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标题: Ask Jon Frank- P69-Q&A:WHY MBA? 7 OVERLOOKED REASONS TO GET AN MBA [打印本页]

作者: JonFrank 时间: 2010-9-18 13:02
标题: Ask Jon Frank- P69-Q&A:WHY MBA? 7 OVERLOOKED REASONS TO GET AN MBA
Hello Chase Dream!  This is Jon Frank, HBS Class of 2005.  As many of you know, I have started to post here on ChaseDream, and we are so delighted that many people have been following our posts.  I founded my company ** in 2005, and ever since then we have been working with many MBA applicants to get them into the business schools of their dreams.  About 50% of our clients are international,and about half of our international clients are Chinese.  As you can imagine, Chinese are our fastest-growing demographic.  Last year, our Chinese clients attended Stanford, HBS, Wharton, and others!

We are an agency, and we work with hundreds of paying clients everyyear.  But here on ChaseDream, all of our advice and guidance is 100%free!  ?  We understand that many people can not afford us, which is why it is our pleasure to help everyone 100% free of charge here on ChaseDream.  A former Chinese client (now at Fuqua) recommended that we start to post here, and it has been a great idea!  So we have friends who help us with thetranslation, since my Chinese is so bad.  ? And we are always here to help you!  It is our pleasure to help.

So please, feel free to ask me questions on this board, and I will do my best to answer all of your questions.  We have interacted with many people here online, or through private emails to my HBS email address below.  And you can all find our company’s website by simply googling Jon Frank+HBS, and the name of our company **.There is much more information—all great, free information, on ourwebsite.  And we update it daily.

Thank you again for your warm welcome into the fabulous ChaseDream community, and good luck to everyone!  I hope I can be helpful to many of you, this year.

JonFrank

作者: mishiking 时间: 2010-9-18 13:27
先占楼！支持！

作者: usocean 时间: 2010-9-18 14:12
Thank you !

作者: fxxxfxxx 时间: 2010-9-18 14:40
It will be very helpful! Really appreciate that.

作者: sbwhhnybz 时间: 2010-9-18 21:00
very smart move

作者: iporcelain 时间: 2010-9-18 21:03
hi Jon, I'm interested in your essay edit package, and wonder if you have some sort of edited sample? i noticed some other websites do have these demo documents, and the best i could describe their services are grammar proofread and basic word interchange. they don't change the way the story is told, and they don't add any passion into the work - i think that's the key difference between a native speaker and a Chinese applicant. although i have the passion, i can't effectively deliver that in the essay in a sophisticated way. so pls advise if I can get a sample of your work, or how deep you go into the editing job of an essay. Thanks. - Rachel

作者: JonFrank 时间: 2010-9-19 09:51
Hi everyone ,thanks a lot for the kind notes.

hi Jon, I'm interested in your essay edit package, and wonder if you have some sort of edited sample? i noticed some other websites do have these demo documents, and the best i could describe their services are grammar proofread and basic word interchange. they don't change the way the story is told, and they don't add any passion into the work - i think that's the key difference between a native speaker and a Chinese applicant. although i have the passion, i can't effectively deliver that in the essay in a sophisticated way. so pls advise if I can get a sample of your work, or how deep you go into the editing job of an essay. Thanks. - Rachel

-- by 会员 iporcelain (2010/9/18 21:03:05)

Rachel, thanks so much for the thoughtful note. We try not to discuss our specific packages online, the nice people who host us at ChaseDream don’t like for us to advertise our services here. And of course we respect their opinion! But yes, we absolutely do have samples (Before and After) that you can read. You are 100% correct—our Chinese clients are often great at delivering the information very clearly. Sometimes better than our US-based clients! But when it comes to expressing passion, or nuance (even humor!) that can be very difficult for non-native speakers. This is where we are, I believe, so helpful for our international clients. And by the way, over 50% of our clients are from outside the USA. Feel free to send me an email, either at our website which you can google, or at my HBS email below. And I will send you (and anyone else that is interested) a free sample!

Thanks again and keep in touch.

Jon Frank

作者: JonFrank 时间: 2010-9-20 19:50
Heeello everyone, how's going ? Hope all of you had a great weekend!
Someone asked me a question a while ago, I would like to share it here with all of you.Hope it can be somehow helpful.
Here we go :

与 stevencaoy 的对话:
Hi Jon, I am rising college senior and want to apply to business school right after graduation. I was wondering what kind of things the committe is looking for from a college applicant.

Hello there, it would be our pleasure to help you with your application. You do have a chance at being admitted this year, despite the fact that you dont have any full-time work experience.You will need to address the question of your AGE, and your maturity. That is, they will be looking for proof that you can handle yourself amidst older people, and that you can do the work.
So as we work with rising seniors, we recommend that you focus on three areas:
1) Academic ability. This is the first step, and in many ways, the most important. You need to be perfectly clear about the fact that you are 100% as smart as ANYONE else in the class. You will keep up, you will understand, and you will not be overloaded. From an intellectual standpoint, you are 100% ready, if not MORE so than others.
Prove this by pointing to your grades, internships, awards, and ideally, a VERY high GMAT score.
2) Maturity. This is harder to prove.
3) Confidence. Schools such as HBS and Stanford especially have many case study-based classes. This means that you will need to feel comfortable speaking in front of a room full of people.

I hope this helps! Feel free to ask any more questions you may have--we work with countless rising seniors each yea, and we can help.

Jon Frank

(Thanks stevencaoy for your great question

, good luck everyone and keep in touch !)

作者: maurise 时间: 2010-9-20 21:20
Hi Jon~

I graduated from my undergard program in 2009, now completing my master degree in the US. I am an entrepreneur and already have a mid-size company. But the problem is many schools do value full-time work experiences. What advice will you give me to persuade those admission staff that I am mature enough to fit the MBA program.

I have some ideas but open to discuss.

Thanks,
Jingjing

作者: JonFrank 时间: 2010-9-21 09:42

Hi Jon~

I graduated from my undergard program in 2009, now completing my master degree in the US. I am an entrepreneur and already have a mid-size company. But the problem is many schools do value full-time work experiences. What advice will you give me to persuade those admission staff that I am mature enough to fit the MBA program.

I have some ideas but open to discuss.

Thanks,
Jingjing

-- by 会员 maurise (2010/9/20 21:20:11)

Hey there! This is a great question, and one that is very difficult to answer without seeing any specifics about your future work experience. But here is the best way to think about it—they assume that you are too young. They assume that you don’t have the maturity that it takes to sit with a bunch of people who are older and more experienced than you are. So your best advice will be to prove that you ARE that mature! Tell stories in your application about the time when you negotiated with a man who was twice your age. Tell stories in your app about the time that you led a team of five people, all of whom were older than you by ten years. J See what I mean? You know what their fears are—that you are too young, and too inexperienced. To immature. So in your stories, RESPOND to these concerns. Tell stories that paint you to be very wise for your age, and very comfortable leading teams and dealing directly with older people. After all, that is what life will be like if you get into an MBA program…

I hope this helps—and good luck! Feel free to send me an email at our website if youd like more info about me or my company. You can just Google our company name below.
Cheers!
Jon Frank

作者: maurise 时间: 2010-9-21 10:01
Thanks Jon! We share some mutural perspectives on early career application. More importantly, your helpful advice makes me sure I am on the right track.

Thank you for settling me down and hope to contact you in the near future.

作者: fido12 时间: 2010-9-22 00:00
Hi Jon,

Please help. Would it be too bold for me to apply for top 5 or top 10 US business schools with below background?

Education: BA Economics
we: 3.5 years in one of the top 3 insurance broking firms. 3-month overseas training experience.
G/T: G730, T109
GPA: 3.3/4.0

If you need more information, please let me know. Many thanks in advance!

作者: narcisuss 时间: 2010-9-22 00:48
Jon,

Hi there, Thx for answering our questions.

I have questions about the Recommendation Letters.

1. what percentage will they account for in the evaluation of the whole package? Rumors said that many Adcoms knew most Chinese applicants write RL by themselves. So they don't care RL too much.

2. how do you think about the rating chart in RL? If I am the recommender, hardly I will rate the applicants for 2%. Do you think it is dangerous if I'm in top 10% or even top 20% for some quality ratings?

Thank you very much!

作者: sexxyrain 时间: 2010-9-22 22:39
Hi Jon,

I've been reading a lot your posts on CD. Thanks for all your efforts and time : )
I do have a question, which has confused me a lot. I really hope you can help me out.
I didn't obtain my major (4 yrs)degree, but I did acquire minor one (2 yrs). After graduation, I've been working in Citigroup and top consulting company for 3 years.

Im worried about my undergraduate situation, will admission office exclude me from eligiable candidates?

Thanks and looking forward to your reply.

Jessica

作者: caopp 时间: 2010-9-23 02:52
Jon,

你多大的时候上hbs mba的？

作者: kongkong57 时间: 2010-9-23 11:24

Jon,

你多大的时候上hbs mba的？

-- by 会员 caopp (2010/9/23 2:52:24)

你是在考老外中文吧？！

作者: caopp 时间: 2010-9-23 11:30
他看懂中文，你低估他了

作者: JonFrank 时间: 2010-9-23 11:50

Jon,

你多大的时候上hbs mba的？

-- by 会员 caopp (2010/9/23 2:52:24)

Hey there, remember when I graduated from HBS things were a bit different.

eople were older!

