Why MBA Candidates Should Ditch the Phrase "Safety School"

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Why MBA Candidates Should Ditch the Phrase "Safety School"

Today we are going to take the term "Safety School" and put it through the shredder.  Reasonable minds can probably disagree on what the term should mean, but what I want to do is explain why I personally do not believe that "Safety School" should be part of an MBA applicant's lexicon.  

First, the term is used incorrectly about 90% of the time.  When applicants say "safety school," what they often mean is "a school that is really good but that hopefully I have a better chance to get into."  If you are using the term this way, just as a shorthand, that is fine but make sure that it's clarified with anyone you are working with, such as your consultant.  The real use for "safety school" should probably translate more or less to "a sure bet."  With college applicants - due to the pressure to be enrolled on an exact timeline (following high school graduation, of course) - a "safety school" is a very real thing; you simply have to pick some programs that you are sure to get into.  Often this means a program from that student's home state, sometimes with sheer numerical thresholds (lacking holistic admissions processes).  If you go to school in California and have a certain matrix of GPA and test scores, you can feel "safe" about getting into certain Cal-State programs.  That's a safety school.  Ross and Duke Fuqua are not safety schools.  Now, what if you are using the term in the right way?

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5 Reasons Elite MBA Applicants Fail the Failure Essay

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5 Reasons Elite MBA Applicants Fail the Failure Essay

Today, we are going to be breaking down the failure essay and the biggest reasons why everyone blows it.  This is particularly relevant to the season, as we begin to take on our usual batch of 2+2 candidates, which means we are about to do the HBS accomplishment-failure two-step that is a tradition as old as time (or maybe it just feels that way).  We have a very specific approach to the accomplishment essay that transforms run-of-the-mill answers into HBS-worthy submissions, but we're going to keep that locked in the vault.  The failure essay though ... we owe some thoughts to the masses, just as a public service. 

We have a phrase for what we see over and over and over again on failure essays ... it's called "failure."  Yes, people are "failing the failure essay," and they are doing it across the board, regardless of how awesome they otherwise are as candidates.  In fact, I anecdotal evidence would suggest that the top of the heap - the "elite" applicants - are blowing this worst of all.  

We are going to walk through the five biggest reasons why people fail on this essay. 

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How to Personalize Your Interest in an MBA Program

/ INSEAD/
How to Personalize Your Interest in an MBA Program

Just yesterday, Paul linked to some fantastic, in-depth Haas stuff that will help any applicant craft their Why Haas answers within a career goals essay.  It's the kind of detailed research that allows someone to really shine, so definitely check it out.  ​

​HOWEVER.  The simplest and most important thing you can do to improve your Why School X portion of career goals essay is to personalize any and all content.  

What do I mean by "personalize?"  Simple: make anything you write about the school specific to you, your experience, your desires, or what you require from a program.  Never just state absolutes, generalities, or even known truths and facts - always make them personally-held viewpoints.  Examples are the best way to understand this (after the jump): 

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Must Read for Reapplicants - A Word of Advice

/ harvard business school/
Must Read for Reapplicants - A Word of Advice

This time of year, we get a huge number of inquiries from students gearing up for the reapplication process.  This makes sense, as this subset of students is often driven to succeed, still hurting from the sting of getting rejection letters, and aware that going at it alone all over again might not make much sense.  And truth be told, hiring a vetted admissions consultant is rarely a better investment than when you are reapplying to business school.  However, there are a few techniques and things we have discovered that can help all reapplicants, not just those who become our clients:

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Quick Tips for Maximizing your Business School Visits

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Quick Tips for Maximizing your Business School Visits

With respect to visiting the programs to which you are applying:

  • Make sure you schedule a classroom visit through the admissions office. A student will lead you around and make introductions for you.
  • Make sure you stop by the admissions office to introduce yourself.
  • Have a couple of canned questions ready.
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Path-Bending Leadership at Haas: a de facto 5th Principle

/ Haas School of Business/
Path-Bending Leadership at Haas: a de facto 5th Principle

We have all known about Berkeley-Haas' 4 "Defining Principles" for a while now.   Personally, I consider Haas' emphasis on "Path-bending leadership" to be a de facto "5th principle" that builds upon the Defining Principles.  Most significantly and over the past year, I have seen path-bending leadership take on a greater significance with faculty, alumni and student discussions alike.  This trend has implications for your essays and "why Haas?"  

