($) essay critique: Wharton “What do you hope to gain professionally?”
Want to see a good resume format? Wharton delivers
($) Let’s talk about business schools.
Military awards and the Wharton app dataset (with insight for civilians and other schools too)
It’s about time.
($) How do you figure out what major to choose on the MBA app? (with stuff on Wharton essay strategy)
($) Project planning strategies! Which schools have essay questions that are similar?
Once more with feeling: Does the dean matter?
Getting input from admissions BEFORE you apply
"achievement" essays
($) Writing essays for complex environments: When is a deep dive beneficial?
($) Stanford GSB: Optional (not optional!) stories of impact
($) Kellogg essay 1: Leadership and creating value
($) Breathless bloat and gloat can backfire.
($) More on that HBS MBA essay
($) A map to writing Columbia essay 3: “a leader you admire”
($) What would it take for you to be the best at something?
($) essay critique! HBS essay from a Navy submariner
($) Another post about the Darden Class of 2021 “evolving leadership style” essay
"contribution" essays
"failure" essays
We were gonna talk about getting into Columbia today but
($) “Lessons learned” in MBA essays
($) Columbia’s MBA essay 3 – “team failure”
($) How not to confuse your adcom reader
Super Secret SnarkStrategy: How to write a multidimensional essay
($) Lessons learned in essays: “This experience taught me…”
($) Darden’s “most important professional feedback” essay
($) When you’re asked to identify a weakness
($) essay critique/recommendations: The most important piece of constructive feedback…
"personal interest/life experience" essays
($) “Should I write about this horrible personal experience in my essays for business school?”
($) “Should I write about my ADHD in my essays for business school?”
($) essay critique: Booth “who you are” essay
($) A question to explore before starting to understand why you want an MBA
($) essay critique! Yale “biggest commitment” essay
($) Here’s a test for Stanford “What matters most?”
($) Essay Critique! Yale “biggest commitment”
($) essay critique! Stanford “What matters most and why” military version
"show don't tell"
($) Writing essays for complex environments: When is a deep dive beneficial?
($) Identifying stellar stories of leadership and impact for MBA apps
($) “Should I write about this horrible personal experience in my essays for business school?”
($) The most important technique you need to learn to write a good MBA admissions essay
"why MBA" essays
($) The importance of explicit “why MBA” content
($) essay critique: Wharton “What do you hope to gain professionally?”
($) Writing Week! Day 4: The problem of the parrot.
($) In your career goals / why MBA essay, everything needs to line up just so.
($) A question to explore before starting to understand why you want an MBA
($) A great way to brainstorm about your post-MBA career goals
($) Backup plans and next steps: What if it’s looking like you might not get in?!??
($) An essay is an argument redux (with some comments on MBA application theme)
($) “Yo EssaySnark! Please explain again what this ‘school fit’ thing is about?”
1-year MBA
($) Stanford Admissions gives older BSer the best option in the world.
What if you work for a no-name company? Can you still get in to bschool?
Success Story! The roundabout route – the finale!
($) The CFA could give you a headstart.
($) “Is a 2-year MBA better than 1-year for someone from IT?”
($) If Kellogg said ‘no’ to you…
announcements
Immigration ruling for foreign students in the U.S. rescinded!
Thank you. (And new ‘follow blahg’ option available.)
Kellogg announced first coronavirus case
Six weeks and counting. (But really five. Or probably four. Or actually just two.)
Happy Memorial Day! Class of 2022 applicants, let’s go! The Countdown has launched!
app dataset
($) The submit-then-retest strategy for your GMAT or GRE
($) Columbia’s “Financing Your MBA” application question
($) Pro Tip: Start your Round 2 applications *now*
($) Do “legacies” have an admit advantage?
Another prep step: App Fee Waivers!
($) The MBA app dataset: A real opportunity
Military awards and the Wharton app dataset (with insight for civilians and other schools too)
Bad MBA essay typos (2019 edition)
application rounds
($) Just In Time MBA App Prep: What if you JUST decided to apply to bschool? Like, NOW?
($) Pro Tip: Start your Round 2 applications *now*
($) When should a Columbia Regular Decision MBA app get submitted?
What if you miss the deadline by only a few minutes or an hour?
($) “I’m out of time. I’m going to just push everything to Round 2.”