I was ages 25-27. And yes, that means that I am now 33, as of two days ago. Hope this helps. And dont tell anyone how old I am, shhh it's a secret...

Jon Frank

作者: JonFrank 时间: 2010-9-23 11:54

Hi Jon,

I've been reading a lot your posts on CD. Thanks for all your efforts and time : )
I do have a question, which has confused me a lot. I really hope you can help me out.
I didn't obtain my major (4 yrs)degree, but I did acquire minor one (2 yrs). After graduation, I've been working in Citigroup and top consulting company for 3 years.

Im worried about my undergraduate situation, will admission office exclude me from eligiable candidates?

Thanks and looking forward to your reply.

Jessica
-- by 会员 sexxyrain (2010/9/22 22:39:53)

Hey there—happy to answer this question for you. Generally, all schools do require that you have a four-year degree. There are some exceptions, but to be honest, we have never worked with a client who has applied without a Bachelor’s Degree. L So I would be very surprised if you were to be the one out of 5,000 or so of the applications that we have done. You may reach out to specific schools and see if they are open to the idea—but generally, this will be very hard to overcome.

Sorry, and I hope this is helpful for you!
Jon Frank

作者: JonFrank 时间: 2010-9-23 12:01

Jon,

Hi there, Thx for answering our questions.

I have questions about the Recommendation Letters.

1. what percentage will they account for in the evaluation of the whole package? Rumors said that many Adcoms knew most Chinese applicants write RL by themselves. So they don't care RL too much.

2. how do you think about the rating chart in RL? If I am the recommender, hardly I will rate the applicants for 2%. Do you think it is dangerous if I'm in top 10% or even top 20% for some quality ratings?

Thank you very much!
-- by 会员 narcisuss (2010/9/22 0:48:26)

Well hello there! It would be my pleasure to answer this question for you. Or should I say…both questions!

1. LORs, as I like to call them, are important—but essays and test scores are MORE important. As a percentage—maybe 10%? Maybe 15%? A LOR needs to do two things: first, the recommender must corroborate your stories. If you claim to have launched a new product, the recommender should say “yes, she did.” That is 70% of the challenge. The other 30% for the LOR should be for them to present NEW material! That is why it is so important for the recommenders to write their own work. Who knows what they will say! That 30% is often the most valuable. The part that you didn’t already cover in your applications.

And finally, the LOR should be SPECIFIC. There are only 20 or so words that everybody will use. “Smart, creative, talented, leadership,” etc. Eeeeveryone will use the same words in every LOR. The GOOD LORs will be the ones that are specific. Not just “Wei is smart.” But “Wei is smart—just yesterday, I have her a bottle and a pen, and twenty minutes later she had built a car.” J You get the idea—specifics are KEY.

2. We would want the highest ratings possible.

eriod.

erhaps some can be the second highest—but anything lower than that could be seen as a red flag. Something that the admissions people might be worried about

I hope this helps! Good luck to everyone…

Jon Frank

作者: JonFrank 时间: 2010-9-23 12:06

Hi Jon,

Please help. Would it be too bold for me to apply for top 5 or top 10 US business schools with below background?

Education: BA Economics
we: 3.5 years in one of the top 3 insurance broking firms. 3-month overseas training experience.
G/T: G730, T109
GPA: 3.3/4.0

If you need more information, please let me know. Many thanks in advance!

-- by 会员 fido12 (2010/9/22 0:00:28)

Hello there! While a top five school will be very challenging for you (given both your GMAT and your TOEFL, a top ten program is quite possible. 10-15 for sure. Haas, Ross, places like that should be right in your comfort zone. Good luck—and go get em! J

Jon Frank

作者: maurise 时间: 2010-9-23 12:29
Hey Jon, I sent an email to your HBS address. Did you see it? Hope to keep in touch~

作者: bigjoe 时间: 2010-9-24 19:26
Hello Jon,

Thank you for your reply in recent posts, I found them helpful.

I have a question, I am now applying Yale R1.
I already sent our letter of recommendation invitation to one recommender.
However, I just find another better recommender, it is possible for me to change the recommender? Are there any negative impact if I did it?

Thanks.

Joe

作者: yoshimihoku 时间: 2010-9-24 20:37
HBS is my dream school. I'll definitely apply for it this year, in R2.

作者: JonFrank 时间: 2010-9-26 02:08

Hello Jon,

Thank you for your reply in recent posts, I found them helpful.

I have a question, I am now applying Yale R1.
I already sent our letter of recommendation invitation to one recommender.
However, I just find another better recommender, it is possible for me to change the recommender? Are there any negative impact if I did it?

Thanks.

Joe, it depends on whether the recommender has already provided his rec to the school. If he hasn’t, you can tell him to STOP the process! Then, you can tell the school that he was unable to do it, and you need to find another person. But if he has already submitted, then you will not want to change it. The school would find that to be strange, and suspicious. So…as long as he hasn’t submitted the app, you can still save the day! J

Hope this helps, and good luck!
Jon Frank
Joe

-- by 会员 bigjoe (2010/9/24 19:26:52)

作者: bigjoe 时间: 2010-9-26 08:56

-- by 会员 bigjoe (2010/9/24 19:26:52)

-- by 会员 JonFrank (2010/9/26 2:08:41)

Hello Jon,

Thanks for the reply, he has not submit yet, that's a great news!

Joe

作者: kissforwind 时间: 2010-9-26 11:25
Hi Jon,

Thank you for your reply in recent posts, I found them very helpful.

I have a question regarding my background, see if I can give it a shot on Columbia and Wharton? or should I re-position myself on other b-schools?

Study abroad in Australia for 4 years, without any degree

(depravation for couple of years and start to work hard and admitted into a UK b-school)
B.A. in Finance and Accounting from a top 10 U.K. B-school
2 W/E in Big Four Audit

I know big four W/E is a little bit weak compared to IB/PE etc. do you think CBS and Wharton are resonable for me or is there any other suggestion u would give.

many thanks.

Leo

作者: JonFrank 时间: 2010-9-27 11:37

Hi Jon,

Thank you for your reply in recent posts, I found them very helpful.

I have a question regarding my background, see if I can give it a shot on Columbia and Wharton? or should I re-position myself on other b-schools?

Study abroad in Australia for 4 years, without any degree

-- by 会员 kissforwind (2010/9/26 11:25:30)

Hey Leo! Yes, you certainly do have a chance at these schools, dependingon your test scores of course. But we love the international exposure. The trick with CBS especially though is that you need to apply Early! And that deadline is riiight around the corner. If you can hit the CBS deadline, you may have a shot. But again, it depends on your test scores…

Hope this helps—for more info, feel free to email me!
Jon Frank

作者: maurise 时间: 2010-9-27 21:26
Jon!

If I have a reference letter from HBS alumni, who recruits HBS graduates on campus every year

Will that be a good RL?

作者: JonFrank 时间: 2010-9-28 09:50

Jon!

If I have a reference letter from HBS alumni, who recruits HBS graduates on campus every year

Will that be a good RL?

-- by 会员 maurise (2010/9/27 21:26:30)

Hey there! Yes, absolutely, HBS loves that kind of thing. When I applied to HBS I used an HBS alum to help me get in as well. And I was accepted! ; )

It is a great idea, and I applaud you for it!
Good luck,
Jon Frank

作者: kasulty 时间: 2010-9-29 20:29
Hi Jon,

"Ask Jon Frank" section has become very popular in a short amount of time. Congratulations!

Here's my question, a common concern that may help quite a few as well.

I'm quite concerned with my undergraduate GPA, which is below 3.0 (2.9), and the class percentile and ranking would be no better to mitigate it. I have since got contradictory opinions on whether or not I should try to mitigate this lousy UGPA in the essay. For me I tend to avoid even mentioning it in the essay, because that makes me seem less confident in my past and "dwell" on something that's seven years ago. But I'd really want to hear your opinion on this, especially:

1) Whether or not I should take that chance to explain in optional essay?
2) Anything (other than enrolling in a community university to renovate the record, which is not possible in China) that may reduce the concern that adcom may have to admit an applicant with below than average GPA?
3) For someone with a lousy GPA, he or she should be careful not to create inconsistency in the essay by _______________ (Filling blank

Thanks Jon!

作者: emilysmile 时间: 2010-9-29 22:11
Hello Joe!

Thank you very much for helping us!

I am now applying for 2011 fall MBA. Here is my background:
Gmat: 640
Toefl:106 (taken 2 years ago, i will retake it next month)
GPA: 81.5
w/e: I had a full-time internship in Fortune 500 for one year, and 1 year w/e in another Fortune 500 after graduation, working as a sales management trainee.

Which level of business school is my comfort zone? I have already decided to apply for Baruch, and I am still undecided about other business school...
Understanding that my GMAT is toooo low, i am going to retake it later.

Thank you very much!

Emily

作者: JonFrank 时间: 2010-9-30 09:47

Hi Jon,

"Ask Jon Frank" section has become very popular in a short amount of time. Congratulations!

