Looking for an MBA Advantage? Consider Round 2

Looking for an MBA Advantage? Consider Round 2

I've been having this conversation a lot lately with individual clients, so I thought I'd take it out wide.

Basically, the idea is that Round 2 might be offering a slight advantage, based on theories of market inefficiencies and so forth.  For years, I would say the prevailing belief is that Round 1 is the best round in which to apply to business and while there is no hard-core evidence to suggest otherwise, some common sense and deduction may point to a different result.  So let's quickly run this down. 

Applying to Stanford GSB? Get to know Garth Saloner, Derrick Bolton and the "Moral Advantage"

Applying to Stanford GSB? Get to know Garth Saloner, Derrick Bolton and the "Moral Advantage"

If you are going to apply to the most selective MBA program in the world, you should recognize the impact that Professor-turned-Dean Garth Saloner has had at GSB. Stanford’s gatekeeper is long-time Dean of Admissions and GSB graduate Derek Bolton.  In our opinion, his intimate knowledge of the Stanford Dynamic, along with his high-level of emotional intelligence has granted Bolton a better bullshit detector than any other admissions director in the business. 

A Decision Tree for Michigan Ross Essay 1

A Decision Tree for Michigan Ross Essay 1

We did this last year when breaking down the new Ross essays, so let's run it back.  We thought it would be helpful to post the decision tree I am going to be asking my clients to use this year.

Why would I just share this with the public, you might ask?  In part because the real value of our services with Ross (unlike with some other schools) is going to be in implementation rather than in the setting of strategy - so I don't feel I am cheating my clients at all.  Further, we just don't have that many clients select Ross, to be honest.  This is confusing to me, as Ross is an amazing school and a true value pick ... but that's a column for a different time.  Today, I want to present a really simple way to work through Ross' seemingly wide open "what are you proud of" essay.  I'll be using one part common sense and one part program knowledge, but both are born out of lots of experience just being someone in this world (by "in this world" I mean working in "higher education" and with "people trying to maximize their lives and abilities").  Let's get into it. 

Transparency is an important part of the MBA admissions process.

Transparency is an important part of the MBA admissions process.

"Pay no attention to the man (or woman) behind the curtain!” That seems to be the philosophy of most admissions offices.  But for many applicants, transparency is an important part of the admissions process. If its not, it should be.

MBA Candidates, Read These Quotes for a New Perspective on Leadership

MBA Candidates, Read These Quotes for a New Perspective on Leadership

This is a quick one, but a worthy one.  "Leadership" might very well be the most "cussed and discussed" (hat tip, Harry Truman) word in the MBA landscape, given the prominence given to the concept by schools and candidates alike.  But what I find surprising is that the word - which can be viewed so many ways - often takes on this strange meaning in b-school contexts, which is sort of a stand in for "accomplished."  The idea of leadership has become titles and roles and responsibilities and kudos.  Sort of a "he who has the most ribbons is the leader" kind of a dynamic.  And while I will be the first to admit that leadership can indeed sometimes be about accolades (often leadership qualities get people recognized and/or recognition can give someone a platform from which to lead), it sort of misses the point.  And nothing hammers that home like the Golden State Warriors, who were recently crowned NBA champs.  

Forget Star Wars. The MBA talent wars are coming to a b-school near you.

Forget Star Wars. The MBA talent wars are coming to a b-school near you.

Forget Star Wars. The MBA talent wars are coming to a b-school near you, according to a recent survey by Poets & Quants.

With admissions officers more active than ever in recruiting today’s best and brightest, P&Q asked a group of leading MBA consultants where their top clients are heading for their graduate educations. And their answers may surprise you.

Quick & Dirty Tips for Maximizing your Business School Visits

Quick & Dirty Tips for Maximizing your Business School Visits

Here are some quick tips for maximizing your business school visit:

Why Elite MBA Candidates Fail the "Failure Essay"

Why Elite MBA Candidates 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 INSEAD clients (for both January and September intakes) and that schools asks a very tricky little failure question.  We have a very specific approach to the accomplishment part of that essay that transforms run-of-the-mill answers into INSEAD-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. 

