and Ricardo Betti (of MBA Empresarial) to return as AIGAC board directors. Serving a two-year term, the new board directors will join existing directors Ivey, Jeremy Shinewald (MBA Mission) and Stacy Blackman (Stacy Blackman Consulting).

“I am thrilled to be taking on the role of president during such an exciting time for AIGAC,” Richmond said. During his presidency, Richmond will focus on expanding AIGAC’s offerings to members through conferences, special interest groups and other new means of sharing information. He also will work to grow the association’s membership, promote the long-term value of graduate education to candidates and increase visibility of AIGAC and its mission among graduate admissions officers.

A growing AIGAC membership promises to provide schools with a unique view into the applicant pool and to strengthen relationships with the programs AIGAC candidates target, Richmond said.

To learn more about AIGAC, click here.

HBS MBA 2+2 Program Discussion

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 02:00:00 GMT

Kerry McLaughlin, an Assistant Director in MBA Admissions, speaks with Andrea Kimmel from the 2+2 Program in HBS MBA Admissions and Mark Michaelman, a recent 2+2 Program admit, about the history of and application process to the 2+2 Program.

How the GMAT is like tennis

skoprince — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 22:02:55 GMT

That must be a typo, right? The GMAT isn’t anything like tennis. I don’t need to know the Pythagorean Theorem to play tennis. And when I take the GMAT, I’m not even allowed to stand up, let alone run around the room. So what is the title of this post talking about? When I take the [...]

Babson MBA Students Win Mergers & Acquisitions Case Competition

Networking MBA — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 01:14:40 GMT

WELLESLEY -- A team of MBA students from the F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College won the ACG CUP (Association for Corporate Growth, Inc.), a regional Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) case competition.

The Babson team -- Joe Faskha, Dan Gay, Sam Vaill, Annabelle Desangles, Tip Olcott -- won the ACG Cup and cash prize competing against Boston College Carroll School of Management, Boston University School of Management, and MIT Sloan School of Management. In addition they gain valuable access to a network of investment banking and finance contacts.

The Babson team will be honored at an ACG meeting in April and will receive national publicity through ACG and co-sponsor Harris-Williams, a large middle-market investment banking firm.

The Association for Corporate Growth is the most significant professional network within the finance and banking, and mergers and acquisitions industries. The ACG CUP is a case study competition designed to give students from leading MBA programs real world experience and invaluable insights into mergers and acquisitions, investment banking, financial advisory and private equity. Each case study provides students with a unique opportunity to present valuation, capital markets and M&A strategic advice to a panel of seasoned M&A professionals from within the ACG community. The competition is carried out through a series of intra-school and regional competitions, with regional winners awarded the ACG Cup title and cash awards.

Check the complete article at dBusinessNews

10 Really Good Reasons To Use Predictive Analytics

Beth Brindle — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 22:03:35 GMT

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Why Geithner's Rescue Plan Spooked the Markets

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 22:30:00 GMT

The stock market dropped sharply after Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner described plans to address the financial crisis in vague terms

American Gangster | Business Lessons

johnmoore (from Brand Autopsy) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 23:01:33 GMT

Over the Holidays I watched AMERICAN GANGSTER again. Great movie. Great story, Great acting. Great cinematography. Great business wisdom.

Yes. Great business wisdom.

I know what you’re thinking … AMERICAN GANGSTER is a film about a drug dealer (portrayed by Denzel Washington) and the New York City cop (portrayed by Russell Crowe) who busted a big-time heroin ring. Business lessons to be learned?

Oh, yeah. Lots of business lessons to be learned, including: Mentors Matter, Launching New Products, Brand Dilution, Leadership Qualities, The Weakest Talk the Loudest, and Winners Can Quit.

[FYI … Long-time Brand Autopsy readers will recall a series of posts from February of 2004 highlighting STREET CORNER SELLING LESSONS from a book called Dealing Crack (Bruce Jacobs). So this isn’t new territory for Brand Autopsy.]

American Gangster synopsis:
Following the death of his employer and mentor, Bumpy Johnson, Frank Lucas establishes himself as the number one importer of heroin in the Harlem district of Manhattan. He does so by buying heroin directly from the source in South East Asia and he comes up with a unique way of importing the drugs into the United States. As a result, his product is superior to what is currently available on the street and his prices are lower. His alliance with the New York Mafia ensures his position. It is also the story of a dedicated and honest policeman, Richie Roberts, who heads up a joint narcotics task force with the Federal government. Based on a true story. [SOURCE]

AMERICAN GANGSTER | BUSINESS LESSONS

LESSON ONE
Mentors Matter (Jan. 8)

LESSON TWO
Launching New Products (Jan. 9)

LESSON THREE
Brand Dilution (Jan. 12)

LESSON FOUR
Leadership Qualities (Jan. 14)

LESSON FIVE
The Loudest is the Weakest (Jan. 15)

LESSON SIX
Winners Can Quit (Jan. 18)

The Marginalized will be Squeezed Out

johnmoore (from Brand Autopsy) — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 17:38:25 GMT

No matter how you look at it, these are tough times for retailers. High-priced and low-priced retailers have been thrown off-balance from the intense category five strength winds of this economic downturn.

It has been reported nearly 150,000 retail stores ceased operations in 2008. Projections say 78,000 retail stores will be shuttered in the first-half of 2009. Yikes.

To withstand these torrential winds, retailers are cutting costs by laying off employees, closing locations, and pruning any expense not directly related to sustaining business life.

Many retailers are on life-support, hoping for a swift uptick in consumer confidence to revive the health of their company. Some brands will not survive and some brands that will survive, may look and act totally different from what they once were. Unfortunately, some brands have already been declared dead.

All of these brands have either disappeared, or are in the process of disappearing from today’s retail landscape.

To help bring understanding to this mess, I'm reminded of business wisdom from Peter Drucker …

A Business that Fails to Lead Will Become Marginalized
Genuine market leaders, according to Drucker, must achieve their leadership results in an area that is meaningful to a customer or market. Such as, leadership in product development, leadership in customer service, leadership in distribution, or leadership in bringing ideas to market faster.

Achieving a leadership position is imperative for a business to stave off becoming marginalized or commoditized.

Drucker argues a business “… may seem to be a leader, may supply a large share of the market, may have the full weight of momentum, history, and tradition behind it. But the marginal is incapable of survival in the long run, let alone of producing profits. It lives on borrowed time. It exists on sufferance and through the inertia of others. Sooner or later, whenever boom conditions abate, it will be squeezed out.”

I love this thinking: Marginalized companies live on borrowed time and live through the inertia of others. When the economic winds change, the marginalized will be squeezed out.

The brands featured above share something in common, they all became marginalized in the marketplace and as a result, have been squeezed out.

The warning signs of becoming marginalized are clear:

When a business becomes an afterthought, not a forethought … it becomes marginalized.

When a business fails to be included in a consumer’s consideration set … it becomes marginalized.

When a business is viewed as dispensable, not indispensable … it becomes marginalized.

When a business loses its uniqueness … it becomes marginalized.

When a business no longer matters … it becomes marginalized.

When you, as a customer, would not miss the brand if it went out-of-business … it becomes marginalized.

The takeaway from all this is complicated: If a business cannot claim a leadership position, then it is either too small to meaningfully compete or too big to effectively compete. Failing to lead results in becoming marginalized. A marginalized company lives on borrowed time.

And time has run out for marginalized retailers like Circuit City, CompuUSA, Mervyns, Bombay Company, etc.

Lesson One: What Really Lies Behind the Financial Crisis?

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 21:32:55 GMT

What was the true cause of the worst financial crisis the world has seen since the Great Depression? Was it excessive greed on Wall Street? Was it mark-to-market accounting? The answer is none of the above, according to Jeremy Siegel, a professor of finance at Wharton. While these factors contributed to the crisis, they do not represent its most significant cause. Siegel provided a detailed analysis of the factors that fueled the meltdown during the inaugural lecture of a 15-session course on the financial crisis that Wharton is offering MBA and undergraduate students.

Economists to Obama: Get the Government out of the Banking Business

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 21:32:55 GMT

On the eve of Barack Obama's inauguration as president of the United States, Wharton finance professor Richard J. Herring discussed with Knowledge@Wharton some of the advice offered to the new chief executive by the Shadow Financial Regulatory Committee, a group of economists, former regulators and lawyers, of which Herring is a co-chair. Among the recommendations: As quickly as possible, unwind federal investments that helped keep U.S. banks afloat. Herring also assessed the deepening woes at Citigroup.

The Financial Crisis: Bad and Getting Worse, but Put Away that D-word

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 21:32:55 GMT

It began as the "subprime crisis" in 2007, and then mushroomed into a full-blown global recession in 2008. And still, despite mammoth government intervention, the bad news keeps getting worse. Are we now teetering on a precipice, ready to plunge into another Great Depression? Can the latest proposals pull the economy out of its nosedive? There is plenty to worry about. But while many experts say this crisis is the worst since the Depression, that doesn't mean it will be as bad.

The Wealth Collection

Beth Brindle — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 19:06:22 GMT

Subscribe Free!

The Wealth Collection is a unique concept in high-end lifestyle publishing, targeting an elite readership looking for different ways to enjoy their wealth.

The Wealth Collection offers a comprehensive guide to the risks and rewards of managing a substantial personal fortune, complemented by a connoisseur's passion for the very best that life has to offer. In this way, it encompasses all aspects of luxurious living, from charitable giving, property and personal finance to major purchase decisions and an appreciation of the finer things in life.

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Business XL

Beth Brindle — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 19:00:53 GMT

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Written by leaders for leaders, Business XL magazine is a fountain of inside information and knowledge, which can only be delivered by people who have started, bought and grown their own businesses.

Many of the features are based on detailed, in-house research among AIM, PLUS and venture capital-backed companies available only to Business XL readers, giving readers a head start on raising venture capital and floating successfully on the stock market.

Regular features include 'Trailblazers' (interviews with seasoned entrepreneurs and individuals renowned for backing growing companies), 'Spending it' (entrepreneurs reveal how they enjoy their wealth), and 'What I wish I'd known when I started'.

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Merger Mogul

Beth Brindle — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 19:00:53 GMT

Subscribe Free!

Merger Mogul is a free newsletter distributed every Tuesday, providing a wrap-up of middle market M&A activity, including expert commentary, analysis, and news on corporate and private equity-backed mergers and acquisitions.

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Leveraging the Talent Supply Chain for a Competitive Advantage

Beth Brindle — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 19:00:53 GMT

Download Now!

Discover how managing the talent supply chain can help professional services providers realize a competitive advantage, and explore the market trends driving the need for talent management.

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Daily Life at Chicago GSB

MizWeb Communities — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 19:47:58 GMT

"Join us as we travel to business schools across the country and around the world to bring you an in-depth profile of life and times on campus. This time we travel to Chicago to spend a week at University of...

Recession Hurts Private Universities and Public Colleges

Linda Abraham — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 16:00:06 GMT

The Wall Street Journal reports in Harvard Hit by Loss as Crisis Spreads to Universities that higher education is beginning to feel the impact of the worldwide financial woes. For example, in the first four months of Harvard’s fiscal year, its endowment suffered investment losses of at least 22%. In a letter to Harvard deans explaining the financial loss, Harvard President Drew Gilpin Faust said that the loss has “major implications for our budgets and planning, especially since our other principal revenue streams also stand to be challenged by the economic crisis.”

Harvard is not the only Ivy to suffer from the current financial upheaval. Penn announced on Friday that its School of Arts and Sciences is freezing hiring, staff position reclassifications and salary adjustments. Furthermore, according to the Daily Pennsylvanian, Penn plans to "identify the most effective cost-cutting measures and to allocate remaining finances only to matters of the highest priority for the 2010 fiscal year."

While many elite private institutions have been hard-hit by investment declines, public universities that rely on public funding are preparing for severe budget cuts as well. In their attempts to combat the financial crisis many universities are instituting hiring freezes, enrollment cuts, and tuition increases. Some examples from across the country:

Florida’s state universities instituted a three-year cap on freshman enrollment.
The mammoth California State University system plans to reduce enrollment by 10,000.
The California, Tennessee and Washington State University systems are considering enrollment reductions.
Rhode Island instituted mid-year tuition increases at three state universities.

To assist students struggling to pay for tuition, the federal government has already taken emergency steps to boost lending. However, many fear that would-be students will still be forced to forgo their educations or attend two-year colleges instead of four-year universities. “It’s going to be a remarkably challenging situation, “says economist Michael McPherson. “This is going to be bad, and it looks like the near-term impact on state budgets is going to be quite dramatic.”

Although financial analyst Michael Griffith says that the full impact on higher education is yet to be seen, some governors have already warned their public university systems to prepare for severe budget cuts.

Grad School Applications Down?

Linda Abraham — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 20:45:21 GMT

Although graduate school applications usually increase during an economic downturn, this recession may be an exception. Inside Higher Ed reports that educators were both shocked and worried to learn that for the first time ever during a recession, the number of students taking the GRE will decline in 2008. Since, the number of GRE test-takers is usually closely related to the number of applications, the new data raises concern.

The decrease in GRE volume comes from both the United States and around the world. While the U.S. volume is expected to fall from 456,000 to 449,000, the international volume is expected to fall from 177,000 to 172,000.

David G. Payne, associate vice president of ETS, suggests that the current credit crunch is dissuading people from considering the high tuition costs of graduate school, especially if they don’t believe that the schools will offer sufficient financial aid. Debra W. Stewart, president of the Council of Graduate Schools explains that current economic uncertainty is so great that people are less likely to leave their jobs. “No one will leave a job if they have a job – they think the risk is too much to take.”

Source: Shying Away From Graduate School (http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/12/08/gre)
Related: Those Taking Graduate Test Abruptly Drop in Number (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/09/education/09graduate.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=GRE%20Decline&st=cse)

MBA Admissions: Prepare for Probing Interviews

Sachin Waikar — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 17:00:51 GMT

The interview was going great, my friend said, until they got to the “How can you contribute to our program?” This was just last month, at an interview for the MBA program at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. Booth’s interviews are by invitation only, and my friend’s interviewer had a similar background to his, so he felt confident discussing his professional background, career goals, and why he was seeking the MBA.

On top of that he had prepared well for all the core questions, including “How can you contribute to our program.” He had researched Booth’s clubs and other outside-of-class activities and drawn clear links between his past/present extracurriculars and potential participation at Booth. But when he said, “I’m really excited about joining Net Impact (a community service club) to build on my past work with several non-profits,” the interviewer caught him off-guard with a follow-up: “Great, so whom have you talked to at Net Impact about getting involved and which of their current initiatives are most appealing to you?”

Uh oh. My friend hadn’t communicated with anyone in the club, and couldn’t remember their current initiatives, though he had seen some examples online during his research. He stumbled a bit then mentioned that he was “in the process of getting that information.” They moved on, and the remainder of the interview went well, though my friend was concerned that he had “blown it.”

I reassured him that while it would have been ideal to have strong answers to the probing questions, he probably hadn’t killed his chances. But he’d learned a valuable lesson, one familiar to anyone who’s ever been part of the Boy Scouts of America organization: Always be prepared. While it’s impossible to talk to an active member of every club you’re interested in at every program to which you apply, it’s very reasonable to reach out to current students at several schools, especially those involved in studies or activities you’d aiming for and especially those at your top-choice programs. That way you can mention these specific interests with enthusiasm and confidence, knowing you can back up your statements with references to deep research and some communication with current students or alumni.

