Saturday, December 12, 2009

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Rank '09 School name Sal tod Weighted sal. ($) Salary inc. (%) Value Int. students
1 University of Pennsylvania: Wharton 170,210 169,784 119 100 44
11 University of Chicago: Booth         154,340 150,272 113 96 42
6 Stanford University GSB 173,935 170,340 105 94 43
3 Harvard Business School 164,783 163,637 115 86 33
4 Columbia Business School 168,073 164,310 132 81 43
9 MIT Sloan School of Management 155,811 156,451 121 79 36

Essential Tools for the MBA Student

So suppose you have posted an excellent score on the GMAT, written some fabulous essays (that are even mostly true), been accepted to an outstanding MBA program, mailed in your deposit, secured some gigantic student loans, and you've loaded up the truck to move. Given the impending impoverishment of your lifestyle is there anything that you can't do without? Absolutely. Every MBA student needs, at a minimum, the same four essential pieces of gear:

1. The laptop computer. Don't even think about a desktop; the lack of portability will hugely cramp your mobility when working in a group.

2. The financial calculator. Yes, you have that laptop. Yes, it has Excel. But it's annoying to have to pull out the laptop every time you need to multiply a string of numbers. Another excellent route is to just procure a software-based financial calculator for your handheld, and suddenly your PDA (or phone) can calculate the yield on a 10-year T-bill. That's slick.

3. The mobile telephone. If you don't have one yet, get one with good coverage both on campus and in the cities in which you plan to spend significant time job-hunting.

4. A subscription to a major business-related journal. This is absolutely indispensable if you are heading into a career in investment banking, but it's almost as important for everyone else.

Choosing a Business School Should you or shouldn't you? Here are some tips on making the choice to go to business school

Your first requirement in picking a school is to know your objective. All told, there are probably four main reasons for enduring two years of study for the MBA:

•" You want to know how business works. The MBA has been described as virtually a prerequisite to being an effective manager of a commercial enterprise.

•" You want to advance your career. Most MBA programs equip their graduates to deal with many of the important questions that their organizations will be required to tackle over time, and that they will face in their careers.

•" You want to make an obscene amount of money. You have looked at what you're making now, and at the starting salaries of those MBA graduates, and you've decided you're in.

•" You want to teach. Teaching business administration is one of the most lucrative academic jobs one can get these days. Not many other university professors can earn in the low six figures as relatively junior faculty.

The next question is, what sort of program to attend. Broadly speaking, there are two options:

•" The full-time option. What full-time MBA programs offer through a total immersion process is unparalleled access to a wide range of faculty, speakers, contacts, recruiters, and alumni on a weekly, and even daily, basis. If you can afford to quit your day job, the experience is worth it.

•" Part-time, evening, and weekend programs. For those who have jobs that they either can't or don't want to surrender, there are other excellent options. Part-time programs generally allow students three to five years to complete the course work that a full-time program expects to cover in just two.

For more information on MBA school ratings see the BusinessWeek Guide to the Best Business Schools, published by McGraw-Hill.

Adapted from McGraw-Hill's GMAT, by James Hasik, Stacey Rudnick, and Ryan Hackney. Book-only and book/CD-ROM versions available wherever books are sold.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

A B

1 5 Harvard University (MA)
1 9 Stanford University (CA)
3 1 University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)
4 15 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan)
5 2 Northwestern University (Kellogg) (IL)
6 6 Columbia University (NY)
6 3 University of Chicago
8 7 Duke University (Fuqua) (NC)
9 4 University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
10 16 University of California–Berkeley (Haas)

A=US News Rank
B=Business Week Rank

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Following are the essay tips from Chicago Booth’s Admissions Director, Rose Martinelli.

1) How did you choose your most recent job/internship and how did this experience influence your future goals? What about the Chicago Booth MBA makes you feel it is the next best step in your career at this time? (750-1000 words)

This essay requires you to know the basics of your personal career path inside and out. How have your decisions made you ready to apply to an MBA program? While we understand that not everyone will be crystal clear in their future plans, you should be prepared to discuss your goals and how they relate to obtaining the degree.

Re-applicants have an extra question to answer: Upon reflection, how has your thinking regarding your future, Chicago Booth, and/or getting an MBA changed since the time of your last application? (250 words)

This question is designed to give our re-applicants a place to tell us what, if anything, has changed since the time of your last application. What has happened in your life or career that has made your goals change or remain steady? What actions have you taken or lessons have you learned in this past year?


