30 Tips For Your MBA Admissions Success

Fortune may favor the brave, but when applying to business school it is careful planning and meaningful self-reflection that win the day.

With round-one deadlines for the world’s top MBA programs less than six months away, this is the time to put together a plan for admissions success. You’ve got a lot of ground to cover:

• Introspection about your personal and professional goals

• Research to identify the schools that match your objectives

• Study for the GMAT or GRE, and any courses that boost your academic record

• Outstanding professional performance to strengthen letters of recommendation

• Purposeful community engagement and genuine leadership opportunities

• Outreach to b-school students and alumni combined with campus visits

That’s quite a to-do list, but MBA admissions success doesn’t just happen — you create it. And that means accepting all the challenges that are involved, and not just pursuing the ones you like.

(Photo by Jens Schlueter/Getty Images)

You don’t have to go to business to make a success of your life, but this is your chance to shape your own path, and not rely on somebody else’s. To more accurately quote business philosopher Jim Rohn, “Successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do. Don’t wish it were easier; wish you were better.”

So where do you get started? Pursuing the theme of insightful quotes, I asked my colleagues at Fortuna Admissions for their advice, based on years of insider experience working in the admissions offices of the world’s top business schools.

Here are their 30 tips for MBA admissions success.

Self-Awareness And Defining Your Personal And Professional Goals

1. “Be your authentic self in your application. The most engaging candidates strip away the pretence, and don’t try to fit into a mould.” — Judith Silverman Hodara, Wharton

2. “Start with good questions — they are the best way to find great answers. Business schools want to know more about you than just your resume. They want to get a sense of what makes you tick. What do you want from your career? What are your strengths and weaknesses? What have you learned about yourself from times you have excelled and times you have failed? Don’t skimp on introspection—or waste the gift of choice.” — Caroline Diarte Edwards, INSEAD

3. “Spend time talking to many people in careers that seem interesting to you so that by the time you apply, you have a much better sense of your post-MBA plans. If you’re looking to make a career transition, consider speaking to people at your current company in positions that you’d like to go into after your MBA since they could be great resources that are highly accessible.” — Dina Glasofer, NYU Stern

4. “When talking about your long-term goals, think big. You will inspire the reader with your plans to change the world, not with your goal of retiring at 50. Find the thread that links your past decisions with your future goals. Make sure your story makes sense with a clear vision of where you want to go.” — Heidi Hillis, Stanford GSB

Selecting And Researching Your Target Schools

5. “Don’t settle for the ordinary — by definition a stretch school is within reach and by stretching yourself you will improve your reach. Believe in yourself, so that the admissions office can believe in you.” — Julie Ferguson, Chicago Booth

6. “Look beyond MBA rankings. List the factors most important to you and talk to students and alumni to help assess the fit.” — Dina Glasofer, NYU Stern

7. “Don’t settle for general statements about the school. Repeating well-known facts proves nothing. Identify and be able to explain your personal passion for the school.” — Karen Ponte, London Business School

Mastering The GMAT

8. “If you’re going through hell on data sufficiency or critical reasoning, keep going. You may have to fight the GMAT battle more than once to win it.” — Judith Silverman Hodara, Wharton

9. “Improving your GMAT score by 100 points is achieved in 10 point increments. Test success is the sum of small efforts practiced day in and day out.” — Cassandra Pittman, Columbia Business School

Personal Branding

10. “Think like a marketer — define and design your brand. What’s your unique expertise and contribution to the MBA program? Leverage that in each part of the application.” — Katherine Johnson, Harvard Business School

11. “As you look to set yourself apart, consider the lens that has influenced your worldview—and then find ways to project that understanding of yourself into your application.” — Brittany Maschal, Wharton

12. “Every school wants diversity – think how could your professional background, upbringing, nationality, age, future ambitions or interests add a unique dimension to your MBA class.” — Melissa Jones, INSEAD

Resume

13. “Be specific – demonstrate your value with objective evidence, don’t just ask the reader to take your word for it.” — Jodi Keating, Wharton

14. “Tone back the technical language and take it back to basics, highlighting the skills relevant to the role and ones the school will be looking for.” — Nicola Sandford, INSEAD

15. “There is probably someone applying to your target school with the exact same job title as you. Your resume needs to show exactly why you are better at that job.” — Jodi Keating, Wharton