A little contact can go a long way: for example, if my friend hadn’t been in touch with anyone from Net Impact but had talked to someone in the Marketing Club, he could have said something like, “I’m in the process of making contact with students in Net Impact, just like I did with Joe Student in the Marketing Club, who told me about initiatives A and B, which would be perfect for my career goals.” That would have transformed his stumbling into a graceful and positive sidestep.

As a final note, you get extra credit not just for knowing a lot about what the school offers but also for knowing its lingo: for example, Kellogg’s Global Initiatives in Management program (through which students study international business practices) is abbreviated GIM but pronounced “gym,” not G-I-M; the school’s Friday happy hour, typically sponsored by student clubs, is called TIGI, but pronounced “tee-jee.” Like my friend’s stumbling on the Net Impact question, mispronunciations won’t take you out of the running, but they may let other, more lingo-savvy candidates pass you up.

For general interview tips and examples of recently asked questions from Booth, Kellogg, and other top b-schools, check out the MBA Interview section of our site. And if you want in-depth interview practice, any Accepted editor would be happy to help.

By Dr. Sachin Waikar, Accepted.com editor. Dr. Waikar can assist you with your MBA essays or interviews.

Advice from a B-School Student

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 08:50:35 GMT

BusinessWeek just published a great article written by Alejandro Tinajero, an MBA student who will graduate from UCLA Anderson in 2010. Tinajero explains how he got to Anderson and offers...

Executive MBA Survey

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 18:48:48 GMT

The Executive MBA Council recently released the results of their annual Membership Program Survey. The Council surveys 307 member programs worldwide. Here's what they learned about executive MBA programs: The average...

20 Most Selective U.S. Colleges and Universities

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 10:03:42 GMT

Allen Grove, the About.com Guide to College Admissions has made a list of the 20 most selective U.S. colleges and universities. These schools accept the lowest percentage of applicants each...

MarketWatch makes buying stocks fun and games

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:10:30 GMT

Maybe MarketWatch is onto something. Investing may only be safe if you do it their way: in a free, online simulation trading game. Read More >>

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MBA Graduates Face Tough Job Market

Linda Abraham — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 16:00:02 GMT

With layoffs on Wall Street and a contracting economy, MBA classes of 2009 are facing a very difficult hiring climate. Although many investment banks and other financial institutions are still recruiting, the number of financial institutions has declined and some banks are only recruiting half the number of students they recruited last year. Students, recruiters, and school administrators alike have expressed concern regarding the tight job market.

“If I was a second-year student I wouldn't be too optimistic," said Dan Waters, who was recruiting at a job fair at Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management. Kellogg Assistant Dean Roxanne Hori said, "It certainly favors the companies to be more selective, which they're going to be in this environment because everybody's being more conservative in their hiring targets."

Despite Wall Street’s predicted loss of 45,000 jobs, Chicago Graduate School of Business Assistant Dean, Stacey Kole still expressed some reserved optimism, "We’ve seen firms go away and the level of M & A activity is down. But there is still a lot of demand for these folks." Some Business School graduates have already accepted offers, while others have been told that they must postpone their start at work. Still others face fierce competition from both their peers and from those who graduated a few years ago and find themselves back on the job market due to layoffs.

First year student, Ngaio Palmer, summed up the situation, "Most will have a job offer by the time they graduate, but it may not be their preferred company and it may not be their preferred location. But at this point, beggars can't be choosers."

If you are thinking about applying to B-School after being laid-off, please click on the link.

New MBA Admissions Resource

Linda Abraham — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 23:15:28 GMT

I recently stumbled across "100 Best MBA Admission Tips All in One List" While we can quibble about whether they are really the 100 best, there are a lot of great tips and resources listed here.

My top school asked me to interview. Now what do I do?

Natalie Grinblatt — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 16:00:23 GMT

First, congratulate yourself! You have made it through one colossal hurdle. For most schools that interview, the MBA admissions interview invitation means the written part of your application was strong enough to take you to the next stage. (There is a small subset of schools that interview candidates on the bubble. You should find out in which group you fall by reviewing your invitation, contacting the admissions office, students, or alumni, or participating in Accepted.com chats.)

Next, take a deep breath. Regardless of the category into which you fall, you need to relax. Anxiety will not help you in the interview or for your next step in the process: interview preparation.

You must prepare, prepare, prepare. Get to know your resume inside and out. Review each detail and ask yourself the question, "What would not have happened, had I not been a member of (fill in the blank) organization?" Ask it again and again and quantify your results. Did you increase revenue? Decrease costs? Increase Efficiency? Decrease cycle-time? Increase market share?

Review the Accepted.com website for MBA interview tips, its interview e-course, and its MBA interview feedback database. Check out MBA I.V.: Mainline to Top MBA Programs -- MBA Interview Questions and Tips in the Accepted.com bookstore.

Read the school's website, speak with students, alumni, and faculty. Think about your desire to attend that school and why you would be a proud alumna of that program.

Create 3-4 examples for common questions on leadership, team experiences, and goals. Use the StAR (state your example, describe the action, and quantify your results) method to direct your answers.

If you need personal assistance, Accepted is always here to help. You are welcome to register with one of my colleagues or me for a mock interview or other interview services.

Finally, don't forget to schedule your interview. The admissions committee will never get to know how truly wonderful you are unless you schedule that interview.

By Natalie Grinblatt, Accepted Editor and former Director of Admissions at the Ross, Johnson, and Carey MBA Programs.

BusinessWeek 2008 Rankings Are Out!

Linda Abraham — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 23:27:39 GMT

BusinessWeek released its much awaited biannual, full-time MBA rankings. The rankings showed slight movement: Columbia went from #10 in 06 to #7 in 08. Wharton went from #2 to #4. Kelley climbed from #18 to #15.

Frankly, don't pay too much attention to the absolute ranking or even slight movement. Take advantage of BW's rich, informative database and fantastic resources for applicants. Then choose what's important to you and do your own ranking.

Top 30 U.S. Programs
1 University of Chicago
2 Harvard University
3 Northwestern University (Kellogg)
4 University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)
5 University of Michigan (Ross)
6 Stanford University
7 Columbia University
8 Duke University (Fuqua)
9 MIT (Sloan)
10 UC Berkeley (Haas)
11 Cornell University (Johnson)
12 Dartmouth (Tuck)
13 NYU (Stern)
14 UCLA (Anderson)
15 Indiana University (Kelley)
16 University of Virginia (Darden)
17 UNC - Chapel Hill (Kenan-Flagler)
18 Southern Methodist (Cox)
19 Carnegie Mellon (Tepper)
20 University of Notre Dame (Mendoza)
21 Texas - Austin
22 Brigham Young (Marriott)
23 Emory University (Goizueta)
24 Yale University
25 University of Southern California (Marshall)
26 University of Maryland (Smith)
27 University of Washington (Foster)
28 Washington University (Olin)
29 Georgia Tech
30 Vanderbilt University (Owen)

Top 10 Non-U.S. MBA Programs
1 Queens University
2 IE Business School
3 INSEAD
4 Western Ontario (Ivey)
5 London Business School
6 ESADE
7 IMD
8 Toronto (Rotman)
9 IESE
10 Oxford (Saîd)

BW bases its rankings on employer and student surveys as well as school research output or "intellectual capital." This year for the first time, in a nod to the economic crisis, it is also including a ranking based on ROI and years to recoup the MBA investment. Not surprisingly, European schools, which tend to be one-year programs, are at the top of the chart. More surprising: HBS ranks 50 out of 50 in this chart. I guess assumptions matter.

Record Number of Early Applicants

Linda Abraham — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:00:56 GMT

Yale Daily News reports that the number of early action applicants to Yale College increased by over 10.4 percent this year. Yet, despite the discontinuation of early admissions programs at both Harvard and Princeton, Yale Dean of Admissions, Jeff Brenzel predicts that the college will extend fewer early admissions offers than it did last year. In order to accommodate the increased number of applications, the office of admissions hired two additional staff members.

Last year, competition at Yale College was higher than ever. Out of 22,817 applicants, 1,952 were admitted, producing a low 8.6 percent acceptance rate.

The four college counselors interviewed for the article did not expect the economic downturn to affect Yale’s application numbers because of its strong financial aid program. Some even view Yale’s financial aid as a possible explanation for the increased applications. Sari Rauscher, director of college counseling at the Waterford School, said, “I think the pressure for students to get into top schools from a financial standpoint is greater.”

Source: Yale Early Admissions Applications Increases (http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/26467)

Writing About Career Achievements: Keep it Simple

Judy Gruen — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 17:00:54 GMT

If you are applying to a competitive MBA program, you will have the opportunity (or, as some may see it, the dreaded task) of writing about a noteworthy achievement. Not only that, many schools will also want you to reflect on what you learned from that achievement. In most cases, it makes sense to write about a work-related achievement, unless you have a non-work related one that is especially remarkable or have discussed professional accomplishments in other essays.

But how do you convey all the creativity, time-management, leadership, and innovation that went into your trophy event? After all, you will have about 700 words at best to paint this picture; sometimes, you may have as little as 300 words. In that case, even writing about an impressive achievement in such short space is an achievement in itself!

Here are some tips that will help you tell this story most effectively:

1. Be specific, but don't get bogged down in detail.

Don't burden the adcom with your industry-specific lingo or acronyms that you commonly use at work, which they may not even understand. Before you write, it can be very helpful to describe your achievement out loud to your editor, or even a friend, as if you were explaining it over coffee, to ensure that you can summarize it conversationally. When you can explain it simply to an outsider, you can write it simply and clearly. For example, "Our company was losing market share to a newer competitor because of their superior marketing materials and staff." Or, "Our client was facing lawsuits because their out-of-date patient correspondance software was generating letters to deceased patients." Try to keep the basic problem to no more than two sentences.

2. Highlight only the most significant aspects of the story.

You won't have room to list every meeting held, or every hurdle you had to overcome in getting the job done. Highlight the major steps you took in your achievement, looking for opportunities to highlight your creativity, persistence, interpersonal skills, and hard work along the way. These could include boning up on the problem/solution on your own time; buying lunch for the team members whose "buy-in" was essential; communicating the importance of the goal to associates and bosses. Show a progression of events, but again, keep it simple.

3. Quantify results.

Don't just say that your new software program or sales pitch saved the company a "significant" amount of money. Whenever possible, put it in dollars and cents, whether it was in savings or increased sales. If the work was for a client who was so pleased with what you did that they hired you again for an even bigger project, say so.

Remember that "less is more" in writing, so don't feel bad that you don't have room to talk about that great speech you gave during one meeting. By zeroing in on the key parts of the story, especially where you can show concrete progression toward your goal, you'll make your significant achievement essay an achievement in itself!

By Judy Gruen, award winning author and experienced admissions editor.

Top 100 MBA Employers 2008 - Fortune

MizWeb Communities — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:45:50 GMT

"Think of it as a popularity contest for companies. Each year, research firm Universum surveys MBA candidates on where they'd most like to work for an exclusive Fortune.com list..."25 Most Desirable MBA Employers | view detailed profiles RankCompany2008 Fortune 500...

The ROI on the MBA

MizWeb Communities — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 03:38:18 GMT

Source: BizEd 2005 | docstoc | carthi

MBA Investment Calculator

MizWeb Communities — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 04:09:16 GMT

Assumptions should be revisited considering the current economic climate. Source: docstoc | carthi

Graduate Admissions News: Enrollments Are Up

Linda Abraham — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:36:22 GMT

Inside Higher Ed reports that according to a recent study by the Council of Graduate Schools, total graduate enrollment in the United States has increased by 3%. More interesting than the fairly typical across-the-board increase are the varying increases by demographic groups and field of study. Here are some highlights:

Health sciences saw the largest increase: 9%.

Education saw the second largest increase at 5%.

Humanities saw no changes in enrollment.

Business and Education both saw a 1% decrease.

Enrollments of non-U.S. citizens increased more than that of U.S. citizens (up 7% vs. up 3%).

Only time will tell how the current economic downturn will affect future enrollment changes. Based on previous downturns, enrollments may increase at even higher rates this upcoming year, as college graduates face tighter job markets.

For more info, please read the article from Inside Higher Ed.

MBA Scholarships

Rebecca Blustein — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 17:06:57 GMT

You don’t need us to tell you that Business School is expensive. But there are more resources available to help you pay for it than you might think. With some careful research into scholarship and fellowship opportunities, you could be on your way to funding your degree.

Funding for your MBA may be offered by specific universities or programs, or by outside private sources (such as foundations, alumni groups, or companies). The key for scholarship candidates is research. Start by thoroughly reviewing any funding opportunities at your chosen school. Do they offer a full-ride fellowship program for high merit students? Perhaps the university participates in a wider fellowship program, such as the

• Consortium Fellowship, which provides funding for outstanding applicants who demonstrate a commitment to the Consortium’s mission of promoting diversity and inclusion in American business and who are applying to member universities.
• Forté Foundation, which provides funding for outstanding women.

Next, consider your interests, affiliations and goals. Maybe you already have a professional connection with an organization or company that offers scholarships. Maybe there's an organization that offers scholarships to support the next generation of leaders in the field you intend to pursue. Maybe you’re a member of an underrepresented community, and there's a community-based MBA association (or alumni association at the school you plan to attend) that funds scholarships— see for example the National Black MBA Association or the National Society of Hispanic MBAs . International students planning to pursue their studies in the US might consider the Fulbright.

Finally, conduct a general scholarship search. Many companies and foundations offer scholarships for MBA students, and the web makes it easy to find them. Create a profile on a free database such as www.ScholarshipExperts.com or www.FastWeb.com (these contain a lot of undergrad listings, but they also have some MBA-specific scholarships). There are also targeted books available—a good one is Schlachter and Webber’s How to Pay for Your Degree in Business & Related Fields, published by Reference Service Press.

The requirements for your scholarship applications will be similar to your admission applications: essays, recommendations, academic transcripts, resumes. For large, school-based fellowships, finalists will often be interviewed. And remember to start your search early—don’t let opportunities pass you by!

By Dr. Rebecca Blustein, Accepted.com editor and former Student Affairs Officer at UCLA’s Scholarship Resource Center. Dr. Blustein can help you with your application or scholarship essays.

Stanford Dean Joss to Resign

Linda Abraham — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 03:14:40 GMT

Stanford Graduate School of Business announced today that D ean Robert L. Joss will step down from his position as dean at the completion of his current five-year term, which ends in 2009.

The two capstone achievements of Joss' ten-year tenure are:

The new MBA curriculum introduced in fall 2007.
Planning and breaking ground for the new 360,000-square-foot, environmentally friendly business school campus. (Planned completion date: 2011)

For the complete list of Joss' accomplishments as dean, please see the press relea se.

Stanford also announced the immediate formation of a dean's search committee headed by Stanford Provost John Etchemendy.

MBA Admissions: But Why Now?