2) Describe a time when you wish you could have retracted something you said or did. When did you realize your mistake and how did you handle the situation?
or
Describe a time when you were surprised by feedback that you received. What was the feedback and why were you surprised?

This essay is about self awareness. At Booth, you’ll constantly be asked to evaluate and re-evaluate your personal development. Both questions give us a sense of your life experiences; specifically, how you handle feedback and how you bounce back in those not so positive situations. What did you learn from the experience and how will it impact your future actions? In order to be powerful, we often find that situational essay questions command authentic stories.

3) In four slides or less please answer the following question: What have you not already shared in your application that you would like your future classmates to know about you?

There has never been a right or wrong way to answer this question. From the very artistic to the bold black and white, it’s always been about the content.

Be strategic; take an inventory of what you’ve shared with us elsewhere in your application. What else would you like the Admissions Committee and your future classmates to know? We encourage you to think less about what the committee wants to hear, and more about how to illustrate those facets of yourself and your personality that make you unique. This is your chance to make sure when each reader closes your application file, they walk away with a sense of who are, what makes you tick and what it might be like to eventually meet you.

We hope the process of writing your application is a time of discovery and adventure as you look to prepare for your future, whatever that may be. Yes, we understand how time consuming and expensive this process can be, but investing in yourself always brings great returns.

She also posted some excellent admission tips on her blog:

Deciding whether to reapply is a personal choice. For those of you considering, I would encourage you to go back and review your original application. If you were on the waitlist, include the information that you submitted through that process. Consider asking a friend or colleague to give you feedback too. The objective is to understand how well you presented yourself in your original application and identify if there are any areas that you can improve upon this year.

Next, take stock of what you learned through the process of applying last year. Have your goals changed or crystallized? Are there things you can do this year to strengthen any of the main components (academic preparedness, career progression, community involvement, personal/professional focus and/ or self-awareness)? In summary, are there things that you would do differently now just because you know the process AND yourself better?

Once you’ve completed your review, it’s time to approach the application (see instructions for reapplicants). Be strategic about the messages you wish to convey in the application from data forms to essays and your presentation. While we will include your prior application in your file as background material, make sure that your new application presents your candidacy fully. My recommendation is that you take a fresh approach to crafting your application this year and avoid adapting old essays or presentations.

Now that you’ve had a chance to review and reflect on last year’s application experience, it’s time to start thinking about the process of putting together your new application. It’s important to approach this as if you are writing your personal business plan for the future. Know what messages you want to convey and map them into the different components of the application before you begin writing.

Every part of the application should be considered as “precious real estate”, with each question having a specific purpose, so take the time to be clear and concise in your answers. Let’s look at the different components.

Data forms: Take the time and effort to carefully complete the data forms – do not rely on last year’s application to provide us with that information since the forms change a little bit each year. Be thoughtful about your responses and make sure that you balance your desire to give us everything, with our desire to limit the amount you provide. A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself – why is this information important for the admissions committee to know about me? If you can answer this, be sure to make your responses concise and relevant.

Resume: Follow the instructions we provide. Your resume should be one that you would use for any job search, highlighting your role and accomplishments. Again, if you are wondering if you should include particular information, use the relevance factor in making your decision.

Recommendations: While we know you may choose to use the same recommenders as in your prior application, ask your recommenders to update the information with your progression. It might also be helpful for you to take the time to meet with them to review your progress during this period and to highlight areas they might use as examples within the recommendation.

Essays: As I mentioned in my earlier blog, avoid regurgitating information you used last year – whether essays or elements of your presentation. Be bold and start from scratch. Our newest Admissions Insider spends time explaining the purpose of each of the essays, so check out that resource. Essay question 1, part B is the only essay specifically for reapplicants which asks what has changed since you last applied. This could be anything from work experience, new goals or a greater self awareness. Here’s your chance to help us understand your growth from last year.

The Evaluation Process: Each application will be evaluated in this year’s applicant pool. One caveat for you to consider: Don’t expect to be invited to interview this year just because you were last year. Your success in the admissions process this year will be solely dependent upon how you approach your application this year. So take the time and make the effort to put your best foot forward in the process. The ball is in your court now!

We at TotalGadha would like to thank Rose for providing such insightful tips for the prospective candidates.
1: Briefly assess your career progress to date. Elaborate on your future career plans and your motivation for pursuing a graduate degree at Kellogg (1-2 pages).