Application Essays

16. “Telling a story that illustrates the type of person you are has far more impact than telling the reader what kind of person you are. Show, don’t tell.” — Heather Lamb Friedman, Harvard Business School

17. “In your essays, go for the why, not the what. The resume tells what you did, it is up to the essays to explain what motivated you.” — Heidi Hillis, Stanford GSB

18. “Don’t just cut and paste essays from one school to another. Each application should feel like it was written specifically for that school, including concrete examples and specific school offerings rather than generalized statements.” — Dina Glasofer, NYU Stern

19. “Focus on depth over breadth! Talk in a non-technical manner when explaining your career — your file reader may come from a different background to you.” – Nonie Mackie, INSEAD

20. “Show self awareness. When talking about your weaknesses, be honest. A strength disguised as a weakness could very well backfire. Remember that you need to show that you still have something to learn.” — Michel Belden, Wharton

Extra-curriculars

21. “Go for quality not quantity. It’s better to get deeply involved in one thing you’re really passionate about, than to start four new activities simultaneously.” — Emma Bond, London Business School

22. “Devote your time and energy to something that supports your personal purpose in life. Don’t just get involved because it’s an admissions criterion. Do it because it genuinely resonates with who you are, your values, and your sense of purpose.” — Catherine Tuttle, Duke Fuqua

23. “Don’t underestimate the importance of your passions outside of work. The 10 years spent training as a ballerina shows dedication and drive, and can help you dance your way to the top of the applicant pile.” — Melissa Jones, INSEAD

Letters Of Recommendation

24. “Work on developing a relationship with your recommenders now so that when you ask them for a recommendation they are inclined to do so.” — Michel Belden, Wharton

25. “Don’t assume that your recommenders know what they are doing. Details, depth and insight add value; generalisations and do not. Help them to help you.” — Caroline Diarte Edwards, INSEAD

Interviews

26. “There is a misconception that schools are looking for perfect candidates, when in fact schools are looking for candidates with the right fit.” — Malvina Miller Complainville, Harvard Business School

27. “Practice, practice, practice! Have great examples to hand and a clear story, ensuring you tell the interviewer what you did do, not what you would do.” — Nicola Sandford, INSEAD

28. “Prepare your key selling points and stories ahead of time, and go into the room feeling confident that they wanted you there, and enthusiastic about the prospect of joining the school’s community.” — Malvina Miller Complainville, Harvard Business School

Staying On track

29. “Focus on what you can do, rather than what you cannot undo. A brand-new start is not an option, so put your energy into a brand-new ending.” — Brittany Maschal, Wharton

30. “When tackling the most challenging areas of your MBA application, get up early in the morning and be sure to complete these first!” — Nonie Mackie, INSEAD

It is clear from the insider experience of my colleagues, and decisions they made to admit certain candidates and reject others, that successful and unsuccessful applicants do not vary greatly in their abilities. They vary in their desires to achieve their goals. So what is to stop you?

Source: www.forbes.com

Writing tips for the new MBA admissions essays

With MBA admissions essay requirements rapidly changing as schools and universities overhaul their MBA applications, one thing has become incredibly clear: the essay just isn’t what it used to be.

So how are MBA applications changing?

Some schools have added new components to their MBA application – like the Kellogg School of Management’s new mandatory video essay – or removed, reduced, or made optional portions of the essay segment. Why the new formats and new lengths? Soojin Kwon, director of admissions at Michigan’s Ross School of Business, told US News & World Report: “So many people were spending a lot of time on the essays and probably not as much time thinking about the other things…the whole purpose of the essay and the interview is to just get a better understanding of where they’re coming from and where they want to go to. And I don’t need to read 1,000 words, 2,000 words, to understand that.”

So how does an applicant get these new changes to work to his or her advantage? The prospect of a shorter essay – or one in a completely different format – can be daunting. But with the right attitude and approach, these new MBA admissions essays can actually provide a significant advantage.

In her blog, Kwon wrote that “our total maximum word count has been reduced by 450 words, and hopefully you’ll be able to use that found time to craft the most compelling essays possible.”

How does the MBA applicant adapt?