Paul Bodine — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 16:18:40 GMT

Many business school goals essays explicitly ask you to explain why you are applying now. Why do they ask this? In one sense, it’s another way of getting a fix on how certain you are that an MBA is right for you. That is, the “why now?” question is a disguised maturity and focus question and, as such, a complementary variation on the goals and “why an MBA?” questions. You may have detailed, rock-solid career goals and an airtight case for how the MBA gets you to them, but if you can’t say why you need to begin the MBA process now – rather than two years from now – adcoms may conclude that you’re applying now for the wrong reasons. A good “why now?” message gives your application that extra sense of urgency or momentum that can move you from the ding or wait-list piles to the admit basket.

So, whether your school asks the “why now?” question overtly or not, you need to provide an explicit or implicit answer. The implicit answer will be the subliminal message that should be flashing throughout your goal essay’s career progress section: that the trajectory of your skills, leadership roles, and functional breadth has been rising inexorably, so only the lack of an MBA keeps you from bursting into glory into the management ranks. Your explicit answer will support the subliminal answer all along the following lines:

Career plateau. Your learning curve has flattened, and no new challenges are foreseeable in the next two years. If you stay any longer in your current career path, you will risk being pigeonholed as a “[insert your job here],” and breaking out will only become harder.

Goals epiphany. You have only just recently realized what your career’s purpose (post-MBA goal) is, and now that you know it, there’s simply no reason to delay.

Post-MBA goals have time element. Your post-MBA plans are linked to trends that will begin to gel about the time you earn your MBA. You can’t afford to wait to gain the skills to capitalize on these trends.

Maturity. You finally have the professional and personal savvy, balance, and perspective to make the wise decision to invest in your long-term future. (This is an acceptable way of saying ‘My age matches the median age of the people you admit.’)

Natural break in career. You’re approaching the end of a clearly demarcated career phase, such as a corporation’s two-year management training program or a one-year overseas posting.

By Paul Bodine, Senior Editor, Accepted.com, and author of "Great Application Essays for Business School," "Perfect Phrases for Business School Acceptance," "Great Personal Statements for Law School," "Perfect Phrases for Law School Acceptance," and "Perfect Phrases for Medical School Acceptance." Excerpted from "Great Application Essays for Business School" by Paul Bodine (McGraw-Hill). Paul would be delighted to help you define your "Why Now" for round two and later applications.

Demonstrating a Growth Mindset

Jennifer Bloom — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 13:54:37 GMT

The New York Times' article "If You're Open to Growth, You Tend to Grow" was practically a step-by-step guide for applying to MBA programs. In it, science writer Jane Rae-Dupree discusses the three-decade research of Stanford Professor Carol Dweck.

The article discusses Dweck's research into brain development and learning behavior and Dweck's conclusion that business professionals with what she terms "a growth mindset" are leaders and team builders who will consistently deliver better results than those with what she calls a "fixed mindset." Those professionals who seek opportunities to learn new skills, develop collaborative teams, and uncover new levels of their own and others' talents are the resilient leaders capable of steering a company to long-term success. The top MBA programs agree – though they may not have read Professor Dweck's work directly – and they tend to seek evidence of these same qualities in applicants' essays.

Okay, so now that you know this interesting nugget, how do you bring examples of your growth mindset into your essays?

Nearly every program asks for an example of your leadership and/or growth mindset. For example,

Duke's " Leaders need adaptability, imagination, and emotional intelligence as well as business acumen. What impact do you hope to have as a leader of consequence?"

Columbia's: "Please provide an example from your own life in which practical experience taught you more than theory alone."

Wharton's " 4 a. Describe an experience you have had innovating or initiating, your lessons learned, the results and impact of your efforts."

When choosing the example or examples you will discuss in these and other essays, think about times when you recognized an opportunity to learn a new skill or business area and talk about your mindset in developing the team: how did you identify and select team members? What were you hoping to gain from the experience? Were you challenged by additional factors besides those you initially anticipated? By demonstrating how you have maintained a growth mindset in the past, you will be proving yourself capable of learning and growing in these esteemed MBA programs and your future career.

Senior Editor Jennifer Bloom has been with Accepted for 10 years, guiding applicants to demonstrate their commitment to learning and growing as leaders to succeed in earning admission to the top MBA programs around the world.

Approaching the Diversity Essay Question

Sheila Bender — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 04:29:56 GMT

Many applications now have a question, sometimes optional, geared to encouraging people with minority backgrounds or unusual educational or family histories to write about their background. If you are an immigrant to the US, the child of immigrants or someone whose ethnicity is a minority in the US, you might find this question an interesting one to show how your background will add to the mix of perspectives at the college you are applying to. If you are applying after having an unusual experience for applicants like joining the military, becoming part of a dance troupe, or caring for an elderly relative, you can use your experience to evoke the way in which you will bring diversity to campus.

Your family’s culture, situation and traditions, and the way they have helped you develop particular character and personality traits are of interest, as well unusual experiences that have shaped you. Perhaps you have grown up with a strong insistence on respecting elders, attending family events or learning your parents’ native language and culture. Perhaps you are close to grandparents and extended family who have taught you how teamwork can help everyone survive. Perhaps you have had to face and deal with difficulties that stem from your parents’ values being in conflict with those of your peers. Perhaps teachers have not always understood the elements of your culture or outside-of-school situation and how they pertain to your school performance. Perhaps you have suffered discrimination and formed your values and personality traits around your success in spite of the discrimination. Perhaps you have learned skills from a lifestyle that is outside the norm--living in foreign countries as the child of diplomats or contractors, performing professionally in theater, dance, music or sports, or communicating with a deaf sibling.

Understanding and explaining how your experience built your empathy for others, a strong will, and character is a good focus for the diversity question.

By Sheila Bender, Accepted editor and author of Perfect Phrases for College Application Essays and How to Write Great College Application Essays and Stay Sane. Sheila is available to advise you on the perfect phrases for your college application essay or personal statement.

MBA Admissions: Brownie Points for Visits?

Linda Abraham — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:34:30 GMT

School visits. They are time-consulting and expensive. And they contribute to global warming.

Furthermore, Dee Leopold in The Director's Blog at HBS' web site makes clear that HBS does not weigh a visit as a factor in an admissions decision. The Wharton adcom blog made a similar statement a few years ago.

Is personally visiting the campuses of your target schools a waste of time and effort? Absolutely not.

I am not disputing Harvard's or Wharton's statements that they don't award brownie points for visiting. However, whether or not your target programs award brownie points, a visit does mean you will have a better chance of being admitted -- not because of imaginary points, but because you will be a better informed applicant. You will know more about the school and its culture. You will know more about why it appeals to you, why its style matches yours, and how it supports your goals.

As Dee suggestions in her post, to profit the most from your trip, visit when class is in session. Then take a tour, meet with students, participate in the info session, and attend a class. In short, take advantage of whatever is offered.

What if you simply can't visit your target schools? If you live far away, don't worry about it. You still need to demonstrate a deep understanding of the school's culture and program, but the school won't hold your lack of visit against you. Even schools (e.g. Tuck and Darden ) that really value a visit as a sign of serious interest understand that international applicants can't necessarily come. Other schools explicitly ask what you have done to learn about their program, for example Haas queries "What steps have you taken to learn about the Berkeley MBA program?"

What steps should you take on the road to an MBA acceptance?

Scour the schools' web sites.
Attend the many receptions and events held by the schools.
Participate in MBA Tour events.
Talk to current students and/or recent alumni.
Read current student blogs to get a feel for campus life.

Here is a list of upcoming MBA Tour events in the US, but the Tour is international so check their website if you are outside the US.

September 2 : Chicago
September 4: Houston
September 6: New York
September 7: Washington, D.C.
September 9: Atlanta
September 11: Boston
September 13: San Francisco
September 14: Los Angeles

Demonstrating a Growth Mindset

Jennifer Bloom — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:57:00 GMT

Okay, so now that you know this interesting nugget, how do you bring examples of your growth mindset into your essays?

Nearly every program asks for an example of your leadership and/or growth mindset. For example,

Duke's " Leaders need adaptability, imagination, and emotional intelligence as well as business acumen. What impact do you hope to have as a leader of consequence?"

Columbia's: "Please provide an example from your own life in which practical experience taught you more than theory alone."

Wharton's " 4 a. Describe an experience you have had innovating or initiating, your lessons learned, the results and impact of your efforts."

Star Professors

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Getting Into a Top 10 MBA Program

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 19:00:00 GMT

MBA Podcaster Day in the Life Series - The Wharton MBA

Sun, 27 Jul 2008 19:00:00 GMT

MBA Summer Internships : MBA Podcast

MizWeb Communities — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 06:36:44 GMT

"Landing the best summer internship possible is of huge importance for first-year MBA students. It’s often referred to as the “12-week interview” since an internship can lead to your next full-time job. Every MBA student is encouraged to get a...

Should students care about faculty research?

whichmba — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 17:33:43 GMT

The AACSB—the world’s leading business school accreditation agency—has just announced that it has formally accepted proposals to try to improve the practical relevance of academic research. Under its plan, accreditation of business schools will, to some degree, be dependent on schools proving that their faculties’ research programmes have some relevance to real-life work issues, and, furthermore, will have to demonstrate its impact in the business world.

It has long been a bone of contention amongst business schools as to whether research has—or even should have—any practical benefit. Some argue that it is too esoteric and quantitative, and rarely surfaces outside of equally esoteric and quantitative journals, read solely by other academics (and often not even by them). Others argue that research is “translated” into the real world through, among other things, teaching on MBA programmes.

But opinion is divided on this matter. Kai Peters chief executive officer of Ashridge Business School in Britain, told the Economist that he saw no overlap between what is being researched and what is being taught, arguing for researchers to concentrate on solving useful problems. Robert Salomon, Assistant Professor of Management at New York’s Stern School, on the other hand, wrote on his blog that “it is up to [professors] to expose students to state-of-the art research, to discuss the important questions of the field, to synthesise the existing findings [and to] explain those findings in an accessible way.” He even goes as far as to say: “I feel that if we are not bringing research into the classroom, then we are failing our students.”

But, for students, there is another side to the research debate. Schools’ reputations, and therefore, eventually, students’ career prospects, often hang on the research output of their faculties. A good reputation means getting research published in academic manuals which have little concern for the everyday world. Having “guru” professors—even if they rarely actually do any teaching—can therefore be beneficial, even if the ideas they are researching never surface in the classroom.

All of which begs some questions: how much do students actually care about the research that is being carried out in their business school? Does it matter whether that research is being applied in the real world? And how often do you feel that research filters through into the classroom?

Back to Which MBA online

Ask the expert: Does size matter?

whichmba — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:13:14 GMT

Dear George,
I can’t decide whether I’m better suited to a large, full-range school, or if I’d be happier in a more intimate, smaller programme. What are the pros and cons?

Dear prospective MBA,
The first thing to say is that size (large or small) is not by itself an indicator of quality. The two oldest business schools in the world, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and the Tuck School at Dartmouth College, both in the US, respectively admit around 800 and 250 full-time MBA students each year, but both are generally acknowledged as “alike in dignity”.

However, as you imply, the effects of the size of an MBA programme on students’ experience can be considerable. Both large and small programmes have advantages and disadvantages.

The emphasis on personal interaction with other students and close involvement with faculty is one of the key factors stressed by smaller MBA programmes.

Small programmes are generally seen as providing the best class cohesion and collegiality of approach. Faculty and staff know all the students well and students get to know each other closely. A small cohort fosters cohesion and loyalty. It also produces a strong alumni network. This can be hard to achieve effectively with a large number of individuals.

On the other hand, a hefty student body can support a large faculty, allowing breadth and depth in teaching—especially noticeable in the choice of electives—and a large career services effort. This is not always the case with smaller programmes.

Large programmes also allow a wide range of student clubs, which are an important element of the student experience, and attract good guest speakers. It also makes a school more attractive to recruiters and gives a school a large and extensive alumni network.

It is also worth pointing out that large programmes are inevitably broken down into classes of around 60 students and much smaller groups for group working.

In the end, the choice is down more to personal inclination. And the only way to find out what suits you is to visit a school and see for yourself.

What the real experts—the people who run MBA programmes and admissions directors—say is that size should not be an overriding factor in making a choice about which business school or MBA programme to attend. The most important consideration should always be the quality of the teaching on offer and how a programme fits with your aspirations.

George Bickerstaffe.

If you have any advice for our prospective student feel free to post it below. If you have a question for George Bickerstaffe please email it to: AskTheExpert@economist.com

Back to Which MBA online

Harvard at 100: case closed?

whichmba — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 16:24:33 GMT

So Harvard Business School is 100 years old this week. Many happy returns. Although the argument will continue as to whether it was Harvard or its near-neighbour, Dartmouth, which actually invented the MBA, few can argue that HBS has played the defining role in management education over the last century.

Perhaps most significantly, it was the first to have the bright idea of applying the case study—until then largely confined to law schools—to the world of the MBA. Harvard is still the world’s pre-eminent producer of business school case studies. Schools that teach almost exclusively through the case-study method—which also include West Ontario (Ivey) in Canada and IESE in Spain—point to the fact that it is the nearest a classroom will come to replicating real-life business situations. Furthermore, the cut-and-thrust atmosphere of the average case discussion inevitably breeds confident and persuasive speakers, able to think on their feet.

But the method is not without its detractors. One of the biggest criticisms is that it merely rewards those who shout loudest, not necessarily those with the most cogent arguments. With marks awarded for class participation, the clamour for “airtime” can lead to an overly competitive culture—something that most schools say they are trying to move away from.

Although the situation is improving, the other major criticism of the method is that cases also have a tendency to be US-centric. The question used to be asked about whether it was relevant for an Asian student, for example, to study case-after-case examining American business dilemmas. But in this world of globalisation, it is fair to wonder whether it is even relevant for US students any more.

So will the method continue into Harvard’s second century? A joke among management consultants tells of the freshly-graduated MBA who waltzes in to the office on his first day and demands: “bring me the first case!”. Business life has always been more complicated than that. But with the modern emphasis on learning through action—particularly with students being parachuted into real-life companies to solve real-life problems—surely there are better preparations for post-MBA employment?

Back to Which MBA online

Test of faith

whichmba — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:55:21 GMT

The cheating row surrounding the GMAT test and a website, ScoreTop.com, which gave users access to live questions, rumbles on. GMAC, the organisation which administers the de facto MBA entrance exam, seems to be softening its stance on cancelling the scores of anyone who paid $30 to ScoreTop in order to gain a jump on other prospective students.

Accessing a dodgy website is not the only option for those looking for an illegitamate way to bump up their score. Tales remain rife of professional test takers for hire, despite increasing levels of security at test sites.

GMAT scores have been on the rise for years. The average score at the top ten schools in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s ranking has risen from 668 (out of 800) to 709 since 1997. Increasing competition inevitably leads, for some, to the temption to cheat.

So how much faith should we have in the GMAT? In your experience how easy would it be to cheat? And are the rewards worth the risks of getting caught?

Back to Which MBA online

Welcome to the game, first year MBA’s!

jcruse — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 01:36:18 GMT

Of things you battle with this year WILL be class participation. So let’s introduce the players in this game of wits [or lack thereof]. First, there will be those willing to let any random concoction of words flow from their lips in order to receive participation points. Then there’s the moderate school [...]

