MBA Admit

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The INSEAD MBA

SWatts — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 19:09:01 +0000

Many candidates ask me what I think about the top U.K. and European MBA programs. There are many excellent options to consider. One of my favorites is INSEAD, or the European Institute of Business Administration. Referred to by some as the “Harvard of Europe,” INSEAD is one of Europe’s most predominant and distinguished graduate business schools. INSEAD is most known for offering a multicultural, international experience for future business leaders to gain an understanding of global business building. With campuses in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, and affiliations with the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, a student exchange program at Kellogg School of Management, and mutual contracts with Harvard Business School, Stanford School of Business, and Kellogg School of Management to share career advising resources, INSEAD is uniquely positioned to give its students access to an uncontested wealth of information and opportunity.

The INSEAD MBA program is taught on both the Asia Campus in Singapore and the Europe Campus in Fontainebleau, France. The Middle East Campus in Abu Dhabi only functions for the executive education program. Most MBA students spend their tenure on both the Asia and Europe campuses. Additionally, MBA students are given the opportunity to participate in an exchange program at the North American campus in New York City.

INSEAD distinguishes itself from many other MBA programs in that the program is completed within the span of one year. This one-year intensive program challenges the brightest and the best students to push themselves to gain the most practical knowledge, academic prowess, and business-focused competency within a total of ten months, thus saving money on an extended MBA program and allowing students to spend only minimal time out of the job market.

With such a diverse class, part of the INSEAD experience is learning to collaborate and build alliances with colleagues of different cultures, backgrounds, and with ideas very different from one’s own. Thus, each INSEAD MBA student is strategically placed in a group of five to six classmates, with each person representing a unique perspective. Groups are assigned during the first four months to cover the core curriculum, whereas groups for the elective segment of the program are to be chosen by the students. In each case, the group experience teaches the importance of learning to negotiate, collaborate, and stimulate each dynamic person within the group.

At INSEAD, one gains a distinct international experience; INSEAD is one of the most influential top-tier business schools worldwide. With over eighty nationalities represented in each class and alumni from over 150 countries on all continents, the INSEAD experience is the perfect place to begin and build a globally impacting career.

- Dr. Shel Watts and the Staff of MBA Admit.com
www.mbaadmit.com
Email: mbaadmit@aol.com

Can Recommendations Be Submitted a Little Late?

SWatts — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 18:36:21 +0000

Some candidates ask whether they can submit their applications for a certain round even if their recommendations come in a day or two late. Here’s the answer: most schools will consider the application incomplete if everything is not submitted by a deadline, including the recommendations. If a recommendation is submitted even a few hours late, your application will likely bounce to the next round. During Round 2, that would not be great, because for the vast majority of schools, Round 3 is generally not a good time to apply. So approach your recommendation writers early enough to ensure the recommendations are submitted by the deadlines!

Good luck in the admissions process!
Dr. Shel (Shelly Watts)

http://mbaadmit.com/

mbaadmit@aol.com

Getting an Edge in Round 2: Recommendations as Major Assets

SWatts — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 18:35:34 +0000

It is important for MBA applicants to recognize that recommendations are just as important as the MBA admission essays. Recommendations help distinguish you for admissions committees through a third-party lens. You can be rejected from a top program on the basis of one unexceptional recommendation alone. Just as your essays should draw a favorable picture of your contributing attributes, your recommendations should do the same. What can you bring to the school and the program? Are you exceptional compared with your peers? How do your goals and background set you apart from other applicants? The recommendations should answer questions like these and provide a compelling portrait of the student and future businessperson you will be.

For business schools that have application deadlines in early January, remember to bear in mind that many people who you may ask to write recommendations for you will take winter vacations in the last two weeks of December and the first week of January – right when your applications might be coming due! This may make those recommendation writers hard to get in touch with. Approach recommendation writers as early as possible, and try to work with them to get the recommendations completed and submitted in a timely manner.

Good luck in the admissions process!
Dr. Shel (Shelly Watts)

http://mbaadmit.com/

mbaadmit@aol.com

Round 2 Admissions: How Your Long-term Goals Can Work in Your Favor

SWatts — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 18:34:27 +0000

The way in which you present your long-term goals to the admissions committee can greatly influence your chances for admission. Use your long-term goals and distinct wording to set yourself apart and present yourself as a leader, an innovator, and someone who will be very influential in the future.

Some candidates are not certain what they want to do in the long term. But, just remember that many times the applications that seem the strongest are ones in which the candidate is able to provide a strong sense of where they intend to go in the long term.

