Briefing of 30 Top B-Schools

hlmichael · 发表于 2007-11-7 22:48:00

看到有位热心的CDer手工输入这份文档，想起来自己有word版本的，找出来放上去给想要的人看看。
不过好像没有上传上去，我通过浏览添加附件并点击上传的，提示我“今天还可上传9个”
说明已经成功了，文档也只有200多k，但是好像找不到啊

wxh2007 · 发表于 2007-11-7 22:51:00

谢谢老兄，没有传上来呢？

hlmichael · 发表于 2007-11-8 12:11:00

1. Columbia

Make no mistake, Columbia
is a finance school above all else. Students rave about the school’s finance
faculty and the access that they have to top Wall Street executives. The alumni
network doesn’t hurt either – nearly every Wall Street firm is stacked with Columbia alumni. The
result is that most finance-minded applicants consider Columbia. If you are one of them, you will
need to especially focus on differentiating yourself from a large pool of
similar-sounding applicants. Therefore, start thinking now about what makes you
different from the rest of the investment bankers (and aspiring bankers) who
apply to Columbia.

As you might expect, Columbia’s
core curriculum is heavy in finance and related courses. First-years take
required courses in Financial Accounting, Corporate Finance, and Global Economics.
Among others. Non-finance topics such as Marketing and Strategy, however, are
studied in half-term courses. While these courses are also strong, be aware
that much of your time will be spent on finance-related topics. Of course, you
will there fore need to demonstrate an ability to handle a quantitative
workload, ideally through your GMAT score and relavant work experience.

One academic area that Columbia
emphasizes outside of finance is entrepreneurship. Some of the schools’ most
popular electives include “Introduction ot Venturing” and “Launching New
Ventures.” Entrepreneurship is also studied and pursued outside of the
classroom. Launched in 1996, the Eugene Land Entrepreneurial Initiative Fund
provides seed capital ot worthy business plans crafted by Columbia students. The Fund acts less like a
traditional business plan competition and more like a venture capital firm,
taking an equity stake in any Columbia start-up with promise For students
looking for a more conventional business plan competition, Columbia has joined
forces with UC Berkeley’s Hass School of Business to run the Social Venture
Competition, which provides seed money to promising start-ups whose goal is to
have a positive social impact. The bottom line is that if you are interested in
an MBA for entrepreneurial reasons, let the Columbia admissions committee hear about it
in your essays and your interview.

Columbia
also emphasizes that international aspect of its curriculum. Each semester, the
schools’ Chazen Institute of International Business offers fellowships to up to
four students for their in advancing Columbia’s
global approach both inside and outside of the school. The Chazen Institute
also runs an exchange program the gives students the opportunity to study
abroad at one of 22 partner schools, as well as participate in international
study tours. Keep this in mind as you craft your story for why you will fit in
at Columbia.

Although they acknowledge that their peers are competitive,
students and grads emphasize that Columbia
is not cutthroat environment. Most consider Columbia to be a competitive but respectful
and helpful community. Students spend their entire first year in the same
cluster of 6 0students, taking their core classes together. Like other schools,
Columbia
encourages cooperation and trust within these clusters. As such, you will need
to demonstrate the ability to get along with your peers. Also, like other
schools in big cities, Columbia
sometimes has to battle the reputation that its students spend less time on
campus with each other. Demonstrating your enthusiasm for the program and a
willingness to get involved in extracurricular activities will help show that
you don’t fit this stereotype.

Columbia’s
other departments aren’t as well known as its finance department, and some
grads have commented that these other departments take a backseat to finance.
However, the school’s administration has a reputation for going out of its way
to respond to students’ concerns. If you are interested in an area outside of
finance, particularly something as far as removed such as organizational
behavior or nonprofit management, Columbia
may be worth a look. Your interest outside of finance alone will help you stand
out, provided that you can prove that you have the quantitative skills and
business acumen to learn alongside the finance crowd.

2. TUCK

Think Small. Think intimate. Think great outdoors. That’s
exactly what life at Tuck is all about. The country’s first graduate school of
business offers one of the smallest programs among the top 30 schools, with
fewer than 250 students in each class. The small class size – coupled with the
school’s location in rural Hanover,
New Hampshire – results in a
close-knit community in which everyone knows everyone else.

Academically, Tuck’s MBA program focuses on turning out
competent general managers. Most of the first year curriculum consists of core
courses in the main management disciplines, with the second year left open for
electives. No specific majors are offered. First year students complete most of
their coursework in the same study group, which Tuck emphasizes as a way for
students to grow closer and develop their teamwork skills. More than the
average top program, Tuck is looking for students who demonstrate strong
teamwork skills, so make sure that this is a main theme in your Tuck
application.

Tuck is also serious about leadership, and one unique part
of the first year experience is the Tuck Leadership Forum, which runs
throughout the first year. The Forum is a series of mini-courses in topics such
as management communication and entrepreneurial management, al designed to help
improve students’ leadership skills. Students then complete a team project,
such as creating a business plan or doing consulting work for an existing
business. The program also provides students with a chance to work closely with
faculty and plug into Tuck’s alumni network while still in school.

Speaking of the alumni, what Tuck lacks in size is made up
for in devotion. Tuck’s alumni have been described by some as fierce in their
loyalty to the school and to each other. Tuck touts its alumni’s 60 percent
plus annual giving rate as further evidence of this dedication. While the
school may not have alum in every company, Tuck students are known to get good
results from the alumni they do call upon. In your own application, make sure
that you can provide convincing proof that you, too, will be active alum,
preferably by demonstrating loyalty to your undergraduate school.

Tuck’s remote location means that it is not for everyone.
Some applicants, especially those with spouses, often find it difficult to
relocate to Hanover.
To its credit, Tuck goes out of its way to make the transition a smooth one,
often providing spouses and partners with fulltime work around campus. Still,
only slightly more than half of Tuck’s admitted applicants actually enroll in
the program. This means two things for you: 1 Make sure that you really want to
attend Tuck before you apply. It’s a great school, but its size and location
sometimes turn people off. Save yourself a lot of time if your think these
aspects of the program will be a problem for you. 2. Even more importantly, you
really need d to demonstrate why Tuck is for you. Tuck’s students tend to be
passionate about their school, and you need to demonstrate this same passion in
your application. Visiting the school – especially for your interview – can go
a long way toward helping you make your case. Also, think about applying in
Tuck’s Early Action round if you are sure that Tuck is where you want to be.
This relatively new program is a great chance for you to show your commitment
to the school.

Tuck isn’t the household name that Stanford and Harvard are,
but its general management program is known to be one of the best in the
country. Tuck graduates have a strong reputation in consulting and financial
services, particularly on the East Coast, where nearly two-thirds of its
graduates end up living after school. If you are considering a career in
general management, or are interested in consulting or banking, don’t overlook
Tuck. If you can demonstrate that the school’s environment is right for you,
and make a case for why the general management approach is what you want out of
business school, then Tuck will give your application strong consideration

3. DUKE

NO school has come as far as Fuqua has in the last 20 years.
Duke opened its business school in 1969, but things really started to happen
after the school took J.B. Fuqua’s name in 1980. What was once a well-regarded
school mostly regional appeal has grown into one of the top business programs
in the world.

Young and small, Fuqua has an advantage over the business
school competition with its innovative curriculum and approach to learning.
Students have four terms (of six weeks each) per year, meaning that they get a
taste of many more subjects than students at most other schools. Fuqua’s
emphasis has traditionally been on turning out general managers, although
recent graduate classes have skewed more towards marketing. The only
concentration that the school offers is its Health Sector Management program,
which takes advantage of the school’s location in Research
Triangle
Park
in North Carolina.
If you are interested in biotech, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, or
healthcare management, take a close look at this program.

Fuqua has also been aggressive in giving its students
opportunities to study abroad, and currently has reciprocal exchange programs
with 25 international business schools. Its Global Academic Travel Experience
program provides students with the opportunity to travel abroad for a short
period of time. GATE is extremely popular with students, with close to half of
the class participating in the program for two weeks each year, Fuqua’s push to
build its brand around the world means that it looks for applicants with global
perspective. If you have international experience, be sure to emphasize it in
your application. If you haven’t worked abroad, that is okay. You definitely
don’t need to lie about wanting to spend your next five years in Hong Kong. Just demonstrating a willingness to work with
people of other background is a great start.

Work in most classes is done in teams, and Fuqua’s graduates
have gained a team-ready reputation that rivals that of Kellogg’s graduates.
Students often refer to themselves as “Team Fuqua,” and they mean it. They also
have reputation for being some of the most energetic and close-knit students at
any business school. This is reinforced by the fact that Fuqua is a smaller
school – approximately 700 full-time students in 2003. When you apply to Fuqua,
make it clears that you understand what it means to be part of a smaller
community, and spell out why it appeals to you. Along those lines, Fuqua
students are heavily involved in everything going on at the schools. If you
apply Duke, make sure that this is what you want out of your business school
experience. Even more importantly, make sure to make that clear in your
application through multiple examples of teamwork and involvement.

Fuqua’s focus on excellence in general management will
definitely come out during the interview. Most interviews are conducted by
students who are members of the admissions committee. It is therefore important
to position yourself as a prospect that your interviewer would like to have as
classmate. This means you should provide examples of professional excellence,
but do so in a non-arrogant tone. In the back of his mind, your interviewer
will be evaluating you as a potential team member in addition to evaluating you
as a leader. If you have three years professional experience or less, you
should also expect to receive questions on your ability to contribute in the
classroom. Have a response prepared as to why “now” is a good time for you to
attend Fuqua.

Fuqua has built a strong reputation, and it now attracts
many of the same people who also apply to the Harvard and Wharton of the world.
The downside for Fuqua is the some top applicants still view Fuqua as somewhat
of a backup school, even though Fuqua’s acceptance rate is below 20 percent.
This is evident in the school’s yield, which was 7 percent in 2001, more than
10 percent below that of other top schools. The school therefore looks for
applicants who are interested in Fuqua for what it offers, not jus because it’s
listed next to other big names in the rankings. In other words, the admissions
committee wants to be sure that if they accept you, you will enroll. If you can
demonstrate that you truly want to attend Fuqua – and why this is so – you will
greatly improve your chances.

hlmichael · 发表于 2007-11-8 12:12:00

4. MIT

Although not quite as well known as the other business
school in Boston, MIT’s Sloan School of Management has combined the
quantitative strengths of its parent school with a focus on entrepreneurship to
establish itself as one of the most highly regarded programs in the technology
and manufacturing industries, The school is also well-regarded on Wall Street,
where Sloan grads are known for their quantitative abilities.

Sloan has traditionally been better known for turning out
stronger analysts than business leaders, so the school is making a push to
emphasize leadership in it curriculum. The school has appointed a Director of
Leadership to create and run leadership programs at the school, as well as to
coach Sloan student on their own leadership development. The school even
encourages student to fill out a “Leadership Feedback Form” whenever they
observe a fellow student in a leadership role. The school also encourages
teamwork, and all first year students must complete a core project in teams.
Sloan’s stated goal is to turn out “leaders who innovate.”

As expected, the school’s curriculum emphasizes the
quantitative side of business. Courses such as Finance and Statistics are as
quantitative as you would expect, but Sloan also encourages students to apply
the skills that they learn in these classes to nearly all of their coursework.
Graduates speak highly of the hard skills that they learned at Sloan, so make
sure that this is what you want out of your MBA experience. To get in, you will
have to demonstrate that you are comfortable utilizing numbers, through your
GMAT score, previous coursework, or job experience.

Sloan’s curriculum is also notable for its emphasis of
“management tracks,” instead of traditional majors. The idea behind these
tracks is to provide students with a broad study approach to certain functional
area, such as Financial Engineering, Operations Management, and New Product and
Venture Development. The tracks’ broad approach requires students to complete
eight to ten classes per track. Students can also create their own tracks after
their first semester at Sloan. Demonstrating your understanding of Sloan’s
track system will help you show your enthusiasm for the program.

Entrepreneurship is big at Sloan, as characterized by
students’ participation in MIT’s annual “$50K” entrepreneurship competition.
The competition gives Sloan students the chance to develop a business plan and
compete against students from other MIT programs for a chance to win the
$30,000 grand prize. Successful tech companies such as Akamai got their start
through the $50K competition, and student teams that get far in the program are
often able to attract interest from potential investors and advisors.

One example of Sloan’s close ties to the manufacturing
sector is its Leaders for Manufacturing program, a two ear joint degree program
offered in conjunction with MIT’s School of Engineering, and operations
management through a variety of in-class and on-the-job experiences, Students
spend six-and-a-half months on-site as an intern with a sponsor company,
culminating in a thesis. The best part of the program is that students receive
a scholarship covering the full cost of tuition, thanks to sponsor companies
including Boeing, Dell, Harley0Davidson, Intel, and P & G. The bad news is
that the program is very exclusive – just 5 0students participate each year –
but give it a look if you a re considering working in manufacturing after
business school.

