Berkeley Haas « Master Admissions

December 22, 2011

Admissions in the Age of Video

Filed under: Application ideas,Chicago Booth,Inspiration — Tags: Admissions, Berkeley Haas, business school admissions, Chicago Booth, MBA, MBA admissions, MBA interviews, waiting list, waitlist — admin @ 10:55 am

It's official. Your camera-ready self is the ticket to getting into business school. At least at the Chicago Booth School of Business. In the competitive world of MBA admissions Chicago Booth had a brilliant idea, and they are rolling it out for their wait-listed candidates. They are asking those prospective waitlisted students to put together 90-second infomercial about themselves.

Says Carrie Lydon, Associate Director of Admissions at Chicago Booth. “Often candidates would like to introduce themselves via a face-to-face conversation, and a video provides the opportunity to create a personal connection …In terms of the content--it is entirely up to you."

What a great way to see just how articulate a student will be in the classroom (cold calls, anyone?) How well-thought-out is their argument asking the committee to “pick ME!”? How sincere, how grounded, and most of all, how believable is the candidate?

But students should be aware that it’s not just an advertisement for themselves. It’s new information. Here are five tips for selling yourself on video:

Have something to say: Use the 90 seconds to actually make a case for yourself, It’s not about how much you want it; it’s about how and why you are a great fit for the school.
Be organized: Identify the two-to three specific things you want to convey in your message and clearly articulate them.
Talk to the admissions committee directly: the people watching the video want you to connect with them.
Rehearse: It’s a performance, and you’ve got to be prepared.
Be confident, but not arrogant: Sounds easy but so hard. Take a tip from the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business value of “confidence without attitude.

And here’s the great news, Master Admissions can help you put your video together. We can help you put together a grounded, sincere video of YOU being YOU. We can help you be effective. We advise on the important non-verbal communication, tone of voice, and your ability to speak from your best self. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “What you are speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.”

Want more information? Contact me at Betsy@masteradmissions.com and we’ll make it happen!

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December 10, 2011

Authenticity, the Real You, and the MBA Application

Filed under: Application ideas,Berkeley Haas,Essays,Harvard Business School,Stanford GSB — Tags: Admissions, admitted, Berkeley Haas, business school, Dawna Clarke, MBA, Stanford GSB, Tuck, Tuck MBA — 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.

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November 14, 2011

Finding the Right Fit in a Business School

Filed under: Application ideas,Berkeley Haas,Chicago Booth,Essays,Inspiration — Tags: Admissions, Berkeley Haas, business school applications, Chicago Booth, Cornell Johnson, essays, MBA, Michgan Ross, Stanford GSB — admin @ 5:25 pm

Lots of angles (and curves) to measure

There's a lot of talk about finding the "right fit" when it comes to selecting a business school. But as is the case with many words du jour, "fit" is often thrown around without much explanation of what it means. What exactly is a "right fit," and how is this relevant to applying to b-school?

Self-knowledge is the secret

Fit is so popular that I've written about it myself , but more importantly so have some of the top business schools. Some schools are more specific than others, but the general message is more or less the same: Know yourself. Understand the cultures of the schools to which you are applying. Be able to explain exactly how you would strengthen these cultures.

Before you can even think about what schools fit you best, you have to really look at yourself. You need to know yourself very, very well. Your level of self-reflection will absolutely show through in your application, and helps admissions officers understand you and how you could fit into the life of their school. Soojin Kwon Koh, Director of Admissions at Michigan’s Ross School of Business, writes in her blog, "Our ability to evaluate your fit with Ross depends on how well you know and tell us about yourself.” So know thyself!

Common culture with the school

Rose Martinelli, then Associate Dean of Admissions at Chicago Booth, stressed the importance of fit in an admissions chat, “… it all boils down to fit. The ability of the applicant to communicate path and plan, and why Chicago is a good match for them professionally and personally.” It’s not just about who you are at work. It’s also about who you are as a son or daughter, friend, and community member.

