The nice people at MBA Admissions Strategy sent me a copy of their book a long time ago, but I haven't had any time to post a review. In my opinion, this book is really great. I wish that I had it when I was applying. It has some really great insight into the strategies that you should use when creating your applications. It goes into everything from identifying your themes to approaching the most common types of essay questions. Other books are great for tactical advice (what to do when, how to go about it, etc), but this book mirrors my own personal philosophy about how you need to think about each step in order to create the best application for yourself. Highly recommended. In fact, I gave this book to a special someone that is applying this year. Check it out (link below to amazon where you can see the 5 star rating!)
Showing posts with label Advice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Advice. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Essay Advice
Many of you are working on your essays now for R1, or maybe you are thinking about them for R2 and beyond. While I am by no means an expert, I do feel that I am a good writer and I was happy with my essays. I don't think I was a "slam dunk" candidate (despite a high GMAT, it really is just 1 data point, albeit an important one), so I believe my essays were probably the differentiating factor for me. I also paid a lot of attention during the application process to what adcom's were saying about what they look for. So here is what I learned. I hope this helps some people.
1. Show IMPACT. Adcoms don't want people who are going to pass all their classes and that's it. They want people who are not only going to be engaged, but are going to have an impact on their classmates and into their careers. So don't give a laundry list of your job responsibilities. That's for the resume, and you don't need to repeat it in your essays. Show how you had an impact on your company, your project, your group outside of work, yourself. Impress them with your actions and your accomplishments, not your title. They've seen a lot of titles.
2. Focus on how you will contribute. Yes, schools want to know why you love them. You definitely need to show your fit with the program and why you are applying there. I believe this only gets you halfway there. Smarter applicants then link this to why the school should want them. Discuss the unique perspectives you'll bring to your classes. Discuss ways that you'll leave the school better than it was before you came. This is a great way to differentiate yourself from similar applicants that don't quite "get it". If you aren't sure how to do this, try putting yourself in the position of the reader, perhaps a student reader. Why is that student, who has his/her own impressive background, going to want you as a classmate?
3. Don't just describe your goals. Describe WHY they are your goals. Explain how everything you've done so far has led you to this point. Don't leave adcom wondering, connect the dots for them.
4. Tell good stories. Don't be afraid to open up. Remember that application readers are people, and all people like reading stories. If your essays are just fluffed up resumes, your reader will be bored. If you are an exceptional applicant with alumni parents that donated a building, this won't matter. But if you are not (and most of us are not), you need to differentiate yourself as much as you can. Try to write something that is enjoyable to read. But don't force it with gimmicks, like random quotes or dictionary definitions. Just try to be your authentic self, and the rest will come. You are interesting, show it.
5. Prioritize and make cuts. If you are a strong applicant, you have loads of leadership examples, extra-curricular activities, accomplishments, etc. You can't fit them all in, so don't try. You need to keep the best stuff that tells the best story in. Let the rest fall away or leave it to a brief mention somewhere in a data sheet. It's so easy to want to make sure the reader knows that in addition to starting a charity and running a professional club, that you also volunteered for the special olympics every year while you were in college. Of course these are all good things, but what value is the special olympics example bringing when you've already showed that you are volunteer-minded and a self-starter? Try to keep the law of diminishing returns in mind. Leaving some stuff out leaves you more space to reflect deeper on the most valuable points.
1. Show IMPACT. Adcoms don't want people who are going to pass all their classes and that's it. They want people who are not only going to be engaged, but are going to have an impact on their classmates and into their careers. So don't give a laundry list of your job responsibilities. That's for the resume, and you don't need to repeat it in your essays. Show how you had an impact on your company, your project, your group outside of work, yourself. Impress them with your actions and your accomplishments, not your title. They've seen a lot of titles.
2. Focus on how you will contribute. Yes, schools want to know why you love them. You definitely need to show your fit with the program and why you are applying there. I believe this only gets you halfway there. Smarter applicants then link this to why the school should want them. Discuss the unique perspectives you'll bring to your classes. Discuss ways that you'll leave the school better than it was before you came. This is a great way to differentiate yourself from similar applicants that don't quite "get it". If you aren't sure how to do this, try putting yourself in the position of the reader, perhaps a student reader. Why is that student, who has his/her own impressive background, going to want you as a classmate?
3. Don't just describe your goals. Describe WHY they are your goals. Explain how everything you've done so far has led you to this point. Don't leave adcom wondering, connect the dots for them.