During my work with thousands of applicants who have applied to MBA programs, I have seen the presentation of the long-term goal make a big difference. Some candidates who have come to me already rejected after applying by themselves to top business schools had made big mistakes in how they wrote about their long-term goals. Some schools will react adversely, for instance, if you offer two different long-term goals, even if they are reasonably related. Other schools seem less enthusiastic when a candidate is too vague about their long-term interests. For these re-applicants, once we fixed how they presented their long-term goals and strengthened their essay content overall, they fared much better in admissions, both in Round 1 and in Round 2.

Good luck in the admissions process!
Dr. Shel (Shelly Watts)

http://mbaadmit.com/

mbaadmit@aol.com

Round 2 Admissions: Use Your Essay Content Wisely

SWatts — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 18:32:44 +0000

With Round 1 admissions, each business school will have already admitted a diverse range of candidates. In submitting a Round 2 application, you are asking the admissions committee to integrate you into the mix. To show that you are a standout applicant, make sure to set yourself apart through what you say in your essays. What important skills and qualities will you share with your MBA peers? How will your unique experiences and ambitions strengthen the current MBA class and program? It is vital that you answer questions like these in a confident and articulate manner.
How have you demonstrated already that you can impact an environment positively or bring excellence to a task/ project? You should highlight the “proof” that you will be a great student in your essays. This is what I refer to as “strategic content.”

Typically, when I review the applications of candidates who applied on their own and received poor outcomes, one of the biggest ways they could have improved their applications would have been with much better strategic content throughout both the essays and recommendations.

What is one way you can achieve this? In addition to excellently written essays, you should make sure you present a great blend of achievements and interests. You don’t want to come across as a one-dimensional candidate, particularly not in Round 2. If the school has already admitted 35 engineers and it only intends to admit 50 engineers total, you won’t maximize your odds of admission if you present yourself as a candidate who is wholly interchangeable with a candidate of a similar background. The committee should read your essays, resume, application form and recommendations and come to the conclusion that you are a unique candidate of your profile, and thus, when choosing among candidates who otherwise might have similar work experience and similar academic strengths, you will stand out with experiences and interests that add a new flavor.

Essays function in many ways like your marketing package – they should emphasize your chief leadership achievements, experiences, and attributes that will make the admissions committee see you as an indispensable asset to the school.

Good luck in the admissions process!
Dr. Shel (Shelly Watts)

http://mbaadmit.com/

mbaadmit@aol.com

Is Round 2 Too Competitive?

SWatts — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 18:31:21 +0000

Every year, many qualified candidates approach me unsure about whether or not to apply in Round 2. There are several reasons for their concern. First, MBA programs will have already offered admission to some Round 1 applicants. Hence, there will be fewer overall seats to compete for in Round 2. Second, in Round 2, the number of MBA candidates applying for admission to full-time MBA programs tends to be higher than in Round 1. This is partly due to the fact that many applicants want to take advantage of the free time that they have off from work during the winter holiday – time they use to prepare MBA applications for January deadlines. So this also means that competition will be very keen.

My response to the question of whether you should apply in Round 2 is this: every year I help many candidates gain admission in Round 2. It is true that many applicants will have waited to prepare and submit their MBA applications until Round 2, because the winter holiday period gives them valuable free time to focus fully on preparing applications. But, business schools are cognizant of this and they also realize that some of their best candidates will apply in Round 2. As such, most business schools leave a healthy number of seats available for Round 2 candidates.

In spite of the concerns about it being too competitive, I have worked with candidates with low GPAs – as low as 2.8 and 2.7 – to get into some of the top schools like Stanford and Wharton in Round 2.

It is fine to apply in Round 2, but take care to prepare excellent applications because, as compared with Round 1, you will be competing with a higher number of applicants for fewer available seats. Be particularly careful to convey through your essays what you offer to the school. Make sure that your recommendation writers do the same. By Round 2, the shape of the incoming MBA class has begun to be formed already, given the Round 1 admissions. So, with a Round 2 application, pay particular attention to communicating what makes you a great choice. That is, why should the admissions committee add you to the students they have already admitted? How can you distinctly add to the mix?

To do this best, be sure to research the school, how your interests relate to the school, and what attributes you offer that would make you a unique and exceptional addition to the school. Your job is to present very compelling reasons why you will be an outstanding student, both inside and outside of the classroom, and a great future alumni member.

Good luck in the admissions process!
Dr. Shel (Shelly Watts)

http://mbaadmit.com/

mbaadmit@aol.com

Is My GPA Too Low?

