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

JonFrank

angelaliuhui 发表于 2013-6-14 22:02
Hi Jon, need the help as well...
any chance to get into Columbia, Whorton, Tuck or Chicago
My backg ...

Hi Friend,It's a little bit hard for me to say because I am missing a lot of info from you (Especially about your work experience), but let's say that what you have in your profile is very good. Your GMAT is fantastic! So don't retake! And I think with your MA and international experience you are off to a good start. But I still am missing too much info in order to give you a proper evaluation. I would need to know - your position, how much management you have, how much international experience, how many promotions, your main achievements, what schools you graduated from, what your GPAs were, whether you have volunteer experience, what extra-curricualr experience you have… a whole lot of stuff, as you can see!!! If you can get back to me with a bit about all of this, I can advise you further.

Jon Frank
HBS 2005

cloudy218

JonFrank 发表于 2013-6-21 18:11
YES! You've been noticed!! My apology, old man gets distracted vert easily! =) Here's my response  ...

Hi Jon, thanks. Highly appreciate your comments.
for the colleague, we work together on several projects, so I think he has something to say about me. But he is not my supervisor. the school requires/suggests one direct supervisor (whom I have put as recommender already), so I think he can be the recommender as a peer.
However, I think the hard copy idea is also great, which may better/more directly convey messages to the Adcom member.
questions are:
1. So he should have the contact info./personal connection of the specific member of Adcom, or we can just deliver to the director whose name is notified on the school website?
2. How do you think my colleague may help better, being a recommender (through online process) or deliver the hard copy of short letter?

Many thanks again for your kindness. People who help others without demanding reward are called Lei Feng in China...  

bbbbhh2

Hi John,
Need your help here. I'm a mkt operation staff at Huawei (one of the F500, but a chinese ICT firm). I have worked 1 year in China and 2 years in Chile office.
I got a bachelor degree from a top 20 university in China, but the GPA is really baaaaaad! Just around 2.4.  I haven't taken the GMAT and the T , but I'm confident to get a 730+/100+
My career goal is to be a consultant in High-tech firms like IBM,Oracle...etc,  but I don't know what kind of school should I shoot for?  Do I have a shot with top 20 schools like Duke,Darden,Tepper?
Looking forward to your advice.

deardee

Hi Jon,it is really good to have you here. I have several questions and would like to have your opinion.

I got couple offers last year but I want to try another year for my dream school. As a reapplicant, 1. for the resume: can i just add the new responsibilities I have undertaken since the last application and keep all the rest part of the resume the same, if I believe my resume is already competitive enough? 2. Is there anything you think a reapplicant should look after on the applicatin package specifically?

Thanks a lot for your help

Prso

JonFrank 发表于 2013-6-7 14:38
Essay 2: THREE-PART QUESTION (150 words per question).

When schools force the applicant’s hand and ...

Hi Jon

Thank you for sharing your perspectives on this essay question.

One of my concerns about Ross goal essay is its 2.a "What about your professional experience has led you to determine that business school is the right next step?"

I think I should put something in my past experience, some moment into my response. Reading your analysis, however, makes me wonder whether I need to highlight my long-term aspiration in this section as well? If so, then what's section 2.c used for?

I'm still confused of why cutting an integrated goal essay into three parts, and limiting your response into 3 standalone questions. Whatif my response to each question is sort of mingled with the others?

Regards,

JonFrank

bbbbhh2 发表于 2013-6-24 12:00
Hi John,
Need your help here. I'm a mkt operation staff at Huawei (one of the F500, but a chinese IC ...

Hey there! Good question!
The first thing I would ask myself is whether an MBA is the right degree for you, actually. If your goal is "Tech consulting" just as many, if not more people probably have technical masters rather than MBAs, and an MBA might be more useful if you were going into the more business side of things. If you can hit a 730+ on your GMAt, and write some awesome essays, I'd say you have a shot!

Jon Frank
HBS 2005

JonFrank

cloudy218 发表于 2013-6-21 20:54
Hi Jon, thanks. Highly appreciate your comments.
for the colleague, we work together on several pr ...

I like that! And I will try and remember that when I meet helpful Chinese people (so I can impress them with my skills! ;) )
But on to our business: Again you ask very good questions.

1. If he has a specific address for a specific member, it could be a bit better. If not, then yes, you can deliver it directly to the director on the website.
2. This one is tough to answer without knowing who your other potential recommenders might be. If you have another strong recommender, than I would say it would be better if your colleague would be the "extra" one. On the other hand, if your colleague is anyhow the best recommender, you might want to use him as a full recommender.

Hope this answers your questions!

Jon Frank
HBS 2005

cloudy218

JonFrank 发表于 2013-6-25 10:17
I like that!  And I will try and remember that when I meet helpful Chinese people (so I can impr ...

Hi Jon,
Thank you so much !
You have provided truly valuable insights. I am really grateful.

In return, if you have any question about Chinese (language or culture), I would also be glad to answer   (so you can impress people not only with your professional skills, but also with your understanding of Chinese)

bbbbhh2

JonFrank 发表于 2013-6-25 10:12
Hey there! Good question!
The first thing I would ask myself is whether an MBA is the right degree ...

Hi Jon,  I know it is very late for ur time zone now, many thanks for your great advice. I'm glad to hear I still have shots with top programs I'm gonna work hard to get a 730+ gmat score.
I just want to have a career switch and get a comprehensive understanding about industries, so I thought high-tech MBA programs would be my best fit.  You mentioned I should be looking for a job is more from a business side of things , so if I just want to work for google or amazon these kind of high-tech firms or telecom operators like AT&T, you are suggesting a degree in MIS rather than MBA? If I just want to take a MBA,what kind of job is suitable for a mba to applicate in these firms?  

JonFrank

deardee 发表于 2013-6-24 22:02
Hi Jon,it is really good to have you here. I have several questions and would like to have your opin ...

Hey man,
Thanks dude! That's really nice of you to say. I really appreciate it.

There are a lot of things you can do as a reapplicant to boost your profile, but first and foremost if you are reapplying to the same school is to show the AdCom that you have IMPROVED since last year. There are many things you can write about, and here are some examples:
-        Higher GMAT/TOEFL
-        promotions
-        awards
-        new responsibilities
-        a raise
-        added volunteer work
-        any new major achievements
-        new entrepreneurial ventures
-        etc.
Any and all of these are great. Beyond that, depending on how your essays and recommendations were last year you might want to 1. Reconsider your goals if they were not good enough last year 2. Show the school that you continue to be dedicated to them and that you made more efforts to learn more about the school (a visit) 3. As you write your essays SHOW that you are aware that last year you weren’t as strong as you could have been, and you ACTIVELY considered your weaknesses and tried to address them.

Jon Frank
HBS 2005