Personal Statement Tip: Setting Scenes

Sheila Bender — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 05:19:20 GMT

To write a compelling personal statement or application essay, you need to draw readers into your experience without much set-up. You have to get to the heart of the matter quickly and at the same time make the reader care to read on. Visualizing a particular moment from a situation that disappointed or thrilled you will show you how you can start an essay about a disappointment, an obstacle, an intellectual or creative passion or a lucky break with a short scene.

To write a scene effectively you can start with thee phrases to gather your images:

I smelled ...
I heard ...
I saw ...
I felt ...

Once you have the scene you might open with wholly detailed in your mind, you will have a much easier time writing in a way that will hook your audience. An essay that includes a scene might start this way:

My father showed us a home video shot when I was in Kindergarten, and I saw my young self at my older brother’s electronic keyboard. I saw that I was happy playing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” for an audience of Teddy bears. I realized I’ve always been happiest when I am playing a tune or classical piece for others. After many years of study, today, I am pianist in our state's best orchestra. Not only have I performed up and down the Eastern Seaboard, I have also traveled to Europe and the Mediterranean with the orchestra and heard many fine orchestras as well as played with their musicians.

There is no more effective way to involve the reader of your essay than with images and details used right from the start. Try your hand at collecting some using phrases that will help you get in touch with your senses.

By Sheila Bender, author of Perfect Phrases for College Application Essays, a great book on writing college application essays, but more about that soon. In the meantime, if you would like Sheila to personally guide you as you write your application essay, please review our application essay editing services.

Essay Writing Step One: Introspection

Paul Bodine — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 22:14:30 GMT

The essay-writing process begins with introspection; there's no shortcut around it. Before you begin writing, even before you know the questions your schools asked, begin developing a short personal marketing message or "handle" that integrates the key themes (strengths, experiences, interests) you want your application to communicate. Imagine the admissions process as a cocktail party. Your hosts' (the adcoms) time is limited. They must make the rounds with all their “guests” (applicants) before the night’s over. Since you can't give them your whole life story, everything you say must communicate a compact, multidimensional message that's distinctive enough for your host to remember long after other “partygoers” have made their pitch. Take your time, cast your net widely, and ask friends and family for their input, so the handle you devise reflects key uniqueness factors from your professional, personal, community, and academic lives.

As a rule of thumb, construct your self-marketing handle out of four or five themes, each one rich enough to build an essay around. If you come up with "a natural leader with strong analytical skills and a social conscience," you're thinking far too broadly. If your handle runs past a sentence or two, unless it's truly scintillating, business schools may lose it in the crowd. The blend of themes should emphasize your multidimensionality. That is, you're not only a testing team lead at IBM, but you’re also a Norwegian American raised in Ecuador who also loves taxidermy and tutoring immigrant kids for the Knowledge Trust Alliance.

Remember that your admissions "hosts" will be bringing a long memory of past conversations to your brief encounter. Simply telling them you're a banker or marketing manager will trigger all sorts of valid assumptions about your skills and professional exposures. If you’re applying from a traditional MBA feeder profession like consulting or investment banking, for example, your handle will come equipped with analytical and quantitative strengths. So round it out distinctively by including themes that B-schools don't automatically associate with your profession, such as creativity (e.g., your lifelong devotion to basket weaving), social-impact causes (e.g., that stint training subsistence farmers in Malawi), or out-of-the-box professional experiences (e.g., your first career as a geography teacher). Or look for unusual childhood or family experiences, distinctive hobbies, or international experiences that offset the predictability of your professional profile -- and incorporate these into your handle.

Although a distinctive multidimensional handle is ideal, it must truly capture who you are. Don't try to force a theme -- "internationalism," for example, or "creativity" -- onto your profile if you don't have the experiences to back it up. Again, each of your handle’s themes must be deep enough that you could write a full essay around it.

Excerpted from "Great Application Essays for Business School" (McGraw-Hill) by Paul Bodine.

The Many Faces of Leadership

Linda Abraham — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:41:39 GMT

“I figured it all out.”

That’s how I would paraphrase the essays many of my clients—MBA applicants and others—write in response to the ubiquitous “Describe a leadership experience” question. Now of course “figuring it all out,” my shorthand for “I came up with a creative solution to a tricky problem” or “I developed a killer spreadsheet model, the likes of which my team had never seen before” or similar achievements, is an important aspect of leadership.

But it’s just one aspect.

Skilled problem-solving, or “thought leadership,” as we called it at McKinsey and Company, where I worked as a business strategy consultant, was the mark of, well, a skilled problem-solver; but many of the most respected consultants at the firm, including senior partners, were equally or even more talented at something we didn’t have a formal name for: people leadership. By effectively leading our thinking on client firms’ problems as well as motivating us to work long hours to develop solutions to these problems and collaborate with our clients on implementing them, these colleagues were exemplary leaders.

So don’t forget to include strong elements of people leadership in your essays. Here are several to keep in mind:

Rallying others around a vision. Did you convince your team or group to follow a specific path/solution? How did you do it? Successful clients have talked about handling dissenting opinions diplomatically or presenting their teams’ detailed quantitative evidence for a recommendation. The more you can show that you understood your audience and tailored the content and form of your message to them, the better.
Harnessing others’ strengths—and expanding them. Did you provide team members tasks they could handle comfortably based on their capabilities, as well as opportunities to broaden their skills? For example, you may have handed your quant jock teammate the most complicated operations analysis as well as responsibility for leading a key client meeting. In this way you leverage teammates’ strengths while helping them develop new ones.
Getting through tough times. Did you model for your team enviable cool in pressure-cooker situations, maybe helping them keep the big-picture goal in mind or lightening the mood with humor? Did you reward teammates with praise, pizza, or both for working long into the night? Did you pitch in on others’ responsibilities as deadlines loomed? Helping your team handle stress while managing your own is a cornerstone of strong leadership.

These are just some of the leadership traits you can show in your essay to make it more compelling. And remember, you don’t have to be in an official position of leadership to demonstrate them. We all know peers who provide great leadership without any formal authority. Make clear that you’re one of them.

My fellow Accepted editors and I will help you include a powerful combination of leadership and other elements in your essays and interviews.

By Dr. Sachin Waikar .

GMAT Scandal May Leave B-School Applicants in the Cold

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 21:33:53 GMT

BusinessWeek.com just published a great story about the GMAT scandal that has MBA students sweating. The piece includes details about the cheating allegations lodged against Scoretop.com (a now defunct...

MBA Boot Camp Scheduled for August

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 10:14:19 GMT

The first couple of months of business school are critical. If you want to prepare yourself to succeed, you may want to consider registering for MBA Launch Pad. MBA Launch Pad...

The Importance of Obstacles

Linda Abraham — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 17:53:21 GMT

When my clients write about their accomplishments, whether in personal statements for graduate school or b-school essays that ask for greatest accomplishments, challenges, and the like, they almost always come up with real accomplishments: driving innovations that led to revenue boosts for their firms, conducting original and meaningful research in their fields of study, or leading a volunteer group on a major community service initiative. But as genuine and significant as these accomplishments are, my clients' initial essay drafts are often missing a key ingredient: obstacles.

Obstacles are ubiquitous in everyday life—the traffic detour, the rude tech support representative, even the mean-looking dog on your favorite walking route—and inevitable in major initiatives such as those in a business setting. But too often when asked to talk about their accomplishments my clients have amnesia for the things that got in their way, even though getting past them was often as challenging as executing all the foreseen elements of their plans. The result is bland essays, such as this paraphrased (made up) version:

As the leader of my product research group, I came up with a plan for a new widget that would save us 10% in costs. After communicating my vision to the team, we worked hard for four weeks on a prototype, completing it by the deadline, to the delight of management. Today my widget is still the standard for my company, saving us over $300k
annually.

Sure, it sounds like a solid accomplishment, but would you remember it as well as the following, obstacle-rich version?

As the leader of my product research group, I came up with a plan for a new widget that would save us 10% in costs. But when I communicated my vision to the team, two senior engineers immediately pointed out key flaws in the design, and I had to revise my plan to correct them. We worked on a prototype for two weeks before discovering that the material we planned to use for the product had become over 30% more expensive in the last month, so I pulled an all-nighter researching alternative materials, and we chose one. We met our four-week deadline and presented the prototype to management, but the VP of Manufacturing argued that we would need to purchase major new equipment to produce the widget. I convinced the team to work long hours on a manufacturing proposal that proved we could make the product with existing equipment. Today my widget is still the standard for my company, saving us over $300k annually.

See the difference a discussion of obstacles makes? Obstacles make your essays more memorable in at least two ways: they heighten the drama of the story, and they give the reader more elements and images to associate with you. In the second version, it's easy to imagine the two dissenting engineers, the surprise of discovering the price hike for materials, and the VP's frown. In the first, there's little to imagine but an employee smiling about a job well done.

So don't forget to include key obstacles in your essays, along with how you negotiated them. Showcasing your ability to overcome the unexpected is actually more powerful than proving you can execute on a well-defined plan.

As an aspiring novelist and screenwriter, I'm especially interested in bringing obstacles into my clients' stories, but working with any Accepted.com editor will ensure that you have used obstacles and other key elements to make your essays as powerful as possible.

by Sachin Waikar

Writing Effective Wait-List Letters: A Quiz

Paul Bodine — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:07:14 GMT

Think you know how to write an effective wait-list letter? Test your knowledge with the following quiz:

1. Wait-list letters may be three or more single-spaced pages long: (a) when the applicant has a lot of accomplishments to talk about, (b) they should never exceed two pages, (c) only for law school wait-list letters, (d) if you are not enclosing an additional letter of recommendation.

2. Expressing some frustration or disappointment in the wait-list letter is: (a) OK if the school is really your number-one choice, (b) appropriate if it reflects how you honestly feel, (c) never a good idea, (d) useful in the letter's conclusion to elicit sympathy.

3. During the wait-list process, you should generally aim to contact the wait-listing school: (a) every other day if it's really your number-one choice, (b) weekly by email or letter, (c) only when prompted by the school, (d) every three to four weeks (if the school allows contact).

4. The main topics of a wait-list letter should be: (a) your recent professional achievements, (b) new reasons why this school is a good fit for you, (c) developments in your community work since applying, (d) any substantial recent examples that offset the weaknesses of your application, (e) all of these.

5. It's acceptable to repeat wording from your application essays in the wait-list letter: (a) never, (b) if you run short of time, (c) if it was an especially strong part of your application, (d) if you think it's important enough to reinforce.

Answers: 1b, 2c, 3d, 4e, 5a.

MBA Education as a Bargain

Linda Abraham — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 23:14:07 GMT

The MBA Tour sent out an interesting announcement yesterday:

Both the euro and the Chinese Yuan have appreciated vs. the U.S. dollar over the past 3 years; the euro by 30% and the Yuan by 17%.

“ An American 2-year MBA is very attractive to European students now because it’s not all that more expensive than many one-year programs there,” Craig Hubbell, Associate Director of MBA Admissions, UCLA Anderson School of Management.

UCLA Anderson reports a 50% increase in MBA applications from Europe this year, and currency exchange rate is one of the top factors, says Hubbell.

Tuition fees rise slightly year to year but no where near the amount the U.S. dollar has dropped. Today a $38,000.00 U.S. tuition fee will cost the European student approximately 24,200.00 euros. 5 years ago that same tuition fee cost 33,000 euros, and 10 years ago, 35,000.00.

Students from China and India are also taking advantage of this less expensive opportunity to study in the U.S. The Chinese Yuan and Indian Rupee continue to rise and American b-schools are seeing an increase in applications from these countries.

The MBA Tour travels with U.S. schools to major cities in Asia and India and is seeing substantial growth in registration over the last 3 years in Beijing, Shanghai, Delhi, and Mumbai conferences.

“As these economies grow, more wealth is created and therefore more affordability of education. This means you’ll see more people taking the GMAT, and attendance at our events in China and India will continue to grow,” says Peter von Loesecke, CEO The MBA Tour. “Our attendance in Shanghai has increased by 62% and we have also witnessed about a 40% increase in attendance in Beijing. In order to handle attendance at our Bangalore event we added an additional city to the tour and attendance in India is up 28% overall.”

Before you write: some tips for getting the most out of your pre-writing process

Sonia Michaels — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 21:34:30 GMT

It’s nearly July, and many business schools are already starting to release their new or revised essay topics for the coming admissions season. During this pre-season warm-up period, many applicants seem to feel a strong temptation to grab those questions as soon as they come out, paste them into a Word file and just start WRITING, but even though this may produce an initial "rush" of accomplishment, it isn’t always the most efficient approach. A little bit of preliminary organization can go a long way towards helping you keep track of deadlines, set reasonable schedules and priorities for your work, and make the writing process much more manageable.

When I start working with applicants, one of the first things I ask them to do is put together a "master list" of the essays for each school they plan to apply to, so that we can come up with a strategy for our work together. Often, at the end of the season, people remark to me that this task—which many of them admit that they initially perceived as irritating "busy work"—has actually been one of the most useful elements of their application process. Over the years, I’ve seen many different versions of these lists, in Word, Excel, pdf and even Notepad files, but one of the most effective, and certainly the most colorful, came from someone I worked with just last year.

When my client first emailed her master list to me, I opened the document and thought "Wow, she has sent me a rainbow!" Her meticulously-organized spreadsheet contained a separate column for each of the seven schools on her list, along with the first- and second-round deadlines for each school. Below each school’s heading, each essay topic was color-coded, cell by cell, according to each unique type of essay. The “goals” essay topics, for example, were highlighted in purple, while the “leadership” essays were blue, the “background and values” essays pink, the “accomplishments” essays, red, the “failure” essays, for those schools requesting them, green... and so on.

Sure, the document was the Excel equivalent of spilling a couple of pounds of M&Ms across someone’s desktop, but my client’s colorful approach made it incredibly easy for us to pick out which types of essays she would have to answer for multiple schools, and then discuss both the overall topic AND the nuances of each school’s specific essay prompt.

At a glance, for example, we could see that this applicant had to write “goals” essays ranging from 500 – 1500 words, and that some of these essays required an in-depth assessment of the career path she had taken up to that point, while others placed minimal emphasis on the past, focusing mostly on her future plans. This, in turn, helped us figure out that in some cases, she would have to find another place to include important information that she had originally hoped to put into the goals essay.

Under the broad “umbrella” topic of the goals essay, some schools also asked how the applicant would contribute to the learning experience of her classmates, while other schools reserved a separate essay topic for those details. She had assigned the same shade of purple to those separate prompts, knowing that she would probably be able to pull some material out of the longer essay to create her responses.

Essentially, this color-coded document—which probably took her no more than a couple of hours to prepare—was a fantastic visual tool that consolidated everything we would need to know for our work together, helping us cut straight to the core of what she needed to put together for each program. Then—cross-referencing length restrictions and deadlines—we figured out how to prioritize each document.

In this case, we decided to deal with the longest and most inclusive “goals” topic first, reasoning that it would give us more to work with when it came to choosing which elements of the original piece we could trim down for shorter essays, and which sections we might be able to re-work for essays that took a slightly different slant on the topic.

This color-coded approach also helped us to identify the “outliers”—those essay topics that truly were unique to each school, and that she would have to set aside extra time to work on; this minimized the chance of nasty surprises and last-minute panic! My client started work on her applications in mid-August of last year, using this document as a starting point, and she was able to put together terrific applications to all seven schools before the first-round deadlines.