4. Tell good stories. Don't be afraid to open up. Remember that application readers are people, and all people like reading stories. If your essays are just fluffed up resumes, your reader will be bored. If you are an exceptional applicant with alumni parents that donated a building, this won't matter. But if you are not (and most of us are not), you need to differentiate yourself as much as you can. Try to write something that is enjoyable to read. But don't force it with gimmicks, like random quotes or dictionary definitions. Just try to be your authentic self, and the rest will come. You are interesting, show it.
5. Prioritize and make cuts. If you are a strong applicant, you have loads of leadership examples, extra-curricular activities, accomplishments, etc. You can't fit them all in, so don't try. You need to keep the best stuff that tells the best story in. Let the rest fall away or leave it to a brief mention somewhere in a data sheet. It's so easy to want to make sure the reader knows that in addition to starting a charity and running a professional club, that you also volunteered for the special olympics every year while you were in college. Of course these are all good things, but what value is the special olympics example bringing when you've already showed that you are volunteer-minded and a self-starter? Try to keep the law of diminishing returns in mind. Leaving some stuff out leaves you more space to reflect deeper on the most valuable points.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Three book Recommendations
During my time off, I've been trying to get some reading done. Somehow, I never succeed as much as I want to, but I have managed to finish a few books that I wanted to share with you.
You're So Money: Live Rich, Even When You're Not
Since I'm interested in marketing, I've been reading a few books on the subject. This one really struck me as a good source for MBA applicants. First of all, very early in the book, the author Seth Godin admits that he lied with the title of the book. All marketers are not liars, he says, but the good ones tell authentic stories that we want to believe. From the amazon description of the book: "Every marketer tells a story. And if they do it right, we believe them. We believe that wine tastes better in a $20 glass than a $1 glass. We believe that an $80,000 Porsche Cayenne is vastly superior to a $36,000 VW Touareg, which is virtually the same car. We believe that $225 Pumas will make our feet feel better-and look cooler-than $20 no-names . . . and believing it makes it true." "Marketers succeed when they tell us a story that fits our worldview, a story that we intuitively embrace and then share with our friends. Think of the Dyson vacuum cleaner or the iPod." How can this help you with your applications? Imagine the readers on the admissions committee. They read hundreds or thousands of applications each year. How are you going to make in impression? I don't believe that it's through a couple of high scores and some A-list employers. No doubt these things might help your application, but I believe the most memorable applicants tell a good story. And not just good stories in each essay, but their whole application is a story that, put together, gives adcom a clear pictures of what that person is all about. How can you do this with your application? Well first, I recommend reading the book for inspiration. Imagine yourself as a "product" that you are "marketing" to adcom. Put together your elevator pitch - a few sentences that sum up the picture you want adcom to have in their head about you after reading your application. Keep it near you whenever you are working on a portion of the application, to make sure everything you write is consistent with that pitch. For instance - does your elevator pitch say that you are going to be a contributor to your class? You should probably show in your application how you are already a contributor in your job, your volunteer work, your extra curricular activities, etc. In other words, show that you are already living the story. Note: It's worth mentioning that I'm not advocating that you actually lie on your application. Not only is it unethical (obviously), but I think that adcom are very good at picking up on this. It is a rare person that can lie about themselves in writing and actually sound authentic. Be honest about yourself and who you are, and it will resonate.
You're So Money: Live Rich, Even When You're Not
I met the author of this book, Farnoosh Torabi, at the women's conference I attended at Penn State. Turns out my husband was in a group with her in his undergrad business classes. He was very excited to buy her book when it came out, but I ended up reading it first. I think I was in the perfect state of mind to read it, since I'm suddenly a lot "poorer" than I was a few months ago when I had a job and no huge loans! A lot of it is aimed more at those in their early twenties, but I definitely learned a lot and got some great ideas for how I can still have a fabulous life during this two years of less cash. And she gives you tips and tricks without seeming preachy like other personal finance books. She won't tell you to give up your latte, but she will challenge you to determine how important it is for you to have that latte AND the designer jeans of the season. There are chapters on buying a car, buying a cell phone, and buying real estate. There is also a chapter by Jim Cramer on stock speculation.
