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May 9, 2012

What You Can Do NOW to Boost Your MBA Application

Filed under: Application ideas,Chicago Booth,Harvard Business School,Stanford GSB — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 12:58 pm

With deadlines for MBA applications about six months away, you might think there's not much you can do to prepare right now other than take the GMAT or GRE. Even if you’re planning to apply to schools next year, you may think that your profile as a candidate is already set in stone.

Line up here

But the truth is, you can always improve—and whether you’re a few months or years out, you’ve got time to plan your campaign and enhance your application. Admissions officers are looking for several key things—ability to handle academic rigor, career progression, and leadership potential. "Virtually every MBA program looks for students who exhibit intellect and leadership," writes Derrick Bolton, Director of MBA Admissions at the Stanford Graduate School of Business

Here are three concrete ways you can demonstrate your potential to admissions officers—and even beef up your future employability, too.

 Take Undergraduate Quant Classes

Because business schools are very quantitative, they want to know that you can do the work that’s required. Plus, potential employers will be happy to see that you can handle numbers as well."We want to be sure that you will be able to handle the rigor of Tuck’s quantitative program." says Pat Harrison, associate director of admissions at Dartmouth's Tuck School.

You might think your GPA, that C+ in economics, or the fact that you’ve never taken calculus will doom you—but that’s not the case. You can take an online calculus or business statistics class from any number of accredited universities now, and use those grades on your business school applications. In many cases, accredited, graded courses can mitigate a less-than-perfect undergraduate record.

Another option is a specialized pre-MBA program, like the Tuck Online Bridge program, which offers courses in a number of disciplines, including managerial economics (statistics). If you’re just trying to beef up skills and don’t care about a grade, take a look at MBA Math, which offers very practical lessons in financial math, statistics, accounting, and microeconomics.

Demonstrate Your Career Progression
Admissions officers and potential employers are looking for people who have moved forward and will continue to advance in their careers. Chicago Booth's evaluation criteria includes "track record of success, resourcefulness,and sense of personal direction." Success doesn’t necessarily mean title advancement—rather, it’s about taking on an increasing level of responsibility. And not just when it’s offered.

Naturally, if your boss assigns you to spearhead a new product, run with it. But if that opportunity isn’t handed to you, you can volunteer to mentor new employees on your team, or develop an outreach program to educate internal clients about your group’s initiatives.

You can also ask for additional assignments that might teach you about a different part of the company. As long as your boss doesn’t think you’re leaving your current assignments unfinished, see if you can broaden your experience. Ask to join an existing firm-wide committee, or simply offer your services when you see someone else feeling overwhelmed.

These are little things that can expand your influence within your current position and propel you to a promotion, whether it’s official, unofficial, or even into another company. And even if you don’t get that promotion before you turn in that b-school application, the extra responsibilities and your initiative will reflect well on you.

Expand Your World
You can also look outward to the community to increase your leadership experience. "Our students...have to be seen as people who are creating value in society," said Harvard Business School Dean Nitin Nohria.  I’m not suggesting that you merely add to your list of extra-curricular activities—the way you are involved in an activity can tell an admissions committee member more about you than can a lengthy list of organizations. So, look at what you’ve already been involved in and where you can deepen your leadership role and have a greater impact on your organization.

If you’ve been tutoring at-risk youth, for example, you might create and implement a strategic plan to bring on more volunteers to your group. Or if you’ve been raising funds for an annual 10K, you could develop relationships with corporate sponsors who may be able to help year after year. These types of activities can illustrate your initiative and long-term planning skills, and can be incorporated into the stories you tell in your essays.

As a business school applicant, you always have the potential to learn and grow—even in the months before you apply. Continuing to add to your portfolio of skills and achievements as you’re selecting schools and studying for the GMAT will show a propensity toward mature leadership—and that’s something admissions officers can’t wait to read about.

April 23, 2012

Want to get into b-school? Be yourself!

Filed under: Application ideas,Harvard Business School,Inspiration — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 1:23 pm

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word "authentic?" My bet would be that you don't automatically think of an MBA student. But someday, you just might.

Why? The top business schools are not only looking for applicants with academic potential, but they’re seeking out a new breed of leader—­someone who’s passionate, collaborative, and wants to make a difference in the world. They want applicants with more than good grades, impressive scores, and a letter of recommendation from the likes of Bill Clinton. They’re looking for people who can use their hearts and souls when making business decisions—leaders who are authentic.

