Beat The GMAT - the MBA Social Network

One thing I tell everyone that I speak with about the admissions process is that there is one single question that is more important than the rest. Important to ask students when you visit schools. Important to answer when writing essays, even when they don’t ask you. And important to answer in your admissions interviews. And the question is ….

The ... Read More

This weekend I had a blast speaking to a great group of high school girls at Oceanside High School about self-confidence and how to be confident in college.  I was very impressed with these high schoolers already planning ahead and asking me questions about how to network and how to get internships! I also loved the confidence from the girls in the ... Read More

PODCAST: Click play above or right click here and save link as to download or subscribe on iTunes here on this link:

SHOW TOPICS:

How to navigate your career Career conversations with your Manager How to sculpt your job to make it what you want What is career satisfaction?  Interests, motivations and abilities Networking Interview with Tiffany ... Read More

The signs were always there; like  knowing deep down that I haven’t really been that aroused by you, despite your attractive veneer; a bad first date full of hiccups; and friends (like T.C., Columbia GSB ’08 and M.P., Stanford GSB ’06) telling me that I could do better.

For years I’ve been impressed with how popular you were ... Read More

It’s dinner time in Dubai and you have to decide which delectiable entree you’re going to select from the buffet.  But they all look so good.  It was a long hard day of lectures and guest speakers.  All of these dishes look so good….how can you choose just one?  You’ve earned it haven’t you?  And the dessert bar at ... Read More

 … is critical. In fact, a lot of people believe that it doesn’t matter how smart you are or how hard you work. But what matters is whether you work on the right things.

I just got back from interviewing a student for Education Matters. At the end, she mentioned how smart the people are in her class and also how competitive they are. She ... Read More

Today in my networking challenge I’m speaking with Sirena Thomas-Moore. At the age of 21, Sirena started her own company and it’s now a multi-million revenue generating company. I’m really excited to get her advice today. Thanks so much for sharing your advice with us Sirena!

NOTE:  Sorry if the audio quality is not that great but the interview ... Read More

The mini has ended, the year has been closed, and grades have been released. I believe my Strategy concentration has been fulfilled, but I do need to double check that one. So, allow me to inform you of the classes I took:Strategic Corporate Management (Mini 4, 2012). Taught by Robert MillerBackground:This seemed like a pretty solid strategy class, ... Read More

Attention all students, teachers, career counselors, event coordinators and professional organizations!  Dates in 2012 and 2013 are starting to fill up but I would love to add your next event to my list of scheduled speaking events!  Over the last couple of days, I have talked to a few people about speaking and it has made me realize that I really ... Read More

I’ve been taught that on a search for your passion and/or purpose in life, you should look at the skills that come naturally to you; or things you do with little to no effort.  The thinking is that the thing you were uniquely created to do is something for which you are naturally wired.  It will require a skill or a trait that you exhibited ... Read More

You lose sleep over it. You sacrifice a normal social life as you scavenge the net because of it. You also re-read the same article at accepted.com 10 times, hoping that your next read will reveal some golden nugget of rare wisdom that you hadn’t noticed before.

I call “it” MBA failophobia (n): the fear of not getting into any ... Read More

// Last night I went with my wife to a Graduation Gala -2012 for GWSB. The Gala was held at the Kogod Courtyard at the National Portrait Gallery. Quite an impressive venue at night (someone told me they were not quite impressed with it in daylight). I have mixed feelings about the event, though I mostly managed to redeem the whole experience by the ... Read More

On April 7th 2012, the 158th annual boat race between crews from the University of Cambridge and our very own crew at the University of Oxford held in London. It's a massive event, arguably one of the biggest and oldest inter-collegiate sporting events in the world (the first edition was held in 1829). 'The race came about because two friends from Harrow ... Read More

Today’s post is written by Lindsey Harper Mac.  Lindsay specializes in writing about education, professional and personal development, and career building and writes on behalf of Colorado Technical University.

Contrary to popular belief, your alma mater won’t just push you out of the nest and expect you to fly on your own. In addition ... Read More

and it isn't just the Accounting and Econ classes that are tough. Lots of veterans have a tough time transitioning from the field to the classroom, and although veterans clubs provide a place where military veteran students can have an immediate core group of friends and support, we believe there can be a lot more done to help prepare them for the next ... Read More

I announced in yesterday’s post that I am featured in People StyleWatch magazine this month! But, since I have a lot more advice about what to wear to work in the summer that wasn’t featured, I will be sharing it with you here today on the blog instead!  Lucky you!

What is an outfit idea for profesional work environments? How bare is too ... Read More

Success is often the combination of knowing a lot about one thing, while also knowing a little about a lot of things.  It’s about understanding the value of being a generalist and also being an expert. Many times though, we can only opt to be on one side of the fence or the other.

