Ask Jon Frank- P69-Q&A:WHY MBA? 7 OVERLOOKED REASONS TO GET AN MBA

JudithTsai

Thanks John. Your insights means alot for me.

JonFrank

QUESTION:

I believe most b-school applicants intend to land a different job (either in another industry or in another position, or both) after they get their MBA. But I’ve heard you say that adcoms don’t like career-switchers. So how do I deliver an essay that speaks my mind and is honest, and, at the same time, convinces the adcom?

ANSWER:

It’s easy, dude.

Don’t talk about career changes in your essays for the adcom.

I know that doesn’t seem to make sense but stick with your past background. Speak your mind…as though you were going to stay along the lines of your current job. That is your best bet for sure.

Career changes make adcoms nervous. Why? Well, here’s the deal. Adcoms like people who prove they will be wildly successful one day. (Wildly successful people make b-schools look good. They also make a lot of money….and then donate that money back to the school that helped them get there. Yes, even business school is a business.) And for adcoms, someone who has experience in a field are much more likely to be successful than someone who doesn’t.

Think about it. If you were reading two applications and both people wanted to own their own hedge fund one day, but one applicant has worked at a hedge fund for 5 years and other has spent the past 5 years in consulting ….who do YOU think would have a better chance at achieving that long-term goal?

The truth is, it doesn’t matter how badly to WANT to make that career change; the adcom is going to go for the sure thing. And that, my friend, is not the career switcher.

So…why bother? Why stick with the career-change story? Why take that risk? Just stick to what you know in your application and show those adcoms that you’re a sure thing.

Then, once you’ve got that MBA under your belt, you can switch careers as many times as you want.

It worked for me….

– Jon Frank

JonFrank

QUESTION:

I heard it could be helpful to impress the adcom if you visit the school. Is this true? And will it REALLY help me get admitted? It just seems to be so expensive to go visit all the schools I’m applying to, especially if I might have to return for interviews. Also, if I do visit, is it possible to talk to someone in admissions about my personal situation?

ANSWER:

Yes, my friend, if it is at all possible you SHOULD try to coordinate a campus visit.  Yes, it will cost $1,000 USD or so, but compared to the $150K that you are going to spend, that isn’t a very large amount. Especially considering how important the campus visit is at many schools.

I was recently speaking with an adcom member at a school based in Europe.  She made it EXTREMELY clear to me that if the applicant hasn’t visited, she simply will NOT believe that he wants to go to that school.  eriod.

Interesting, eh?

But she makes a good point. How can you prove to a school that you KNOW that they are the best school for you, if you have never even visited?  It is possible, of course, but why not take that risky element out of the mix and just….visit? Adcoms will be impressed, and you will also experience cool things and meet cool people that you can reference in your applications (and, you know, reach out to when you get to campus next year).

Now, what should you be doing during that visit? Obviously, there is a TON of stuff you can do that will be both helpful for your application and productive.  First of all, reach to to the admissions committee.  Granted, they will likely not take your meeting… but there is no shame in trying.  Also, you should visit classes.  Ideally even something that is relevant to your career goals.  And finally, do your best to reach out to students as well.  So, for example, if you are interested in the Venture Capital Club, try to meet with a person (or two?) who is a member of that club! Find out about the club, find out about the campus, and find out about their life in the MBA program. Don’t do this just because you will be able to write about it in your apps, but also because you will learn what it is REALLY like on campus.

And isn’t that something you’d like to know before you decide to spend the next 1-2 years there?

Hope that helps shed some light,

Jon Frank
Founder PrecisionEssay

jauly

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

-- by 会员 JonFrank (2010/9/23 12:06:01)

Hi Jon,

is it true that HBS concerns the GMAT scores so much? i see the average for last year is 72*. I just got a 720+5.5, is it possible for me to apply HBS using this score. my background is double bachelor degree at top2 university in china, but GPA is so so (3.2) and master degree at singapore university. 6 years working experience in singpaore manufacturing (semicon) company as process and quality engineer.
by the way, does the nationality make any difference? i am holding singapore passport. thanks

JonFrank

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

-- by 会员 JonFrank (2010/9/23 12:06:01)

Hi Jon,

is it true that HBS concerns the GMAT scores so much? i see the average for last year is 72*. I just got a 720+5.5, is it possible for me to apply HBS using this score. my background is double bachelor degree at top2 university in china, but GPA is so so (3.2) and master degree at singapore university. 6 years working experience in singpaore manufacturing (semicon) company as process and quality engineer.
by the way, does the nationality make any difference? i am holding singapore passport. thanks

-- by 会员 jauly (2011/10/18 22:24:52)

Yes my friend, sadly for Chinese applicants the GMAT score is very important.  While the average is 720, you can be sure that the average for Chinese candidates is much higher than that.  You guys are just so smart!  J  But yes, you can certainly apply anyway.  You will have a real chance, if your essays are fabulous.  Singapore will make your life easier than China, that is for sure…


Jon Frank
Founder PrecisionEssay

JonFrank

Getting Over Writer’s Block
QUESTION:

I finally decided on the list of schools I’ll be applying to in Round 2 this year and now it’s time to start my essays. I just… don’t really know where to start. Or how. Got any tips for getting over writer’s block and getting words on paper?