($) Test extensions: Should you submit your app before you take the GMAT or GRE? And which round?
($) The main advantage to Round 1 this year
Schools are trying for normalcy and that is a good thing (thank you HBS!)
branding and theme
($) Figuring out what the schools want.
($) Developing your application theme
The problem with the idea of “branding” in your MBA application
($) How to show your authenticity: Storytelling
($) “I have so much stuff, I can’t fit it on a one-page resume.”
“Will your services help me in identifying my themes?”
cancel strategy
($) Canceling your GMAT score is a bad idea (plus, how many schools should you apply to?)
Positive changes to GMAT score cancellation policies
Now there’s no risk to taking the GMAT lots of times. (Or is there?)
($) “Beware of GMAT Score Cancellations” and the optional essay
($) If you cancel your GMAT score, should you reinstate it?
($) GMAT test strategies: Should you cancel your score? (Part 3)
($) Canceling a GMAT score: Impact and how the schools will perceive it (Part 2)
career changer
($) “Do I need to have experience in my target industry in order to pitch it in my MBA essays?”
Are you ready to change the world?
($) Changing careers? Think through how you’re ready, even if you think that you’re not
($) The simplest guide to MBA career goals. Courtesy of Berkeley Haas.
($) MBA career goals are goals for your career (“Well duh EssaySnark”)
($) Are you proposing too big of a change?
($) Why do people end up in consulting?
career goals
($) essay critique! NYU Stern MBA “short and long-term career goals”
($) The importance of explicit “why MBA” content
($) Can you make too much money to get into an MBA program?
($) Which schools focus on your post-MBA career goals?
There are two parts to your pitch: What you say, and how you say it.
($) Do you still want to be an entrepreneur?
($) “Do I need to have experience in my target industry in order to pitch it in my MBA essays?”
($) “How much time should I spend explaining my long-term post-MBA goal in my essays?”
($) WRITING WEEK! Day 2: Reduce the Fluff Factor
“If I knew what I wanted to do with my life, I wouldn’t need an MBA”
consulting
($) essay critique! NYU Stern MBA “short and long-term career goals”
($) WRITING WEEK! Day 2: Reduce the Fluff Factor
($) “I’m just gonna say ‘consulting’ as my MBA goals.”
($) Why do people end up in consulting?
($) Post-MBA career trends at Kellogg
coronavirus
There will never be another moment in time like this one.
($) How important is volunteering in an MBA application? (coronavirus edition)
($) Some schools really threw out the playbook when coronavirus came along.
Now MIT Sloan changes the game: Test-optional MBA admissions
($) Let’s talk about business schools.
($) Coronavirus: Everything is politicized. Including your education.
($) Coronavirus: The importance of GMAT/GRE this year, plus advice on crafting a list of MBA targets
Coronavirus and Fall 2020: What on earth are they going to DO?!?
Duke’s admissions policies in the face of coronavirus are … what? (UPDATED!)
($) When schools do resume on-campus classes, there will be many changes.
culture essays
($) MIT Sloan MBA’s interview-invite essay on the “mission” and creating a welcoming environment
($) The challenge with any “contribution” essay
($) Wharton essay 2: What will you contribute?
($) The simple way to answer Booth’s essay question this year.
deciding on a school (multiple offers)
Success Story: A former BSer shares the experience of applying — and getting in!
($) How the schools are adapting to coronavirus and what it means for you: MBA Round 2 decisions
($) Deciding on a school: Qualitative factors
($) School X? Or School Y with $$?
($) Why doing your own research is so important
What’s wrong with this picture?
An abundance of riches!! OMG Yay!! …….. eeek now what?!?
($) Choosing between top-ranked MBA programs
($) If you got into a top bschool and now you’re thinking you’re not going to go
deferred admission for college students
Early Action/Decision
($) “If all my other Rd 1 apps are crap shouldn’t I go ahead with Columbia ED anyway?”
Our annual reminder: Ethics matter. (aka: Early Decision at Columbia and Duke are binding)
($) Should you apply Early Action / Early Decision?
Columbia MBA early decision deadline & acceptance rate
We were bummed to have discovered this.
($) Renegging on an Early Decision offer
Ethics and your MBA application
($) Columbia MBA: Early Decision, rolling admissions, when to apply
edtech
energy-cleantech-sustainability
entrepreneurship
($) Do you still want to be an entrepreneur?