Naturally, there are as many different ways to set up an application strategy as there are applicants, and I’m certainly not prescribing this as THE way to do it, but I wanted to share it as a great example of how a little bit of pre-planning can streamline the entire process. So... what are your favorite colors?

By Sonia Michaels

Sonia would by happy to help you too with your "master list" and MBA admissions strategy .

2009 MBA Application News

Linda Abraham — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 04:14:45 GMT

A few 2009 MBA applications have recently been made public:

Haas' 2009 MBA essay questions and deadlines are now on its web site. I will comment on Haas essay questions later, but here are the deadlines: Round 1 --November 4, 2008; Round 2 -- December 9, 2008; Round 3 -- January 30, 2009; Round 4 (Final) -- March 11, 2009
Kellogg published its 2009 essay questions, but has not released its deadlines yet. I will provide tips in a later post.
Harvard Business School, which previously posted its 2009 questions and deadlines, just announced that its online application is available.

In addition to our regular menu of services, Accepted offers a few extras to those ready to start the MBA admissions process now:

Early Bird Special: 10% off Accepted's regular (non-rush) essay services and school packages if purchased on or before July 31, 2008.
The last MBA Admissions Telethon for 2009 applicants will take place on Tuesday July 15. During the 2009 MBA Admissions Telethon, Accepted.com MBA admissions consultants will be available to provide free, 15-minute consultations.

One would think that after responding to thousands of posts on the BW Forum, Accepted forum, Facebook, and this blog, not to mention hosting approximately 200 chats and several telethons, I would be keenly aware of the importance applicants attach to asking questions of impartial, experienced admissions professionals, like the members of Accepted's staff who will take your questions during the telethon.

But the value of such opportunities was brought home to me once again during my recent evening at Manhattan GMAT in Santa Monica where I presented "Bold and Brilliant Essays" to a group of roughly 55 applicants. They then peppered me with questions for about 90 minutes first in a sweltering room where the air conditioning had broken and later on a much cooler and pleasanter patio. If the airless room was uncomfortable, why was the evening enjoyable? I enjoyed interacting with a really nice group of applicants, and they stuck it out both through the presentation and the Q&A until their questions were all answered.

I hope that wherever you are on July 15, it will be at a agreeable temperature so that you will have your free, mini-consultation in comfort. Sign up for the free MBA Admissions Telethon to reserve your spot.

And if you are ready to start work on your applications and want the assistance of Accepted's top-notch MBA admissions consultants, don't delay. Take advantage of the Early Bird Special. Save money and gain the competitive edge inherent in starting your applications early."

/p>

Women Show Stronger Math Skills in More Gender Equal Societies, Kellogg Research Shows

Clear Admit — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 17:48:38 GMT

According to new research findings by Kellogg School of Management Professor Paola Sapienza, social equality leads to better math skills for women.

Sapienza, working with colleagues from the Instituto Universitario Europeo and the University of Chicago, set out to investigate empirically whether a global gender gap exists in math as part of an effort to better understand the relative importance of biology and culture on the development of basic mental strengths well suited to math and science pursuits.

“The so-called gender gap in math skills seems to be at least partially correlated to environmental factors,” Sapienza said in a statement.

The research findings, recently published in the journal Science, demonstrate that girls perform better in math in societies that are more gender equal, in some cases besting male peers.

“The gap doesn’t exist in countries in which men and women have access to similar resources and opportunities,” Sapienza continued.

Sapienza and her colleagues analyzed data from more than 276,000 children in 40 countries who had each taken the 2003 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), an internationally standardized assessment of math, reading, science and problem-solving ability. The validity of the study hinged upon having such a large number of subjects from a broad range of social systems.

Based on PISA analysis, Sapienza and her fellow researchers, boys do tend to outperform girls in math (scoring, on average, 10.5 points higher), but there were notable exceptions, including in Iceland, Sweden and Norway, where girls scored as well as boys or better.

Sapienza and team then began to examine social features that could help explain variance from country to country. They employed four tools to measure how well women were integrated into society as compared to men: the 2006 Gender Gap Index (GGI) developed by the World Economic Forum (WEF); the World Values Survey; the percentage of women aged 15 or older who are eligible to work in each country’s labor force; and the WEF political empowerment index, which measures the representation of women in government.

What they found was that in more gender equal societies, the gender gap in math falls away. For example, in Sweden, where the GGI is 0.81, the math gender gap almost disappeared. But in Turkey, where the gender gap is greater (GGI = 0.59), girls scored 23 points below boys in math. Moreover, in societies where women were better integrated, the number of girls reaching the highest levels of performance also increased.

The United States ranks 23rd on the GGI scale with a score of 0.7, and girls’ math and science scores on the PISA were likewise in the mid range. U.S. girls scored an average of almost 10 points lower than U.S. boys in math and science – around the average for all countries analyzed.

In terms of reading, though, girls were the hands-down top performers. In every country studied, girls performed better than boys in reading. In more gender equal societies, the girls’ advantage in reading over boys is even greater. On average, girls have reading scores that are 32.7 points higher than those of boys (6.6 percent higher than the mean average score for boys).

“Our research indicates that in more gender equal societies, girls will gain an absolute advantage relative to boys,” Sapienza concluded.

To learn more about Sapienza’s research, click here.

Fridays From the Frontline

Clear Admit — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 07:01:04 GMT

Welcome back to Fridays From the Frontline, our regular wrap up of what’s going down in the MBA blogosphere. Amidst keeping you up-to-date with your favorite familiar faces this week, we’ve also welcomed several new bloggers to the FFF fold! See if you can pick them out of the usual line-up…

The class of 2010 has been relatively quiet these past days, presumably off making the most of their pre-MBA breathers. Tinydancer was among the few who made time to write. Finally preparing to pass the buck at work, she also found it high time to settle her Wharton tab (or start running it up, depending on how you look at it)! She was relieved to find Stafford Loans a no-brainer, but debated the merits of a fixed 8.5% Grad PLUS Loan versus the variable rates offered by private lenders - now that’s a whole different kind of passing the buck! Also kind enough to keep us updated despite her hectic schedule was JulyDream; feeling the summer slipping away, she resolved to eschew her procrastinating entourage and forge her own plans to live it up in a variety of locales before heading off to Darden.

Meanwhile, eager Omne reveled in reaching the magical 700 milestone on his latest GMAT prep test, although he’s still working on breaking into the upper echelons of the quant section. Co-class of ‘11er Missionmba caused a bit of a stir this week, momentarily terrifying his anxious blogging buddies when he bemoaned missing his first application deadline – turns out it was a personal target date by which he’d hoped to settle upon his school selections, not an official due date… Down South, despite his gainful employment as a lucky groomsman, TienyChesney, too, had his upcoming MBA quest on the brain: an enlightening stopover in Chicago may have opened up the possibility of Kellogg and Chicago GSB applications, although for now he’s still dead set on Columbia.

As gas prices rise, similarly rising Georgetown second-year HairTwirler lamented the lack of comprehensive public transportation in America this week, although stationed in the nation’s capitol, she’s fortunate enough to entertain her lodging, employment and exercise needs within a five-block radius. On the other hand, still backpacking across Europe, Anand wasn’t concerned with petrol price hikes; instead, he shared an inspiring photo-journal of his first two days in Paris, with more updates to come from the city of light and love. Another victim of the travel bug, CS@HBS filled us in on the organization and execution of what she thinks is “The Most Amazing Thing You Can Do While at HBS” (hint: it’s far from Boston). Stationary for the moment, M@ busied himself with staging an elaborate welcome for the luscious Amazon Kindle he procured with his Clear Admit Best of Blogging Prize. (Truly, we never would have expected it - or the manner in which it was received!)

Keeping up with our recent graduates, John added new meaning to the catchphrase ‘sustainable business’ this week by creatively considering how he’ll repay the Columbia Business School community for helping him so much in his job search. And Milliondollarspatula actually opted out of INSEAD’s formal graduation ceremony (possibly because he didn’t find the atmosphere formal enough!) to get an early start on what he’s termed “loss mitigation,”– essentially paying back his loans!

That’s all the blogging news from this week’s MBA cruise! We hope to catch you next Friday for the latest vacation installation!

Selective B-Schools

businessmajors.guide@about.com — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:02:15 GMT

Some business schools are much more selective than others. If you are wondering which schools are the most difficult to get into, this list of the top 5 most selective business schools should provide the answer.

Business School Admission's Panel

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 19:00:00 GMT

50 of the Most Dependable Web Resources for University Students

Thu, 29 May 2008 18:00:37 GMT

EduChoices recently posted a comprehensive list of the 50 most dependable web resources for college and university students. Resources include sites for student researchers and web apps to help you...

100 Most Desirable MBA Employers

Fri, 30 May 2008 12:33:03 GMT

Most people get an MBA to get a better job. But have you ever wondered who the best employers are for MBA graduates? According to MBA candidates, the top five...

GreenNote Launches Social Network-Based Student Loan Program

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:19:38 GMT

If you are in need of money for business school, you may be interested to know about a new student loan program that was launched today. Known as GreenNote, the...

Re-Applying to Business School After Being Rejected: How to Transform Your Application to Get Accepted

MizWeb Communities — Thu, 01 May 2008 16:01:53 GMT

"There's been an uptick of MBA applications and that means more competition. As more candidates are vying for the same number of seats at business schools, more applicants are unfortunately getting rejected. Some schools encourage you to reapply while others...

A Shrewd Undergraduate's Guide to HBS Admissions

MizWeb Communities — Thu, 01 May 2008 16:07:57 GMT

By PRATEEK KUMAR Crimson Staff Writer "1. Try to have a high GPA and do not fall for the canard that the admissions committee is aware of hard courses, and will give you a break. They are aware of A,...

Wharton Follies: I See Dumb People Trailer

MizWeb Communities — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 08:35:04 GMT

Source: Wharton Follies

Columbia Follies: Harry Potter and the Accountant's Abacus

MizWeb Communities — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 09:06:26 GMT

Source: Columbia Business School Follies

Stanford GSB Show - 24

MizWeb Communities — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 09:50:31 GMT

MBA Blog Chatter: Stacy Blackman’s Weekly Links

MizWeb Communities — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 06:10:56 GMT

In the post “Why Wharton, Part II”, Tinydancer muses on school brand, alumni network, and cultural fit. MBA or Bust shares a modicum of disappointment over being “Dinged at Cal!”. Tulane University Freeman School BLOG rails against Georgetown U for...

MBA Blog Chatter: Clear Admit's Fridays from the Frontline

MizWeb Communities — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 06:37:46 GMT

"Welcome back to this week’s Fridays From the Frontline, the next installment in the chronicles of academia – er business school! Applicants went through the wardrobe this week, preparing to put their best feet forward in the interviews ahead. First-years...

Watch the MBA Channel from MBA ZoNe

MizWeb Communities — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 00:42:05 GMT

02/01/08... UNDER CONSTRUCTION...STILL WORKING OUT THE BUGS... thank you for your patience! Watch the latest b-school-related videos on YouTube.com

Harvard Business School Treasure Hunt

MizWeb Communities — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 01:55:38 GMT

1000 incoming HBS MBA students at Orientation Day September 2006

The Link Between an MBA and Successful Managers

MizWeb Communities — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 16:42:00 GMT

"If you’ve got your eye on moving into a management position you’re probably seriously considering getting an MBA. Knowing that a business school degree will take a significant amount of time and money, you’re probably wondering if it’s a good...

Webcam Interviews

MizWeb Communities — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 05:12:40 GMT

by Stacy Blackman Consulting For MBA applicants, traditional telephone interviews can be a boon or a bust. On the one hand, the absence of face-to-face contact makes it much more difficult to convey your true personality. For some, however, the...

MBAs Weigh CSR, Controversial Industries

MizWeb Communities — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 05:20:32 GMT

Stacy Blackman, MBA

FT Releases 2008 Global MBA Rankings

MizWeb Communities — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 05:30:40 GMT

by Stacy Blackman Consulting The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business claimed the top spot for a fourth year in the Financial Times 2008 Global MBA rankings, released earlier this week. Rounding out the upper echelon we have the...

Decision-Making in an Imperfect World

MizWeb Communities — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 06:21:42 GMT

by Stacy Blackman Consulting In response to a growing number of employers complaining that many MBA graduates lack crucial decision-making skills, Dean R. Glenn Hubbard of Columbia Business School has created a new twist on the classic teaching format known...

Admissions Pointers for MBAs Around the Globe

MizWeb Communities — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 06:29:12 GMT

The QS World MBA Tour offered a chat recently on navigating the MBA admissions process. Here are some of the highlights of that session, led by Zoya Zaitseva, manager of the European leg of the world’s biggest international MBA fair.

Surveying the Executive MBA Landscape

MizWeb Communities — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 06:42:29 GMT

"Applications are up but acceptances are down among executive MBA programs surveyed by the Executive MBA Council, which also found that individuals and organizations alike are getting a faster return on investments made in higher education than in previous years..."...

Top 10 Tips for Getting Into Business School: Advice to Follow Before You Apply

MizWeb Communities — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 16:49:12 GMT

"Graduating from a top MBA program can mean a higher salary, wider name recognition, and greater career opportunities. Doors open and you have a certain level of pre-existing credibility. That's also why top schools are tough to get into; everyone...

Innovation Blogs to Check Out

MizWeb Communities — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 19:22:31 GMT

Irving Wladawsky-Berger Church of the Customer Endless Innovation Bruce Nussbaum Chuck Frey Andrew Hargadon Brent Edwards Seth Godin John Hagel Innoblog Guy Kawasaki Jeffrey Phillips Patty Seybold John Kao Principled Innovation John Thackera Matt Mason David Weinberger Mavericks at Work...

Restructuring Essays When Reapplying

MizWeb Communities — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 07:38:52 GMT

"We ask our panel of experts how students can restructure their essays without repeating content when they begin the admissions reapplication process..." Source: bschooltalk

Wait Listed: bschooltalk

MizWeb Communities — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 08:15:16 GMT

"Can you grovel your way off of a business school wait list? Watch this week's episode of bschooltalk and find out as Judith collects opinions from business school admissions experts from around the world..." Source: bschooltalk

Lean Accounting

MizWeb Communities — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 07:43:31 GMT

Wikipedia: Lean Accounting http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lean_accounting What is Lean Accounting (pdf) http://www.cpasuccess.com/files/lean_accounting.pdf Accounting on Lean Tastes http://www.industryweek.com/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=14766 Lean Accounting News http://leanaccountingnews.com/ The 'skinny' on lean: What every CPA needs to know http://www.cpasuccess.com/2007/08/the-skinny-on-l.html Superfactory http://www.superfactory.com/ Lean Accounting Summit http://www.leanaccountingsummit.com/ Top 5 reasons you...

MBA Alumni Match

MizWeb Communities — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 08:31:56 GMT

Can you match up the prominent MBA alum with his/her B-School? Play Alumni Match to find out...

MBA ZoNe rolls out MBA Job Search

MizWeb Communities — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 07:37:34 GMT

MBA ZoNe has rolled out a new job section listing career opportunities for MBAs...MBA Job Search. If you are looking for very fresh & real-time leads to a new job, MBA Job Search is where you should start. Using the...