Sloan has a higher percentage of international student all
of its peer schools – 40 percent of the class of 2003 came from abroad, Sloan
students therefore tend to be surrounded by international classmates wherever
they go. If you are looking to gain international experience, or just want to
meet people from new cultures, this is an aspect of the program that may appeal
to you. Make sure you demonstrate your enthusiasm for the schools’ diverse
culture in your application, and make your case for why this matters to you,
whether you are an American or an international applicant.

5. Michigan

The key to getting accepted into the University of Michigan
Business School (UMBS) is to demonstrate balance across the four dimensions
(leadership, innovation, teamwork, maturity) throughout your application.
Regardless of the application component(s) in which you emphasize these
dimensions, they should each make a couple appearances. It is imperative,
therefore, that you take time to analyze your strengths and weaknesses for each
of the dimensions before beginning the UMBS application.

UMBS is consistently recognized for its innovation and its
focus on applying business principles to real-world scenarios. Both of these
attributes are integrated in the learning model along with a solid dose of
general management courses. A good example of this combination is UMBS’s
Multidisciplinary Action Project. Students are required to work on teams in
completing a seven-week project for companies pre-selected by UMBS. The
projects are highly analytical and allow students to apply the skills they
learned in the classroom to a variety of companies. For those who have
inclinations that are more international or entrepreneurial in nature, UMBS
offers its IMAP and EMAP programs. The latest example of UMBS’s
application-based learning is the Tozzi
Center. The Tozzi Electronic
Business and Finance
Center features a trading
floor, an elliptical classroom, and a computer laboratory. The trading floor
allows for dedicated, real-time access to the global markets. It is used for a
multitude of financial class exercises and student projects. Having and
displaying knowledge of these types of programs should be a major component of
your UMBS application process.

Demonstrating the ability to apply business principles in a
rational manner is especially important. Recruiters repeatedly complement UMBS
grads on their practical approach, which has been a large reason for UMBS's
success in the business school rankings. One applicant, who was recently
accepted, displayed a practical approach by explaining how she identified a
neglected growth opportunity within her business segment. The applicant took
initiative by creating a marketing plan that focused on the opportunity and was
able to see her idea through to implementation. These are the types of
applicants UMBS seeks.

Given UMBS's focus on professional excellence, it is not
surprising to see that accepted students have an average of five years of work
experience. This should not discourage applicants with less professional work
experience, but recognize that UMBS will especially want to know how you can
contribute to the program if you have less than three years of work experience.
You should anticipate being questioned on this point during your interview.

Almost all activities at UMBS are team based, so check your
ego before beginning the application. Providing one or two examples of your
teamwork capabilities should go a long way toward establishing fit with the
program.

Overall, if you meet the baseline criteria, express the four
dimensions, display knowledge about the learning model and exhibit passion for
the school, you should be in a much better position to receive an acceptance
letter from UMBS.

Over time, entrepreneurship has received greater attention
at UMBS and it is now a major aspect of the learning model. The school has vast
resources for aspiring entrepreneurs, such as the Samuel ZeIl-Robert H. Lurie
Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies, which supports students as they explore
their own business plans and start-up ideas. UMBS will continue to expand its
support of entrepreneurial activities because it produces a virtuous cycle.
Successful ventures led by students reflect positively on the curriculum,
thereby attracting more potential students. The UMBS application process allows
for ample opportunity to discuss innovative entrepreneurial ideas and those
opportunities should be capitalized on. That is not to say that all applicants
should be aspiring entrepreneurs, but to the extent that you can display
entrepreneurial spirit, do so. That spirit can be expressed through an idea for
a new business or through an idea for your current company. The admissions
committee will certainly take notice of your penchant for entrepreneurship and
hopefully recognize your ability to augment to the UMBS brand. Being recognized
as a potential brand builder is a great way to move your application into the
“yes” pile.

6. NYU

The fact about NYU's Stern
School
that comes up most often is its location. Stern sits right in New
York City's Greenwich Village, between Manhattan's Midtown and Financial District.
Students and grads rave about the schools’ location, and the administration
smartly plays up its ties to New York
when promoting Stern.

Given Stern’s location, it is not surprising that a large
number of grads pursue jobs on Wall Street, where the Stern name and alumni
network are the strongest. Eight of the school’s top 10 recruiters are
investment banks. Although Stern’s overall academic reputation is strong, most
people consider its finance department to be by far the school’s greatest strength.
If you are interested in working outside of finance, don’t rule out Stern, but
know that finance is where most of the action has historically been. The school
is aware of this perceived inequity and has been working hard to balance its
strengths across disciplines.

Although many would call Stern a finance school, its
approach to management education is mostly a general one. First-year students
go through a complete required curriculum of courses in all of the business
fundamentals, with the bulk of elective coursework coming in the second year.
Most students major in one or two of the school's 12 majors (including Finance,
Economics, Marketing, and Operations), and some take a co-major or
"program initiative." These latter two programs demonstrate Stern's
generalist approach by involving faculty and courses from across the school's
academic departments to teach specialized subjects such as Entrepreneurship,
Digital Economy, and Law and Business.

Another way in which Stern's New York ties are apparent is in its
teaching. The school boasts nearly 100 adjunct professors, many of whom are
highly regarded veterans of the New
York business community. Some of the bigger names who
have taught as visiting professors at Stern include former Federal Reserve
Chairman Paul Volcker and Nobel laureate Robert Solow. The school prides itself
on giving its students lessons with real-world applications, and part of this
is letting students hear lessons straight from these veterans' mouths.

Stern also emphasizes the global orientation of its student
body and its curriculum. A third of the class comes from abroad, and Stern
offers an International Business co major option for the many American students
there who have some interest in working overseas. You don't need an international
angle to your story when you apply to Stern, but at least acknowledging the
importance of a globally-focused education should help your cause.

Stern works to cultivate and maintain a spirit of teamwork
and cooperation among its students, who do a fair amount of work in groups.
Students and grads sometimes comment that they were pleasantly surprised to
find that the culture is more cooperative than they expected, especially given
the "shark" reputation that bankers tend to have. If you apply to Stern,
don't discount the importance of teamwork in your message. The school is less
impressed by individual achievers than it is by well-grounded people who have
excelled in their past jobs by working with others. Keep this in mind,
especially if you are a banker who is looking to distinguish yourself from the
pack.

With a yield in the low 50s, Stern gets stiff competition
from the likes of Columbia
and Wharton for finance-minded students. Showing the admissions committee that
Stern really is where you want to be—and having convincing reasons for why this
is the case—will greatly help your chances of being admitted.

Although Stern’s name is best known on Wall Street, the
school is also serious about entrepreneurship. The school’s Entrepreneurship
and Innovation co major is a popular choice, as is its Entertainment, Media,
and Technology program initiative. Stern’s annual Maximum Exposure Business
Plan Competition gives budding entrepreneurs a chance to compete for cash
prizes. Successful business plan teams are matched with experienced
entrepreneurs or venture capitalists who serve as mentors. This is an area of
the program that the school continues to emphasize. If you consider yourself to
be an entrepreneur, or you want to be one, be sure to let the Stern admissions
committee know about it.

7. UT Austin

The newly named McCombs School of Business—named after Red
McCombs, who gave the school $50 million in 2000—offers a general management
program known for innovation in business education. It offers no formal majors,
but it does offer concentrations in the traditional business disciplines, such
as Marketing and Finance. Students may also choose a
"specialization"; a focused set of cross-functional courses designed
to address a current business topic such as Entrepreneurship, Market-based
Consulting, and Global Business Management. About half of all McCombs students
choose one of these concentrations.

Teamwork is a major emphasis at McCombs, with students doing
most of their work in project teams. Students also spend their entire first
year taking their core classes together in cohorts. Naturally, the school looks
for people who will thrive in this environment, so be sure to demonstrate your
experience in working with others to make things happen.

One example of McCombs' innovation is its new Plus Program,
a two-week mini-term that takes place in the middle of each regular semester.
The program is a series of seminars that give students intense, practical
training in topics such as sales, communications, and ethics. Students take
these courses in one of six "academies," each one having a focus on a
particular industry or line of business. Examples of academies are Community
Development and Social Enterprise, The Business of Entertainment, and Product Design
Innovation. Students apply to these academies in the fall, and are assigned
based on their preferences and past experience. Through a series of four
two-week Plus Program courses, students work on specific skills and tackle
broad business topics within their assigned academies. Much of the work is done
in workshops and small teams, and many of these exercises use improvisational
exercises and games to help students learn how to think quickly on their feet.
These activities exemplify what McCombs is about, so if they appeal to you,
make sure to communicate that in your application. Also, as mentioned above,
think about ways to demonstrate how you will fit into this environment,
particularly by emphasizing your teamwork and maturity dimensions, as described
in Chapter 2.

Two programs that demonstrate the school’s emphasis on
hands-on experience are its MOOT CORP business plan competition and its MBA
Investment Fund. Since 1984, the school has hosted MOOT CORP (we wish we knew
why it's in all caps), the oldest and largest inter-business school business
plan competition in the world. The competition now attracts teams from 30
schools, and winning teams get a chance to start their business in the friendly
confines of the Austin Technology Incubator. Be sure to get to know this
program better if you plan on applying to McCombs as a prospective
entrepreneur.

Each year, 20 students are selected to run the MBA
Investment Fund, a $12 million fund that was created in 1994 as the first
legally constituted, private investment company to be managed by students.
McCombs students have an opportunity to apply growth, value, and fixed-income
strategies to several portfolios. The student managers manage a small part of
the school's endowment, getting advice from professional money managers along
the way. If you have an interest in investment management—or even just like the
school's hands-on learning philosophy—be sure to show your enthusiasm for it in
your application.

Like other highly-ranked schools with relatively low yield
percentages, McCombs is careful about selecting people whom it believes have a
sincere interest in its program. While most schools hope to see interest and
enthusiasm demonstrated throughout your application, McCombs specifically looks
for it in its essays questions. Invest considerable time in researching the
school and finding out what kind of opportunities interest you (or could be
added to the program). Even more importantly, focus less on trying to pick out
an obscure activity to impress the admissions committee, and focus more on
writing about something that truly interests you and highlighting how you will
pursue that interest at McCombs. If your interest isn't currently met by one of
the school's activities, then you have a great chance to show your initiative
by proposing how you would start an activity around that interest. The key is
to write about something for which you truly have passion, and to show how you
will bring that same passion to McCombs.

hlmichael · 发表于 2007-11-8 12:12:00

8. Harvard

Leadership is unquestionably the most emphasized dimension
at Harvard Business School (HBS). The school's mission is to "develop
outstanding business leaders who contribute to the well-being of society."
This mission, along with the school's community standards, can be found posted
in every classroom on campus. Candidates' potential as leaders should therefore
permeate every aspect of the HBS application. Leadership should be projected on
multiple levels; professional experience, academic experience, extracurricular
activities, hobbies, and community service can all be used to highlight
leadership capabilities. Good examples demonstrate your ability to have
positive influence over the actions of others. A focus on leadership should
also play a role in describing your career goals. More than most schools, HBS
will closely evaluate your career goals based on their level of impact on
society. Finally, remember to describe your leadership style and how it has
changed over time. The admissions committee is really interested in what you
have learned along the way and will be impressed with reflections on your
"leadership evolution."

HBS is known as the quintessential general management
program. In line with the mission of the school, students' decision-making
ability across multiple business disciplines is the constant focal point.
Students do not formally specialize in a particular aspect of business, as they
do at most schools, and take the first year required curriculum in sections of
80-90 students.

The section experience is one of the defining aspects of the
HBS learning model, as each student is expected to take on the responsibility
of teaching her classmates. Students constantly draw from their own background
and experiences, creating a dynamic atmosphere that is supplemented by the
faculty's insights. To ensure that classrooms are filled with numerous
perspectives, students' backgrounds are extremely diverse in nature. It is not
uncommon for most sections to contain, lawyers, teachers, investment bankers,
doctors, consultants, brand managers, professional athletes, military officers,
and entrepreneurs. The required curriculum in the first year is followed by an
entirely elective curriculum in the second year. Students utilize this year to
further hone their decision-making abilities in areas that they believe will be
the most beneficial for their careers.

Applicants should be aware that their undergraduate school's
reputation will be factored into the selection process at HBS. The
undergraduate schools that are most densely represented are Harvard
University,
University of Pennsylvania,
and Stanford
University. This, however, should
definitely not be a deterrent to applicants from lesser known schools. Indeed,
more than 150 undergraduate institutions are represented in a typical HBS
class. Nonetheless, applicants who graduated from schools with less brand
strength than most should make a concerted effort to highlight the strengths of
their school and their accomplishments at the school. One way to do this is
through the recommendation process.