The author of this new eBook, Josh Hohman, a recent Stanford GSB grad, sent me an advance copy to review for possible interest to my audience. I read the whole thing last night, and I definitely think it could be a good resource for some applicants. The book is basically a report containing survey responses from recent admits from Stanford, Harvard, and Columbia. There are questions like "Describe the challenges you had in your application" and "What advice would you offer an applicant applying to your school." I think this book is a good supplement for the big application guidebooks you may be reading. It's not going to give you extensive advice and instructions, but it will provide you with some good profiles of successful applicants to give you a feel for what it takes to get in. There are profiles of students with low GMAT scores (below 650!), no work experience, non-traditional backgrounds, and some students who claim they had no "wow factor" but still got in. There is also a lot of advice and information specific to Stanford, which could be very valuable to those targeting this school. (There is nothing about Wharton though - Josh should definitely expand to Wharton and other schools in his next edition!) If you follow the link to the website, www.ExpertCollective.com, and provide your email address, Josh will send you a free preview copy that lets you see the questions that are included in the survey with a some examples of responses. If you like it, the full version is available for purchase.
Disclaimer: The author did offer me compensation for linking to his book. However, I would definitely not recommend this to my readers if I did not think it would be a good resource. I recommend downloading the free preview and checking it out for yourself.
Friday, June 20, 2008
New Book Alert: The Best Business Schools' Admissions Secrets
I got an alert from Amazon today about a new book, The Best Business Schools' Admissions Secrets: A Former Harvard Business School Admissions Board Member Reveals the Insider Keys to Getting In
. It comes out on July 1. I haven't seen the book yet, but it sounds like a good resource. I'm an advocate of using whatever research you have time to use! If you are planning to apply this year, you might want to check it out.
As a reminder, I've got a list of recommended books on the right side. Except for this new book, my recommendations are all based on my personal experience using the book.
. It comes out on July 1. I haven't seen the book yet, but it sounds like a good resource. I'm an advocate of using whatever research you have time to use! If you are planning to apply this year, you might want to check it out.As a reminder, I've got a list of recommended books on the right side. Except for this new book, my recommendations are all based on my personal experience using the book.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Kellogg MBA Application Advice
Today a reader asked me for some advice about applying to Kellogg. I realized my reply could help others that are thinking of applying, so I decided to post it here. Enjoy.
Here is what I know about Kellogg, which should help you frame your essays:
-Teamwork. This is hugely important to them. They want to know that you are a team player and want to see evidence of this. They want to know that you understand how important it is to them and that is why you are applying to Kellogg (they consider this a major differentiator between them and other top schools).
-Community. This is a tie-in to teamwork, but they want people who are going to be very involved in the community of the MBA. Play up any community involvement you have in your background. Volunteer work is part of this and is important, but also they like to see any other activities you might have such as a recreational sports team or alumni club or maybe you organize a family poker competition (see what I mean, look everywhere for evidence of this). Even if you have done some extra-curriculars at work, this will show that you are going to be someone that will contribute and not just attend and go home to study. It will probably help to discuss what clubs and activities you specifically want to be involved in
-Leadership. This is a new focus for Kellogg, but they definitely want to see that leadership learning is a priority for you. But the leadership focus is within the teamwork concept. Show that you've been a leader in a team situation (so it doesn't have to be where you supervised people, but any situation where you took the lead in helping a team make a decision would work).
-Personality. It helps to visit so you can see it for yourself, but the typical Kellogg student is very outgoing and "fun". This is probably a result of the aspects of focus above. It probably matters more for your interview, but you want to show that you are not only smart, but nice to be around and will be an asset to any team you are on.
-Uniqueness. There is an essay question from last year that I would expect to be there again, since it has been there for a long time. They ask what makes you unique and what will you contribute to the class. This was the hardest question for me, and requires a lot of self-reflection. I think you need to think about what makes you unique in all aspects: work experience, extra-curriculars, interests, etc. Sure, many people may share any of these with you, but no one is the same combination of all of these as you! Show that you understand how every aspect of who you are will help you contribute to the experience of everyone else. And they really do want to know who you are.
Here is what I know about Kellogg, which should help you frame your essays:
-Teamwork. This is hugely important to them. They want to know that you are a team player and want to see evidence of this. They want to know that you understand how important it is to them and that is why you are applying to Kellogg (they consider this a major differentiator between them and other top schools).
-Community. This is a tie-in to teamwork, but they want people who are going to be very involved in the community of the MBA. Play up any community involvement you have in your background. Volunteer work is part of this and is important, but also they like to see any other activities you might have such as a recreational sports team or alumni club or maybe you organize a family poker competition (see what I mean, look everywhere for evidence of this). Even if you have done some extra-curriculars at work, this will show that you are going to be someone that will contribute and not just attend and go home to study. It will probably help to discuss what clubs and activities you specifically want to be involved in
-Leadership. This is a new focus for Kellogg, but they definitely want to see that leadership learning is a priority for you. But the leadership focus is within the teamwork concept. Show that you've been a leader in a team situation (so it doesn't have to be where you supervised people, but any situation where you took the lead in helping a team make a decision would work).
