Monday, July 28, 2008
Building Powerful Applications: Consistency & Integration
We just finished uploading a Flash presentation that provides an overview of the MBA application process. It also explains one of my strongest beliefs: that consistency and integration among your essays and other application materials are key to developing an outstanding application package. It's taken from a talk that I've given many times to potential clients, and I've wanted to develop an electronic version for some time. Well, here it is.
The presentation is not 100% yet, but the information is really valuable so I wanted to put it out there anyways. If someone is an expert on Keynote/PowerPoint/Flash, please let me know. Otherwise, enjoy the show while I try to work the kinks out. bryan@elite-essays.com
Monday, July 21, 2008
Focus on the Basics
A client recently expressed his distress about everything he had to do to be competitive in the MBA application process. He was especially worried that he would not have enough time to attend many MBA Fairs or Information Sessions and that would put him at a disadvantage. I don't believe that is necessarily true.
While attending these events can be beneficial in terms of getting first hand information and networking, your attendance will likely only give you a marginal benefit for the simple reason that anyone can attend, which means anyone can write about the experience in their essays or mention it during an interview. From an economic point of view then, the experience is not rare, which means it's value is relatively low, and you should not count on it to distinguish you from the thousands of other people that attend these events.
Also, MBA schools try very hard to evaluate applications fairly. So if you are developing a life-saving drug or leading a billion-dollar oil pipeline financing project or if you're a high-school teacher who doesn't have the time or money to attend or if you're a soldier in a war zone or live in a part of the world where there are no MBA Fairs or Information Sessions, the schools do not want to punish you by favoring the applications of those who could attend.
Does that mean there is no reason to attend? Of course not. The events can be fun, inspiring, and informative. You can meet alumni and other applicants who can support you in the process. There is a marginal benefit to attending, just as there is a marginal benefit to visiting schools. But in doing so, you should never sacrifice precious time for the basic things that will have a definite impact on your candidacy - your test scores, essays, interview preparation, even an important work or volunteer project that you can highlight in your application. Remember, if everyone can do it, chances are it's not that valuable. Instead, focus your time and effort on the things that will truly distinguish you. Questions? bryan@elite-essays.com
While attending these events can be beneficial in terms of getting first hand information and networking, your attendance will likely only give you a marginal benefit for the simple reason that anyone can attend, which means anyone can write about the experience in their essays or mention it during an interview. From an economic point of view then, the experience is not rare, which means it's value is relatively low, and you should not count on it to distinguish you from the thousands of other people that attend these events.
Also, MBA schools try very hard to evaluate applications fairly. So if you are developing a life-saving drug or leading a billion-dollar oil pipeline financing project or if you're a high-school teacher who doesn't have the time or money to attend or if you're a soldier in a war zone or live in a part of the world where there are no MBA Fairs or Information Sessions, the schools do not want to punish you by favoring the applications of those who could attend.
Does that mean there is no reason to attend? Of course not. The events can be fun, inspiring, and informative. You can meet alumni and other applicants who can support you in the process. There is a marginal benefit to attending, just as there is a marginal benefit to visiting schools. But in doing so, you should never sacrifice precious time for the basic things that will have a definite impact on your candidacy - your test scores, essays, interview preparation, even an important work or volunteer project that you can highlight in your application. Remember, if everyone can do it, chances are it's not that valuable. Instead, focus your time and effort on the things that will truly distinguish you. Questions? bryan@elite-essays.com
Friday, July 18, 2008
Essay Questions
We're compiling the MBA essay questions for as many of the top programs as we can as soon as they are released. There are a handful of schools that have already released. Expect a lot more in August.
Click here for the list.
Click here for the list.
Attending MBA Fairs/Information Sessions
If you have the time and opportunity to attend these events, you should. You can get helpful information and make good contacts, but if you go, go prepared.
How to prepare: At the very least, you should bring lots of business cards to give to admissions committee reps (adcom reps), alumni speakers, and other applicants. In this game, the bigger the network the better. After your business cards, the three most important things you can bring with you are:
Your resume, if it has been developed well and you have confidence in it. You should offer your resume to the adcom reps you meet. “Offer” is the operative word here. Some reps will want it. Some won’t. Remember that a good resume can help you, but a bad resume will hurt you -- and it has your name on it -- so be careful. If you don’t have your resume ready, try to get a card from the adcom rep and offer to e-mail it once it is prepared.
Your goals. If you know your goals, it is easier to have a productive conversation with adcom reps or alumni because you can ask specific questions and get specific responses.