Avi Gordon, is the author of MBA Admissions Strategy: from Profile Building to Essay Writing. In his opinion, the most important things for an MBA applicant to remember while writing an essay or MBA cover letter–especially in one that is short, and therefore in which every word must be made to have the maximum impact – are as follows:

The Dos

•   DO remember to check spelling and grammar
•   DO actually respond to the question
•   DO write several drafts of each essay
•   DO tell stories from actual work experience
•   DO make sure that you accurately express your motivations and overall fit for the program

The Don’ts

•   DON’T praise the school (they know they’re good)
•   DON’T repeat items on your résumé
•   DON’T denigrate anyone or any organization
•   DON’T whine about life’s obstacles or blame others
•   DON’T state the obvious — if you are talking about water you needn’t add that it is also wet

Remember: keep your MBA cover letter and admissions essays unique

Jia Ma is IMBA marketing and admissions director at Beijing’s School of Economics and Management. He reflects that, “candidates always impress me most by [delivering] quick and genuine answers with great wisdom or humor.” The essay is one of the best opportunities for an MBA applicant to truly showcase character and distinguish him or herself as a valuable candidate.

That’s why it’s important to avoid uniform MBA cover letters and MBA admissions essays, despite the temptation to re-use them – particularly when other aspects of the MBA application process, such as GMAT preparation, appear to demand more time and attention.

“Standardized letters sent out to different schools are really obvious,” says Dirk Buyens, academic dean at Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School. “They show a lack of dedication.” Essay space is not for reiterating information easily gleaned elsewhere in your MBA application; it is for highlighting the fit between the MBA applicant and the school. Be sure to craft each MBA cover letter and essay with the school and program you are applying to in mind.

Most importantly, says Lynn Thornber, marketing and development coordinator at Durham Business School, “A failure to properly address the question asked is probably one of the most common mistakes, along with too much embellishment.” Since space is at a premium, now more than ever it is necessary to practice succinct and thoughtful expression.

Source: www.topmba.com

A dean of MBA admissions who has been reading applications for 15 years says the biggest mistake you can make is easily avoidable

A business school application has a number of components that you must nail in order to earn a school’s acceptance. But with so many different places to potentially screw up, the whole process can be nerve-racking.

Luckily, the worst thing you can do is easy to avoid.

“I think the worst thing you can do on an application is simply not have done your homework and not be prepared,” Isser Gallogly, associate dean of MBA Admissions New York University’s Stern School of Business, told Business Insider.

An important part of that homework is ensuring you’re absolutely sure you want to get an MBA.

“Business school is an endeavor not to take lightly … Some people apply when they know they don’t really enjoy what they’re doing,” Gallogly, who has 15 years of experience in MBA admissions at Stern, said.

“Generally, if you take some time for self-reflection — looking at your core characteristics, your skills, where you’d like to head professionally, doing research on future industries, research on the school, and a lot of self-reflection — it tends creates a much stronger application,” Gallogly said. “You know who you are, you know where you want to go, and you know how this fits into your plan.”

Isser Gallogly

Credit: BI

Mom helps her quadriplegic son pursue his MBA and receives a surprise at his graduation

A California mom who helped her quadriplegic son pursue his Master of Business Administration degree received a surprise at his graduation ceremony last weekend — an honorary degree of her own. (Image source: KTLA-TV screenshot)

A California mom who helped her quadriplegic son pursue his Master of Business Administration degree received a surprise at his graduation ceremony last weekend — an honorary degree of her own.

According to ABC News, Marty O’Connor, 29, was paralyzed in 2012 after falling down a flight of stairs. After spending almost two years working on his physical recovery, he wanted to pursue a new challenge.

“After a certain point I realized that physical therapy wasn’t going to be the end all answer,” O’Connor told ABC News. “I was ready to take on another mental challenge.”

Before his accident, O’Connor worked in sales. So he decided to enroll at Chapman University, in Orange, California, for his master’s degree. But due to his injury, Marty O’Connor was unable to take notes or even raise his hand in class. So his mom, Judy O’Connor, a retired elementary school teacher, stepped in to help him.

She attended all of her son’s classes with him, took notes for him, and raised her hand when he had a question in class during his entire two-year MBA program.

“I did it willingly,” Judy O’Connor told ABC. “When a spinal cord injury happens, you want to swoop in and make everything better and you can’t.”