-Personality. It helps to visit so you can see it for yourself, but the typical Kellogg student is very outgoing and "fun". This is probably a result of the aspects of focus above. It probably matters more for your interview, but you want to show that you are not only smart, but nice to be around and will be an asset to any team you are on.
-Uniqueness. There is an essay question from last year that I would expect to be there again, since it has been there for a long time. They ask what makes you unique and what will you contribute to the class. This was the hardest question for me, and requires a lot of self-reflection. I think you need to think about what makes you unique in all aspects: work experience, extra-curriculars, interests, etc. Sure, many people may share any of these with you, but no one is the same combination of all of these as you! Show that you understand how every aspect of who you are will help you contribute to the experience of everyone else. And they really do want to know who you are.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Preparing to Apply
If you are thinking of applying to schools for Fall 2009, there are definitely some things you can be doing right now. Presumably you have already started researching since you are here reading my blog, but I will assume you haven't done much more than that and start from the beginning.
Usual disclaimer: my opinions are based on my personal experience only!
Usual disclaimer: my opinions are based on my personal experience only!
- GMAT. If you haven't taken it yet, take care of this first. You have time. I started studying in February last year and took the test in May. If I wasn't happy with my results I still would have had time to retake at least once before application season. If you think you need help studying, you also have plenty of time to take a class with Manhattan GMAT or Kaplan, etc. I didn't do this, but it seems like a great way to keep yourself motivated by having a structured way to go about relearning high school math and grammar (because honestly, who remembers this stuff?)
- Research. After the GMAT, or in between study sessions, this is a good time to start researching. The Clearadmit blog is a good place to start. There you can find rankings to help you figure out the types of schools you are interested in. From there you can read some of the postings with news and facts about each school to start to get a feel for them. Each school has a personality, if you will, and it's important to understand it so that you later show these schools how you are a good fit. There are also links to blogs of applicants and students. These can be fun ways to read about other applicants and students and will help you wrap your brain around how the process works by "watching" others go through it. There are also a number of books out there that are good. Montauk's is a great one, and I also liked Your MBA Game Plan.
- Reflect. This is a really important step in the process that I think many people overlook. I can't stress enough how important it is to have a solid understanding of yourself when you begin writing your essays. Schools say it over and over: they want the essays to help them get to know you. Well to be able to write those essays, you need to go through some honest self-reflection. It's best to do this well before you plan to apply so that you are not under pressure. How to do it? I'm sure it will be a different process for everyone, but I recommend asking the following questions: what is my story? (i.e. how did I get from high school to here?), what have I accomplished so far?, what motivates me at work?, in what aspects of my life have I made an impact, and how? what am I passionate about at work and outside of work? what are my goals for my future? The passion factor is really important. Schools really want to see this in your application because it shows them that you will also approach the MBA experience and your subsequent employment (and hopefully alumni involvement) with passion, and that your fellow classmates will be able to learn from you because you are able to share your passion. It is also very important to understand your goals. If you aren't sure about your short term & long term career goals yet, that is OK. You have time to explore, but you need to have something at least directional when you apply. Try to link your interests and passions to what you might want to do post-MBA. Don't be humble in this step. Top schools want to see that you dream big (within reason of course). The thing about attending a top MBA program is that career tracks that may be unrealistic for you now will not be once you graduate, so you might need to recalibrate how you've previously thought about your career. If you aren't sure, current students and alumni are a great resource, which brings me to my next topic.
- Network. Start talking to people. People in your company that work in areas (finance, marketing, etc.) that you might want to work. Alumni at your company or within your professional network that went to an MBA school you are interested in (or any MBA school for that matter). Current students if you know any. Use any social or family networks you have access to also. Ask people to lunch or coffee and talk to them about career paths, advice for applying, industry trends, and who else they think you should talk to. You will be surprised how much this helps you increase your knowledge, and it will be invaluable once you sit down to write those essays. Especially if you are contemplating a career change, it's important to show that you've done some legwork and understand what you are aiming for. Schools don't want to get the impression that you picked a career out of a hat and said "yes, that might be fun!"