Here's my question, a common concern that may help quite a few as well.

I'm quite concerned with my undergraduate GPA, which is below 3.0 (2.9), and the class percentile and ranking would be no better to mitigate it. I have since got contradictory opinions on whether or not I should try to mitigate this lousy UGPA in the essay. For me I tend to avoid even mentioning it in the essay, because that makes me seem less confident in my past and "dwell" on something that's seven years ago. But I'd really want to hear your opinion on this, especially:

1) Whether or not I should take that chance to explain in optional essay?
2) Anything (other than enrolling in a community university to renovate the record, which is not possible in China) that may reduce the concern that adcom may have to admit an applicant with below than average GPA?
3) For someone with a lousy GPA, he or she should be careful not to create inconsistency in the essay by _______________ (Filling blank

Thanks Jon!

-- by 会员 kasulty (2010/9/29 20:29:30)

Hey there! Yes, you absolutely should address this in your optional essay. You are correct though, you do not want to DWELL on this issue. Instead, you will say what happened, you will say why, and you will move on. We do not want to make excuses here, just to be nice and clear. The best way to overcome a low GPA is through your GMAT score. With either a good GMAT score, or additional coursework, you can solve the problem.

And for your last (and most fun!) question, I think I can do even better than fill in the blank. Here is the outline for an optional essay:
1. My undergraduate GPA was 3.0. I believe that this score doesn’t represent my true academic abilities.
2. When I was in college, I worked full time. Or…my sister got sick. Or…I was just immature. I didn’t focus on school, and I should have.
3. But since then, I have done my best to remedy the situation. I took these three classes, and got As in all of them. I also do tons of quantitative work at my job, and I have received three promotions in three months. Finally, I received a 740 on the GMAT.
4. Helpful? J

作者: JonFrank 时间: 2010-9-30 09:49

Hello Joe!

Thank you very much for helping us!

I am now applying for 2011 fall MBA. Here is my background:
Gmat: 640
Toefl:106 (taken 2 years ago, i will retake it next month)
GPA: 81.5
w/e: I had a full-time internship in Fortune 500 for one year, and 1 year w/e in another Fortune 500 after graduation, working as a sales management trainee.

Which level of business school is my comfort zone? I have already decided to apply for Baruch, and I am still undecided about other business school...
Understanding that my GMAT is toooo low, i am going to retake it later.

Thank you very much!

Emily

-- by 会员 emilysmile (2010/9/29 22:11:14)

Emily, thanks so much for the note. If I were you, with that GMAT score I would focus on local programs. So if you want to be in NYC, focus on programs locally in the NY area, like baruch, Fordham, etc. There are many programs like NY that you could target. But in your shoes with your GMAT score, think about what City you want to be in—choose that way. In that way you get the benefits of all the local recruiting!

However, if you want to go to a premier program, you would need to retake the test. Your GMAT score is good enough—try to break 700!

Hope this helps,

Jon Frank

作者: kasulty 时间: 2010-9-30 13:28
Thanks for the response Jon. It's very thoughtful.

I decide to raise an easy question for you this time

For someone who is intimidated by the allleged agressiveness and cut-throat peer-pressure in HBS classrom and thus might drop HBS from their list, what would you like to say to them?

Any ideas?

作者: JonFrank 时间: 2010-10-1 17:08

Thanks for the response Jon. It's very thoughtful.

I decide to raise an easy question for you this time

For someone who is intimidated by the allleged agressiveness and cut-throat peer-pressure in HBS classrom and thus might drop HBS from their list, what would you like to say to them?

Any ideas?

Hello there—I love to talk about HBS of course. What do I say to people who think that there is pressure at HBS? I would tell them to do a little more research! J There are many reasons not to like HBS of course—there are no specializations, some courses are impossible to get into, etc. But competition? HBS is remarkably NON-competitive. So for anyone who is considering NOT applying to HBS because of competition, this wouldbe a bad decision. After all, why not just apply, and see if you get in? I would be you a quarter that if you get in, you would swallow your pride and attend.

Hope this helps,

Jon Frank
-- by 会员 kasulty (2010/9/30 13:28:56)

作者: DeeGao 时间: 2010-10-5 22:40
Hi Jon ,thanks a lot for helping out here.
I have a question about career goal. I have been working for 8 years now, and i changed my job lots of times each time into different industry with different position(but in some good companies of course ), and i still dont have a very clear career goal, but i just want to apply for some MBAs to have my eyes open and improve myself with some successful people around . My question is, do I have to have specific career goal to apply for MBA? If the answer is yes ,what do you suggest me to do now ?

作者: JonFrank 时间: 2010-10-6 16:48

Hi Jon ,thanks a lot for helping out here.
I have a question about career goal. I have been working for 8 years now, and i changed my job lots of times each time into different industry with different position(but in some good companies of course ), and i still dont have a very clear career goal, but i just want to apply for some MBAs to have my eyes open and improve myself with some successful people around . My question is, do I have to have specific career goal to apply for MBA? If the answer is yes ,what do you suggest me to do now ?

-- by 会员 DeeGao (2010/10/5 22:40:55)

Hey there—I’m so glad that you asked this question, because it is SO important! The answer is Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. J Should I say it again? YES! YOU DO NEED A CRYSTAL-CLEAR CAREER GOAL. It doesn’t reeeally matter what you have been doing over the past eight years—your key will be to show that now, 8 years later, you DO know what you want to do. Those 8 years have made it very clear to you! And now, you need to explain it to the admissions people. “My short term goal is to work for a AAAAAA company, such as BBBB or CCCCC as a NAME JOB TITLE.” That is the level of specificity that we’re looking for…
Good luck to you my friend!
Jon Frank

作者: hwjhope 时间: 2010-10-7 01:32
Hey Jon,

Thank you for your valuable answer and sincere help to everyone here!

My score is not so competitive, but I don't want to take these nightmare tests once again: ) GMAT 680, TOFEL 102, GPA 3.2. I graduated in 2006 with BA degree. 5/2 years work experience in Ministry of Finance, and 1 year in NGO mainly in charge of accounting and project implementation. Having no experience working in a company, I am not very confident in my background. Because MBA means Management of Business Administration, without business background, can I have a chance to be accepted by a good university? I hope you can recomend some universities to me. Thanks a lot!

作者: JonFrank 时间: 2010-10-7 13:19

Hey Jon,

Thank you for your valuable answer and sincere help to everyone here!

My score is not so competitive, but I don't want to take these nightmare tests once again: ) GMAT 680, TOFEL 102, GPA 3.2. I graduated in 2006 with BA degree. 5/2 years work experience in Ministry of Finance, and 1 year in NGO mainly in charge of accounting and project implementation. Having no experience working in a company, I am not very confident in my background. Because MBA means Management of Business Administration, without business background, can I have a chance to be accepted by a good university? I hope you can recomend some universities to me. Thanks a lot!

-- by 会员 hwjhope (2010/10/7 1:32:50)

Hey there! It is a nightmare, I know—I went through it myself! The good news is that for accounting, there are some great programs in accounting that you should look at—where you will have a good chance of getting in! I would look at UT, University of Illinois, Brigham Young, and Indiana. All of these places have scores inline with yours, and are among the best accounting programs in the US! Top ten!
Good luck, and maybe one day you can teach me some accounting! It is my worst course…
Jon Frank

作者: kasulty 时间: 2010-10-8 13:11
Hi Jon,

For the goal essay, how much proportion should be spent on explaining the career progression, and how much on clarifying the career goal/aspiration, and how much on explaining why-MBA and why-School? (For example, 50%, 25%, 25%)

Also, should I state the goal at first or after the career progression? I guess it sounds more resonable to place it after, but I'm not sure if placing at the beginning may have an advantage of clarity.

Hope to hear your opinions.

Thanks!

作者: DeeGao 时间: 2010-10-10 00:38
Thanks for you answer Jon
Looks like i have lots of thinking to do ..sigh..

作者: JonFrank 时间: 2010-10-10 02:18

Hi Jon,

For the goal essay, how much proportion should be spent on explaining the career progression, and how much on clarifying the career goal/aspiration, and how much on explaining why-MBA and why-School? (For example, 50%, 25%, 25%)

Also, should I state the goal at first or after the career progression? I guess it sounds more resonable to place it after, but I'm not sure if placing at the beginning may have an advantage of clarity.

Hope to hear your opinions.

Thanks!

-- by 会员 kasulty (2010/10/8 13:11:24)

Hey there! Well it all depends—each school asks the questions in a slightly different way. Some ask only about your career goals, and others ask about your career progression to date. If they don’t specifically ask about your career progression, you will still wanna talk about it—but make it just one paragraph. If they do ask about your career progression, you can go with more. Generally, we recommend one paragraph on Why MBA. Then, we recommend one paragraph on why Tuck/Haas etc., academically, talking about specific courses, professors, etc. Then, one paragraph on Why Tuck/Haas outside the academics. We cant break it into percentages sadly, but this should give you some guidance. Hope this helps!

作者: m1nt 时间: 2010-10-14 16:23
Hi Jon Frank, i assume you are a white male, American maybe. and i am curious why you think GMAT is soooo important?
http://forum.chasedream.com/North_American_MBA/thread-490501-1-1.html

Please see this post. some CDer challenged that.

