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Accepted.com Odds 'N Ends
In This Issue:
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What's New at Accepted.com |
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Accepted.com in the News
I was interviewed and quoted in a recent
Boston Globe article,
"Wrangling Over Applications." Please click on the next link for my view
on the tempest in a teapot surrounding
MBA admissions consultants.
Paul Bodine, Accepted.com editor and author of
Great Application Essays
for B-School and
Great Personal Statements for Law School, was
interviewed extensively for the MBA Podcaster segment, "MBA Application
Essays and Recommendations."
MBA Podcaster turned to Accepted.com again for the following segment
when it interviewed me for "MBA Admissions Strategic Plan: What You Can
do Now To Help You Get Accepted Next Year."
Save 20% on the Featured Book of the Month:
The
Nine Mistakes You Don't Want to Make on a Law School Waitlist,
an excerpt:
Mistake #3: Hide your genuine interest in the school.
You probably discussed your reasons for wanting this school in your essays. Or you aren't really
sure why you want to attend. Or you have been rejected everywhere else,
so this is your last hope. There's no point in elaborating on your
interest. Right? Wrong.
Right Move: Reinforce the idea that this is the best school for you to
achieve your goals.
If you want to know why this information is important and how to present
it, look on page 10-11 of our featured ebook of the month,
The
Nine Mistakes You Don't Want to Make on a Law School Waitlist.
And remember, save 20% on The Nine Mistakes You Don't Want to Make
during the month of March.
Upcoming B-Day
Sale
Mark the date: Thursday March 16, 2006 is Cindy Tokumitsu's Birthday
Sale! Yes folks, in honor of her birthday, the two ebooks she
co-authored will be 50% off. Check out:
They are invaluable MBA admissions books. So take
advantage of the birthday sale on March 16, 2006 Pacific Time and save
50%.
Upcoming Chats
All chats will take place in the
Accepted.com chat room.
If you would like to sign-up for automatic chat reminders, please visit our
chat subscription page. Latest Chat Transcripts
Blog Posts of Interest
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Essay Tip |
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Personal Statement Fatal Flaw #4: Superficiality
(Continuing my series on
essays that sound like baby talk and are frequently application killers.)
When you write superficially you tend to blend into the great mass of
applicants who on a superficial level are very much like you. They have
the same goal. They have prepared similarly to gain acceptance. Of
course, blending in is exactly what you don't want to do.
How can you distinguish yourself? Use
specifics to tell your unique story and portray yourself
distinctively. As Maxx Duffy, my colleague in
MBA Admissions Advantage, says,
avoid "umbrella words." Umbrella words are words that have broad
definitions and represent desirable qualities in the admissions process.
For example "leadership." Yes you want to demonstrate leadership. But
you don't want to do so by blabbing on and on about your leadership
qualities. You want to provide an example that shows you in a leadership
role and break down your role into sub-categories of leadership that
were key to your success. For example, some components of leadership
that you can focus on:
- Listening.
- Initiating.
- Mentoring.
- Teaching.
- Persuading.
- Organizing.
- Establishing a goal or vision.
- Motivating.
- Managing
- Obtaining buy-in.
And this is just a sample. Not all leaders can claim these qualities
and only a handful can write about the specific example you will
provide. So remember:
- Avoid umbrella words
- Use specific examples
And banish superficiality from your application essays and personal
statements.
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Resume Tip |
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Adcoms: Application Resumes Are Important
If you think the resume you tuck into your B-school application
is a throwaway or minor component, think again. Listen to what
adcoms really think about resumes (some quotes courtesy of
BusinessWeek Online, � The McGraw-Hill Companies):
"We look to see [on the resume] that the candidate has been
making an impact in their professional life. We like to see
growth in responsibility over time, evidence of teamwork and
leadership experiences."
--Laurie Stewart, Executive Director of Admissions,
Carnegie-Mellon University
"Your resume should include a summary of your employment
(including job titles and company names), education,
extracurricular, and community activities. Be sure your resume
is complete and accurate, without unexplained gaps in the
chronological history."
--University of Iowa (Tippie School)
"A resume should be submitted that describes, at minimum, each
full-time position you have held, summer jobs held in college,
and relevant part-time positions. It is important that you
include dates of employment, firm/employer, location, job title,
and responsibilities. After you describe your work experience,
you may tailor your resume, to best represent your individual
skills, interests, honors, and activities."
--University of Maryland (Smith of Business)
"I was talking to a colleague this morning about how she reviews
resumes: from bottom up, i.e., she looks at extras/community
first before where they work or where they went to school."
--Rod Garcia, Director of MBA Admissions, MIT (Sloan)
"All applications received are evaluated. Interview is the last
thing we review in your file. Resume is the first - so do a good
resume!"
--Kris Nebel, Director of Admissions, University of Michigan
"When we look at the application, we're looking at the work
experience and we're very much looking at the resume."
--Rita Edmonds, Director of MBA Admissions, Babson College
"We also look at the resume, and we feel it's very important to
assess the candidates' work experience; . . . Then the work
experience is very important, and that can be assessed through
the resume, how they answer the essays, and recommendations."
--Jen Chizuk, Director of MBA Admissions, Michigan State
University
"We look for accomplishment, progression, level of contribution,
leadership [on the resume]."
--Kristine Laca, Director of Admissions, Dartmouth (Tuck)
"There are three ways a candidate can demonstrate [their
professional] maturity. The resume would be the first place."
--Carl Harris, Director of Admissions, University of Texas
Austin
--Paul
Bodine is Senior Editor at Accepted.com and author of "Great
Application Essays for Business School" (McGraw-Hill
2005)
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| Wrap Up
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Our Services
Writing a personal statement is a tough challenge. A former
client, an NBC journalist with over twenty years of experience
in the field, once said that his personal statement "was the
toughest thing I ever had to write." He sought our help.
Shouldn't you?
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