Excerpt: How to Apply to Columbia Business School

Excerpt: How to Apply to Columbia Business School

We recently updated our How to Apply to Columbia guide and wanted to call attention to a specific section here on the blog, because it should prove helpful to people as they apply this year.  We will soon be updating our free guides for HBS, Wharton, and INSEAD as well, so be on the lookout.  And, as a reminder, we offer school-specific Strategy Memos for all schools for our clients.  Without further ado: 

Would Saint Thomas Aquinas Have Hired an MBA Admissions Consultant?

Would Saint Thomas Aquinas Have Hired an MBA Admissions Consultant?

Warning: this blog post will be more esoteric than most. If you don't like deep thinking, you might want to wait for the next one. Because what I am going to do is use some of Thomas Aquinas' teachings to explain that there are different ways to going about the MBA application process. Namely, that one can "seek learning," "be taught," or "rush out and share what he has learned," which loosely translates to doing the applications on your own, hiring a consultant, or engaging in forum culture. I am a consultant, so you will never guess which one I am saying he would have endorsed! In all seriousness though, this is some interesting stuff so I encourage you to dive in, be willing to self-assess, and possibly achieve a new perspective.

Everything You Want to Know About the HBS Case Method Learning Environment - Video Marathon Post

Everything You Want to Know About the HBS Case Method Learning Environment - Video Marathon Post

As a follow up to my earlier post today (regarding the video HBS references in their essay prompt), I wanted to unleash a marathon of HBS Case Method videos that I found during my research. So grab some popcorn and sit back - this is sure to beat the Game of Thrones marathon you had planned for tonight (but not really.) Ha.

3 Key Thoughts about Columbia Business School's 2015 Essays

3 Key Thoughts about Columbia Business School's 2015 Essays

As with last year, CBS is using three essays and for the most part, they follow the same general format: 500 words, 250 words, 250 words; goals, Center of Business, Cluster.  But I only have to look at the massive changes I made to our Columbia Strategy Memo to know that these things changed a ton at the center.  

Let's dive into our 3 Key Thoughts: 

Rankings: Best MBA Programs for Entertainment and Media Jobs (2015) - UCLA Anderson & NYU Stern

Rankings: Best MBA Programs for Entertainment and Media Jobs (2015) - UCLA Anderson & NYU Stern

UCLA Anderson comes out on top when it comes to sending graduates (as a percentage of all graduates in 2014) back into the entertainment & media industries. NYU Stern is respectable second, with Michigan Ross a surprising third. Hands down, Anderson is the place to be if you're into entertainment and media and want to work for a related firm in the industry.

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

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?

 

Tips for Reapplying to MBA Programs

Tips for Reapplying to MBA Programs

So you've been rejected at business school? Solicit feedback from the admissions committee, alumni or even current students.  This is the first step in successfully getting in the subsequent year. Then assess your feedback efforts through this questioning framework:

How to Negotiate Your MBA Financial Aid Offer - A Few Tips

How to Negotiate Your MBA Financial Aid Offer - A Few Tips

Today's blog post something we run every year about this time because we honestly get overrun with requests on this subject.  It 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?"

Rankings: Best MBA Programs for Technology Jobs (2015) - Haas

Rankings: Best MBA Programs for Technology Jobs (2015) - Haas

Today's blog post is a follow up to our Best MBA Programs in Finance ranking. It's also our attempt at ranking top MBA programs by industry and based on publicly available data. We've never felt completely comfortable with the rankings because (to our knowledge) the raw data that drives the rankings has never been fully disclosed. So we decided to start over and with the very numbers that the school's career centers are reporting via their respective employment reporting.

Rankings: Best MBA Programs for Finance Jobs (2015) - Chicago Booth

Rankings: Best MBA Programs for Finance Jobs (2015) - Chicago Booth

Rankings: Best MBA Programs for Finance Jobs (2015) - Amerasia's attempt at ranking top MBA programs by industry and based on publicly available data. Our motivation for doing this is quite simple - business school rankings differ quite drastically from publication to publication. We started with the very numbers that the school's career centers are reporting via their respective employment reporting. You need to see the end result first. In other words, what industries are hiring MBA graduates and from what schools?

Personalizing Your Interest in an MBA Program

Time for a quick blog post that comes from what I'm seeing each day, which is really rigid, hard-to-read Why School X sections.  I give the same note to every single client so now I'm giving it to everybody: 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):