EssaySnark — The no-BS MBA admissions consultant

What it means if Michigan Ross “released” you this week

February 21, 2020 by EssaySnark Leave a Comment

Ross does interview invitations sort of like other schools, and sort of not.

For Round 2, they had what we’re calling an interim “release” yesterday (process described on their admissions blog )

Perhaps you don’t need EssaySnark to tell you this but…

If you got cut free from Ross, that’s not such a great sign. 🙁

Presumably you’ve still got other apps in play, but no matter what, if the Ross app was rejected, it’s gotta be a hard blow.

The first rejection always is! It’s one reason we dislike the Harvard system, since it sets up BSers for major depression and can make it seem like all your other apps must have no chance.

For Ross, in Round 1, when they “release” applicants in the middle of the round, it’s a good thing, since it’s an early-warning system that lets BSers understand that they have some issues with how they are presenting, or a problem in the profile, that’s proving insurmountable for a school like Ross to work around. For Round 1, when this happens, it’s a blessing, since it lets the applicant regroup and start thinking about how they might improve, and what it would take to fix the issues in an adjustment of strategy, in order to make the most of their apps targeting other schools in the next round.

But now, with Round 2, and the mid-cycle release?

Well…. it’s not quite as much of a positive.

That’s because we’re nearing the end of the season. There just aren’t that many more options to be pursuing right now.

The thing is, Ross is a school where, if you do a solid job with the essays, and you have a decent GMAT score, then they’re going to want to at least meet you to interview. If you got cut loose already, then that means there’s something more drastic going on with your app. Maybe it’s a too-low GMAT or GRE. Maybe it’s problematic academics, and nothing was offered in the app to offset them. Maybe the essays really were subpar. Maybe the recommendation said not-positive things (that’s rare, but sometimes it happens).

Maybe it was more than one of these problems, and they all conspired against you to result in the mid-cycle “no.”

No matter what it was, there are not that many more directions to go in for this admissions season.

Do you have time to retake the GMAT before Round 3 at some other schools?

Well yes, technically you do, but if your GMAT or GRE was the issue with Ross, then we’re betting that taking tests is not your idea of a good time, and it’s going to require a concerted application of time and effort on your behalf in hitting the books with the studying, in order to make a retest strategy worthwhile. We do not suggest doing a half-baked retake on any exam — not even when there is the “cancel” option available. Only take the GMAT or GRE when you’re truly prepared and ready to do well on it. Don’t waste your retake attempts. Take the test seriously, or don’t take it at all.

What about fixing an issue with academics?

That may be an easier strategy to execute on, but only if you do it with intention and foresight, and cover all your bases. Our Transcripts & Grades App Accelerator can help you map out your options if you know that your academic transcripts are your weakness.

Realistically, if you have bombed out of the Ross opportunity for Round 2, and you’re still really determined to be starting your MBA this Fall, you’ll need to adjust your sights and make the most of the Round 3 opportunity. That usually means trading down. Yes, that’s a hard truth to swallow, especially if you were thinking you were top-notch MBA material. But Ross is a comparatively more selective program these days, and many other schools that used to be “easy” to get into are also. That includes Darden, and some others. Are you interested in hearing about schools that your profile might be a match for, even in Round 3? Go for our Late Season Targets Review and we’ll look at your list of interest, and evaluate how that might work for you, and even suggest a few others if we can. Or for a much more detailed report, the Comprehensive Profile Review will let you understand what the adcoms may be seeing in your profile that could be holding you back.

If you think you may want to try again at Ross, or you want to know the specific things that went sideways in the Ross application in Round 2 (or any other school that has already said an unfortunate “no” to you) then the Application Post-Mortem is the best way to go.

Obviously if you still have other apps in play, then it’s not over yet! We’re just nervous, if you’ve been collecting more closed-door answers than interview opportunities just lately, that things may be headed in the wrong direction. There is still some season left to unfold, so don’t give up hope! And, start looking at Plan B and Plan C ideas as you formulate your action from here. We are with you all the way to your admit! Let us know how we can help and we’ll jump at the chance to support you.

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($) Talking to current students about their bschool experience

February 20, 2020 by EssaySnark

One of the very best ways you can find out about a bschool that you’re interested in is to talk to the students who are going there. (Yeah, this seems like an obvious statement, but you’d be surprised. Lots of applicants never do any of this.) Right now is a Prime Time Great Opportunity to…

While much of the blahg is available completely for free, the content here is reserved for members with full blahg access only ($9.95/month for six months, cancel anytime). Please login to view this content or purchase a membership.

Want to go to work in Big Tech? The FANG story is evolving. (Or devolving.)

