We mean that it’s likely the hardest thing you’ve ever tried to pull off. We mean that you can’t treat it casually, if you’re serious about making it a success. We mean that what you think is going to be the hard part, almost definitely won’t be. Other parts will be harder. (Way harder.) We […]
Continue reading...($) MBA admissions and background checks
Turning attention back to those who received admits in Round 2, let’s talk about the process of accepting an offer. Different schools definitely do this differently, and not all schools even conduct background checks — but many of them do, and the process may seem intimidating. “Ohmygosh. They’re going to dig into my background. I […]
Continue reading...($) “I got into bschool! When can I quit my job????”
Quite possibly one of the most incredibly difficult things to do in all the world is staying motivated in your current job after you’ve been accepted to business school. If you applied in Round 1, you’ve probably already got an exit date set for yourself, and it may not even be that far in the […]
Continue reading...($) How to get the most of your MBA
You thought putting together your applications was hard. Well guess what? Now that you’re admitted (or hopefully will be soon!) you’ve got an even harder task ahead of you! Two years of a full-time top-tier MBA program means you’re going to be WORKING. Many BSers seem to overlook the fact that, by trying to get […]
Continue reading...If you tell the adcom you’re going to do something…
…you’d better do it! Yeah this is coming at you from the Department of the Obvious, but you’d be surprised. Every year, we get some intrepid BSer with some type of flaw in the profile – not-great GMAT or GRE, blemish-prone GPA – and they decide that they’re going to compensate for that flaw and […]
Continue reading...Unintentionally blurring things
For a whole bunch o’ reasons, it’s important to tell the truth on your apps. Even if it seems simpler to bend things. Fudging is really great when you’re baking a cake or some brownies, but not so great in your apps. Here’s what we shared with a BSer when we saw this potentially happening […]
Continue reading...($) What does authenticity mean: For Stanford?
It definitely means going beyond the obvious. Nowhere is “don’t tell us what you think we want to hear” more applicable than in your MBA essays for the Stanford GSB. If we read one more Stanford essay about “what matters most is helping people” then we’re gonna scream (j/k. if that’s what you wrote we’re […]
Continue reading...($) “Do the adcoms *really* look at the whole package?”
Here’s a question that a BSer asked us: quick question you guys about applications in general – is everything *really* looked at on a holistic basis? I ask because obviously, in sharing only one of my essays with you fine folks, I got one response, but after framing up my profile, etc., it was a different […]
Continue reading...Applying to Bschool: The Strategy of Authenticity
We’re reviving this series from the ‘snarchives because it’s so important as a concept to understand in constructing high-quality MBA applications — and in life! We talk a lot about strategy in your MBA apps here on the blahg. Strategy comes down to: pitching the right schools pitching the right way maximizing your strengths […]
Continue reading...Interesting clues to getting more out of life (and essays)
Have you heard of flow? It’s that state where you lose track of time because you’re so immersed in your task. Most people don’t expect that writing essays can end up being enjoyable, and frequently, the level of procrastination that goes into the avoidance of writing essays can pile up into real obstacles that create […]
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