SWatts — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 18:33:54 +0000

Many candidates write to me worried about their undergraduate GPAs and ask, “Do you think my GPA is too low?”

There is no stock answer to this question. Certainly, stats about each business school’s average GPA for matriculating students can help you gain a sense of your chances for admission. But beyond this, specifics matter a great deal. For example:

Where did you attend college? If your school was a top-ranked college in its country, your GPA likely can be lower than the GPA of a candidate who attended a much lower-ranked college.

What was your major? Some majors are known to be very difficult, and so what might look like a low GPA in a much “softer” major may be perceived by the admissions committee as a relatively high GPA for your major. (If your major was known for its academic rigor, you should point that out in your essays and recommendations.)

What is your gender? Sorry guys – gals do sometimes have an easier time because, for many business schools, fewer women apply. As a result, women sometimes receive a little more leeway on their GPA.

Did you participate in a varsity-level sport in college? If so, most admissions committees will realize that you were diverting a lot of time to the sport, and they might cut you a little slack on your GPA. Representing a school in a varsity-level sport is generally seen as very admirable and an indication of multifaceted talent.

Many MBA candidates might be hopeful that this same reasoning applies to other types of extracurricular activities, yet on the whole it does not. For most other types of extracurricular activities, the committee will feel you had more control over how much time you devoted and won’t see your choice to spend time on extracurricular activities rather than on your studies as a good enough reason for a lower GPA.

Did you have to work your way through school financially? That can matter, because the committee will realize you were juggling work with your academics and may be more understanding if your GPA is slightly lower.

Other factors beyond these also affect the GPA assessment. If you are concerned about your GPA, try to evaluate how these and other mitigating factors might affect the way admission committees will view your GPA. These simple methods can help you understand whether your GPA will be seen as a strength or weakness of your MBA application.

Best wishes,
Dr. Shel (Shelly Watts)
President, MBA Admit.com
mbaadmit@aol.com

The Consortium MBA Application: Benefits

SWatts — Wed, 30 May 2012 22:59:34 +0000

The Consortium Application: Benefits

The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management is an organization that has formed alliances with many of the best U.S. business schools and major corporations. The list of graduate business programs that participate in the Consortium include:

• University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business
• University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA Anderson School of Management
• Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business
• Cornell University, Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management
• Dartmouth College, Tuck School of Business
• Emory University, Goizueta Business School
• Indiana University-Bloomington, Kelley School of Business
• University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Stephen M. Ross School of Business
• New York University, Leonard N. Stern School of Business
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Kenan-Flagler Business School
• University of Rochester, Simon Graduate School of Business
• University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business
• The University of Texas at Austin, McCombs School of Business
• University of Virginia, Darden School of Business
• Washington University in St. Louis, Olin Business School
• University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin School of Business
• Yale University, Yale School of Management

The Consortium aims to improve education and workplace diversity in American communities. Specifically, the Consortium seeks to improve the representation of African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, and Native Americans in graduate business programs and within the ranks of management. Candidates who support the organization’s mission through their personal, professional and community involvement are invited for membership. Applicants of all races and ethnicities who demonstrate a commitment to the Consortium’s mission can apply if they have U.S. citizenship or permanent residency.

Applying to business schools through the Consortium has a number of benefits.

One Common Application

Students can apply to six member schools in one admissions year using one common application. Many of the participating school are among the best graduate business programs in the United States, including Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, UCLA, NYU and Yale. In 2010, after a seven year absence, the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, rejoined the Consortium. Students also save money because the Consortium only requires one official school transcript and GMAT score for all member schools.

Reduced Application Fees

The application fee is also significantly reduced compared to applying individually to each MBA program. Last year, under a tiered fee structure, candidates could apply to two schools for $150, three schools for $200, four schools for $240, five for $275, and six for $300.

Financial Assistance

Consortium applicants may be awarded merit-based, partial or full-tuition fellowships to cover the cost of attending business school. Last year, 350 fellowships were awarded to qualifying candidates, 330 of which covered tuition and mandatory fees for two years. Candidates can qualify for additional merit-based fellowships and financial aid from member schools.

Membership and Access to Excellent Employers

Consortium members gain access to more than 70 corporate partners who are leading global businesses, including Johnson and Johnson, Target, Deloitte, Goldman Sachs, IBM, Genentech, and Starbucks. These corporate sponsors will typically recruit participating students for mid- and senior level management positions upon graduation. In addition, candidates attend a members-only Annual Orientation Program and Career Forum that equips students with tools to enable their academic and professional success. Finally, in addition to the graduate school network, members gain access to a collegial group of 6,000 Consortium alumni.

