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March 20, 2012

Hoop Dreams and the March Madness of Admissions

Filed under: Inspiration,Northwestern Kellogg — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 6:50 pm

Waiting to get admitted is enough to drive a person mad. So mad, that it's a wonder that the admissions process didn't grab the name "March Madness" before college basketball did. The expression goes back to 1939, but it has only been used in relation to the NCAA basketball tournament since 1982. (North Carolina over Georgetown by a point).

Not quite the NBA

As an admissions professional, I see many similarities between the two--not just the anticipation, operatic emotions, and decisions rendered in March and April. They are both magnificent, if not dangerous, obsessions. I’ve listed five major similarities below, and a bonus of one big difference. Disclosure: my experience is mostly with the competitive world of MBA and professional graduate programs, but with a little imagination, we can all stretch it to college admissions, job hunting, and anything else with beautifully unpredictable results.

1. Competitive strategy
Like the NCAA basketball tournament, you have to compete to get into the school of your choice. There are more contenders than spots.  Not all talented entrants even qualify.  That’s because the league they come from might be semi-professional, like the ACC or the Big East.   It’s kind of like being a mediocre analyst at McKinsey – you know you are playing with the big boys, but you might not get invited to the Big Dance.

2.  First-round washouts
These days, most selective MBA programs require an invitation-only interview. That means that you might know pretty early on that you’ve been disqualified.   Some highly-seeded teams fall out early – Duke surprised everyone this year.  Still, I’ve seen people who have been dinged without interview from Harvard but got into Stanford.  It’s never rational.

3. The Gamble
Face it. You’ve got some money and pride riding on the outcome: You spend months of time and energy studying for the GMAT or GRE, you have to beg your boss for a recommendation, and if it all works you get bragging rights for a lifetime.  Well, at least until September.  The good news is that you are vindicated, even if everyone else thought you were crazy.

4. Being an expert makes no difference
You can parse the rankings all you want, argue that Kellogg is more prestigious than MIT Sloan or the other way around. That the Economist is crazy to rank Harvard behind … UVA?  No one is objective; not fans, not referees, not players.  Admissions committee members are similarly not entirely objective; they are human too! Like basketball, admissions is much more an art than a science.

5.  You’ll never know until you try
If you don’t play, you can’t win.  And if you lose, you can lick your wounds; but if you want it, you’ll keep trying. You may fire your coach and change your strategy, but you’ll get back on the court. You could be the next Cinderella team. Keep your eye on the ball and you could be in the Final Four before you know it.

Oh, there are some differences. In the case of admissions, you probably never take time away from work to work on an application or check its status, as you might for an exciting game. You probably never talk about it ad infinitum with friends and family, or go out for beers after its all over. And naturally, you don't fork over $150,000 if you win. Last time I checked.

-- Betsy Massar

September 12, 2011

TUCK IS DIFFERENT

Filed under: Application ideas — Tags: , , , , , , — admin @ 8:04 am

Tuck is one of the only top schools that allow for open interviews--Kellogg is the other.  With Tuck it's a bit tricky, because the student may be visiting for the first time on the very day of their interview. So prospective Tuckies have to be enthusiastic and prepared, even though they are seeing the school and feeling its vibe for the first time.

A current second-year student wrote this post with good advice for those who are coming to interview.  And don't forget, open interview season only lasts a few months, sign up before the window closes.

The student, Ken F., Tuck ‘12 gives a number of caveats that he is only giving his opinion, but he’s underestimating himself. A member of the Tuck admissions office tweeted to me that she had interviewed Ken herself,  when he was applying, and found these recommendations to be pretty darn good.

In summary:

  1. Wear business attire.  Most do.
  2. Follow Dale Carnegie’s tips to smile and be likeable
  3. Make sure your story is concise, plausible, and genuine
  4.  Research the school not to show off, but to know why you are there
  5. Make connections! (exclamation point mine)
  6. Be yourself.  Hokey, but oh so true

Here’s the link, and for the lazy, the post in its entirety.  Go north!