HBS is one of the few business schools that doesn’t mind
recommendations from former professors. While your recommendation approach
should primarily focus on your professional experience, a recommendation that
highlights your academic prowess can help augment your position as an
applicant. The professor’s recommendation can add credibility to your school's
reputation, thereby granting credibility to your entire application. Should you
go down this path, however, make sure that the professor is in a position to comment
on your leadership capabilities and on your professional goals. If the
professor isn't that familiar with you and your story, then it's best to seek
out a recommendation from a different source.

Being part of the HBS community is a life-long commitment.
This is highlighted by the fact that the alumni network is often one of the
first points that is raised when discussing HBS's differentiating factors. It
is therefore to your advantage to show ways in which you have been a champion
for your alma mater. The admissions committee isn't just concerned about what
you will bring to the table during your time in the classroom, but also how you
will remain involved with and support the school in the future.

The case study method is the lifeblood of the HBS learning
model. This cannot be stressed enough. By graduation, students can expect to
have conquered more than 500 cases in addition to textbooks, notes, and
articles that provide conceptual depth to the case scenarios. Each case
addresses a class topic and provides a "real-world" example on how
the topic is applicable. New cases are constantly produced by professors and
students will often receive a freshly written case hot off the press less than
a week before discussing it. Second year students are even granted the
opportunity to assist in the case writing process by participating in a field
study. Producing cases has become such a core part of HBS that a majority of
business schools purchase their case studies from it.

Displaying a grasp of the case method and how it is utilized
at HBS is an excellent way to differentiate yourself from other applicants. You
should emphasize your ability to engage in open discussions and your desire to
learn based on real-world business applications. Both of these components are
central to the way in which case studies are taught at HBS. Discussing your
learning style and how you would benefit from case studies will also show your
understanding of the learning model.

9.Stanford

The instructions to Stanford's application indicate that it
evaluates candidates based on three high-level criteria: "demonstrated
leadership potential, strong academic aptitude, and contributions to the
diversity of the Stanford community." Sounds simple enough, right? The
difficulty with navigating the Stanford application is the degree to which
these three criteria must be emphasized. In demonstrating your fit with these
criteria your emphasis should primarily be on the innovation and leadership
dimensions.

The most obvious example of Stanford's alignment with
innovation is its strength in entrepreneurship. Closely linked with Silicon Valley, Stanford has achieved an entrepreneurship
branding that other b-schools dream of. While Stanford is a general management
program to its core (students do not select majors), electives based on
entrepreneurship are in abundance. Courses that focus on areas such as venture
capital, business model development, private equity, and entrepreneurial
strategy are the backbone of Stanford's entrepreneurial strength. Discussing
your entrepreneurial inclination can be a great way to unite the innovation and
leadership dimensions, but it should not be done to simply appear as though you
fit with Stanford’s values. Recognize that a large percentage of applicants who
apply to Stanford will discuss entrepreneurship in their application.
Therefore, should you go down this path, include vivid details about your ideas
and also be sure to discuss their potential impact on society. This will help
separate you from the pack.

Recommendations should be viewed as an extremely important
aspect of your Stanford application. The admission committee will take a close
look at your recommendations in evaluating your leadership potential and your
teamwork capabilities. If there is one application in which you should avoid
submitting generic recommendations at all costs, this is it. Make sure that you
follow the instructions closely and submit two professional recommendations and
one peer recommendation.

Academic aptitude is a criterion that Stanford evaluates
more rigorously than most other top b-schools. Because the curriculum is
quantitatively heavy, the admissions committee will look closely for measures
that indicate that you will be able to succeed within the learning model.
Therefore, your GMAT score will be looked at closely in addition to your
transcript(s). If your scores don't reflect a high standard of analytical
background, you will need to express it through your professional experiences
and/or additional coursework. You should also be aware that while those
accepted by Stanford come from a multitude of undergraduate institutions, a
large majority attended "high prestige" universities. If you are not
among this group, you should discuss your school's strengths and your reasons
for attending it.

While Stanford's emphasis on teamwork may not be as strong
as it is at Fuqua, Kellogg, or Tuck, it is definitely an important part of the
learning model. During their first quarter at Stanford, students are assigned
to study groups of four to five people and work together on a daily basis. You
can display a penchant for working with others by discussing previous
professional and extracurricular team involvement.

The essay portion of the application is your opportunity to
demonstrate your ability to contribute to the diversity of the Stanford
community. Because the Stanford essays do not have a word limit, you should
really focus on telling your unique story, but doing so in a logical, flowing
manner. Include headings in your essays so that your readers can follow your
framework easily. Consider writing your Stanford essays after you've completed
other applications. This will allow your story to be more polished. And don't
even bother trying to shoehorn an essay from another application into your
Stanford application. Ultimately, your essays should reveal your passions, both
professional and personal, and highlight your distinctiveness. You probably
haven't scaled Mt.
Everest or won a
marathon, but don't let that keep you from positioning yourself as unique in
some way. One applicant we spoke with, who was denied admission after her
interview, mentioned that the alumnus with whom she interviewed suggested that
her lack of distinctiveness contributed to her ultimate denial. "He
complimented my competitive profile, but stated that I had no point of
differentiation in my perspective, which weakened an otherwise strong
profile."

You can assert a distinct passion for Stanford by visiting
the school, checking out a class, and chatting with current students (yes, this
goes for those of you on the East Coast too). Make sure that this visit finds
its way into your essays in your discussion of “why Stanford?” your enthusiasm
for Stanford will resonate positively with the admissions committee as it
strives to maintain a high yield percentage.

The Stanford learning model doesn’t offer majors, but it
does offer certificates in public management and global management. The Public
Management Program (PMP) prepares students for positions in the social sector
and the Global Management Program (GMP) prepares students for opportunities at
a global level. Both certificates are supported by a large number of electives,
programs, and career resources. More than one third of the student body pursues
certificates in PMP or GMP, and Stanford is actively looking for ways in which
it can augment these programs. Discussing how you would utilize the resources
offered by these programs in conjunction with your career objectives is a great
way to display fit with Stanford.

10.Anderson

Sun, beach, entertainment management program—while Anderson definitely has
these assets that few other MBA programs can match, it also excels in the
traditional areas that are valued by applicants. The Anderson program offers a general management
curriculum that allows students to select from specializations in 11 areas or
even create their own specialization. The specializations cover a wide range of
topics including Finance, Marketing, Entrepreneurial Studies, Information
Systems, Real Estate, and Accounting. In support of its flexible general
management learning model, Anderson
is in search of candidates who display a unique balance of leadership and
teamwork capabilities.

Anderson
views leadership in three basic ways. First, it recognizes leaders for their
ability to convey strategic direction and vision to others. Vision allows for
the unification of the group behind a common goal. Second, Anderson views leaders as problem-solvers who
apply their analytical and communication skills to overcome challenges.
Finally, Anderson
defines leaders as people who cultivate the first two capabilities in others. Anderson does not view
leadership and teamwork in separate spheres and therefore notes that the best
leaders are also the best team players. The Anderson learning model provides students
with opportunities to improve their balance of leadership and teamwork skills
through team simulations, team-building exercises, analytical models, and
projects. Your challenge is to display fit with Anderson’s definition of leadership. One of
the best place to do that is in answering the essay questions. Try to provide
an example that shows your leadership skills along the lines of the three
definitions.

Anderson's
entrepreneurship program has served, in many ways, as the model for many other
business schools. The program offers a blend of coursework, entrepreneurial
resources, and "hands-on" opportunities. At the core of Anderson's entrepreneurship program is the Price
Center.
The Price
Center provides support for the development
of course materials, research, and experiential opportunities. One such
opportunity, the Knapp Venture Competition, is a traditional business plan
contest, through which participants can win venture capital funding. The
Venture Fellows Program and the Student Investment Fund—two competitive
programs that students must apply for—expose participants to venture capital
and investment management activities. Students can also gain exposure to new
ventures through the Wolfen Award, which calls for selected students to
complete a feasibility study on a start-up as part of an internship. Because of
Anderson's
strength in entrepreneurship, discussing your own entrepreneurial inclination
can be a great way to display fit with the school and to differentiate yourself
based on your unique ideas.

Anderson
is also often recognized for its leading technology programs. It was one of the
first business schools to integrate a wireless network throughout its
facilities and often receives praise for its use of technology in the
classroom. If you are interested in technology, you will find a number of
interesting courses and opportunities in which to participate. Similar in its
function to the Price
Center, the Center for
Management in the Information Economy provides resources to faculty in their
research on how technology is impacting the business environment.

Despite Anderson's
low acceptance rate and its great reputation, the school has a relatively low
yield percentage. The school is looking for improvement in that area and will
evaluate applicants closely to see if they are really committed to Anderson or are just
applying to diversify risk. Along those lines, establishing fit is extremely
important. You are given an explicit opportunity to show that Anderson is your top pick in its essays. Be
sure to capitalize on that opportunity by displaying intimate knowledge of the
program and then go the extra step by explaining how you would get involved in
school activities to further bolster Anderson's
reputation.

A unique aspect of the Anderson
learning model is the Applied Management Research Project. This six month
project is the last requirement of the MBA program and follows in line with Anderson's perspective on
leadership, teamwork, and applied learning. The projects are completed in teams
of three to five and generally consist of a strategic consulting assignment or
the development of a business venture idea. In either case, students are able
to apply their entire Anderson
toolkit in a comprehensive manner. Discussing your interest in this project –
and more generally, in the hands-on learning opportunities that Anderson offers
– during your interview or in your application is another good way to show fit.

hlmichael · 发表于 2007-11-8 12:13:00

11.Berkely

In a world filled with business schools, Haas maintains a
high degree of distinction. That distinction can be seen just by reading
through the Haas essays, which at times seem more like questions from a
psychologist rather than from an admissions committee. Indeed, the essay
questions are indicative of a school that is serious about admitting applicants
who can maintain almost paradoxical balances—applicants who are committed to
traditional business learning, but display a bit of personal panache.
Applicants who would be willing to stand alone based on personal conviction,
but are willing to unite in the name of teamwork. Applicants who are looking to
make waves in the marketplace, but remain cognizant of social and ethical
responsibilities. If you can paint a picture of yourself that reflects these
traits, in addition to satisfying the more common admissions requirements, then
you stand a good chance of being accepted into the Haas family.

The Haas learning model continues to emphasize three main
themes: Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Management of Technology, and
International Business Management. For the last several years, Haas has
benefited from a symbiotic relationship with nearby Silicon
Valley. This has resulted, not surprisingly, in an intensified
focus on entrepreneurship. Haas now boasts multiple opportunities for students
to cultivate and test their business ideas as well as to interact with mentors
and experts. The Lester
Center for
Entrepreneurship and Innovation, founded in 1991, supports a variety of
activities such as the Berkeley Business Incubator, UC Berkeley Entrepreneurs
Forum, and entrepreneurship fellowships and internships.

Technology has also been a natural outgrowth of Haas'
geographical location. The Management of Technology Program offers a number of
opportunities including courses such as Strategic Computing and Communication
Technology, Information Technology Strategy, and International Trade and
Competition in High Technology. The program also features research initiatives,
and the annual Leading Edge Technology Conference.

The final theme, International Business Management, is
highlighted in Haas' course offerings in addition to its International Business
Development (IBD) and International Exchange programs. IBD offers students the
opportunity to participate in a global consulting project with a team composed
entirely of Haas students. In terms of exchange programs, Haas offers six in
locations such as London, Barcelona,
and Hong Kong.

Although the Haas learning model is rooted in general
management precepts, students can obtain certificates in any one of the three
themes in addition to Corporate Environmental Management and Health Management.
Displaying an understanding of these themes and how they would benefit you
should be a critical part of your application.

Demonstrating the teamwork dimension is also important, as
Hass admissions counselors are actively looking for applicants who display team
spirit. The learning model group assignments and interact closely with faculty.
To demonstrate fit with these characteristics, you should display a pattern of
getting involved and a sense of community.

The Haas learning model has a strong bent towards applying
abstract theories to real-world situations. This approach begins with the
faculty, a majority of whom have significant experience within the marketplace,
and extends to the students, who boast an average of 5.2 years of work
experience. The maturity dimension is highly valued at Haas and gaining
acceptance with under three years of work experience can be challenging. As an applicant,
you should try to display a diversity of experience and insight into how
complex issues such as globalization, ethics, environmentalism, and politics
impact business operations.

As other business schools scramble to revamp their programs
in order to promote a new focus on ethics and social responsibility, Haas will
benefit from its reputation as a pioneer in the field. With a required course
in ethics, numerous electives, programs, and events focused on the topic, Haas
gives full treatment to the interaction of business, ethics, and social
responsibility. The National Social Venture Business Plan Competition is a
hallmark of that interaction, as business schools across the country compete
for a total of $100,000 by presenting plans that outline business propositions
that have a societal or environmental component. Although a majority of Haas
grads pursue careers in the traditional areas of consulting and finance, they
all are all influenced by Haas' incorporation of social issues within the
learning model. As you present you rprofile, make sure that you reflect a
cognizance of societal and ethical issues that extend from business issues.