作者: JonFrank 时间: 2010-10-16 11:44
Hello there! Thank you so much for your kind note. You are correct, we do place a high premium on GMAT scores. And having worked on 5,000 applications or so through the years, there is a good reason why! J

But let’s talk a bit more specifically if we can. There are obviously exceptions to the rule—there will of course be people who get into Stanford with GMATs of 700 or less. And there will be people who get rejected from Stanford with GMAT scores of 780. Let me try to help everyone understand exactly how a GMAT score is used by MBA programs. And hopefully this will help clear up some of the confusion!

In order to be considered at any top school, you will need to clear a GMAT hurdle. So if you have a score of 500 for example, just to keep the example nice and simple, you will not make the “cut.” Now, if you have a 650-700 or so, and if you are shooting for a top-three school, you would be what we call a “stretch” to get in. Now again, this isn’t to say that it is impossible of course! J It is possible, as some of our other friends have pointed out. But it is a “stretch.”

To make things simple for our applicants each year, we try to help everyone split the schools into three categories—stretch, in-range, and safe. My goal for my clients, is that at the end of the process, they have options! That is always my goal. So if someone asks if they should apply to Stanford with a 700 GMAT, I would say…absolutely! But it will be a stretch. It is an exception to the rule, if you get in. Remember the math problem here—a class of 350 people, 1/3 is international, etc. So absolutely, apply…but do yourself a favor, and apply to a goooood range of schools. Stretch programs, in-range programs, and safety programs. That is all we are trying to help our friends understand.
I hope this clarifies it for you—and good luck to you!
Best regards,

Jon Frank

作者: JonFrank 时间: 2010-10-17 11:32
Julia! Thanks so much for the note. Of course we can recommend some schools to you. Now remember, these are just “rankings,” and they never tell the whole story. But they are a good starting point:

Here is the list of top schools on the marketing side of things:

Kellogg

Penn

Duke

Stanford

Harvard

Columbia

Ross

Haas

UCLA

Stern

UNC

And here is the list of top schools in international business:

Thunderbird

Penn

South Carolina

Ross

HBS

Columbia

USC

Indiana

Duke

NYU

Haas

Stanford

I hope this is helpful, and good luck!

Jon Frank

作者: Knockoff 时间: 2010-10-18 21:26
hey, Jon
How is Notre Dame Mendoza? Is a reputable program, at least locally? Do you know anything about its job placements?

作者: mmfruit 时间: 2010-10-19 02:17
Hi, Jon, I would like to know how Precision Essay helps candidates. Only online, right? It helps total package or just essays?
I am considering using it but want to know some details. Thank you!

作者: JonFrank 时间: 2010-10-19 13:19

hey, Jon
How is Notre Dame Mendoza? Is a reputable program, at least locally? Do you know anything about its job placements?

-- by 会员 Knockoff (2010/10/18 21:26:28)

Hey there!Yes, Notre Dame is a good school.It does have a religious affiliation, which may or may not be appealing to you.Either way, it is worth your considering.Recruiting around Notre Dame tends to focus in the Midwest as well, which is either good or bad, depending on how you feel about the Midwest! JThe school does place most of its grads into either finance or marketing roles.And of course, the Notre Dame alumni network is one of the strongest in the USA!

Hope this helps, and good luck!
Jon Frank

作者: JonFrank 时间: 2010-10-19 13:23

Hi, Jon, I would like to know how helps candidates. Only online, right? It helps total package or just essays?
I am considering using it but want to know some details. Thank you!

-- by 会员 mmfruit (2010/10/19 2:17:31)

Hey there! Yes we do all aspects of the MBA applications, not just essays. And we do not limit the number of phone calls--our deluxe clients especially have unlimited access to us. although most of the work will happen behind your computer. i hope this helps and free feel to reach out to me with your case.
Good luck

Jon Frank

作者: ardor 时间: 2010-10-22 20:44
Hi, Jon, need your help.

I'm struggling with this question: "Am I suitbale for an MBA?" Since the time I need to write the essay about career goal, I'm keeping asking the question to myself.

My background looks relatively okay. a fair Gmat Score (730), a fair toefl score (105), some nice working experience in a top financial news agency, as a team leader but not a manager. People around me all went to nice schools, harvard, columbia, northwest, berkeley, princeton, yet none MBAs.

But now I realize that I may make my MBA desicion in a clueless mind. I want to puesue an MBA becoz I want to switch to another industry. but is it the i-banking or consulting, I don't know. I was meant to find it during my school life, but okay, it seems that all MBAs should have very clear vision about their future.

Now the conflict comes even stronger. An headhunter called today and offered me a good oppotunity. I would accept it immediately four months ago, when I had no idea about MBA. But now I want things better.

Okay, my question is: "Do all candidates have to know about their career goal before they went to the b schools and got through the curriculum? Could I just make up something sounds reasonable, say, media management, but actually I still keep it open-minded? How risky is that?"

作者: googoo2011 时间: 2010-10-22 23:41
Hi Jon, it's glad to see your post is popular in Chasedream. Here are my questions during my apply process for MBA program.
It will be highly appreciated if you can tell me the direction for my application.

Here are my profile:
*Undergradute GPA:2.5, top 5 university in China

ostgraduate GPA 3.0,top 10 university but top 1 major in China
*GMAT 710, AWA 4.0 (i took the GMAT for 580 and AWA 4.0 for the first time without preparation..)
*The Toefl will be taken by the end of next month, how much do you think i need to get for Toefl to offset my GMAT score as well as GPA, can it offset?
*4 years working experiences at famous industry company in China, department deputy manager now.
By the way, i can get the recommendation letter from GM of my company, who is famous at his field and American Chamber in Shanghai.

Here are my questions:
Will the first GMAT score and AWA score hurt my application for the top 15 school? Shall i retake the GMAT to upgrade my AWA score?
Do you think it's possible for me to apply for the top 15 MBA program at the States? if yes, which parts shall i pay emphasis on?
i am preparing for the Essays now and will apply for top 15 school;Your kindly suggestion and advice will be helpful and appreciated.
Thank you in advance.

Googoo2011

作者: JonFrank 时间: 2010-10-23 11:55

Hi, Jon, need your help.

I'm struggling with this question: "Am I suitbale for an MBA?" Since the time I need to write the essay about career goal, I'm keeping asking the question to myself.

My background looks relatively okay. a fair Gmat Score (730), a fair toefl score (105), some nice working experience in a top financial news agency, as a team leader but not a manager. People around me all went to nice schools, harvard, columbia, northwest, berkeley, princeton, yet none MBAs.

But now I realize that I may make my MBA desicion in a clueless mind. I want to puesue an MBA becoz I want to switch to another industry. but is it the i-banking or consulting, I don't know. I was meant to find it during my school life, but okay, it seems that all MBAs should have very clear vision about their future.

Now the conflict comes even stronger. An headhunter called today and offered me a good oppotunity. I would accept it immediately four months ago, when I had no idea about MBA. But now I want things better.

Okay, my question is: "Do all candidates have to know about their career goal before they went to the b schools and got through the curriculum? Could I just make up something sounds reasonable, say, media management, but actually I still keep it open-minded? How risky is that?"
-- by 会员 ardor (2010/10/22 20:44:10)

My friend, let me tell you a secret. Nobody is 100% sure of what they want to do when they apply to business school. Even the people who think they know…they often change their minds. And admissions people KNOW this. They are even okay with it. J So there are two answers to your questions. First, “should I go to bschool, even if I don’t know what I want to do.” The answer is YES. By being surrounded by so many smart, interesting, talented people—you WILL be inspired. Or if you are not, you will certainly have MORE opportunities coming out of school than you have now. Yes, go to school. Find yourself there—explore, and meet interesting people in interesting fields. Yes, do it!

Now, to your second question. How should all this stuff affect your applications? The answer is that it shouldn’t. You should always claim that your career vision is the thing that is most logical for your background. Most likely. If you have a background in banking, then stick with finance (as far as the app is concerned.) if you have a background in marketing, stick with it (as far as the app goes). Career changes are poisonous. Avoid writing about em if you can—it will improve your chances. Tell the adcom what they wanna hear, get into bschool, and figure it out when you get there. J Sound like a plan?

Hope so—good luck!
Jon Frank

作者: JonFrank 时间: 2010-10-23 12:07

Hi Jon, it's glad to see your post is popular in Chasedream. Here are my questions during my apply process for MBA program.
It will be highly appreciated if you can tell me the direction for my application.

Here are my profile:
*Undergradute GPA:2.5, top 5 university in China

-- by 会员 googoo2011 (2010/10/22 23:41:40)

Hey there! Happy to help of course. You are in a bit of a challenging situation. With your low GPA, one wants to see a high GMAT. And with the low AWA as well, it is going to be tough. If I were in your shoes, I would retake the GMAT. Is that possible? If you did, is your sense that you would improve your score? It’s almost as though any ONE of these things would be fine. With a low GMAT but great TOEFL and great grades, you would be fine. Or with a great TOEFL and great GMAT, we would overlook your grades. But with bad grades and a so-so GMAT, you aren’t in great shape. Top five schools will be very unlikely for you—but top 10, top 15 is possible for you. I only wish you had a better GPA, or better GMAT. Is your sense that you will do great on the TOEFL? That will help, but it may not be quiiite enough…
I wish I had better news—drop me an email if you have more questions!
Jon Frank

作者: Gogoon 时间: 2010-10-23 12:22
So Jon,how about me? My GMAT score is 750,AWA is 4.5, Toefl is 103 and my GPA is just 3.2. Will the scores holding me from the top 5 MBA programs?