Berkeley-Haas, in the “Essays” section of its admissions page, goes so far as to say that it seeks applicants “who demonstrate a strong cultural fit with our program and defining principles.” This does not mean that everyone at Berkeley shares the same opinions and experiences—quite the opposite. It does mean, however, that students at Haas share a common culture, as outlined in the school’s Defining Principles; students question the status quo, have confidence without attitude, are lifelong learners, and think beyond themselves.

While Stanford’s Graduate School of Business doesn’t explicitly mention “fit” or “match” on its website, it does outline its “Core Values”: intellectual engagement, respect, integrity, striving for “something great,” and owning your actions. To be a good fit for Stanford, you need to be able to demonstrate your alignment with these values.

Cornell’s Johnson Graduate School of Management touches on fit in its third essay question, “What legacy would you hope to leave as a Johnson graduate?” The question explains that “the adcom wants you to really evaluate what ‘fit’ means to you for Johnson. ‘Fit’ is different for everyone, so we want to see how authentic and purposeful you are about applying.”

-- Researched and written with help from the great Alice Woodman-Russell

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September 7, 2011

More MBA Schools Accept the GRE & GMAT

Filed under: Application ideas — Tags: Berkeley Haas, Cambridge Judge, Chicago Booth, CMU Tepper, Columbia Business School, Cornell Johnson, Fuqua, GMAT, GRE, HBS, INSEAD, Kellogg, McCombs, Michigan Ross, MIT Sloan, NYU Stern, Oxford Said, Stanford GSB, Tuck, UCLA Anderson, UVA Darden, Wharton, Yale SOM — admin @ 10:17 am

Hot off the press, Kellogg's full-time MBA program now accepts the GRE. As does Cornell's Johnson School. Here's the updated list as of September 7, 2011. It's always great to check; it wasn't on the Kellogg website until I emailed and -- voila! There's no harm in asking!

School	GRE?	Link
Columbia	YES	Columbia Business School
Cornell	YES	Cornell Johnson
Darden	YES	UVA Darden
HBS	YES	Harvard Business School
INSEAD	YES	INSEAD
Kellogg	YES	Kellogg MBA
Mich Ross	YES	University of Michigan Ross
MIT Sloan	YES	MIT Sloan
NYU Stern	YES	NYU Stern
Stanford	YES	Stanford GSB
Tepper	YES	Carnegie Mellon Tepper
Texas	YES	Texas McCombs
Tuck	YES	Dartmouth Tuck
Wharton	YES	Wharton MBA
Yale	YES	Yale School of Management
Duke	MAYBE	Duke Fuqua
Cambridge	NO	Cambridge Judge
Chicago	NO	Chicago Booth
Haas	NO	UC Berkeley Haas
LBS	NO	London Business School
Oxford	NO	Oxford Said
UCLA	NO	UCLA Anderson

If you are looking for more schools the ETS link has a full list of MBA programs which accept the GRE.

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August 9, 2011

Some Encouraging Advice from Recent Alums

Filed under: Application ideas — Tags: Admissions, Berkeley Haas, business school, Cornell Johnson, Dartmouth Tuck, Duke Fuqua, MBA, Michigan Ross, NYU Stern, UVA Darden, Yale MBA — admin @ 6:04 pm

Have confidence in your plan

"Have a plan and then deviate." That's what a recent Tuckie (that is, a graduate of Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business) offered when asked whether a student needs to know her career path before applying to business school.

I was recently at an event with recent alumnae of eight great schools: Cornell Johnson, Dartmouth Tuck, Duke Fuqua, Michigan Ross, NYU Stern, Berkeley-Haas, UVA Darden and Yale School of Management. Each participant had a new insight, and I encourage everyone to keep going to events to learn about possible programs. Remember to ask questions!

No, you don’t have to know all the answers before you fill the answer to the “why the MBA” question, but you do have to have a plan. You also don’t have to fit what you think is the perfect profile. Shannon Gordon, the articulate Tuck alumna quoted above, told us she was slightly older than the average first-year when she started business school, and that those extra few years of work experience helped her learn much during the next two hectic years. Many women, she said, decide they are too old to begin graduate school, and that it is too late for them to reap enough benefit to justify the lost income and hefty tuition. Not necessarily.

