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

JonFrank

I GOT INTO INSEAD, AND HERE’S HOW…

See this? This is us when we got news from our pal Jim (not his real name) that he had gotten into INSEAD.

Not that we were surprised. Homeboy worked HARD on his apps and he had some KILLER essays. But when it comes to the very unscientific process of bschool admissions, you just neeeever know what’s going to happen… for good or for not so good.

In this case, though, it was very, very, VERY good.

Check out some freshly minted advice from this freshly admitted B-school application rock star. Find out how he got into INSEAD (with a lower-than-average GMAT score), and take away a few gems of wisdom to apply to your upcoming app.

Here are his stats, ladies and gents:

Age: 29 years old

Undergrad: University of California at Irvine

GPA: 3.14

GMAT: 610 (Quant 39, Verbal 35.)

Fun fact: He’s a product of the community college system. He transfered to UCI midway through his college career.

1) Why do you think YOU got into INSEAD?

I felt it was my essays and how well organized and structured my story was. Without the help of AJ and the Admissionado team, I would not have been able to tell my story the way I wanted to. I have the experience, but I did not know how to tell my story.

2) What was the most challenging part of the app for you? And how did you overcome that challenge?

As you can tell my GMAT is low. In fact, in the range of scores for INSEAD I am at the absolute bottom of the pile with a 610!! This was by far the most challenging part of the application and it was all on me. A word of advice to all future applicants, give yourself PLENTY of time to study for the GMAT and try not to do what I did, which was to study, do the apps, and take the test right before the deadline! This only put pressure on myself, AJ and the team working behind him. As easy as it may sound to compartmentalize and try to separate the two things, 100% focus must go into the test as well as your essays and application.

3) Tell us about your interview. What do you think you did right?

Leading up to the interview I was nervous. So I prepared myself like crazy. Mock interviews with anyone and everyone I could ask. Researching on what questions it could be and it could not be. In hindsight, the over preparation was a little overkill, but nonetheless it prepared me well. The first interviewer was really chill and we got along great. It was mostly a personality test to see if I am somebody he and other alumni from the school could study with and hang out with. The second interviewer was a little tougher; I could not get a good read on him. I thought I did well until I asked for his advice…and he was very candid with me: to listen more and stop interrupting as much! Gah! However, I assumed it was like the first interview, which was a free flowing conversation and I was overly excited about asking questions about the school, his background, and experiences in international business. But, I guess it wasn’t that bad since I got in!

My advice? As cliche as it might sound, go in over prepared so that you wont get blind sided. While you will get questions that will make you think on your toes, be professional, insightful, enthusiastic, energetic and be yourself.

4) What advice do you have for future applicants?

Never give up, never! Dream big and follow your dreams! After finishing my GMAT a few days before applications were due, seeing the score of 610 devastated me. I was upset, distraught and even questioned whether I should turn in the app for INSEAD and my ability to go to a basic business school! However, this truly says that the GMAT is one component of an overall application. The essays are super important to show who you are as a person, to highlight your strengths and highlight your weaknesses, which may be hidden strengths. I believe this pushed my application over the barrier of the reject pile and into the acceptance pile. To future applicants: do not ever give up on yourself and your goals. Ever!

So there you have it. Smart advice from a smart guy. We wish him the best of luck in all his future endeavors! (Although, let’s be honest, we don’t think he’s gonna need any luck.)

JonFrank

THE DING AND THE MBA REAPPLICATION: WHAT NOT TO ASK

When you get dinged, it’s hard to stop the questions swirling around your head. And the self-doubt. And the anger. And more of the self-doubt. And a lot more questions.

We hear ya. But the truth is, you’ve got work to do… and not much time to do it. And it’s VERY easy to get caught up in the wrong headspace, preventing you from moving forward on your MBA reapplication the right way.

So, we’re here to help you get out of your own way so you can get on your way to an MBA. [Oooh! Rhymes!]

Check out our list of questions you SHOULD and absolutely should NOT be asking yourself as you prepare for an MBA reapplication.

NOT TO ASK: What’s wrong with me?

