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  • From: CCloug
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  •   Total Posts: 337
  • Posted: Oct-12
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Admissions Tip: Essay Basics

We often stress that, to present oneself effectively in one’s application essays, it is critical to think carefully about what a given question is asking and what this might indicate about a specific school’s admissions priorities.  Of course, it’s also imperative to communicate clearly and appropriately regardless of the target program or particular inquiry.  Today, we’re going back to basics and offering a few broadly applicable tips on tone and style to keep in mind when drafting written materials for your applications.

1. Be Professional. While a number of schools ask fun questions and most urge applicants to be themselves rather than submitting “overly polished” materials, it’s important to remember that this is a graduate school application and you should approach your essays with a degree of formality.  You do want your unique narrative voice to come through, but even professional writers know to vary their tone based on their audience.  As such, you should avoid using slang and conversational speech patterns in your writing.

2. Emphasize Action. A common pitfall for many applicants is lapsing into the passive voice, constructing sentences about how some unseen force or agent acted upon something or someone else (e.g. “we were required to” or “the project was completed”) rather than putting their own thoughts and actions at the fore.  By making a conscious effort to write “I/he/she did x” rather than “x was done to y” you can make your comments more informative, dynamic and, often, more concise.

Click here to learn more.

The Clear Admit Team
http://blog.clearadmit.com
www.clearadmit.com
info@clearadmit.com
  • From: DeenaCA
  •  
  •   Total Posts: 245
  • Posted: Oct-12
  • 6769 of 6893

Hi AnnaBanana79 and thanks for your post.

Hello, Clear Admit Team.  I was hoping you could possibly answer a quick question.   On the applications, there is a question regarding marital status.  A few schools ask if you are Married, Single, or Divorced.  What would the consequences be of skipping this question.  I realize it is important to answer every question asked, but I really don't want to open up a can of worms regarding my Divorced status.

I would always advise you to be completely honest in your application and to answer truthfully. I'm not sure if there are special circumstances surrounding your marital status, but  simply stating you are divorced should not impact your application negatively at all.

Feel free to contact us directly at info@clearadmit.com for more guidance on your applications.

Best,

Deena

Deena Maerowitz
Clear Admit, LLC


Stay Informed with Clear Admit!
Read our Blog for daily MBA admissions tips and updates.
Follow us on Twitter for breaking b-school news.
Download our Publications on MBA programs and admissions strategy.
Visit our MBA Admissions Wiki to read and share application insights.

  • From: CCloug
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  •   Total Posts: 337
  • Posted: Oct-13
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  • 6770 of 6893
Attention: Future Investment Bankers!

If you want to pursue a career in investment banking, it makes sense to choose a business school program with a banking focus and an exceptional track record for placement in the field, right? That’s why we created the Clear Admit Career Guide to Investment Banking—a detailed guide to the programs that best support a career in i-banking. Based on extensive research into the nuts and bolts of a wide range of b-school programs and data about recruitment and placement after graduation, we selected fifteen top schools and provide detailed information for each about academics, extracurriculars, and career support.

For example, here is an excerpt about the faculty at Harvard Business School:

“Thirty-four professors identify investment banking as an industry of interest, and 15 of these specifically target investment banking as an area of focus for their research activities. The finance faculty includes a number of noted researchers, including one winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics.”

A grid of selected HBS Finance faculty—including the aforementioned Nobel Prize winner—is included in the guide, as well as course information and professional experience for each professor.

Click here to read more.

The Clear Admit Team
http://blog.clearadmit.com
www.clearadmit.com
info@clearadmit.com
  • From: OylerS
  •  
  •   Total Posts: 190
  • Posted: Oct-13
  • 6771 of 6893
Hi Julia and thanks for your post.  The answer to your question is really determined on a case by case basis.  For instance, Chicago Booth has an "International MBA" which requires students to take 5 international business courses and study abroad for one term.  Georgetown and ESADE have a joint Global MBA program in which one spends time at both campuses.  I suggest you look at the context of the terms to identify their true meaning for a particular program.

Best,

Stacey
Stacey Oyler Clear Admit, LLC info@clearadmit.com Stay Informed with Clear Admit! Read our Blog for daily MBA admissions tips and updates. Follow us on Twitter for breaking b-school news. Download our Publications on MBA programs and admissions strategy. Visit our MBA Admissions Wiki to read and share application insights.
  • From: DeenaCA
  •  
  •   Total Posts: 245
  • Posted: Oct-13
  • 6772 of 6893
Hi Burberry and thanks for your post.

I am targetting Tier 2 Schools(tepper for now Round 2)


Age:22
Gender: Male
Natioanlity: Indian
Undergrad: B.E from PUNJAB ENGINEERING COLLEGE(PEC) chandigarh - 53% (Second class -
GMAT: 710(91%)        (V-37 81%, Q-50 91 %, AWA - 5.5)
 
Working for a small manufacturing firm in OTTAWA CANADA for the last 16 months.The firm has 10 employees and no HR department
I was under the impression that -unless you graduated from the IIT's or other Tier 1 institutes of  other disciplines- the adcoms did not care which college you graduated from.But after skimming through various threads on this forums and others , My opinions have changed.