At B-School, Private Equity Is Getting a Class of Its Own

MizWeb Communities — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 04:57:01 GMT

"Business schools are bullish on private equity. Amid the recent flurry of deals to take public companies private, M.B.A. programs are offering more intensive private-equity courses and strengthening their connections with buyout firms to help students land jobs. At the...

B-School Rankings: Resource List

MizWeb Communities — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 09:06:34 GMT

B-School Rankings Financial Times Business Week U.S. News and World Report Economist Intelligence Unit Wall Street Journal Forbes Rankings Reported/Compared About.com University of Illinois MBA Programs.info Career Dynamo Foreign MBA | rankings table MBAinfo

Podcast: The MBA Job Market

MizWeb Communities — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 06:47:09 GMT

As part of the Guide to the Top Business Schools 2007, Ron Alsop from WSJ CareerJournal sizes up how competitive the M.B.A. job market is for companies right now. listen to podcast Source: CareerJournal

Who's Recruiting Where

MizWeb Communities — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 07:06:25 GMT

"Click on a company to see a list of schools where it recruited M.B.A.s in the class of 2006 and the number of hires at each school. This is not a complete inventory of where the companies are hiring M.B.A.s...

Are American Leaders Losing the Innovation Race?

MizWeb Communities — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 08:26:57 GMT

"A leading expert on innovation, John Kao has taught a popular course on the subject at the Harvard Business School for fourteen years, in addition to teaching at the MIT Media Lab and U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California....

2007's Best U.S. Leaders

MizWeb Communities — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 07:42:45 GMT

America's Best Leaders is a collaboration between U.S.News & World Report and the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. How They Were Picked Learning to Lead National Leadership Index 2007 Archives of Past...

Tom Brady and Efficient Capital Markets

MizWeb Communities — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 16:59:18 GMT

"Two university professors use a football playbook to teach net present value, IPO pricing, risk-shifting and more to undergrads and MBA candidates. When New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was spotted by paparazzi wearing a walking cast on his foot,...

Executive Learning on Location

MizWeb Communities — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 18:04:48 GMT

by Stacy Blackman Consulting The current business environment requires operations within an international context, and those looking for hands-on experience in other countries might consider the exciting new executive management program created by Georgetown University and ESADE Business School in...

MBA Internship Search

MizWeb Communities — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 06:18:38 GMT

"It is arguably the single most important element of one’s MBA education…that highly coveted summer internship. It is now mid-January, and the MBA internship hunt is in full force. It is indeed true: a hunt. Thousands of intelligent, determined, and...

MBA ZoNe rolls out MBA Job Search

MizWeb Communities — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 07:39:48 GMT

Duke MBA - 2008 Marketing Conference

MizWeb Communities — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 00:01:22 GMT

Comparing GMAT Test Prep Companies: Which Test Prep Provider Is Right For You?

MizWeb Communities — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 07:47:54 GMT

"Business school applicants have been lining up to take the GMAT since 1954. This year it’s your turn. To help you prepare, we have interviewed the various test preparation companies to hear what they have to offer. They’ll discuss the...

MBA Salaries Part 1: How Much Will The MBA Degree Bring In For You?

MizWeb Communities — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 07:40:20 GMT

"According to recent compensation surveys, MBA salaries are on the rise. That’s good news for MBAs. In 2007, GMAC reported the average MBA starting salary ranged between $80 - $85,000. Many factors influence how much you’ll actually make. Years of...

Event Marketer: For creators of the brand experience.

Beth Brindle — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 19:22:41 GMT

Subscribe Free!

Event Marketer serves the information needs of corporate marketers engaged in face-to-face marketing activities. EM covers how and why brand-side marketers use live events as brand-building strategies. Our 10,000 subscribers look to EM to provide them with the insights, best practices, and trends that they need to do their jobs better.

Email Link Digg This! Add to Del.icio.us

Executive Learning on Location

MizWeb Communities — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 18:01:45 GMT

Acting Lessons…Not Just for Thespians Anymore

MizWeb Communities — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 23:27:49 GMT

by Stacy Blackman Consulting What can b-school students learn in a theater class? Plenty, it seems, as a growing number of prestigious MBA programs are including acting classes as an innovative way to boost leadership, communication and presentation skills. In...

Standing Out in the Admissions Process

MizWeb Communities — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 23:22:49 GMT

by Stacy Blackman Consulting The third-round application period looms for many prospective MBA students, and there’s no better time to incorporate the advice of MBA admissions directors on ways to make—or break—your chances of getting in at the school of...

MBA ZoNe rolls out MBA Job Search

MizWeb Communities — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 07:33:49 GMT

Duke MBA - 2008 Marketing Conference

MizWeb Communities — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 00:01:22 GMT

Interview Invitation Timing

Katie Malachuk — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 00:00:40 GMT

For applicants who are fortunate enough to have received interview invitations, be sure to check out our Invitation Tips.

Of course, many applicants are spending the holiday weekend wondering if they will be receiving interview invitations from HBS and Stanford. Often applicants ask whether WHEN they hear about an interview from these schools says anything about their chances for admissions. The answer is no, but let’s go straight to the source for confirmation.

Derrick Bolton address the topic on the Stanford MBA Blog. “Please be assured,” he writes, “that your likelihood of admission bears no relationship to when you receive your interview invitation; the timing of your invitation simply depends on when we review your file - and there is no pattern to application review.” He says that the Round 1 interview invitations go out from now until mid December every business day even during the Stanford school holiday from Dec 24, 2007 to Jan 1, 2008. They try to send all interview invitations by Jan 11, though some will go out later and some applicants may be asked to join the waitlist without an interview. Finally though, he stresses, “no matter when you receive your invitation to interview, you have the same chance of admission as any other candidate.”

HBS delivers the same message on their frequently asked questions:
“Interview invitations are extended on a rolling basis throughout the course of each application round. The timing of your interview does not imply anything about the status of your application nor does it impact your candidacy. Invitations to interview may be extended up until the notification date and are a positive indicator no matter when you receive them.”

Business Week Admissions Chats - Helpful for essays!

Katie Malachuk — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 17:36:03 GMT

As we’ve mentioned in our essay tips, you need to do your homework on schools and express in your essays how you will contribute to each school’s community. A great resource around this is the Businessweek.com Admissions Chats with admissions representatives from top schools. These are online Q&A’s the Businessweek.com posts regularly.

Topics covered with the Yale representatives include:
*Study abroad and international trips
*Health care sector coverage
*Consulting careers post-Yale
*Dual degrees
*New curriculum
*Yale culture
*New Haven
*What the admissions committee is looking for and trends in admissions
*Nuts and bolts of interviews, timelines, extra recommendations, scholarships

They also have admissions chats with Haas, HBS, Columbia, LBS. Here’s the link to all of them.

Top 10 Tips for Getting Into Business School

Sun, 04 Nov 2007 19:00:00 GMT

Comparing GMAT Test Prep Companies

Sun, 16 Dec 2007 19:00:00 GMT

Wharton Leadership Digest - November 2007

MizWeb Communities — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 02:03:35 GMT

RETIRING THE GENERATION GAP By Jennifer J. Deal A NEW POWER ELITE? Making Sense of Evangelical Influence By D. Michael Lindsay EVANGELICAL EXECUTIVES Q+A with D. Michael Lindsay Wharton Leadership Digest LESSONS FROM SPAIN How Leadership Can Foster Innovation By...

Wharton Admissions Decisions, R1 Wrap-Up

Clear Admit — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 07:43:31 GMT

The waiting game has come to an end for many first-round applicants, as a number of leading programs - Chicago, Tuck, Cornell, UNC, Kellogg, Columbia and LBS among them - have been releasing admissions decisions over the past few weeks. With Wharton releasing final decisions today to all round one applicants who were invited to interview, we thought this would be a good occasion to say good luck to everyone eagerly expecting news from that and other schools!

For those keeping track, here’s what the final notification calendar looks like for those programs that have yet to release all of their first-round admissions decisions to this crop of applicants:

Carnegie Mellon - December 21st
Cornell Johnson (R2) - January 11th
Michigan Ross - January 15th
Harvard - January 16th
Duke Fuqua- January 18th
UCLA - January 18th
Stanford - January 24th
MIT Sloan - January 28th
Berkeley Haas- January 29th
NYU Stern - February 15th

Again, best of luck to those waiting to hear, and congratulations to those who’ve already received some positive news! Stay tuned to this blog in the coming weeks for advice on a range of topics such as deciding between schools, dealing with a ding, and navigating the waitlist.

Fridays From the Frontline

Clear Admit — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 15:53:55 GMT

Welcome back to this week’s Fridays From the Frontline, Clear Admit’s weekly report on current events in the MBA blogosphere. With visions of admits dancing in their heads, applicants were in a frenzy this week, while current students found themselves rather nostalgic for acceptances past. Let’s hear what all the buzz was about…

Congratulations to B-School Bound, who found himself among the ranks accepted at Wharton. On the other hand, his “now at least I know I’ll be going somewhere next year” sentiment probably found him little company! To his credit, later in the day he sounded a bit more excited… Our congratulations also go out to Power Leveler, whose “Yes” from INSEAD (complete with her first homework assignment) rescued what was otherwise shaping up to be a pretty dismal week.

Sadly, the yes/no limbo isn’t over for Bschool Diva, who got the old “hurry up and wait” from the Chicago GSB adcom, while Wannabe meditated on a ding with sting from Tuck, not to mention the future of his blog. Mbabound08 stuck to the basics regarding his Wharton news: No he didn’t get in, and no he didn’t want to go anyway, at least not to Philly. But what’s there to hate about “the city that loves you back”?!

Reminiscing on this glorious day last year, Jat congratulated Tuck’s Early Action admits, urging them to start getting to know each other through the online Tuck community. However, Forrest felt for those still in the waiting game, offering some insightful advice on escaping the waitlist at the GSB and elsewhere. Necromonger was also in an altruistic mood, continuing his resume tutorial with the top five CV dos and don’ts.

In Cambridge, AGirlsMBA checked back in after a lengthy hiatus, extolling her peers, profs, section, the case method, the social life… pretty much everything about life at HBS! In blustery New York City, Iday was also feeling pretty peachy, despite kicking off his trip to the big apple in the hotel lobby for several hours.

On the second-year front, John apprised fellow students of the many viable marketing internship opportunities knocking on the door at CBS. Meanwhile, Rahul turned 30 at Kellogg, celebrating by studying for the next day’s Bankruptcy exam. Oh, does anyone remember Mbagladiator? He reappeared after what sounds to have been a very focused absence with news that his fundraising dreams will come true as Associate Director at CCS fundraising! Also notable were some mouthwatering pics of his SOM study group’s holiday Turducken meal. Jacek returned this week, too – to ESADE after three months in Africa, that is, finding his first breaths of European winter like a cold shower on a sweltering day.

And that about wraps up this week’s wrap up! So you can get back to wrapping up your presents, but please don’t forget to check back with us next week for a shiny new edition of Fridays From the Frontline!

Admissions Tip: Navigating the Waitlist

Clear Admit — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 08:40:58 GMT

While the past few weeks have seen a number of admits and rejections handed down to round one MBA applicants, the fate of many remains uncertain. There is no reason for waitlisted candidates to lose hope, as the top programs admit a fair number of individuals from the waitlist in round two and thereafter, but we know that cautious optimism does not make the wait for an answer any easier. To help those in this situation make sure that they’re doing all they can, we wanted to share a few waitlist tips:

1. Know - and follow - the rules. Schools vary in their stances when it comes to interaction with those on the waitlist; some shun communication from applicants and even go so far as to discourage on-the-record campus visits, whereas others welcome correspondence and assign waitlisted candidates to an admissions office liaison. We know that the natural impulse is to reach out to the adcom and update them on that recent promotion or the final grade from that accounting class you took to bolster your academic profile. At first blush, it might seem that there’s no harm in sending a short letter or making a call, but no matter how exciting the information you wish to communicate, ignoring the adcom’s instructions is ultimately going to reflect badly on you. Though such a policy may seem frustrating or unfair, it’s important to respect and abide by the preferences of each school.

2. Communicate if you can. For those programs that do permit or encourage contact from waitlisters, it’s absolutely a good idea to send an update. In addition to the obvious news items mentioned above, it’s beneficial to read over your essays and reflect on whether there is some piece of your background or interests that you haven’t gotten across yet. Taking the time to write about your relevant recent experiences, positive developments in your candidacy and ways that you’ve enhanced your understanding of the program is a nice sign of your interest in the program, and is a good strategy for telegraphing your commitment to attending. It is, of course, also in your interest to make sure that the adcom has the most up to date information so that they can make an informed decision the next time your file comes up for evaluation.

3. Keep in touch. Don’t disappear after an initial note to the adcom or phone call to your waitlist manager (if applicable). If you have plans to be on or near campus, for instance, send a quick email to alert your waitlist manager (or whoever you may have interacted with on the adcom) to alert them to this fact. In many cases you’ll find that the adcom offers to have you stop by for a friendly chat about your candidacy - something that can go a long way towards helping your case. Beyond a visit, sending a brief update every few weeks or so is another way to reaffirm your interest in the school and keep you fresh in the minds of the adcom - something that could work to your advantage in a discussion of which candidates to admit from the waitlist. In all cases, it is important to remember that there is a fine line between persistance and pestering, so please use good judgment!

4. Have a contingency plan. While it’s important to do be consistent and enthusiastic when waitlisted and communicating with staff at your target program, it’s also wise to have a backup plan. With the round two deadlines for several top programs about 1-2 weeks away, there’s still time to put together a solid application to another school. Even if you’re waitlisted at the school of your dreams and intend to reapply if not admitted, it’s also never too early to start thinking about the coming year and what steps you might take to enhance your candidacy before next fall.

Best of luck to those of you playing the waiting game, and feel free to contact us at info@clearadmit.com to learn about our application feedback and waitlist counseling services. Hang in there!

“Millenials” and the MBA

Harry Callan — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 04:32:05 GMT

Today’s WSJ has an interesting piece on how MBA programs are adapting to deal with the “Millenial Generation” - a generational term loosely identified with those of us young enough to have essentially grown up with the Internet at our disposal.

Millenial’s have somehow become stigmatized by our sense of entitlement, career expectations, chronic ADD, mutli-tasking abilities, sense of social justice, and our incredible interconnectedness.

An interesting association that I’ve stumbled upon numerous times relates to the obtrusive involvement of parents in our lives. Today’s WSJ piece is no exception:

WSJ: As hovering “helicopter parents” become more active in the admission process, how should schools deal with them?

Ms. Atkinson: The schools have been quite surprised because they weren’t accustomed to seeing parents at admission events at the graduate level. We were all wondering why the parents couldn’t simply advise from the sidelines. But we have come to understand that parents are there because they are investors who hold their children’s schools accountable for a proper return on time and money. Clearly, parents are trusted advisers to the millennial generation, and their presence and influence can’t be wished away. We can either reach out in a calculated way to provide them with good information or let them find the information on their own, which may or may not be accurate.