In business, often times people are referred to as generalists. ... Read More

I thought of collating various sites for my online presence in a single post

Interviews:

http://www.businessbecause.com/news/why-mba/why-mba-the-university-of-st-gallen-hsg-81440

http://sambablog.ch/why-this-tech-geek-chose-a-swiss-mba/

http://businessbecause.com/news/making-the-headlines/does-yahoos-scott-thompson-deserve-a-break-mbas-around-the-world-share-their-views-81492

Social ... Read More

When you’re in undergrad and your major is engineering, you’re taught two basic mantras:

1) Unless they are studying pharmacy or some variation of natural science–everyone’s major is exponentially easier than yours.

2) Especially the business majors.

So for years, both during and after undergrad, I unwittingly subscribed ... Read More

// On Saturday Washington, DC was a host to an annual highly popular event: Passport DC – Open Houses at Washington, DC Embassies. Last weekend it was open houses from countries all over the world, and this Saturday it was just the countries of the European Union.

Last time I had a chance to attend this cultural celebration was three or four ... Read More

Guess what!  I am honored to be featured in People StyleWatch magazine this month with Kat from Corporette and Sophie from Workchic.  Turn to page 202-207 for great advice on what to wear to work for summer!

I have always dreamed of being in a magazine so this is a dream come true!  And hopefully the beginning of more opportunities in the future ... Read More

I spend a lot of time talking about one organization I am part of named Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT).  MLT is a great organization and Education Matters campaign works closely with them. Not only because if it similar mission but also because MLT is one of the Education Matters Project’s strongest allies.

MLT is committed to preparing ... Read More

I was recently sent a copy of Clear Admit's new product, School Snapshots, for Tepper. This is my review.Initial Impression: At first, I noticed "snapshot" is a really good term for it. It was about 4 pages long and contained a brief overview of the school, the curriculum, the clubs, post-MBA careers, and admissions. Given that it's a tool presumably ... Read More

The Duke CC-MBA 2012 class is an amazingly diverse group, full of people from across the globe and cutting across industries.  Our class has 28% women, a number higher than most MBA programs.  So what I am about to say may come as a bit of a shock to many.  The Duke CC-MBA like most MBA programs is lacking one key demographic.  Mothers.

By just ... Read More

Today’s post is all about moms, working moms that is!  Happy Mother’s Day to all of you readers out there who manage to do it all!  Today’s post is written by Kat Krull is the Marketing Manager of Resunate, the world’s only automatic optimized resume tool. You can find Kat at Resunate on Facebook and Twitter.

Deciding ... Read More

A week or two before starting this blog I had my MBA applicant profile analyzed by Sanford “Sandy” Kreisberg,  a well-known MBA admissions consultant and founder of HBSguru.com. His brand is based on his style as a “straight-shooter”–giving you the most blunt opinion possible about your chances at various business schools ... Read More

Visiting and interacting with the schools that you plan to apply to is an important part of the MBA admissions process for any serious applicant.

In my inaugural post, I talked about taking a pay cut to take on a job opportunity that would better position me for the mid-to long term trajectory that I have planned.

While I know it was one of the best ... Read More

Here is a quick blog post that I typed up yesterday while I was on the bus from Ithaca to NJ.

As I leave Ithaca right now I am contemplating this whirlwind that I have just been through.  What the hell was the last three months of my life?  Definitely, nothing short of incredible.  I have only two papers standing between ... Read More

So, about 2 1/2 weeks ago I celebrated the 12th anniversary of my college graduation. Though it would be a shameful lie for me to sit here and say that “it feels just like yesterday”, I am yet amazed at just how fast time has progressed.

It’s been an eventful, busy, lesson-filled decade and change; and surprisingly, I feel just as ... Read More

In the last few weeks at least half a dozen threads have popped up on the MBA forums with different variations of the same theme.  School X vs School Y.  Having been in this predicament myself I find myself drawn to these threads.  They are particularly interesting when School X is ranked higher than School Y, but School Y is offering ... Read More

In 2012, business, social media and mobile technology are so tightly interwoven that they almost seem to go hand in hand.  To a young professional just starting her career life, this convergence can be a great benefit.  If you can follow Twitter etiquette, grasp the concept of BlackBerry Facebook networking, and understand the use of tech startups ... Read More

Happy Friday! Today in my networking challenge I am interviewing Carole Martin, who is better known as The Interview Coach.  Carole is the Author of 8 books on interviewing and I am excited to pick her brain today about her interviewing tips.  Thanks so much for sharing your tips Carole!

In case you are reading this at work and can’t watch the ... Read More

OwenBloggers would like to say “Congratulations!” to everyone in the class of 2012 for a job well done completing their MBA. High fives all around! While we can all agree that it has gone by waaaay too fast, today also … Continue reading → Read More

// Updated on May 15, 2012. Here is another link to short goofy moments at Commencement speeches: Gotta Watch: Best commencement speeches.

