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...
Note: the interview tips below are relevant not just for business school, but when you are looking for any team-based position.
Welcome to the MBA admissions waiting game. And it’s interview season! The rules for interviewing for a spot in the next business school class are really no different from the rules for interviewing for a coveted job. I reckon that most of you reading this have passed that test several times...
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...
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,...
Many MBA programs allow for, if not encourage or require, study abroad, and students who leave, as well as those who host, are amazed at how much they learn.
International exchange programs were brought home to me at a Forté Foundation event last week in San Francisco when I met Katie Cannon, a London Business School student currently on exchange at UCLA Anderson. Katie’s infectious enthusiasm...
"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...
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,...
Not every student applying to business school has her math foundation in order. I surely didn't. But fortunately, I was so unfamiliar with basic number crunching that I forced myself to take undergraduate courses even before applying for an MBA program. Sitting in class and absorbing material is surprisingly uplifting. It also helps prepare you for the business school experience. And...
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....
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 do 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...