“This was something that I could do for my son and I was really happy that I was able to help him in that way,” she said.

Judy O’Connor said her son underwent a “total transformation” during his time at Chapman and he excelled at his studies.

Earlier this year, when Marty O’Connor was granted the university’s outstanding graduate student award, he asked Chapman University President Daniele Struppa for a favor — to surprise his hardworking mother with an honorary degree at his graduation.

“When Marty came to me asking if Chapman could present an honorary degree to his mom – and to keep it a surprise – there was no hesitation to make this happen,” Struppa told ABC News. “The provost, the dean and the faculty Senate immediately approved my request. The dedication from both Marty and his mother in his pursuit for a Master’s in Business Administration is nothing short of admirable. We were more than happy to make this happen.”

At the graduation ceremony last weekend, Judy O’Connor received the degree — and a standing ovation.

“I was so touched that my son would do that,” she said. “It was therapeutic for me to do what I did.”

According to ABC News, Marty O’Connor will soon begin a job as the head of corporate sponsorships for DIVERTcity, a youth sports startup.

‘It was tough, but we did it’: Mom and daughter graduate college together

This Mother’s Day, an East Texas mom is celebrating a major accomplishment, one she achieved alongside her daughter.

Amy Weakley completed her bachelor’s in business administration from the University of Texas at Tyler this semester.

As Amy walked the stage on May 6, daughter Madison was right behind her mom.

“Not only am I excited for myself to graduate, but I’m really proud of my mom for also being able to,” said Madison.

The path to graduation was not an easy one for mom or daughter.

“She could’ve given up but she didn’t,” Madison said of her mom. “She kept powering through, and that’s what she does with everything.”

“A lot classes I took at night,” Amy explained. “Then you come home and do homework and you’re up late.”

While her daughter finished college in four years, Amy took several classes a semester for eight years while also working full-time for the UT Tyler School of Business and Technology.

“If you know Amy, sometimes you know things are tough, but not because Amy told you,” Dr. Barbara Wooldridge said of the colleague who would later become her student.

“I realized how bright she was so I started nagging,” said Wooldridge. “‘When are you going to apply to school? When are you going to apply to school?'”

Amy said that type of support from family and friends helped get her back into the classroom after 15 years away.

“It’s the fear of ‘I’m going to be the old person in the classroom, and am I going to remember how to do A+B=C?'” she said. “But you figure it out.”

Those around Amy say her persistence extends far beyond the classroom.

She gave birth to Madison six months after graduating high school. In the years to come, Jamie Nelson saw firsthand the struggles that came her friend’s way.

“Just some of the typical challenges of single motherhood,” said Nelson. “Waiting for paychecks the stress of just raising a child, and she never let that get her down. [She was] always focused on providing the best life for Madison and always being positive.”

In 2004, Amy got married. She said Clint was not only her husband, but also a dad to Madison.

Within months of their wedding, doctors diagnosed Clint with bipolar disorder, which he battled for the next 11 years.

“My step dad passed away. He committed suicide two years ago,” a tearful Madison explained. “It was right before finals week. It was hard on me, and I cant imagine how hard it was on Mom.”

Despite their devastation, Amy and Madison chose to finish their classes and take finals.

“I know we both just finished strong that semester,” said Madison. “He’d be proud of Mom for sure and I think he’d be really proud of me too.”

“I think no matter what you’re going through, you can always push through and meet your goals,” Amy said. “It just takes dedication and determination.”

Two qualities that were instilled in Amy by her own mom.

“Everyday you wake up and have a smile on your face and that’s that,” Amy said. “It’s a choice. It’s what I did. It’s what I do everyday.”

Graduation day was no exception.

“I’m really proud of her for sticking with it and accomplishing something she never thought she would,” said Madison.

Madison will begin pursuing her master’s in accounting this fall. Her mom will start graduate school at the same time to pursue her master’s in business administration.

Thirty essential tips for grad school success

Starting this summer, many of our subscribers will be heading off to grad school. Congratulations are in order, but this is only the beginning of your journey! Take a peek at an experienced academic’s advice for postgraduate success. (Also applicable in many other areas of life!)