($) Coronavirus and the MBA: What if you’re graduating this Spring?
($) The simplest guide to MBA career goals. Courtesy of Berkeley Haas.
($) MBA career goals are goals for your career (“Well duh EssaySnark”)
($) Is that entrepreneurial experience you had a job? Or an extracurricular activity?
($) Using the MBA to start a company
($) There’s really only a few places we’d consider going to learn entrepreneurship.
essay critique
($) essay critique! NYU Stern MBA “short and long-term career goals”
($) essay critique: Wharton “What do you hope to gain professionally?”
($) essay critique: Booth “who you are” essay
($) essay critique! Meaningful leadership experiences…
($) essay critique! Yale “biggest commitment” essay
($) essay critique! Northwestern Kellogg MBA essay on “values”
($) essay critique! Harvard’s “What else should we know?” essay
($) essay critique! The hardest essay in the world, aka Stanford “What matters most?”
essay types
($) The submit-then-retest strategy for your GMAT or GRE
($) The importance of explicit “why MBA” content
($) Writing essays for complex environments: When is a deep dive beneficial?
($) School research idea: What about talking to professors?
($) Applying to The Kennedy School MPP/MBA
($) essay critique: Wharton “What do you hope to gain professionally?”
($) Writing Week! Day 4: The problem of the parrot.
($) Stanford GSB: Optional (not optional!) stories of impact
($) “Should I write about this horrible personal experience in my essays for business school?”
EssaySnark products & services
Which service should I use for which schools?
($) The importance of the pitch
How to flatten the (essay writing) curve
“Ack! Why can’t you just get on the phone and talk to me, EssaySnark!??”
The Round 1 Countdown is coming!
How to start working on your apps now (even though the apps aren’t out yet)
European schools
($) International applicants: Should you even be focusing on USA for your MBA?
Some cool schools give feedback
($) What MBA programs are still viable for Round 3?
What do you do if you missed Round 2 AND YOU STILL WANT TO APPLY SOMEWHERE NOW?
($) essay critique! LSE Personal Statement
($) essay critique! LBS post-MBA goals
Executive Assessment
($) GMAT or GRE – or Executive Assessment???
There’s a new test in town: Should you take the Executive Assessment?
Executive MBA/EMBA
($) Can you make too much money to get into an MBA program?
($) Are you too old to get into business school?
($) GMAT or GRE – or Executive Assessment???
Getting input from admissions BEFORE you apply
Some cool schools give feedback
Since we’ve been talking about the Executive MBA…
Success Story! A post-MBA retrospective (part 2)
($) Older applicant? Why you may not WANT to go to a full-time program.
($) What MBA programs are still viable for Round 3?
What do you do if you missed Round 2 AND YOU STILL WANT TO APPLY SOMEWHERE NOW?
family business
($) Who / what situations are greenlit for an MBA app in Round 3?
($) MBA career goals are goals for your career (“Well duh EssaySnark”)
($) “I saw my [friend/mother/grandfather] go through this experience and now my ambition is to…”
($) Short term goal, long term goal, dream job – OH MY!
Who’s a good fit for the Columbia J-Term?
The importance of career goals
A bschool that seems to be upping its game.
($) Getting an MBA to go back to the family business
finance
($) Applying where the scholarships are (wherein we talk up Ross, Cornell, Darden, and others)
($) How does venture capital actually work? (Or, how much do you know?)
($) How to break out of the pack
($) “bonkers” Part 2 (can an Engineer really switch over to Finance?)
Guest Post! What Kind of Life Do You Want?
($) essay critique: Columbia essay 1 (background and goals) for finance candidate
The problem with being a yes-man.
($) So you want to be a venture capitalist
($) The CFA and the MBA: The one caveat (and the most common mistake for finance candidates)
flavors of MBA
($) Can you make too much money to get into an MBA program?
($) Applying to The Kennedy School MPP/MBA
($) International applicants: Should you even be focusing on USA for your MBA?
Most folks don’t want an online-only degree. But if you did…
($) Which schools were already online?
($) Are you too old to get into business school?
($) GMAT or GRE – or Executive Assessment???
Getting input from admissions BEFORE you apply
Are you hurting your chances later if you try for an MBA now?
for further reading
Want to go to work in Big Tech? The FANG story is evolving. (Or devolving.)