作者: ardor 时间: 2010-10-23 15:15
Hi, Jon, thanks for your help! Your advice is really valuable. About the Gmat, I really wonder if awa matters, since I got a extremly low awa score --3.5 along with the 730. I guess the reason is I used some tempalets. But with the first gmat test, when I have no preparation at all, I got 650 and 4.5. So which one really counts? 3.5 or 4.5? though none of them sounds good.

And the GPA, mine is 3.1, but the ranking is relatively okay, I even got merit-based scholarships. So should I explain or just let it go?

And are those scores too dangerous for me to seize LBS and UCLA anderson?

作者: ciduo777 时间: 2010-10-23 16:04
Have a nice day, Jon!
First of all, thanks very much for your valuable suggestions here for Chinese applicants. I've got one more question here and wait for your help

Both of my recommenders told me that they were kind of confused about the ratings in LOR. They did want to place all of those qualities in the range of 2%, however, they were afraid that it would look fake, given that Chinese LOR were not so trusted...So, whether they should "intently" choose one or two of the qualities to rate 5% or 10%?
Many Thanks!

作者: raiy 时间: 2010-10-24 09:38
Hi Jon,

Thank you for your contribution here in the forum. Your contribution is truly appreciated. I've got some concerns and questions about my background and the choice of schools. If you could give me some insight, it would be very helpful.

My background:
1. Undergraduate: GPA 8.5/12.0 from Top 3 Uni in HK
2. GMAT: 760 +5.0
3. 3yr IBank Analyst Exp with CFA + now out of job
*I quitted the bank early this year because I had been employed under contract but my team could not get any permanent headcount for me (*my dept head and my seniors all wanted to keep me but the bank policy didn’t allow. We got no associate in the team and only hired analysts by 2yr contract). Since then, I worked for a 2month online volunteering project for an US NGO to set up a program in South Africa. After that, I also started a small business which is about selling products in online auction page and social network.
4. Short-term career: some strategic job after mba, such as management consulting or business dev. in international corp. Long-term career: work in NGO to advice corporations in developing countries

My key concern is about my working exp and "out of job status".
1) I can get my senior and boss to be my recommenders. Is it a good proof that I didn’t get a permanent position just because of bank policy? (During these 3 years, I actually worked as an associate to lead the transaction solely.)
2) Can you advice me how I could tell my story during my out-of-job period? I started my business because I wanted to start a short-term project before mba to learn about business. But so far it is small and operates badly. I am worried that the school might think I have no better choice so I apply for school.

Lastly, given my background, is it too risky that I just apply for the following mba only?
1. Harvard 2. Stanford 3. Wharton 4. Kellogg 5.Michigan

Thank you again Jon. Have a great week ahead!

Thanks,
Raiy

作者: JonFrank 时间: 2010-10-26 14:51

So Jon,how about me? My GMAT score is 750,AWA is 4.5, Toefl is 103 and my GPA is just 3.2. Will the scores holding me from the top 5 MBA programs?

v-- by 会员 Gogoon (2010/10/23 12:22:38)

Hello there! No, your scores wont keep you out of the top-five programs. But we would recommend that you still apply to top ten programs. Nobody is safe in only top-five programs, it is just too competitive. Extend your baseline out to top ten programs—that way, you are guaranteed to have options at the end of the year. That is our advice—not just to you, but to everyone!
Good luck!

Jon Frank

作者: JonFrank 时间: 2010-10-26 14:57

Hi, Jon, thanks for your help! Your advice is really valuable. About the Gmat, I really wonder if awa matters, since I got a extremly low awa score --3.5 along with the 730. I guess the reason is I used some tempalets. But with the first gmat test, when I have no preparation at all, I got 650 and 4.5. So which one really counts? 3.5 or 4.5? though none of them sounds good.

And the GPA, mine is 3.1, but the ranking is relatively okay, I even got merit-based scholarships. So should I explain or just let it go?

And are those scores too dangerous for me to seize LBS and UCLA anderson?

-- by 会员 ardor (2010/10/23 15:15:50)

Hello there! Well I have good news and I have bad news. The good news is that your GPA is just fine—don’t even worry about it! The bad news, is that neither of your AWA scores are that good. L In instances like this, the TOEFL can become even more important—have you taken the TOEFL? What did you get? I am not worried about the GPA, but the AWA is juuuust a bit scary in this case.

Jon Frank

作者: JonFrank 时间: 2010-10-26 15:01

Have a nice day, Jon!
First of all, thanks very much for your valuable suggestions here for Chinese applicants. I've got one more question here and wait for your help

-- by 会员 ciduo777 (2010/10/23 16:04:16)

Hey there! The answer is that yes, it would look a bit suspect if ALL of the boxes were to read top 2%. Therefore, you should sprinkle in some 5% and 10% as well. It will still be very impressive—so don’t worry about it. In fact, if they don’t sprinkle in a few of these lower rankings, the adcom might not believe your LOR. J Good catch, and great question!

Jon Frank

作者: JonFrank 时间: 2010-10-26 15:10

Hi Jon,

Thank you for your contribution here in the forum. Your contribution is truly appreciated. I've got some concerns and questions about my background and the choice of schools. If you could give me some insight, it would be very helpful.

My background:
1. Undergraduate: GPA 8.5/12.0 from Top 3 Uni in HK
2. GMAT: 760 +5.0
3. 3yr IBank Analyst Exp with CFA + now out of job
*I quitted the bank early this year because I had been employed under contract but my team could not get any permanent headcount for me (*my dept head and my seniors all wanted to keep me but the bank policy didn’t allow. We got no associate in the team and only hired analysts by 2yr contract). Since then, I worked for a 2month online volunteering project for an US NGO to set up a program in South Africa. After that, I also started a small business which is about selling products in online auction page and social network.
4. Short-term career: some strategic job after mba, such as management consulting or business dev. in international corp. Long-term career: work in NGO to advice corporations in developing countries

My key concern is about my working exp and "out of job status".
1) I can get my senior and boss to be my recommenders. Is it a good proof that I didn’t get a permanent position just because of bank policy? (During these 3 years, I actually worked as an associate to lead the transaction solely.)
2) Can you advice me how I could tell my story during my out-of-job period? I started my business because I wanted to start a short-term project before mba to learn about business. But so far it is small and operates badly. I am worried that the school might think I have no better choice so I apply for school.

Lastly, given my background, is it too risky that I just apply for the following mba only?
1. Harvard 2. Stanford 3. Wharton 4. Kellogg 5.Michigan

Thank you again Jon. Have a great week ahead!

Thanks,
Raiy

-- by 会员 raiy (2010/10/24 9:38:08)

Raiy, thank you for the thoughtful email. Yes, you find yourself in a bit of a bind here. And I believe that we can help. You will need to do a few things here, and maybe it will work. First of all, you need, need, need to add a few safer schools to your list. Add two more programs—perhaps Cornell and UCLA. Also, consider Babson, both because it is the best entrepreneurship program in the world, and because you will likely get in.

Now, next you will need to write an optional essay that is VERY effective indeed. Let me try something different for ya. What if you said…that you left your job. On purpose. Could you spin your current role as a full time gig? That you left your full time job and all its glory, to do something more exciting and entrepreneurial? You had these two exciting opportunities, and you wanted to pursue them? THAT would be the most strength you could portray dude. That you did it all on purpose. What are our chances we could pull that off? Might your supervisors sign off on that story?

Jon Frank

作者: 梁朝伟 时间: 2010-10-26 17:57
Superman never sleeps....

作者: 梁朝伟 时间: 2010-10-26 17:58
Hi Jon,

A very quick question here: do you think long term internships ( full time, 19 months) can be considered as part of work experience when applying for MBA?
Thanks.

梁朝伟

作者: JonFrank 时间: 2010-10-27 13:52

Hi Jon,

A very quick question here: do you think long term internships ( full time, 19 months) can be considered as part of work experience when applying for MBA?
Thanks.

梁朝伟

-- by 会员梁朝伟 (2010/10/26 17:58:48)

Hey there! Of course they can—19 months is a very long time. Remember, so long as you back up your claims, the adcom will believe…whatever you tell them to believe. So if you explain that you did a TON of work during these 19 months, and that it was effectively a work experience, then we will believe you. Just be sure to back it up with experiences that prove that you DID a lot of work. Some internships are very easy, and don’t involve much work. Here, PROVE to us that you did lots of work. And then, you will be in great shape. Hope this helps!

Jon Frank
Founder

作者: 梁朝伟 时间: 2010-10-27 17:18

Hi Jon,

A very quick question here: do you think long term internships ( full time, 19 months) can be considered as part of work experience when applying for MBA?
Thanks.