Tips for Interview Season

Mishi asked a question on this post about what tips I had for applicants in the upcoming admissions interview season. Three points before I tackle the meat of this question:

A) I appreciate Mishi's question, and would encourage anyone reading this to ask questions. It's probably more useful if I write about what you want to hear: left to my own devices, there's a significant risk of me growing misty eyed about Tuck Rugby ad nauseum.

B) I am not involved in admissions at Tuck in any official capacity, so everything I say here is my personal opinion, and may deviate from the admissions office's view (though, hopefully not dramatically).

C) I have surprisingly little interview experience, given the stage of my career. (I worked all the way through my four years as an undergraduate and for six years afterwards and have had, cumulatively, fewer than a dozen interviews in my life).

With those caveats, here are my top (well, most mentally proximate) five tips for MBA admissions interviews:

1) Dress smartly. Most candidates come to campus dressed in business formal and, in that respect (even if in few others) I believe it's best not to stand out too much from the crowd of other applicants.

2) Read Dale Carnegie. If you don't have time, here's the lowdown: smile lots, don't criticize, be genuinely "hearty in your approbation and lavish in your praise" (but not sycophantic).

3) Know your story. If you are not totally passionate about where you want to go and why the program at the business school you are applying to will help you get there, as well as how your presence at the school will make it a better place for others to be, I don't think you should be looking at a top MBA program. Make sure your story is concise, plausible and, to the greatest extent possible, genuine.

4) Do research beforehand. Know about programs, courses, centers, etc. Not so you can show off, but so that you can have more meaningful discussions and ask more pertinent and informed questions. This links in to point 3). If you don't know why this school will help you get where you want to go, why are you considering spending six figures and investing two years of your life?

5) Make connections. Follow up with fellow visitors, admissions staff, students and faculty you meet. This may help you unlock the door to the school of your dreams but at the very least it expands your network, which is, after all, a big part of the business school process.

Most crucially, and underlying all of these points, is to be yourself. If your favorite book is Harry Potter and someone asks you in an interview what your favorite book is, don't say "Great Expectations" because you think you'll sound smart. Be passionate about what makes you who you are. Tell them "Harry Potter!" with an emphatic smile and explain why you love it.

Good luck!

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?

April 7, 2011

Advice from a Recently-Admitted Wharton MBA

Filed under: Application ideas,Essays,Inspiration,Interviews,Wharton — Tags: , , , , , — admin @ 6:56 pm

A student I worked with, let's call her Jennifer, was recently admitted to Wharton (really) and waitlisted at her first-choice school, let's call it Kellogg. While waiting, she agreed to offer advice from the trenches, of one who succeeded in the process. She discusses four issues: staying committed to the goal, receiving feedback, waiting (lists), and financial matters. This is very useful stuff!

STAYING COMMITTED
I am so glad that I reapplied. I was rejected from the four top business school programs I applied to three years ago (all without an interview). While it stung to get so little traction in the business school process, I did not take it as a sign that I wasn't "meant" for business school. Instead I tried to understand the weaknesses in my application and knew that I would try again and do it better. I have learned so much in the application process and am very happy I have even more experience that I can bring to business school when I attend.

RECEIVING FEEDBACK
Get feedback! Make sure the people you are asking have something valuable to add to the process and take the time to listen -- better to find two people who will give you great feedback than send your materials to 10 people and listen to no one.

Also, be strategic in your decisions about who you want to use for help in the application process, and seek out those people early on. Make sure you really WANT someone's feedback before asking for it; I have been on both sides of the equation. Recently, a friend asked for feedback on his essays. I spent a lot of time on his essays and when I returned them it seemed that he hardly looked at my suggestions. He was giving me the essays because he thought that was what you were supposed to do, but had little interest in following up on the suggestions or incorporating feedback.

