Posted by Clear Admit on June 30, 2006, at 11:40 am
Posted in:  Fridays from the Frontline Welcome to this week’s edition of FFF! As usual, there is a lot going on in the world of MBA blogging. In fact, one of the most interesting things about tracking the MBA blogosphere at this time of year is that bloggers are in so many different stages of the b-school life cycle. There are new applicants who have just started the process of MBA application, reapplicants who are mapping out new strategies, admitted students who are leaving jobs and preparing for b-school orientation, first-year MBAs juggling internships and second-year MBAs reflecting on career moves and graduation. With that said, let’s take a look at the key news from these various corners of the blogosphere.
Kicking things off with the new applicants, we’re not surprised to see a lot of discussion concerning the GMAT. Kent Torokvei eyes a GMAT retake for late July and wonders if taking the test again will set him back in terms of all the school-research he had hoped to be doing over the summer. Meanwhile, FSM compares his GMAT CAT prep test results with the practice test he took from Kaplan, noting a 100 point difference between the two! FSM also laments his current work-GMAT-life balance, citing the fact that his only respite has been a few World Cup matches. Closing out the GMAT posts, we find Righty who offers a rather gripping, blow-by-blow account of his experience on test-day (replete with stray dogs, partying housemates and emptied pockets).
Elsewhere among applicants, there were posts from from Juggler, Kooljaek and TJ when the HBS essays came out (Clear Admit HBS essay tips here). We also found some interesting discussion about feedback sessions (retaking a 720 GMAT?!) and the use of admissions consultants from Jatwarrior. Capping things off on the applicant side of things, we wanted to point out some interesting school selection and round-juggling content from Kooljaek and Juggler (who else). We’d also like to welcome Abisurd back into the blogging fold and bid a temporary adieu to Pupstar78, who has postponed reapplying this year.
Shifting gears, we check in with admitted students. These folks are juggling lame-duck status at work, summer travels, orientation materials and the latest IKEA catalog as they begin contemplating the big move to b-school. LBS-bound Angel Angie talks about leaving consulting, UT Austin-bound Kilgore Trout details the drive from Charlotte to Austin, Curious George leaves his job in Pasasdena to prepare for travels to Utah and an eventual matriculation at Berkeley (Haas), MJ details the odds and ends of moving to Durham for Duke and Karlitos runs down the list of things to do in order to move to London and join LBS. Beyond the planned moves, a lot of accpeted students are boning up on academic and professional skills in advance of matriculation. Marina attended an ‘all about i-banking‘ session at Lehman Brothers (and provided a great recap), FooBarMe . . . → Continue Reading
Posted by Clear Admit on June 29, 2006, at 3:18 pm
Posted in: School: Columbia As our longtime readers may recall, we posted a blog entry a little over a year ago on the controversial Harvard Business Review article by USC professors Warren Bennis and James O’Toole. The HBR article, entitled ‘How Business Schools Lost Their Way‘ caused quite a stir, resulting in subsequent commentary from a couple of prominent publications:
Business Week: A Rank Offense to B-Schools? Boston Globe: Reality B-School
While most of the response was immediate, Bennis and O’Toole’s article continues to provoke discussion in the MBA community. The most recent example of this comes in the form of an Op-Ed piece in today’s Financial Times, where Glenn Hubbard, Dean of Columbia Business School offers his defense of the degree (Do Not Undervalue the Impact of Business Education). This is an interesting read with several valid points to suggest that the MBA is more broad-reaching than critics indicate.
Posted by Clear Admit on June 29, 2006, at 10:47 am
Posted in: Admissions Tips When applying to the top schools, it is important to avoid “red flags” in your application. For the uninitiated, red flags are negative items that stand out in your file and may result in rejection from business school. While most applicants understand the basic red flags, like a 2.4 GPA or a recommendation letter that raises serious concerns about the candidate’s maturity, there are many less obvious triggers.