Ques 1.Am i right in assuming that the reputation of the institutes of non US applicants does matter?
 
This is a good question. I think that as many Indian applicants apply to B school in the U.S. adcoms are becoming increasingly aware of the strong reputation of other Business Programs in India beyond ITT. However, I do suggest that you indicate on your resume how your program ranks in terms of programs.


 
My undergraduate performance(53% second division) was below par and this is causing me a lot of anxiety.
Nevertheless i have done a lot to mitigate the low GPA
Did well on the GMAT(710)
Cleared CFA level 1 exam
Continuous work progression
Ques 2Will this Suffice?

The CFA is most likely seen as a professional certificate and not persuasive in the adcom as to mitigating your GMAT score or other academic credentials. Your GMAT is average for the top programs, but as a member of an oversubscribed group, it would be helpful if you could increase your GMAT to really stand out more in the applicant pool. I'd also be interested in knowing what the breakdown was on your GMAT in terms of verbal/quant.
 
 
 
Ques 3: Does working for a small firm with 10 employees and no HR department negatively affect my odds of acceptance?

It's much more important to the adcom to show what your achievements have been during your position and what knowledge and skills you've gained. The size and stature of the firm is less important than what you've done during your professional career so far.

 
I am working on 2 career scripts right now
 
1 involves getting into operations management
 
in the second script i switch over to finace
 
which ever script i finally use , I will be putting forth the other as a contigency plan.( I am not sure which 1 yet)

I strongly suggest choosing one definite path. The adcom will want to see that you have defined career goals, both short and long.

Feel free to contact us at info@clearadmit.com for more detailed and personalized assistance with your application.

Best,

Deena

Deena Maerowitz
Clear Admit, LLC


Stay Informed with Clear Admit!
Read our Blog for daily MBA admissions tips and updates.
Follow us on Twitter for breaking b-school news.
Download our Publications on MBA programs and admissions strategy.
Visit our MBA Admissions Wiki to read and share application insights.


  • Posted: Oct-13
  • 6773 of 6893

Hi Deena

 

Thank you for your observations

I would like you to know

1.Due to professional and personal commitments i can not take the gmat again

2.I can not take graded courses at an accredited college for similar reasons.

 

QIs there anything else i can do to mitigate my GPA?

QWill my international experience (refer to original post) distinguish my candidacy from other male indian engineers.Does it count for something?

GMAT breakdown

710(92%)

Quant(94%)50

Verbal(81%)37

AWA:5.5

Q Do you think my GMAT score is average even for the tier 2 programs like tepper & georgetown

 

Listed below are my target Schools

Tepper(competitive)

Georgetown Mcdonough(Compettive)

Tippie(Safety)

Georgia Tech( Safety)

 

Do you agree with my assessment of my odds of acceptance at the aforementioned schools?

My sole ambition is to compose stately applications for and consequently get accepted at Tepper or Mcdonough for the Fall 2010 session. I am not targetting any of the Top 15 business schools(Wharton ,UCLA , Stern Columbia,  Haas Duke etc)

THanks

Burberry

 

Edited Oct-13   by  burberry
Edited Oct-13   by  burberry
  • From: CCloug
  •  
  •   Total Posts: 337
  • Posted: Oct-14
  • To: All
  • 6774 of 6893
BusinessWeek Features Clear Admit’s New MBA Planner iPhone App

The Clear Admit MBA Planner, a new iPhone and iPod Touch application released last week, was the subject of a BusinessWeek.com article yesterday focused on the growing number of MBA-related offerings now available in the Apple App Store.

For just $3.99, prospective business school students can purchase the Clear Admit MBA Planner, which sorts through all the top schools’ application requirements and will maintain a list of all deadlines right on their phone.

The application was designed for Clear Admit by Ryan Kaminsky, a programmer and second-year MBA student at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business. Kaminsky told BW that he spent nights “waking up in a cold sweat” thinking he’d missed one of the B-school deadlines when he was applying – and thus the idea for the application was born.

To read more about the new app, click here.

The Clear Admit Team
http://blog.clearadmit.com
www.clearadmit.com
info@clearadmit.com
  • From: DeenaCA
  •  
  •   Total Posts: 245
  • Posted: Oct-14
  • 6775 of 6893
Hi Burberry and thanks for your post. 

GMAT breakdown

710(92%)

Quant(94%)50

Verbal(81%)37

AWA:5.5

Q Do you think my GMAT score is average even for the tier 2 programs like tepper & georgetown

I think your GMAT score is quite competitive for Tier 2 programs. Both your verbal and quant score are above 80% which is an important factor for many programs. Great job!

