School Selection

UVA Darden's 3 New Essay Questions for 2022/2023

UVA Darden's 3 New Essay Questions for 2022/2023

Darden has revised the essay questions to three simple prompts for the 2022–2023 application cycle. Their goal is to learn about all the facets of your background and personality. Note that Darden has also extended test flexibility this year which means applicants can request a test waiver or submit a range of tests, including MCAT, LSAT, GRE, and GMAT.

Picking and Grinning

Picking and Grinning

Applying to business school usually starts with a fervent drive to achieve, a general sense of desire to move forward, achieve more.  But soon thereafter comes a flood of mental processing around where all this forward momentum will be channeled. 

MBA Snapshot: The Wharton School

MBA Snapshot: The Wharton School

The Wharton School is considered by many to be the best business school in the world.  Unlike many of its competitors in the top then, however, Wharton is one of the few business schools which has both an undergraduate and a graduate business program, essentially doubling its resources.  Here are three other reasons why Wharton is so well respected…

Rejected? The Ding Analysis "Triangle" for MBA Applicants

Rejected? The Ding Analysis "Triangle" for MBA Applicants

These days, in addition to helping our clients navigate financial aid decisions and a few waitlist scenarios, we also meet a lot of new folks who didn't use admissions consulting services to apply - but now are wondering if perhaps they should have.  Most often, they are asking for "ding analysis," which is basically "please tell me if I did something wrong and whether I can fix it for next time."  We are happy to oblige, of course, and so we see a lot (we mean A LOT) of rejected applications, to a lot of schools.  In giving feedback time and again, we naturally are starting to see some of the same issues cropping up.

Alternatives to Fan Favorite Programs

Alternatives to Fan Favorite Programs

Choosing the right business school can be a lot of work.  Between research, self-assessment and in-person visits, you have likely realized that much time is spent to decide where you might fit well even before you begin actually writing applications.  Why not leverage that effort by applying to clone programs to give yourself more options?

How to Answer the "What Other MBA Programs Are You Applying To?" Question

How to Answer the "What Other MBA Programs Are You Applying To?" Question

Pay particular attention to the question that some b-schools ask during the interview and/or on your application:

  • What Other Programs Are You Applying To?

Why would they ask this question? The reason is this:

  • B-schools are keen to know who they are competing against.  They want to know how applicants view the correlation between programs but also if you are using the school as a backup or safe school.
  • Note that this question is pretty much asked by MBA programs who have been burned by their "yield" in year's past.  That is, the admissions committee extends a lot of invites and only gets a handful of positive replies. 

Let's use UCLA Anderson as an illustrative example ...

Business School Culture, School Fit, and Your MBA Experience

Business School Culture, School Fit, and Your MBA Experience

When applying to business school, one of the most reliable questions you will get from just about any institution deals with how you feel you will fit within that school’s culture.  While it’s fairly easy to see if you have an academic fit or a professional fit at a school (by researching their curriculum and statistics for admitted students), it’s far more difficult sometimes to ascertain the “culture” of a school.

Weighing the pros and cons of getting an MBA outside of the US

Weighing the pros and cons of getting an MBA outside of the US

Heads up, today's post is for the Americans among us, as we have been getting a lot of questions about international MBA programs.

If you are a US citizen trying to decide where you want to get your MBA degree, it can be tempting to think about schools outside the USA.  

After all, the world knows no boundaries thanks to technology and a global marketplace. Right? Spending a couple of years in Spain, England or Asia also sound like nice places to see new things and meet new people while you sharpen your business acumen.  And since most programs at reputable business schools are in English, you won’t face the language barrier that may have stopped you otherwise.  Seems like a slam dunk? Read on ... 

Use a matrix approach to show balance across your MBA application

Use a matrix approach to show balance across your MBA application

One thing we generally recommend to clients is to use a traditional matrix approach to ensure you are communicating a balance of core essentials to the MBA admissions committees.  If you use this approach, you will be much more organized as you apply and will also be able to quickly ascertain where you may be coming up short.

How does it work?

How do I decide which top MBA programs to apply to?

How do I decide which top MBA programs to apply to?

This time of year, the biggest question from clients seems to be about which schools they should be targeting for application. We understand that with so many choices out there, both domestically in the US and internationally, it can be a bit overwhelming. Time and time again, we find ourselves having to remind everyone of the one key word to focus on when choosing schools: FIT.