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English, thankfully, is a language without many gender-related problems, but some do exist, and being gender neutral in MBA application essays can be important. In general, a key way to avoid such problems is to pluralize—to talk about groups rather than individuals. Consider the following examples:

a. “Today’s manager must be financially literate to do his job well.”

b. “Today’s manager must be financially literate to do his/her job well.”

c. “Today’s managers must be financially literate to do their job well.”

In (a), the sentence is poor because it is not gender neutral. Simply put, avoid writing “his” and assuming that the manager is a man. When you are talking about a hypothetical manager and don’t know that manager’s gender, you cannot assume the manager is a man any more than you can assume she is a woman.

Sentence (b) is better because it shows that the writer is sensitive to gender issues and, therefore, has made sure to insert “/her” after “his.” However, using “his/her,” “him/her,” “he/she” (or “s/he”) and other such constructions can make essays unnecessarily cumbersome and can also disrupt an essay’s style or rhythm for the reader.

Sentence (c) is, therefore, the best of the three sentences. Words that entail gender considerations when singular lose such considerations when pluralized: “his/her” becomes “their,” “him/her” becomes “them,” “he/she” or “s/he” becomes “they.” Pluralizing gender-laden pronouns will allow you to avoid this awkward problem—and, as you may have noticed, will save word count as well.

Whether you are applying for an evening and/or weekend EMBA program, a global MBA program that meets abroad and connects online or anything in between, the EMBA admissions board wants to know that you can contribute at a high level and that you will be committed to the program through the very end. In this seminar, Jeremy Shinewald, the founder and president of mbaMission, will help you identify your ideal target EMBA programs and prepare you to start shaping your MBA applications—from your essays to your resume to your interviews.

After the presentation, Jeremy will remain on site for a Q&A session to answer your questions and help you take the next steps in your career.

Date: Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Time: 6:30-8:00 p.m. EST
Location: 138 West 25th Street (b/w 6th & 7th: to enter press Call then dial 132) New York, NY 10001
Price: Free!

To register for this event, please click here.

Mission Admission is a series of MBA admission tips; a new one is posted each Tuesday.

With approximately seven months to go before the first-round deadlines for the 2011—2012 MBA admissions cycle, many business school aspirants are considering ways to enhance their candidacy. While candidates can take a variety of steps—from boosting their community and personal profiles, to pursuing additional classes, to reinvigorating relationships with potential recommenders—some even consider seeking a new position with a different firm or industry. Is this a good idea?

If you are contemplating such a move, the first thing to consider is your tenure at your current firm. If you have been at your firm for less than one year, changing positions is generally unwise. MBA admissions committees tend to appreciate consistency and frown on what they perceive as opportunism. So, if you have had several positions in the past that you have held for approximately one year or less, staying put and proving your commitment may be a good idea. If, however, you are a long-serving employee and want to embark on a new path, a move may bolster your profile.

Beyond the tenure issue, the question becomes: Are you moving horizontally or vertically? If you are changing positions and gaining an increase in salary and responsibility, you are almost always making a wise choice and are most often insulated from concerns about tenure. MBA admissions committees want to know that you are a rising star. So, if you can gain greater responsibility in the next nine months, then you should grab that opportunity. As we often tell candidates, “What is good for your career is almost always good for your MBA candidacy.”

However, before you move on, you may also want to consider whether you will be burning bridges at your existing firm. Maintaining your references is important, because you may need them in the short term. Further, you may want to ask yourself: Do I have enough time to achieve something impressive at my next firm? If nine months is sufficient time to add to your professional/personal narrative, then a new position may be worth pursuing. However, if you are joining an organization that has a one-year sales cycle, for example, you may not have much to offer and may want to think twice about a move.

Finally, we advise candidates to not pander to MBA admissions committees. If you think that a consulting or banking position will impress the admissions committee, but such a position is not part of your intended career path, making a move into one of these areas is pointless. Your potential move should be consistent with your personal goals, not with what you think an admissions committee wants—the committees want authenticity and differentiated candidates, not a cookie-cutter “type” of candidate from a specific field.

With the advent of chat rooms and blogs, armchair “experts” often unintentionally propagate MBA admissions myths, which can linger and undermine an applicant’s confidence. Some applicants are led to believe that schools want a specific “type” of candidate and expect certain GMAT scores and GPAs, for example. Others are led to believe that they need to know alumni from their target schools and/or get a letter of reference from the CEO of their firm to get in. Join Jeremy Shinewald, founder of mbaMission, as he debunks these and other myths, strives to take the anxiety out of the admissions process and refocuses you on your applications. A Q&A session with Jeremy will follow the presentation.

Date: Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Time: 7:00-8:30 p.m. EST
Location: Midtown Kaplan Center, 131 W. 56th Street (between 6th and 7th Ave)
Price: Free!

To register for this event, please click here.

Columbia Business School offers its students a variety of entrepreneurial programs—the Lang Fund grants up to $25,000 to student ventures; the entrepreneur’s organization makes $10,000 available to the students who win the outrageous business plan competition; the Entrepreneurial Greenhouse program provides support for those who intend to start a business immediately upon graduation. But, what if you just want to test your idea to determine whether it is worth pursuing? Students with less-refined ideas may opt to first pitch their proposed venture to a member of the faculty through the Entrepreneurial Sounding Board, a program that provides students with 30-minute feedback sessions regardless of the development level of the proposed ideas. Often, professors will do more than just give these students mere feedback, also suggesting action items and facilitating networking opportunities. After a student’s idea has been thoroughly considered, the student will then be prepared to propose it to the Greenhouse and seek funding, fully aware of the challenges and opportunities ahead.