Many applicants shudder at the thought of revealing themselves in a business school application (“what if I look imperfect?”). But believe it or not, that’s OK! If you try to be the person you think schools want to read about, you’ll end up sounding just like every other candidate out there. So, take a look at these do’s and don’ts that will help you show business schools your true self—and your leadership potential.

Do: Be Yourself

It’s corny, but according to Mary Miller, Assistant Dean of Admissions at Columbia Business School, it works—and it’s exactly what admissions committees are looking for. “Be yourself,” she advised in a BusinessWeek interview. “We're all unique individuals; we all present ourselves in a unique way…After you read 10,000 applications, it's pretty easy to pick out who really shares themselves.” So do some self-exploration before you start writing. Figure out your own motivations and influences to get in touch with the genuine you.

Don’t: Presume You Know What They Want to Hear

Don’t model yourself after admitted applicant “essays that worked.” Admissions readers are wise to the templates that are out there, and they’ll take away from your own authenticity.

Instead, write what you want people to read in your application essays. As Director of Michigan Ross MBA Admissions Soojin Kwon Koh says, “the uniqueness comes when you answer questions using your own experiences and your own points of view developed through your unique way of processing experiences. An off-the-shelf approach is a sure way to distinguish yourself—in a negative way.”

Do: Learn By Doing

Of course you can take Myers Briggs or Enneagram tests to determine your leadership style—but the best way to develop it is to go out and make things happen. Take on a new responsibility at work, join a non-profit steering committee, or mentor someone who could benefit from your expertise—and use those experiences to talk about your leadership potential. Take note of how you work with others when you are faced with challenges and actively seek feedback on ways to improve.

Don’t: Be Like the Tin Man

Harvard Business School Admissions Director Dee Leopold claims that the best candidates have a “Wizard of Oz” combination: brains, heart, and courage. We all know plenty of smart, gutsy people—some of whom have risen to the top of their organizations. But many are missing a crucial ingredient: heart.

Authentic leaders show heart, which comes in the form of their dedication to their purpose, and their commitment to their values. Throughout the application process, don’t be afraid to reveal your passion—it’s this quality that makes someone a leader worth following.

Do: Stand Proud of Your Success

It’s OK to be excited about your accomplishments—in fact, you should showcase them in your essays and interviews. Tell stories to illustrate your experiences and potential. . Just don’t forget to acknowledge the contributions of your teammates and supporters too. . Success is something you should be proud to share, but chances are, you didn’t get there alone.

Don’t: Brag

While showing pride can be an asset, don’t get carried away—you can be gracious about your accomplishments without boasting. Dwell on your accomplishments too long, and you risk sounding like what cynics call the “typical MBA,” not a future leader. Also, don’t be afraid to own up to your mistakes. Nobody’s perfect, and admitting that you’re fallible can demonstrate maturity.

As you begin to prepare your essays and applications, you may think your own stories aren’t so interesting. In reality, the opposite is true—the more genuine you are, the more interesting your stories become. That authenticity will improve your chances for admission, and pave the way for success—in business school and beyond.

This article originally appeared in The Daily Muse.

March 28, 2012

Aiming for a Business Career: A How-To for College Students and Recent Grads

Filed under: Application ideas,Harvard Business School,Stanford GSB — Tags: , , , , , , , , — admin @ 12:58 pm

May the odds be ever in your favor

My day job is helping people get into business school, and most of my paying clients are a few months away from filling out their applications. In most cases, I wish I had met them years earlier. That’s because young professionals-to-be could have taken advantage of opportunities that make it just plain easier to jump into a great enterprise after graduating.

Solid skills, leadership potential, global awareness
The MBA is not a requirement for a business career. And I don’t recommend that people set their sights on it simply because it’s another hoop to jump through.  But some of the things that admissions officers are looking for are some of the same things that recruiters are looking for, which are the same things that your hiring manager and teammate wants from you:  a combination of solid skills, leadership potential, and global awareness.

Harvard Business School presents essentially the same three attributes as its admissions criteria. And if you know up front that’s what everyone is looking for, you have a good chance to work on them now.