There are no real set rules about years of experience. Some candidates may feel that the opportunity has passed them by, especially as some classmates are already graduating. But it’s a very individual and personal decision to embark on an intense MBA program, whether you choose to go full- or part time. If you think you really want it, then you shouldn’t second-guess. Be curious. Be passionate. And go for it.

Here are some more tips I found worth sharing:

“It’s not about the school picking you, it’s about you picking the school,” said Veronica Hsia, Stern 2007. Research, research, research. Different schools have different specialties and different methods of teaching. Think carefully about your learning preferences and the kinds of people you want to surround yourself with. It may not be as simple as landing a spot at the highest-ranked program – it's more about where you feel right.

Research the companies that recruit at schools you’re interested in, especially if you’re looking at east coast schools but may want to work at a west coast company (or vice versa). Ask alums about their experiences on the job hunt in terms of industry and location.

Don’t worry if you are a non-traditional candidate. Show admissions officers what you bring to the table, so don’t worry if you don’t come from Goldman or McKinsey. They cannot build a class of all investment bankers or consultants. How boring!

And if you are an investment banker or consultant, don’t worry about competing with someone who may have a similar resume to yours. No one is identical. Everyone has a different story to tell. To quote Shannon Gordon again, “For God sakes, be you!”

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July 12, 2011

Choosing a Business School: Finding the Right Fit

Filed under: Application ideas,Berkeley Haas,Inspiration,Northwestern Kellogg — Tags: 85 Broads, Admissions, Berkeley Haas, Duke Fuqua, Kellogg, MBA, networking, Stanford GSB, UCLA Anderson — admin @ 10:19 am

Lots of angles (and curves) to measure

Believe it or not, all business schools are not alike. They each have their own personalities, including their own strengths and weaknesses.

Even assuming you could get into every program (why not?) not every place will be just right for you. Just like in job-hunting, the decisionmaker is going to evaluate how you fit. The best way to get that right is to do your own research.

As I’ve mentioned before, (see blog posts: Use Your Summer Wisely, Start Your App Now, and The First Tip: Start Early), it makes sense to start early in this process, so you can refine your choices and also learn a bit more about yourself on the way.

You can use this time to research, network, pick up valuable work experience, visit campuses, and, believe it or not, have a good time.

RESEARCHING SCHOOLS

Here are some things you can do to learn about where you might want to go to business school:

Go to MBA fairs and school-sponsored outreach events–in person (preferable) or online (easier to schedule and are increasingly available)
Talk to current students
Talk to alumni
Visit schools
Sign up for outreach programs. Examples include UCLA’s Riordan Fellows Program, the Kellogg Women's Leadership Workshop , the Duke’s Women’s Weekend and Stanford GSB’s Many Voices and XX programs. (Plus, too many more to list here.)
Read school websites
Read student blogs
Watch YouTube videos on schools – official and non-official
Follow/like school pages on Twitter or Facebook
Talk to your career mentor
Talk to friends and relatives you respect
Check out the list of chats and events at the MBA.com website (the GMAT people), Bloomberg Businessweek, admission consultant websites, and reputable MBA portals.
Take notes!

Keep an open mind when you are researching. You never know what you will find, as schools, programs and career trends are changing all the time.

Monique, and 85 Broads member who lives in a city in Africa that will not be visited by any business schools this year, has combed through her target school sites for African graduates and students, has connected with people from her undergraduate alma mater who went to business school, and is asking through Facebook for names of current students or recent graduates, who might be in her country over the summer. She's also emailed students who are listed as "student ambassadors" on business school websites or the student club pages.

Some schools, such as UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, ask you what you have done to learn about their program in the application. The answer will not make or break your application. However, if you live across the bridge in San Francisco, and have never set foot on the campus, then it could be an issue. With so many channels available – fairs, tours, outreach programs, student ambassadors, clubs, blogs, Facebook, Skype, Twitter, you name it – it’s hard to find an excuse not to have talked directly to students, alumni, or school reps.