WAITING FOR DECISIONS AND THE WAITLIST
In terms of my advice for people who have been waitlisted or general feedback for students after they have applied: the most valuable thing I've done in my application process is turn every moment I have been frustrated into an opportunity to do something. When I found myself going crazy waiting for one program to get back to me while another waited on my decision, I brainstormed a list of all the things I had accomplished since I applied and wrote a letter to the school where I was waitlisted explaining those accomplishments. I created a campaign fueled by waiting and (sometimes) panic and created something productive. I am so glad I did this, because the time you spend sitting anxiously waiting and checking MBA chat forums is, in the end, not useful (though I did that too).

FINANCIAL ISSUES
Given the calculus course I am taking and other requirements, I have completely neglected to begin financial planning and thinking about the costs and consequences of my decision. I wish I had done this in a systematic way earlier, not only so that I would be better prepared and informed about my choices and responsibilities, but also because finances are an important part of my final decision (for instance, I am trying to make a decision about two programs that cost vastly different amounts of money). Now I am finding myself overwhelmed at the process of tackling everything right now. If I had to do it again, I would start planning and filling out financial aid information earlier and getting the advice of students, faculty, family and others about their tips on going through the process.

March 26, 2011

A Treasury of MBA WaitList Strategies and Resources

Filed under: Application ideas,Berkeley Haas,Inspiration,Northwestern Kellogg — Tags: , , , , , , — admin @ 6:27 pm

Quite a few of you are trying now to figure out what to do while hanging out on the waitlist for your top-choice MBA program. It’s a tough position, and I prefer the Wharton model, which doesn’t allow you to add anything. It is so much easier to let the universe do its business. But for those who have to act, I’ve got a few resources for you.  Some are from admissions officers themselves, such as in this YouTube video put together by Vault.com not too long ago.

Another link that I like very much is a podcast from a student who lobbied his way off the waiting list into MIT Sloan. It’s a fun story, and you get really excited for the student, Galen Li, and his enthusiasm.

You can also get some ideas from schools who have been willing to do online chats about waitlist strategies, including UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business or Michigan’s Ross School of Business, and Cornell’s Johnson School.

Accepted.com does a very good job of managing chat transcripts for a variety of schools. I encourage you to look at Linda Abraham’s recommendations for your actions while on the waitlist, advice which is straightforward and to the point. I know Linda from our work on the Association of International Graduate Admissions (AIGAC.org) board, and she really knows what she is talking about.  I love her #1 recommendation – FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS.  If the school doesn’t want to hear from you, don’t violate it, and if they do, be judicious.  Stay focused – and don’t overwhelm them with lots of data points. Keep it crisp.

My favorite piece of advice comes from the great Jeremy Wilson, who is a student member of the Northwestern Kellogg JD/MBA admissions committee. His article, "Playing the Waiting List Game," is both thoughtful and action-oriented. Please do remember, however, that his experience is from Kellogg only. But it’s really very cool.

Generally, the waitlisted applicants are considered solid candidates, even star candidates. Now is the time to showcase more subtle aspects of your profile. Be ready to articulate your story again, but this time better. Give them a few golden nuggets you may have forgotten to dig out from your past and put in your essays. Also, distinguish how you stand out from the other number-crunching bankers, consultants, or whatever professional you are and how you can add perspective to the classroom.

And be more introspective the next few weeks, so that you’re better prepared to talk about your leadership or entrepreneurial goals. Instead of using industry buzz words, overused resume verbs, and clichéd MBA language, think more deeply about your leadership style and talk more about stuff that motivates you, what you did, how you felt, and what you learned. And if you’re really up to it, try really spilling your guts a bit more and really putting the details out there—always remembering to stay professional of course—because this might just be your last chance.

September 13, 2010

Bay Area Admissions Events - Updated!

Filed under: Application ideas — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 9:37 am

Now that it's September, the MBA admissions visits are in full swing. I've updated the list to include some additional schools, and expanded the list to include Peninsula events. The list is still a work-in-progress, and I hope to keep updating it.  Please note also that I added an Essay Workshop that I will be leading on Sept. 22 in San Francisco.