Look, there’s nothing wrong with you, so cancel that pity party. The admissions process is complicated and it’s definitely not a science, so that ding may have nothing to do with you as an applicant. There could be a whole slew of reasons for that rejection. Maybe they hit their “quota” for “McKinsey guys” this year, or “future NGO CEOs.” Or maybe they had an influx of international students last year, so they had to pull back this year. Or maybe you didn’t apply early enough. It could have nothing to do with your GMAT or your essays or your undergrad GPA. At the end of the day, the MBA admissions process is a numbers game and sometimes those numbers just don’t work out in everyone’s favor.

TO ASK: How can I improve my profile?

To be a successful MBA reapplicant, you need to show PROGRESS. How are you better this time around? So instead of sitting there, drinking whiskey straight from the bottle, get out there and start improving that profile. Take on more leadership experience. Get more involved in stuff outside of work. Improve that GMAT score. You don’t have much time, so make the most of it.

NOT TO ASK: WTF??

OK, so, feel free to ask this one. But ONCE. You’re not helping yourself by harping on what happened. Dust yourself off and move on.

TO ASK: Do I Need an MBA?

You may know the answer. And it’s a big, fat yes. But this is definitely something worth thinking about before you start your MBA reapplication… all that hard work, time, etc. Do you need to do it all again? Do you actually NEED this degree? Are there other ways to achieve your goals? You’ve got the moment to consider it. So do it. Done? Great, now let’s reapply.

NOT TO ASK: Are schools even open to reapplicants?

Here’s a fun secret: they wouldn’t have MBA reapplication questions on their apps if they weren’t open to it!

TO ASK: What did I miss in my last application?

Be honest with yourself, and if you can’t give your app an unbiased review, ask someone else for help. But in order to have a successful MBA reapplication, you need to be better than the last time around. And you can only be BETTER when you know exactly where you stood the first time.

Things to consider: limited work experience, limited leadership experience, limited extra-curricular experience, a narrow list of target schools, not making a strong case for why you NEED an MBA, and disjointed career goals.

NOT TO ASK: Why did I even try?

What? Are we still having this pity party?!?! COME ON!

TO ASK: When should I start this process again?

Answer: NOW. When you’re reapplying, the game changes. You’ve gotta develop a different strategy (yup! one that shows how you’re BETTER than the first time), and you gotta…erm… be a better applicant than the first time. So there’s lots to be done. We know you are exhausted, you JUUUUST finished, after all. But you gotta get back in the saddle. You’ve done it once and now you know what went wrong and what you need to focus on. So this time is gonna be a LOT easier.

As G.I. Joe [always] said, “Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.” So, really, you only have to fight HALF the battle this time. That’s not too bad, eh?

JonFrank

Q&A: FIGURING OUT YOUR SAFETY SCHOOLS

Question:

How can you determine what’s a good safety school? Is a gap of four or five schools (in rankings) a big enough gap?

Answer:

We get this question AAAAAALL the time here at Admissionado, and for good reason. Applicants want to know how to figure out which schools they have a great chance, a good chance, and a slim chance of getting into, and a big part of our business is helping folks figure that out.

That said, this isn’t an exact science. There’s no super-secret formula or magical calculation that tells you what makes a reach school vs. a match school vs. a safety school. But how can that be? Well, rankings aren’t exactly an exact science, either. The people who rank MBA programs are compiling and evaluating all sorts of data, some of which (like graduate employment rates, average post-grad salaries, etc, etc) don’t have anything to do (at least not DIRECTLY) with your chances of getting into that program. So, just because one school is ranked four or five slots higher than another doesn’t mean that you automatically have a better chance at the lower-ranked school.

So, how DO you figure out your MBA app strategy when it comes to safety schools? The most obvious and least precise recommendation here would revolve around the standardized testing (GMAT, GPA, TOEFL, etc). If your current GPA and GMAT scores are WAY higher than the particular MBA program’s published average, then you could start to look at that school as a POTENTIAL safety school. However, there are SOOOOOOOO many other factors to take into consideration—your specific work experience, your extracurricular activities, your projected concentration and business plans—that this sort of metric assessment is imprecise at best and misleading at worst.