($) Are you a foreign student coming to study in the U.S.? GREAT! Now be careful.
Source material and inputs into our deliberation process on this issue #ethics
Developing critical thinking skills
gaps in the resume
Nobody sets out to be a bad person.
($) “I’ll just explain this situation about my background in the interview.”
general snark
What if you don’t get in? Planning your Plan B.
If you’re willing to blur the lines… where does it end?
Rd 1 decisions are starting to come out and IT IS SO EXCITING!
There’s so much coming at all of us right now
general tips
($) Everything matters in your essays, BSer!
Too much spin is a turnoff and becomes the opposite of an authentic presentation of yourself.
($) Should you work through your MBA?
($) MBA admissions and background checks
“What should I do with my summer?”
($) “I got into bschool! When can I quit my job????”
Anxiety and your interview (MBA or otherwise)
getting started
GMAT/GRE
The reasons why Michigan Ross’s “waitlist everybody” Rd 1 decision is so cruel.
($) Just In Time MBA App Prep: What if you JUST decided to apply to bschool? Like, NOW?
($) The submit-then-retest strategy for your GMAT or GRE
($) When a 740 GMAT isn’t really a 740 GMAT
Some schools are being hard-asses about standardized testing and test scores (and a rant)
Should bschools go test-optional?
($) What GRE score is considered competitive this year?
Test-flexible policies? Be aware of the differences and know what’s required.
Now MIT Sloan changes the game: Test-optional MBA admissions
GPA and grades
($) Updating the admissions office on changes to your profile post-submit: GMAT/GRE/classes
Transcripts, transcripts, transcripts
($) Already have a Master’s degree? Why do you also need an MBA now?
International applicant? Plan ahead for your MBA application requirements
($) The factors that make you much more likely to get a scholarship award along with your MBA admit
($) How to get off the waitlist
($) Wherein EssaySnark lays it all out for you.
($) Fewer MBA apps. But stronger applicants. What that means for you.
($) PSA to international MBA applicants: A 4.0 GPA is very rare.
GRE specific info
($) What GRE score is considered competitive this year?
($) GMAT? or GRE? 2019 edition
($) Explaining a low GMAT or GRE score in your MBA apps
($) GMAT vs GRE strategy questions: Which to take for an MBA?
Just because the schools ACCEPT the GRE does not mean it’s THE SAME.
healthcare
($) Applying where the scholarships are (wherein we talk up Ross, Cornell, Darden, and others)
($) Post-MBA career trends at Kellogg
So you want to change the world.
($) The healthcare MBA: Which business schools are best?
($) The MBA and a healthcare career
($) essay critique! Tuck career goals
($) “Should I apply to Wharton’s Health Care Management track?”
If you want to go where the MBA jobs are, go into healthcare.
innovation
internships
You are being brainwashed and used.
($) The pre-MBA internship: Pros and Cons (Part 2)
($) Offers and on-campus recruiting
What salary can you expect if you want to go work at a startup?
interviewing
($) Did your interview invite come with another essay to write?
($) What should you wear to a Zoom interview?
Practical interviewing tips, courtesy of Darden!
($) MBA interviewing is going to be different this year
What Harvard says to you on Tuesday is near-meaningless
($) Timing of interview invitations
Tuck sucks. (Not totally. But yeah kind of.)
($) How to do a Zoom or Skype interview for your MBA
($) Should you contact admissions about a bad interviewer?
($) Do you change tactics if you’re interviewing with a student?
J-Term/accelerated MBA
($) “What about an accelerated MBA like Columbia?”
Who’s a good fit for the Columbia J-Term?
($) Columbia MBA: Early Decision, rolling admissions, when to apply
JD/MBA
($) The joint MBA/Master’s app including JD/MBA: How do the schools decide?
($) The joint-degree “MBA+” application strategy
($) If you thought you’d go to law school and now…
just for fun
Merry Merry! Enjoy your day off!
($) Pro Tip: How to pronounce (and spell!) business school names
law
($) OH NO! Bschools in trouble! (aka, Are MBA applications REALLY tanking?)
leadership
($) Kellogg essay 1: Leadership and creating value
($) essay critique! Meaningful leadership experiences…
($) MIT Sloan MBA’s interview-invite essay on the “mission” and creating a welcoming environment
Now that most apps are in: What to do with your life
($) A map to writing Columbia essay 3: “a leader you admire”
($) “What projects do I include on my resume for my MBA application?”
