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Which MBA program is right for me? How can I find the best fit? Jeremy Shinewald, Founder and President of mbaMission, will help prospective MBAs understand the differences that exist among top MBA programs. Jeremy will elaborate on areas that will profoundly affect your academic and social lives in b-school including the flexibility of a program’s curriculum, breadth of core courses, different methods of instruction, varying sizes of the cohorts and more. Start preparing now so you can be sure to make an educated decision when you apply!

Jeremy will remain online to discuss your own personal inquiries and answer any questions on the admissions process.

Join us for this valuable event that will be essential to your B-School planning!

All online attendees will receive:

• $100 off any 9-session ManhattanGMAT course
• Free access to a ManhattanGMAT computer adaptive practice exam
• Free half hour consultation with an mbaMission consultant

Register today!

Have you ever heard of Fundacao Getulio Vargas in Brazil? What about Universidad Metropolitana in Venezuela? Do you know anyone at the University of Calgary or the University of British Columbia, both in Canada? Why do we ask? Harvard posted profiles of thirty two students who are in its Class of 2010 and to the shock of many, not all of its class went to Harvard College. In fact, only three of this group did. You may say, “Yes, but they selectively released information on these thirty-two students.” Well, the school also offers a list of the five hundred institutions that have been represented in its last three classes of 900 to 950 students. Meanwhile, the Stanford (not an Ivy) admissions office states that 151 schools were represented among its 385 students in its Class of 2011. And, it goes on…

While Harvard College is certainly well-represented in the HBS class, most schools attract a strong following among  their alumni. Still, it is not a prerequisite, nor is it a hindrance. The admissions committees are more interested in your performance – academic, professional, volunteer, personal – than your pedigree. Further, the admissions committee is interested in diversity. We don’t feel that we are going out on a limb stating that Wharton does not want and cannot have a class of 850 UPenn undergrads, because they simply want the best potential business leaders out there and thus must jump into a much deeper pool.

So, if you come from a school that has no international profile or even a limited national profile, you should not worry. Your performance at your academic institution is far more important than your institution’s name. Furthermore, you represent far more than your undergraduate institution and should therefore not be an apologist for your school, but an advocate of your skills.

The deadline for Harvard Business School’s 2+2 program is rapidly approaching – what are you going to write to ensure that you standout?

Join mbaMission Founder/President, Jeremy Shinewald, as he takes you through written exercises and offers his unique thoughts via a presentation entitled, “How to write effective 2+2 application essays”. During this exclusive online event, Jeremy will help you focos on what is important to minimize your stress levels and maximize your chances of being accepted into this elite program.

Join us for this valuable and free online event that will be essential to your b-school ambitions.

All attendees will receive:

• Undergrad discount information for Manhattan GMAT Prep Courses
• A chance to win a Manhattan GMAT Complete Prep Set
• Free access to a ManhattanGMAT computer adaptive practice exam
• Free half hour consultation with an mbaMission consultant

Sign up today!

Hysteria sells.

Last week, an admissions consulting firm gained a fair amount of press for its piece on “weird interview questions that the admissions officers will use to trip you up.” The questions that they showcased were indeed incomprehensibly absurd, including this one: “If you could go back in time and steal Hitler’s wallet without fear of punishment, would you?”

The problem with their piece was that they passed off these questions as if admissions officers were eagerly waiting to “use (them) to trip you up,” stoking anxiety among applicants.  Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the top admissions officers whom we have spoken with in recent months have said quite the opposite (as you will see below). They will not use such questions.

We feel that our responsibility as an admissions consulting firm is to calm MBA candidates and keep them focused on what is truly important within the application process. Interviews are not easy, but overwhelmingly the questions are straightforward and will be about you. So, you should be able to rely on your experiences to answer the questions. By entering your interview calmly and staying in your everyday frame of mind, you will be able to thoughtfully address the questions that you are asked. If you can do that, you should perform to the best of your abilities and you may even enjoy your interview.

We are always prepared to work with candidates by conducting mock interviews and during our sessions we will use questions that you can actually expect to be asked during an interview.

The following excerpts from our interviews with top admissions officers speak for themselves:

“And it’s really, I would say, a fairly standard behavioral interview. The purpose is not to trick you or throw curveballs, but really get a sense of the applicant, get a sense of their background, their interests, why they want to get an MBA, what they want to do with their degree.”