February 19, 2020 by EssaySnark Leave a Comment

In case you’d not heard it before, “FANG”, or more accurately but not as catchily, “FAANG”, is Facebook – Alphabet – Apple – Netflix – Google.

Uh, Netflix? Yeah, this witty acronym first came about a little while ago .

All the cool kids want to go work at these companies.

Honestly, these names show up in BSers’ essays so often.

But as we’ve written before, there are problems in utopia.

Is Facebook really your friend?

Can Google be trusted?

What happened to “Do no evil”?

When you tell Stanford that you want to make a difference or make the world a better place then it just comes across as lip service if later in your essay you talk about wanting to go to work at Facebook.

How, exactly, is Facebook making the world a better place and how, exactly, do you imagine that YOU would contribute to that? (In essays and interviews, the latter is the much more salient point to be making. If you can effectively make the case for what YOU would do to help the world, then it does not matter what companies you name that you would be doing it through. Just be careful that you don’t go overboard and dictate what duties you’d actually have or what projects you’d take on in some imagined future role. Unless you’ve actually got that job lined up, then it comes across as a little odd to be defining a hypothetical that precisely. See here for quasi-related.)

There’s an important article for you to read if this is your goal.

You know there's a #techlash when the NYTimes tells us that college students no longer want to go to work for #bigtech https://t.co/6eh0Ys0q2X "Investment banking but worse"

— Essay Snark (@EssaySnark) January 16, 2020

Or to go directly to the NYTimes piece, click here.

We understand that for a lot of BSers, using the MBA to transition into a product management role in a tech company seems like a no-brainer, given their profile. They may even wonder how else to leverage a background in engineering. Or they may have been told by other admissions consultants that they have to pitch tech prod mgmt because that’s the low-hanging fruit, the easiest thing to say to convince the adcom to let them in.

But if there are legions of other applicants with similar profiles saying they want to use the MBA for the same thing, then it’s not the easiest way to get in. Instead, it shows you as part of a crowded pool. It also implies a lemming effect. The adcom prize those who can think for themselves (yes we understand the irony of that statement when applied to the stereotype of business schools and the MBA population).

If you’re reading this and going, “But dang. I really do want to go to work at Google,” well that’s fine. Just make sure you know the reasons for this.

Is it just the allure of working in a cush job in a big-name firm in the Valley with all of these perks?

Is it the imagined lifestyle you will have in beautiful California driving a Tesla on your six-figure salary?

Nothing wrong with that, BSer. But please don’t kid yourself that it’s an altruistic save-the-world future that you’re pursuing.

Those working in tech actually could be contributing to the world’s downfall.

Having a big-picture view is important.

Being able to think for yourself? Even more so.

What are your personal priorities?

In what way do you want to add your light to the sum of light?

Maybe it’s working as a tech PM.

Heck, maybe it’s going to Wall Street! It could even be easier to get a job in financial services in this era.

If all you want to do is make some money, then truly, there’s nothing wrong with that. Having financial security is an important part of living a less-anxious life.

But man, the world needs help, too. You don’t have to go into non-profit to help. But please make sure you’re not contributing to evil in your efforts to pursue a good life.

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($) Want to go work in a startup post-MBA? Are you sure it’s a fit for you?

February 18, 2020 by EssaySnark

Recently EssaySnark wandered down a rabbit hole of GMAC Researcher data about what employers find valuable in MBA grads. The report was divided by region, by company type, and by skills. We could easily devote a week’s worth of blahg posts to the data in this report but will resist the urge, and instead today…

($) Backup plans and next steps: What if it’s looking like you might not get in?!??

February 17, 2020 by EssaySnark

Some of you are starting to worry, which may or may not be justified. If you tend to be a worrier, you already know that about yourself, and you may intellectually recognize that you’re doing it, and be unable to stop. Worrying in this case only adds to your stress levels and is not productive,…

($) Should you contact admissions about a bad interviewer?

February 14, 2020 by EssaySnark

Your MBA admissions interview was awful. It was not just bad; it was horrible. The reason? BECAUSE YOUR INTERVIEWER WAS LOUSY. What do you do????? Before deciding to complain about an MBA interview experience, make sure to evaluate as much as you possibly can from the other side of the table. You need to get…

($) Do you change tactics if you’re interviewing with a student?

February 13, 2020 by EssaySnark

Our MBA Interviewing Guide breaks down the types of interviews (blind vs open) and who is conducting them (students, alumni, adcom) in greater detail, and of course you’re likely stalking the admissions forums and hearing about others’ experiences. So you probably already know the common setup at your target school. Despite our title today, we’ll…

Anxiety and your interview (MBA or otherwise)

February 12, 2020 by EssaySnark Leave a Comment

It is 100% normal and natural to feel the jitters when you’re going into your MBA interview. We talked a little about anxiety in our post yesterday about whether or not to research your MBA interviewer.

