Harvard Business School « Master Admissions

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: Admissions, Betsy Massar, boost your MBA application, career path, Chicago Booth, Dartmouth Tuck, Derrick Bolton, GMAT, Harvard Business School, MBA, MBA admissions criteria, Stanford MBA — 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.

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April 23, 2012

Want to get into b-school? Be yourself!

Filed under: Application ideas,Harvard Business School,Inspiration — Tags: 85 Broads, Admissions, admitted, authenticity, business school, Columbia Businesss School, Dee Leopold, Harvard Business School, Mary Miller, MBA, Michigan Ross, Soojin Kwon Koh — 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.

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February 15, 2012

When Your Interview is on Skype

Filed under: Application ideas,Harvard Business School,Interviews — Tags: Admissions, Darden, EF Education First, GMAT Club, Harvard Business School, interviewing, job interviews, MBA, Ming Chen, Sara Neher — 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

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February 3, 2012

The Round 3 Question

Filed under: Application ideas,Harvard Business School — Tags: Admissions, Cornell Johnson, Dee Leopold, Fuqua, Harvard Business School, Indiana Kelley, MBA, McCombs, Round 3, Stanford GSB, Tepper, third round, UCLA Anderson, UNC Kenan-Flagler, USC Marshall, Wharton — 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

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January 19, 2012

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

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

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November 9, 2011

Wrestling with MBA Application Essays

Filed under: Essays — Tags: Admissions, Applications, business school, Columbia Business School, Harvard Business School, HBS, MBA, MBA admissions, mba essays, MBA Podcaster, Stanford MBA, Wharton — admin @ 7:23 pm

You are thinner, of course

If you know anyone who is applying to business school for the class of 2014, you may have heard them muttering to themselves, “What does matter most to me and why?” (Stanford GSB) or “Have I ever learned anything from a setback?” (Harvard Business School) They may be victims of an energy-draining syndrome that shows itself every year about this time called MBA essay nightmare. It’s a regular sinkhole of drafting, pondering, redrafting, questioning, redrafting, wondering if it is getting better or worse, redrafting, and whining.

The essays matter. Of course the GMAT does too, and, but the real differentiator is the answer to the question behind all those questions, “Why should we admit you to our business school?”

Your answer is going to be as unique as your own DNA. But getting there is quite the chore. You could watch this MBA Podcaster video on YouTube regarding essays (in which I feature with admissions reps from Wharton and Columbia Business School), or you could read on.

I’m going to tell you a secret. Writing isn’t easy for anyone. Oh, every so often, someone will tell you that they whipped up their essays the night before the deadline and were accepted everywhere they applied. Fine. That person is in the minority.

If you are finding that you are writing and rewriting, and rewriting again, and then stumbling, and rewriting, you are not alone. Ernest Hemingway was said to have rewritten the ending of “For Whom the Bell Tolls” 39 times. That’s just the ending. That means he already struggled with getting words down on paper for the first time. Remember the movie “Adaptation,” where the character played by Nicholas Cage nearly drives himself crazy from writers block? That should remind you that lots of people have faced down a blank page.

To write those essays, you have to start somewhere, and believe me, your first try doesn’t have to be perfect. In fact, it can be terrible. Annie Lamott, author of Bird by Bird, a wonderful book on the writing process, life, and everything else, says it is ok to write whatever comes into your mind. “For me and most of the other writers I know, writing is not rapturous," she says. "In fact, the only way I can get anything written at all is to write really, really shitty first drafts.”

Death by Rewriting

Or what if you are looking at an essay that you’ve rewritten two or three times, and it still isn’t going anywhere? It feels like it is getting worse word by word. Don’t be afraid to stop writing. Read it first thing in the morning if you are an early person, or right before you go to bed if you are a late person. Or both. Keep your computer or a pen and a printout of the draft by your bed. Print it out, walk around with it.

If you hate it, talk the essay over with a friend, confidant, or advisor. Tell them the story without worrying about the words on the paper. Does it makes sense? Are you excited by it? If not, go back and forth with this other person: have them tell you when they feel your energy. If they don’t feel your energy at all when you tell them your story, believe me, the admissions officer won’t feel it either. You may have to start all over.

These are just some quick ideas to remind you that it is perfectly OK for you to feel stuck. This is really, really normal. Just don’t be afraid to rewrite, revise, and reconsider your own assumptions. You probably don’t have to go around 39 times, but give yourself permission to work it until it's right.

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October 11, 2011

Do You Need an MBA to Understand Business School Rankings?

Filed under: Application ideas,Inspiration — Tags: business school, business school rankings, Dartmouth, getting in, Harvard Business School, HBS, MBA, Tuck MBA — admin @ 4:30 pm

Harvard is only ranked #4 by the Economist

A lot of clients ask: How much do business school rankings matter? Are they accurate? How should I use them to help me figure out what schools to apply to? If you’ve had any of these questions, you are in very good company. Figuring out how to interpret the rankings can be confusing.

Enter Tuck’s Assistant Dean Penny Paquette, herself a Tuck graduate. Her recent blog post provides a much-needed but often-absent context for understanding rankings. She explains that the major difference between rankings is the data they use (statistical data or survey opinions), and she outlines which rankings use which kind of data. Some rankings, like those of US News and the Economist, use a combination of “hard” data and opinion. Paquette also highlights additional factors in understanding rankings. For hard data, it’s important to consider how rigorously the ranking publication verifies and analyzes the data. For opinions, be mindful of whose opinion was asked, and when and how surveys are administered.