梁朝伟

-- by 会员梁朝伟 (2010/10/26 17:58:48)

-- by 会员 JonFrank (2010/10/27 13:52:41)

Great, thanks Jon.

作者: raiy 时间: 2010-10-27 20:29

-- by 会员 raiy (2010/10/24 9:38:08)

-- by 会员 JonFrank (2010/10/26 15:10:19)

Thank you very much for your advice. I will certainly look at the schools you recommended. But in your opinion, does my background have a chance to those top mba schools?

Actually, I have some potential job opportunties, i.e. research analyst (sell side) and investment analyst (buy side) coming to me these days. Just a little bit concern over here. As the new opportunties are quite different from my previous job (IBD Analyst) or post-MBA career path, would the new/upcoming job (if I put it on my CV) be questionable by the admission officers? Or I would rather choose to hide the new job and present myself as working FT for my business (while I expect myself to continue the business part-time if I get a FT offer) to give a stronger story?

Thanks,
Raiy

作者: kongkong57 时间: 2010-10-27 20:48
Jon，AWA score is very important?? Mine is 740/4.5, and another one earlier is 660/5, but my tofle writing is 27. Don't scare me here. would be this score has problem if i apply for a top 10 b-school?

作者: dieselmaxii 时间: 2010-10-27 23:58
Hi,Jon.
great post! thanks for ur help. i've got one question. i finished my undergraduate studies and got my bachelor degree in china in 2006, and then continued my studies in the unveristy of warwick in the UK. the problem is, this school gave me an offer of postgraduate diploma...not master degree..i wonder if you people in the north america recognize this diploma? and will it help with my application?

thanks!
diesel

作者: JonFrank 时间: 2010-10-28 09:51

Hi,Jon.
great post! thanks for ur help. i've got one question. i finished my undergraduate studies and got my bachelor degree in china in 2006, and then continued my studies in the unveristy of warwick in the UK. the problem is, this school gave me an offer of postgraduate diploma...not master degree..i wonder if you people in the north america recognize this diploma? and will it help with my application?

thanks!
diesel

-- by 会员 dieselmaxii (2010/10/27 23:58:21)

Diesel, hello my friend. It is my pleasure to help—and I check in and answer questions…every day. Now, lets get into it. The good news is that this degree is unconventional—we do not recognize it. And this is actually…a GOOD thing! Because now, you don’t need to argue that you are getting a “Second” degree. You did some additional work, but this will be your first masters degree—and certainly, your first MBA. That is good, and not bad. So don’t stress—you should be just fine here. Hope this helps!

Jon Frank

作者: JonFrank 时间: 2010-10-28 09:56

Jon，AWA score is very important?? Mine is 740/4.5, and another one earlier is 660/5, but my tofle writing is 27. Don't scare me here. would be this score has problem if i apply for a top 10 b-school?

-- by 会员 kongkong57 (2010/10/27 20:48:23)

Hello there—Im not out to scare anyone! ? Not on purpose anyway.The answer here is that you are right on the borderline. If you write an AMAZING app, then you will be competitive. If you write a mediocre
one, you will be less competitive. Your score isn’t so good that you have nothing to worry about --but it isn’t so bad that all bets are off either. So, sorry I cant give you a definitive yes or no—you are literally riiiight in the middle. With a great app, you should be
fine this year. That is where you should focus for now…

Jon Frank

作者: JonFrank 时间: 2010-10-28 10:13

-- by 会员 raiy (2010/10/24 9:38:08)

-- by 会员 JonFrank (2010/10/26 15:10:19)

-- by 会员 raiy (2010/10/27 20:29:51)

Raiy, yes you do have a chance at the schools that we have mentioned. After all, that is why we suggested them. ? And yes, I agree with you—stick to your own business for now from an admissions perspective. If you switch to a new job, especially if it is a new role, the adcom will just be confused. Given your story, we wanna keep things niiiice and simple here if we can. Take the job if you need to, but complete the application “before you have to report the new position,” if you know what I mean. Hope you understand our perspective here…
Good luck my friend!

Jon Frank

作者: raiy 时间: 2010-10-28 12:47
I get the point you made. Your advice makes my story stronger and more sense. Thank you for your patient and advice here.

Have a good day!

Raiy

作者: kongkong57 时间: 2010-10-28 19:48
Jon,
i found in tuck's essay requirement, there is no words restriction. it says we don't have words restriction but most of our applicants use 500 words. Does that mean actually i could write 400-800 words in each essay?
Thanks for any assistance.

作者: JonFrank 时间: 2010-10-30 11:18

Jon,
i found in tuck's essay requirement, there is no words restriction. it says we don't have words restriction but most of our applicants use 500 words. Does that mean actually i could write 400-800 words in each essay?
Thanks for any assistance.

-- by 会员 kongkong57 (2010/10/28 19:48:44)

Hey there! You could write a few more or less than 500. But I wouldn’t stray further than 100 or so words one way or the other.After all, any story that can be told in 800 words can also be told in 600. I assure you. ? So don’t stray too much—shoot for 400-600. And then you should be juuust fine. Remember, if your essay is 800
words, it had better be good; it will be one of the longest they will read this year… And that’s a lot of responsibility for you! Hope this helps…

Jon Frank

作者: JonFrank 时间: 2010-11-3 00:43
Hey my friends ,thanks for checking in, just want to share some tips about interview here

Good luck everyone !!

Hi Jon, I just got an interview invitation from Wharton. I am in China mainland and working for a Chinese commercial bank for 4 years.

Hey there! First of all,congrats on the Wharton interview! That is great news. we do offer some interview guidance for sure,you can find it at our website.

We already shared this info a couple days ago, but here goes again… At the end of the day, our pointers for interviews can be boiled down to three main concepts:

1. Go in with YOUR stories--no matter what they ask, you will havethe 3-4 stories that YOU need to tell. No matter what strange, or unusual questions are thrown at you, you will always have an answer ready. After all, with juuust a little bit of tweaking, any story can answer ANY question. In this way, you will NEVER be stuck on any question--you will have answers ready to go. This way, your English will be better as well, because you can rehearse your stories.
2. Make sure you know all the basic questions and answers--bschool interviews are notoriously simple. All of the typical questions are listed here: http://www.accepted.com/mba/questions.aspx and you should absolutely be 100% bulletproof on these. These will guaranteed be 80% OR MORE of what is asked of you at the interview. Also, be ready to address the idea of a BACKUP PLAN. That is, what happens if you dont get in? What if you dont get the consulting job after college? Or if you cant raise the start up funds? The market is BAD these days--be ready to speak to a backup plan...

3.

eople like to talk--let them. MBA folks are notoriously self-centered. Ask questions, and INTERACT. This shouldnt be a
simple Q and A--it should be a conversation. Check in with your interviewer as you go, go back and forth, and get him talking about HIMSELF! The best interview I ever gave was the one where I had laryngitis--I hardly said a word! And at the end of the interview, the interviewer felt like a million bucks...

Congrats on the interview! And let me know if there is anything more
we can do to help!

Jon Frank
Founder

作者: iporcelain 时间: 2010-11-3 02:51
thanks for the notes here.. making me more relaxed as i'm waiting for news to come

wish everyone good luck!

作者: dreamdreamy 时间: 2010-11-3 10:02
Hi Jon~I'm new here. Thanks for your help in advance.
I submitted my online application days ago, however, unfortunately I just found out a mistake in there. I named out an alumni in the Why XX School question, and stated that she is now working in X company. Actually, she worked in that company, and now she is working for the school, more exactly for the adcom! How can I make a huge misunderstanding like this? Shame on me...What do you think I can do to fix this problem? I'm really worried about the committee's decision when they see my misstatement.

Thank you again!

作者: kongkong57 时间: 2010-11-3 12:04
Here is my questions.
I would like to know who are the persons edit the essay in PE, there is a team or only you and Raj? if there is a team, what's their backgrounds? how much time do you put on editing each essay?

i am thinking if i need the service.

作者: JonFrank 时间: 2010-11-4 14:28

Hi Jon~I'm new here. Thanks for your help in advance.
I submitted my online application days ago, however, unfortunately I just found out a mistake in there. I named out an alumni in the Why XX School question, and stated that she is now working in X company. Actually, she worked in that company, and now she is working for the school, more exactly for the adcom! How can I make a huge misunderstanding like this? Shame on me...What do you think I can do to fix this problem? I'm really worried about the committee's decision when they see my misstatement.

Thank you again!

-- by 会员 dreamdreamy (2010/11/3 10:02:21)

Hello there! Wow, this is an unusual situation indeed. It is clear that the adcom will look at this situation, and probably have a good laugh. You NEED to write SOMETHING. In fact, you will want to turn this situation into a strength. You have to write something. I would recommend a short letter explaining the situation. You cant hide from this—you should likely work in some kind of short, classy joke. Sometimes, self-effacing humor can go a long way. Allude to the fact that you realize how foolish the error was, and that you hope this doesn’t keep them from taking your candidacy seriously. You do need to address it though. It is to silly not to!

