Part 4 (1/2)

The essays also provide an opportunity to demonstrate your management apt.i.tude. Many essay questions specifically ask you to discuss your professional experiences and how you handled different situations. With thoughtful, well-written essays, you can highlight your management strengths.

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT.

Extracurricular activities and community involvement also present opportunities for you to highlight your skills. For younger applicants, college activities play a more significant role than for more seasoned applicants. Your activities say a lot about who you are and what's important to you. Were you a campus leader? Did your activities require discipline and commitment? Did you work with a team? What did you learn from your involvement?

Active community involvement provides a way for you to demonstrate your management skills and to impress admissions officers with your personal character. In fact, many applications ask directly about community activities. Many programs like to see candidates who demonstrate concern for individuals other than themselves, who are willing and able to a.s.sume responsibility beyond their jobs, and who can function in a variety of settings. If you are contemplating getting involved in your community, here's a chance to do something worthwhile and enhance your application in the process.

Stand Out from the Crowd”If I had a traditional career (a.n.a.lyst for example), I would be sure that I had an 'unusual' experience about which to write. This means spending a summer as a volunteer building homes for Habitat for Humanity, being a mentor, getting involved with a community 'do-good' organization, etc.”- E.M.B.A., Stern School of Business, New York University A good way to organize your thinking is to compile a Personal Data Sheet (PDS) on which you can list all your extracurricular activities, relevant dates of partic.i.p.ation, and any honors or positions of leaders.h.i.+p you won, along with basic information such as your name, address, phone, undergraduate and graduate GPAs, and GMAT scores. Give this form to your recommenders to remind them of your accomplishments.

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS.

The most subjective criterion on which schools evaluate you is your personal characteristics. Admissions officers judge you in this area primarily through essays, recommendations, and your interview.

Although different schools emphasize different qualities, most seek candidates who demonstrate leaders.h.i.+p, maturity, integrity, responsibility, and teamwork. The more compet.i.tive schools place special emphasis on these criteria because they have many qualified applicants for each available spot in the cla.s.s. In fact, the top-tier programs generally require numerous essays so that they can get a complete feel for each applicant's personal qualities.

Your presentation of your personal characteristics is important in demonstrating how well you will fit into the program of your choice. If the program emphasizes teamwork, you will want to make sure you demonstrate interpersonal skills. If you are looking at an international focus, you will want to show that you can adapt to different cultures and environments. If the program is highly compet.i.tive, you will want admissions officers to see that you can thrive in that setting.

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Overcoming Stereotypes Admissions officers know that all applicants are unique, each with his or her own strengths and weaknesses, and they will judge you on that basis. But after evaluating thousands of applications, stereotypes do emerge, as you can see from the table on the previous page. Understanding how admissions officers will initially perceive your experience-and what it says about you-can help you think strategically about ways to differentiate yourself from other applicants with similar backgrounds.

Increasing Cla.s.sroom Diversity Your ”personal characteristics” also encompa.s.s your gender and ethnic background. Admissions officers work hard to maximize cla.s.sroom diversity. Each year, they invest significant time and effort to recruit candidates from underrepresented groups. Nevertheless, women and minorities remain underrepresented at most programs. Schools will not admit students they feel are not academically qualified, but diversity goals will help some students stand out in the applicant pool.

Admissions officers encourage applications from international candidates because they add to cla.s.sroom diversity and provide a fresh perspective. Because all students must be able to communicate effectively, applicants whose native language is not English may be required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), Test of Written English (TWE), and/or Test of Spoken English (TSE). Although some schools have minimum test requirements and others use the scores as a guideline, 600 on the TOEFL is generally considered a measure of adequate English skills. Some schools may require or recommend that international students who are admitted with marginal language skills take English coursework before matriculating.

Be aware that diversity extends beyond nationality, race, and gender. It may encompa.s.s such factors as geography, professional experience, and college studies. The following programs, chosen by their programmatic and geographical diversity, were asked to describe their cla.s.s profiles in a survey. Their responses should help you identify what the schools are looking for in M.B.A. candidates, and to consider how you can leverage various aspects of your background to your advantage.

What Top M.B.A. Programs Say: Cla.s.s Profile University of Chicago ”The typical student at the Graduate School of Business is able to combine superior intellectual skills with excellent interpersonal skills. The typical incoming cla.s.s that we strive to put together is quite diverse in terms of educational and ethnic backgrounds, career paths and social experience, and country of origin. Many students say they learn as much from the diversity of the other students they meet and work with at the school as they do from their course work. Because each cla.s.s represents a wide variety of undergraduate majors and backgrounds, the curriculum is wide-ranging enough to satisfy any interest. The faculty is drawn from a variety of disciplines as well, and this diversity is reflected in teaching styles.

”The school seeks candidates with strong potential for success in both an academically demanding program of study and a professional career. We accept applications from students in all fields of undergraduate study and evaluate work experience on an individual basis as well.”