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 email, and let's talk about it!
Date
Business School
Time
Location
Registration & Info
Starting 8/30/2010
UC Berkeley Haas (Full-Time)
1:00 pm -
2:00 pm (daily)
UC Berkeley                   Haas, Room C250
9/8/10
UC Berkeley Haas (Part-Time)
6:30 PM
Hyatt Regency Santa Clara
5101 Great American Pkwy
9/13/10
Tuck
7:00 PM
Stanford Court Renaissance, 905 California, SF
9/13/10
Kellogg
7:00 PM
Marriott Santa Clara, 2700 Mission College Blvd
9/15/10
Kellogg
7:00 PM
PG&E, 245 Market St, SF
9/16/10
UC Berkeley Haas Part-Time
6:00 PM
Grand Hyatt San Francisco, 345 Stockton St.
9/20/10
Stanford GSB
6:00 PM
Bishop Auditorium
GSB Campus
518 Memorial Drive, Stanford
9/22/10               
Master Admissions' Essay-writing workshop
6:30 PM
Citizen Space, 425 2nd Ave., SF
9/23/10
Chicago Booth
7:00 PM
PG&E, 245 Market St, SF
9/29/10
Yale
6:00 PM
Wells Fargo Bldg. 420 Montgomery St., SF
9/29/10
Haas Part-Time
6:30 PM
Hyatt Regency SF Airport, 1333 Bayshore Hwy, Burlingame
10/6/10
MIT Sloan
6:30 PM
JW Marriott, 500 Post St. SF
10/7/10
MIT Sloan
6:30 PM
Sheraton Palo Alto Hotel, 625 El Camino Real
10/12/10
NYU Stern
7:00 PM
TBD
10/14/10
Mich. Ross
TBD
TBD
10/25/10
UVA Darden
TBD
TBD
11/10/10
UC Berkeley Haas (Full-Time)
6:30 PM
Wells Fargo Bldg. 420 Montgomery St., SF
Ongoing Mondays & Fridays
Stanford (on campus in Palo Alto)
11:45 am - 1:00 pm
GSB South Building, Room S151
*Dates TBD
Stanford GSB in SF, NYU Stern in Palo Alto

Group events:

9/12/2010: QS World tour note -- LBS' only scheduled SF visit
9/14/2010: Forte Forum -- note: INSEAD only scheduled SF visit
9/26/2010: MBA Tour -- note: see UCLA here or the Forte Forum

August 31, 2010

Answer the Question

Filed under: Essays,Harvard Business School,Northwestern Kellogg — Tags: , , , , , , — admin @ 9:28 pm

There are only a few real rules in writing. In fact, there are so few rules to good composition that the best-ever book on the subject, The Elements of Style, is only 105 pages and tucks tidily into a Kate Spade handbag.

In business writing, and especially in writing essays for business school applications, there’s one big rule above all else: Answer the Question.

Most of you reading this blog have written business memos – even if your boss hasn’t specifically asked you a question, you know there’s a question behind the assignment. For example, if you are working on a memo, or even a PowerPoint presentation on where to open a factory in China, the question is likely, “Where should Acme Company open a factory in China?” Your memo will answer the question, say, “Shenzhen” and then support that answer. In fact, the title of the memo or the PowerPoint might even be “Reasons for Opening a Factory in Shenzhen.” The rest of the document will support that answer. For example, “We should open a factory in Shenzhen because a)it has a special economic zone b)it has great infrastructure and c)it’s close to popular shipping routes.” I could be all wrong, but you get the idea.


No Beating Around the Bush
Business school essays are much like business memos. You are given a question, for example, “What is your career vision and why is this choice meaningful to you?” (Harvard Business School) -- it’s pretty straightforward, or here’s one that cuts right to the chase, “Why would you and your peers select you for admission, and what impact would you make as a member of the Kellogg community?” (Northwestern Kellogg). Remarkably, a lot of students are shy about coming right out and answering the question. What’s your career vision? Answer it: 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.
Also like with a business memo, you need to support the answer to the question. This is especially important with Kellogg’s style of “why should we pick you” question. Say, for example, you want to offer as one of your reasons that you will add to the classroom debate. You can support that statement the same way you would spell out support the argument for a factory in Shenzhen. You might say you add to the debate because you have a unique perspective from having been raised by wolves, or because you were an Olympic curling champion, or because you speak Esperanto. Or you might add to the debate 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.

