Secrets of Admissions
Secrets of Admissions: Do’s & Don’ts from College and Grad School Admissions Decision Makers
Two weeks ago, EduPlan had the honor of being invited to the prestigious AIGAG conference in New York, where we met with several admission officers from prestigious institutions like the University of California at Berkeley, Dartmouth College, Columbia University, NYU, University of Michigan, University of Virginia, INSEAD in France, and others.
At this event, we learned what admissions officers want and don’t want in submitted applications directly from the mouth of decision-makers. Here we share these invaluable secrets with you!
1. Leaders wanted: Whether you’re a natural-born leader or a developing one, schools are looking to train leaders that are willing to look beyond the status quo, find solutions, and express confidence without attitude.
2. Theory’s out, experience is in: Experiential learning or “learning by doing” is the hottest trend in higher education. Universities believe the best way to teach students how to find solutions to real world business problems is through observation, analysis and implementation directly in the field of work. Your interest and prior experience with this learning methodology is interesting for college and grad school admissions.
3. Corporate responsibly: Today´s company is judged not just by the products or services offered but by its behavior within society. That is why today´s prestigious schools look for students focused more on responsible business practices, environmentally awareness and social consciousness.
4. Exploit your unique advantage: If you have past experiences in fields like engineering, technology or even medicine, business schools offer you the opportunity to combine majors to help you get the best of two worlds. This is an asset when applying to advanced degree programs, as seen by admissions officers.
5. Avoid the third round: Often times, you have the choice of submitting a grad school application in the first round, second round or third round. Schools warn that the third round is extremely competitive. If your application is as good as it gets, if you´re happy with your GMAT or GRE score, if your essay is perfect, admissions officers advise to make your submission prior to the first round deadline. If you can improve your resume, GMAT, or anything that will help you become a better candidate, wait to send your application until the second round.
6. Show me the money: A large percentage of students seek and get scholarship money in top schools, as well as financial aid. If you are in need of financial aid and scholarships, although we might have considered otherwise in the past, you will no longer feel a disadvantage – too many students are asking for this to be an exception to the rule or play against you.
7. Think globally, act globally: In teaching how to recognize opportunities, find partnerships, and promote corporate social responsibility. Universities are becoming very global and offer nowadays a large number of international exchange programs, consulting opportunities, study-abroad, special engagements in many countries and continents. We have become McLuhan’s Global Town. Think globally and you will be more attractive for admissions and in tune with trends.
8. Know where you´re going and how you´ll get there: Colleges are not as interested in students that want to find themselves as in students that know where they are headed. They want applicants to already have an idea of what they want to do after school, how to get there with the understanding of how the college program will help them achieve those goals.
9. Be prepared, be very prepared: Universities also want to know what has prepared the student for what they want to do, and if the student understands in depth what they’re talking about. For example, it would make no sense for someone that rarely uses computers to major in systems engineering, or for someone that rarely draws to study architecture.
10. Get a clue: If you want to make a career transition it´s a major no-no to have no clue about how hard it is to make that transition. For example, a communications major that wants to pursue an MBA should understand the realities of business administration and what it would take for them to successfully make this career change.
11. Avoid the kiss of death: A BIG mistake you can make is to stop working to study and prepare for the GMAT or the GRE. Most students take the GMAT/GRE while they’re working, so why shouldn’t or couldn’t you? This is frowned upon by admissions officers, as directly expressed at the AIGAC conference.
12. Go forward: Admissions officers look for forward movement in the student life, they want to see progress and how the candidate was able to build something little by little.
13. Close the gaps: If you have any gaps in your life, such as periods of unemployment, or breaks from school, don’t leave anything for the admissions officers imagination. They have a great imagination and will suspect the worse, unless you provide reason why. You are better off addressing everything that could be questionable in your application.
14. Disclose the bad before it gets real bad: Always disclose negative things. In a special case of a doctor applying to business school, where the situation exposed did not make sense, the admissions officer researched and found out that he lost his medical license for malpractice. As he tried to camouflage the situation, and did not truthfully disclose the circumstances, the school was left without a choice and rejected him.
15. If it sounds too good to be true, they will investigate: When the essays you submit for admissions are too good to be true, admissions officers will often look at your TOEFL, GMAT or GRE essay to see if it has similarities with the materials provided in the application. If they find an improvement that isn’t logical, they will suspect that your essays were written by someone other than yourself. This will automatically disqualify you for admissions. Aside from the ethical and moral implications of having your essays written by a third party, this is yet another important argument for you to author your own materials.
16. Believe in yourself: Schools look for leader that are confident and can hold their own in conversation. Communication skills are essential, being shy or awkward rarely works in the real world, much less in school. Take a course, go to Toastmasters if you need to improve in this area.
17. Relax during the interview: Yes, you want to get accepted by the college of your dreams, but rattling papers during the interview, being nervous and seeming anything less than authentic will not help you connect and make a good impression. This is the one shot you will have to make a standing and propel your admission. Maximize this opportunity
By Claudine Vainrub, Principal of EduPlan
Hello, I will be applying for EMBA in 2010 and I already have a MBA. I understand that schools do like to admit applicants who already have a MBA. What are my options?