At the end of the day, you can prep a reach/match/safety application list that ends up being totally wrong after you apply. We’ve seen folks get into two or three of their reach schools and only one or two of their safety schools… how much sense does THAT make? So, when it comes time to figure out where you want to apply and how great your chances are there, reach out to an admissions consultant and get a full profile evaluation to figure out the best strategy for you.

– Jon Frank

JonFrank

See this? This is us when we got news from our pal Jim (not his real name) that he had gotten into INSEAD.

Not that we were surprised. Homeboy worked HARD on his apps and he had some KILLER essays. But when it comes to the very unscientific process of bschool admissions, you just neeeever know what’s going to happen… for good or for not so good.

In this case, though, it was very, very, VERY good.

Check out some freshly minted advice from this freshly admitted B-school application rock star. Find out how he got into INSEAD (with a lower-than-average GMAT score), and take away a few gems of wisdom to apply to your upcoming app.

Here are his stats, ladies and gents:

Age: 29 years old

Undergrad: University of California at Irvine

GPA: 3.14

GMAT: 610 (Quant 39, Verbal 35.)

Fun fact: He’s a product of the community college system. He transfered to UCI midway through his college career.

1) Why do you think YOU got into INSEAD?

I felt it was my essays and how well organized and structured my story was. Without the help of AJ and the Admissionado team, I would not have been able to tell my story the way I wanted to. I have the experience, but I did not know how to tell my story.

2) What was the most challenging part of the app for you? And how did you overcome that challenge?

As you can tell my GMAT is low. In fact, in the range of scores for INSEAD I am at the absolute bottom of the pile with a 610!! This was by far the most challenging part of the application and it was all on me. A word of advice to all future applicants, give yourself PLENTY of time to study for the GMAT and try not to do what I did, which was to study, do the apps, and take the test right before the deadline! This only put pressure on myself, AJ and the team working behind him. As easy as it may sound to compartmentalize and try to separate the two things, 100% focus must go into the test as well as your essays and application.

3) Tell us about your interview. What do you think you did right?

Leading up to the interview I was nervous. So I prepared myself like crazy. Mock interviews with anyone and everyone I could ask. Researching on what questions it could be and it could not be. In hindsight, the over preparation was a little overkill, but nonetheless it prepared me well. The first interviewer was really chill and we got along great. It was mostly a personality test to see if I am somebody he and other alumni from the school could study with and hang out with. The second interviewer was a little tougher; I could not get a good read on him. I thought I did well until I asked for his advice…and he was very candid with me: to listen more and stop interrupting as much! Gah! However, I assumed it was like the first interview, which was a free flowing conversation and I was overly excited about asking questions about the school, his background, and experiences in international business. But, I guess it wasn’t that bad since I got in!

My advice? As cliche as it might sound, go in over prepared so that you wont get blind sided. While you will get questions that will make you think on your toes, be professional, insightful, enthusiastic, energetic and be yourself.

4) What advice do you have for future applicants?

Never give up, never! Dream big and follow your dreams! After finishing my GMAT a few days before applications were due, seeing the score of 610 devastated me. I was upset, distraught and even questioned whether I should turn in the app for INSEAD and my ability to go to a basic business school! However, this truly says that the GMAT is one component of an overall application. The essays are super important to show who you are as a person, to highlight your strengths and highlight your weaknesses, which may be hidden strengths. I believe this pushed my application over the barrier of the reject pile and into the acceptance pile. To future applicants: do not ever give up on yourself and your goals. Ever!

Aviva130

Hey Jon, thanks for the generous sharing and what you've done is quite helpful.

Actually I had a hard time hesitating whether to apply to MBA program. 3+y work experience as PA in a PE company and 2 gap yrs ever since a baby came, I kinda get lost in my career path..

What would you say to a 28y young mother with only 3y+ work experience ? I do not wanna be a housewife anyway. Already took the tests (IELTS 7 gmat 650+ will retake the gmat soon)

Thanks in advance !

