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Another prep step: App Fee Waivers!

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Hopefully when you did your tour of your target school’s online MBA application recently you paid careful attention to their policies around issuing a waiver of the application fee.

All schools offer at least one category of waiver, typically around service-based professions like military, TFA, and Peace Corps. (BTW, we do too! We have limited flexibility in doing pro bono work at this stage of the season because, like, WORKLOAD, but we definitely can set you up with some goodies if you’re a do-gooder type.) HBS was slow to embrace this for military candidates but they have recently gotten with the program, and they actually offer waivers for all full-time military regardless of citizenship, whereas other schools only offer waivers for U.S. military service. Some schools are exceptionally generous, offering discounted fees or full waivers for things like participating in their Diversity Day and other on-campus events. Duke is in this category. Yale offers a sliding scale for the fee for very low-income candidates.

These policies are too variable for us to list all of them out, so today’s post is only to exhort you to research early, and sign up soon. If you qualify for a waiver, then you’ll need to request it following the instructions in each school’s app. Some are automatic and the online application grants the waiver immediately upon you attesting to qualify for one. Others have a review process where you submit your request for the waiver and it needs to be verified first. Because all of these work differently, then you need to look into them NOW and jump through whatever hoops the respective school requires (it’s usually only a matter of submitting an official document into the app but it could be more than that).

Because of the lag time involved in requesting the waiver, and having it approved, then definitely take advantage of this option now. The schools will not issue you a refund of an application fee later on, if you failed to request it on time and you end up forced to pay the fee in order to get the application in.

Definitely don’t hold off on submitting past the application deadline, either! If you run out of time on something like this and the waiver didn’t get processed before the app is due, you’ll need to pony up the money for the fee and just live with the pain of paying when you didn’t have to. Contacting the admissions office on the day of the deadline to get the fee waived is truly ill advised; that would not be sending the right message as you’re working to put forth a strong impression!

To see some helpful comments from BSers who’ve gone before, these prior-season posts on the topic of MBA app fee waivers and app fees in general may be useful — just remember that policies can change from year to year, and always review the current information published in each school’s own online application for the applicable rules today.

($) essay critique! Columbia essay 1 and an edtech career

by EssaySnark - Discusses

Now that everyone is solidly in essay-writing mode around here, let’s look at another actual essay! This came in a few weeks ago through our Try your hand! Spin the wheel! See if you win a prize! feature where you can submit an essay for consideration of review here on the blahg. This is what…

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($) “I want to work in edtech”

by EssaySnark

To which we say: As what? Edtech is an industry – a niche one at that, and definitely a trendy one. The main issue for BSers saying that that’s what they want to do is, more often than not, these are BSers who are coming in to the MBA a little clueless. Often, it’s candidates…

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“I will definitely recommend you to others! (later.)”

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EssaySnark has a corporate initiative designed to allow us to give back to the world a little by offering some pro bono and reduced-price deals to those in the service-based professions. Awhile back we did a freebie Comprehensive Profile Review to someone through our Military MBA support program and we got this note back from them:

MilitarySnark,

First of all, thank you for the time and effort in putting together what is, frankly, much more of a detailed reviewed than I expected. You have given me quite a bit of good feedback that I need to fully digest over the next few days. Support for the military and the pro-bono work that you do is never expected but always appreciated. I plan on utilizing some more of the accelerators but may need to do some more homework first. I will surely recommend this to other service members going forward (maybe after the first round…)

To which EssaySnark says “Hmmm.”

1. We totally appreciate that this person sent this note! Sometimes BSers seem to forget. And that hurts our widdle feelings when it happens *poutyface*

So THANK YOU to this BSer for saying thanks! It was definitely appreciated.

2. We never expect anyone to buy stuff from us, so it’s not necessary to say you’re gonna use other services that we offer. We don’t do these pro bono deals because we’re trying to drum up business. We do it because for us, it’s the right thing to do. So just to be clear for all who may read this: It’s totally groovy by us if you get some free (or cheaper) thing and never buy anything further. If you decide that we can add value, then that’s always a nice thing, but it’s by no means an obligation or expectation from this side. So, no worries either way. We’re happy for the chance to give back when we can.

