MBAXPLOIT: STEPS 1-2-3 to a MBA future.

The following questions may prove useful in more casual or exploratory conversations with students, alumni, faculty and recruiters as well as in your interview.

	What kind of impact has your MBA had on your career?
	In what ways does the material you studied in school assist you in your position?
	Are you confident about hiring people who attended your program?
	Were your professors approachable and open to student contact?
	In terms of administrative support did you find the school supportive? Did you and your classmates find positions easily?
	What were the other students in your program like?
	What are those most challenging experiences during your MBA years?

You should also inquire about the following areas:

	Internship Opportunities and Job Placements
	Recruiting Companies & Industries
	Salary Potential and Ranges
	Reputation in the Business World
	Variety of Career Options - Sectors and Mobility
	Long-term Career Path
	Short-term Career Opportunity

In your consultations with admissions committee members, students, faculty, and alumni, you should also try to determine how helpful the alumni network is and the types of opportunities offered by their alumni.

As a rule, I would suggest that you apply as early as possible. This will definitely increase your chance in most business schools as many schools have very few spots available for the third round of admissions.

Some schools make available the numbers of applicants they accept per round. You may want to inquire into such statistics to help you determine when is the best time to complete your applications.

If you submitted your applications last year to MBA programs and were not accepted at the schools you wanted to attend, this is a great opportunity for you to apply again. In fact, re-applicants tend to have a better chance of admittance to B-School than first time applicants. But in order to reapply successfully, you will have to reconsider how you want to present yourself to the admissions committee. Continue Reading »

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I submited applications to 3 business schools - Stanford, Kenan-flagler and Darden. Since I am already Darden bound, I decided to further share my application experience with future business school applicants. I already shared my Why MBA application essay in my previous write-up.

The feedback I got from that write-up was highly encouraging. I am, therefore, sharing my second application essay How Darden Fits my background and personality with as many people who might find it useful. For my 3rd Darden application essay, just be on the look out.

Technorati Tags: business schools, business school applicants

Every year business schools report that many soon-to-be first-year students lack some basic quantitative skills. Even if you’re an engineer or you were a math whiz in college, you may still struggle through your first-year courses. You definitely need a solid foundation in these areas, including some advanced spreadsheet skills before you even begin school.

You’ve taken the GMAT, written your application essays, managed to get great recommendations; and now after all that hard work, you’ve got that acceptance letter in your hand. You probably want to reward yourself with some time off—maybe do a little traveling before you head back to school. Most MBA schools will get some materials across to you. This will give you the option to prepare over the summer. A lot of times, it’s traditional reading material in the various subject areas, so you might have some workbooks and exercises and things of that type. Above all, ensure you prepare well for what lies ahead.

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This question comes in different forms in the business school application essays. So, there is really no escape route from this. I am sure by now you have been able to identify the reason(s) why you think you need an MBA. If you are not really sure, you may need to read this write-up. It will definitely give you a pointer to deciding if you need an MBA or not.
WHY MBA question is another instance of the classic career goals essay. This is an opportunity for you to address briefly your career progress to date, specific goals, and reasons for seeking an MBA from the school of your choice. You will also need to include a good deal of specific information about the program’s unique curricular and extracurricular offerings to fully demonstrate that you’ve done your homework and understand how the school would help you to meet your objectives. You may need to look through Why MBA question - a copy of the application essay I submitted to Darden Business School last year.

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Not sure of the GMAT preparatory materials to use? I would like to provide links to the great resources that I used when I wrote my GMAT. If you come across any other helpful GMAT sites or would like to have a GMAT site listed here, please feel free to e-mail me. All the best in your GMAT test!

Free Practice Tests:

• GMAC’s Official Site - Although they don’t offer a free practice test, they do offer a handful of free on-line questions. They also have a “Question of the Day” section.
• Peterson’s - Offers a free downloadable program that includes a full-length practice test. It is non-adaptive but is probably worth taking nonetheless.
• Scoretop - This site provides great preparatory resources. You will also be able to learn from other people’s experience. Continue Reading »

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Selecting the right business school (‘b-school’) is the most important decision in the application process. Before limiting your options to high profile schools, investigate all possible options available to you as a consumer of graduate management education.

Invest time in asking appropriate questions and collecting the right information, and focus on programmes that will best fit your personal and professional goals - only a fraction of the 1500 graduate management programmes worldwide will be a suitable match for you. Before you begin, make sure your career-related goals and personal considerations are well-defined. Identify a range of schools that meet your needs, and compile a select list to which you will apply. Eliminate any schools that do not closely match your personal and professional goals. Continue Reading »

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