1. The MBA Admissions Studio www.mbastudio.net MBA Admissions Strategy Overview and Discussion World MBA Tour Seminar Series December, 2003 The MBA Admissions Studio www.mbastudio.net

2. Key Elements of an Application 1.File data 2.Academic (GPA and GMAT) 3.References 4.Interview 5.Essays “The consistent good beats the inconsistent excellent.” The MBA Admissions Studio www.mbastudio.net

3. Insight #1 Marketing yourself 1.This is a marketing assignment 2.What is overlap between your needs and Adcom’s? 3.Increasing overlap: - What are your customer’s needs? - Contents, packaging, and positioning 4.Getting elected: - All applicants are standing for office 5.Positioning and message implications The MBA Admissions Studio www.mbastudio.net

4. Insight #2 Be yourself 1.There is no ideal type 2.The stereotyping paradox: it decreases your attractiveness. Diversity is good. 3.Don’t be typical. Don’t be someone else 4.But be savvy (increasing fit doesn’t hurt.) 5.How to achieve the balance The MBA Admissions Studio www.mbastudio.net

5. Insight #3 They market too 1.Their investment in finding you is clear 2..The schools needs and interests. - Short term - Long term - The best and best balanced class. 3.Implication: who they choose… The MBA Admissions Studio www.mbastudio.net

6. Insight #4 What satisfies Adcom? 1.What do they want?! 2.The basic criteria 3.The obvious criteria 4.Some often forgotten considerations 5.The 4 realms of attributes: Academic, Personal, Professional, Communal The MBA Admissions Studio www.mbastudio.net

7. Insight #5 Who is Adcom really? 1.Who handles your applications -Students -Readers -Academic staff -Professional admissions staff 2.Who handles which phase? 3.A profile of the admissions officer The MBA Admissions Studio www.mbastudio.net

8. Insight #6 Criteria for choosing programs 1.Location & recruitment opportunities 2.Participant profile 3.Length, structure and flexibility (incl. cost) 4.Rankings & reputation 5.Looking for your competitive advantage How to really get your research done The MBA Admissions Studio www.mbastudio.net

9. Insight #7 Who’s life is it anyway? 1.Keeping the world the right way up 2.Your needs, your money, your life 3.Exploiting the subtleties of the two-way fit 4.Implications for choosing programs The MBA Admissions Studio www.mbastudio.net

10. Insight #8 What you need to know about your chosen institution 1. Not all information is equal 2. If you found it on the Web, its stale 3. Value in fresh insights specific to you The MBA Admissions Studio www.mbastudio.net

11. Insight #9 Achieving quality research 1. How to approach: Faculty Administration Students Alumni 2. The school visit The MBA Admissions Studio www.mbastudio.net

12. Insight #10 More application fundamentals 1.How many schools? What are the real limits? 2.Issues in nurturing referees 3.Timing issues: when to play your hand The MBA Admissions Studio www.mbastudio.net

13. Insight #11 What happens after you hand in? 1.File assembly 2.The process to the committee meeting 3.The reading process a. Data assessment: Age & experience b. Academic assessment: GPA and GMAT c. Essays: Path. Interest. Momentum d. Corroboration: references & interview (ways Adcom spreads risk.) The MBA Admissions Studio www.mbastudio.net

14. Insight #12 GMAT: How much is enough? 1.Is 800 the perfect score? 2.The rising tide 3.The threshold principle 4.Basic number requirements 5.Relationship with undergraduate scores and other academic results The MBA Admissions Studio www.mbastudio.net

15. Insight #13 Interview realities 1.Putting it all together 2.What’s being tested? - personal dynamics - interaction skill and maturity - honesty and openness - natural confidence - drive and purpose - knowledge of and passion for the school. 3.Appropriate question techniques The MBA Admissions Studio www.mbastudio.net

16. Insight #14 Managing referees 1.Who to pick? 2.Professional referees 3.Academic referees 4.Celebrity referees 5.Priming referees: creating application synergy & congruence The MBA Admissions Studio www.mbastudio.net

17. Insight #15 Why are the essays there? 1.Better ways to do it? 2.Fine-tuning the data Overcoming adcom’s problem with every file 3.Rewarding strengths outside the classroom The MBA Admissions Studio www.mbastudio.net

18. Insight #16 Preparing for the essays 1.Profiling. Finding what’s interesting and relevant in your background. (Generates essay content.) - Personal - Professional 2.Competitive positioning - Themes - Message - Mission Statement. (The basis of your argument) The MBA Admissions Studio www.mbastudio.net

19. Insight #17 Developing an essay set 1.Essay Management - How to fit your essay argument to a specific essay question set - Recognizing common question archetypes - Managing interaction of different essays in the set 2.Topics in essay development - How to write a first draft - How to structure and signpost your text - Avoiding common pitfalls The MBA Admissions Studio www.mbastudio.net

20. Insight #18 The essay review 1.Applying the principles of better writing 2.Using wasted “air-bubbles” in your writing 3.How to know when you’re ready and done The MBA Admissions Studio www.mbastudio.net