Thoughts:-
Option 1: I do not disclose that I have an MBA. Can the EMBA school find out if I got an MBA?
Option 2: I got MIM (Masters in International Management) from Thunderbird and later the school offered to convert MIM to MBA which I accepted. Should I explain to EMBA school that the MBA degree that I hold was not truly a MBA by design but focused more on International Management. Will that help?
Please advise.
Regards,
JK
Hi JK,
Congrats on having already achieved an MBA. Having an MBA makes you a stronger candidate for an EMBA as long as you are able to justify why you would be pursuing an EMBA, what is the added value you find in this degree, since it could be similar to the one you already have.
The admissions process should be one of full disclosure, which means – do not hide anything from your past that might be important for admissions. If you do and they find out on their own, schools will automatically disqualify you on the grounds of dishonesty. It is very easy presently for schools to find information about you, especially with the internet. Even if a piece of information could turn out to be harmful for you, going with the truth gives you the chance to open doors by explaining what happened and how you learned from the experience. In your case, your experience is positive, although it could raise the question of your motives to pursue the degree. What you pointed out as the explanation is interesting, but you need to dig in deeper and point out how your life will be different after pursuing the degree. Make sure this is clear, not only for admissions purposes, but also, to support your career growth. It would be a shame to do all the work, pay all the money this education costs and then find out it did not serve the purpose you originally thought it would.
Good luck and let me know if I can help you in any other way!
Claudine Vainrub
Principal of EduPlan
Thank you.
Here are my credentials:-
* VP Operations in Fortune 500 Corporation managing 1000 employee division and $75M in annual sales
* 11 Years experience with 8 years in managerial role
* Great International experience having worked in these countries over the last 10 years- India, China, US, & Mexico
* 33 years old
* Have MBA from Thunderbird and applying for EMBA in 2010. MBA GPA 3.3
* GMAT 650
Given my work experience, International exposure, & GMAT, what are my chances of being accepted into Wharton, Chicago, Kellogs EMBA program?
Regards,
Jay
Hi Jyoti,
You have an outstanding profile, and I am sure you would bring a lot of added value to any MBA class. Your chances are better than those of the average applicant, although remember that the average GMAT score at Wharton/Chicago/Kellogg is higher. Your GPA is also lower than the average. What this means is that the rest of your application needs to be extremely solid to enhance your chances. Consider retaking the GMAT (although I know it is an ordeal), taking it twice proves your commitment to the process and to becoming an outstanding student. If your GMAT score goes up to 700, schools will have no doubt that you will be able to perform well in their programs, and your chances to gain admission will increase.
Good luck!
Claudine Vainrub
Principal
EduPlan
Dear Claudine,
I have just completed my undergraduate degree in Global Business Management from, dare I say, University of Phoenix (UOP). Unfortunately, I did not do much research before enrolling in their degree program. The school appealed to me because it’s online and offers 5-week classes. I was in a hurry to earn my degree and now that I have it, I’ve been hearing nothing but negative comments about the school. I’m not sure how much is true but I’m curious if earning my degree from UOP will decrease my chances of getting into an MBA program.
Also, a bit of news you should know, my GPA is well, awful. 3.03. I know I can do much better than that. Would it be best if I just started over with a new BA at a better school?
I realize I have a lot of work to do before I start pursuing an MBA, such as applying for a different job where I can utilize my degree and gain the work experience necessary in a management position. I guess I’m just looking for some guidance as to what I should do next to gear up for an MBA program at a well-recognized school. Would Thunderbird be competeley out of the question?
I’d appreciate any suggestions you may have to offer. Thank you for providing us this platform to discuss our concerns.
Respectfully,
Audi
Hi Audi,
Unfortunately, you are in a tough situation. A degree from UOP is not the best credential out there, however, UOP is an accredited school providing accredited degree programs – you could have done much worse, falling into the online degree mill trap. Here are some ways in which you can prove you deserve a good shot at MBA admissions to top programs, including Thunderbird’s:
1- Pursue a non-online M.S. degree. Find a Master’s in finance program or another one-year Master’s program in something you like, offered by a university in your area. Enroll and complete it, make sure to achieve the best possible grades. This will provide some prove that you can perform well in a tougher academic environment.
2- Take the GMAT and do very well at it. Take it 3-4 times if needed. Shoot for at least 650. MBA programs consider this a good measure of student’s readiness and ability to perform in their programs (although we might not be in agreement with them…)
3- Ensure that the rest of the application components are very strong. You can only have few weaknesses (if any at all), when seeking admission to top MBA programs. Make sure your professional history is solid, with 3-4 accrued years of valuable experience in your field of work, learn how to write effective essays, develop an outstanding resume, and manage every aspect of the application that you can control with great professionalism.
Follow these steps and I am certain you will be one step closer to your goals. If I can be of any assistance, please contact me at info AT eduplan.us.
Best regards,
Claudine Vainrub
Great writing! You should definitely follow up on this topic??
I’m very pleased that you wrote this post!?!
Great post! Maybe you could do a follow up to this topic!?