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Applying to B-School in a Few Years? A Few Tips

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Applying to B-School in a Few Years? A Few Tips

A significant portion of my MBA admissions consulting applicants come to be with little to no extracurricular experience since their undergraduate days.  While this is a problem that can be addressed, it can show a lack of proper planning over the long term.  A lot of applicants don't think about the impact of their actions on their applicant competitiveness when the graduate from undergrad.  To a certain extent, even I was the same way. What I like most about some of my clients is the the way some of them are way ahead of the game we call the MBA application process.  Those that have been planning since day 1 to go back to b-school tend to be distinguishing yourself from your peers out of the gate and these habits show when constructing the business school application.

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MBA Application Strategy & Business School Demographics - What We Call "Demo-lition Derby"

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MBA Application Strategy & Business School Demographics - What We Call "Demo-lition Derby"

When you charge people thousands of dollars to help them with their MBA applications, you had better be sure to look in every nook and cranny for an advantage.  We pride ourselves on doing just that and that mentality has allowed us to come up with incredibly helpful strategies for our clients.  Everything from "structure your essays like a Hollywood screenwriter" to "finish your energy strong with a simple shift in body language" to "add an alternate short-term career goal to your first paragraph on your first Columbia essay" has come from a dogged determination and willingness to constantly find advantages. Obviously, most of those advantages are not for public consumption as it would neither be fair to our clients or terribly bright to reveal every "state secret" we have.  That said, there are some tricks and methods that we find ourselves talking about so often on initial consultation calls that we figure no harm can come from letting the whole world know about it.

Today we've got one of those tricks, which we fondly call "demo-lition derby."

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"New" HBS Round 1 Deadline is September 16, 2013 / "New" MIT Sloan essay questions coming out "mid-May"

/ Harvard Business School/
"New" HBS Round 1 Deadline is September 16, 2013 / "New" MIT Sloan essay questions coming out "mid-May"

Déjà vu all over again.  HBS' announced its R1 deadine for the Class of 2016 - and just like last year (2012) - this year submission day falls on September 16 (2013).

Not to be outdone, MIT Sloan announced ...​

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Stephen Covey: The Type of Leadership You Want in B-school

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Stephen Covey: The Type of Leadership You Want in B-school

"Live, love, laugh.  Leave a legacy."

- Stephen R. Covey, 1932-2012

Business school applications are all about laying out how you have exhibited the qualities of a leader.  After all, this is the quality that b-schools, in general, desire the most in their applicants.   A lot of my admissions consulting clients struggle with a succinct definition of leadership.  That is, one that they as the applicant can use as a succinct model.

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Thinking about a JD/MBA? A word of advice

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Thinking about a JD/MBA? A word of advice

This time of year, we start to hear people ask a lot about the JD/MBA degree path. It's understandable, given the popularity of both programs and the temptation to get two degrees normally totaling five years of school in just three or four years. That said this is a time we usually ask people to stop and think things through. Why? Because you can shoot yourself squarely in the foot if you rush off and apply as a JD/MBA applicant instead of one or the other.

Let's work through this.

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The Art of Transferability: brainstorming pre-MBA experiences and skills you *already possess*

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The Art of Transferability: brainstorming pre-MBA experiences and skills you *already possess*

In working with clients of all age, gender, nationality, and industry, one thing we're always trying to do is identify things that connect everyone - common elements that become and remain true, regardless of differences. To be honest, there aren't many such elements. Almost everything about the MBA admissions process is a contextual exercise. You can almost never divorce a unique applicant or a specific school from your analysis. It's part of the reason this is such a difficult endeavor for people, part of the reason why so many admissions consultants do a horribly incomplete job of advising candidates, and a huge part of the reason why admissions consulting even exists. You have to do a lot of things right and you have to do them with great contextual specificity.  If you confront "one size fits all" advice, typically you can sprint away from that as fast as possible.

That said, there is one universal truth that we have uncovered that seems largely overlooked by the rest of the MBA admissions landscape and that is how enormously important it is to abide by what we call the Art of Transferability.