3. That last bit though…. That’s where we hafta to say something. 😀

We get it. You think EssaySnark is awesome. But you don’t want too many people to know, because hey, then THEY might use EssaySnark too! And then where will you be?? The competition is hard enough as it is!!!!!!

Totally understand the sentiment.

Why would you empower your opponent?? Who on earth who is sane would ever do that?!

It kinda comes down to the giver/taker mentality, or maybe how much confidence you have in your own abilities to execute, and general uneasiness about the unnerving nature of this whole process. Understood. Why make it easier for someone else to get in, when you will be fighting for the same spot?

The reason we got rankled when we saw that comment though is we just did something totally for free for this person and they replied back with the promise to return the favor by telling others about all the goodness that they received… but only after it won’t damage their chances.

We just HELPED you. And your response is to NOT HELP someone else?

Maybe we’ve totally misread the intention. Maybe that’s not what they’re saying. We’ve been wrong before! On so many things.

And we are not doing these freebie reviews for people because we want them to refer us to others. But when someone says, “Yeah, I have buddies who could use this, maybe I’ll tell them about it too” we get excited — and then we realize no, they won’t tell them, or not when it would actually do any good.

Very often what we tell BSers in the profile review is, HEY BUDDY! YOU’RE IN TROUBLE! YOU NEED TO STOP AND TAKE INVENTORY, AND CONSIDER A NEW PATH!!

If you’ve got a friend who is trying for this very ambitious endeavor like you are, and you realize how much value there is in the advice that we can offer, then don’t you think maybe he could use the same?

Like, NOW?

Not only later, when it’s safer for you?

Anyway. We just felt like that needed a response.

If you have honorable inclinations, that’s great! If you want to do something to help, all the better! Everybody is only motivated by self-interest. We get it!

But life is not a zero sum game.

And neither is getting into bschool.

 
If you’re a do-gooder, we’d love the chance to do some good for you! Military candidates can please follow the instructions on our Military MBA page; all others can send in a request (please include your resume) and we’ll let you know what might be available. Capacity is limited right now but we should have a little sum’in-sum’in to offer, or if you’re planning ahead then there will be more options available.

Success Story! With a different ending than you might expect!

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We got this super exciting update from a Round 1 BSer who’d been waitlisted at a Very Good School, and we just had to share it with you (with permission, of course). Enjoy and be inspired!

Hi EssaySnark!

I know I have been radio silent for the past few months, but I did want to touch base to give you an update. Just a refresher on who I am – I used your waitlist assist service in the fall after I got Further-Consideration-ed at HBS. I am a former management consultant and currently work as a [career in education, exact details redacted for privacy]. I had originally applied to the Harvard MBA/MPP joint degree program, so I applied to both HBS (R1) and HKS, and I had planned to apply to MIT Sloan in round 2.

First of all, your feedback – though hard to hear at times – was very helpful. I used your feedback on my resume to totally re-work my resume for the HKS app, and I used your comments on my essay to similarly improve the level of detail I gave in my HKS essays. I guess I am probably not the best judge of my own work, but I did feel that both my resume and essays were stronger for HKS in terms of detail about me and my accomplishments.

Second, the status update: In the end, I was not invited to interview (as you predicted). I was, however, admitted to HKS. After going through the application process, though, I began to re-evaluate my choice to apply to business school at this stage of my career and my choice to narrow my options to HBS and MIT (which, granted, was largely driven by location). I realized that 1) I am fairly young, so I don’t need to rush to business school right now – I could decide to apply again in two years, and I wouldn’t be too old to be admitted; 2) I had my heart set on HBS because my colleagues all went there and many of my peers attend, and if I’m being honest I was enamored by prestige, etc., but there are actually several schools I did not strongly consider that I think could be a better fit, such as Yale SOM and Berkeley Haas, and 3) going to business school certainly could help my career in education, but having classroom teaching experience is also something that I’ve seen can massively bolster the credibility of leaders in education, and that is something I’ve long considered doing.