JonFrank

Don't Make This Mistake
If you’re in the process of choosing the right MBA program to apply to, you’ve probably got a mountain of questions threatening to create a mental avalanche in your head… Better close those blinds. Migraine’s coming. There’s selectivity (Can I get in?), affordability (Can I pay for it?), flexibility (Can it work with my schedule?), location (Can I live there long-term?)… And of course, the grandaddy of all MBA decisions – fit. There’s been a lot of talk about “fit,” and the idea is that choosing the right MBA program means picking one that most aligns with your career goals. That makes sense, right?

WRONG.

Prioritizing “fit” is the biggest mistake you can make when choosing the right MBA program for you. You’ll improve your chances of getting into b-school AND your opportunities post-b-school if you follow one simple rule – “Go to the best school you can get into.” We’ll repeat this again.

“Go to the best school you can get into.”

Everyone on board? Good, let’s break it down.

First of all, we want to make it clear that we’re not asking you to ignore fit completely. That’s not what we’re saying. An MBA is a huge investment of time and money, and you should take the time to reflect on your goals and try to find a school that will best help you meet those goals.

But what we ARE saying is not to give “fit” more weight than it deserves. We see this ALL the time. Steven, marketing guru, focuses only on Kellogg simply “because it is the best for marketing,” crossing other great schools like HBS or Stanford off the list. MBA programs tend to get categorized into certain industries – Stern is “known for” banking and Wharton is “known for” finance. But just because a school is “known” for something doesn’t mean that’s all they do. The truth is that in the end, every top school will prepare you for whatever it is you want to do post-MBA.

For example, everyone always thinks they need to go to Stanford to get into the tech, but that’s not the case. In a recent article from Poets & Quants, looking at the top 25 tech firms, Wharton, Kellogg, and Harvard all beat out Stanford for the number of alums in senior leadership in Silicon Valley. According to these stats, schools not “known” for tech are the ones dominating the industry. So if you want to become a titan in tech, you’ve got just as good a chance of climbing to the top whether you go to Wharton or Stanford. Going to a top school can get you wherever you need to go.

More important than “fit” is that you know what you want out of the program. In an interview, Alladi Venkatesth, Associate Dean of Masters Programs from the Paul Merage School of Business at UC Irvine, explains that top schools will all have the same core courses, from which students can develop their business vision. But a lot depends on the student. He says, “It is not so much which program you select, but rather what you are seeking to get out of it.”

Plus, sometimes it’s better not to “fit” in. Remember that schools are looking for diversity. Kellogg needs bankers just as much as Stern does. In fact, with a different background, you might actually stand out from all the applicants, and post-MBA, getting a banking job from Kellogg will be even easier than it would be, in many ways, out of Stern. Just imagine how much less competition there will be!

So then how should you be choosing the right MBA program?

1. Do your research

Figure out how these programs will help you reach your goals, but don’t get stuck on what the program is “known” for. Look at the MBA experience as a whole. Will this program not only give the you the right skills, but also the right network, resources, and support that you need? How will the school’s ranking and reputation come into play? Get to know these programs inside and out. (This will also come in handy in your apps when you have to demonstrate your knowledge of the program so you can show why THAT program is the best for you)

2. Be realistic with your profile… but also take a chance.

Once you’ve done your research, you’ll have a better understanding of where you stand what schools you should target. But don’t throw a school out just because you don’t fit some perfect mold there. This process is subjective. We hear time and time again from admissions officers that schools are looking for PEOPLE, not PROFILES. If your schools are lower than the average or you’re older than the average, it doesn’t mean you won’t get in. And that’s why you need to…

3. Play the numbers game.

Apply to a nice mix of schools, which means casting a wide net. You never know what’s going to happen (this process is HIGHLY subjective, after all), so you have to mix things up to increase your chances. While the GMAT is never the end all be all reason someone gets in or doesn’t get into a school, it IS a good indicator of candidacy. A reach school is one where the average GMAT is above yours (or a HIGHLY competitive school in the top 3 – those are a reach for eeeeveryone). Mid-range is where your GMAT falls in line with the average for the school, and a safer option is one where your GMAT is above the average. We recommend applying to at least 7 schools (more for indian applicants), and going with 2 reach, 3 mid-range, and 2 safe. Having a smart school selection strategy is key, as schools are getting more competitive.