By the way, if you are still thinking whether to take the grad school. plunge, Jason will be happy to talk with you. (linked text: www.essayapp.co/free-mba-consulting-session.html)

Top ten

1. Remember: there are no non-professional interactions.

2. Fundamentals matter. Practice your talks until they flow. Do some editorial work. Volunteer. Wear clean clothes. Update your software. Eat. Sleep. Take showers. Laugh. Love. Don’t obsess over the university—explore your city or town. Make friends everywhere. Eat cupcakes.

3. Figure out what you stand for politically. Be prepared to speak up.

4. Value loyalty over cool or influence. Make friends with people who care about your ideas and your well-being. Bleed for your friends and allies.

5. Do not work with anyone whose first desire is to burn things down. Eventually, they will.

6. Try not to get lost in departmental/teaching politics.

7. Always say “thank you.” And always be “nice.” Until, of course, it is time not to be nice. Insisting on politeness—at least at first—isn’t about suppressing dissent. It is about recognizing that no one wins in the long term when everyone starts every conversation by shouting. Anger only nets short-term gain and inhibits long-term goals.

8. From the moment you arrive, start thinking about the book you are going to write. No matter how daunting it seems, mess around with titles, and tables of contents, and story-lines. Think about archives and methods. Get in the habit of talking about it. Don’t be worried if, at first, you don’t know what you are doing. Choose a book that you can research and write well within five to six years. Don’t choose a topic so obscure that only a handful of people care about it. Don’t choose a topic so broad that it can’t be finished. Search for something that appeals to you and that connects with bigger issues. So choose wisely and be excited.

9. Learn how to say “no” politely and firmly. And do so often. But also learn how to say “yes.” Learn how to recognize when someone has gone the extra mile to extend an invitation to you, to introduce you to someone, and say “yes” as a sign of respect.

10. Take teaching seriously. Watch great teachers in the classroom. Ask them questions. Ask them to explain. Audit an undergraduate class. Draft syllabi, but don’t be weird about it. Talk to your comrades about what you’ve seen work in the classroom. Treat the discussion of teaching with as much seriousness as you do the discussion of the latest, coolest essay or book you’ve all read.

The rest

11. Write every day, without editing, for at least half an hour. Write at different scales—close readings, blog posts, project proposals, breezy op-eds, dense histories—and at different paces. Revise your CV—experimentally, trying on different formats and fonts—every single week. Treat your table of contents as a poem; don’t rush it, craft it, agonize over every comma, every gerund, every syllable. Join an ongoing writing group, and prioritize the writing and reading for that group. Take proofreading seriously. This means reading everything out loud, so that your ear can be your editor. It means running spell-check. It means leaving yourself enough time to do these things well.

12. When faced with qualifying exams/defenses/other rites of passage, do not listen to people who ask: “Do you think you’re going to pass?” Tell them to shut up.

13. Learn how to craft and control the narrative of your career, from the presentation of your CV to web pages to wardrobes to public performances. This means learning how to distinguish between the truly impressive and the superficial.

14. Never ask for a letter of recommendation without giving at least two week’s notice, a fresh copy of your CV, and whatever is being proposed. Accept responsibility for bugging your writer about the due dates and details.

15. Know the difference between criticism and critique. Do the latter. Posing and showboating is fine. Humility is fine, but not the norm. Hollow criticism is the thing you need to learn to hate. Know your shit. Do the reading. Trace the argument outward. Understand the stakes of every book, every essay, you encounter. Think harder. Applause is cheap.

16. Read blogs from professionals in your general area. Consult them alongside newspapers and academic journals and press catalogs. Develop reading habits. Consume information and analysis as if they were food.

17. Back up everything you have ever written every day. In the cloud and locally.

18. Know this: there is really only one question at job talks and conferences and grad student get-togethers: “Your work is interesting. How does it relate to mine?” So do your homework. Know what people care about.

19. There is a lot of concern about what comes after. You can always say “no.” There are other things to do in life. Lingering on and on as an adjunct is not a good life. Don’t do it. Move along. Don’t assume there will be an academic job waiting for you; and don’t assume that there won’t be one, either.

20. People will treat you like crap all the time. They will ignore you, or try to hurt you, or even try to ruin you. If what they are doing is illegal, don’t be silent. Do what must be done. If what they are doing is merely cruel, just remember, and don’t be that person. And mobilize for a better world.