Indiana University ”Diversity in terms of race, gender, ethnicity, leaders.h.i.+p ability, work experience, and evidence of management potential is important to our matrix. We look for individuals who buy into the team work concept, too. Whether they are Peace Corps volunteers or engineers, it's important for students to have a focus and vision of who they are and where they are going. A rich and diverse profile makes the educational environment beneficial.

”We seek to bring in people who fit our inst.i.tution. We have a sense of who we are and we project that. We look for a mixture of those with backgrounds in liberal arts and science and engineering as well as business. That way, different approaches to problem solving can be achieved.”

Unorthodox Backgrounds at Kellogg* A Renaissance English major worked in catalog production at Sotheby's auction house in New York City before being accepted to Kellogg Graduate School of Management.* A pastor at the Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago attended Kellogg in order to learn how to manage the church's finances and to rise to the top of her profession.- Adapted from Newsweek/ Newsweek/Kaplan's How to Choose a Career and Graduate How to Choose a Career and Graduate School School and and Careers Careers Fairfield University, Dolan School Fairfield University, Dolan School ”Professional experience is very important because it raises the level of dialogue about business practice in the cla.s.sroom and in team meetings. A record of academic success, good GMAT scores, and drive are major considerations as well. We also look for diversity and emotional intelligence. Sincerity, intelligence, and self-knowledge are always attractive.”

University of California-Los Angeles, Anderson School ”The Anderson School admission policy emphasizes academic ability, leaders.h.i.+p, and work experience. The admissions committee evaluates applicants' prospects as effective managers and their projected ability to succeed in and profit from the M.B.A. program. Committee members carefully consider biographical and academic background information, GMAT and TOEFL (for most international applicants) scores, achievements, distinctions, awards and honors, employment history, letters of recommendation, and college and community involvement, especially when candidates have served in a leaders.h.i.+p capacity.”

THE ADMISSIONS REVIEW PROCESS.

To understand the review process, you will need a basic grasp of the review committee, their procedures, and their decisions.

Admissions Committees Knowing what kind of people are likely to review your application will help you find the appropriate tone for it. Admissions committees vary by school, but, despite common perception, they don't consist entirely of old men with long white beards. At most schools, the committee includes professional admissions officers whose primary responsibility is to select the M.B.A. cla.s.s from among the applicant pool. Some schools include faculty members on the committee, but many do not. Some schools hire recent graduates to sit on the committee, believing these individuals are in a good position to judge which candidates will benefit from and contribute to the overall business school experience. And at some schools, second-year students and/or alumni play a role in reviewing applications and interviewing candidates.

As with most things, knowing the right people helps. But when it comes to the admissions process, it's hard to predict how much benefit you'll receive from an inside connection. If a school's faculty member, administrator, or respected alumnus can put in a good word for you, great. Depending on how influential that person is and how heavily they'll go to bat for you, they can have an impact. But be careful. Generally, the impact is negligible, and you risk antagonizing the admissions committee if you pursue this tactic.

Admissions officers are not always representative of the group of students they admit. Many committees contain a high percentage of women and minorities, and are likely to recognize the importance of diversity in the cla.s.sroom. Although some admissions officers have had management training and business experience, many have not. They tend to be people-oriented and have strong interpersonal skills. They want to get to ”know” you through your application, and they are partial to well-written essays. They're dedicated to maintaining their objectivity in an inherently subjective process, but they all have their ”pet” biases (sometimes related to their own academic or professional experience).

Review Procedures Just as the composition of the admissions committee varies by school, so does the process by which decisions are made. Some schools make decisions by committee, but many use a system in which each application, or ”file,” is routed from one committee member to another. Here is a standard procedure: * Application materials are received. The file is compiled by operations staff, who ensure that all components have been received.* Based on an initial review, the application is put in categories ranging from strong to long-shot. This process varies by school and may involve calculating a weighted average of GPA, GMAT, and work experience. Alternatively, the application may be reviewed by an individual committee member.* The application is routed to admissions officers, who carefully read it and make written evaluations and recommendations.* The application goes to the director, who reviews committee members' comments, personally evaluates the application, and makes a final decision.

Evaluations of individual applications are typically ”blind,” that is, made without knowledge of any prior evaluation, s.h.i.+elding the reviewer from possible effects of bias from the other readers. If all the reviews recommend admission, the application may not go to the director or committee for a final review; applications with split decisions are pa.s.sed to the committee or director for a decision.

University of Chicago's Review Procedures”The admission process at the Graduate School of Business is personalized, deliberate, and time-consuming. Three people read and evaluate every application, and one of these three is the director of admissions.

”If questions arise from the material submitted, admissions officers contact the applicant to clarify. The goal of the admissions process is to make each cla.s.s the best possible.”