Some time ago, an Admissions Director Symposium organized by the Graduate Management Admissions Council produced an interesting publication on the subject of admissions policy and red flags. Here is an excerpt from their report:
Identifying ‘Red Flags’ in the Application Process The Directors Symposium participants found that many of the markers of less successful students can be identified in the application process but are often overlooked – everything from numerous job changes in a short period of time to strange personal interactions or difficulty communicating. These signals should not be ignored, said participants. It may be useful to discuss any ‘red flags’ with other colleagues, to determine which shortcomings can be mitigated by other qualities and which should be reasons not to offer admission. One red flag that is often ignored but should be taken seriously, said some symposium participants, is excessive contact with the admissions office. Termed “Hassler Syndrome” by one participant, extreme dependency on the admissions office may signal a lack of self-confidence that manifests itself as neediness. This trait may show up later in the learning environment, when the student is unable to contribute meaningfully to classes and work groups and becomes known as a “net taker”. The same person may be a drain on career services, unable to take initiative in a job search.
The article goes on to discuss additional red flags that admissions officers should note. Although aimed at the admissions community, this is recommended reading for applicants to the top schools. At minimum it should make applicants think twice before placing repeated phone calls to the admissions office!
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Posted by Clear Admit on June 28, 2006, at 6:21 pm
Posted in: General Special Offer: Clear Admit Summer Discount
We are currently offering a special discount to all MBA applicants who sign up with Clear Admit for the coming admissions season. Clients who sign up before July 1st, 2006 may purchase as many consulting hours as they like at a reduced rate. These hours can be used throughout the 2006-2007 MBA admissions cycle (until June 1st, 2007).
To learn more about this offer see this page or email your resume/cv to info@clearadmit.com and set up an initial consultation with one of our admissions counselors.
Posted by Clear Admit on June 28, 2006, at 1:28 pm
Posted in: Essay Topic Analysis , School: Harvard As promised last week when we posted the deadlines and topics, here are some thoughts on how applicants might approach each of Harvard Business School’s essay questions for the coming admissions season:
1. What would you like the MBA Admissions Board to know about your undergraduate academic experience? (400 words) This question seems focused purely on the applicant’s educational experience while in college as opposed to part time work or extracurricular involvements (although if you excelled in the class room in spite of having numerous other commitments, this could be worth mentioning). This is your chance to go into some detail about why you chose your school and major and tell the admissions committee about your academic interests and educational milestones. A great essay will underscore an applicant’s intelligence and work ethic, as well as incorporate some element of leadership (especially if the applicant had a significant impact on the department or school as a whole). If you pursued a course of study that is in line with your work experience and/or career goals, this essay could also be a great intro to the rest of your file.
2. What are your three most substantial accomplishments and why do you view them as such? (600 words) This question isn’t anything new, as it’s been a key component of the HBS essay topics for many years. When selecting accomplishments, keep in mind that the adcom has a very results-oriented attitude, and that you’ll want to select some examples that involve a lasting, positive impact you made on a project or organization. While the best choices will vary from candidate to candidate, we would recommend that you lead with a recent professional accomplishment, and include a balanced sampling of examples from various jobs and outside activities.
3. Discuss a defining experience in your leadership development. How did this experience highlight your strengths and weaknesses as a leader? (400 words) (slightly new question for this year) This essay question is actually a combination of two separate questions from last year’s Harvard application. The key challenge this year will be conveying the needed information in a mere 400 words. Remember that it’s best to use detailed examples whenever possible in your essays in order to make a strong impression on the reader. While one could conceivably discuss his or her tenure in a certain role or position over time, the best response to this question will cover one specific event or instance. Make sure that you take care to set the scene and then fully describe your actions, as well as their results. Note that because this is a defining experience, something needs to change between the beginning and end of the story – your leadership skills. This being the case, it’s likely that this essay will cover a very valuable lesson you have learned or a significant challenge you overcame. Do not forget to focus on how the experience showcased your strong points and shortcomings within the context of leadership. A great . . . → Continue Reading
Posted by Clear Admit on June 27, 2006, at 7:06 pm
Posted in: General Clear Admit‘s Graham Richmond has just been featured in an article on admissions consulting that was penned by BusinessWeek‘s Kerry Miller. The piece offers a comprehensive look at the industry, highlighting the presence of admissions consultants at the recent GMAC forum in San Francisco and suggesting that relations between admissions officers and consultants are taking a turn for the positive. Here are a few key takeaways from the piece:
1) Admissions officers from Tuck, U. Chicago and Darden go on record to say that reputable consultants do valuable work to help applicants target the right schools and put their best foot forward in the admissions process.
2) The lines of communication between admissions officers at the leading programs and admissions consultants at firms like Clear Admit are very much open – with a good amount of healthy dialogue ensuing.