Skills=quantitative ability
I’m leading with the math stuff because many exciting post-college jobs need you to crunch numbers and use excel.  It may not be inspiring work right away, but businesses make decisions on analytics, and if you can figure your way around basic math and logic problems, you will add value to your team.  Look at the job description for the analyst position at any of the consulting or investment firms, and you’ll see they are looking for candidates with strong analytic (=math/quant skills).

If you are thinking of going a less formal route, but are still considering business or professional graduate school, you should take one math course now and nail it. If calculus scares you, take business statistics (not social science stats). It’s incredibly relevant; I’ve used the tools of probability and regression time and time again in my own finance career, and never had to calculate the area under a curve.

Finally, grades matter. People talk all about the GPA, but the quality of the school, the challenge of courses and the trend are more important. Everyone forgives a weak freshman year if you turn it around by your junior year and really focus.

Patterns of leadership
Harvard Business School calls it a “habit of leadership,” There are thousands of definitions of leadership, and it doesn’t mean you have to be president of the student body or be the next Mark Zuckerberg. You should be actively involved in a select number of activities during college. Investment firms like athletes, not just because of the competition, but sports requires working hard, discipline and being part of a team.  Sports show opportunities for leadership, not just for the captain, but through collaboration and helping teammates do better.

You can also start your own a club or lead an initiative. One student I worked with from Vassar (my undergrad alma mater) started two different clubs – snowboarding, electronic music, and now is spearheading an entrepreneurial effort within the alumni community.

Emerging leadership shows in the words of a student newspaper editorial or production of a college comedy troupe. You can find leadership in teaching – especially if it means getting up in front of a room, encouraging a discussion, motivating others, giving and receiving feedback.  The college campus is filled with opportunities to spread your wings and make something happen.  That’s how leaders begin.

Go Global
I once asked Derrick Bolton, head of admissions at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, if having overseas experience was a “check the box” requirement to get admitted. He demurred, but did say that he would encourage college students to become fluent in another language. MBA programs are training global leaders.  Look at the single essay University of Virginia’s Darden School requires of applicants:

Share your perspective on leadership in the workplace and describe how it has been shaped by the increasing influence of globalization.

For those of you who are already bi-lingual or bi-cultural, you have a leg up on the competition. It’s no secret that business is global; it could mean living abroad or it could mean working in an international virtual team.  This cross-border outlook is essential for those who want to be leaders in business or social enterprises. Having worked in Asia for 10 years, I personally believe that a cross-cultural experience should be a requirement for tomorrow’s business leaders.

Take a breath
You don’t have to race toward your career goal by doing everything perfectly, or even in a straight line. Take advantage of all the opportunities you have now.

Aim high. You’ve got nothing to lose.

February 15, 2012

When Your Interview is on Skype

Filed under: Application ideas,Harvard Business School,Interviews — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 1:17 pm

I'm wrong. A few weeks ago, I wrote an article on interviewing for a coveted spot in an MBA program and announced right up front "whether it’s for work or for school, the goal of the interviewer is to figure out what kind of a person you are in the flesh."  I assumed the meeting would be in person. But that’s not always going to be the case, especially with Skype and other emerging technologies.

Skype is a Verb

This look is for practice only

Admissions departments at business schools have been Skyping for awhile; at a conference two years ago, Sara Neher of Virginia’s Darden School made strong plea for us to ensure that students know how to use Skype competently. Ms. Neher has been videoblogging since 2008, so you can see that she’s pretty comfortable in front of a camera.  Darden may have been in the vanguard of Skype interviewing, but it’s getting more and more popular, especially as the technology improves.

Hiring managers are turning to Skype. Fellow Harvard Business School graduate Ming Chen, now Executive VP of EF Education First, wrote this week in the Huffington Post that the Aberdeen Group research firm, found that 42 percent of companies in 2011 used video interviewing in the hiring process. And her company, a world leader in international education, uses Skype for about 90 percent of first-round interviews for jobs.

Because Ming is such an expert, I thought it might make sense to summarize some of the key points of her insightful HuffPost article, entitled, 7 Deadly Skype Interview Sins.

1.  “Can you hear me now?”   This is true for admissions and job interviews alike: make sure your technology works. This means your interview connection, your microphone, and your speakers.  Ming also suggests having a link to your resume ready, just in case.

2.  Clean User Name  It’s a business interview. Full stop.

3. Dress to Impress  Ditto: it’s a business interview.  Having said all that, I did see a hilarious post on GMAT Club about wearing boxer shorts with a suit jacket and tie.  Well, if you are a guy that is.