Primeiramente, falei sobre a minha trajetória profissional de forma resumida, desde o momento que entrei no programa de trainees da Gerdau até o momento em que entrei na Gradus. Depois, expliquei quais eram meus planos de curto e longo prazo e, na parte final, falei sobre como o MBA de Kellogg poderia me ajudar. Aqui falei sobre algumas matérias que poderiam me ajudar na minha carreira de consultoria, alguns clubes que desejava participar, alguns programas específicos e citei também como o depoimento de um aluno de Kellogg me ajudou a decidir Kellogg como minha primeira opção de MBA.

2: Describe how your background, values, academics, activities and/or leadership skills will enhance the experience of other Kellogg students (1-2 pages).

Aqui nessa segunda essay, você traz suas experiências pessoais, como um momento que você venceu uma dificuldade ou deficiência, momentos de virada da sua vida (turning points), experiências de viagens internacionais, intercâmbios, trabalhos comunitários e voluntários, etc. Na segunda parte eu expliquei como todas as minhas vivências poderiam ajudar os outros alunos de Kellogg na experiência de classes, projetos, clubes, etc. A idéia é que você realmente abra o seu coração e conte as estórias que fazem de você um candidato com características únicas e especiais. Tenho a impressão que essa essay em particular tem um grande peso para o comitê de admissão. Kellogg gosta de exemplos de vida e diversidade em seus alunos. Muito importante também demonstrar, com exemplos concretos, como você vai trazer uma perspectiva diferente e única nas discussões em classe.

3: Describe your key leadership experiences and evaluate what leadership areas you hope to develop through your MBA experience (1-2 pages).

Nessa essay, minha estratégia foi falar de dois exemplos de liderança no campo profissional e uma no campo pessoal. Comecei falando de uma experiência em que tive que mostrar liderança na Gerdau e outra da Gradus. No campo pessoal, falei da minha experiência como professor de escola dominical em um bairro pobre de Campinas e do impacto que esse trabalho teve na vida das pessoas com que tive contato. Na parte final da essay, falei sobre como o MBA irá me ajudar a desenvolver outros aspectos de liderança. O que acho importante em todo o application é trazer exemplos concretos. Muitos candidatos tem a tendência de ser muito "fluff" ao descrever suas experiências, sendo bem superficiais. Outros tendem a listar tudo o que eles fizeram, mas sem entrar em detalhes e sem ser profundo nas experiências. Nas essays, é de extrema importância explicar bem o que você sentiu, quais foram os obstáculos a serem vencidos, como você se portou em alguma ocasião em específico, como você lidou com uma determinada situação. O comitê tem que perceber, nas suas experiências, quem você é como pessoa e, para isso, você deve pensar de forma bem profunda sobre suas experiências passadas. Por isso acho muito melhor você escolher três a quatro experiências que te ajudarão a vender bem o seu peixe ao comitê.

4. Complete 2 of the 3 essays.

4A - Describe a time when you had to motivate a reluctant individual or group.

Eu contei sobre um evento que ocorreu na Gerdau. Novamente é muito importante trazer detalhe e profundidade na sua estória. Tem que estar claro quais foram as suas características pessoais que o ajudou a lidar com o indivíduo ou grupo relutante. Novamente é a oportunidade de vender o seu peixe. Nessa essay o limite foi de uma página.

4B - I wish the Admissions Committee had asked me…..

Contei dois exemplos sobre a minha determinação em atingir meus objetivos. Essa essay te possibilita muita flexibilidade em termos de estórias que ajudarão a vender a sua candidatura a uma vaga em Kellogg. Se você tem uma estória que é realmente interessante mas não se encaixa em nenhuma das questões, essa é a chance de contá-las ao comitê.

4C - What do others admire about you?

Como tem que escolher duas essays de três, acabei não fazendo essa. Hoje entendo o porquê dessa questão: todo aluno de Kellogg tem que completar uma avaliação 360 graus antes de começar o curso. Como vocês devem saber, nesse tipo de avaliação você é avaliado por chefes, pares e subordinados, permitindo, com isso, que você consiga comparar como você é visto pelos outros com como você se vê. Essa essay é uma oportunidade de você vender o seu peixe, mas, para ser bem sucedido nela, você deverá pedir a pessoas que te conhecem muito bem fazer uma lista das características que elas mais admiram em você. Depois você pode ver quais são as duas ou três características em comum e ilustrar com exemplos concretos que os seus amigos contarão.
4D - For re-applicants only: Since your previous application, what are the steps you’ve taken to strengthen your candidacy?

Monday, December 7, 2009