A lot of people have, shall we say, issues in their background that make them nervous when putting together their MBA applications. Maybe you left a job under unfortunate circumstances. Maybe you were put on academic probation for a semester. Maybe there’s a drunk driving incident on your record. Maybe your political beliefs are opposite […]
Continue reading...($) The submit-then-retest strategy for your GMAT or GRE
Well that went fast didn’t it! There’s something very odd that happens to time in that sequence of dates between like December 15th and the first Monday in January. Or maybe that phenomenon of weird-time-experience only happens to those trying to write essays for Round 2 applicants (and the snarks who try to support them). […]
Continue reading...($) “Should I write about my ADHD in my essays for business school?”
More and more, the schools are asking their applicants to get personal in the topics they choose for their MBA essays. We previously talked about aspects of your identity such as being Republican or Democrat, or religion, or being vegan, or a meat-eater so you can start with that post, especially if you’re trying to […]
Continue reading...($) If it’s worth mentioning, it’s worth naming
Similar to yesterday’s post on timewarping, this is one of those bits o’ advice that you may not appreciate until you’re further along in your essay writing than most of you are (though it would behoove you tremendously to get your butt in gear with some essays, BSer!! The clock is ticking!!). Clicking that little […]
Continue reading...($) Low GMAT Round 2 application tactics: Remediation
If you’re applying to business school with a subpar GMAT or GRE score, either a low total score or a significantly low subscore especially if it’s on the quant side, then in addition to the preamble talk we gave you yesterday about school strategy, there are in fact steps you can take to improve your […]
Continue reading...($) What do you tell the adcom if you’re not getting a recommendation from your boss?
All the schools prefer that you get a letter of recommendation from your current direct supervisor, yet they know that that’s not always possible. If you don’t plan to have your current manager write for you, that’s fine, but you need to explain to the adcom why not. In many cases, this needs to be […]
Continue reading...($) Already have a Master’s degree? Why do you also need an MBA now?
Some schools don’t really focus on this issue but a few of them do – including Tuck in particular, who in the past wouldn’t even consider a candidate with a prior MBA or MBA-similar degree, like the PGP from India. They are (somewhat?) loosening those restrictions in the new admissions climate but even if you […]
Continue reading...($) “How long should the optional essay be?”
Most MBA programs have clear requirements about length for all their admissions essays, and the optional essay is no different — usually. But even when the school is explicit that the optional essay must be XXX words maximum, there are still practical considerations, and strategic ones, that should be taken into account. The first is […]
Continue reading...($) Explaining a low GMAT or GRE score in your MBA apps
You know your GMAT (or GRE) score is low. You’ve debated whether to take the test again, but it’s August. You’re getting stressed about deadlines coming. What if you just write the optional essay about your low score? Shouldn’t that be sufficient? You can tell the adcom that you’ll take the test again if they […]
Continue reading...($) Special Case Situations for MBA Apps: What if you dropped out of grad school?
As promised in our previous post on What transcripts do you need for your MBA apps, we’ll go into detail on a situation that can cause much consternation for certain BSers: What if you enrolled but you did not graduate? What if you (eek!) dropped out of a program? What if you started at law […]
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