Jon Frank

作者: gxben 时间: 2010-11-4 15:38
Hi, Jon
May I ask u a question?
I also asked it at Cheasedream Forum.
I have good GPA
good work experience (if it can be!)
But, I am a special applicant for MBA and need somebody's advice!
I was very poor and had to enrolled as a military medical university student when I was young. (in ShangHai)
At that university, I studied hard and got a doctoral degree through 9 years.
I want to get a MBA and engaged in business all alone,
but I must served as a researcher in army at least for 16 years.
Now I worked in Beijing for 6 years, and has been a PI (Principle Investigator) in our academy
next year, I may have the chance to quit army and chease a MBA dream.(16 years)
but time changed everything:
I am not as young as other applicant;
I have no business backgroud;

so I want your advice or opinion on:
what will you (or MBA schools) look at me ? or
am I the right man they want?

Thanks

作者: gxben 时间: 2010-11-4 15:51
下面写点中国字，看看国内的朋友怎么看？
简单点说，小时候太穷上不起学上了军校，一直读到博士
毕业后做研究，用3年的时间做到了课题组长，有自己的研究团队，但没出国
一直想做商业，也一直想读个MBA完成这个转换职业方向的重要一步
但部队不放我，只能继续干

明年可能可以走了
那么要不要去追逐原来的梦想呢？
放弃的很多：
事业上已有平台，很多研究者近40了也混不成PI
再干5年，就可以拿在职人员70%的工资退休，专业点说叫自主择业
已是团职，转业可以当工务员，如果考国外的MBA可能要到时退出公务员
最要我命的是：
考GMAT要护照，当兵的没护照，有也是公派假身份，拿那个考了也没用!
一旦决定了，就不允许回头了，不管将来考的怎样，必须放弃现在的一切才能参加那个重要的考试!
身边都是军人朋友，找不到人问，先看看这里的大家怎么说吧。

非常非常希望有读过
或正在读国外MBA的朋友给点意见!

谢谢!

作者: dreamdreamy 时间: 2010-11-5 11:07
Thanks Jon! I'm quite worried about my situation, and have no idea how to write a short and humor email to adcom to explain this mistake. Could you please specify your advice with some examples? Thanks a lot!

作者: JonFrank 时间: 2010-11-6 10:34

Hi, Jon
May I ask u a question?
I also asked it at Cheasedream Forum.
I have good GPA
good work experience (if it can be!)
But, I am a special applicant for MBA and need somebody's advice!
I was very poor and had to enrolled as a military medical university student when I was young. (in ShangHai)
At that university, I studied hard and got a doctoral degree through 9 years.
I want to get a MBA and engaged in business all alone,
but I must served as a researcher in army at least for 16 years.
Now I worked in Beijing for 6 years, and has been a PI (Principle Investigator) in our academy
next year, I may have the chance to quit army and chease a MBA dream.(16 years)
but time changed everything:
I am not as young as other applicant;
I have no business backgroud;

so I want your advice or opinion on:
what will you (or MBA schools) look at me ? or
am I the right man they want?

Thanks

-- by 会员 gxben (2010/11/4 15:38:28)

Hey there! Thanks so much for the note. Unfortunately, this will be very difficult for you. It will however be possible—in my class at HBS we had a student who was 39 years old. How old will you be? You should also look at Executive MBA programs. If you do programs like that, you can even keep your job, and you will be working with people who are older—more your age. It will be very difficult for you, if you are in your 40’s for example to get into a full time MBA program in the US. You should look into European programs as well—the average ages there tend to be older. So do some research—European programs, and Executive MBA programs. Those will be your best bet…Good luck!

Jon Frank

作者: dreamdreamy 时间: 2010-11-6 14:04

Thanks Jon! I'm quite worried about my situation, and have no idea how to write a short and humor email to adcom to explain this mistake. Could you please specify your advice with some examples? Thanks a lot!

-- by 会员 dreamdreamy (2010/11/5 11:07:01)

Help!~~Jon~~~Please don't ignore my question. I drafted an email yesterday, but seems not the kind you suggested. Could you please give me some examples about the classy jokes or humorous explaination?

Many thanks!

作者: gengxiaoxiao 时间: 2010-11-6 15:43
Hey Jon

great thanks for your help~ it made me believe good stuff could come for free

i recently received interview invite for CBS, wondering if you know how easy/difficult for CBS to send out interview invites, and the acceptance rate among candidate interviewed?

another thing i want to find out is how much info my interviewer has about me? do they only have my CV, or they've reviewed the whole package already?

would appreciated it if you can give me some tips on interviews, this is my first interview & CBS is my dream school, hence the the last thing i want is blow it because of lack of preparation

thanks very much again

Amy

作者: JonFrank 时间: 2010-11-8 23:37

-- by 会员 dreamdreamy (2010/11/5 11:07:01)

Many thanks!

-- by 会员 dreamdreamy (2010/11/6 14:04:23)

Hey there,sorry for my late reply..
Well this is very challenging indeed. It might sound something like this,
“To whom it may concern,
I am writing with what is likely an unusual update. Sadly, it isn’t the kind that I would like to write about, perhaps about a promotion, better GMAT score, etc. I am writing because I appear to have made an error on my application. [State error here.] Needless to say, since Ms. Soandso is a member of the admissions committee, it is clear (to everyone but me, apparently) that she doesn’t still work at name company.

lease accept my apologies—my information clearly was YY months old. I assure you that while even I am not above making the occasional careless mistake, I am also not above admitting it when I have done so. Again I am sorry for my error, and I appreciate your consideration.”
J Something perhaps like this? Good luck…

Jon Frank

作者: JonFrank 时间: 2010-11-8 23:47

Hey Jon

great thanks for your help~ it made me believe good stuff could come for free

-- by 会员 gengxiaoxiao (2010/11/6 15:43:31)

Amy, it would be our pleasure to offer up some guidance. While there are no exact numbers, CBS will admit between 30-40% or so of the people they interview. And you should always assume that they have not read your application. They will likely have a copy of your resume in front of them.

At the end of the day, our pointers for phone interviews can be boiled down to three main concepts:

1. Go in with YOUR stories--no matter what they ask, you will have the 3-4 stories that YOU need to tell. No matter what strange, or unusual questions are thrown at you, you will always have an answer ready. After all, with juuust a little bit of tweaking, any story can answer ANY question. In this way, you will NEVER be stuck on any question--you will have answers ready to go.

2. Make sure you know all the basic questions and answers--bschool interviews are notoriously simple. All of the typical questions are listed here:http://www.accepted.com/mba/questions.aspx and you should absolutely be 100% bulletproof on these. These will guaranteed be 80% OR MORE of what is asked of you at the

interview. Also, be ready to address the idea of a BACKUP PLAN. That is, what happens if you dont get in? What if you dont get the consulting job after college? Or if you cant raise the start up funds? The market is BAD these days--be ready to speak to a backup plan...

eople like to talk--let them. MBA folks are notoriously self-centered. Ask questions, and INTERACT. This shouldnt be a simple Q and A--it should be a conversation. Check in with your interviewer as you go, go back and forth, and get him talking about HIMSELF! The best interview I ever gave was the one where I had laryngitis--I hardly said a word! And at the end of the interview, the interviewer felt like a million bucks...

Congrats on the interview! And let me know if there is anything more we can do to help!

Jon Frank

作者: Jameswynne 时间: 2010-11-9 00:52
To Amy:

祝贺你拿到ＣＢＳ的面试邀请,这是个好兆头！回答你的问题：

1. Percentage of all applicants (admitted and denied) to the class of newest full-time entrants who were interviewed: 49%
2. Percent of the admitted applicants to the newest full-time class who were interviewed: 84%
3. Your interviewer does not have your whole application but only your resume. Relax! You will be asked to upload your resume before you schedule a time with her/him.

我们有几个客户在过去的２周也拿到了CBS面试邀请，祝你好运！如果有什么问题，欢迎再来问我们！

James @Admit Engine

作者: dreamdreamy 时间: 2010-11-9 10:39
Thank you very much! I've sent out the explaination email right now. Hope the silly misunderstanding won't affect my application, and wish for the best!

作者: gengxiaoxiao 时间: 2010-11-9 20:17
to both Jon and James

thanks very much for your kind help

Amy

作者: Monkyi 时间: 2010-11-9 21:37
Jon!!! MR popular !!!
i am writing the essay of Wisconsin ASAP, and the topic is : Why specifically do you believe you are a good fit for a career in money management?

well, i have zero w/e in this so far. can i think maybe, just maybe i can become another Warren Buffet. So how should i approach this one?

作者: JonFrank 时间: 2010-11-10 09:20

Jon!!! MR popular !!!
i am writing the essay of Wisconsin ASAP, and the topic is : Why specifically do you believe you are a good fit for a career in money management?

well, i have zero w/e in this so far. can i think maybe, just maybe i can become another Warren Buffet. So how should i approach this one?

-- by 会员 Monkyi (2010/11/9 21:37:18)

Hey there! If you have no work experience in money management, then...you will have a very hard time answering this question indeed. Here is your only chance. Boil down the field of money management into 2 or 3 sub-areas.

erhaps we could say "math, solving problems, and keeping on top of new information."

Then, you could go through each of these topics. I am good at math. Then PROVE it in a couple sentences. Then take on the next one, solving problems.