12.Kellogg

The two words you will almost always hear when you mention
Kellogg are "teamwork" and "marketing." Donald Jacobs, the
school's dean from 1975 to 2001, is responsible for establishing the school as
a top-ranked MBA program, and he did it largely on the strength of his
philosophy that business managers can't be effective without knowing how to
successfully work in teams. Even though Jacobs is no longer involved in the
day-to-day running of the school (he's retained the title of Dean Emeritus),
his approach is still very apparent in the school's program and culture. Most
homework assignments and projects are done in teams, and the school has
recently instituted a Web-based peer review system called TeamNet, which
students are required to use in some of their classes.

Marketing is the school's other best-known strength, and
much of the credit for that goes to Philip Kotler, who has written some of the
best-known Marketing text books in the world. The rest of the Marketing faculty
includes many other heavy-hitters who have distinguished themselves in their
own right. All of this leads to heavy recruiting from companies looking for
Marketing experts and brand managers.

Lost in the noise about Kellogg's Marketing program is the
fact that its other programs are also very strong. In fact, Marketing isn't
even the school's most popular major; more Kellogg students study Finance than
anything else. Although Kellogg's curriculum is considered to be General
Management in nature, students generally specialize in two or three fields.

The school also has noted faculty in areas such as Strategy
and Managerial Economics. Just as Finance is a more popular major at Kellogg
than Marketing, the biggest recruiters at the other top schools—McKinsey,
Boston Consulting Group, Goldman Sachs, etc.—also do more hiring at Kellogg
than the biggest marketing-related firms.

As you would expect, Kellogg's admissions office looks for
teamwork-oriented applicants. "Sharks" or hot shots need not apply.
This doesn't mean that Kellogg looks for 600 touchy-feely people each year, but
rather, it looks for applicants who know how to get things done when working
with others. Think of the "desert island test"—if you can think of
someone whom you'd hate to be stranded with on an island, then Kellogg probably
doesn't want that person, either.

Maybe even more importantly, Kellogg looks for people who
will get involved at the school. A distinguishing characteristic of Kellogg is
that pretty much everything is student-run, from clubs to international study
trips ("Global Initiatives in Management") to professional
conferences that the school hosts. Chances are that a student will even review
your application. It's not uncommon for a student to be involved in five or six
different activities or clubs outside of the typical four-class schedule. What
this means for you is that you need to demonstrate that you will get involved
in your profession, school, and community. And less can be more: Instead of
listing seven clubs that you once participated in while in college, focus on
the one or two activities that you’re really passionate about and show exactly
how you got involved in those activities and made a difference.

Although Kellogg is best known for its teamwork approach,
the school is increasingly positioning itself less as a place where students
learn to be team leaders, not merely team players. In other words, people who
work well with others, but aren't just follow ers. The administration wants
recruiters to come to Kellogg looking for their next generation of leaders,
rather than for marketing or finance experts who are easy to get along with.
That means that Kellogg is looking for more outstanding leaders in the
applicant pool. To this end, think of personal examples of how you've led teams
toward a goal in the past. Most applicants will just think about teamwork in
terms of how they helped others accomplish a goal, but show the admissions
committee how you led a team to success and you'll be in great shape.

13.Wharton

Wharton sums up its b-school positioning in two words:
Wharton Innovates. Indeed, Wharton's stellar reputation and consistent
appearance at the top of the rankings can be attributed to the school's ability
to transform itself since its establishment in 1881 as the nation's first
collegiate business school. Part of your challenge as an applicant is to get
the admissions committee to think of your position as Your Name Here Innovates.

In support of its Wharton Innovates positioning, Wharton is
actively expanding its promotion of entrepreneurial activity. The Small
            Business
            Development
            Center
features an opportunity through which students act as consultants to local
aspiring entrepreneurs. As consultants, students assist with business model
development, raising capital, and conducting feasibility studies. Wharton also
hosts an annual business plan competition during which student teams compete for
more than $70,000. After completing the business plan, students can utilize the
Venture Initiation Program (VIP) to transform their idea into a business. VIP
provides Wharton students with the support they need to complete the final part
of the entrepreneurial process. If you have any entrepreneurial aspiration,
discuss it in detail in your application and it will definitely catch the
admission committee's eyes.

There is perhaps no other business school in the United States
that is as international minded as Wharton. Incoming classes represent over 65
countries, most students speak a second language, and the learning model
encourages students to look at business issues from a global context. The
school offers premier global joint programs through Penn’s Lauder Institute and
Johns
Hopkins
University’s
Nitze School of Advanced International Studeis. For students who are interested
in a more tradition study abroad experience, Wharton offers exchange programs
in 11 countries and the Global Immersion Program (GIP). GIP includes six weeks
of studying a global region, followed by a four week study abroad to that
region. If you have any international experience, make sure to work it into
your application, because it will probably be valued by Wharton more so than by
other schools. If you haven't worked or studied abroad, demonstrate a global
perspective in your professional interests or display an interest in developing
one while at Wharton. Overall, Wharton is very serious about its international
mission and seeks applicants who aid and or benefit from that mission.

Wharton is often credited for having a top-notch finance
curriculum, and its students are widely sought after for their finance
capabilities. This means that the admissions committee will be paying close
attention to your analytical abilities, as conveyed through your GMAT score,
GPA, and professional activities. This doesn't mean that you have to come
across as a quantitative guru, but it does mean that you have to show you can
"hack it" in the classroom. Wharton has historically been friendly to
applicants from non-traditional backgrounds, but that doesn't preclude
analytical ability.

While Wharton certainly is a "powerhouse" finance
school, its strengths stretch far beyond finance. Wharton offers 19 majors and
features approximately 200 electives, more than any other business school in
the world. Students can specialize in everything from Real Estate to Health
Care Management to Technological Innovation to Strategic Management. Students
are also allowed to create their own majors that focus on cross-functional
learning paths. The seemingly unending options are like a smorgasbord of
delicious treats. It would serve your application well to discuss a Wharton
learning path and provide details on how it will aid you in achieving your
professional goals.

Over the last several years, Wharton has also placed more
emphasis on its students' teamwork capabilities. During their first year,
students work on assignments in "learning teams," which are central
to the learning model. Members of the Wharton community are quick to emphasize
the benefits of learning from students with different professional backgrounds.
As such, the school will be extremely interested in your ability to interact in
a team-oriented environment. You should expect questions on this to come up
during the interview. Additionally, Wharton is genuinely interested in knowing
what type of person you are outside of the professional environment. A short
discussion of your hobbies or community service activities will show that you
are more than a resume.

The Wharton admissions committee will look at your
application closely to see how you express the maturity dimension. The school
really values professional experience, as reflected in its relatively high
average years of work experience. Rejected applicants are often told that they
could use another year or two of pertinent work experience. That shouldn't
dissuade you from applying if your years of experience fall below the Wharton
average, but you should be able to answer the "why now?" and
"how will you add value to the classroom?” questions. You should
especially expect this to come up during the interview if you have less than
three years professional experience.

14.Chicago

The University of Chicago Graduate School of Business (GSB)
has long had a reputation as a great business school, and it has only grown in
stature since Edward Snyder moved into the Dean's office in 2001.

Snyder and his administration have worked hard to promote
the GSB’s strengths while addressing its perceived weaknesses. Its strengths
are impressive, including the school’s notable roster of Nobel laureate faculty
members – six as of last count, more than any other school – its high number of
well-placed alumni, its strong international brand name, and its top-flight
reputation with recruiters. As for weaknesses, in addition to its reputation
for appealing mainly to quantitative jocks, the school has also faced a
perception that GSB students are somewhat involved in the school than those at
other top programs, partly a result of the school having to compete with all
that Chicago
has to offer.

The school has improved its reputation through a variety of
programs. A grade-nondisclosure policy, put in place in 2000, has taken the edge
off of grade competition. Leadership Effectiveness and Development (LEAD), a
mandatory course for first-year students, helps students develop their
leadership, teamwork, and communication skills. The school has also branched
out beyond finance, emphasizing the strength of its marketing and general
management programs, among others. Additionally, Snyder has made a strong push
to augment the Chicago GSB community on campus, which remains an ongoing
campaign for the school. Given that, the school will continue to look for
applicants who demonstrate a willingness to get involved with meaningful
extracurricular activities, maybe even more so than other top business schools.
Therefore, be sure that your Chicago GSB application emphasizes your leadership
and involvement in past endeavors.

One part of the school's reputation that is unlikely to
change is its rigorous academic program. No matter what attributes the school
tries to instill in its graduates, it is unlikely that it will lessen its
emphases on hard finance and quantitative skills. Finance is still the most
popular major, followed by Strategy, Accounting, and Marketing (13 majors are
offered). One aspect of the curriculum that students love is its flexibility.
LEAD is the only required course in the entire program, with students choosing
from a menu of courses to satisfy their core curriculum needs. This level of
flexibility truly sets Chicago
apart from other business school learning models. Electives include
"lab" classes, such as the school's New Product and Strategy
Development lab, which gives students an opportunity to take on consulting
projects for real companies. Keep this flexibility in mind as you think about
how you might fit with the Chicago GSB program. This type of environment suits
someone with a strong career focus better than it does a student who is still
trying to figure out what he wants to do after business school.

The bottom line is that the school will always take its
academics very seriously, and you'll need to communicate that you have the
brainpower to keep up, regardless of your academic or professional background.
Doing well on the quantitative section of the GMAT will help you a lot here.
However, the school is very serious about turning out well-rounded leaders, and
this starts by admitting well-rounded applicants who will get involved. If you
believe that you can handle the rigorous curriculum, demonstrating that you
have polish as well as brains will go a long way toward getting you into
Chicago GSB.

Chicago GSB's quantitative-heavy reputation has
traditionally meant that it attracted a high proportion of people who fit well
with the school's learning model. On one hand, the school attracted a less
diverse applicant pool than other top schools, but on the other, it knew that a
majority of applicant s would be a good fit. Now, the school’s resurgence in
the national rankings means that it may start to attract a broader applicant
pool, some of whom may not really be a great fit with the school, or may not
even know why they want to attend Chicago GSB other than because it’s ranked
higher than most other programs. The school’s challenge will be to figure out
who really belongs at the school. Concentrate on standing out from the pack by
emphasizing your fit with the program, ideally by demonstrating some
intellectual horsepower as well as the traits of the well-rounded applicant
whom the school is looking for.

15.Indiana

Curriculum innovation is one of the strongest assets of the
Kelley learning model. The curriculum continues to receive accolades for its
integrated, cross-functional approach to teaching. The basis of the approach is
that ral-world business challenges are not discretely segmented into functions
and therefore business school should be taught in an integrated manner. The
admissions committee is looking for applicants wit leadership potential who
view business issues in a cross-functional way and are interested in
participating in a learning model that is taught in an equally integrated and
flexible fashion.

The initial 24 weeks of the first year are split into three
sections: Grasping the Foundations of Management and Decision-making,
Identifying New Business Opportunities, and Managing an Ongoing Enterprise
Profitably. These sections consist of a total of 14 modules, each module
building upon the lessons of the previous modules. The goal of the core
curriculum is to provide students with tools and intuition that will be
invaluable in making management decisions. As a checkpoint, mid-way through the
core, students participate in a team-based case competition, which allows them
to display the benefits of integrated learning. One way for you to display an
appreciation for the Kelley approach is to discuss how the results of actions
you've taken in a business environment have been beneficial to multiple
functions and not just the one to which you belong.

Outside of the core curriculum, students select majors and
minors from a suite of 11 options including: E-Business, Finance, Information
Systems, Marketing, Production/Operations Management, and Strategic Management
Consulting. If none of the options suits their needs, students can design their
own major that fits with their career interests. To supplement their
specialized study, students can apply to participate in an "Academy."
Academies are industry-focused and allow students to take part in
career-focused course work and professional development activities such as
discussions with professionals in the industry, a speaker series, and trips to
relevant companies. There are Academies for Consumer Marketing,
Entrepreneurship, Global Experience, Health Care, Investment Banking,
Investment Management, Sports and Entertainment, and Management Consulting.
Discussing these learning opportunities and how they would benefit you in achieving
your career goals is a great way to establish fit with Kelley.

Looking into the future, Kelley will continue to focus
attention on technology, leadership, and global initiatives. Technology is
viewed as a powerful enabler of many of the strategies discussed in the
classroom and Kelley strives to be recognized as a frontrunner in the usage of
technology. Like most other top business schools, Kelley would like to be known
as an institution that produces leaders and has established its Leadership Development
Institute to help support that objective. From an international perspective,
Kelley has gradually increased its international student percentage to 30
percent, and has added several study abroad opportunities. If you have the
background or the direction to capitalize on any of these trends, make sure to
spell them out in your application.

If the curriculum is the heart of the Kelley learning model,
then the faculty is the life-blood. The faculty receives high praise for
accessibility, commitment, and expertise. The strong commitment of the faculty
has helped create a collegial environment in which teamwork is a strong norm.
The admissions committee will be very interested to hear ways in which you can
contribute to this environment. Loners and gunners need not apply.