As a result of this thought process, in the end I decided not to apply to MIT or to attend HKS. Instead, I applied (and was accepted to) Teach for America. I’ll now teach in a public school for at least 2 years starting in the Fall, after which I may still apply to business school.

All of this may seem a bit random, but I am very excited about the path that I am taking, and the HBS rejection might have turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Again, I appreciate your candid feedback, which I think was definitely crucial to the strength of my application to HKS (and for the resume I submitted to TFA). Look out for me again in 2-3 years!

Best,
[Brave Supplicant]

 
 
See? Toldja it was inspiring! We say it all the time and stories like this are proof: The MBA is not the be-all / end-all. There are lots of ways to get where you want to go. Sometimes it takes getting rejected (or even sometimes, getting accepted!) before your next steps become clear to you and you see what the right decision is.

Good luck to this BSer! We do hope that we hear from them again in a few years’ time — provided that the MBA is in fact the best next step for them then.

($) essay critique! Tuck career goals

by EssaySnark - Discusses

Hey Brave Supplicants! We’ve had a few submissions of essays since the Thanksgiving holiday and we’re going to try and get a few more of these free website critiques out to all of you who are waiting. There’s also the Crowd-Sourced Essay Review forums which we’ve been known to pop in on from time to…

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Success Story! “I earned $1,000/hour from studying the GMAT!”

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The EssaySnark gets their jollies from seeing BSers get into bschool – and we really really dig it when we see the Good Guys overcome Big Obstacles and make it happen. Here’s a very inspiring story that we held onto since receiving it back in the Spring – we thought it might do be good for those of you who are currently beginning this process to get a little inspiration.

 

I graduated with a sub-3.0 GPA from a Big 10 school, unsure of what I wanted to do for a career, but knowing what I didn’t want to do. I knew that I wanted to make a positive social impact and broaden my own narrow perspective, so after graduation I entered into the AmeriCorps/Teach for America/Peace Corps.

After my term was up, I moved to a major America city work in the non-profit sector. Like many reading this, I realized the value of a graduate degree for personal and professional development. However, having already pursued a liberal arts degree, I either didn’t have the necessary educational background for a technical master’s or wasn’t sold on the value of many liberal arts master’s. Nonetheless, I found myself disheartened as several consecutive springs passed, watching application deadlines pass for programs I didn’t even want to attend.

Eventually, I considered the MBA. With research, I not only uncovered the myriad and wide-ranging applications of the degree, but also discovered additional niche professions and high-impact individuals that I found fascinating.

In May of 2012 I resolved to apply and signed up for the least expensive GMAT preparatory class I could find, which was held on Saturdays at a local university. I ramped up my research, which followed an unfortunate – and likely typical – pattern; the vast majority of my time was spent on discussion forums and reading opinion pieces and rankings as opposed to combing through university websites and LinkedIn, which is invaluable for seeing where graduates find jobs.

I took the GMAT course very seriously. I knew that due to my own limitations in math, a perfect score was out of the question. I figured that though so many applicants complain about the GMAT, its potential to open doors is so high that any amount of studying was worth hitting the very best score I could muster. I devoted much of the 2012 summer to studying, and when I took the test in August, I broke the 700 barrier.

I recognized that my profile was decidedly non-traditional, and after consulting with the Essaysnark for a Profile Review (which I wholly endorse) and graduates of the various programs, I was able to tailor my applications to express the strengths that balanced out my weaknesses. Per the Essaysnark’s strong advice, I also visited the various campuses, including that of a ratings darling that I liked but ruled out. Thanks to my months of research and input from contacting alumni of the programs, professionals with and without MBAs in my network, I was able to focus my applications to the schools that I felt were best for me.

Nearly a full year after choosing my course of action, and after committing what I consider a more or less average amount of time and money to consulting services (the Essaysnark Comprehensive Profile Review was the only professional consulting I received), application fees, GMAT prep and research, I was thrilled to receive acceptance with a generous scholarship to my number one school.