For the sake of an example, here is what I did: Talked to my dad's friend who went to one of my target schools for undergrad. Turns out her nephew just got in to the MBA program and she helped him with his application (and yes, she was more than willing to help me with mine). Talked to someone in marketing at my company that I'd been introduced to once. Found out about types of jobs that MBAs get when they come in, and what schools my company recruits at. Joined an industry group for women. Met someone else from my company who met with me later to tell me more about marketing. In a company announcement email, saw that a grad from one of my target programs just got hired in marketing. Sent her an email to see if she'd had lunch with me. Got insight on the school and more marketing insight. On a visit to a school, got a name of the recruiting coordinator at my company. Invited her to lunch to talk about the school. From her, got the names of two others and set up coffee dates with them. Talked to a friend who just graduated from a target school. When I went for a campus visit, he set me up with some 2nd years that he knew that were more than willing to discuss the school with me. Talked to my husband's uncle who hires MBAs, found out a cousin works at one of the schools. Talked to her and she gave me the number of her boss who is a prominent professor. Talked to him and it turns out he used to be a faculty admissions advisor (back when that group existed) and had some advice for applying. My father-in-law found out his golf buddy when to one of my schools and I reached out to him. He talked with me too and offered to send an alumni letter of support.
Now obviously, everyone's network is going to be different. But you can see that it really only takes a little legwork and the network begins to grow.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Choosing and Approaching Recommenders
Since I was applying to two schools, and both required two recommendations, I chose only two recommenders. I figured two recommendations for each wouldn't be too much of a burden!
Recommender A: The first obvious choice was my current boss. I've worked for him the whole time I've been at this company.
Pros: He got an MBA at a top ten school, so I knew he would understand the magnitude of what I was doing and be familiar with the importance of the recommendation to my application. He is also a good writer and is great about seeing the "big picture" in things. I wasn't too worried about whether he could translate my skills and performance into a recommendation for a top business school.
Cons: He is a bit of a procrastinator. Sure enough, he submitted Kellogg a few hours before the deadline (albeit before I did). Also, I don't do a whole lot of work directly for him: there are people under him that I do most of my work directly for, although I do meet with him weekly to go over things. So I was a little worried that he might not have enough in the way of specifics. Finally, I was worried about spilling the beans about my plans to go to school. But this worry dissolved in July before I started my application. I received a promotion (yay!) which meant that I would not be jeopardizing a chance to receive one after my plans were revealed. Also, when my boss told me about the promotion, he told me that management was discussing rotating me to another team to get some different experiences and exposure. This was also good news from the recommendation perspective, because it meant that my boss was likely going to "lose me" anyway soon.
Recommender B: For my second choice, I considered approaching another manager on my team that I've worked with extensively. But instead, I decided to approach a manager at my former consulting company.
Pros: I worked with him three separate times. We worked together really well and his reviews of my work were strong. We were also part of a team that was very social, so I can say that he knows me on a personal level probably more than anyone I've ever (or will ever) work for. I even went to his wedding! He is extremely articulate and I knew he could convey my strengths and weaknesses clearly and eloquently.
Cons: I hadn't worked for him in over 2 years, and we'd kept in touch but not extensively. Also, when I left the company, I was working for him at the time. I didn't think there were hard feelings, but I still worried there may have been. I also worried a bit about the fact that I was very friendly with him on a social level. Anyone who has worked in consulting has probably been on a project where everyone works hard and plays harder. Frankly, the man has seen me (and everyone else on that project team) drunk many times. Again, I didn't think it would, but I hoped this wouldn't cloud his ability to comment on my professional abilities. Finally, he had a new baby and both parents work, so I knew he was probably crazy busy.
I had read Your MBA Game Plan and liked the idea of putting together the "Game Plan" and sending it to the recommenders. I included details like: where I was applying, why, what I wanted to do with the MBA and why, and what I knew about each of the schools and what the adcoms look for in applicants. I felt this would help them say things like "Tinydancer plans to enter the pharmaceutical marketing field, and I believe she will be succesful because ..."
I decided to ask Recommender B first. I'm not sure why I didn't just call him in the first place, but I sent him a carefully worded email first, then waited. For two weeks ... nothing!! So of course I freaked out and convinced myself that he didn't want to do it and was blowing me off. My husband talked me down, and I called and left a message. He called back and said yes, he'd be happy to write me a recommendation, and sorry he hadn't seen the email (duh, I thought, he never read my emails when I worked for him either!). I sent him the details in an email and signed him up on both application sites so he could see the invitations. I also attached the old reviews he had written for me so he would have them handy, my game plan, my updated resume, and a sample recommendation and some recommendation tips from one of my books. Again ... for several weeks I heard nothing. I was worried, but I knew he was very busy. I called once and left a message to say I was just checking to see if he had any questions. About 3 or 4 weeks before the due date, I got notifications that he'd submitted. Phew. He also sent me (short) emails afterwards to confirm. The lack of communication concerned me a bit, but I knew that was probably just him and that it didn't mean anything about what he wrote.