While interviewing with Kelley is not required, it is
encouraged. Nonetheless, only approximately 50 percent of applicants
participate in the interview. The interview is an excellent opportunity for you
to establish fit with the program as well as to display a true desire to attend
the school. Your initiative will be duly noted by an admissions committee that
is looking to increase its yield percentage.

hlmichael · 发表于 2007-11-8 12:13:00

16.INSEAD

Spanning two continents and with a major presence on a
third, INSEAD is making strides toward its goal of being recognized as the
preeminent international MBA. The one-year general management program operates
on campuses in France and Singapore and maintains an alliance with the Wharton
School. Given its goal, INSEAD is in
search of applicants who bring significant international exposure, academic
excellence, and a solid professional background to the table.

The curriculum itself is general management in nature and
lasts for 10 1/2 months. There are two different start dates, one which begins
in September and another which begins in January. After receiving admittance
into INSEAD, students may state their preference for either the Fontainebleau or Singapore campus. In either case,
the program structure is the same and students have opportunities to visit the
campus to which they are not assigned. The curriculum is divided into five
eight-week periods and calls for students to take 15 required courses and a
minimum of seven electives. Electives consist of advanced topics in Finance,
Accounting, General Management, Marketing, Entrepreneurship, International
Business, Ethics, and Running Family Businesses. Members of the January intake
participate in a summer internship between periods three and four.

As far as international diversity goes, you would be
hard-pressed to find another business school that rivals INSEAD. No one
nationality represents more than 10 percent of the student body and less than
half come from Western countries, meaning that the "international student"
concept is essentially nonexistent. Students are quick to acknowledge this
level of diversity as a differentiating factor, as the learning model gives
credence to multiple approaches without showing bias to any. INSEAD also
demonstrates its commitment to a global mindset through language requirements.
Students must be proficient in at least two languages by matriculation and
three by graduation. To establish fit, you should incorporate an international
perspective in both your background and in your future goals. The admissions
committee will closely evaluate your ability to have an impact on global
business, so make sure that your story is not entirely nation-centric.

INSEAD views itself as an academic business institution.
This is revealed through the large amount of general research that the school
produces in addition to the writing of specific cases. Based on this
perspective, INSEAD conducts a thorough assessment of your academic background.
Specifically, the admissions committee will look at the reputation of your alma
mater(s), your performance in the classroom, and your ability to handle
quantitatively rigorous courses. If you don't have a numbers-intensive
background or have not fared well in such classes, consider taking a statistics
or finance course at a community college.

Due in-part to the abbreviated duration of the program,
INSEAD tends to accept applicants with at least several of years work
experience (more than 45 percent have more than five years). The school
believes that students with more professional experience are better able to
adapt to the one-year curriculum and leverage it in their career development.
Indeed, INSEAD takes career development very seriously, as each student is
matched up with a mentor to assist with the process. The school even has
teleconferencing equipment readily available so that students can interview
with firms who are unable to make the trip to campus. Your challenge is to
present your professional experiences in a way that highlights your success in
the workplace and your ability to contribute to the classroom. Despite INSEAD’s
tendency to accept more experienced applicants, you may still want to consider
applying if you are younger, as the school does accept a small number of
less-experienced applicants each year. (about 15 percent of students have two
years or less). If you fall into this category, it is even more important that
you emphasize the maturity dimension and discuss an array of experiences that
are academic, professional, and personal in nature.

Teamwork is an essential part of the INSEAD learning model.
The school's strength in diversity would be pointless if there was no
cross-cultural learning involved. As such, students are assigned to study
groups of five to seven in order to heighten the learning experience. Groups
are diverse across multiple dimensions including: nationality, professional
experience, gender, age, and education. Team members work closely together on
class assignments and in some cases even exams. Any cross-cultural team-based
experiences that you can discuss will go a long way in establishing fit with
the INSEAD mission.

While INSEAD has won international acclaim for its advances
in business education, it is not resting on its laurels. INSEAD is actively
seeking to expand the size of its program, especially the Singapore
campus, and there are even discussions of establishing an entirely new campus.
INSEAD has room to expand its program in part due to its high yield (approx. 80
percent), which should allow for more opportunities among applicants. With
expansion on the way, potential applicants should consider INSEAD even if they
are not linguistic geniuses. If you have a true desire to pursue a global
career and are willing to put in work to develop your foreign language
abilities, then INSEAD might be the business school for you.

17.LBS

Looking for a truly international MBA experience? Most other
business schools' international immersion claims pale in comparison to what
London Business School (LBS) offers. Incoming students can expect that 80-85
percent of their classmates will hail from countries outside of the UK. That
representation tallies up to more than 70 nations in total. Combine that with a
language proficiency requirement that calls for students to have a reasonable
fluency in at least two languages (including English) and exchange programs
with 30 business schools abroad, and you have the makings of an environment
that encourages a fluid multicultural dialogue. Indeed, "becoming an
international citizen" is one of four themes that LBS's program expresses.
The admissions committee will be looking closely to see what type of
international citizen you will be, so be prepared to discuss your international
and cross-cultural experiences. You can expect a good portion of your interview
to be dedicated to this subject.

In addition to demonstrating that you have the ability to be
an international citizen, you should also make sure to display fit with the
other three LBS learning themes: becoming a leader, becoming an independent
thinker, and making things happen. These themes should not be viewed in
disparate silos, but rather as intertwined objectives. LBS views leadership in
three different ways: being competent and confident across a wide range of
functions, being creative and flexible in your leadership style, and achieving
results. Think of professional and personal examples that display these
leadership characteristics and try to integrate as many of them as you can into
your essays.

One of the ways that LBS believes your leadership abilities
will be enhanced during the MBA program is through team opportunities.
Immediately after beginning the program you will be assigned to a study group
of six to seven classmates, in which you will tackle a multitude of group
assignments. The emphasis on teamwork is so strong that these group projects
are worth approximately 50 percent of students' overall first year grade. In
addition to participating in a study group there is an expectation that
students will also play leading roles in at least one of LBS's 50 club
opportunities. In sum, these experiences allow students to enhance the three
LBS leadership characteristics, while cultivating their team skills. To show
your willingness to get involved, you might want to pick a couple club
opportunities that interest you and mention them in your essays.

Becoming an independent thinker highlights LBS's desire to
develop not only business leaders, but also to a certain extent, thought
leaders. This is underscored by the fact that LBS is one of the only business
schools that has its faculty conduct a majority of interviews. Given this type
of interview, it is to your advantage to acquaint yourself even more than usual
with the curriculum. LBS is also one of the few business schools that values
recommendations that are written bv professors. The interactive LBS learning
model benefits most when students have a high regard for the classroom dynamic
and for academic preparation. Discussing your view of academics and how it has
played a role in your outlook is a great way to display your stance as an
“independent thinker.” Ultimately, LBS expects its students to take that
academic theories learned in the classroom and “make things happen.”

The "making things happen" theme, a mixture of
innovation and implementation, is often expressed through entrepreneurial
ventures. The combination of the Foundation for Entrepreneurial Management,
Sussex Place Investment Management, and the Gavron Business Centre serve as a
business incubator and a capital fund from which students can access valuable
capital and resources. Students can also opt to participate in the school's
Entrepreneurship Summer School, which allows participants to develop and test
business plans through their early stages. At the end of the experience, students
present the results of feasibility studies to expert panels for feedback.
Participants are then encouraged to further hone their business plans
throughout their second year. If you have entrepreneurial ambitions, make sure
to bring it out in your application.

One of the centerpieces of the LBS learning model is its
Shadowing Project. As part of the project, first-year students are assigned to
a manager for a week and are required to observe that manager's approach to
leadership, challenges, and colleague interaction. At the end of the week,
students record their observations and reflect on the implications those
observations have on their professional development. This reflective nature is
something that LBS looks closely for in its applicants; the thought being that
reflection produces maturity. Indeed, the LBS learning model suggests that the
four themes cannot be achieved without reflection. It is therefore imperative
that you demonstrate a thoughtful nature in discussing your past experiences.
Describing personal discoveries that you gathered from activities and events is
a good way to do so.

18.Darden

Upon visiting Darden, you will be immediately struck by
three traits: the stunning campus, the dynamic classroom interactions, and the
academic discipline. Each of these traits is rooted in closely-guarded
tradition. While many business schools have changed their models over time to
keep up with the latest fads, Darden has remained true to the ideals that have
kept its students highly regarded as general managers. Your application should
clearly display your fit with the Darden philosophy.

The central tenets of the Darden philosophy are based upon
the close-knit feel of the school and the respect among students and faculty.
Every weekday morning "First Coffee" is held, during which the Darden
community sits down and discusses topics that are pertinent to the school.
Students consistently rave about the bonds that are formed throughout their
years at Darden, and the alumni are among the most committed to their alma
mater. Indeed Darden has the highest endowment per alum of any of any business
school. Although the class size is growing, the small school feeling remains.
If you intend to get accepted, you should indicate your desire to become a
member of this community, and provide examples of how you have and would be a
contributing alum. A visit to the Darden campus and classroom is a great way to
show commitment to the school; just make sure to mention the visit in your
application.

The case study method still remains the major pedagogical
tool through which the Darden learning model is taught. Professors select
students through cold calls to initiate case analysis and then invite the
entire class to participate in the dialogue. Students are placed in the role of
the decision maker and must have the ability to articulate and defend their
positions in an insightful manner. Your ability to contribute to case
conversations will most likely be tested during your Darden interview. The
interviewer will be evaluating your ability to provide cogent responses, your
confidence level, and your professionalism. Your challenge is to position
yourself as a candidate who can play both the student and the teacher roles
within the case study framework. It should be noted, however, that while Darden
is a case study school at heart, it has added other educational devices to its
toolbox such as: video cases, articles, simulations, and experiential
activities.

While the cases place you in the role of an individual
decision-maker, case preparation is conducted in student learning teams. As a
student, you would be placed in a learning team immediately after starting the
Darden program. Teams are expected to meet every night, so discussing your
ability to interact well with others should be an important piece of your
application.

Darden expects its graduates to be leaders in their fields,
but it also understands that leadership is learned through a path of
progression. Make sure your essays show a progression in leadership and your
recommendations highlight your potential to continue growing as a leader.

Darden is also well known for its strong emphasis on ethics.
All students are required to take a course on the subject and ethical
challenges often arise in cases through out the rest of the curriculum. The Olsson
Center
for Applied Ethics supports Darden's continued examination of the ethical
aspects of business. Don't be surprised if a question on ethics comes up during
your interview.

Darden is one of the few schools that doesn't impose word
limits on its essays. This is nice because of the added flexibility. However,
that added flexibility can also lead some applicants to go overboard, writing
essays that quickly lose their focus and clarity. It is therefore extra
important for you to ensure that your essays answer the stated questions and do
so in a powerful and thoughtful manner. Make sure that your essays are
segmented using headers and that any background information provided is only
given to support your position. Even though the essays have no limit,
admissions members certainly have limited patience.

While some modifications have been made to the Darden
learning model to curb excessive work, the academic experience remains intense.
Although students don’t take exams on Saturdays, as in the past, the Darden
experience is anything but a two year vacation. Perhaps for no other school is
the analogy to drinking from firehose more appropriate. There are no days off
at Darden, as students spend more time in the classroom than at any other top
business school and conquer 13 cases a week on average. Students are expected
to enter the program with a background in statistics, economics, and
accounting. The benefit from such a rigorous learning model is that graduates
truly feel that they’ve received value in return for their efforts. The
intensity pays off in preparation. Focus on this benefit and your ability to
succeed within the parameters of the learning model, and you will be on your
way to establishing a good fit with the Darden tradition.

19.Broad

Over the last few years, Broad (rhymes with
"road") has expanded its brand be yond "regional MBA"
status. This expansion can be attributed to a quick rise in the bschool
rankings and Broad's strength in practical specializations. Students can select
from four primary specializations (Supply Chain Management, Marketing
Technology, Human Resource Management, and Finance). The Supply Chain
Management (SCM) specialization has especially helped place Broad on the map.
SCM, which focuses on manufacturing operations, logistics, and purchasing,
continues to draw recruiters from across the nation that are looking to
optimize their product and information flows. Students may supplement these
areas of focus with secondary specializations, which include: Business
Information Systems, Corporate Accounting, General Management, and Leadership
& Change Management. Referencing your specialization interests and
explaining how a background in those areas could support vour career goals
should he key components of your application strategy.

Another large asset of the program is its career services
function. Broad’s career services group has made extensive efforts to attract a
bevy of innovative companies to campus. As a result, Broad students now enjoy
an average rate of job offers that is commensurate to or greater than that of
other top programs. Some of the major recruiters include: Intel, Gemini Ernst
& Young, IBM, Ford, and A.T. Kearney. You should take note that there is
relatively little investment bank presence on campus. Along those lines, make
sure that your career goals align well with Broad's strengths.