ANSWER:

Hey there, happy to answer this question.  We get it often–it’s “an oldie but goodie” around these parts.  Let’s get into it.

If you are stuck in front of a complicated-looking batch of questions, the first thing to do is… ignore them.  All of em.  Ignore the questions.  Instead, focus on the stories you’ve gotta tell.  List ‘em, write ‘em down.  What are your greatest hits?

The key is for you to tell YOUR stories.  So, no matter WHAT the questions are, you need to make sure that you talk about the best, coolest, most impressive things that you have done.  Back when I was younger (and I’m not thaaat old) we used to buy CDs.  And nobody really knew anything about Bob Marley, but everyone had the Legend album.  So why am I talking about this?  Because THAT album is Bob’s legacy.  What are YOUR greatest hits?  Don’t pick the essay question that is easiest to write. Forget the essay questions all together!  Think about what your GREATEST HITS are, what your best stories are.  Then figure out how to fit your stories into THOSE questions.

Now, there is a risk here.  The risk is that you ignore the essay questions, and somehow find a way to write essays that have NOTHING to do with the question asked.  Hmmm. That would be bad. Don’t do that. What you should do is find a way to make YOUR stories ACTUALLY answer the question.  So, how will you do that? That’s what you’ve gotta figure out.  But I’ve gotta tell ya, the same story can be tweaked a zillion ways to answer…ANY question.

When I applied to bschool, my best story was the time I built my very first building as a real estate developer.  And if need be, I could tell that as my greatest success (building the thing), my greatest failure (it didn’t get done til after I left the company), a great leadership exercise (I had a team working for me), a great teamwork exercise (I worked with a team)…you get the idea.  But no matter WHAT they asked me in the app, one thing was for certain: I was gonna tell that story in every single app.

And it worked. For every school I applied to…

So for those of you dealing with writer’s block, step away from the computer, channel your inner Bob Marley and think about what would be on your Legend album. Then get writing.

Good luck,
– Jon Frank

叶之舞

Hi Jon,

Appreciate your answers and comments here, quite useful.

eswee

Hi Jon,


I read your comment on career changing and it brought more questions from me.
I am an engineer. It means, well, I WILL switch to a new career path after business school.
I would say admission officers are already sure about the fact that engineer applicants are career switchers, and they accept it.


My question is, is it better to tell them I want to stay in my current company/industry and to work my way up to management level, or, to tell them I want to work as consultant who focuses the industry he had worked in prior to business school? The latter is my real passion. And I think it assures the adcom because it does imply transferable skills & background knowledge.


Cheers,
Han

QUESTION:

I believe most b-school applicants intend to land a different job (either in another industry or in another position, or both) after they get their MBA. But I’ve heard you say that adcoms don’t like career-switchers. So how do I deliver an essay that speaks my mind and is honest, and, at the same time, convinces the adcom?

ANSWER:

It’s easy, dude.

Don’t talk about career changes in your essays for the adcom.

I know that doesn’t seem to make sense but stick with your past background. Speak your mind…as though you were going to stay along the lines of your current job. That is your best bet for sure.

Career changes make adcoms nervous. Why? Well, here’s the deal. Adcoms like people who prove they will be wildly successful one day. (Wildly successful people make b-schools look good. They also make a lot of money….and then donate that money back to the school that helped them get there. Yes, even business school is a business.) And for adcoms, someone who has experience in a field are much more likely to be successful than someone who doesn’t.

Think about it. If you were reading two applications and both people wanted to own their own hedge fund one day, but one applicant has worked at a hedge fund for 5 years and other has spent the past 5 years in consulting ….who do YOU think would have a better chance at achieving that long-term goal?

The truth is, it doesn’t matter how badly to WANT to make that career change; the adcom is going to go for the sure thing. And that, my friend, is not the career switcher.

So…why bother? Why stick with the career-change story? Why take that risk? Just stick to what you know in your application and show those adcoms that you’re a sure thing.

Then, once you’ve got that MBA under your belt, you can switch careers as many times as you want.

It worked for me….

– Jon Frank

-- by 会员 JonFrank (2011/10/14 23:52:37)

JonFrank

Hi Jon,


I read your comment on career changing and it brought more questions from me.
I am an engineer. It means, well, I WILL switch to a new career path after business school.
I would say admission officers are already sure about the fact that engineer applicants are career switchers, and they accept it.


My question is, is it better to tell them I want to stay in my current company/industry and to work my way up to management level, or, to tell them I want to work as consultant who focuses the industry he had worked in prior to business school? The latter is my real passion. And I think it assures the adcom because it does imply transferable skills & background knowledge.


Cheers,
Han

QUESTION:

I believe most b-school applicants intend to land a different job (either in another industry or in another position, or both) after they get their MBA. But I’ve heard you say that adcoms don’t like career-switchers. So how do I deliver an essay that speaks my mind and is honest, and, at the same time, convinces the adcom?

ANSWER:

It’s easy, dude.