4. Go to the best school you can get into.

Yeeeaaaahhhhh, you got this one.

JonFrank

MBA INTERVIEW PREP, ADVICE & SUCCESS

It’s MBA Interview Season! And to help you prepare, we thought we’d tap into our network of successful applicants and see what THEY might have to offer up in the way of advice.

And we hit the mother load.

Lisa [not her real name, of course] owned her MBA Interview Prep in Round 1 and KILLED IT in her interviews, scoring some amaaaazing offers. If anyone knows how to rock an MBA Interview, it’s Lisa. So read on for her sage advice for MBA Interview Prep.

What schools invited you to interview?

IESE, London Business School, MIT Sloan and INSEAD.

What were your biggest concerns about the MBA interview?

I really wanted to be at my best during the interviews. My profile had a few weaknesses so I knew that the interview was the opportunity to be the best candidate I could be, to show the schools who I am and hopefully overcome those obstacles.

Why did you decide to get some help to prepare for your interviews?

After my first interview I felt that while trying to give the best answer to some questions, I talked more than I should have. The reason was mostly that I was nervous but I knew I would have to be able to communicate my message in a clearer and more concise way if I wanted to excel in the other interviews. Another thing that made me search for help was that I felt I didn’t really maximize the opportunities I had during the first interview. I lost a few opportunities because I missed the real questions behind the questions (for example, how “tell me about yourself” is just another way of saying “walk me through your resumé”). Last but not least, I was extremely anxious so mock interviews sounded like great opportunities for me to validate the answers I had prepared and to have someone assess the anecdotes I had selected.

Talk to me about what you felt as you walked into your first MBA interview. Set the scene a bit. Were you scared? Confident?

I did a few breathing exercises before each MBA interview. Because of that, while I waited for each interview I focused a lot on my breath, which helped me stay calm and sharp. My first interview was with an alum who was a bit late. At first I didn’t know if I should approach her in our native language or in english, so there were a few awkward seconds but then she took the lead and I just followed: greetings and a little chat in our native language followed by “let’s switch to english now” and it all went smooth from there.

Did you get any questions that threw you for a loop? Scared you a bit? What were they, and how did you handle them?

Gladly, the answer is no. I really felt that I was prepared for the worst and I left all interviews feeling like I had just had a good chat with someone who was interested in my background and my thoughts. If I were to pick something that I found unexpected though, it would be the different interview settings. In one case there was even a television playing the local news right behind my interviewer!

How did the prep help you in the actual MBA interview?

I got everything I was hoping from the interview prep: the confidence to be more assertive, the preparation and interpretation for the types of questions that could be asked and the validation and help to prepare my answers. However, I think what helped me the most was to learn what to expect from each school. The incredibly helpful consultants managed to prepare me for the worst. I admit that I felt scared and unprepared at the end of each mock interview, but it was the best thing I could have hoped for. From the best to the worst case possible, the interview prep really helped me to be much more prepared, and going into the interviews after addressing the points that I got from the feedback on each mock interview I just felt much more confident.

What was the most surprising thing about the MBA interview process, overall?

How friendly everyone is. You would not believe but people really just want to get to know you! My overall feeling was that they just wanted me to be part of their community and their job was to see how I would fit there. I can’t believe I’m saying this but in the end I actually enjoyed the whole process, the opportunities of meeting new people, and reflecting about myself and my career.

If you had to give one piece of advice to applicants about the MBA interview, what would it be?

Well, I know you heard that you should just “be yourself” a million times, but guess what? It’s true!!! And practice, really, have your answers thought through. Remember the moments that made you shine, remember stories that make you smile when you tell them. Show passion!

And, finally, what was the ultimate result of your MBA interviews?

I am absolutely thrilled because I was accepted to all four schools that interviewed me. (In one case I got in the wait list and was only accepted afterwards – yes, it happens, so don’t lose hope!)

JonFrank

FIGURING OUT YOUR SAFETY SCHOOLS

Question:

How can you determine what’s a good safety school? Is a gap of four or five schools (in rankings) a big enough gap?