Broad students rave about the school's small size and the
access to professors. They enjoy the intimate environment and the close
relationships that are developed within the program. Unlike most other b-school
programs, chances are that you will leave Broad knowing all of your classmates'
names.

Over the last few years Broad has begun to make a name for
itself through case competitions. Held around the globe, case competitions
allow teams of three to six students to display their analytical, public
speaking, and persuasion skills. Broad actively encourages students to
participate in these competitions and assists in students preparation for them.
The results speak for themselves, as Broad students have come away with high
placements in a number of these competitions. If you have any interest in
participating in case competitions, bring them up as a great discussion point.

Broad's application is fairly compact in comparison to the
applications of other top programs. With two short essays, the Broad
application makes it more difficult for candidates to differentiate themselves
from each other. As such, it is important that your baseline statistics (GMAT
and GPA) are close to those of the current MBA class. This importance has been
compounded as Broad looks to improve its baseline statistics in order to
continue its movement up the rankings. Therefore, you should utilize the
optional essay to address weaknesses in baseline statistics that are five
percent below the means.

Overall, Broad is looking for bright candidates who aren't
afraid to get their hands dirty while working to solve managerial issues. If
you can position yourself as such and hit the mark in terms of GMAT and GPA,
your application will resonate positively with the admissions committee.

A few years ago, Broad grads received criticism for their
lack of teamwork capabilities. The Broad administration was quick to react and
has made strong efforts to introduce team building exercises into the learning
model. Today, a large portion of class assignments are completed in teams. From
the moment orientation begins, students are placed on project teams and
students' skills are continuously enhanced through team building workshops and
activities. As part of the core curriculum, students are required to take the
course Leadership & Teamwork. This course provides students with an
experiential learning opportunity through which they can work in teams under
different simulated conditions. The bottom line is that you should present
yourself to the admissions committee as a team player who is open to further
examination of your team skills.

20.Ivey

The Richard Ivey School of Business prides itself on turning
out business leaders with well-rounded general management skills. Ivey students
don’t major in a particular subject, but rather receive a general management
degree. All students work through the same core curriculum the first year, and
spend their second year taking electives that allow them to focus on a
particular discipline, or stay generalists if they so choose. One noteworthy
part of the second year is the Ivey Client Field Project (ICFP), the only
required course for second-year students. In ICFP, teams of students work with
a company to identify business issues and to recommend a course of action.
Students spend most of their second year on the project, working with employees
from the company and with a faculty advisor along the way. At the end of the
project, they present their recommendations to the company's management. ICFP
is a great example of the general management approach that Ivey aims to instill
in its students. Demonstrating an understanding of the program and the
real-world value that it can provide will help show your fit with the school.

More than nearly any other school, Ivey is completely
devoted to the case study method of learning. The school estimates that
students evaluate and discuss about 600 cases in their two years at Ivey.
Students typically spend one to three hours preparing for each case
individually and in learning teams, and then discuss their opinions and
analysis in class, with the professor directing the discussion. It's a rigorous
approach to learning, and one that requires a certain kind of student.

Accordingly, Ivey looks for applicants with strong academic
backgrounds, as well as those with a willingness to throw themselves into tough
challenges. The school likes applicants who bring a unique point of view to class,
in order to encourage consideration of a wide range of perspectives in each
discussion. Ivey also looks for applicants with polish who are not afraid to
voice their opinions. Any way in which you can demonstrate a time when you had
to persuade others to follow you, or when you had to make an unpopular
decision, will help greatly. Finally, the school looks for people who will make
good citizens in the classroom. The case method works best when everyone
involved is willing to consider others' opinions.

Think carefully about how you can demonstrate these kinds of
traits in your application, starting with the work you did in Chapter 2. The
more easily that the admissions committee can envision you as a thoughtful and
active participant in an Ivey case discussion, the better off you will be.
Also, remember that Ivey's program is a general management one where a broad
perspective is valued over specific quantitative skills. Make sure that a
general management education is what you want, and spell out why this is
valuable to you in your application.

Finally, Ivey is interested in students with an
international perspective. Each year, 50 or so Ivey students take part in
programs like the Leader Project, in which students spend three weeks teaching
business concepts to students in places such as Russia,
Belarus, and Cuba. Students
interested in Asia can also spend a month teaching at the School
of Economics and Management at Tsinghua
University
in Beijing.
While an international resume isn’t required, Ivey will look for a n interest
in global business issues, and a willingness to stretch outside of your comfort
zone. Think about ways in which you can demonstrate these in your essays.

As mentioned earlier, Ivey's philosophy and learning style
are built around the unique contributions that each student brings to the
classroom. While the school places no official minimum on the amount of work
experience an applicant needs, Ivey is clear about preferring applicants with
at least two years of experience. The admissions committee will not only look
at how much experience you have, but also will look for ways in which your
experiences make you unique. If you come from an uncommon background, such as
entrepreneurship or nonprofit work, then be sure to emphasize what you have
learned and how it makes you different than other applicants. At the same time,
make clear that you have the business acumen that it takes to succeed in the
case study environment. If you come from consulting or banking, then your
challenge will be to set yourself apart from similar applicants. Spend a lot of
time putting your uniqueness into words, ideally with distinctive work
challenges and notable activities outside of the office.

hlmichael · 发表于 2007-11-8 12:13:00

21.Cornell

Johnson is a quintessential small MBA program. With less than
300 members in each class, students receive a high degree of attention from
faculty and from the dean. Perhaps no other top business school program
emphasizes professor accessibility as much as Johnson does. Professors at
Johnson literally open their homes to students and go the extra mile to ensure
that opportunities to learn course concepts extend beyond the classroom.
Indeed, joining the Johnson program is more like joining the Johnson family.
Your application should echo that sentiment in addition to reflecting the core
values upon which the Johnson program has build its reputation.

The values that are central to the Johnson program include:
a dedication to analytical rigor, an action-oriented approach to learning, and
a collaborative learning environment. Your application should highlight your
ability to think in an analytical manner. This could manifest itself through a
discussion of how you focus on developing solutions, your approach to analyzing
problems, or an analytically driven business idea that you have. Analytical in
this sense doesn't purely mean numbers oriented (although Johnson will take a
close look at your quantitative GMAT score), but rather it means based on
rational and in-depth thought and examination. Examples you can provide along
those lines will help you establish fit with the analytical strength Johnson
values in addition to its application-focused learning model. As a member of
the Johnson family, you will be expected to contribute to your classmates'
learning and to the school as a whole. Said in another way, Johnson is looking
for applicants who are team players. While you definitely shouldn't shy away
from publicizing your accomplishments, be careful not to come across as
arrogant in tone and be sure that your recommenders reflect positively upon
your teamwork skills.

Although Johnson is a general management program in that
there are no majors and a majority of courses that students take are electives,
the program's strength lies in its finance curriculum. Johnson even offers a
financial engineering program that focuses on subjects such as: derivatives,
portfolio analysis, stochastic processes, and computer-based modeling. Another
alternative for those who are interested in technical training is the Twelve
Month Option MBA program. This program requires an advanced scientific or
technical degree and is perfect for those applicants who don't want to be out
of the workforce for two years.

Like many other b-schools, Johnson has jumped on the
"leadership bandwagon." However, leadership potential is not merely a
criterion listed in brochure material; it is one of the most important
applicant characteristics by which you will be evaluated. In fact, Johnson
offers up to 30 two-year full-tuition scholarships to students who have demonstrated
exemplary performance in the area of leadership. The admissions committee will
look to see whether you take initiative on a regular basis and will
specifically assess how you have an impact on your professional and personal
environments. Writing about leadership roles that you've taken on and how those
roles have progressively increased in level of responsibility is a great way to
implicitly state your further leadership potential. Your interview is another
proving ground on which leadership will be discussed. You should anticipate
that you will receive several questions on leadership, especially questions
asking you to provide examples of displayed leadership. You should also
anticipate being asked a question on current business events, so make sure you
have a decent understanding of what's going on in the business world before
your interview.

Similar to its learning model, Johnson’s application offers
more flexibility than most. This becomes most apparent in its essay
requirements, which allow you to select from a great number of options. Your
emphasis, however, should be on the leadership and innovation dimensions, Your
ability to establish fit along these lines will help grant you entry into the
Johnson family.

The Immersion Learning curriculum is probably the best
example of Johnson's action-oriented approach to learning. Immersion Learning,
also referred to as "the semester in reality," is an experiential
method that allows students to take a hands-on approach to functions such as: Managerial
Finance, Investment Banking, Brand Management, Manufacturing, and e-business.
Students visit companies, work on actual business challenges, and are evaluated
based on the solutions that they develop in response to those challenges.
Discussion of Immersion Learning can be a great way to display your knowledge
of the Johnson learning model.

22. Emory

Emory University's Goizueta (pronounced:
"goy-SWET-uh") Business School is one of the smallest of the nation's
top programs, with just 170 entering the school's traditional two-year MBA
program each year. Like other small programs, Goizueta is noted for its
close-knit culture and high student involvement in every aspect of the school.
Student Action Groups give students a strong voice in many of the school’s departments,
including admissions, curriculum development, marketing, and facilities
planning. Not surprisingly, the school expects that each of its students will
get involved in a t least one opportunity to leave a mark on the school.

Goizueta promotes its own flavor of leadership training,
which it calls Leadership in Action. The school believes that effective
leadership requires seven important traits – courage, integrity,
accountability, rigor, diversity, teamwork, and community – which it has deemed
its "Core Values." Goizueta students are immediately introduced to
the school's Core Values during their orientation week, with one activity
devoted to each of the school's core values. Students participate in ropes
courses and skydiving to learn courage, perform service projects to gain a
sense of community, etc. In other words, the school expects each student to
embrace its Core Values, and you should be pre- pared to explain what these
values mean to you.

Before the start of each semester, Goizueta students take
part in a pre-term course called Lead Week, an intense program that gives them
exposure to real-world business issues. Before the start of the first-year fall
term, students study a series of cases focused on a single company. Each case
emphasizes an academic discipline, such as operations, strategy, finance, or
marketing. Students compete in teams to prepare analyses and recommendations
for the subject company, and the winning team gets to present its findings to
the company's executives. To start the second year, student teams compete in a
business plan competition, with each team preparing a business plan from
scratch and pitching it to a panel of venture capitalists. Lead Week programs
in the winter and spring give students opportunities to focus on topics of
their choosing, and even study issues abroad. Additionally, Goizueta Plus is a
series of seminars that students take in their first year, giving them the
opportunity to explore their own personal interests, their leadership traits,
communication skills, and larger issues in business ethics. Although these
programs are constantly evolving, they remain a centerpiece of the Goizueta
program, and expressing an understanding of how they embody the school's Core
Values will help strengthen your application.

The annual Goizueta Marketing Strategy Competition gives
student teams another chance to tackle real-world business challenges. Students
work with executives from partner corporations in developing solutions for real
marketing challenges that these businesses face. While performing their
analyses and developing their recommendations, students are coached by faculty
members and receive additional training through a series of training seminars.
A panel of executives and Goizueta faculty judge each team's output, with the
winning team taking home $10,000. Especially if you are interested in
marketing, be sure to express your enthusiasm for the competition and hands-on
experience that it provides.

While most schools prefer students with some amount of work
experience, Goizueta explicitly states that students need at least a year of
work experience in order to apply. It is therefore not surprising that its
student body tends to skew slightly older than those of other top schools.
Although all schools look for maturity in their applicants, Goizueta is clear
about the importance of this dimension of your application. It is therefore
important to choose essay and interview stories that emphasize your own
professional maturity.

Perhaps Goizueta’s most important espoused Core Value is
courage, which the school defines as a willingness to take risks and push
yourself out of your comfort zone. The school believes that this is an
important component of leadership, and you can therefore expect the Goizueta
admissions committee to look for examples of this trait in your application.
The school is most interested in the applicant who takes the road less traveled
and is willing to take some risks. Any way in which you can demonstrate this
trait in your own past—and what you learned from it—will help the admissions
committee see how you fit in at Goizueta. Think about how you can weave these
stories into your application, particularly in the essays.

23. CMU

Carnegie Mellon's MBA program is highly analytical, as
quantitative rigor is integrated throughout the entire curriculum. The school's
proper name—Carnegie Mellon Graduate School of Industrial
Administration—invokes images of a program turning out leaders for the
manufacturing sector. Although this is partially accurate, the school is also
well known in finance circles, where Carnegie Mellon grads' quantitative skills
are also highly prized.

While many schools have a minimum math requirement for
applicants, Carnegie Mellon expects its applicants to have at least completed
one college-level calculus course along with another high-level course in
calculus, statistics, or linear algebra. Don't worry, you can take a course
part-time before enrolling, but realize that quantitative skills are something
that will have to come through in your application no matter what discipline
you want to pursue. Also, more than half of each full-time class holds an
undergraduate degree in a technical major. Make sure that you're capable of
keeping up with applicants that have computer science and engineering
backgrounds (if you don't have one yourself). This capability will mostly be
represented in your GMAT score, your undergraduate studies, and your previous
work experience.