($) If there is a secret to getting into a top MBA program, this is it.
lessons learned
We were gonna talk about getting into Columbia today but
A BSer’s Journey: Round 1 Update!
($) Lessons learned in essays: “This experience taught me…”
low GMAT
($) Low GMAT Round 2 application tactics: Remediation
($) “My GMAT (or GRE) score is not what I wanted. What do I do now, since Rd 2 is happening?”
($) Explaining a low GMAT or GRE score in your MBA apps
($) If you don’t think you can do better on the GMAT
You made it! Now do this. (Reality Check Dub)
($) Low GMAT? Low GPA? Please don’t say these things in your essays.
($) All schools do a “holistic review.” But…
A BSer asks: “why does LBS take people with 600 gmat score whilst rejecting those with 700+?”
low GPA
($) Got a glitch with your grades? TAKE ACTION NOW!
($) What’s a good undergrad GPA?
($) The very best messaging for handling an issue with low GPA
($) Low GMAT? Low GPA? Please don’t say these things in your essays.
($) Optional essay for low GPA: “I have proven myself since then by excelling at my job.”
($) All schools do a “holistic review.” But…
Plea for Help! “Maybe I’m not as qualified as I thought…”
Success Story! “For you low-GPA types, there is hope!”
We tried. We really did. But we’ve caved.
($) There’s two possible reasons why you didn’t make it in. (But really only one.)
lower-ranked schools
($) What MBA programs are still viable for Round 3?
What do you do if you missed Round 2 AND YOU STILL WANT TO APPLY SOMEWHERE NOW?
($) We know YOU won’t make these basic interview mistakes.
($) How MBA admissions works at lower-ranked bschools (aka, the advantages of a higher GMAT score)
By request: Our thoughts on Arizona State
The value of a lower-ranked bschool.
($) “Why don’t you ever talk about my school?”
($) Well-known schools with MBA programs you can actually get into (even with your shaky GMAT)
($) If your GMAT was over 730 and you didn’t make it into a school like Emory…
Master's programs
($) The joint MBA/Master’s app including JD/MBA: How do the schools decide?
($) The joint MBA/Master’s app: Is it easier to get in?
($) The joint-degree “MBA+” application strategy
($) essay critique! LSE Personal Statement
Success Story! With a different ending than you might expect!
Applying to Grad School: Personal Statement vs Statement of Purpose
($) If the main reason for getting the MBA is financial…
If you really want to go to Harvard…
Off-the-beaten-path programs, and the school in your backyard
media
($) A comparison of NYU and Ross from one BSer’s perspective
($) The BSer’s Dilemma: Deciding between Michigan Ross and NYU Stern MBA (international student)
miscellaneous
What changes are you making due to coronavirus?
Why you may want to keep coming back to the EssaySnark blahg even though all your apps are in.
Quick application dos and don’ts
From the ‘Snarchives: The Importance of Accomplishments
From the ‘Snarchives: Safety Schools
number of apps
($) Be prepared for this to take awhile
($) It’s not a numbers game. (aka “How many apps should I submit?”)
($) “How many schools should I apply to in Round 2?”
($) Please don’t paper the country with apps
($) Canceling your GMAT score is a bad idea (plus, how many schools should you apply to?)
($) MIT and NYU are not safety schools
Round 2 Crunch Mode: How many apps should you do?
online MBA
Most folks don’t want an online-only degree. But if you did…
($) Which schools were already online?
By request: Our thoughts on Arizona State
optional essay
($) The submit-then-retest strategy for your GMAT or GRE
($) “Should I write about my ADHD in my essays for business school?”
($) If it’s worth mentioning, it’s worth naming
($) Low GMAT Round 2 application tactics: Remediation
($) What do you tell the adcom if you’re not getting a recommendation from your boss?
($) Already have a Master’s degree? Why do you also need an MBA now?
($) “How long should the optional essay be?”
($) Explaining a low GMAT or GRE score in your MBA apps
($) Special Case Situations for MBA Apps: What if you dropped out of grad school?
part-time MBA
($) Pros and cons of a part-time MBA
If the full-time option hasn’t panned out, what about a part-time MBA?