–          Bruce DelMonico, Admissions Director, Yale SOM

“Ours (interviews) are, intentionally, fairly informal. We have interviews that are conducted by our staff as well as alumni and current students, and typically, when someone comes in for an interview, a few minutes are spent just making the person feel at ease. We try to ease people into it. They’re definitely not intended to put someone on a hot seat.”

–          Dawna Clarke, Admissions Director, Dartmouth-Tuck

“I advise people to put together the absolute best application you can, and I think a big part of that, as clichéd as this is going to sound, is really just being who you are. Not trying to be who you think we want to read about or who we want to hear in an interview. Just be you.”

–          Beth Flye, Admissions Director, Northwestern-Kellogg

“I would say the overall perspective, and this is true for the interview, but it’s true, I think, for the whole process, is a positive perspective. So, we’re not looking for reasons to deny someone, we’re looking for reasons to admit someone.”

–          JJ Cutler, Admissions Director, UPenn Wharton

“Here’s the hard part  — once you’ve practiced and prepared, you need to set aside all that preparation so that you can focus on having a conversation with your interviewer.  Remember, the interviewer knows Booth well, but not you.  So feel free to allow the conversation to be two way.  Getting to know the person sitting across the table will help you to relax and relate your stories more effectively.”

–          Excerpt from the blog of Rose Martinelli, Admissions Director, Chicago Booth

One of the enduring myths in the MBA admissions world is that one must have ironclad goals in order to gain admission to a top business school. While there is no rule against having very clear goals and having them can indeed help, it can be reasonable to offer a back-up plan, sketch broad professional goals or avoid answering the question altogether, in certain circumstances.

In recent years, Harvard Business School actually dropped its goal statement and its “Why HBS?” component. Instead of asking applicants to discuss their short and long term goals, HBS asks for a broader “career vision.” Not only that, but this “vision” question is itself optional, meaning that those who are unsure of their goals, need not answer the question. One thing to keep in mind is that the absence of a mandatory career essay question is not an underhanded trick, where the admissions office expects you to know that you are actually required to answer it. HBS admissions director Dee Leopold’s is fairly clear about this on her blog,

When it comes to (a career essay) being valuable in our selection process, we find that the vast majority of our students may have a general idea of what they might want to do post HBS, but are very open and curious to explore many different career paths. As a School, we make a big investment in encouraging that exploration and helping students through a rigorous self-assessment process. We try to avoid sending a signal in the application process that we think that process should be completed pre-business school. I think that having this time for exploration is a major advantage of a two year MBA program.

Indeed, these sentiments are echoed by Chicago-Booth’s Rose Martinelli, who told mbaMission:

For me, the question as to why an MBA is important is much more relevant than exactly where you’re going, since goals change. The thought process that brought you to this place in your career is what interests me. I’m looking for a sense of direction and knowing what your needs are. If you have very refined goals, I would say that’s great. But for the vast majority of people, if you really pressed them, goals were often created recently and typically just for the application. And, since the whole point of an MBA experience is to explore, expand and develop a new understanding and awareness of one’s abilities and passions, I don’t get hung up on goals. I am, however, very interested in path, plan and knowing one’s self.

While a narrow career goal may not be necessary for HBS or Chicago, Soojin Kwon Koh, Director of Admissions at Michigan-Ross, takes a pragmatic approach, recognizing that the shaky economy means a back-up plan can be useful. Ms. Kwon Koh told mbaMission:

We think that (at times) having two goals can be practical. As this economic downturn has shown, sometimes people may have to pursue an alternate career path. We advise our students to do a thorough career self-assessment and identify which careers might be a good match for them based on their interests, values and priorities. We encourage them to reassess as they go along. Students should think more broadly about the skills they want to use and develop, and the kind of environment they want to work in.  Chances are, more than one industry or function will fit that bill.

We strongly recommend that you exercise caution and ensure that you understand an admissions office’s philosophy, prior to preparing your goal statement. Still, it is myth that all schools insist on a deliberate set of short and long term goals. Aware of this, you, somewhat ironically, might find yourself making a far more personal and profound statement about your intentions.