ROVE that you're good at that. And finally, the third piece of the puzzle that you have set out. You love to keep abreast of new information, technological advances, etc.

ROVE that youre good at that piece.

So yes, it is true that you havent done EXACTLY money management. But if you break it down into its three main parts (and you can probably do a better job than I have above at identifying them), you are good at all of em. So it would be fitting that you're good at the money management piece as well. This would be your best bet. GOOD LUCK! : )

Jon Frank

作者: gxben 时间: 2010-11-10 09:41
Thank u very much for yr kind advice!

"Hey there! Thanks so much for the note. Unfortunately, this will be very difficult for you. It will however be possible—in my class at HBS we had a student who was 39 years old. How old will you be? You should also look at Executive MBA programs. If you do programs like that, you can even keep your job, and you will be working with people who are older—more your age. It will be very difficult for you, if you are in your 40’s for example to get into a full time MBA program in the US. You should look into European programs as well—the average ages there tend to be older. So do some research—European programs, and Executive MBA programs. Those will be your best bet…Good luck!
"
-------------------------------
I will do my job for 5 more yrs and retried with 70% salary.
Then I will consider to be an Entrepreneur or attend a MBA.

作者: chengya 时间: 2010-11-10 10:04
Hello Jon,

I am new here. Just read some of your postings. I was so impressed by your wisdom! I have an important strategic question and would like to ask for your advice. The questions is whether I can give a serious shot for Harvard MBA?

My academic background is: I have a MD (GPA: 4.0) degree. And I got MS (GPA: 3.9) and Ph.D (GPA: 3.9) degrees from Virginia Tech. My MS and PhD major are molecular biology and biomedical sciences. I published many papers in good academic journals in my area. I attended lots of biggest national and international conference in my research area and gave many talks there and also won some awards too. Most of the research I did are from NIH and NSF grants. Above is my academic background.

My working experiences are following: I worked as a cardiologist for 2 years in China after I finished my MD. I attended some extra-curricular activities during that time, which involved in some management and leadership roles. I worked in American Universities for about two years ( as a team leader in a big lab). And worked in a startup biotech company in Virginia about one year ( as a senior scientist). During the first 3 months when I worked in that industry, I helped the company submitted a NIH small business innovation grant and got it successfully approved.

My long term career goal: I want to do high level management in big biotech/pharmaceutical industry in USA. I think my MD, PhD background plus my medical and biomedical working experience will be helpful in this area.

HBS MBA is my DREAMED school(when I was a little girl, I dreamed to go there one day), and actually is the only school I want to apply for. You can see how much I LOVE it!

My current issue: My GMAT score is not very high ( Q:50, V: 29; total 660). But I know GMAT is one of the factors to measure a candidate's academic potential. Some friends told me that because I have relatively strong GPA and other academic background (such as MD/PhD degrees, publication, presentations, etc.), I should be able to balance the GMAT score by those stuff. Also, I know that every year there are some students were accepted by HBS MBA with a GMAT score beyond around 600. I am a girl and originally from China with a non-traditional major (hopefully HBS should like these kinds of diversity)

.

I really want to apply for the 2nd round of HBS MBA (the deadline is Jan. 2011), but really worry about my GMAT score. But if I do have a chance, I will give it a shot. But if I don't have any chance because of the GMAT score, I have to think about re-take it. That means I may miss this year's application and this is the situation I really don't want it happen. Also, I feel I am not good at taking such standard test as GMAT, so not sure whether I will for sure do better next time if I do it again.

Jon, could you please give me some advice or opinion on whether I can give a SERIOUS shot of Harvard MBA this year if I have the essays and other materials prepared very well? I really appreciate it and value your opinion. I need to make a decision asap and then make my plan for the next step. Thank you very much!

作者: JonFrank 时间: 2010-11-10 10:18

Hello Jon,

I am new here. Just read some of your postings. I was so impressed by your wisdom! I have an important strategic question and would like to ask for your advice. The questions is whether I can give a serious shot for Harvard MBA?

My academic background is: I have a MD (GPA: 4.0) degree. And I got MS (GPA: 3.9) and Ph.D (GPA: 3.9) degrees from Virginia Tech. My MS and PhD major are molecular biology and biomedical sciences. I published many papers in good academic journals in my area. I attended lots of biggest national and international conference in my research area and gave many talks there and also won some awards too. Most of the research I did are from NIH and NSF grants. Above is my academic background.

My working experiences are following: I worked as a cardiologist for 2 years in China after I finished my MD. I attended some extra-curricular activities during that time, which involved in some management and leadership roles. I worked in American Universities for about two years ( as a team leader in a big lab). And worked in a startup biotech company in Virginia about one year ( as a senior scientist). During the first 3 months when I worked in that industry, I helped the company submitted a NIH small business innovation grant and got it successfully approved.

My long term career goal: I want to do high level management in big biotech/pharmaceutical industry in USA. I think my MD, PhD background plus my medical and biomedical working experience will be helpful in this area.

HBS MBA is my DREAMED school(when I was a little girl, I dreamed to go there one day), and actually is the only school I want to apply for. You can see how much I LOVE it!

My current issue: My GMAT score is not very high ( Q:50, V: 29; total 660). But I know GMAT is one of the factors to measure a candidate's academic potential. Some friends told me that because I have relatively strong GPA and other academic background (such as MD/PhD degrees, publication, presentations, etc.), I should be able to balance the GMAT score by those stuff. Also, I know that every year there are some students were accepted by HBS MBA with a GMAT score beyond around 600. I am a girl and originally from China with a non-traditional major (hopefully HBS should like these kinds of diversity)

-- by 会员 chengya (2010/11/10 10:04:13)

Hey there! What a great story. My answer is that yes, you absolutely DO have a shot at HBS. Your background is VERY unique indeed, and from this post anyway, you do seem to speak very good English. Now. HBS is a stretch for ANYONE. That’s right, even if you had your exact background and a GMAT of 760, you would still be a stretch at HBS. They have their pick of anyone from anywhere. So while you do have a chance there, I would (and always do) recommend that you apply to more schools. Given your interest in medicine especially, you have a number of other options worth considering. Ross, for example, has a great MBA program with a specialty in healthcare. Same with Wharton, even Haas and Duke. Would you consider those programs? If yes, you would have a great shot at getting in somewhere this year. You do have a shot at HBS, but for everyone it is a stretch…
Good luck!

Jon Frank

作者: gxben 时间: 2010-11-10 10:50
你的情况跟我很像，但有个最大的不同：
我在中国，而且是部队!
所以我咨询的结果是建议我放弃。
---------------------------
自己比较一下
My academic background is:
I have a MD (GPA: 4.0) degree.
And I got MS (GPA: 3.9) and Ph.D (GPA: 3.9) degrees from Virginia Tech. My MS and PhD major are molecular biology and biomedical sciences. ……专业一样，我一直是前2名，所以GPA不会低于你。

I published many papers in good academic journals in my area.
I attended lots of biggest national and international conference in my research area and gave many talks there and also won some awards too.
一样的，而且我是通讯作者，因为我后来做PI了
Most of the research I did are from NIH and NSF grants.
我拿的是中国自然科学基金和科技部的项目，科技部的项目很大
还有部队的，但不能说
Above is my academic background.
-----------------------
祝福你!

作者: gxben 时间: 2010-11-10 10:53
还有一个不同：
你想上HBS是名校情节。
我上哪个无所谓，我不在乎。
我是Entrepreneur情节或者dream
上MBA也是为了更顺利的转行Entrepreneur

作者: chengya 时间: 2010-11-10 11:42

-- by 会员 chengya (2010/11/10 10:04:13)

-- by 会员 JonFrank (2010/11/10 10:18:53)

Thank you very much for your advice, Jon. If I plan to re-take GMAT at the beginning of Dec, do you think it's a better choice. In other words, do you recommend me to re-take the test? If I re-take the test on Dec. 9, I will have about one month left to prepare for all the other stuff in the application package, since the deadline for the 2nd round HBS application is Jan.11. If I work on them full time and work really hard, do you think I am able to finish all the other stuff in the application package in time? Thanks a lot.

作者: chengya 时间: 2010-11-10 11:45

你的情况跟我很像，但有个最大的不同：
我在中国，而且是部队!
所以我咨询的结果是建议我放弃。
---------------------------
自己比较一下
My academic background is:
I have a MD (GPA: 4.0) degree.
And I got MS (GPA: 3.9) and Ph.D (GPA: 3.9) degrees from Virginia Tech. My MS and PhD major are molecular biology and biomedical sciences. ……专业一样，我一直是前2名，所以GPA不会低于你。

I published many papers in good academic journals in my area.
I attended lots of biggest national and international conference in my research area and gave many talks there and also won some awards too.
一样的，而且我是通讯作者，因为我后来做PI了
Most of the research I did are from NIH and NSF grants.
我拿的是中国自然科学基金和科技部的项目，科技部的项目很大
还有部队的，但不能说
Above is my academic background.
-----------------------
祝福你!

-- by 会员 gxben (2010/11/10 10:50:39)

谁建议你放弃？建议你放弃的理由是什么？你的gmat 分数一定比我好吧？

欢迎光临 ChaseDream (https://forum.chasedream.com/)