($) What MBA programs are still viable for Round 3?
What do you do if you missed Round 2 AND YOU STILL WANT TO APPLY SOMEWHERE NOW?
No cross-referencing, and some comments on applying for a part-time MBA
Success Story! “One admit is all you need”
($) Essay Critique! Career Goals essay! Except…
Just like with bschools, EMBA programs are not all created equally.
personal expression
($) Here’s a test for Stanford “What matters most?”
($) “Is a regular text essay OK for Booth?”
($) If you’re doing a PowerPoint for Stern, Booth, or MIT
Personal Statement or Statement of Purpose
($) School research idea: What about talking to professors?
($) Applying to The Kennedy School MPP/MBA
($) A question to explore before starting to understand why you want an MBA
($) essay critique! LSE Personal Statement
Applying to Grad School: Personal Statement vs Statement of Purpose
planning your strategy
($) When should a Columbia Regular Decision MBA app get submitted?
($) A Stanford applicant case study: Avoidable mistakes
Harvard say yes? Harvard say no? Harvard say maybe? What to do next: A decision tree
($) Be prepared for this to take awhile
($) Which school should you do next?
($) It’s not a numbers game. (aka “How many apps should I submit?”)
($) Test extensions: Should you submit your app before you take the GMAT or GRE? And which round?
profile assessments
($) Can you be too old to get into an MBA program?
($) Can you make too much money to get into an MBA program?
($) A Stanford applicant case study: Avoidable mistakes
($) How do you know if you’re “Harvard material”?
Another “Oh crap. Round 2” post
($) If you get feedback from the adcoms…
($) Career Readiness Competencies: What employers — and adcoms — look for
($) It’s impossible to predict your outcome based on aggregate data
reapplying
($) Reapplicant advice: What to change? What to stay the same?
($) If you get feedback from the adcoms…
Some cool schools give feedback
($) Reapplicant advice: “What can I do to increase my chances?”
Lay of the Land: Leveraging the app dataset
($) International Re-applicants to U.S. schools who still haven’t made it in
($) What to do if it looks like you’re not making it in this year
recommendations
($) What if your recommender still hasn’t submitted the rec yet?
($) Getting into bschool: Does who you know matter?
That thin line between being smart and cheating.
($) What do you tell the adcom if you’re not getting a recommendation from your boss?
($) If you’re applying to bschool, should you waive your right to see your recs?
($) When you want to ask that one person for a recommendation…. but….
Now is a great time for thank-yous!
recruiting
($) Which bschool you go to matters FOR YOUR FIRST JOB ONLY
($) If you’re hoping to be a Class of 2022 graduate, please read this.
($) International MBA Wanna-Be? Darden has given you a goldmine.
($) International MBA students and post-MBA employment in the U.S.
($) Trends in recruiting international MBA graduates
($) Offers and on-campus recruiting
($) What REALLY matters in MBA admissions?
($) How much does MBA ranking really matter? Here’s one angle.
What salary can you expect if you want to go work at a startup?
rejection
The reasons why Michigan Ross’s “waitlist everybody” Rd 1 decision is so cruel.
($) Can you be too old to get into an MBA program?
What if you’ve collected more rejections than invitations?
What Harvard says to you on Tuesday is near-meaningless
Why it hurts so much to get rejected from bschool
Some cool schools give feedback
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: All MBA decisions are independent events.
resumes
($) Job titles can be their own form of jargon!
($) Getting your MBA resume to a single page
($) The difference between a resume and a CV and which is best for an MBA application
($) Pro tips for constructing incredible soundbites on your MBA resume
Want to see a good resume format? Wharton delivers
($) Resume dead weight, aka, easy things you can cut
($) “I’m interviewing! Can I update my resume?”
($) “What projects do I include on my resume for my MBA application?”
retest strategy
($) When to update the adcom after they have your app
($) Taking the GMAT: How many times is too many? 2019 edition
($) If you don’t think you can do better on the GMAT
($) How many times taking the GMAT is too many?
($) Multiple GMAT attempts. All of them low.
($) Taking the GMAT: How many times is too many?
(Re)taking the GMAT? Be as prepared as possible – in every way
rolling
($) When should a Columbia Regular Decision MBA app get submitted?