I think my strategy worked because I looked at each factor of my application and honestly accounted for my weaknesses, highlighted my strengths, and devoted myself to excelling at the variables, such as my essays and test score. My essays about my experiences helped to offset my poor academic record, and I am convinced the scholarship would not have been possible without my GMAT score, which allows me to tell myself that I earned nearly $1,000 an hour while studying last summer!

 
Soon-To-Be-Bschool-Student, thanks for the kind endorsement of our Comprehensive Profile Review – and congrats again! You did it through sheer effort and brute-force strength of will. Awesome story and very inspiring outcome in the end. Have fun at business school!!

The Consortium application

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As you now know since we just covered it again yesterday, The Consortium is trying to increase minority enrollment in the best bschools in America.

We’ve never said much about it before because a) if you’re qualified to apply to The Consortium, you honestly don’t need much help — The Consortium offers lots of support, and you’ve already got an advantage (it’s true) if you’re from one of these underrepresented groups. And b) the essays for The Consortium need to be tackled just like you would for any school.

With the first Consortium deadline coming up on Nov 15, we figured we’d spend a little time on it though — there’s likely plenty of Brave Supplicants working on those essays this weekend.

This year, there are two required Consortium essays and an optional one — just like with many schools. The main essays ask about career goals (a very standardly-phrased question, even though that phrase we just used is not standard) and another one about how you support The Consortium’s mission. Each Consortium member school you apply to also has its own requirements, and most ask for at least one additional essay — some a lot more than one! This may end up being somewhat MORE work, depending on which schools you choose, than if you do those schools directly — though probably not significantly so.

Interestingly, many schools (like Cornell) ask essentially the same questions in the Consortium app as they do for a direct app; whereas others (like Tuck) go in a whole ‘nother direction! In fact, EssaySnark was just alerted to the fact that Tuck allows for a video essay as part of its Consortium app — talk about going all innovative on us! (Tuck has traditionally been, uh, traditional in its essay requirements.)

Note that many of the Consortium schools’ applications sections seem buggy. There doesn’t seem to be that much quality control. ApplyYourself sucks in general but certain schools have little eye to detail, apparently, and their sections are either outright confusing or just programmed wrong (we’re looking at you, USC).

In past years, The Consortium had its own interview requirement, which meant that you’d interview MORE times through their app than you potentially would if applying to schools directly — but it seems that they’ve nixed that requirement this year? You will still interview with the schools, and perhaps there’s a separate interview with The Consortium if you’re going to be awarded some fellowship money (EssaySnark didn’t research all the ins and outs of that part).

Here’s a link to their current application instructions so you can check things out for yourself. You need to create an account on their ApplyYourself system to see the school-specific requirements and essays.

One real benefit with The Consortium that you’ll save in application fees. These can add up fast and this  is definitely worthwhile. Basically, the member schools are subsidizing these applications as a way to get more minority candidates. Note that many schools will waive application fees for veterans and for active Peace Corps and Teach For America peeps too. Those are other demographic types that they want more of on campus.

It can be confusing to understand how all the different policies work, since the bottom line is that the SCHOOLS dictate how things are done (e.g., do they take the GRE? what about the TOEFL?), and each one may have quite different rules even through The Consortium. So, study The Consortium instructions, and study each school’s instructions, and if you’re unclear on anything, be sure to ask! You should probably direct questions to the school itself, and when you contact them, make sure you state upfront that you’re applying through The Consortium, since the answer to your question might be different because of that (not because they are treating you different, but because they often have different deadlines etc for their Consortium applicants than they do for their standard rounds).

And if EssaySnark can help, let us know – send in your Consortium essays if you want free (and very public!! eek!) feedback here on the blahg (we don’t review everyone’s essays and we don’t guarantee a turnaround time on public reviews, but if we see a Consortium essay come in we’ll give it serious consideration for publication – or of course you can enlist our services for a confidential critique, as always).