Research about each school. You should explore the websites of each school and utilize any other resources you can in advance to ask better questions, especially related to your goals, and have a better conversation overall.
The atmosphere at these types of events can be intense and intimidating. Many people are aggressive in both good and bad ways. Some people think that if they ask clever questions or “killer” questions of the adcom reps they will distinguish themselves. They might distinguish themselves, but it might be for a bad reason. The best questions are sincere questions about one thing: how the school can help you achieve your goals. The adcom reps are there to convince you that they are the best school for you. This is your chance to find out.
Even if you haven’t prepared your resume thoroughly, or if your goals are still vague, you can still enjoy the event and make good contacts. Of course you should talk to adcom reps if you have the chance. Through talking with them you can get early feedback about your goals and accomplishments, and it’s good practice for interviews later. (At an MBA Fair, if you feel too nervous talking to your dream schools, practice on schools that you don’t care about!) As you will probably discover with all MBA events (fairs, panels, school visits, etc.) there are no “secrets” to the process, only clear thinking, hard work, and the desire to show admissions committees what makes you unique. At the same time, remember that you are a “consumer” and you want to find the best MBA program to help you fulfill your career and personal dreams.
Questions? Talk to me. bryan@bryanshih.net
How to prepare: At the very least, you should bring lots of business cards to give to admissions committee reps (adcom reps), alumni speakers, and other applicants. In this game, the bigger the network the better. After your business cards, the three most important things you can bring with you are:
Your resume, if it has been developed well and you have confidence in it. You should offer your resume to the adcom reps you meet. “Offer” is the operative word here. Some reps will want it. Some won’t. Remember that a good resume can help you, but a bad resume will hurt you -- and it has your name on it -- so be careful. If you don’t have your resume ready, try to get a card from the adcom rep and offer to e-mail it once it is prepared.
Your goals. If you know your goals, it is easier to have a productive conversation with adcom reps or alumni because you can ask specific questions and get specific responses.
Research about each school. You should explore the websites of each school and utilize any other resources you can in advance to ask better questions, especially related to your goals, and have a better conversation overall.
The atmosphere at these types of events can be intense and intimidating. Many people are aggressive in both good and bad ways. Some people think that if they ask clever questions or “killer” questions of the adcom reps they will distinguish themselves. They might distinguish themselves, but it might be for a bad reason. The best questions are sincere questions about one thing: how the school can help you achieve your goals. The adcom reps are there to convince you that they are the best school for you. This is your chance to find out.
Even if you haven’t prepared your resume thoroughly, or if your goals are still vague, you can still enjoy the event and make good contacts. Of course you should talk to adcom reps if you have the chance. Through talking with them you can get early feedback about your goals and accomplishments, and it’s good practice for interviews later. (At an MBA Fair, if you feel too nervous talking to your dream schools, practice on schools that you don’t care about!) As you will probably discover with all MBA events (fairs, panels, school visits, etc.) there are no “secrets” to the process, only clear thinking, hard work, and the desire to show admissions committees what makes you unique. At the same time, remember that you are a “consumer” and you want to find the best MBA program to help you fulfill your career and personal dreams.
Questions? Talk to me. bryan@bryanshih.net
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Welcome!
The new blog is official. Thank you all for your patience. I'll be using this space regularly to share my thoughts on the application process, particularly the crucial points for developing outstanding MBA applications and managing the strain of the application season. I'm looking forward to keeping in closer and more frequent communication with all of you. Speaking of which, we'll be adding many more features to the website in the next few weeks, including application questions/deadlines and a multi-media application overview, so please check back.
The first topic I'd like to address is, "When Should I Begin?"
This is the question that most people are asking me so I'll take a shot at it. The simple answer is, "As soon as possible, depending on your GMAT score." If you're already in the 660+ range and targeting first-round deadlines, you should feel confident in beginning your application materials now, at least part time. In general, I advise people to begin by mid-late August if they want to apply for first-round deadlines, which this year begin in early October with Columbia, Wharton, Chicago, HBS, et. al. (Click here for deadline calendar.) Depending on their MBA program choices, my clients in this situation can usually apply to 3-5 schools in the first round with high-impact applications. Some have applied to as many as 10.
Even if you are targeting second-round deadlines and/or still working on your GMAT score, I strongly advise all applicants to begin by late-September/early-October to be in time for the early January deadlines.There are several ways I work with my clients to make sure they are balancing their GMAT test study time with their resumes, essays and applications. If you have questions, please contact me at: bryan@elite-essays.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