4. Do Your Homework  Make sure you are prepared, especially about why you want to go to that school or work at that company.  Don’t just recite off the school’s website or Wikipedia entry. Make sure you really understand the school or company’s culture, values, and positioning.

5) Look Alive  Ming Chen is a very busy woman, in a senior position at a rapidly growing company. She has a lot going on. She knows from experience that “In a Skype interview, where your interviewer is still on their work computer and email notifications are appearing inches above your video feed… It is your responsibility to engage them.”

6) It’s All About ME  Even though the interview is about you and your strengths, whether in person or on screen, you should connect your abilities with what the school or the company is looking for. This includes the questions you ask the interviewer—don’t dwell on what’s in it for you.

7) The Right Way to Follow Up  Two don’ts and a do

-          DON’T follow up using Skype  chat

-          DON’T add the interviewer to your Facebook friends

-          DO follow up with an email, following the traditional rules of engagement. Be polite, concise, and spell the interviewer’s name correctly.

8) Rehearse  I’m going to add one more to Ming’s list, and that is PRACTICE. Especially with technical glitches, you really want to make sure the entire operation is fluid. You don’t have to record your rehearsal – but it’s worth it, at least, to practice with a friend, mentor, or professional

Take your Skype interview seriously. Your performance could make the difference between a warm welcome or a ding.

-- Betsy Massar

Don’t forget to check out our new book Admitted: An Interactive Workbook for Getting Into a Top MBA Program

February 3, 2012

The Round 3 Question

Filed under: Application ideas,Harvard Business School — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 4:52 pm

Some business school applicants are legitimately wondering whether they should go ahead and apply in Round 3 for the 2012 entering class.  Some realize that if they don’t apply in this round, they probably won’t matriculate this year. Others figure that they should take advantage of this one last chance to round out their choices.

If you are thinking of Round 3, take a look at the following list of do’s and don’ts. It just may help you decide whether to go through the process one more time. At the bottom of this post you’ll also find an unscientific list of schools that may be worth reviewing for third round. This does not mean that it’s a cakewalk, just that they may have more flexibility than, say, Harvard or Wharton.

You should apply third round if

  • You ran out of time second round and had some other target schools that interested you (and you fell within the profile of the class of 2013)
  • You improved your GMAT score by enough to put you within the target school’s range
  • You overlooked a school and, after taking a closer look, you think you might be a good fit
  • After going through the whole application process, you really realize you are less hung up on a top 5 name.
  • You are considering part-time programs when you only applied to full-time programs

You should NOT apply third round if

  • You only want to go to a top 5 school and you didn’t get into the top 4
  • You are outside of the school’s 2013 class profile
  • You aren’t sure what you want to do
  • The thought of filling out another application gives you a rash
  • You hate your job and it just occurred to you to apply to business school last week

If your scores/grades are lower than average/mean/standard distribution for your target school, take the time to retake your tests, or take a few courses in finance/accounting/business statistics and ace them.  If your work experience isn’t strong enough, take on more projects or a team leadership role.

The final round is not the death round; I know some very successful third-round admits at schools as competitive as Stanford.

As a bonus, I’m reposting excerpts from Harvard Business School admissions director Dee Leopold’s 2011 blog post about Round 3:

Round Three - Should You or Shouldn't You?
…You may be asking yourself whether it's worth your time and money to submit an application. Is it too much of a long shot?

…we always conclude that we like Round 3 enough to keep it as an option. Although we have admitted about 90% of the class by this time, we always - ALWAYS - see enough interesting Round 3 applicants to want to do it again. I know you wish I could define "interesting" with pinpoint accuracy but I can't. Sometimes it's work experience, sometimes it's an undergraduate school we wish we had more students from, sometimes it's a compelling recommendation …

So if you are interested in trying for HBS in Round 3, make sure you get your application in by April 10, 2012.

An Unscientific List of Third-Round Deadlines that Might Be Useful, (in date order)

Indiana Kelley 3/1

Carnegie Mellon Tepper 3/5

Duke Fuqua 3/8

Cornell Johnson 3/14  (R4)

USC Marshall 3/15

UNC Kenan-Flagler 3/16 (R4)

Texas McCombs 3/26 (R4)

UCLA Anderson 4/18

 

–Betsy Massar

Don’t forget to check out our new book Admitted: An Interactive Workbook for Getting Into a Top MBA Program

 

 

 

 

 

January 19, 2012

What is the Best Business School for a Career in Finance?