Don’t talk about career changes in your essays for the adcom.

I know that doesn’t seem to make sense but stick with your past background. Speak your mind…as though you were going to stay along the lines of your current job. That is your best bet for sure.

Career changes make adcoms nervous. Why? Well, here’s the deal. Adcoms like people who prove they will be wildly successful one day. (Wildly successful people make b-schools look good. They also make a lot of money….and then donate that money back to the school that helped them get there. Yes, even business school is a business.) And for adcoms, someone who has experience in a field are much more likely to be successful than someone who doesn’t.

Think about it. If you were reading two applications and both people wanted to own their own hedge fund one day, but one applicant has worked at a hedge fund for 5 years and other has spent the past 5 years in consulting ….who do YOU think would have a better chance at achieving that long-term goal?

The truth is, it doesn’t matter how badly to WANT to make that career change; the adcom is going to go for the sure thing. And that, my friend, is not the career switcher.

So…why bother? Why stick with the career-change story? Why take that risk? Just stick to what you know in your application and show those adcoms that you’re a sure thing.

Then, once you’ve got that MBA under your belt, you can switch careers as many times as you want.

It worked for me….

– Jon Frank

-- by 会员 JonFrank (2011/10/14 23:52:37)

-- by 会员 eswee (2011/10/30 20:50:04)

Han, yes it is true that no engineer would go to business school hoping to remain an engineer.  After all, that would be a good reason to go to engineering school (not BUSINESS school.)  So your challenge will be to talk about SOME kind of career where there is a STRONG connection to engineering.  roduct management, or consulting could BOTH work.  just be sure to draw a VERY strong connection between your past experience and your future goals…


Jon Frank
Founder PrecisionEssay

可乐罐子

Getting Over Writer’s Block
QUESTION:

I finally decided on the list of schools I’ll be applying to in Round 2 this year and now it’s time to start my essays. I just… don’t really know where to start. Or how. Got any tips for getting over writer’s block and getting words on paper?

ANSWER:

Hey there, happy to answer this question.  We get it often–it’s “an oldie but goodie” around these parts.  Let’s get into it.

If you are stuck in front of a complicated-looking batch of questions, the first thing to do is… ignore them.  All of em.  Ignore the questions.  Instead, focus on the stories you’ve gotta tell.  List ‘em, write ‘em down.  What are your greatest hits?

The key is for you to tell YOUR stories.  So, no matter WHAT the questions are, you need to make sure that you talk about the best, coolest, most impressive things that you have done.  Back when I was younger (and I’m not thaaat old) we used to buy CDs.  And nobody really knew anything about Bob Marley, but everyone had the Legend album.  So why am I talking about this?  Because THAT album is Bob’s legacy.  What are YOUR greatest hits?  Don’t pick the essay question that is easiest to write. Forget the essay questions all together!  Think about what your GREATEST HITS are, what your best stories are.  Then figure out how to fit your stories into THOSE questions.

Now, there is a risk here.  The risk is that you ignore the essay questions, and somehow find a way to write essays that have NOTHING to do with the question asked.  Hmmm. That would be bad. Don’t do that. What you should do is find a way to make YOUR stories ACTUALLY answer the question.  So, how will you do that? That’s what you’ve gotta figure out.  But I’ve gotta tell ya, the same story can be tweaked a zillion ways to answer…ANY question.

When I applied to bschool, my best story was the time I built my very first building as a real estate developer.  And if need be, I could tell that as my greatest success (building the thing), my greatest failure (it didn’t get done til after I left the company), a great leadership exercise (I had a team working for me), a great teamwork exercise (I worked with a team)…you get the idea.  But no matter WHAT they asked me in the app, one thing was for certain: I was gonna tell that story in every single app.

And it worked. For every school I applied to…

So for those of you dealing with writer’s block, step away from the computer, channel your inner Bob Marley and think about what would be on your Legend album. Then get writing.

Good luck,
– Jon Frank

-- by 会员 JonFrank (2011/10/25 23:43:25)

hi John, after reading your suggestions on the essay, I have a quick question.
I worked as an auditor in the big 4 for about 4 years. I mean I certainly have some stories in the big 4 to tell but these stories seems would be a little bit overlapped with the stories of other big 4 applicants, which is a big pool of competitors.
On the other hand, I really had an interesting life when I was in the university, so I have some cool stories to tell as a students(took part in the first Shakespear Play in our university, led the cheer leading teaming of the school to win severial competitions and many backpacking experiences), so should I focus on the stories during the work or should I mention my stories as a student? will the adcoms think school lifes are too far away for the MBA applicants? Or the best option is mention both the experiences in work and as a student, but how to allocate the percentage?
Oh, another question. About the recommendation letters. Almost every school require two recommendations. But since I have only worked in one company, should I get both the letters from one company or should I get one of them from one of my internships? I mean if I get both letters from one company, will the adcoms be bored? But I got the internship almost 4 years ago and I only did it for 2 month.
And about the reference letter, which is better? The letter come from a manager (one know me a lot) or one come from a partner( higher level but just a nodding acquaintance)?