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?

August 21, 2010

A Treasury of Grad School Recommendation Resources

Filed under: Harvard Business School,Northwestern Kellogg,Recommendations,Stanford GSB — Tags: , , , , , , , , — admin @ 9:16 am

It’s about six weeks from the first deadlines for applying to business school, and 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/podcast on this subject can be found on the Stanford Graduate School of Business website. Kirsten Moss, the GSB’s Director of MBA admissions, offers some clear advice for all applicants, not just Stanford. She makes it very clear 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 the people 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.

But here’s the money quote – why Kirsten Moss and her colleagues at the Stanford Graduate School of Business went to the trouble to spell it out for applicants and their recommenders. This is what they are looking for:

When I read a really great recommendation, the person jumps off the page and they really come alive. I feel like I know them; I know the good, the bad, the warts; if I walked into a room, I could almost pick out this person.

And from Harvard Business School...
Dee Leopold, the very experienced and candid Director of Admissions at Harvard Business School, has also given advice on recommendations. She 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.

Several 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. (S)he recommends asking two-to-three months out, so if you are a stickler, and are thinking of applying the second round, you are not too late.

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

You could get down on your knees and beg

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.

February 15, 2010

Hard-science training and the MBA? You Got It!

Filed under: Application ideas,Northwestern Kellogg — Tags: , , , , , , , — admin @ 2:56 pm

Recently I was interviewed by MBA Podcaster, the only broadcast source for cutting edge information and advice on the MBA application process.

I was joined by a great group of experts on the MBA and the application:

* Beth Flye, Assistant Dean and Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, Kellogg School of Management
* Karla Krause, student, MIT Leaders for Global Operations Program
* Iker Marcaide, student, MIT Leaders for Global Operations Program
* Don Rosenfield, Director of the dual-degree MIT Leaders for Global Operations Program
* Margo Villadelgado, Student, Kellogg School of Management

What a treasure trove of information for anyone thinking of business school, especially those with technical degrees.

Click for the transcription and download of the podcast

MBA Podcaster: An MBA for Engineers (and more)

August 23, 2009

MBA Recruiting Events

Filed under: Application ideas — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 3:00 pm

Please note that this list is not exhaustive. Please note also that HBS has already come and gone.

SCHOOL DATE TIME REGISTRATION & MORE INFO

Columbia 9/8 6:30 - 8:30 California Rm, Westin St. Francis, SF
Stanford GSB 9/14 6 - 8 pm Gap HQ, 2 Folsom Street, SF
Dartmouth Tuck 9/17 7 - 9 pm The Stanford Court Hotel, SF
Northwestern Kellogg 9/17 6.30 pm PGE HQ, 245 Market St., SF
Chicago Booth 9/24 7 - 9 pm PGE HQ, 245 Market St., SF
Yale 9/24 6 - 8 pm Grand Hyatt Union Square, SF
Wharton 9/28 6:30 - 8:30 Wharton SF, 101 Howard St., SF
Wharton Palo Alto 9/24
Michigan Ross 9/29 7 - 9 pm Club Quarters, San Francisco
MIT Sloan 10/7 7 - 9 pm SF Marriott, 55 4th St., SF
MIT Sloan Palo Alto 10/8
NYU Stern 10/26 7 - 9 pm TBA check NYU site
UVA Darden 11/11 TBA TBA check Darden site.
Haas Full Time 11/19 7 - 9 pm Wells Fargo HQ, 420 Montgomery St., SF
Haas Evening & WE 9/10 6 - 7:30 pm Palace Hotel, 2 New Montgomery, SF

© 2008-2012 Betsy Massar, Master Admisisons, Berkeley, CA. All Rights Reserved.