While not completely out of left field, I find this comment startling - graduate level candidates bringing their parents to admissions events?? A word of advice to parents - DO NOT GO TO THESE EVENTS WITH YOUR CHILDREN! It is great to be involved in your child’s life, but going to a graduate level recruiting event conveys the wrong message. Graduate level students are adults who are expected to be capable of making independent adult decisions. Prospective students who walk into events holding their parents hand (so to speak) present a poor impression of their independence and decision making capacities.

Please don’t misread this advice - it is great to be involved and offer invaluable advice and guidance, just please give your child enough space to become an adult.

Oh yeah, try to avoid tagging along for job interviews as well!

Young MBAs

ben — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 15:38:04 GMT

Check out this interesting new blog chronicaling the experience of some “young MBAs” - students who made the jump directly from undergrad to business school. Here is a little taste to whet your appetite:

MBA: “Young” can do it

There is this myth among potential MBAs that you have to have solid work experience before you can apply to top b-schools. And here is my response: False!

Every year, the average age at top MBA programs all around the world are decreasing; and there is a reason behind it. More and more top business schools are considering exceptional young applicants right out of college. So, before you throw out the idea of getting your MBA right out of college, please take a moment and read what we have to say.

MBA Admissions Grab Bag

Linda Abraham — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 00:18:06 GMT

It's been very busy around here during the last few weeks. With round two applicants working hard on their applications, and round 1 applicants dealing with interview invitations and responding to news about acceptances, and yes a few rejections, Accepted has been buzzing.

I want to do a round-up of excellent school-specific material that I have stumbled upon and not yet written about:

MIT Sloan has produced a wonderful series of podcasts, which I commend to those of you seriously considering MIT Sloan. I recommend specifically the interviews with Rod Garcia, long-time Director of Admissions at MIT Sloan, and with Ed Roberts, who has a list of titles too long to include here. Suffice it to say that he has been a seminal figure in entrepreneurship at MIT Sloan and is currently head of its hugely popular Entrepreneurship and Innovation program.
To gain insight into Wharton's direction, check out the short AP article about its new dean, Dr. Thomas Robertson, entitled "Wharton dean seeks to raise school's profile as 'force for good.'" The article quotes the dean's bio and his stated goals "to champion Wharton as a force for good worldwide and create global economic and social value." The view that business and business methods can be a force for doing good and not just doing well is gaining greater prominence in all top b-schools. Perhaps Dean Robertson will lead the way. Perhaps it will just be another b-school fad. I hope not.

BW has launched or renewed an excellent series of admissions director interviews. I already wrote about an earlier interview with Stanford's Derrick Bolton. But a few more have been published. I want to highlight them for those of you who do not have subscriptions to BW's MBA Insider.

Interview with Fuqua's Liz Riley Hargrove. Here's a small segment that discusses the difference between two Fuqua question, a distinction many of you have struggled with:

What's the most unusual or difficult essay question on your application? What's your advice to students about how to answer it?

We've gotten phone calls. Students are struggling with how to present themselves in the personal essay. One specific essay is to tell us what your prospective contribution would be to the Duke MBA and the other is a shorter answer on how your personal background and values influence who you are. The first essay is designed for you to tell us what you are going to bring to the table. The second is designed for you to tell us how everything you experienced made you who you are.

The biggest thing is that the essay questions, at an initial glance, may appear to be very similar but they really are approaching two different things. We want to know what you have to contribute to your classmates and the other is designed to find out who you are, not what you've achieved professionally. Many candidates feel that the MBA is about touting your professional accomplishments, but we want to learn about our students. We want to get to know our students.

Interview with Lydia Heyman, Interim Director of Admissions at UCLA Anderson, During the interview Lydia announced that round 1 application were up 20% over round 1 a year earlier. She also gave excellent tips on the essays, recommendations and interviews at Anderson.

Recently catching up on some reading, I had a chance to look at the latest UCLA Anderson Assets, its alumni magazine. The article "Seriously Simple: AMR Project Takes Every Day Fine Dining From the Printed Page to the Pantry Shelf" gives you a window into an Anderson field study project. There are also a couple of worthwhile articles if you are interested in UCLA's FEMBA program.

BTW, Lydia Heyman will be Accepted's guest at a chat on January 24. Mark the date if you have questions about UCLA's program, admissions policies, or student life.

MBA Admissions: GMAT Numbers

Linda Abraham — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 02:35:19 GMT

GMAC's 2007 GMAT volume through November shows a significant increase in registrations and test takers over the same period in 2006. Actual test-taking worldwide has jumped 13% over last year with a dramatic 21.46% increase outside the US. Registrations climbed almost 12% overall and roughly 19% outside the US.

Via Manhattan GMAT comes another stat from GMAC: The mean average GMAT score has climbed 12 points in the past 2 years, from 525 to 537.

All these numbers mean that competition has intensified. It will be interesting to see what the credit melt-down does to MBA hiring, particularly among financial institutions and the investment banks smarting from bad moves in the sub-prime market. Since hiring is a big driver of MBA application volume, next year or the year after could see a decline in test-taking and applications if hiring declines.

But that's in the future and speculative. This is a highly competitive year. If you want help with your round 2 applications, Accepted still has limited availability. Please see MBA essay editing.

Tom Peters' Lessons for Applicants

Linda Abraham — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 22:08:36 GMT

I recently stumbled across and reread Tom Peters' seminal article, "The Brand Called You," which first appeared in Fast Company ten year ago. He argues, "We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You."

I realize that many of you are not in business, but most of you as applicants can and should apply Peters' lessons to the application process. After all, you are trying to market yourselves to the schools.

Let's examine three critical points in his article.

"What makes You different?" You're not just another bio major applying to med school, software developer applying to b-school, political junkie applying to law school. There is something about each and everyone of you that will break you out of the stereotype, shatter the mold, and make you a unique individual. What is it? In Peters' words, "What have you done lately -- this week -- to make yourself stand out? What would your colleagues or your customers say is your greatest and clearest strength? Your most noteworthy (as in, worthy of note) personal trait?"
"What's the pitch for You?" How is that distinctive element going to benefit your class, the school, your chosen profession, or society? Quoting Peters, "What do I do that adds remarkable, measurable, distinguished, distinctive value? ...Ask yourself: What do I do that I am most proud of? Most of all, forget about the standard rungs of progression you've climbed in your career up to now. Burn that damnable 'ladder' and ask yourself: What have I accomplished that I can unabashedly brag about?" If you want to increase that value, increase your visibility and impact by volunteering, taking on additional responsibility at work, or freelancing.
"What's the real power of You?" By "power" Peters means influence. When have you influenced others through your persuasiveness, leadership, charisma, or impressive contributions. That's real influence. Real power.

As I reread Peter's article one more time in writing this post, its wisdom strikes me all over again. Great piece.

This Week in MBA Chatter 11.02.07

MizWeb Communities — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 17:05:57 GMT

Here's the chatter for the week...read it in recap format here MBA Applicants Chicago Interview Invite | BSchool Diva Wharton Interview Invite | MBA Bound Darden/Ross final drafts | Achilles World Darden Essays Why Darden material | vidiviciveni Chicago Round...

Programs for Entrepreneurs

Stacy Blackman — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 23:41:49 GMT

Ah, Bill Gates…the sterling example of a wildly successful entrepreneur everyone dreams of emulating. But coming up with the brilliant concept is just one part of the equation. Most new businesses fail not because the ideas lack merit, but due to all the other challenges that come with setting up shop, from startup finance to marketing and all the rest. With this in mind, more and more business schools are specializing in entrepreneurship programs, and Fortune Small Business has the scoop on which school is the right place for those interested in starting their own companies.

For graduate school, the top spots went to:
Babson
Harvard
Indiana University
M.I.T.
Stanford
Syracuse
University of Arizona
UC Berkeley, Haas
UCLA, Anderson
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of Pennsylvania

The top choices for executive education were:
Babson
Harvard
Northwestern
Stanford
University of Chicago
University of Texas at Austin

For the complete list, click here.

But, asks Reflections of a BizDrivenLife, can entrepreneurship be taught? Or does success rely primarily on one’s innate talent? The debate goes back and forth, though the proliferation of MBA programs focusing on the development of entrepreneurs leads us to believe that filling up your “tool box” academically is a great way to back up your brilliance.

1st Year MBA Bloggers - Class of 2009

MizWeb Communities — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 15:39:25 GMT

Chicago Forrest Run Forrest Run Harvard CS CS @ HBS INSEAD Dee strawberrytints necromonger@INSEAD Let Me Wear a Suit Michigan/Ross Matt Rainierisms: A Seattleite's Take on the Ross School of Business UVA/Darden Christof SquareMethod Blog Wharton Juggler The MBA Saga

This Week in MBA Chatter 10.19.07

MizWeb Communities — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 16:04:17 GMT

the details of the week reside here... MBA Applicants Tips for The Waiting Game Recommendation Marathon Recomendee Anxiety Tuck/Columbia - Plea & Ding Help - for the downtrodden applicant Kellogg - done, just in time! 1st Year MBA Students INSEAD...

The “Green MBA”: Profit and Planet in Harmony

Stacy Blackman — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 04:45:42 GMT

Today’s global economy has two faces: one of exponential growth in developing countries, and the flip side—a voracious ravaging of resources by developed nations. While some business leaders continue to march in step to the “more is better” mantra, others are realizing that business as usual is not sustainable for our planet. Hence, the emergence of the Green MBA.

A sustainable, or “Green”, MBA program includes the typical financial and management coursework of a traditional business school, as well as the study of managing for environmental and social sustainability. According to an article this week in the Seattle Times, these days, business schools across the country are incorporating the environmental and social costs of doing business into their curricula, and a few, such as Dominican University of California, aim for an all-green program. The Dominican program is one of a handful of such degrees; others include MBAs offered at Antioch University New England, the Presidio School of Management in San Francisco and the Bainbridge Graduate Institute in Washington.

The move to balance economy and ecology is showing up all over, says Rich Leimsider, director of the Center for Business Education at The Aspen Institute, a leadership think tank which reports on how Master of Business Administration programs are adding social and environmental issues to their courses in its biennial “Beyond Grey Pinstripes” report.

The Stanford Graduate School of Business, ranked No. 1 in the 2005 Aspen report, introduced a joint-degree program for MBA students in environment and resources in April. On the East Coast, officials at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business plan to launch an initiative with Duke’s environmental school that will study the emerging field of doing business in a sustainable context and the advantages to the business community of coming up with innovative practices.

Read the full article here.

Wharton Round 1 Interview Invites

Katie Malachuk — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 18:04:21 GMT

Wharton interview invites are officially starting to go out. Your best source of information is the Wharton MBA Admissions Blog.

Here are the key dates they have posted for Round 1:

Interview Invites Mid-Release*
October 18, 20007 to November 15, 2007
*all applicants will receive an invitation to interview or a deny without an interview decision by this date.

Final Decision Release Date
December 20, 2007
All decisions (interview invitations, mid and final release) will be posted online and may be checked via the apply/check status link on the home page of our website.

As MBA or Bust points out, it is hard for Wharton applicants not to get nervous now that the waiting game has begun.

Remember this important information from the Wharton Blog:
There is no particular order in which interview invitations are released. Release dates depend upon multiple factors, including our recruiting schedule. Instructions on how to arrange an interview are provided at the time of invitation. Options include on-campus, hub or alumni locations. All interviews carry equal weight.

Kellogg and Chicago Professor Wins Nobel Prize

Katie Malachuk — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 22:49:31 GMT

A recent email to Kellogg alumni announced that Professor Roger Myerson (along with Leonard Hurwicz and Eric Maskin) won the Nobel Prize in Economics. Professor Myerson is currently at the University of Chicago and he taught at Kellogg for 25 years from 1976-2001. This is very exciting news for both schools, particularly Kellogg where he apparently did virtually all of his nobel winning work.

Now why should this matter to applicants? As everyone is caught up in writing essays about why each school is the perfect fit for them there are many references to courses, concentrations, special programs, international opportunities, clubs of interest, etc. Don’t forget the professors! One of the most exciting aspects of business school is your relationship with professors. Typically the professors are extremely accessible and eager to get to know students. Also their research will impact what you are learning in the classroom. Take a look at the websites of your schools of interest and see what the professors are working on. Note in your essays particular professors who could help you explore particular areas of interest and help you reach your career goals. You’ll take your essays to the next level and, more importantly, you’ll be ready to seek out those professors when you arrive at school in the fall.

This Week in MBA Chatter 10.12.07

MizWeb Communities — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 18:39:48 GMT

Anxiety, horrors and near cardiac arrest...get the details here... MBA Applicants Round 1 - scrapped & re-focus on Round 2 Wharton - disheartening recommender request Admissions - top-tier observations INSEAD - early admit International - MBA Fair Essays - renewed...

Business School Stories

Katie Malachuk — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 21:27:57 GMT

Many prospective applicants count themselves out of the MBA game because they have too many career changes. But not everyone follows a direct path to business school. Businessweek.com currently features A Mistake Leads to Business School one woman’s reflection on how her twists and turns from HR to freelance marketing to yoga instructor to Whole Foods led her to Cornell.

Of course, it is a realistic concern that business schools will think you lack focus if you have jumped from job to job or industry to industry. The key to telling this type of story in your application is to explain yourself. Schools want to understand why you have made these decisions and why business school fits into the plan now. Some of the most interesting and inspiring essays come from applicants with complicated job histories provided they show insight and self-awareness.

For ideas on how to talk about your background, be sure to check out our essay tips for UCLA, Yale, Kellogg, Darden, MIT, Ross, Tuck, Columbia, Haas, Wharton, Chicago, Stanford, and HBS.

Top business and law schools ranked by Princeton Review

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 10:46:38 GMT

The Princeton Review - known for its college rankings based on how students rate their schools - has released the 2008 editions of its annual law and business school guidebooks which also feature rankings uniquely based on student surveys.

Campus Chronicles: Chicago, Harvard, Wharton

Clear Admit — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 12:56:11 GMT

It’s been another busy week on MBA campuses - let’s take a look at the news and views from the student newspapers.

At the Chicago GSB, the Chibus kicked off its publishing year with a huge issue, jam-packed with articles for entering students and returning students alike, many of which could help prospective students get a better sense of the Chicago campus and community. The issue begins with a welcome from Deputy Dean Stacey Kole, in which she outlines some of the ways the administration is working to increase job search resources and spread the Chicago name, while also inviting all students to share their thoughts at a weekly coffee hour with the deans. Before turning the paper over to the student writers, Rose Martinelli, Associate Dean of Student Recruitment and Admissions (and a familiar name to applicants) offers her own welcome to the incoming students and urges all Chicago GSB students to make promoting the GSB part of their experience at the school. Martinelli also mentions the “Write to Rose” campaign her office began last year that encourages current students to write to the admissions office to recommend promising candidates to the GSB. On the student side of things, there are a number of articles in this week’s issue that recap the first-year students’ Random Walk experiences. Dan Oghi ‘08 recounts the genesis of “The Randomest Possible Walk” he led with several friends to the base camp of Mt. Everest, Mariya Akmal ‘09 tells of her group’s culinary adventures on their trip to Vietnam, and a second year describes the top five wonderful and infamous moments of the Costa Rica Random Walk for couples. On the homefront, one student writer takes the time to answer a question many of her classmates never thought to ask - who is Robert Rothman and why is the Winter Garden named after him? Finally, Julie Morton, Associate Dean of Career Services, assures new students that while they own their job search, “support abounds!”