So the burden is on YOU to learn about fit. But it doesn’t have to be a burden at all – you’ll be learning more about yourself and your future. How cool is that?

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November 15, 2010

Telling Stories at the MBA Interview

Filed under: Interviews — Tags: Admissions, Berkeley Haas, Chip and Dan Heath, Duke Fuqua, MBA, Stanford GSB — admin @ 2:44 pm

It’s the middle of the MBA applications cycle and some of you are working on essays, while others are preparing for interviews with admissions committee members or alumni. Congratulations! But now it's time for more work.

The goal of the interviewer is to figure out what kind of a person you are in the flesh. But there’s a question behind that question too—they want to know how you will fit in. And it’s not just about “fit,” which is a mushy term no different than that used a fraternity or sorority rush. It’s about being different enough to add to the mix, being able to get along, and most of all, being able to contribute.

You can find lots of tips, and even questions that interviewers ask. But I’d like to frame it from a different angle:

1. The interviewer thinks as a study group member

The interviewer wants to know what kind of a study group member you will make. Are the other members of the team going to be excited because of your industry or academic perspective? Will you be able to add something from a global perspective? From a business success or failure? The interviewer is looking for someone who is going to pull her own weight and make the team stronger.

So you’ve got 30 - 45 minutes to show your stuff. Your interviewer is channeling those three or four other study group members, those who have earned their way into a very competitive school, and want to know what you bring to the table.

2. Create a portrait through vignettes

You’ve got to tell stories. I like to think of these stories as vignettes – brief scenes, as in a movie. According to Wikipedia, a vignette is a “short impressionistic scene that focuses on one moment or gives a trenchant impression about a character, an idea, or a setting.” You are telling stories that give a “flash” impression of you. Another definition of vignette is a portrait – and that’s what you are doing: filling out the portrait of yourself that you began with your essays.

What kind of stories are you going to tell? Yes, it’s ok to tell some of the same stories that were in your application. But tell them in a way as if you were talking to your three or four study group members. Tell them why they want you on their team. Tell them why you will work smoothly together, how you will help them with their thinking about a problem, tell them not just how much fun you are, or what a great leader you are, but how you will help *them* succeed.

3. Make it Stick

Stanford business school professor Chip Heath and his brother, Dan, a fellow at Duke’s Fuqua Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship, wrote a book a few years ago called Made to Stick. This book, about how ideas gain traction, made it very clear that people have to “get” your message. And what’s the biggest recommendation? Tell stories. Tell stories that are concrete, with a real problem and a real solution. And who is the hero? You.

4. Stay humble

Granted, you are telling stories about why you are great. (P.S. You are!) But don’t overdo it. You’ve done some great things, and you can add to the party, but those study group members will be turned off if you show up like you are too cool for school. UC Berkeley comes out and says that they their students possess confidence without attitude. I think they are onto something.

So tell them sticky stories (without being arrogant) about what you will bring to three diverse members of this very competitive business school.

Piece of cake.

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August 9, 2010

10 Tips for Getting Into Business School — Tip 10: Be Yourself

Filed under: 10 Tips,Berkeley Haas,Stanford GSB — Tags: 10 Tips, Admissions, Berkeley Haas, business school, MBA, Stanford, Stanford GSB — admin @ 9:14 pm

Happy August! Believe it or not, the summer is almost over -- but not yet, so no need to be needlessly stressed. I’m finally going to discuss the 10th, and final tip of the 10 Tips to Make Your MBA Application Rock. It have been trying to stretch it out by interspersing with other blog posts, but now it’s time to wrap it up. (All 10 Tips can be found in the PowerPoint of the presentation I gave to 85 Broads. You'll also find links to the first nine of the 10 Tips at the bottom of this post. )

The last of the 10 Tips is the most obvious: Be Yourself. I know it seems like a cliché, but I have heard 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 GSB wrote those very words most recently in her July 7 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 Peter Johnson, of Berkeley’s Haas Business School, remarking that he loves 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.