Filed under: Application ideas,Berkeley Haas,Chicago Booth,Harvard Business School,Stanford GSB,Wharton — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 12:07 pm

Because I worked for Goldman Sachs right out of business school, later worked in investment management, and now consult with companies like BlackRock, lots of people ask what MBA program they should attend if they want a career in finance.  And they also wonder if they should go to graduate school at all. For the purpose of this article, let's assume you want to pursue an MBA.

Riches can be yours!

Here’s what it does not depend on: rankings.  Rankings have something to do with what business school or finance degree you might want to research, but they won’t tell you whether it’s the right program for you.   And rankings are all over the place.  A few months ago, I wrote a blog post on this subject with lots of quotes from the Assistant Dean at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business. Tuck has been ranked overall #1, #6, #7, #14, #18, depending on who you talk to, and encourages students to look beyond the actual listing.

Figuring out the Right Path

So which of the top schools might be better in corporate finance, or M&A, or hedge funds, or private equity? Is Wharton better in finance than Harvard, or is Stanford the best way to get a job in venture capital?  There are a lot of opinions all over the internet – and many of them are simply wrong.  So what should you believe?  You’ve got several ways to figure this out.

1.  See who is recruiting at your target school.  Not everyone gets a job on campus, but take a look at the recruiting list for any school. You can usually find it through their employment report. Here is Columbia Business School’s  employment report, for example. The list of recruiters starts on page 10. Or here’s UC Berkeley Haas’ list of companies that have come on campus.  Examine it carefully. You might not find some of the big New York PE shops, but you’ll find Cambridge Associates, which for you, might be an even more likely stepping stone into venture capital, private equity, or hedge funds.

2.  Visit the schools and/or talk to students about their experiences. With LinkedIn and Facebook, you must know someone who knows someone.  Many schools put student contact information right on their website, for example, see this list of student ambassadors from Michigan Ross or NYU Stern. Others, like Harvard Business School, present interviews of students—who are all easy enough to find if you look hard enough.

3.  Investigate clubs at your target business school. Columbia’s Private Equity and Venture Capital Club has its own website, and don’t be fooled by the log-in.  Just jump to club officers, and you’ll have plenty to work with.  More interested in Chicago? Booth doesn’t just have a finance club, it has a  corporate finance club, an investment banking club, a PE club, and and even a distressed investing and restructuring club.

4. Talk to actual people in your target industry and find out what paths they took. While the big guys in the PE industry look like a straight shot from Morgan Stanley M&A, venture capital, hedge funds, and other investment firms might have a more circuitous route. Hey, Mitt Romney came to the private equity business by way of management consulting, so why can’t you?

5. Network.  This is essentially the same as item #4, but it’s so important that I am mentioning it again.  Because you want to hit the ground running once you get to business school, it makes sense to start building your contacts now. Brian DeChesare, an expert on breaking into Wall Street, encourages prospective financiers to “network like a ninja” because, “even if you’re at Harvard you can’t rely on on-campus recruiting.”  And even if you get an interview through on-campus recruiting, you want to have friends who can help you actually land the job and do well there.

And in the meantime, have fun with the process. You’ll learn a lot and meet lots of people. And it’s definitely more enjoyable than signing up on e-Harmony.

--Betsy Massar

Don't forget to check out our new book Admitted: An Interactive Workbook for Getting Into a Top MBA Program

December 10, 2011

Authenticity, the Real You, and the MBA Application

Filed under: Application ideas,Berkeley Haas,Essays,Harvard Business School,Stanford GSB — Tags: , , , , , , , , — admin @ 4:32 pm

self-exploration or self-excavation?

Here's how to get into your top-choice business school: be yourself. If you are struggling with MBA essays, the last thing you want to hear are those two words, but that's the secret. I know it seems like a cliché, but admissions officers say over and over that they want to get to know YOU in the essays. Allison Davis, Associate Director of Admissions at Stanford Graduate School of Business wrote those very words in a blog post, even calling them “corny, but true.”