The school's emphasis on analytical abilities is apparent in
its core curriculum. Required courses in Probability and Statistics, Decision
Models, and Operations Management have the usual dose of quantitative lessons.
But classes such as Finance and Economics also have a heavy dose of analytics.
One unique feature of the program is its mini-semester system. Students have
four mini-semesters a year, instead of the more typical two-semester system.
Starting in the spring semester of their first year, students can begin taking
electives at the business school as well as at Carnegie Mellon's other schools.
If you are interested in expanding your knowledge in such fields as
biotechnology or computer science while earning your MBA, explore and consider
discussing these opportunities. They provide great ways for you to demonstrate
fit and enthusiasm for the flexibility of Carnegie Mellon’s program.

Carnegie Mellon also touts its practical, hands-on approach
to learning, exemplified by its Management Game, a highly involved computer
simulation that runs from the last mini-semester of the first year through the
first semester of the second year student teams each run their own simulated
business, making decisions affecting operations, finance, marketing, and labor
relations. Admitting a level of realism to the game, each team is assigned a
board of directors, comprised of local business leaders. Teams also practice
contract negotiations with local labor leaders and consult with law students at
the University of
Pittsburgh.

The Management Game requires not only superior quantitative skills,
but also strong communications and teamwork abilities, both of which the school
also looks for in its applicants. If you are an applicant coming from
engineering or an otherwise technical background, be sure to bring out the
teamwork dimension in you application. Carnegie Mellon values strong thinkers,
but values most those strong thinkers who can turn in- sights into action.

Nearly half of the 2002 graduates pursued careers in
finance, especially corporate finance in the manufacturing sector. Healthcare
is also a popular choice for graduates (including pharmaceuticals and
biotechnology). Carnegie Mellon alumni are also active entrepreneurs, and the
school looks for entrepreneurship traits in its applicants. If you have
entrepreneurial aspirations, discussing them in your essays and during your
interview can be a great way to establish fit with what the school looks for in
its applicants.

You won't find any majors at Carnegie Mellon, or any
academic departments for that matter. The school promotes an interdisciplinary
approach to learning, encouraging faculty members from different fields to
teach courses together. The result is a fairly broad approach to management
education. While students can choose from concentrations in 12 different
subjects, most tend to choose multiple concentrations, further broadening their
learning. While Carnegie Mellon's deep analytical focus makes it very different
from other general management programs such as Harvard or Darden, keep the
school's interdisciplinary philosophy in mind as you build your application
story.

24. Yale

The Yale School of Management aims to produce leaders who
will make a difference both within their organizations and in their
communities. The school's stated mission is to educate leaders "for business
and society." While over two-thirds of each class go into finance or
consulting (like most other business schools), there is a much greater emphasis
on nonprofit and public sector lessons and opportunities at Yale than at most
other schools. No matter what their career goals are, the candidates who most
appeal to the admissions committee are the ones who demonstrate a broad
perspective and an understanding of the importance of contributing to society
at large.

Yale students spend their first year learning the school's
core curriculum. The core includes the usual business school courses (including
economics, finance, marketing, and operations), but also covers topics such as
Leadership and The Politics of Strategic Management. These courses apply the
theory of politics and influence to business management situations, something
that is common throughout Yale's curriculum. Think about this approach to
learning, how it might appeal to you, and what you may be able to contribute to
the classroom. Students take electives in pursuit of one of seven
concentrations, including Marketing, Strategy, Finance, Leadership, Public
Management, Operations Management, and Nonprofit Management.

Fittingly, Yale's nonprofit program is one of the best-known
in the United States.
The school offers extensive elective options in nonprofit and public sector
management, and also provides students with a variety of opportunities for
getting involved in their communities outside of class. Yale's Internship Fund,
established in 1979, provides financial assistance to students who take on non-
or low-paying jobs in the nonprofit or public sector. Funds are raised from
student contributions, and up to one-fifth of the class receives some amount of
funding in any given year. Even if you don't plan on pursuing a nonprofit job
after school, demonstrating enthusiasm for getting involved in this type of
program can help further show your fit with the school.

Entrepreneurship is also a focus at Yale, and students have
several opportunities to get involved in building a business. Yale hosts an
annual business plan competition, with entries divided into two categories: for
profit and social entrepreneurship. The school also hosts a separate National
Business Plan Competition for Nonprofit Organizations, blending the school’s
strengths in community involvement and entrepreneurship. Outside of the
nonprofit sector, Yale students also run their venture vcapital fund, known as
Sachem Ventures. This $1.5 million fund gives students a chance to screen, invest
in, and work with startups in the New
Haven are.

When thinking about demonstrating fit with Yale, focus
especially on the leadership and innovation dimensions of your application. As
mentioned previously, the school looks for applicants who contribute to their
community, and this is perhaps the most important component of the school's
definition of leadership. Additionally, the school stresses the importance of
understanding the interaction between the private sector and public sector, so
you want to demonstrate a "big picture" view and a willingness to
learn about how one affects the other, no matter what your career interest is.
As far as innovation goes, Yale looks for applicants who are comfortable with
having their thinking challenged and are willing to take intellectual risks.
The more you can demonstrate a willingness to "think outside of the
box" both on the job and in your extracurricular activities, the better
off you will be. Additionally, the school looks for applicants with integrity,
so think about how you can demonstrate this as part of your maturity dimension.

Yale is looking for business-minded people who are just as
comfortable talking about world politics as they are pricing a financial
instrument. You can show fit with the program by demonstrating your knowledge
of current events and a natural desire to get involved in your community. Note
that Yale's essays serve as a great opportunity for you to show that you know
what is going on in the world around you, and that you have an opinion that's
worth hearing. Don't just try to tell the admissions committee what you think
they want to hear. Rather, take a position in which you truly believe and
succinctly support it with a real-world example or two.

25. UNC

Over the last several years, Kenan-Flagler has made great
strides in establishing its name among the top business schools. With an
intense focus on analytics, leadership and teamwork, and a small-program
culture, Kenan-Flagler has grown in popularity among applicants and recruiters.
The learning model features an integrated general management curriculum that
focuses on four themes: Analyzing Capabilities and Resources, Monitoring the
Marketplace and External Environment, Formulating Strategy, and Implementing
Strategy and Assessing Firm Performance. These themes are featured in four
corresponding eight-week modules, taken during the first year.

During the second year, students can select from seven
"career concentrations" (Corporate Finance, Customer and Product
Development, Investment Management, Global Supply-chain Management, Management
Consulting, Real Estate, Entrepreneurship, and Venture Development). Students
can supplement these career concentrations with "enrichment
concentrations" in Sustainable Enterprise, International Business, or
Electronic Business and Digital Commerce. As their names indicate, these
concentrations are more oriented toward career development than traditional
functions. This is indicative of a learning model that prides itself on having
close ties to industry development. Those close ties are supported by having a
corporate advisory board, comprised of experts from top companies, that
provides guidance on the concentrations' curricula. In addition to serving on
the board, these experts also provide students with career advice and job
opportunities. To fit well with its focus on career development, Kenan-Flagler
looks for applicants who are strong in the maturity dimension. The school
discourages those with less than two years work experience from applying and takes
a close look at applicants' professional records in search of tangible
achievements.

Analytics plays a large role in the Kenan-Flagler learning
model and therefore in the applicant selection process. The program is known
for its quantitative rigor, so if you have a relatively low quantitative GMAT
score and a weak quantitative background, you should consider taking a couple
extra courses in economics, statistics, or financial accounting. Like many
other schools, Kenan-Flagler has an analytical workshop that students can
attend before classes start, but taking initiative to shore up your
quantitative skills will show the admissions committee that you will be able to
succeed in its numbers-driven environment.

The Kenan-Flagler culture strongly emphasizes both
leadership and teamwork, but the admissions committee will more actively
evaluate your leadership potential. To bolster that potential, first-year
students take a two-part course called Leading and Managing. Students begin the
course by reviewing leadership evaluations filled out by their former
colleagues. These evaluations pinpoint leadership growth opportunities that
students focus on throughout the course. Each student ultimately produces a
leadership plan which details the areas in which she would like to improve.
There should be at least three aspects of your leadership capabilities that you
emphasize in your application: Use of analytical skills to assess situations,
ability to leverage resources (both people and tools) in developing solutions, and
success in implementing solutions. Discussion of these leadership traits will
help you establish fit with Kenan-Flagler's mission.

If you are considering an entrepreneurial career path,
discussing it in your application is a great way to get your application a
second look. We’re not talking about merely mentioning that entrepreneurship is
an interest, but rather actually discussing the innovation you would like to
bring to the market. The latter will get you further because Kenan-Flagler is
interested in students who are serious about entrepreneurship. It has spent the
last several years augmenting its entrepreneurial program and is hoping to
become a household name in the area. Under the direction of the school’s Center
for Entrepreneurial and Technology Venturing, students can now select from a
suite of electives that provide insight into each stage of business model
development. The school holds an annual venture capital competition, during
which aspiring entrepreneurs put their models to the test and receive feedback
from established venture capital firms. It can even be competitive to get into
some of the later-stage entrepreneurial classes, which require an application
and a business plan.

Despite the accolades Kenan-Flagler has received for making
improvements to its program, it still has a relatively low yield percentage.
The admissions committee will take a close look at your application to see
whether you are serious about attending the school. Naturally, establishing fit
with the school's mission and values is a good way to express your interest. An
additional, more conventional way to do so is by visiting the campus. The
admissions committee looks positively on applicants who visit the campus as a
way to get to know the school and the learning model more intimately. Taking
this step will express the level of commitment for which the school is looking.

In the past, Kenan-Flagler was criticized for its lack of
focus on international business. It has since increased its global emphasis by
adding an international business concentration, increasing study abroad
opportunities, and adding language courses. The school now actively looks for
applicants who are interested in pursuing global careers, so if you have any
experience or interests along those lines, make sure to bring it out in your
application.

hlmichael · 发表于 2007-11-8 12:14:00

26. USC

Positioned as more than an MBA program, the Marshall School
of Business portrays itself as a life-transforming experience. This experience
is referred to as the Marshall Advantage and is highlighted by an
application-focused curriculum and special programs in entrepreneurship and
international business. The experience is augmented by the Trojan Family
culture, which emphasizes teamwork, integrity, and professionalism. Your Marshall application strategy
should demonstrate your ability to leverage the Marshall Advantage in addition
to displaying fit with the Trojan Family culture.

From the moment students begin the Marshall program, they notice a strong
emphasis on career development and putting theory into practice. A majority of
the Marshall
faculty has significant professional experience. The professors work in teams
to discuss ways to highlight the application of theory in the classroom. Not
surprisingly, the Marshall Admissions Committee will closely evaluate your
maturity dimension. The committee is in search of applicants who can contribute
to the classroom based on their success in professional and personal endeavors.
Examples that you can provide to impress the committee along these lines include
promotions, discussions of passion for your work or community, tangible
improvements made to your company, and leadership demonstrated in group
settings.

Marshall
owns bragging rights to being the first business school with a dedicated
entrepreneurship program. That program, supported by the Lloyd
Greif
Center for
Entrepreneurial Studies is now recognized as one of the top in the nation.
Students have the opportunity to compete in business plan competitions in
addition to developing their own business models. Discussing your
entrepreneurial ambitions is a good way to display fit with Marshall's commitment to this subject. Along
with Entrepreneurship, Marshall
offers almost 20 concentrations in areas such as Business of Entertainment,
Corporate Finance, General Marketing, Investments and Financial Markets,
Management Consulting, Real Estate Finance, and Technology Development and
E-business.

Marshall's
commitment to international business is highlighted by the fact that all
students are required to travel abroad as part of the Pacific Rim Education
Program (PRIME). As part of the first-year curriculum PRIME is a five-week
program, during which students become more familiar with the global aspects of
business through lectures, casework, and a team project. Students can select
from a number a countries including Chile,
China, Japan, Singapore,
Thailand, Cuba, or Mexico. PRIME has quickly become a
favorite among students and a majority of them actually accept internships in
the countries that they select for the program. International opportunities
outside of PRIME include study abroad programs that come in lengths of three
weeks, four weeks, or an entire semester. Marshall
will continue to look for ways to make a name for itself in the international
arena, and it is therefore important that you display knowledge of or a desire
to gain knowledge or global business issues.

Teamwork rests at the core of the Marshall learning model. Students begin the
program by participating in a retreat that focuses on developing interpersonal
and teamwork skills. When classes begin, students are placed in study groups of
four to six classmates who work together during the first term and are then
reshuffled in each term thereafter. Additionally, teams of six students
participate in a series of case competitions, which call for students to come
up with recommendations to real-world business issues and then present to
faculty, classmates, and company representatives.

