Admissions Comittee

How Business Schools View Deferral Requests

How Business Schools View Deferral Requests

The MBA application cycle is nearing an end. And, even if you've been accepted to more than one school, you may not feel prepared to attend college - at least not at those programs. If this sounds similar, you may want to consider requesting a deferment. However, when you request a deferral, take into account what business schools genuinely think. We provide you with some more insight in this blog post.

HOW TO COMPLETE YOUR FINAL MBA PROGRAM(S) SELECTION

HOW TO COMPLETE YOUR FINAL MBA PROGRAM(S) SELECTION

An MBA list should usually be pushing the envelope a bit - aiming for all b-schools that you really want to go to and that feel pretty hard to get into. To get to this main idea, we will work through: General philosophy on selecting MBA programs, the contextual nature of ROI, and finishing off a list of programs.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE HIRING AN MBA ADMISSIONS CONSULTANT

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE HIRING AN MBA ADMISSIONS CONSULTANT

If you are aspiring to enroll at one of the top business schools like Harvard, Wharton or Stanford (which only admits 5 percent of applicants) you will likely need professional help to gain admission. Competition for spots at these schools is incredibly intense and an MBA admissions consultant could improve your chances drastically. But not all MBA Admissions Consultants are equal.

REACHING OUT TO YOUR TARGET MBA PROGRAMS

REACHING OUT TO YOUR TARGET MBA PROGRAMS

You are now ready to narrow your school selection list to 5 MBA target programs by reaching out to them. Check the admissions committee website from each target school. Most of them will have an ambassador program where they will get currents students to email you back. Start reaching out to ambassador programs early.

6 tips on sending follow up emails

6 tips on sending follow up emails

In a recent Harvard Business Review article, Rebecca Zucker , who is an executive coach and a founding Partner at Next Step Partners , speaks about how to not feel awkward sending a follow up email. Especially having to do it multiple times. Zucker mentions six tips to help you get the resonse you need.

What are the MBA application readers looking for?

What are the MBA application readers looking for?

What are the MBA application readers looking for? Get into the mind of how MBA application readers think. Avoid too much jargon. Understand how the admissions committee is constructed. Remember that you are APPLYING to attend b-school & not yet graduated. Do NOT submit the same resume you would for a job opportunity.

Who is Reading Your B-school Application?

Who is Reading Your B-school Application?

One mistake applicants often make is to misunderstand their audience.  When crafting a winning MBA application package there is much to consider, but how much thought have you given to who will actually read your essays?  Who is analyzing your resume? Common sense may dictate that an essay about going to a top MBA program should be crafted for an MBA crowd, but did you know that most essay readers at the top schools never attended an MBA program and don’t have an MBA themselves?  Remembering this in the application process can help you communicate your story in a much more effective way to the adcom.   Read on for tips…

What the Stanford GSB Wants - a True Moral Compass

What the Stanford GSB Wants - a True Moral Compass

If you read our editions of our “How to Apply to Harvard Business School” and "How to Apply to Stanford GSB" guides, you already know that cultivating a real reason for applying to an elite MBA goes week beyond the school's name, rank, and prestige.  But more than any other MBA program in the world (yes, even HBS), GSB looks beyond having a great GMAT score, a summa cum laude GPA and a blue chip name as your employer.  While these are respectable measures of a person’s perceived worth, they are not good enough reasons to apply to GSB. 

Why is this?

Simply put, you could someone with a mis-calibrated moral compass or worse, what your colleagues might call an "asshole" (more on the asshole test here and the true cost of being an asshole here).  That's right - more than any other school in the world, Stanford has a visceral aversion to those who define themselves by their accomplishments, as opposed to the innate values and beliefs that drive those accolades. Apparently, Stanford has their pick of the litter and they can afford to stand absolutely resolute in their aversion to those whose moral compass points true south.

Reactions to HBS Admissions Decisions

Reactions to HBS Admissions Decisions

Time for a quick blog post in the wake of HBS sending out its three waves of decisions (October 6, 8, and 14).  You can read the whole thing or you can just read this line, probably: don't take this stuff personally, understand there are a ton of great schools out there, and keep moving forward.  Need more?  Okay, let's break it down, with three Golden Rules for receiving a decision of this magnitude. 

Do you pass Stanford GSB's smell test?

Do you pass Stanford GSB's smell test?

If you read our “How to Apply to Harvard Business School” and "How to Apply to Stanford GSB" guides, you already know that cultivating a real reason for applying to an elite MBA goes well beyond the school's name, rank, and prestige.

But more than any other MBA program in the world (yes, even HBS), GSB looks beyond having a great GMAT score, a summa cum laude GPA and a blue chip name as your employer.  While these are respectable measures of a person’s perceived worth, they are not good enough reasons to apply to GSB.

Why is this?