Get Real
The only way for you to do that is to show your authentic self. Not the person you think the committee wants to read about. I guarantee this one fact: YOU are more interesting than that mythical person. They want to read about your successes and foibles. I recall an admissions officer from Berkeley’s Haas School of Business remark that he loved reading the stories where people learn from mistakes or failure. Those stories show a lot about a person’s true character. Remember, every business school class is made up of human beings, and the more you show who you really are, the more you will stand out from the crowd of generic applicants. No kidding.

Dawna Clarke, Director of Admissions at Tuck, blogs about the importance of showing the “real you.”  She reminds applicants that the admissions process is designed to facilitate self-reflection and should help you to genuinely understand yourself—something you take with you regardless of where you get in.  Clarke writes:

Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind is to be yourself. It goes without saying that the best thing you can do is walk away from your business school application experience knowing you put your best in front of the admissions committee for consideration. Regardless of the decision outcome, you'll have no regrets and, hopefully, you have learned a little about yourself along the way.

When your authentic voice comes through, it makes your application credible and demonstrates confidence.  Says the Stanford Graduate School of Business admissions website (look under the heading “Personal Qualities and Contributions”):

In a world that often rewards conformity, the Stanford community thrives only when you share your individual experiences and perspectives.  As a result, the strongest applications we see are those in which your thoughts and voice remain intact.

To understand how you will contribute to and benefit from the Business School community, we want to know about you: your experiences, beliefs, your passions, your dreams, your goals…most Stanford MBA students have excelled by doing ordinary things extraordinarily well. It is what you make of an experience that matters to us, not simply the experience itself.

You may be thinking, oh, I am just another cookie-cutter engineer/investment analyst/consultant/IT specialist.  But you aren’t. You are you, the real you. The more authentic “you” that shows in your application, the better your chances. Promise.

August 22, 2011

A Reminder: Answer the Question

Filed under: Application ideas,Essays,Harvard Business School,Northwestern Kellogg — Tags: , , , , , , , — admin @ 2:09 pm

With Round 1 deadlines a little over a month away, countless business school aspirants are staring at essay prompts taped to bathroom mirrors and refrigerator doors.  And I have three words of advice: Answer the question.  Advice so simple it barely seems worth mentioning.

At a recent school panel, a Yale School of Management admissions officer underscored just how much she and her colleagues pay attention to those answers. That’s because business schools craft their essay questions deliberately. They really do care. To put it in modern business jargon, a rep from UVA’s Darden School of Business encouraged audience members to “take ownership” of each school’s questions.  She’s right. Let them be a chance for earnest self-reflection; let them guide you through a process that not only gets you into business school, and leaves you with a deeper self-understanding regardless of the end result.

A lofty goal, and it’s a little too easy to get cynical, so try not to.  I’ve written about this subject before, but it never gets old.  That’s because the questions are deceptively simple and designed to get you to answer the question behind the question.  You are given a prompt, for example, “Why do you want an MBA” (Harvard Business School, among dozens of others) . That’s pretty straightforward, so answer it.  You want to be as unambiguous as you can. I want to be an entrepreneur, or I want to change the way health care is delivered around the world, or I want to use private equity to support clean tech investments. There are as many answers are there are people applying, because your answer will be unique to you. But you have to do one thing: answer clearly, and preferably, answer up front. And don’t forget to answer the questions behind the question: why you?  Or, more precisely, what is it about you that puts the very special you at your computer writing an application to business school right here, right now.

Here’s another one that’s fun: “Why would you and your peers select you for admission, and what impact would you make as a member of the Kellogg community?” You can still be humble and compelling in your answer. Say, for example, you want to offer as one of your reasons that you will add to the classroom debate. Support the statement, just as you would in a business problem or a pitch for angel investor money. You might add to the debate because you were raised speaking three languages, or because you were one of 12 children, or because you are passionate about number theory. Whatever you decide to write about is up to you. But you have to frame your response so it answers the question, and support that response.

Finally, just a little admonishment from another one of the panelists at the outreach program last week. Resist the urge to force answers to one school’s essay questions into answers to another school’s questions.  The message to your evaluators is that you don’t care enough about the school or are too lazy to take the time to write a genuine, unique response.  I absolutely positively know for sure that you are not lazy, so be forewarned.

That’s all. Just remember that the writers of those questions write them that way because they wanted them answered. And remember, it’s no different from a business assignment. You’d answer your boss’ question, wouldn’t you?