Despite the myriad offerings with which Marshall provides its students, it often
plays second fiddle to UCLA (Anderson), Berkeley (Haas), and Stanford. Marshall is looking to
become more competitive with these area schools by highlighting the
quantitative rigor of the program. As such, the admissions committee will take
a close look at your quantitative GMAT score in addition to looking at your
transcript(s) for evidence of proficiency in numbers-intensive courses. If you
don't have a quantitative heavy background, consider taking an accounting,
statistics, or calculus course. The admissions committee will also take a close
look and evaluate the probability that you will accept an offer. You can
increase your chances by displaying intimate knowledge of the Marshall learning model and passion for the
school's mission and values.

27. Rochester

Simon offers a heavy does of quantitative learning within a
small school environment. The schools’ curriculum is unique in that it
approaches most of the major academic disciplines from a n economics
perspective. Simon students study Finance, Marketing, and Organizational
Behavior all through the lens of economic theory, and are encouraged to tie
these subjects together by using basic economic principles. The school believes
strongly in this approach to business training. You won’t be expected to speak
intelligently about price elasticity or supply and demand curves in your
admissions interview, but be ready to demonstrate an understanding of this
learning approach and to explain why it appeals to you.

Simon students are also expected to take a rigorous,
analytical approach in nearly every subject, and the school is careful to
screen for analytical abilities in the admissions process. In fact, Simon
recently raised its minimum requirements for statistics experience among its
admitted students. The school will give you every opportunity to get up to
speed before you enroll if you haven't already studied statistics or calculus,
but be aware that the school will look closely at your quantitative GMAT score
and your college transcript for evidence of analytical abilities.

In addition to its emphasis on quantitative skills, Simon's
core curriculum gives students an opportunity to develop their leadership and
communication skills in a small, team-based environment. Students take their
first-year core classes in small cohorts of 40 people each, and also are
assigned to five-person study teams in which they participate throughout their
entire first year. Simon emphasizes the learning teams in order to expose all
students to the diversity of their peers and to try to overcome the competitive
pressures that such a rigorous environment can produce. In a small environment
like Simon's, the ability to get along with your peers is a must, so think
about ways to demonstrate an outgoing personality and knack for teamwork.

Starting in the school's pre-term course and continuing
throughout the first year, students also take a series of courses in
communication skills, featuring small workshops and one-on-one coaching
conducted by second-year students and school staff. This personal coaching is
common throughout the school, and is another benefit of its small size.
Students are also encouraged to get involved at the school. Part of students'
learning outside the classroom—the VISION program, which teaches such skills as
negotiation and change management—is run by second-year students. The school
looks carefully for evidence that you are truly interested in Simon, and
demonstrating your enthusiasm for these unique programs can help convince the
admissions committee of your interest.

Simon is best known in finance circles, which is no surprise
given its emphases on economic theory and quantitative skills. Students can
exercise their finance muscles by managing the student-run Simon Meliora Fund
(which is made up of a portion of the university's endowment) or by
participating in the school's annual Investment Challenge. While nearly half of
each class goes into finance, the school also attracts many consulting and even
marketing firms that are interested in students' analytical abilities. Simon
recently introduced two new concentrations in Health Sciences Management and
E-Commerce to go along with its 12 existing concentrations. Give either of
these a look if they complement your background and your career goals.

Simon looks for several traits in its applicants, all
stemming from the school’s definition of what a successful leader can do. It
looks for an ability to decipher a murky situation and choose a course of
action – an extension of the school’s emphasis on analytical abilities. Simon
also looks for people who understand how to persuade and motivate people. This
is where the school’s Organizational Behavior and Communications classes come
into play. Finally, the school looks for an ability to recognize talents in other
individuals and to encourage their skill development, which is reflected in
Simon's emphasis on teamwork. Think about ways in which you can demonstrate
these abilities through past experiences, and discuss them in the essays
portion of the application.

28. Owen

Few schools have undergone as much change in the last few
years as Owen. After Martin Geisel—who had led the school for 12 years—died in
1999, the school took nearly a year and a half to find a full-time replacement.
During that time, it lost nine professors (about 20 percent of its faculty),
and students complained that the lack of leadership was hurting the school.
Some wondered if the school had peaked.

Enter William Christie, an Owen finance professor who was
eventually selected to lead the school in July 2000. Christie is young as far
as deans go, but students say that what he might lack in experience is more
than made up for by the energy that he displays in the classroom. He has
started some innovative new programs to bring the administration closer to the
student body, including "The Dean Is In," a regularly scheduled time
in which he sets up a table and dispenses advice to any student who has a
question. The result is that students now have great things to say about the
administration, and they once again feel good about the school's leadership and
direction.

Owen is small, and it boasts a faculty-to-student ratio of
about 10:1. The school's academic program emphasizes practical application of
management knowledge, and that comes through in its Practical Training
Internship. This program gives Owen students a look at the issues that most
frequently come up in the day-to-day running of a business. Students then apply
these lessons during their summer internships, and write in-depth reports of their
experiences at the end of the summer.

In addition to completing the core curriculum, Owen students
can concentrate in areas such as Finance, Marketing, Operations, or Human and
Organizational Performance. The school also offers several
"emphases," including Brand Management, Entrepreneurship, and
Healthcare. The school is known for maintaining a flexible curriculum, so don't
be surprised to see the school add new concentrations or emphases to keep up
with the changing times.

As in the case with many small schools, Owen has a
collegial, close-knit community where student involvement is high. Students are
encouraged to voice their opinions on school-wide matters, and the
administration is known to listen to them. Keep this in mind as you think about
the aspects of your application that demonstrate your community involvement.

Owen looks for students who really want to attend the
school. Owen is likely to sniff out someone who is just looking for a “safety
school,” so make sure that you demonstrate why you want to spend two years
there.

Owen made waves with its Electronic Commerce concentration
in the late 1990s, as the school made a bold move to establish itself as a
leader in the field of e-commerce management training. It was a logical move
for a program that was trying to move from having a regional name to a global
brand. The tech industry slowdown has meant that Owen's advantage in this arena
has been somewhat diminished, but its e-commerce program is still well regarded
among recruiters, despite the school's location away from the traditional high
tech hotspots. Keep it in mind if you want to build your e-commerce resume and
are willing to venture away from the coasts for a couple of years.

29. Purdue

Originally positioned as a graduate program in operations,
Krannert changed its degree title from Masters of Science in Management to MBA
in 2001. The new label made official the expansion of the program, which
occurred over several years. Today Krannert is recognized as an MBA program
with strengths in technology, manufacturing, and other analytical functions.
The school is looking for applicants who can thrive within a quantitatively
intense environment, support its traditional strengths, and also continue
building its brand in other aspects of business. At heart, Krannert is still a
quantitatively centered program, so you should display some proficiency in this
area through your GMAT score, transcript(s), or professional experiences.

It's not surprising to hear Krannert MBAs refer to their
alma mater as "Techno MBA," as the program regularly utilizes
technology to support its hands-on learning philosophy. Many students choose to
specialize in Information Systems, one of six functional specializations the
school offers (the others are: Accounting, Finance, Marketing, Operations
Management, and Strategic Management). In addition to functional
specializations, the school offers interdisciplinary concentrations in
International Management, General Management, and Manufacturing and Technology
Management. Discussion of your goals should include a small blurb on where you
see one or two of these specializations coming into play.

Technology is used to simulate e-commerce transactions, the
power of enterprise application integration, financial trading, and database architecture.
In addition to these examples, Krannert provides numerous opportunities for its
students to translate theory into application. The Student-Managed Investment
Fund (SMIF) provides students with the opportunity to help manage a six-figure
financial portfolio and distribute a portion of the gains to Krannert and other
graduate programs. During the Digital Information Industry Simulation, students
act as the CEO of a large technology company, making decisions that have an
impact on the results of the company. Krannert also offers MarkStrat3, another
computer simulation that allows student teams to compete against one another,
trying to win market share and increase profits in the high-tech industry.
Providing an example in which you took an abstract idea and implemented it is a
powerful way to highlight your fit with Krannert’s philosophy on translating
theory into application.

Given Krannert’s strong technology focus, it is important
that you display familiarity and comfort with technology. This doesn’t mean
that you have to come across as techno wiz, but to the extent that you are at
eased with discussing the benefits of technology and sharing ideas of
technological innovation, you should do so. Keep in mind, however, that
Krannert is also trying to expand its brand beyond just technology and
operations, so don't shy away from bringing up interests in other aspects of
business. Telling a story about how you would like to apply tech-sawy business
principles to industries outside of traditional technology can also help your
application stand out.

Krannert provides all of the benefits that come along with
most small MBA programs, including accessible faculty, a close-knit student
community and an emphasis on teamwork. Immediately after beginning the program,
you will be assigned to a four- or five-person team. Students within a team
come from diverse professional backgrounds and spend time working on group
assignments for the first eight weeks of class. Having strong team skills is
important to succeeding in these groups, and is therefore something upon which
the admission committee will rate you. Use the essays to discuss your ability
to contribute to a team.

One of the areas that Krannert is actively looking to expand
in is its global presence. The program already receives a large number of
applications from international candidates (70-80 percent of all applications)
and maintains a large number of international students (generally more than 1/3
of students). Krannert is looking to leverage its popularity among
international candidates and offer more opportunities abroad. One international
program the school is actively promoting is the German International Graduate
School of Management and Administration (GISMA) program. This program features
an eight-week module in Hannover,
Germany, during
which students take classes taught by Krannert faculty and visit German
companies. To the extent that you have global aspirations, be sure to highlight
them in your application. Doing so should benefit your fit with the school.

30. Maryland

Smith has made a name for itself among business schools for
its emphasis on technology. The school's core curriculum works information
technology lessons into nearly every one of its classes, and students can
tailor their general management education to concentrate in topics including
electronic commerce, e-service, information systems, and supply chain
management.

One tangible example of the school's technology focus is its
Netcentricity Laboratory, or "Net Lab," which Smith has built as a
proving ground and learning environment for functions including e-commerce and
supply chain management. Students use models and simulations to learn the
nuances of these systems in a series of e-business lab courses. The lab is
sponsored by industry heavyweights including Oracle, Sun, and Reuters, and
features their technologies prominently. The Net Lab also contains a Financial
Markets Lab—modeled after a Wall Street trading floor—which gives students a
chance to apply what they learn in the classroom to real-time financial
decisions. Naturally, the more you can speak with passion about the importance
of technology in your career path, the better fit you will demonstrate in your
Smith application.

Speaking of Wall Street, the school also has a real-money
portfolio called the Mayer Fund, which is run by 10-12 second-year Smith
students. Founded in 1993, the fund gives students a chance to manage a
portfolio worth more than $1 million. The fund is a great chance for aspiring
money managers to get their feet wet and gain exposure to the top executives
who make up the fund’s external board of directors. If you are interested in
finance, consider discussing your interest in the Financial Markets Lab or the
Mayer Fund in your application.

Another example of hands-on learning at Smith is its MBA
Consulting Project, a required course for all second-year students. Teams of
students work to earn credit toward their MBA while consulting for major
corporations and government agencies. This is a unique feature of the Smith MBA
and one that the school feels sets it apart. Even if you're not interested in
consulting, make sure that you demonstrate enthusiasm for the real-world
lessons that this program provides. In fact, if you're not a consultant,
emphasizing the appeal of this program may help your application stand out even
more, as long as it's consistent with the rest of your story.

Smith students and grads describe the school's culture as
being very cooperative. Teamwork figures into a lot of what students do, both
in traditional classes and the school's Experiential Learning Modules that
augment students' skills in areas such as communications and strategic business
analysis. Accordingly, be sure to frame your past successes as instances of
team success wherever possible in order to demonstrate fit with the program.
And while leadership isn't talked about as much at Smith as at other schools,
any examples you can provide to bolster your leadership dimension will help you
stand out from the pack.

Like other schools with lower yield percentages, Smith is
careful about selecting candidates who are truly interested in its program.
Demonstrating your knowledge of the school, and especially your enthusiasm for
its focus on technology and entrepreneurship, will help you make your case that
Smith is where you want to be.

Smith is very committed to entrepreneurship, and its Dingman
Center
for Entrepreneurship is a major hub for start-up activity in the Washington, D.C.,
region, giving entrepreneurs access to experienced mentors and potential
investors. If you are serious about entrepreneurship, look closely at the
school's Dingman and Lamone Scholarships. Students are selected based on their
entrepreneurship experience, desire to start a business after business school,
and their start-up ideas. They receive personal mentoring and business plan
advice from experienced entrepreneurs in the Dingman
Center.
In exchange, Dingman and Lamone Scholars volunteer at the center, offering
their own advice to others and running educational seminars in entrepreneurship
and networking. Think about this program if you plan on starting your own
business, especially on the East Coast, where Dingman's reputation is
strongest.

MBAWinnaMBA · 发表于 2007-11-8 15:16:00

Briefing of 30 Top B-Schools