3) A group of consultants (including Clear Admit, Accepted.com, Maxx Associates and MBA Empresarial) are banding together to form an industry association with standards in order to demonstrate their commitment to helping applicants in an ethical manner.
4) Much of what admissions consultants do can be compared to what many of the universities offer to current students in terms of writing centers, career counselors, mock interviewers, etc.
We’re thrilled to have been interviewed for the article and look forward to more news on this exciting subject. In the meantime, we encourage applicants to contact us directly and learn more about our services. Email your resume to info@clearadmit.com for details.
Posted by Clear Admit on June 27, 2006, at 9:33 am
Posted in: General When discussing international MBA programs, our focus has tended to be on European programs, but today we wanted to focus on our neighbors to the north. For applicants in the early stages of school selection and thinking about what they want from an MBA, here are four strong Canadian programs that might be worth investigating:
Queen’s University Full-time program duration: one year (12 months) Options: Queen’s offers a full-time MBA for Science and Technology, a part-time program for students with an undergraduate degree in business, and several executive options – one of which allows students to earn MBAs from both Queen’s and Cornell’s Johnson School of Management over the course of 17 months. Business school site: http://business.queensu.ca/
University of Western Ontario / Ivey School of Business Full-time program duration: one year (12 months) Options: Ivey offers a fairly standard full-time program (with an emphasis on what they call “cross-enterprise” leadership) with a set of Health Care electives and scholarship opportunities for aspring entrepreneurs, as well as two executive programs geared toward those interested in doing business in Canada and Hong Kong. Business school site: http://www.ivey.uwo.ca/
University of Toronto / Rotman School of Management Full-time program duration: two years (20 months) Options: In addition to a full-time program that stresses “Integrative Thinking” across business functions, Rotman offers a three-year part time program, a one-year EMBA program based out of Toronto and a second global EMBA program offered in conjuction with the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland. Business school site: http://www.rotman.utoronto.ca/index.html
York University / Schulich School of Business Full-time program duration: two years (20 months on average with summer break) Options: Also based near Toronto, Schulich offers a standard and international MBA (both full-time), part-time programs with flexible courseload options, and an executive MBA offered in partnership with Kellogg. Business school site: http://www.schulich.yorku.ca/
Posted by Clear Admit on June 26, 2006, at 4:47 pm
Posted in: School: Stanford BusinessWeek is reporting that the Stanford GSB will now allow some MBA applicants to submit GRE scores in lieu of GMAT results. While there is no mention of this policy change on the Stanford website (which still indicates that the GMAT is required for admission), the article cites an effort on Stanford’s part to lower some of the financial barriers to the admissions process by accepting the less costly GRE exam. The test, which runs anywhere from $130-$175 (depending on location) is cheaper than the GMAT ($250 worldwide). The article claims that Stanford is hoping to address issues of inequity in the applicant pool by making the process more affordable. The cost of application to Stanford is $235.
Also, as reported earlier in this blog, Stanford is overhauling their curriculum for the class of 2009. We recently found another article from the Stanford Daily that discusses the proposed changes and should be of interest to those of you who are targeting Stanford.
Posted by Clear Admit on June 26, 2006, at 8:50 am
Posted in: General Last February, GMAC issued a report touting a 3.6% rise in GMAT volume for the 2005 calendar year (as compared to 2004), corroborating many schools’ reports that they were having banner years in terms of number of applications and suggesting that demand for the MBA was back on the rise. However, the data they’ve recently released comparing the number of tests taken during the first five months of this year to the numbers from the past three suggest that testing volume in 2006 might not keep pace with – let alone outstrip – the figures from last year. At the end of last month, 80, 492 tests had been taken worldwide, down from 85,379 that time last year. Whereas international students accounted for the vast majority of the increase reported in February, volume is down across the board compared to last May, with a 4.5% difference (55,412 compared to last year’s 58,037) for students in the states and an 8.3% drop (25,080 down from 27,342) for non-US test takers.
At first glance, these figures bode well for those applying this year, as they could indicate a drop in application volume and competition for seats in school. However, there’s a bit more to the picture. Though tests taken to date is down compared to the first five months of last year, GMAC reports that registration is up by 3.9% relative to the end of last May, 2.8% within the US and 6.3% internationally. This information drives home the point that it’s relatively early in the admissions season, and that only time will tell whether this rise in registration will translate to more tests taken and increased application volume.