Answer:

We get this question AAAAAALL the time here at Admissionado, and for good reason. Applicants want to know how to figure out which schools they have a great chance, a good chance, and a slim chance of getting into, and a big part of our business is helping folks figure that out.

That said, this isn’t an exact science. There’s no super-secret formula or magical calculation that tells you what makes a reach school vs. a match school vs. a safety school. But how can that be? Well, rankings aren’t exactly an exact science, either. The people who rank MBA programs are compiling and evaluating all sorts of data, some of which (like graduate employment rates, average post-grad salaries, etc, etc) don’t have anything to do (at least not DIRECTLY) with your chances of getting into that program. So, just because one school is ranked four or five slots higher than another doesn’t mean that you automatically have a better chance at the lower-ranked school.

So, how DO you figure out your MBA app strategy when it comes to safety schools? The most obvious and least precise recommendation here would revolve around the standardized testing (GMAT, GPA, TOEFL, etc). If your current GPA and GMAT scores are WAY higher than the particular MBA program’s published average, then you could start to look at that school as a POTENTIAL safety school. However, there are SOOOOOOOO many other factors to take into consideration—your specific work experience, your extracurricular activities, your projected concentration and business plans—that this sort of metric assessment is imprecise at best and misleading at worst.

At the end of the day, you can prep a reach/match/safety application list that ends up being totally wrong after you apply. We’ve seen folks get into two or three of their reach schools and only one or two of their safety schools… how much sense does THAT make? So, when it comes time to figure out where you want to apply and how great your chances are there, reach out to an admissions consultant and get a full profile evaluation to figure out the best strategy for you.

– Jon Frank

JonFrank

Four MBA Applicant Tips from Stella, Future Tuck MBA

#1 – Use a Consultant. It’s always helpful to have an extra pair of experienced eyes on your application. When Stella started attending prospective MBA events, she realized that everyone (especially international applicants) uses a consultant at some point in the process.

#2 – If you do decide to use a consultant, don’t get lazy! You can’t rely on your consultant to do the work for you. If you rush a draft and send your consultant rubbish, you’ll get back better rubbish. But it’s still rubbish! Ultimately, the only person responsible for your application is YOU.

#3 – You should take EVERY advantage you can get, especially as an international student Stella set herself apart from the competition by showing up for Tuck’s open interview. The organizer of the event even expressed how impressed she was that Stella arranged a trip all the way from Shanghai to Hanover so that she could have the chance to interview.

#4 – Read the essay analyses. They can help you find your starting point and structure your essay… plus they’re free and they’re funny

JonFrank

Which MBA Is Right For Me?

Choosing the right MBA program is like trying to find that perfect piece of real estate. It’s got to meet your needs now as well as your potential needs in the future. You need to have a good foundation but also have room to grow. Plus, you’ve got to be willing to move and be able to afford it – it’s enough to make you want to curl up in a dark corner with a dark beer and some dark chocolate.

But on the bright side – there’s a lot you can do to make sure that you’re choosing the right MBA program. This month, we’re giving you the rundown on how to select your b-school. Start with some solid research (our School Guides can help you out), and then figure out what YOU want out of an MBA. Then once you know what you want and what’s available, what’s next? Forget everything you’ve read about “fit” and just remember one thing – “Go to the best school you can get into.” Click to find out why.

5 applications and 4 Admits! When I began the essay writing process last year in August, I wasn’t able to differentiate between the critical and the non-critical stuff. Fritz helped me clear the clutter, build and fine-tune my story. NP - India
Want to discuss your school selection with one of our experts? Drop us a line and we'll get you started.

Four Steps to Choosing the Right MBA Program

Know the programs. Research is key, not just for learning about the programs but also for figuring out what YOU want out of an MBA.Know your profile. Understand where you stand and be realistic... but also take a few risks. You never know what can happen.Take a balanced approach. We recommend applying to at least 7 schools - 2 reach, 3 mid-range, and 2 safe.Go to the best school you can get into. Don't get thrown off by all that talk about "fit." A top school can get you wherever you need to go.