- Admissions officer, University of Chicago Application Review Cycles There are two primary models for admission cycles: ”rolling” admissions and ”rounds.” Under the rolling admissions model, applications are reviewed as they are received and completed. They are processed in a stream and are not grouped for review with large numbers of other applications. In applications rounds, on the other hand, applications received and completed by the given deadline are reviewed together and decisions are announced by a specified date. Both these models provide a system for the admissions office to cope with the flood of paper and a structure for careful review of all applications.

Schools that use admission rounds typically have three or four decision periods. The deadline for the first cycle is often in early or mid-December, with decisions due three or four weeks later. If you submit your application in late October for a cycle with a December 1 deadline, you will not receive your decision until several weeks after that deadline. Under rolling admissions, however, your decision would usually reach you within a few weeks of your submission of your completed application.

It is important to remember that an application will not be reviewed until it is entirely complete. If a deadline for an admissions cycle arrives and your application is still missing one letter of recommendation, your application will be considered incomplete and held until the next decision cycle.

Review Decisions Upon reviewing your application, the admissions committee may make any number of decisions, including: Admit Congratulations, you're in! But read the letter carefully. The committee may recommend or, in some cases, require you to do some preparatory coursework to ensure that your quant.i.tative or language skills are up to speed.

Deferred Admit This decision is reserved for situations in which the admissions committee considers you a strong candidate, but believes you would benefit from an additional year or two of work experience before attending. Because most applicants now have at least two years of experience before applying to school, deferred admission is not as common now as it once was.

Reject with Encouragement to Reapply This isn't just a polite rejection. One step down from a deferred admit, it's a way for a school to say, ”we like you, and we think that with more experience, you'll be a strong candidate.”

Hold Over Until the Next Decision Period Sometimes the admissions committee isn't comfortable making a decision by the scheduled reply date. Perhaps you are right on the borderline, and the committee wants to see how you stack up with the next group of applicants. In this case, all you can do is wait, but often, the end result is positive.

Waiting List Schools use the waiting list-the educational equivalent of purgatory-to manage cla.s.s size. The good news is that you wouldn't be on the list if you weren't considered a strong candidate, and schools do tend to look kindly upon wait-listed candidates who reapply in a subsequent year. The bad news is that there is no way to know with certainty whether you'll be accepted. Take the time to write the office a little note reaffirming your interest in the program. If you did not opt for an interview, now may be a good time to request one, if it's not too late.

Don't Be a Pest, Be PoliteIf you decide to appeal an admissions decision, do not expect the admissions staff to have your file on hand and know all about you when you call. Make an appointment to come in and talk to a dean, or ask them to call you back at their convenience.Request for an Interview Schools that do not require an interview may request that you interview with them before they make their final decision. Your application may have raised some specific issues that you can address in an interview, or perhaps the committee feels your essays did not give them a complete enough picture to render a decision. Look at this as a positive opportunity to strengthen your case. We'll talk later about how to use an interview to your best advantage.

Reject As a full-time employee, it can be very embarra.s.sing to be rejected by a school once you have been approved for your company's tuition reimburs.e.m.e.nt program. If you have been rejected from all of the schools to which you applied, it may be a good idea to find out why. Perhaps you do not have sufficient work experience, or your English needs improving-instances such as these may be justified to your employer. If you are lucky, a school may talk to you and attempt to work something out. You can always appeal the decision, but be advised that doing so may hurt your prospects for readmission in the future.

This chapter has given you a behind-the-scenes look at the admissions process. The next chapters will discuss the secrets of successful applications.

Want to Reapply?If you are considering reapplying, try to find out why you were rejected and whether you have a reasonable chance of being admitted the next time around. Some schools will speak to you about your application, but you may find these conversations unsatisfying because admissions decisions are subjective and cannot be quantified.

CHAPTER 8.

Preparing Your Application A key part of getting into the business school of your choice is to develop a basic application strategy so that you can present yourself in the best possible light. In this chapter and the chapters to come, we'll show you how to make the most of every aspect of your application, ranging from timing strategies to essay-writing tips.

WHEN TO APPLY.

Understanding how each school's application cycle operates can help you determine the optimum time to submit your application. The same guidelines as to when to send in your application may be used whether a school uses admissions rounds or a rolling cycle.

Apply Early”I was not successful my first year of applying to B-school. The next time around, I applied earlier in the application cycle. For schools that had rounds, I sent in my application for the second of three rounds.”- E.M.B.A., Stern School of Business, New York University The Best Time There are potential risks and rewards regardless of when you apply. However, the general rule is: It's better to apply early than late. Because so many candidates wait until the final deadline to apply, you'll be evaluated in a larger pool if you wait. Although schools are committed to judging all applicants on the same set of criteria throughout the year, they have no obligation to admit the same number of students from each cycle. So the prospects of being admitted from the later period may be worse than if you apply earlier.