At Harvard, the focus of the latest issue of the Harbus is an in-depth interview with alumna Ann Moore, CEO and Chairman of Time, Inc. and winner of last year’s HBS alumni achievement award. The conversation covers such topics as life at HBS in the ’70s, motherhood, work/life balance and the best time to become a CEO. In campus news, the saga of the Russian bells continues, with the first of 18 bells in the cupola of the Baker Library being replaced so that the originals can be sent back to Russia. The bells were made in Russia before the Russian revolution and were sent to the U.S. to prevent them from being melted down for ammunition during the Stalinist era. Over the next year or so, all 18 bells will be returned to their original home at the St. Danilov Monastery, and new bells will be cast for the Harvard campus. In other parts of the paper, students weigh in on life and changes at the school. One student notices a change in institutional language over the last year that leads him to wonder if the HBS experience is still “transformational,” and another offers a “more honest” review of elective courses that actually highlights some interesting classes. Finally, the Harbus sports section is pleased to announce that the HBS rugby team remains undefeated, winning their match against Saratoga 76-3.

At Wharton, the big story in this week’s Wharton Journal is an interview with departing professor Andrew Metrick, who will begin teaching at the Yale SOM next fall. Metrick currently teaches Wharton’s Venture Capital and Innovation Finance courses and is known to many students as one of the school’s “must have” professors; in the interview he shares his thoughts on the two schools, his teaching inspirations, and his current favorite music. Later in the issue, two articles highlight the diversity of the Wharton community, with a recap of the 2007 “Explore Wharton: Diversity in Action” program for prospective students and the Out4Biz Club’s plans for this year’s Coming Out Week, which include a Rainbow Pub and sharing information on GLBT rights. Finally, it seems Wharton students living in Center City may soon have another option for getting home after late nights on campus. Through October, Penn Transit Services is running a pilot program called the Octobus that will provide a “more relevant route” for Wharton students and will even provide “to door” and “from door” service after midnight. As the article points out, this means there’s no longer any excuse not to put in long nights with the learning team!

That’s the news from campus for this week - check back in the coming weeks for more views and reviews of campus life and events!

The Best Time to Go For Your MBA

Sun, 07 Oct 2007 19:00:00 GMT

MBA programs to get you back in the game

Katie Malachuk — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 19:02:17 GMT

Today’s NY Times includes an article on MBA programs to help individuals, mostly women, return to the workforce. “M.B.A. Programs Pay Off for Women Seeking a Return to Wall Street” discusses the popularity of executive MBA programs targeted at “women who are trying to return to the work force, many of whom left for family obligations.”

Tuck has a new program with a “curriculum that combined academics and career opportunities” that had 41 students in its first year. Some graduates headed to firms such as Goldman and Merrill, others went to non-profits, and some even became entreprenuers.

“Tuck is not the only business school with this type of executive program,” according to the article. “Harvard Business School, for example, has had a program for its alumni for five years. Wharton started its first program in March.”

Read the entire article here.

This Week in MBA Chatter 10.05.07

MizWeb Communities — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 18:38:05 GMT

below is the recap...and here are the nitty-gritty details... MBA Applicants Wharton - application submitted Fuqua - interview Harvard - application submitted Essays - compelling writing Writing - eliminating distractions 1st Year MBA Students Chicago - no lazy weekends Wharton...

MBA Postmortem

MizWeb Communities — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 16:06:55 GMT

"Why did my 2006 APP process fail? Thinking back there are probably many, many reasons why I find myself reapplying this year…" read entire post Source: Koffee with Karma blog

This Week in MBA Chatter 09.21.07

MizWeb Communities — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 08:29:46 GMT

here is this week's chatter in the MBA blogosphere...MBA ApplicantsChicago - PowerPoint EssayWharton - essay draftsGPA StandardsColumbia & Yale - toursGMAT Percentile Scores1st & 2nd Year MBA StudentsWharton - mid-termsDarden - case methodINSEAD & Chicago - balancing prioritiesHarvard - 1st...

Applicant Bloggers - Class of 2010

MizWeb Communities — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 08:29:42 GMT

B-School Bound Yet Another MBA HopefulB-School Diva My Journey to Business School: The Third Time AroundBokaa The Journey...Vandana Lure Named AmbitionTamasin Riding the MBA Admission HighwayBlue Tulip Bluey Road to MBAMBA or Bust Obelix Obelix 2010Are you a prospective MBA...Class...

A Different Approach to GMAT

Stacy Blackman — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 21:15:56 GMT

I have spoken with Bara Sapir of Test Prep New York in the past and have been impressed by her holistc approach to GMAT prep. I have many clients who are extremely intelligent and capable, yet cannot seem to conquer the GMAT, and I was excited to hear that there is hope for them! I think this Fortune blog post presents a great explanation of all that Test Prep NY has to offer. If you are trying to improve your score in time for this year’s deadlines and cannot understand why you are having problems - Test Prep NY may be your answer. Check it out!

Essays Lesson Three: Structure & Outline

MizWeb Communities — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 18:37:56 GMT

"The easiest way to sabotage all the work you have done so far is to skip this lesson. Writing is as much a discipline as it is an art, and to ensure that your essays flow well and make sense,...

Hiring an Admissions Consultant - Questions

MizWeb Communities — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 18:37:56 GMT

"All reputable admission consultants claim to be mentors and coaches to applicants rather than essay-writers who will write & complete your application from start to finish. But how do you determine if a consultant is right for you and your...

Essays Lesson Two: Topic Brainstorming

MizWeb Communities — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 17:24:42 GMT

"Choosing an essay topic can be one of the most difficult aspects of the entire admissions process. Questions often ask you to think about your entire life, pick just one thing, and talk about it in great depth. Even the...

Daily Life at UCLA Anderson

MizWeb Communities — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 15:58:20 GMT

Next stop on MBA Podcaster's Daily Life Series tour is UCLA Anderson School of Management.Guest List: Phil Han, Associate Director, Parker Career Management Center Dave Hodgman, MBA Student Craig Hubbell, Associate Director of MBA Admissions Angela Valerie Kline, PM, Price...

Lesson One: Tackling the Question

MizWeb Communities — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 15:58:20 GMT

"Think of the essay as the face of your application. An application without an essay is a statistic?just another faceless person in a crowd. An application with a poorly written essay does not give admissions officers the chance to care...

HBS 2+2: Secure a spot at HBS before you graduate from college

Katie Malachuk — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 17:40:08 GMT

The Wall Street Journal Online reported last week on the new HBS program to widen the MBA applicant pool. Read the full article here. Excerpts are posted below:

Called 2+2, the initiative allows college students to lock in a spot in Harvard’s M.B.A. program by the end of their junior year. Before they start classes, accepted students must work for two years. The school is providing free career counseling and other resources to help students secure these short-term positions…

Liberal-arts students generally lack exposure to what a graduate business degree can offer, says Andrea Mitchell Kimmel, associate director of M.B.A. admissions at Harvard Business School…”There’s a myth out there that business is putting on a gray flannel suit every day and going to a big office,” she says. “No one ever tells [undergrads] that business involves areas like nonprofits, government, education and social enterprise.”

By providing deferred admission, 2+2 will also help Harvard Business School attract more women applicants, says Carl Kester, deputy dean for academic affairs. The demographic is one that M.B.A. programs in general have historically struggled to recruit. “Young women who are considering an M.B.A., but believe they need for five or six years of work experience before applying, are often faced with concerns about when they might start a family,” he says. “By comparison, many professional-degree programs can be completed in less than five years.”

To participate in Harvard’s 2+2 program, undergrads must apply by July 1 of their junior year, which costs a nonrefundable fee of $100. By comparison, the regular application process for the most recently admitted class was $235. Up to 90 students will be admitted to the Class of 2013 next fall, which will account for roughly 10% of Harvard Business School’s total student body that year.

The jobs students select must be approved by the business school, Ms. Kimmel says. “Since they have a coach from September of their senior year, we don’t envision that there will be a problem,” she says.
From wsj.com, Sept 13, 2007

View the HBS 2+2 press release.

Quick Math Seminars

MizWeb Communities — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 17:20:09 GMT

Don't know much about this...I received this information from the seminar host. If you have any feedback on the program, please leave a comment. "I am Mayank Kumar from WiZiQ.com, a web 2.0 based Online teaching platform that connects teachers...

Creating the Killer MBA Application

Sun, 16 Sep 2007 19:00:00 GMT

The Myth of School Rankings

MizWeb Communities — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 16:03:00 GMT

"Every year, millions of magazines are sold upon the release of the annual school rankings issue. Businessweek, US News & World Reports, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and others conduct huge surveys capturing extensive data in their effort to rank...

Admit Weekend Crashers

MizWeb Communities — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 16:02:59 GMT

Okay these are just plain fun...Stanford GSB's spoof on the move Wedding Crashers...enjoy Admit Weekend Crashers Part I & II.

Body Shop Founder Anita Roddick Dies at 64

Clear Admit — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 08:25:48 GMT

As many of you may have read yesterday, Anita Roddick, the founder of comestics chain the Body Shop passed away suddenly Monday evening in the UK. Roddick was an incredibly energetic entrepreneur known for her strong stance on environmental issues and business sustainability. She has also been on the minds of many Columbia Business School applicants of late, as she is prominetly featured in the Dean’s speech that is required reading for CBS’s second essay. Our thoughts are with her family and colleagues during this difficult time.

To read the company’s statement and several tributes to Roddick’s life, visit the following page.

MBA Podcaster Day in the Life Series

MizWeb Communities — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 16:00:01 GMT

Join MBA Podcaster Day in the Life Series as they travel to business schools across the country and around the world to bring you an in-depth profile of life and times on campus. At each school their producers shadow a...

Daily Life at Kenan-Flagler Business School

MizWeb Communities — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 16:00:00 GMT

In this installment of the Day in the Life Series, MBA Podcaster travels to the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina. Listen in as they give you a glimpse of what MBA school at UNC is really...

MBA Application Essays and Recommendations: Where to Begin?

MizWeb Communities — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 15:51:18 GMT

"Your whole admissions package should give the admissions council a pretty good idea of who you are. Your undergraduate record and your GMAT scores give an impression of your academic skills. But the essays and recommendations, especially, are key to...

Getting Off the MBA Waitlist : MBA Podcast

MizWeb Communities — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 15:45:49 GMT

"Waitlist purgatory: it’s a place no MBA applicant wants to end up. What should you do now? Some say you need to continually update the school with your recent developments, more letters of recommendation and a visit to the admission...

Understanding MBA Tracks : MBA Podcast

MizWeb Communities — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 15:45:48 GMT

"More business schools are crafting specialized curriculums that are giving students a targeted approach to their education and careers. You can get an MBA in finance, global management, technology, real estate, or health-care, just to name a few. This time...

Advice from Recent MBA Grads : MBA Podcast

MizWeb Communities — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 15:45:48 GMT

"If you’re on your way to enrolling in an MBA program, or already there now, chances are you would like words of advice on from those who’ve been there, done it and went on to succeed. Listen in as we...

Weekly Wharton Chat Events

Clear Admit — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 17:06:55 GMT

For the Wharton aspirants among our readership who might have missed the announcement in the MBA Adcom Blog, the admissions office will be hosting a series of live chat events this fall covering various application- and program-related subjects.

The series kicks off tonight, with a chat on the topic of career opportunities for Wharton MBA graduates, and will offer applicants a chance to interact with Maryellen Reilly Lamb, Senior Associate Director of Wharton MBA Career Management. This is a great opportunity for applicants wondering about Wharton’s track record of placement within less popular sectors and companies, and more generally for anyone seeking a clearer sense of the resources available to students seeking internships and full-time positions.

The complete chat schedule for the season is posted on Wharton’s site. All events begin at 6pm EST, at which point participants can sign in through the MBA s2s site.

Admissions Tip: Visiting Campus

Clear Admit — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 07:00:10 GMT

As many applicants are finding out at this time of year, conducting some thorough research on various MBA programs is an essential step in formulating a list of target schools and crafting convincing essays. Surfing the web and speaking with friends and mentors are great starting points in identifying programs of interest. However, in order to really get a feel for a school and determine whether it’s a good fit for one’s goals and personality, applicants need to dig deeper and gain some firsthand experience with the program and the people.Visiting the campus is a great avenue for gathering this kind of information, and it is also a step that can be advantageous in the application process. Although many applicants will not be visiting target programs until the fall (when classes are in session), we’d like to offer a few ‘headstart’ pointers for getting as much mileage as possible out of that trip to your target MBA program.

1) Make yourself known. Putting forth the effort to travel to a school is a signal of interest in the program that the adcom loves to see - it’s just a matter of letting them know that you’ve made the trip. It’s possible to communicate this in your essays and interview, but the simplest route is often to register for a visit through the admissions office if possible. Not only will most schools arrange for you to sit in on a class and have lunch with current students, but many will also make a note of your visit and include it in your file. Be sure to take advantage of all that the admissions office offers in this regard; even if you have friends on campus, it’s wise to speak to as many people as possible.

2) Think it through. Before arriving on campus, you should think carefully about the sort of information you hope to take away from your visit. Whether your inquiries cover something as broad as the night life or as narrow as the syllabus of a particular course, your trip will be much more informative if you come prepared with a sense of the details you hope to glean from information sessions and conversations. Further, it’s a great idea to reach out to members of the community before you arrive; if there’s a club about which you are particularly curious, for instance, you could contact one of its leaders and arrange a conversation over coffee on the day of your visit.

3) Put your best foot forward. Even though your conduct and interactions won’t be on the record in the way that they would be when on campus for a formal interview, it’s important that you be aware of the impression you’re making. Because spending time on campus is a great way to forge ongoing contacts with students who could become allies for you in the admissions process, you’ll naturally want to put your best foot forward.

We hope that these simple tips will set applicants on the path toward a positive and productive stay on campus. For more tailored guidance on application strategy and school selection, feel free to contact us for a free initial consultation or read our School Guides.

Distance Learning

MizWeb Communities — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 12:58:52 GMT

The Distance Learning section at MBA ZoNe has been revamped and includes more resources and books. If you have found helpful resources to add to this section, please let me know!Best,Brenda...

MBA Must Reads

Sun, 29 Apr 2007 19:00:00 GMT

Michael Porter Asks, and Answers: Why Do Good Managers Set Bad Strategies?

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 21:19:40 GMT

Errors in corporate strategy are often self-inflicted, and a singular focus on shareholder value is the "Bermuda Triangle" of strategy, according to Michael E. Porter, director of Harvard's Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness. Porter, who recently spoke at Wharton as part of the school's SEI Center Distinguished Lecture Series, challenged managers to stop trying to be the best company in their industry and instead deliver "a unique value" to their customers.

Efforts Are Growing to Trim the Fat from Employees -- and Employers' Health Care Costs

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 21:19:40 GMT

With all the statistics showing how many adults in the United States are obese (30%), how many deaths are caused each year by obesity (365,000) and how bad the problem is (getting worse, not better), it's no surprise that obesity is definitely on employers' radar screens this year. But, Wharton experts and others point out, obesity is not just bad for the individual; it also weighs heavily on companies' rising health care costs.