What “rolling admissions” means right now
($) Coronavirus and the MBA: International applicants and admits
($) “What’s the latest I can submit to Columbia Regular Decision and still have a shot?”
If you’re just joining us: Why applying to Columbia now is a bad idea.
Columbia MBA early decision deadline & acceptance rate
What do you do if you missed Round 2 AND YOU STILL WANT TO APPLY SOMEWHERE NOW?
($) Columbia MBA: Early Decision, rolling admissions, when to apply
($) If you’re aiming at Columbia Regular Decision… when to submit?
Round 3
($) Just In Time MBA App Prep: What if you JUST decided to apply to bschool? Like, NOW?
($) Coronavirus and the MBA: Kellogg changes the game
So really. What about Round 3?
($) “Will applying in Round 3 weaken my application next season?”
($) Who / what situations are greenlit for an MBA app in Round 3?
($) To Round 3 or not to Round 3?
An abundance of riches!! OMG Yay!! …….. eeek now what?!?
($) If you’re still thinking about a Round 3 app (even though we told you not to) read this.
school fit
($) The importance of explicit “why MBA” content
($) Can you be too old to get into an MBA program?
($) School research idea: What about talking to professors?
($) Which MBA programs care if you care about their culture?
($) Should you care about a bschool’s culture?
($) If you really want to geek out on the “school fit” question
($) Will current students give you the straight scoop?
($) More on the finance-guy (or gal) candidate applying to business school
school reviews & insights
Radcom of the Year Award for 2020: UVA Darden
The reasons why Michigan Ross’s “waitlist everybody” Rd 1 decision is so cruel.
Some schools are being hard-asses about standardized testing and test scores (and a rant)
What MIT did not succeed at doing with their Class of 2022 admissions strategy.
($) Some schools really threw out the playbook when coronavirus came along.
($) Which MBA programs care if you care about their culture?
More “wow the world in 2020 omg” and also bschools are changing and that gives us hope
Tuck sucks. (Not totally. But yeah kind of.)
school visits
Duke’s admissions policies in the face of coronavirus are … what? (UPDATED!)
($) So how do you research a bschool?
Success Story! A post-MBA retrospective (part 3)
Handy Guide to How to Ask Questions at an Info Session!
($) You need to get out of your pajamas.
The best thing you can do if you haven’t done it yet.
The reason why MIT’s adcom is rad and a big tip for everyone interested in going to bschool
Success Story! “Did I get in because of the things I did…or in spite of them?”
selecting schools
Do you want bschool to be easy or hard?
($) The back-and-forth roundabout process of figuring out which schools to apply to
($) Let’s talk about business schools.
($) Talking to current students about their bschool experience
($) “My GMAT (or GRE) score is not what I wanted. What do I do now, since Rd 2 is happening?”
($) You got in somewhere good. Should you try for somewhere better?
($) Great bschools that may be easier for you to break into during Round 2 (and which to maybe skip)
social enterprise
Success Stories
Success Story: A former BSer shares the experience of applying — and getting in!
More experiences from a Round 1 admit!
Advice from a Success Story! Experiences from a Round 1 admit
Success Story! To round out the year and the decade on the happiest of notes
Success Story! That tells you about the hardest part of the process!
EssaySnark’s admittedly self-serving posting of comments from a former BSer
Success Story! A post-MBA retrospective (part 3)
switching jobs before applying
($) Updating the adcom on a job change
Ethics & Professionalism: Changing jobs during the MBA app process
($) If you get fired, do you need to tell the adcom?
“I want to quit my job and go to bschool”
($) In the middle of applying to bschool, you get this fabulous new job opportunity…
($) Question from a waitlisted BSer: “I hope the adcom does not take this negatively…”
($) “Will I be blacklisted if I change my mind after accepting a school’s offer?”
($) When you can update your MBA app after submission
Success Story! In a completely different way…
($) Taking extended time off of work for GMAT and essays is not advised.
technology
Want to go to work in Big Tech? The FANG story is evolving. (Or devolving.)
($) “I want to work at Google” aka career goals and interviewing
($) Post-MBA career trends at Kellogg
($) essay critique! LBS post-MBA goals
the admissions consulting industry
($) When a 740 GMAT isn’t really a 740 GMAT
Some schools are being hard-asses about standardized testing and test scores (and a rant)
($) A Stanford applicant case study: Avoidable mistakes
($) Do “legacies” have an admit advantage?