July 21, 2011

What Conan O Brien Teaches Us

Filed under: Application ideas,Harvard Business School,Inspiration — Tags: , , , , , — admin @ 1:27 pm

Conan the Inspiration

Before talk show host Conan O'Brien gave his heralded graduation speech to the Dartmouth class of 2011, I used to tell clients—rather anyone who would listen—to read his speech to the Harvard Class of 2000.  Speaking before his own alma mater, Conan told students about his own career. About the struggles to become a television writer, about his first panned reviews, and about the hurt, the pain, and the hard work and resiliency required to succeed in a competitive business.

That speech was funny, touching, and painfully true, especially when he told the class,

…Every failure was freeing, and today I’m as nostalgic for the bad as I am for the good. So that’s what I wish for all of you—the bad as well as the good. Fall down. Make a mess. Break something occasionally. Know that your mistakes are your own unique way of getting to where you need to be. And remember that the story is never over.

That was 11 years ago, and now Conan – no surname required– is a household word.  He had achieved amazing successes, but then he went through what he calls “a profound and very public disappointment.”  Still, and this is why I love the guy, and why I feel every day I can learn from him, he transformed and lived his life. He made his own version of success.  He tried new things. And it liberated him.  So now, the story is still never over, when he said in front of the graduating class in Hanover, New Hampshire,

There are few things more liberating in this life than having your worst fear realized…It is our failure to become our perceived ideal that ultimately defines us and makes us unique. It’s not easy, but if you accept your misfortune and handle it right, your perceived failure can be a profound catalyst for reinvention.

So when you think about your life, and why you want to go to Harvard Business School, or why you want this job, or why you need to have this success, right here, right now, think about failure. Think about what resiliency teaches you.  And then go write those essays.  Tell the truth about what happened. And then tell the truth about what you learned.  Or are still learning.

As Conan says, “The beauty is that through disappointment you can gain clarity, and with clarity comes conviction and true originality.”

Yep. What he said.

Watch or download the pdf

June 17, 2011

Start Your MBA App Now

Filed under: Application ideas,Harvard Business School,Stanford GSB — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 8:25 am

Ready, set, go

Some might wonder why you would want to start your MBA application now, when the first deadline is almost four months away. Two reasons: you get to meet current students and alums and you let your brain do some ruminating.

I wrote in my last post that you should use your summer wisely by researching programs. It’s fun, there’s no downside, and you never know what interesting people you will meet. The second reason is much more scientific: it’s related to your brain and the nature of creativity.

Research, research, research

As you look into different graduate programs, comb through school websites, official and unofficial student blogs, YouTube channels, you can get a sense of what a school and its students are saying about themselves. These channels offer great hints about fit. Look up student clubs and contact the officers. Normally, their emails are public. As one admissions director has said, “It’s all fair game.”

If you read through the school websites early, explore the curricula, and start talking to current MBA students, you give yourself the chance to bump into some new concepts while you are doing your research. When you start writing up your reasons for wanting to attend a program, your application will be so much richer for having met and or spoken with school representatives. Those conversations will inform your thinking about business school, your career, and your overall future.

Meanwhile…turn the essays over to your brain

Many MBA programs have already released their essay questions. Even if they have not, take a look at last years’ questions – just to get a feel for what the school may be asking. . Start thinking of the stories you will be telling about yourself. Get your brain working on it.

You’ve heard that some people get their best ideas in the shower or while running, or even by mediating. Researchers at the University of British Columbia have found that daydreaming is a great tool for creativity. Think of these next few months as a meditation session. Feed the questions to your brain and then walk away. See what comes up.

And you can brainstorm. Throw ideas out there. Consider schools outside of your region or country. Look at different programs – joint degrees are increasingly popular, mix and match ideas. Want to go into entertainment? What about the NYU MBA/MFA in film program ? Want to change the planet? How about Yale’s MBA and a Master of Environmental Management from the Yale School of Forestry? Or the Indiana Kelley School MBA/MA in telecommunications?  How about the Cornell MBA/Master’s in Real Estate .  And of course, any of the joint degrees through Harvard Business School or Stanford Graduate School of Business.

You’d be surprised at the offerings out there. Listen to MBA Podcaster on the subject. Play with ideas – explore.
Your brain is smarter than you even know. Give it the material, and the time, to come up with the ideas and the knowledge to make you the best applicant you know how to be.  Ready? Set? Go.

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