Not sure whether you should take the time and money to visit the b-schools you plan on applying to? While some adcoms admit to awarding brownie points and some swear that whether or not you visit has no impact on your acceptance or rejection, I believe that if you have the opportunity to visit the b-schools on your list, then you should absolutely do so.
You’ve worked so hard and have nothing but dings to show for it. Sure, it’s upsetting. Sure, you never want to think about b-school ever again.
It’s time to gain a little perspective.
Last week I discussed the definition of community service and explained its importance to business school admissions committees. Today I’ll answer three common questions that should help further clarify the subject of community service.
If you’re planning to apply to b-school next fall then now would be an ideal time to start assessing your strengths and weaknesses as a candidate. Often a main concern among applicants is their lack of community service. What I’ve found, though, is that often applicants don’t even really understand what community service even is or why community service is important.
Explaining a low GPA can be difficult and it requires you to examine your GPA’s trend. Consider the following scenarios:
Last week I talked about overcoming the challenge of a low GMAT quant score. Today we’ll discuss how to handle a less-than-perfect verbal score.
With such a strong emphasis on teamwork and communication in b-school (and for the rest of your life as a successful businessperson), it’s no wonder that stellar written and spoken verbal skills are essential for MBA students.
A low GMAT score or a low GPA is not necessarily an MBA deal breaker. No adcom is going to admit or dismiss a candidate based solely on one semester’s poor GPA or a low verbal GMAT score without also reflecting on other numbers as well as the rest of the non-quantitative parts of the applicant’s profile. Average numbers vary according to school, as well as numbers within your demographic group. You should examine each of these aspects needs and weigh the strengths and weaknesses in your application before you can really start to worry. And once you’re worrying, before you figure out how to respond to those concerns.
WAIT! Don’t hit “submit” just yet! You may think you’re done with your MBA application, but it can’t hurt (unless you are literally at the deadline) to go over it one last time to make sure that all elements are intact and that you’re submitting compelling, articulate work that truly represents who you are.
During your final once-over you should make sure that:
Congratulations! You’ve been accepted to two (or more!) solid b-schools. Or maybe you’ve been accepted to one of your safety schools with a huge scholarship and your top-choice program with no funding. Or, you’ve been accepted to a top-tier program but you had really had your heart set on going to Harvard, which did not accept you. At least not yet.
First, stop biting your nails and take a moment to bask in your mammoth accomplishment: You got into business school!
Now, practically speaking: How do you choose which program to attend? The following criteria should help:
The application process is not over for waitlisted MBA applicants. You’ve still got a chance of getting into your dream school, so now’s not the time to slack off, and it’s certainly not the time to give up. Continue fighting for that acceptance!
Your waitlist updates (you write those) and letters of support (other people write these) should focus on three areas:
You’ve spent weeks brainstorming, writing drafts, and critiquing your MBA application essay. You run a final spell check and a final word count and…the number you see nearly gives you a heart attack! How could your numbers have crept up without you realizing? Didn’t you just run the word count yesterday…or was it last week…?
The good news is that trimming down your essay is easier than you think and will likely improve the essay’s flow.
Ok, so you should have run spell check one last time. And maybe you should’ve taken up your mom’s offer to proofread your essays before you hit send. And you definitely shouldn’t have sent off your final application before your Accepted.com editor gave you that last seal of approval.
But you did. And THEN you found a typo. And now you’re freaking out.
The best way to learn how to write well is to read good writing. By reading the right books and articles—that is, material composed by excellent writers—you’ll begin to internalize the writing techniques that they use and begin to use them yourself.
I recently reread Tom Brokaw’s tribute to The Greatest Generation and found his writing techniques to speak particularly well to applicants writing personal statements.
Follow Brokaw’s stellar example and your essays will be transformed from lusterless drab to words that dance live across the page. Here are a few writing techniques that he uses most effectively:
First, ditch all your MBA essay preconceived notions. Before you start writing your essays you need to know the FACTS, the secrets that will transform your drafts from a pile of meaningless, monotonous, boring mush into persuasive, compelling prose that introduces you as a must-have candidate to the admissions staff.
