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Admission & Application Survey |
| Full-time MBA Program |
This write up has been directed towards getting into any of the top 30
MBA programs.
The first step in the process is GMAT.
GMAT: Take this test as early as possible so that you can concentrate
on other aspects of the application process. A decent score to get into
a top 30 program program is 670+. However 700+ is a psychologically
good score - most schools seem to like this score. An excellent score
is 730+.
There are 3 sections to the GMAT Verbal, Quantitative and 2 Essays. You
have to score at least in the 80th percentile on both sections and at
least a 4.5 - 5 out of 6 on the essays to get into the top thirty
schools.
SCHOOL SELECTION: To select the school I would recommend targeting 3
dream schools, 2 medium range schools and 3 safety schools. I know its
a lot of work, but in this economy your best bet is to apply to a lot
more schools and have a choice than to get dinged everywhere you
applied (since you applied to only 3 schools). Go to sites like
businessweek.com, financialtimes.com, vault.com for what schools are
out there.
Also check out if you would be interested in one-year programs such as
Kellogg or any international 1 year program, while you are at the
process.
SCHOOL VISITS: If you have narrowed you choices, I would highly
recommend visiting the schools that you selected (many of them, if not
all - since geography might be a factor). School visits provide
abundant information about the culture, the nature of the class,
faculty etc, all of which are important things to consider in an MBA
program. MBA is all about meeting more people and getting front of
people at exponentially higher levels than what you would have ever
experienced.
RECOMMENDATIONS: Start talking to people who will say good things about
you. Cajole them, treat them to lunch and make sure they are willing to
give 8 recommendations (one for each school). Find 2-3 such people.
Start this early since their time is not entirely devoted to your
cause. Therefore, start early on this one.
Have a discussion with them about what you are interested in and what
you hope to do after an MBA; some schools ask the recommenders what you
will become in 10 years (which even you may not know)
ESSAY WRITING TIPS:
Essays are in my opinion the achilles heel in the process. I have seen
that 95% of the people write something in the essay but go on to do
something else. This is not bad but really shows how much the process
should change. Therefore here is my tip:
What's my suggestion? Make SH1T UP. If you can't, pay a writer to come
up with a story for you. No, not those essay editing servcies but a
real fiction writer, because that's what it'll take to get attention of
the admissions committee. Don't lie about your past since it's easily
verifiable and schools will check. Nobody can hold you to your
statements about the future, so LIE YOUR ASS OFF about your goals,
career plans, and mostly importantly, why MBA. It has to sound 80%
believable and 20% fascinating. Talk to people and compile stories from
everywhere, adaptations from real-life stories are most convincing. The
whole point of bschool essay is to PERSUADE adcom to accept you.
They're not your best friend, in fact, most of them are there to f**k
you. Don't ever forget that.
Oh, another thing about essays, adcom members are human. They are
susceptible to committing the same reasoning errors as you and I. So
before you plan your essay, read up a little on psychology, memory
reconstruction, base-rate fallacy, confirmation bias, and elements of
persuasion (found in social psychology). Structure and word your essay
so you could exploit those weaknesses of the human mind. They will
help you in making an impression.
Hey, whatever it takes right?
WHICH ROUND SHOULD YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION
The earlier you submit the better. Round 1 is when the admissions
committee (adcom) looks for candidates, round 2 is the one with the
largest volume of applications and therefore the adcom filters
candidates and tries to eliminate rather than select.
INTERVIEW
Be prepared but dont sound too prepared at the interview on the
follwing questions. You will get in for sure depending on your answers.
A. General questions / resume based questions
1) Discuss your career progression / Walk me through your resume
2) Give examples of how you have demonstrated leadership in the
work environment.
3) Give examples of how you have demonstrated leadership outside
of the work environment.
4) What are your short-term goals / what do you want to do
immediately after graduation Why?
5) Why MBA? / Why are you applying to business school?
6) Why now?
7) Describe an ethical dilemma faced at work
8) Describe your career aspirations / long-term goals. Why?
9) What would you do if not accepted / alternatives to XXX school?
10) Why does this school appeal to you? Why XXX school/How will it
help you achieve career goals?
11) In what activities are you involved? Why is it important to
you? / What do you do for fun?
12) Talk about experiences you have had at work / Give an example
of a situation where you solved a problem?
13) Why did you choose your undergraduate major?
14) Discuss yourself / Tell me about yourself
15) Name three words or phrases to describe yourself to others.
16) How would your current co-workers describe you? If two
managers were discussing you, what would they say?
17) What is most frustrating at work / current job?
18) Describe a typical work day.
19) Have you worked in a team environment? What were your
contributions to the effort? What contributions would you make to a
group? What role do you usually take in a team setting?
20) Discuss any experience you have had abroad.
21) How did you choose your job after college?
22) What do you do to relieve stress?
23) Its two years after graduation, what three words would your
team members use to describe you?
24) Describe a situation where you brought an idea forward, and it
failed.
25) How do you define success?
26) What would you do if a team member weren??t pulling his own
weight?
27) Is there anything you would like to ask me/us?
28) Tell me about your job. How is your most recent project going?
29) Tell me about a time when you were challenged at work
30) If you were me what would you ask yourself
31) Why did I make the choices I did
32) What other options did I have, what other choices would I have
made if I had not made the ones I did.
33) How would you discuss your leadership style?
34) How I will use my current skill set in my next career after
business school?
35) What is something from your past that you wish you would have
done differently and why? The experience can be from work, school,
other activities, or from your personal life.
36) Who is a client you admire and why?
37) Since submitting your application, how have you continued to
take leadership roles?
38) With all of your experience, why do you need an MBA?
39) How is my age not a disqualification?
40) What other career path I would have chosen if back 10 years?
41) Ever disagreed with your manager / Example of conflict and how
you solved it
42) In looking at your application, what would the admissions
committee be most concerned about? What are the weaknesses in your
application and how have you addressed them?
43) What can you contribute to the school? / How are you unique?
What do you bring to the table?
44) How do you want your fellow students to describe you after two
years in b-school?
45) What are the significant opportunities and challenges facing
the current industry you are in?
46) What do you get out of your extracurricular activities, in
terms of personal development?
47) How did you keep your team members motivated?
48) If you were given one afternoon of free time, what would you do?
49) Describe a situation where you brought an idea forward, and
implemented it successfully.
50) If you were given a one-day vacation, where would you go?
51) What would your colleagues miss least about you?
52) If we give you an offer, would you accept it?
53) Which two qualities would you want me to highlight in my
interview report? What do you want me to remember you as?
54) Tell me about the person with whom you have least enjoyed
working. How did this relationship function?
55) What are your top three accomplishments and why?
56) Describe your ideal work environment.
57) If you would change something about yourself (personal quality)
what would that be?
58) In what areas do you need development? How do you plan to /
how are you currently addressing that?
B. Essay based questions
Be prepared to get questions based on your essay.
Questions for interviewer
1) What are the tactics adopted to market the MBA program /
marketing philosophy?
2) What do you like best about the program and what are the things
you would like to change about the program / school (eg. Space for team
work is currently raised by students as an issue)?
3) What are the initiatives undertaken by in the functional (say
healthcare management) area?
4) What types of companies do students go to in summer for
internship?
5) How are students brought into other programs of the school?
6) What are international opportunities immediately after
graduation?
7) Field studies (not internship) for practical experience
8) Ask about student clubs.
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Vanderbilt University (Owen) Admission & Application Surveys