If anything, this is the most important of all the 10 Tips. You can Start Early, Take Inventory, Connect with Your Inner Rock Star, Explore Career Paths, and Perform Service. You’d be well-advised to Stay Sane , Daydream, Talk Around, and please, Work Only on what You Can Control.

But none of these 10 Tips will get you what you where you want to go unless you are the real you. So speak from your heart, be authentic, genuine, and just plain you.

The floor is yours.

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July 27, 2010

Upcoming Bay Area MBA Admissions Events

Filed under: Application ideas — Tags: Admissions, Berkeley Haas, business school, Chicago Booth, Columbia MBA, Darden, Duke Fuqua, Harvard Business School, MBA, Michigan Ross, MIT Sloan, Stanford GSB, Tuck, Wharton, Yale MBA — admin @ 9:24 am

This is that time of year where you have your pick of many events. . It's not too early to start talking to MBA admissions officers, and to help you plan your events, I've posted below a list of receptions that are already on the calendar. Below the list of individual school events, I've added below the group panels and fairs that might also be interesting. Please note that this list is not exhaustive, and I will be updating it.

I hope to see you at some of these gatherings -- they should be fun and helpful as you make your choices. Meanwhile, if you have any questions about business school, applications, or what to do next, please call, and let's talk about it!

Betsy Massar

Master Admissions

betsy@masteradmissions.com

8/10/10

Date	Business School	Time	Location	Registration & Info
7/28/10	Harvard	6:30 pm	Gap, 2 Folsom St., SF	http://tiny.cc/hbs-sf
8/4/10	Wharton	7:00 PM	Yahoo! 710 1st Ave, Bldg C, Sunnyvale	http://www.whartonclub.com/article.html?aid=1271
8/5/10	Duke Fuqua	7:00 PM	JW Marriott Union Square, SF	http://tiny.cc/dukeSF
8/5/10	Mich.- Ross Women's event	6:30 PM	SF Marriott Marquis, 55 4th St, SF	http://tiny.cc/mich-ross-sf
8/10/10	Wharton	7:00 PM	Wharton West, 101 Howard St., SF	http://www.whartonclub.com/article.html?aid=1271
8/12/10	UC Berkeley Haas (Part-Time)	7:00 PM	UC Berkeley Haas, Room C230	http://tiny.cc/haas-pt
8/18/10	Columbia	6:30 PM	TBD	http://tiny.cc/columbiaSF
Starting 8/30/2010	UC Berkeley Haas (Full-Time)	1:00 pm - 2:00 pm (daily)	UC Berkeley Haas, Room C250	http://mba.haas.berkeley.edu/admissions/visitation.html
9/13/10	Tuck	7:00 PM	Stanford Court Renaissance, 905 California, SF	http://tiny.cc/Tuck-SF
9/23/10	Chicago Booth	7:00 PM	PG&E, 245 Market St, SF	http://tiny.cc/booth-SF
9/29/10	Yale	6:00 PM	Wells Fargo Bldg. 420 Montgomery St., SF	http://mba.yale.edu/MBA/admissions/events.asp
10/6/10	MIT Sloan	TBD	TBD	http://tiny.cc/Sloan-SF
10/14/10	Mich. Ross	TBD	TBD	http://tiny.cc/ross-receptions
10/25/10	UVA Darden	TBD	TBD	http://tiny.cc/darden
11/10/10	UC Berkeley Haas (Full-Time)	6:30 PM	Wells Fargo Bldg. 420 Montgomery St., SF	http://tiny.cc/Haas
Ongoing Mondays & Fridays	Stanford (on campus in Palo Alto)	11:45 am - 1:00 pm	GSB South Building, Room S151	http://tiny.cc/gsb-PA
*Dates TBD				NYU Stern, Kellogg, Stanford (in SF)

Group events:

8/16/2010: Penn Club event with Harvard, Kellogg, MIT Sloan, Stanford, Wharton

9/12/2010: QS World tour note -- LBS' only scheduled SF visit (so far)