For those interested the GMAC report is available at: http://www.gmac.com/gmac/ResearchandTrends/GMATStatistics/CurrentGMATVolume
Posted by Clear Admit on June 24, 2006, at 3:42 pm
Posted in: Deadlines , Essay Topics , School: Harvard Harvard Business School has just announced their deadlines and essay topics for the coming admissions cycle. This is great news for applicants looking to get started on their quest for admission to HBS. Without further ado, here are the deadlines and questions:
Deadlines Round 1: October 11, 2006 (decision: Jan. 17th, 2007) Round 2: January 3, 2007 (decision: Mar. 28, 2007) Round 3: March 7, 2007 (decision: May 9, 2007) Note: all applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. EST
Essay Questions for the Class entering 2007 1. What would you like the MBA Admissions Board to know about your undergraduate academic experience? (400-word limit)
2. What are your three most substantial accomplishments and why do you view them as such? (600-word limit)
3. Discuss a defining experience in your leadership development. How did this experience highlight your strengths and weaknesses as a leader? (400-word limit) (slightly new question for this year)
4. In your career, you will have to deal with many ethical issues. What are likely to be the most challenging and what is your plan for developing the competencies you will need to handle these issues effectively? (400-word limit)
5. What is your career vision and why is this choice meaningful to you? (400-word limit) (slightly new question for this year)
6. What other information do you believe would be helpful to the Board in understanding you better and in considering your application? (400-word limit) (slightly new question for this year)
Dual and concurrent degree candidates: How do you expect the joint or concurrent degree program to benefit you both academically and professionally? (400-word limit)
Please stay tuned to this blog for a full analysis of the essay topics to help you navigate the HBS admissions process. In the meantime, we’d like to point out a few obvious changes from last year’s application:
-Applicants will be pleased to note that there is one fewer essay this year. The committee has done this by combining last year’s essays #5 and #3.
-While there aren’t any wholesale changes, the committee has slightly altered the wording of three out of the six essay questions. These changes will have an impact on one’s approach.
Posted by Clear Admit on June 23, 2006, at 8:52 am
Posted in: Fridays from the Frontline Another Friday has arrived, and with it another edition of FFF! After a flurry of activity last week, it’s been a quiet seven days in the MBA blogosphere. This is probably due in part to the fact that the remaining students on the scene – a number that’s dwindling now that Marquis has graduated from Stanford, Jeremy is finished with Chicago and Le MBA is done at HEC – are busy with academics and settling summer plans. It sounds as though Auris is extremely busy finishing up with INSEAD P3 (though he found some time to post Summer Ball pictures), and classmate L’Optimiste attests that things have been hectic outside of the classroom as well. Though still finishing up with some work at LBS, the Divine Miss N is looking forward to her upcoming semester at Stern. George is also on his way to the states for exchange at Columbia, but is spending his time looking back on what he liked about Section A at IESE.
Students beginning school in the fall are similarly busy, but have been a bit more active in writing about their plans and pastimes. Kilgore Trout is anticipating his last day at work and upcoming relocation to Texas and MJ is dealing with the logistics of the move to Duke. MGalBlue is thinking broadly about career options before heading off to Michigan, while Angel Angie is already pondering the details her post-MBA job and meeting up with future LBS classmates. Vatsa’s also found a number of Tuckies to meet with in Bangalore. Both FM and Moe have money on their minds and details about the first year curriculum at LBS in their blogs. The former has also acquired a nifty new laptop, while FooBarMe has been spending his pre-Haas time sharpening his accounting skills and thinking about course requirements.
While most are looking forward to school, a few are looking back at the application process; MBAXPloit has written up some thoughts on deciding when and where to apply, and I_Will_Make_It has posted her answers to some GMAT related inquiries from readers of her blog. Reapplicants are also looking back this time of year, as Anand relates some surprising feedback from Kellogg and Jat recounts what he learned during his sessions at Wharton and Chicago. In thinking about their candidacies and applications, they’re joined by a few first-time applicants; StressTensor is (fittingly) a bit anxious about his recommendations and Kent Torokvei is deciding on a post-GMAT plan (which might involve taking the GMAT).
That does it for this week. We hope that everyone is having an eventful and relaxing summer (need to rationalize the calm in the blogosphere somehow), and wish you all a great weekend!