Anxiety has a bit of a bad rap in society these days. Lots of people struggle with extreme anxiety experiences, and that can certainly impair functioning and impact quality of life. But it’s impossible, and not even desirable, to eliminate anxiety from your life completely. While anxiety may seem “bad” it’s actually something that’s good.

Why?

Because anxiety is motivating. That’s the whole point of anxiety. We evolved this feeling of anxiety as organisms because we need to survive.

Anxiety alerts you to something in the environment that needs your attention.

And guess what? Getting invited to interview is something that needs your attention!!

Sometimes we encounter applicants who are very laissez-faire about their MBA interview. They kind of know that preparation is important, and maybe they look through a few lists of sample interview questions on the internet which are the standards like “Tell me about yourself” and “What are you career goals?” and “Why do you want an MBA from this school?” and since they just finished a marathon of essay-writing on exactly those topics, they figure, meh. I got this. I know those questions cold.

And yet…

Delivering your answers to any of those questions in person can be much harder than most people anticipate!

Having too-little anxiety at the outset of the process is correlated with poor performance and bad outcomes.

Obviously having too much anxiety is also not so great, as it can really mess with you and affect how you perform. If you’re not sleeping at night because you’re wound up about this upcoming date with your interviewer, then yeah, that’s going to change how you feel in the morning. If you can’t focus at work, you’ll add to the stress, and you may have to work late when you weren’t planning on it, and then dang it, there goes the time you’d planned for some interview prep. It snowballs. All because the anxiety crept in and took over. When you become a victim to these issues it’s the real deal, and we really do recommend getting professional help from a qualified therapist if you’re finding that your moods are interfering with functioning. There’s very good therapeutic treatments available and you can get help for it.

But it’s not realistic that you’ll never feel any anxiety again — and check this out! A certain amount of anxiety is actually a good thing!

There’s something called the Yerkes Dodson Law which shows the relationship between stressful symptoms and anxious mood, and performance on particular tasks.

Here’s the curve lifted from Wikipedia :

And here’s an article in HBR on the same phenomenon .

So, at risk of making you more anxious when you’re already too anxious, you can ask yourself:

How anxious about this interview am I?

It’s guaranteed that you’re going to be nervous going into the actual interview.

And, it’s likely you’ll feel butterflies leading up to the big day, too.

Do you have tools for managing this?

What they call “self care” is so important. Put in a good workout as part of your interview prep — like, every day, if that’s something you’re already accustomed to. If not, then even taking a brisk walk is going to help. Get those endorphins working for you.

Meditation.

Yoga.

A walk in the woods.

You know. The healthy habits. The things that make you feel good, that last. That don’t make you feel worse later.

How you manage these stressors significantly affects your overall health, and your ability to navigate life on life’s terms.

And, now we know too: Getting yourself modulated and combobulated again, after you become discombobulated, is likely going to lead to better performance when it matters most.

Don’t let it stress you out, BSer — use your biology to your own advantage!!

Any tips or tricks or special ways you help yourself stay centered and calm? Lay ’em on us in the comments! Always eager to hear life tips to spread around to those who are grappling with the same challenges as you, trying to better their lives and master themselves with insight and even equanimity.

And then when the big day comes, and you’re feeling nervous: Take some deep breaths, and know: You got this!!

($) Should you be researching your MBA interviewer before your interview?

February 11, 2020 by EssaySnark - Discusses Berkeley Haas

Most people will want to research the person that they will be meeting with. If you know who your MBA interviewer will be, should you do that? Should you do a bunch of Googling and Linked-In’ing and other social media stalking to find out all the intimate details of this person’s life? Some basic LinkedIn…

Interview Tips

February 10, 2020 by EssaySnark Leave a Comment

Or something… 😉

Cartoon: My short-term goal is to bluff my way through this job interview. My long-term goal is to invent a time machine so I can come back and change everything I've said so far.
h/t @KimWhitler

If you’ve gotten an invitation to interview at a top business school, our best tip is to PRACTICE! Have a friend sit down with you and go over some standard questions — like, what are your career goals? Why do you want an MBA? Why are you interested in this school specifically? Have them ask random questions, that you don’t know are coming, to get you more comfortable with thinking on your feet. Then have another friend do the same, all over again. And do it some more. Whether it’s an open interview or blind, and alumni, a second-year student, or an admissions committee member, these basic steps form the foundation of your prep.

We’re going to be going into more advice on specific MBA interview situations all week, so check back again tomorrow for more advice and guidance (UPDATE: HERE IT IS!).

Don’t know what all of this means or why it matters?
Want more help now? We discuss in our interviewing guide!