9/14/2010: Forte Forum -- note: INSEAD only scheduled SF visit

9/26/2010: MBA Tour -- note: UCLA only scheduled visit (so far)

If you have any questions about the lists above, please let me know,

Betsy Massar

Master Admissions

betsy@masteradmissions.com

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April 19, 2010

10 Tips for Getting into Business School — Tip 2 Take Inventory

Filed under: 10 Tips,Application ideas,Berkeley Haas,Stanford GSB — Tags: Admissions, Berkeley Haas, business school, Duke Fuqua, GMAT, MBA, MIT Sloan, Stanford GSB, tests — admin @ 7:34 pm

Welcome to the second of my 10-Tip series to help you in your campaign to get into business school. The first tip encouraged you to start early – because indeed, it is a campaign, and the earlier you start thinking about the whole process, the easier it will be to put this massive project together. I cannot recall anyone I have ever met in my life who has said, after all is said and done, “That was a lot easier and took a lot less time than I thought!”

Tip 2 encourages you to take inventory. Business school admissions committees look for self-awareness, and what better way to figure out what you’ve already got and what you need, but an inventory list. It’s ok to be lacking in certain areas, by the way. No candidate is absolutely perfect. Believe it.

Fill in Your Weak Spot: Career Progression

Let’s start with your work experience. What kind of a track record of success have you demonstrated in your career so far? You don’t have to have invented the iPad, but you should have made a difference in your work environment. Were you put on the fast-track? Promoted faster than expected? Were you responsible for changing the way your group does business? The varieties of ways you can have made a positive difference on your workplace are endless. The important thing is to identify a pattern of excellence in your nascent career.

Often admissions officers talk about career progression – being able to explain how you went from point A to point B. Does it make logical sense? If there’s something missing from that progression – say you work for a government entity that doesn’t accelerate promotions – can you gain more responsibility in another way, even if it requires taking on extra work? Maybe you need to round out your leadership experience by leading a team, inside or outside the office. If there’s no easy opportunity in the workplace, you can look to your community or entrepreneurial activities to round things out. Remember to push your own limits – show that you know how to do something that goes beyond what is required.

Fill in Your Weak Spot: Academics

If your grades are good, but not great, you might want to take some business courses to show the admissions committee you know how to sit in a classroom and excel. I’m a big fan of the alternative transcript; I had a terrible undergraduate GPA myself. Once I focused on what I wanted to do with my life, I took night classes in math, statistics, accounting, finance, marketing, and received all A’s. This not only showed the admissions committee that I had the discipline and smarts to take all these classes and juggle a workload, but that I was interested and committed to a business education.

Even if you have a great quantitative/business background, you might want to round out your education with a course that’s unexpected, like in interpersonal communications, oral presentation skills, or theater. It turns out that these skills are core skills required of business school students. For example, Stanford GSB Duke Fuqua and MIT Sloan business schools consider improv part of the curriculum. It may sound crazy, but all of these tools help the geek in us so we can be more creative in our problem solving.

Fill in Your Weak Spot: GMAT Scores

Unfortunately, there’s no substitute for strong GMAT scores, and it helps to score over the 80% percentile on the quantitative portion of the test. (That’s the benchmark Berkeley Haas uses to determine which students need to take a math prerequisite.) If you haven’t taken a prep course, I highly recommend it. It’s worth the investment. If you are having trouble, find a tutor to help you learn how to take the test. The test-prep companies have a stable of great people, or you can go to a specialized tutor If you are still having trouble, explore other options like a test anxiety expert.

Inventory Yourself

As you go through the inventory of what you bring to the admissions table, you may find yourself overwhelmed. Don’t panic. Slow it down. If you really want it, but aren’t ready yet, this may not be the right year for you. Performing an inventory tells you how compelling your case is right now. If you want to beef up your profile, let’s get started. But you’ve got to first figure out what you’ve got, and what you need. This end of the admissions process is up to you.

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