I approached Recommender A a week or so after B. I was really nervous. It felt like the "I'm taking another job" conversation, but a little less bad since it was actually "I'm possibly leaving the company in a year and not for another job". I asked him to have lunch with me, and I'm sure he was ready for the "I'm taking another job" talk, so I think he was relieved when I told him what it was really about! He was really excited for me, really supportive, and best of all, told me he thought I had a great chance to get in. Now, if I were him I would have told me that even if I didn't think it, so I took that with a grain of salt! But I left the conversation feeling very comfortable with having asked him. As I said, he definitely procrastinated, but I wasn't afriad to remind him almost daily in the weeks before the apps were due and he didn't seem to mind. I sent him the same materials I send B, and he said it was really helpful and showed resourcefulness and commitment on my part (yay!)
So, for those of you that are mulling an application run in 2008, here is my advice on approaching the recommendations:
1) Consider how many of these your recommenders will have to write and how spread out the due dates are. I only applied to 2 schools and it seemed like plenty of work. Granted, the second is probably a lot easier since questions may be similar and they can cut and paste to a degree. But you may want to consider different recommenders for different schools so that you know they can devote the time required to write good ones. Or, potentially spread your applications between rounds so you can can spread things out for them. I did warn mine in the beginning that if I didn't get in to my top 2 choices, that I may apply to more schools in the 2nd round.
2) Put together something like the MBA Game Plan that your recommenders can reference to provide details related to your goals and what you like about each school. If you recommenders can say "Tinydancer will fit in well in Kellogg's team-oriented environment because ..." or "I am confident that Tinydancer will be a strong contributor to her Wharton learning team because ...", it will add a little something extra to your application and show that you have truly thought hard about your school choices and shared this information with your recommenders. Doing this also helps them understand your motivations for pursuing an MBA in the first place, which I think can make a big difference in the tone of their writing.
3) Choose recommenders that can really speak to specifics about your skills and abilities. Schools say that they don't want you to choose impressive names for your recommenders just to try to impress them. They say they can see right through this, and I believe them. If your recommender can only speak in generalities, you leave the adcom to draw no-so-good conclusions about your judgement, and perhaps determine that you didn't have anyone that could speak positively about you AND provide specific examples.
4) Luckily for me, my recommenders didn't ask me to write my recommendations. If yours do, I strongly suggest that you don't. Besides questions of ethics, the adcom is going to have a substantial writing sample for you in the form of your GMAT AWA and your essays. They are good at what they do and they will be able to tell if the same person wrote the recommendations. If your recommenders insist, I suggest that you compromise and write an outlined answer for each question with short phrases to suggest subject matter but leave the narrative to them. For example, for a question that asks how the applicant has shown leadership potential, write "ABC project and the way I pulled different groups together, Improvement of XYZ report for management, etc". If they still won't do it, get new recommenders. This is your application and only you will suffer the consequences if they can't devote the time to write a thoughtful document.
5) Give your recommenders plenty of time! 1 to 2 months should be plenty of time, but if you talk to them on the early side, be sure to check in every once in awhile to make sure it stays in the front of their minds. They are surely busy people and may forget when deadlines are, etc. A week or so before the deadlines, remind them again. Make yourself available in case they have questions.
6) Thank them appropriately. I sent B a gift basket ($50 value) and gave A a $50 gift card for a restaurant I know he likes. They will appreciate the gesture and they will remember it if you happen to decide to apply to more schools or need your boss's blessing to attend interviews or other MBA-related events.
7) Keep in touch. When you hear from schools, tell them! They will want to know and might be hurt if they aren't high on your list of people to inform, especially if the news is good. Afterall, they were probably instrumental in the results!
Recommender A: The first obvious choice was my current boss. I've worked for him the whole time I've been at this company.
Pros: He got an MBA at a top ten school, so I knew he would understand the magnitude of what I was doing and be familiar with the importance of the recommendation to my application. He is also a good writer and is great about seeing the "big picture" in things. I wasn't too worried about whether he could translate my skills and performance into a recommendation for a top business school.
Cons: He is a bit of a procrastinator. Sure enough, he submitted Kellogg a few hours before the deadline (albeit before I did). Also, I don't do a whole lot of work directly for him: there are people under him that I do most of my work directly for, although I do meet with him weekly to go over things. So I was a little worried that he might not have enough in the way of specifics. Finally, I was worried about spilling the beans about my plans to go to school. But this worry dissolved in July before I started my application. I received a promotion (yay!) which meant that I would not be jeopardizing a chance to receive one after my plans were revealed. Also, when my boss told me about the promotion, he told me that management was discussing rotating me to another team to get some different experiences and exposure. This was also good news from the recommendation perspective, because it meant that my boss was likely going to "lose me" anyway soon.