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Is an on-campus tour or MBA class visit required for admission?

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Is an on-campus tour or MBA class visit required for admission?

I was recently asked "Is a campus visit required for admission?", followed up by "is it going to be viewed negatively if I don't visit?" The official party line - most admissions committees will tell you that a campus visit is not going to be considered when making admission decisions.  However, most MBA applications will ask you if you have talked to anyone from the program.  Some program apps - such as Columbia - will get a bit more granular and only ask what current students have you spoken to?"

So what is the deal with school visits and do you have to do them?​

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How to Survive the Inevitable "Bad Part" of an MBA Admissions Interview

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How to Survive the Inevitable "Bad Part" of an MBA Admissions Interview

​This article is about a harsh reality of the MBA interview process, which is that every interview is going to take a dip, or hit a rough patch, at some point ... through no fault of anyone involved. Why is this? And how can you address it? Let's dive into it.

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Client Case Study: Financial Analyst Reapplies to CBS as an Entrepreneur

/ Columbia Business School/
Client Case Study: Financial Analyst Reapplies to CBS as an Entrepreneur

Andrew was a re-applicant, having applied to Columbia Business School the year before.  He knew that he would be under the gun to answer “what had he improved since late applying to Columbia.”  However, since last applying, his professional situation had taken a turn for the "worse." Andrew had been laid off from his New York City based financial services job.  Further complicating his situation, Andrew did accept a new role – an unpaid position that was outside of his finance industry.

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What does getting waitlisted mean? Answers for those currently in MBA purgatory

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What does getting waitlisted mean? Answers for those currently in MBA purgatory

What does the waitlist mean?

  1. It does not mean “no,” not even close.
  2. Wait-listed generally means that you will be admitted if someone who was admitted goes elsewhere.
  3. The waitlist acts as a buffer and is used, by the adcom, to manage this situation.
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5 Tips for Negotiating Your Offer of Admission

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5 Tips for Negotiating Your Offer of Admission

Today's blog post is about negotiating your offer of admission ... except that it's not.  Because "negotiation" is not what you do when it comes to securing more financial aid from a business school.  The term of art for what you are going to be doing is "asking."  Let us explain. Obviously, any discussion of an offer in this context automatically means we're dealing with some good news: you've been accepted.  So congrats on that!  However, with the news that a b-school wants you to enroll comes the sobering reality that they also want you to *pay* for that privilege.  Sure, offers often come with dollar signs attached, but the amount left in the "you" column is almost always going to be the bigger number.  And that fact tends to bring up the following question: "How can I negotiate my offer?"

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Video: How to Prep For Your Business School Interview

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Video: How to Prep For Your Business School Interview

Paul Lanzillotti, founder of the Amerasia Consulting Group, walks you through how to handle your MBA interview. Learn how to answer representative questions; structuring your thoughts using "stories" versus the "pyramid principle" and connecting all aspects of your MBA application for your interviewer.  

This in-depth video is approximately 1 hour and 20 mins in duration.

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Don't Apply Round 3 ... Until You Read This Post!

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Don't Apply Round 3 ... Until You Read This Post!
The common myth surrounding Round 3 of the MBA application process is that you can't, or shouldn't, apply late in the admission cycle.  "The class is pretty much full" is one refrain.  "You have to be a truly unique applicant" is another.  "Only European programs admit people that late" is yet another. As with anything, there are bits of truth in these sound bites ... but only bits.Read More

MIT Sloan's Supplemental Essay - Mandatory or Optional?

/ MIT Sloan School of Management/
MIT Sloan's Supplemental Essay - Mandatory or Optional?

Our clients are reporting to us that during their visits to MIT a number of admissions committee members are "strongly encouraging" applicants to submit Sloan's Supplemental (Optional) essay.  This is advice that should definitely be considered, but only if you really have something to say - not just a rehash of prior content or an ill-advised attempt at a goals statement.  At a high-level, the supplemental essay is a test of your ability to deal with ambiguity.  So consider this a de facto requirement, but (again) only if you have a different dimension of your character to bring to the table.  If you can pass that sniff test - read on.

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