The bottom line: rankings provide certain information about schools, but they tell only a small part of the story. Take them into consideration, but don’t give them too much weight. Rankings can never fully reflect the rich complexity of business schools’ offerings, and they are no substitute for what matters most: finding schools that best fit you. And this advice comes from a school that has been ranked #2, #6, #7, #14, #18, depending on who you talk to.

Here’s a slightly condensed version of Paquette’s original post (to read the full text, go to her blog):

“There are five major rankings…BusinessWeek, The Economist, US News & World Report, Forbes, and the Financial Times…The most important distinction among … [the rankings] … is their sources of information: statistical data or survey-based ‘opinions.’ Forbes and the Financial Times use hard data collected from the schools themselves and MBA alumni. BusinessWeek bases its rankings almost exclusively on survey-based opinions of students and corporate recruiters. US News and the Economist use a balance of hard data and opinion.

The usefulness to individual applicants of rankings based on hard data depends heavily on which data the ranking chooses to include (e.g., the FT includes lots of data designed to measure how “global” a program is while US News puts an emphasis on student quality and selectivity) and how rigorously the ranking publication checks the data and analyzes it (e.g., US News sends us back an analysis of this year’s data versus last year’s highlighting big differences and the FT visits schools periodically to do an audit).

The value of opinion-based rankings varies based on the selection of the group asked to give opinions (HR directors of companies that recruit MBAs in general versus managers who actually recruit at the various school), the way survey questions are crafted (asking the respondent to answer questions relative to expectations or relative to other programs that they have no knowledge of), and when the opinions are gathered (students as they are just graduating versus alumni 3-5 years out).”

So remember your first statistics lesson before you even go off to your MBA program -- almost anything can be done with numbers, so be honest with yourself!

--Alice Woodman-Russell

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September 13, 2011

Wrangling Recommendations for MBA Admissions

Filed under: Application ideas — Tags: Admissions, Dee Leopold, Derrick Bolton, Harvard Business School, HBS, Jeremy Wilson, MBA, Michigan Ross, Northwestern Kellogg, recommendations, Soojin Kwon Koh — admin @ 1:36 pm

Wrangling Recommendations is High Art

As we come up to the business school application deadlines, thousands of aspiring MBA students are asking their bosses, former bosses, senior colleagues, and even clients for recommendations to business school. Some might argue that it’s already too late to hit up a busy executive for a b-school recommendation, but if you plan and execute right, the amount of time remaining should be reasonable.

Don't Overthink
You can find many opinions about how to strategize the recommendations all over the web. I only have three words to say about it: Don’t overthink it. Admissions officers have come right out on their websites and told students what they are looking for in a recommendation, and I encourage you to take them at their word.

A classic article on this subject can be found on the Stanford Graduate School of Business website. Kirsten Moss, the GSB’s former Director of MBA admissions, offered clear advice for all applicants, not just Stanford. She purports that the recommendation is “about about bringing this person alive. How, if they left tomorrow, would [the] organization have been touched in a unique way. “

Note too, that admission committee members reading your letters of recommendation don’t want everything to be stellar. If all the recommenders say that the applicant is wonderful for the same reasons, or if the student looks like a demi-god, “it loses its authenticity.” says Stanford's Moss.

Derrick Bolton, Dean of Admissions at Stanford’s MBA program also guides students with ideas to make the letters specific:

You might review the recommendation form and jot down relevant anecdotes in which you demonstrated the competencies in question. Specific stories will help make you come alive in the process, and your recommender will appreciate the information.

And from Harvard Business School...
Dee Leopold, the very experienced and candid Director of Admissions at Harvard Business School, advises that recommenders answer the questions posed, and be specific (good advice for applicants as well as recommenders!). Furthermore, “Many recommendations are well-written and enthusiastic in their praise but essentially full of adjectives and short on actual examples of how your wonderful qualities play out in real life,” she explains. “What we are hoping for are brief recounts of specific situations and how you performed.” Her blog is not indexed, so I recommend searching for her posts of August 24, 2009 and June 17, 2008.

The always articulate Soojin Kwon Koh, Director of Admissions at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, allays fears that your recommenders must write perfect prose. “We won’t be evaluating your recommenders’ writing skills. We will be looking for content that helps us understand who you are as a professional and … the impact you had within your organization.” She also offers the following four specific tips

1. Choose substance over title (in other words, don’t ask your CEO)
2. Go with professional relationships
3. Make it easy for your recommender (For example, remind them of examples, in context)
4. Provide ample lead time

More Excellent Resources Available

Several students and former students have chimed in on the recommendations process. One of my favorite applicant blogs, Palo Alto For Awhile, thoughtfully offered a very specific step-by-step guideline for the recommendation process.

Another generous soul is Jeremy Wilson, who is on the Northwestern Kellogg admissions committee and currently a JD-MBA student there. He offers some answers on how to ask someone to write a recommendation who is very, very busy. Good question! His response is thoughtful, and action-oriented. I especially like his #3, “Highlight Why You Picked Them.”

Indeed, organizing and managing the recommendation process can be a challenge, especially if you are applying to a number of different schools. But it's a lot like managing a project at work: you've got to get buy-in and meet the deadlines.

I know you’ve got it in you.

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August 22, 2011

A Reminder: Answer the Question

Filed under: Application ideas,Essays,Harvard Business School,Northwestern Kellogg — Tags: Admissions, business school, essays, Harvard Business School, Kellogg MBA, MBA, UVA Darden, Yale School of Management — 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?

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July 21, 2011

What Conan O Brien Teaches Us

Filed under: Application ideas,Harvard Business School,Inspiration — Tags: Admissions, conan o'brien, failure essay, Harvard Business School, MBA, resiliency — 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

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