Recommender B: For my second choice, I considered approaching another manager on my team that I've worked with extensively. But instead, I decided to approach a manager at my former consulting company.
Pros: I worked with him three separate times. We worked together really well and his reviews of my work were strong. We were also part of a team that was very social, so I can say that he knows me on a personal level probably more than anyone I've ever (or will ever) work for. I even went to his wedding! He is extremely articulate and I knew he could convey my strengths and weaknesses clearly and eloquently.
Cons: I hadn't worked for him in over 2 years, and we'd kept in touch but not extensively. Also, when I left the company, I was working for him at the time. I didn't think there were hard feelings, but I still worried there may have been. I also worried a bit about the fact that I was very friendly with him on a social level. Anyone who has worked in consulting has probably been on a project where everyone works hard and plays harder. Frankly, the man has seen me (and everyone else on that project team) drunk many times. Again, I didn't think it would, but I hoped this wouldn't cloud his ability to comment on my professional abilities. Finally, he had a new baby and both parents work, so I knew he was probably crazy busy.
I had read Your MBA Game Plan and liked the idea of putting together the "Game Plan" and sending it to the recommenders. I included details like: where I was applying, why, what I wanted to do with the MBA and why, and what I knew about each of the schools and what the adcoms look for in applicants. I felt this would help them say things like "Tinydancer plans to enter the pharmaceutical marketing field, and I believe she will be succesful because ..."
I decided to ask Recommender B first. I'm not sure why I didn't just call him in the first place, but I sent him a carefully worded email first, then waited. For two weeks ... nothing!! So of course I freaked out and convinced myself that he didn't want to do it and was blowing me off. My husband talked me down, and I called and left a message. He called back and said yes, he'd be happy to write me a recommendation, and sorry he hadn't seen the email (duh, I thought, he never read my emails when I worked for him either!). I sent him the details in an email and signed him up on both application sites so he could see the invitations. I also attached the old reviews he had written for me so he would have them handy, my game plan, my updated resume, and a sample recommendation and some recommendation tips from one of my books. Again ... for several weeks I heard nothing. I was worried, but I knew he was very busy. I called once and left a message to say I was just checking to see if he had any questions. About 3 or 4 weeks before the due date, I got notifications that he'd submitted. Phew. He also sent me (short) emails afterwards to confirm. The lack of communication concerned me a bit, but I knew that was probably just him and that it didn't mean anything about what he wrote.
I approached Recommender A a week or so after B. I was really nervous. It felt like the "I'm taking another job" conversation, but a little less bad since it was actually "I'm possibly leaving the company in a year and not for another job". I asked him to have lunch with me, and I'm sure he was ready for the "I'm taking another job" talk, so I think he was relieved when I told him what it was really about! He was really excited for me, really supportive, and best of all, told me he thought I had a great chance to get in. Now, if I were him I would have told me that even if I didn't think it, so I took that with a grain of salt! But I left the conversation feeling very comfortable with having asked him. As I said, he definitely procrastinated, but I wasn't afriad to remind him almost daily in the weeks before the apps were due and he didn't seem to mind. I sent him the same materials I send B, and he said it was really helpful and showed resourcefulness and commitment on my part (yay!)
So, for those of you that are mulling an application run in 2008, here is my advice on approaching the recommendations:
1) Consider how many of these your recommenders will have to write and how spread out the due dates are. I only applied to 2 schools and it seemed like plenty of work. Granted, the second is probably a lot easier since questions may be similar and they can cut and paste to a degree. But you may want to consider different recommenders for different schools so that you know they can devote the time required to write good ones. Or, potentially spread your applications between rounds so you can can spread things out for them. I did warn mine in the beginning that if I didn't get in to my top 2 choices, that I may apply to more schools in the 2nd round.
2) Put together something like the MBA Game Plan that your recommenders can reference to provide details related to your goals and what you like about each school. If you recommenders can say "Tinydancer will fit in well in Kellogg's team-oriented environment because ..." or "I am confident that Tinydancer will be a strong contributor to her Wharton learning team because ...", it will add a little something extra to your application and show that you have truly thought hard about your school choices and shared this information with your recommenders. Doing this also helps them understand your motivations for pursuing an MBA in the first place, which I think can make a big difference in the tone of their writing.