 

Listed below are my target Schools

Tepper(competitive)

Georgetown Mcdonough(Compettive)

Tippie(Safety)

Georgia Tech( Safety)

 

Do you agree with my assessment of my odds of acceptance at the aforementioned schools?

My sole ambition is to compose stately applications for and consequently get accepted at Tepper or Mcdonough for the Fall 2010 session. I am not targetting any of the Top 15 business schools(Wharton ,UCLA , Stern Columbia,  Haas Duke etc)

I think you will be a competitive applicant at the schools you've chosen. Again, you should make sure that your essays distinguish you from your peer applicants through who you are/were outside both your work and your academic experience.  Also, you should clearly define your short and long term goals and vision -- where you see yourself immediately after B school, and beyond.

Feel free to contact us at info@clearadmit.com for more a more detailed assessment and guidance.

Best,

Deena

Deena Maerowitz
Clear Admit, LLC


Stay Informed with Clear Admit!
Read our Blog for daily MBA admissions tips and updates.
Follow us on Twitter for breaking b-school news.
Download our Publications on MBA programs and admissions strategy.
Visit our MBA Admissions Wiki to read and share application insights.

  • From: OylerS
  •  
  •   Total Posts: 190
  • Posted: Oct-14
  • To: AMehla
  •   :: Unread :: 
  • 6776 of 6893
Hi AMehla and thanks for your post. Please see my comments below:

Profile:

25/M

Gmat: 720(V: 38, Q: 49)

Work exp till date:

3 years (1 yr in software dev & 2 yrs in IT consulting for Telecom products)

Provide consultancy to one of the software startups side by side with the regular work (Major role in increasing the revenue)-1.5 yrs


It's nice that you have successfully made the transition from software developer to IT consultant.  Does this switch in careers help lead you to your post MBA goals?


Acad:

First class, BE computers, University of Pune

12th grade, 80%, CBSE, India

10th Grade, 92%, CBSE, India


Academically you are in solid shape. Your undergraduate performance combined with your solid GMAT score are right on target for many of the programs you've listed.  


Extra Curricular:

1. Dramatics at College level (Acted and Directed few plays)

2. College Tennis team member

3. Organized various cultural & Technical fests at school and college level

4. Member student council - school

5. Member social service league - school

6. Won a handful of events at National level Technical fests.

7. School soccer team member

Awards:

1. Bravo award - by one of the biggest auto manufacturers for delivering IT solution

2. Scholar award - by school for continuous academic excellence

3. Appreciation for work in current role


It's great that you were involved in so many activities in undergrad.  This will certainly demonstrate to the adcom your desire to be involved in your business school community.  However, you will want to focus your application and essays on the extracurricular activities you've pursued since graduating.  You have listed two volunteer opportunities below. Have you had a leadership role in either of these organizations?  Do you work in a team?  It would be great if you are able to pull some examples from your work with these two organizations for your essays. In general it's a good idea to balance your bschool essays with a mix of work and extracurricular/personal examples.


Community Service:

1. Volunteer for an NGO which work towards awareness about HIV and AIDS in the city of Pune, India.

2. Volunteer member - My Company’s community relations club

Recommendation:

1. My manager, current job

2. MD & Chairman, the company I provide consultancy to (part time)

3. Support Account Manager of one of my present clients

Nationality: India

...[Message truncated]
Stacey Oyler Clear Admit, LLC info@clearadmit.com Stay Informed with Clear Admit! Read our Blog for daily MBA admissions tips and updates. Follow us on Twitter for breaking b-school news. Download our Publications on MBA programs and admissions strategy. Visit our MBA Admissions Wiki to read and share application insights.
  • From: CCloug
  •  
  •   Total Posts: 337
  • Posted: Oct-15
  • To: All
  • 6777 of 6893
Campus Chronicles: The Wharton Journal

Welcome back to Campus Chronicles, our weekly look at the latest updates from the world of b-school campus newspapers.  With autumn upon us, MBA programs are back in full swing, welcoming their first-year students and returning students alike.  This week we’ll be looking at what’s happening at Wharton as the most current issue of  The Wharton Journal has gone to press, sharing campus events and student insights to kick off the 2009-2010 school year.

Wharton’s hosted its first conference of the year and has provided its students with a relevant topic of discussion.  The 2009 Wharton General Management Conference, entitled “Managing Change: Disruption and Renewal,” brought together over 30 speakers from diverse industries.  The conference opened with Betsy Rafael, VP Corporate Controller and Principal Accounting Officer at Apple, who described Apple’s constant reinvention over the past 30 years as the reason for its current success.  In a keynote speech, Raj Gupta, the former Chairman and CEO of Rohm and Haas, discussed how he dealt with adversity during his firm’s acquisition in a collapsing market.  Wharton students then participated in six panel sessions with industry experts and discussed how firms responded to the economic downturn, focusing on the importance of developing leaders to combat these challenges.

Click here to read more.

The Clear Admit Team
http://blog.clearadmit.com
www.clearadmit.com
info@clearadmit.com
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