Err, actually, that title is inaccurate; making excuses is never a “strategy.” We need to talk about what works, and what doesn’t help at all, when dealing with a low-grades situation when you’re applying for a top MBA. Premium content starts here… ———– ———– Premium content ends. An optional essay about grades should […]
Continue reading...($) All schools do a “holistic review.” But…
So we just spent 1,000 words yesterday telling you that the schools look at everything. And they do. In every chat, webinar, and info session, you’ll hear admissions directors of top MBA programs tell you that they do a “holistic review” of their candidates, that they don’t weight any particular component of the profile, that...
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Changing coursera?
Schools used to really only consider formal education as part of their evaluation of candidates — meaning, that type of educdation that is captured on an official transcript from an accredited university. That started to shift, very slowly, when the schools themselves partnered with MOOCs like Coursera, however traditionally, if you were aiming for one […]
Continue reading...($) Should you get a graduate certificate?
A trend that was already well underway before the pandemic upending higher ed was the proliferation of certificates. You can now get a Master’s degree in a whole bunch of different flavors of business-related topics, and there’s a veritable explosion of availability of certificates. Certificates are offered by many top universities, and they are mostly […]
Continue reading...($) Got a glitch with your grades? TAKE ACTION NOW!
Continuing with our theme of “What can I do to improve my chances?” we need to also discuss the sensitive subject (for some of you) of academics. A low GPA is a serious issue with a candidacy for business school. And maybe it just goes with the territory… Not to get all judgey and stuff,...
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($) What’s a good undergrad GPA?
First: We just published our MIT 2018 MBA essay guide — overhauled for the Class of 2021 to include the org chart requirement! For today: We recently talked about What’s a good GRE score for getting an MBA and we’ve done plenty of those “good enough?” posts on the GMAT — like, is a 710 […]
Continue reading...($) The very best messaging for handling an issue with low GPA
One of the most common statements that MBA admissions committees hear from applicants who have rocky academics is, “My GPA does not reflect my ability.” We have cautioned against this before as not quite the ideal. So then, what is? We’re reluctant to be too direct in making suggestions for what to say in an […]
Continue reading...($) Low GMAT? Low GPA? Please don’t say these things in your essays.
First of all, if your GMAT is low, then we don’t recommend writing an optional essay about it at all. The optional essay is meant to explain, and thereby neutralize, issues and weaknesses in your app. If your GMAT is low, there is no amount of explaining that will neutralize it. The only thing that […]
Continue reading...Plea for Help! “Maybe I’m not as qualified as I thought…”
A couple months ago, this came in through our HALP ME PLEEZE ESSAYSNARK!! query system: Hello You already gave me access to the military site. I really appreciate it. After going through quite a bit of material and consultants, I have come to realize that your site is the truth. I really don’t think there […]
Continue reading...Success Story! “For you low-GPA types, there is hope!”
Maybe it’s time for some celebration and a happy post, given all the challenges in the admissions world (and the political world) that many of you have been navigating lately? Here’s an email we received a few weeks back from an early-bird Brave Supplicant who is now all locked up with their MBA admit. In […]
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