On one of the news sites I ran into a link to 12 Great Graduation Quotes . Those graduation speeches are always aimed at 20-somethings college grads who have their whole life ahead. I am kind of late to that train, ... Read More

Congratulations to our April featured commenter Kim who writes about living and doing things in Arkansas on her blog,  The Made Thing. If you want to get an idea about living in Arkansas, visit her blog!

Kim just celebrated 2 years of blogging. She admits that she did not even know where Arkansas was until she flew over the Mississippi on her way ... Read More

I've always been fascinated by “same seat” mentality.You know what I mean: you get in a car to travel to a destination.  You get back in the car for the return trip and everyone—without speaking a word—claims the same seat.It’s more hilarious when it happens in the work place.  Aaaannnnd my friends, that brings us to today…Every ... Read More

In honor of Mother’s Day on Sunday, Erica Moss, the Social Media Outreach Coordinator for Georgetown University’s master of science in nursing program, wanted to share a post about her fabulous mom!

With Mother’s Day fast approaching, I can’t help but think about how so much of my work ethic today is based upon the example my mom, Shirley, ... Read More

I recently got a question from a reader asking for more tips on social media and technology, specifically how technology and social media can be used for professional success. I thought I would share with you The Classy Career Girl’s Toolkit.  A Classy Career Girl must know how to use technology to be at her best.  There are so many things you ... Read More

This weekend I did something really scary on my list of fears before I hit 30.  I started writing a book proposal.  Writing a book is something that I have always wanted to do but it just seems so huge and scary.  I can think of a million reasons why I should stop with this silly dream and not keep going.  But, it is one of those things that I ... Read More

This theory is true much of the time.  Imagine running a one mile race.  You start off in the middle of the pack and pace yourself.  You bet on the idea that in another lap or so, you’ll shift gears, catch up and eventually win.  But there’s just one problem. The moment you try, you don’t have as much left in the tank as you thought.

This ... Read More

PODCAST: Click play above or right click here and save link as to download or subscribe on iTunes here on this link:

SHOW TOPICS:

How to juggle a full time job and a part-time MBA program Work life balance and time management interview with ChaChanna Simpson Self-confidence for women How to start a business while working full time How to answer ... Read More

Yesterday wrapped up the end of my semester-long volunteer project. I have alluded to it in past posts, but this is dedicated entirely to the experience. I, along with five other classmates, provided pro-bono consulting services for a Pittsburgh non-profit.Pro-bono consulting is an opportunity offered every year to first year students. The faculty in ... Read More

// On Thursday I had my very last MBA class. I personally count it as the official end of my MBA program at GWSB. Of course, I still do not have grades for any of my classes, I still have commencement ceremonies and celebrations, and I still will have to wait 6-8 weeks to actually receive my diploma. But all those events are more of ancillary or arbitrary ... Read More

After a few weeks of voting, the results for Clear Admit’s annual Best of Blogging competition are finally in!  According to Clear Admit, the purpose of the BoBs is “to identify and celebrate the applicant and student bloggers who have shared their lives with the online MBA community over the last year.” Without further ado …

I ... Read More

All day, every day, we negotiate: with our friends, spouses, children, boss, customers, and co-workers.  You are doing it all day, every day…do you know how to negotiate successfully?  I took a negotiating class during my MBA program and a lightbulb went off for me.  I didn’t realize that my entire day is simply about negotiating.  I ... Read More

Normally, this would be an excellent day for a TILT: last day of classes, got an A+ on my 10-page term paper for a class, created an awesome presentation for another, Brewmeister brew we did a few weeks ago amazingly good, beautiful 84 degree weather....An event at the end of the day unfortunately ruined the entire experience.I received a group assignment ... Read More

Today in my networking challenge I’m interviewing Jessica Miller. Jessica is the co-author of A Woman’s Guide to Successful Negotiating.  I’m really excited because we are going to give away some of her books on my blog later today! Currently, Jessica applies her negotiating skills as a Commercial Real Estate Advisor at Cushman & Wakefield.

So ... Read More

Today’s tip is the 50th and final Excel Tip I will be writing for OwenBloggers.  I’ve really enjoyed writing these tips over the past year and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading them. Hopefully some of you have learned a few … Continue reading → Read More

This past weekend feels like a hazy, ethereal experience. By way of quick background, my daily attire consisted entirely of jeans and a hoodie prior to the advent of the TLC show What Not to Wear. I didn't buy my first pair of heels until the age of 24. While I don't consider myself anything close to a fashionista, I no longer wear hoodies outside of ... Read More

Today’s post is written by Kat Krull is the Marketing Manager of Resunate, the world’s only automatic optimized resume tool. You can find Kat and Resunate on Facebook and Twitter.

While you may have excellent references, a slew of experience, and an extensive list of skills, those aren’t the only things that will help you land a new ... Read More