Posted by Clear Admit on June 22, 2006, at 8:46 am
Posted in: General As we indicated earlier this month, two members of the Clear Admit team addressed admissions officers from some of the leading business schools in the country at last weekend’s annual GMAC conference, and we wanted to take some time today to report back on the presentations and ensuing discussions. Graham Richmond presented as part of a panel on the admissions consulting industry and the ways that schools might better understand the field and foster mutually beneficial relationships with reputable firms in the space. The two sessions, held this past Friday and Saturday, were attended by representatives from Chicago, Columbia, MIT, Stanford, Wharton, Harvard, Berkeley, Kellogg, INSEAD, UCLA, Cornell, Darden, NYU and several other programs. For those curious in the details of the message, co-presenter Linda Abraham has posted a nice summary of the panel’s objectives in her blog. It was wonderful to see staff from so many schools come out to learn more about what we do and enter into a dialogue about this often misunderstood industry.
Meanwhile, Alex Brown spoke on the role of blogs in the MBA admissions process, focusing on the implications for admissions offices and using Clear Admit’s own Fridays from the Frontline column as a sample method of fostering ties with and among the blogging community. LBS representative Graeme Harper also took the chance to highlight the new London Business School Blog, a collaborative blogging project with student, alumni and adcom contributors. Finally, Columbia admit Marina shared her reasons for blogging and weighed in on the typical prospective students’ perception of student and applicant blogs vs. the schools’ websites. We look forward to reading her thoughts when she posts them (hint), and want to reiterate our thanks to those who attended.
Posted by Clear Admit on June 21, 2006, at 9:21 am
Posted in: School: MIT / Sloan For applicants who are interested in entrepeneurship and spending the summer months researching MBA programs that might meet their needs, we thought we would mention a new program that Rod Garcia of MIT Sloan recently brought to our attention. The Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program, about to be launched this year, is available not only to future applicants, but also to accepted students starting this fall, who have until mid-July to apply for consideration.
Designed for those planning to launch companies focused on emerging technologies, the program seems unique in that it also aims to set students up for collaboration with classmates, alumni and future students of the program. For interested applicants, detailed information about the curriculum is available at: http://entrepreneurship.mit.edu/E_and_I.php.
Posted by Clear Admit on June 20, 2006, at 9:11 am
Posted in: Admissions Tips , Essay Topics While only a handful of schools have released their essay questions for the coming year, it’s still possible for those applicants who are done with the GMAT and ready to proceed with the next step to get a jump on another element of their applications. Though the questions that each school asks tend to vary year to year, the two things that every prospective student can count on being asked are “What are your short-term and long-term post-MBA goals?” and “How will Business School X help you achieve these goals?”
This ‘career goals’ essay question can serve as an excellent starting point for those of you who are getting a head start on your Fall 2006 application essays. Not only will you have a working draft of an important document for the application process, but you’ll be well on your way to clarifying your thinking about your objectives and crafting an informative document to share with your recommenders. To help you get started, there are some general pointers:
Whether this essay is 1,000 or 500 words long, the school will be looking for clearly and fully defined long- and short-term career goals, your reasons for pursuing an MBA and for opting to do so at this point in time, and your specific interest in School X and your plans to contribute to the campus community, if admitted.
The key to successfully tackling each of these components is specificity. In presenting your goals for the future and explaining your motivation for seeking an MBA, it is crucial that your objectives be well-defined and sound feasible. The adcom is sensitive to the fact that students need a fair amount of direction at the time they enter the program in order to take the right classes, join the appropriate clubs and seek the best internship in preparation for their post-MBA job, so specifying a specific industry and function for the short-term is of the utmost importance. In addition to telling the adcom what you want to do, it would also be appropriate to explain your interest in your short and long-term plans and comment on what you hope to accomplish.
Admissions officers understand that successful students are focused in their ambitions, and one of the best measures of this is what they have done so far. Some schools ask for this explicity but, if there is room within the word limit, most programs also like to see a brief but coherent career history summarizing your work history to date and ideally creating some continuity between your previous professional experiences and goals for the future. A great essay manages to thoroughly and efficiently address each of these elements, with a nice balance between the ‘career progression’ section, the ‘career goals/why MBA’ section and the ‘why School X’ section.
Speaking of which, the explanation of your interest in a given program is another critical part of the essay, as you’ll need to convince the adcom that you’ve done your homework and are well informed about . . . → Continue Reading
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