A quick primer on types of schools and MBA programs
($) Are we seeing stronger applicants this year?
($) What we were seeing at this point in the season last year
the world
Should bschools go test-optional?
Nobody’s thinking about writing essays right now. Right?
Take care of yourselves today.
There will never be another moment in time like this one.
($) Are we seeing stronger applicants this year?
($) What’s going to happen to the economy and should you care about that right now?
TOEFL
($) MBA programs that don’t require the TOEFL for international applicants
EssaySnark’s 2016 Radcom Award
Success Story! “One admit is all you need”
($) The best timing for a TOEFL
($) The TOEFL is not the most important part (unless it is).
tuition
($) Columbia’s “Financing Your MBA” application question
($) Can you make too much money to get into an MBA program?
This is why tuition at top schools shouldn’t be reduced
($) To Round 3 or not to Round 3?
($) The reality of applying to external scholarships for your graduate education
Inflation is low. Why is MBA tuition increasing AT ALL?
($) The factors that make you much more likely to get a scholarship award along with your MBA admit
($) Applying where the scholarships are (wherein we talk up Ross, Cornell, Darden, and others)
Uncategorized
values
($) The back-and-forth roundabout process of figuring out which schools to apply to
($) What are values and why might they matter in your quest for getting an MBA?
Not done yet: More on microaggressions
Not to be alarmist, but…. Things are going to get bad.
($) essay critique! Yale “biggest commitment” essay
Do you really want to change the world?
video essays
($) Should you include a picture?
($) If you’re doing a PowerPoint for Stern, Booth, or MIT
($) Video essay/short-answer interview tips
So you’re gonna do a video essay
volunteering
($) How important is volunteering in an MBA application? (coronavirus edition)
Volunteering and MBA applicants from the non-profit world
($) Exploring the BSer’s claim: “I work too much to do any volunteering.”
($) “What can I do to improve my chances?” Volunteering edition
($) “No extracurriculars after college” continued
($) “Request for help: No extracurricular after college”
($) Answering some questions on MBA app strategy!
($) The value of volunteering on an MBA app
waitlist/deferred decision
The reasons why Michigan Ross’s “waitlist everybody” Rd 1 decision is so cruel.
($) What to do if you land on the waitlist
($) Be prepared for this to take awhile
Coronavirus and Fall 2020: What on earth are they going to DO?!?
($) Coronavirus and the MBA: What to do if you’re waitlisted
($) Coronavirus and the MBA: What have we heard about waitlists?
($) How the schools are adapting to coronavirus and what it means for you: MBA Round 2 decisions
($) What does the Round 1 waitlist look like for Class of 2022 candidates?
Oh no! The waitlist! (Round 1 2019 edition)
($) How to mention a personal or “convenience factor” reason for choosing a school
word limits
($) Is it OK for your essay to be overlimit?
($) What if your essays are underlimit?
($) Formatting your MBA application essays
($) “I’ll just explain this situation about my background in the interview.”
($) Reapplicants and the optional essay: What goes where?
($) The big problem with Columbia’s choose-your-own-length essays
($) The other MAJOR problem with Columbia’s essays this year
A guiding principle in essay strategy: Don’t outstay your welcome.
work history
($) Updating the adcom on a job change
($) When to update the adcom after they have your app
($) In this competitive season… Warnings to the stereotypical finance-guy applicant
No, you don’t need to work for a big company to get into a top school. But there is one advantage.
writing essays
($) Don’t let the essay get in the way of the story.
($) How to make your essays more powerful. (With whiskey.)
($) For HBS especially: Essays reveal so much.
($) Writing essays for complex environments: When is a deep dive beneficial?
($) Identifying stellar stories of leadership and impact for MBA apps
Ermahgad! Proof for all advice EssaySnark is spewing!
($) Going beyond that first tentative step: Starting in on the ideation phase
Figuring out how to get started
Why we don’t provide sample essays — and even a warning from Duke about it
writing tips
($) Sweating the small stuff: Formatting decisions on MBA essays
($) Job titles can be their own form of jargon!
“I will exploit this opportunity to go on to build greater success.”
($) Identifying stellar stories of leadership and impact for MBA apps
($) You can’t write your introduction first. It won’t make any sense.
There are two parts to your pitch: What you say, and how you say it.