The Consortium was formed through the vision of Professor Sterling Schoen of Washington University in St. Louis. Established in 1966, two years after the landmark Civil Rights Act, the founding mission was to establish a program to help African-Americans earn MBAs and become senior executives in American businesses.

Last year, we at MBAAdmit.com had the pleasure of watching some of our clients earn full scholarships to some of these top programs. If you think you are qualified to apply through the Consortium, consider exploring the program in greater detail. The official website for the Consortium is: http://www.cgsm.org/.

Best wishes,
Dr. Shel (Shelly Watts)
President MBAAdmit.com
www.mbaadmit.com

Harvard’s New MBA Application – Expert Advice

SWatts — Wed, 23 May 2012 07:13:27 +0000

Harvard Releases Details of New Application – 2013 Matriculation

Harvard Business School (HBS) has released some information about its new application for Fall 2013 matriculation. I know many of you have been waiting anxiously for this! Compared with prior years, there are some substantial changes to the application, including the essays and the overall process. Below, I highlight some of the notable changes, some of the notable things that have stayed the same, and some of the implications of each.

Among the most notable changes are these:

1. The number of essays that are due before HBS makes a decision about whether it will extend an interview to you has been reduced from four essays to two essays. Each essay is limited to 400 words. This represents a tiny amount of required essay material relative to other top business school applications, which tend to have essays totally between 1800-2100 words in content. The implication here is that you must do a truly outstanding job with the two HBS essays, since you have so little essay space. You need to think long and hard about what represents the best material to include here. Another implication is that, given how little space you have in the essays to present your case for admission, your other admissions materials will be all the more important – including your resume, your application form, and your recommendations. You will need to go over those other materials with a fine tooth comb! You should aim to use those materials to present your best credentials in compelling, concise ways in order to persuade the HBS admissions committee to extend an admissions interview invitation to you.

2. The resume can now be 2 pages long. In some past years, HBS restricted the resume to only one page. The resume will be more important given the brevity of the essay section. Make sure to use the resume excellently!

3. After the admissions interview, the candidate will be asked to submit within 24 hours a post-interview reflection essay. Note, however, that only some applicants will be invited to interview, and those applicants are the ones in whom HBS has ‘some interest’ after reviewing their written application. Thus, not all applicants will need to complete this reflection essay.

HBS describes the reflection essay process as this: “Following the interview, candidates are required to submit a written reflection using our online application system. This must be submitted within 24 hours following the completion of the interview. Detailed instructions will be provided to those applicants who are invited to the interview process.” (HBS website) This reflection essay will be very important. You need to use this essay to your great advantage, given the small amount of text you have for essays in this set. You should make sure you are able to devote the time to generate the best possible content in the 24 hours after the HBS admissions interview. This essay will be a true test of your writing abilities and of your ability to underscore the case for your admission!

4. The application is due in late September rather than in early October. Moving a deadline earlier in Round 1 sometimes signals that a business school is expecting a greater volume of applicants. HBS may believe this will be the case, since a shorter essay set may encourage more applicants to apply.

Among the items that have remained the same, are these:

1. Three recommendations are still required. The recommendations are a similar length as in recent years and have similar questions to those found on previous HBS recommendation forms of recent years. The recommendations will be all the more important now given how little space you will have to present yourself to the admissions committee through the two required HBS essays that are due before a potential interview.

2. The HBS admissions interview will be tailored to the candidate. The interview will be very important, so prepare for it excellently!

3. The HBS application form restricts how much information you can include with regard to past awards, jobs and extracurricular activities. This means you need to determine which credentials you truly want to shine a light upon. You should use the HBS application form excellently, in particular because you have so little space in the essays to present your case for admission to the committee. The HBS application form has many “boxes” (fields) where you can add text to describe your jobs, activities and awards. Use your words carefully in these areas. You need to use the HBS application form itself to shine and impress.

4. HBS will only consider one GMAT score. This is great news for those of you who scored poorly but were able to improve your GMAT score. Your best score is what will factor into the admissions calculation.

I look forward to providing more reflections on the new HBS set as more information is released! Feel free to check the MBA Admit.com website at www.mbaadmit.com for more reflections.

Best wishes,
Dr. Shel (Shelly Watts)
President, MBA Admit.com

http://www.mbaadmit.com

email: mbaadmit@aol.com