Planning Tips
Tips on how to structure your time and tackle the challenging process of applying to business school.
Applying to MBA Programs With Relatively Little Work Experience
As many of our readers know, it has become increasingly common for younger individuals to gain admission to the leading full-time MBA programs. Whereas the average student age was once 27-28 at the leading business schools (meaning an average 5-6 years of full-time work experience), many programs are now carefully considering the more youthful end…
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How to Use MBA Program Rankings to Your Advantage
There are a number of authoritative sources that knowledgeably rank the “top” MBA programs each year. Because the methodologies of these rankings can differ considerably, however, a given school may well be ranked quite differently across these various lists, making it difficult to decipher which are the “best” schools. For that reason, we’d like to…
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Admissions Tip: Visiting the Campus
As many applicants are finding out at this time of year, conducting thorough research on MBA programs is an essential step in formulating a list of target schools and crafting convincing essays. Surfing the web and speaking with friends and mentors are great starting points in identifying programs of interest. However, to really get a…
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Admissions Tip: Selecting Your Recommenders
Since many of our readers are just beginning the business school application process, we wanted to offer some basic tips on a critical variable in the MBA admissions equation: recommender selection. When choosing your recommenders, remember that it can be seen as a test of judgment – selecting a recommender whose letter is ineffective or…
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Published: April 20, 2015
Admissions Tip: Round 3 Results
With the MBA programs releasing their Round 3 notifications in the upcoming weeks, the 2014-2015 admissions season is coming to a close for the vast majority of MBA aspirants. We’d like to offer our congratulations to all those who have gained admission to one of more of their target schools and wish good luck to…
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Published: March 16, 2015
Admissions Tip: Feedback Sessions for Denied Applicants
As many of our readers know, a small number of leading MBA programs offer admissions feedback sessions to applicants who did not make the admissions cut in a given season. Though we’ve touched upon this subject before, we’d like to use today’s blog entry to underline the importance of these feedback sessions for those of you who are…
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Admissions Tip: Dealing with a Ding
With many MBA programs beginning to release their R2 decisions, the spring notification season will soon be coming to a close. While we would like to hope that today’s topic isn’t apropos for too many of our readers, we wanted to offer some advice to applicants who’ve been rejected from their preferred programs and are…
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Published: February 23, 2015
Admissions Tip: Extracurricular Activities
Because it’s the time of year when applicants aiming for Fall 2016 intake are just beginning to think about the admissions process, we wanted to focus today on one element of the application that candidates often underestimate: extracurricular activities. In order to understand why this category is important, candidates should keep in mind that the…
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Published: February 16, 2015
Admissions Tip: Planning for the GMAT
For all you “early birds” who are planning to apply to business school this fall, we wanted to offer a few tips on managing your time as it relates to the GMAT exam. Because this is an important element for many applicants in determining at which schools they will be competitive, it’s best to prep…
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Published: February 2, 2015
Admissions Tip: Thinking About Financing
Though many business school applicants know exactly what they want to do—and how much they hope to make—after they graduate from an MBA program, a surprising number apply to school without thinking about how they’ll pay for this expensive degree. While some students do foot the entire bill themselves or receive scholarship support from the…
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Published: December 29, 2014
Admissions Tip: Round Two Recap and Advice
As we prepare to bid goodbye to 2014 and greet the deadline-packed first month of 2015, we would like to take the opportunity to recap the upcoming Round Two deadlines and offer some advice for hardworking applicants. First, a summary of this month’s deadlines along with the exact time each application is due: Sunday, January…
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Published: December 1, 2014
Admissions Tip: Drafting A Resume
As candidates tackle interviews and preparation for Round 2 applications, we would like to revisit an important aspect of the application: the resume. Given the many roles that the resume plays in the business school application process, drafting a resume (or CV) is an excellent starting point for someone embarking on the next round of…
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Published: November 10, 2014
Admissions Tip: Plan of Attack
With November underway, Round Two deadlines for a number of programs are just around the corner. As most applicants are targeting multiple schools and still working to narrow down their school selection, we wanted to take some time today to stress the importance of taking a deep breath and a step back and formulating a…
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Published: August 4, 2014
Admissions Tip: Applying to Business School as a Younger Applicant
As many of our readers know, it has become increasingly common for younger individuals to apply to MBA programs. Whereas the average age and years of work experience at the leading business schools has traditionally hovered at around 28 and five respectively, many programs are now carefully considering the more youthful end of the applicant…
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Admissions Tip: Planning for the R1 MBA Deadlines
Anyone who’s familiar with the MBA application process knows that August moves forward at an accelerated pace, and come September, entire weeks seem to disappear. To help this year’s Round One applicants avoid the classic time crunch, today’s blog post offers some basic advice on how to approach the Round One deadlines at a reasonable…
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Admissions Tip: Addressing Unemployment or Gaps in Employment
Given the emphasis that schools place on a candidate’s work experience, it is important to be proactive in addressing gaps in employment. When applying to business school, many candidates worry about how the adcom might perceive gaps in employment. We would like to take some time to discuss strategies for addressing this issue. It’s not…
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Admissions Tip: Selecting Your Recommenders
Since many of our readers are just beginning the business school application process, we wanted to offer some basic tips on a critical variable in the MBA admissions equation: selecting recommenders. When choosing your recommenders, remember that it can be seen as a test of judgment – selecting a recommender whose letter is ineffective or…
Read more
Published: April 21, 2014
Admissions Tip: Avoiding Red Flags
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…
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Published: April 14, 2014
Admissions Tip: Addressing Academic Strengths
While we devoted time last week to advice on addressing weaknesses in one’s academic record, today we wanted to explore the other side of the issue: the strengths that lie in your undergraduate record. Beyond issues of aptitude or previous achievement, there are a number of other things that your academic profile might say about you.…
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Admissions Tip: Addressing Academic Weaknesses
To follow up on last month’s advice about GMAT preparation and timing, we wanted to offer some general comments about the role of academics in the admissions process. Many candidates considering business school focus on the credentials they will hold and the network that they will join upon graduation, but it is important to keep in…
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Published: March 10, 2014
Admissions Tip: Extracurricular Activities
Because it’s the time of year when applicants aiming for Fall 2015 intake are just beginning to think about the admissions process, we wanted to focus today on one element of the application that candidates often underestimate: extracurricular activities. In order to understand why this category is important, candidates should keep in mind that the…
Read more
Admissions Tip: Planning for the GMAT
For all you “early birds” who are planning to apply to business school this fall, we wanted to offer a few tips on managing your time as it relates to the GMAT exam. Because this is an important element for many applicants in determining at which schools they will be competitive, it’s best to prep…
Read more
Published: February 24, 2014
Admissions Tip: Late Round Considerations
After a relatively sleepy February, March will soon be upon us with its extensive list of application deadlines and decision notification dates. Let’s take a look at part of the long list of Round 3 (or 4 or 5) deadlines spread over the next two months: March 3rd: Ross R3 (11:59pm EST) March 5th: INSEAD…
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Published: December 16, 2013
Admissions Tip: Drafting A Resume
As candidates tackle interviews and preparation for Round 2 applications, we would like to revisit an important aspect of the application: the resume. Given the many roles that the resume plays in the business school application process, drafting a resume (or CV) is an excellent starting point for someone embarking on the next round of…
Read more
Published: October 7, 2013
Admissions Tips: Common Recommendation Dilemmas
As many of our readers are aware, letters of recommendation are a central part of the application process. We would like to take a look at how to handle the snags that often arise for applicants in unique employment situations. The applicant who is most likely to have trouble finding a suitable recommender is either…
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