3) Choose recommenders that can really speak to specifics about your skills and abilities. Schools say that they don't want you to choose impressive names for your recommenders just to try to impress them. They say they can see right through this, and I believe them. If your recommender can only speak in generalities, you leave the adcom to draw no-so-good conclusions about your judgement, and perhaps determine that you didn't have anyone that could speak positively about you AND provide specific examples.
4) Luckily for me, my recommenders didn't ask me to write my recommendations. If yours do, I strongly suggest that you don't. Besides questions of ethics, the adcom is going to have a substantial writing sample for you in the form of your GMAT AWA and your essays. They are good at what they do and they will be able to tell if the same person wrote the recommendations. If your recommenders insist, I suggest that you compromise and write an outlined answer for each question with short phrases to suggest subject matter but leave the narrative to them. For example, for a question that asks how the applicant has shown leadership potential, write "ABC project and the way I pulled different groups together, Improvement of XYZ report for management, etc". If they still won't do it, get new recommenders. This is your application and only you will suffer the consequences if they can't devote the time to write a thoughtful document.
5) Give your recommenders plenty of time! 1 to 2 months should be plenty of time, but if you talk to them on the early side, be sure to check in every once in awhile to make sure it stays in the front of their minds. They are surely busy people and may forget when deadlines are, etc. A week or so before the deadlines, remind them again. Make yourself available in case they have questions.
6) Thank them appropriately. I sent B a gift basket ($50 value) and gave A a $50 gift card for a restaurant I know he likes. They will appreciate the gesture and they will remember it if you happen to decide to apply to more schools or need your boss's blessing to attend interviews or other MBA-related events.
7) Keep in touch. When you hear from schools, tell them! They will want to know and might be hurt if they aren't high on your list of people to inform, especially if the news is good. Afterall, they were probably instrumental in the results!
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Wharton's Outsider Essay
Wharton has a new essay this year that has given a lot of people trouble:
Tell us about a situation in which you were an outsider. What did you learn from the experience? (500 words)
I think the best way to approach this question is not to try to think of a situation that is profound, like a crazy culture shock situation or a time when you stood up to a murderous gang, etc. Use it as another chance to tell the admissions committee something you want them to know about you. For instance, I used a story that wasn't really monumental, but was a good segue into a discussion of my volunteer work and why I do it.
This question reminds me of a day back in high school. It was AP English, and we had our first Blue Book essay exam on The Odyssey. Our teacher wrote the question on the board: "Explain the role of dramatic humanism in the Odyssey". Well, "dramatic humanism" isn't something we'd ever discussed and no one know what it meant. Everyone in the class raised their hands, but all she would do was write one word on the board. COPE. So I did what I could. I made up a reasonable definition for the term and went with it. I got an A.
I think the admissions committee may be going for a similar angle with this question. It's a little oddball, not something any other school asks. Applicants aren't going to have a model to go by. Therefore, they are going to have to come up with something on their own, and maybe it will give the adcom a chance to really see how the applicant thinks. So I guess that's my advice for Round 2 applicants ... COPE!
Of course, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe they are just looking for insight into how you deal with uncomfortable situations or your attitudes about diversity. What do I know, I don't even know if I got in yet! ;)
Tell us about a situation in which you were an outsider. What did you learn from the experience? (500 words)
I think the best way to approach this question is not to try to think of a situation that is profound, like a crazy culture shock situation or a time when you stood up to a murderous gang, etc. Use it as another chance to tell the admissions committee something you want them to know about you. For instance, I used a story that wasn't really monumental, but was a good segue into a discussion of my volunteer work and why I do it.
This question reminds me of a day back in high school. It was AP English, and we had our first Blue Book essay exam on The Odyssey. Our teacher wrote the question on the board: "Explain the role of dramatic humanism in the Odyssey". Well, "dramatic humanism" isn't something we'd ever discussed and no one know what it meant. Everyone in the class raised their hands, but all she would do was write one word on the board. COPE. So I did what I could. I made up a reasonable definition for the term and went with it. I got an A.
I think the admissions committee may be going for a similar angle with this question. It's a little oddball, not something any other school asks. Applicants aren't going to have a model to go by. Therefore, they are going to have to come up with something on their own, and maybe it will give the adcom a chance to really see how the applicant thinks. So I guess that's my advice for Round 2 applicants ... COPE!
Of course, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe they are just looking for insight into how you deal with uncomfortable situations or your attitudes about diversity. What do I know, I don't even know if I got in yet! ;)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