21. Learn to value idiosyncratic behavior. Our tribe is very weird. Study them. Classify them. Make distinctions between, say, people who think your work is genuinely good regardless of who you work with vs. people who think your work is good only because you work with this person or that person vs. people who think your work is bad but won’t say anything because you work with one of their friends vs. people who are not willing to recognize that your work is good because you work with this other person vs. people who have no filter and say that your work is shit.

22. Understand that academia, like any other industry, will exploit and discard its workers to the extent it is able. So know what an “alt-ac” is, and recognize what is going on with adjuncts. Don’t imagine that “they” are not “you.” Imagine a future in which you might be off the tenure-track, and work to make that future better.

23. Learn how to tell the difference between those faculty who will help you get things within the context of your department/your university, and those faculty who will help you do the same thing while also teaching you how to get these things on your own.

24. Learn how to apply for extra-departmental funding. And do it. There is no better way to organize your thoughts than having to explain them to readers from outside fields. And, in many places, the generation of outside support is a crucial metric.

25. Do not take career advice coming from people who checked out of academia years ago.

26. Be social media savvy—and polite: it’s great to circulate news about your own work, but make sure you’re promoting and sharing the work of friends and colleagues too. Practice intellectual and professional generosity as part of your participation in the broader community.

27. Build a community around you that has a group of people who are not in graduate school. Among other things, their distance from your day-to-day struggles with graduate school life will help you maintain a healthy balance regarding your social life, sanity, etc.

28. No advice list is complete or all-encompassing, of course. So talk to others. Make your own choices.

29. Don’t trust the hype—good or bad—about academe. Investigate for yourself how many adjuncts are employed at your university, and find out how they are treated. Don’t think that administrators are evil, because most are awesome. Get to know your students before you decide that they are too rich, too spoiled, or too stupid to learn.

One last thing

30. Finally, write your own list. Don’t just copy this down. Edit it. Disagree with it. Improve it. Print it up. Put it on the fridge. Argue about it. The point of any such list isn’t to give you a pathway; it is to help you find your own.

Credit: This post originally appeared on Matthew Guterl’s website.

Tips on Getting Most Out Of a University Fair

If you’re planning to attend University Fairs in the near future, TopAdmit has a wealth of can’t-miss tips on “Getting The Most Out Of a University Fair.” We interview educational industry veteran Nancy Tsai, Director of EnvisionPrep, who has nearly two decades of experience in advising students on preparing for their study abroad journeys.

Best of all, if you SUBSCRIBE to our Youtube channel after viewing this video, share your thoughts with us via private message to get an exclusive 15%-off coupon to your next admissions essay, statement of purpose, or resume CVs’ edit!

Watch full video here > Getting The Most Out Of a University Fair

Video: How to prepare for MBA interview

Watch our video about: How to prepare for MBA interview.

Our Managing Director, Jason Skinner, sits down for a webinar and answers students’ questions about how to prepare for the MBA interview.

Youtube link: https://youtu.be/RXyjJ-NiUJ0

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Topadmit/

How to prepare for MBA interview video

Webinar: How to prepare for MBA interview – RSVP now!

RSVP > http://bit.ly/2i0GQXK

First, the good news: your MBA admissions office has invited you for an interview. Now the bad news: You’ve got to interview! But don’t fret – TopAdmit knows how to help. Our GM Jason Skinner is a McCombs (Texas) MBA grad and will give you an overview of what to expect in a FREE WEBINAR on 18th Jan, 20:00 PM GMT+8

Limited spaces are available: sign up here today and submit any questions you’d like our GM to address: global@topadmit.com

Can’t make it live? Register anyway! (All registrants will receive a recorded version of the webinar once complete)

Christmas Promotion – 15% OFF

This Christmas season, TopAdmit would like to THANK YOU to students from over 50 countries for choosing TopAdmit to venture the application hardships!

We had a great time editing each and every one of your essays this year, and we are looking forward to more! Even though Christmas is just around the corner, we won’t be slacking off! That is why we are offering a 15% discount, valid until 25 Dec: “MERRYXMAS”, to keep your essays flowing until Christmas Day!

TopAdmit- Online Application Essay Editing

College Admissions Essay Editing

Uncategorized