Thank you, Vatsa! I wanted to applaud when I read this recent blog entry: “Any of the 19 schools on the WSJ list can help a motivated individual achieve his or her career aspirations, and it’s up to the individual to decide what his own internal ‘ranking’ of schools is.”

This addresses a couple of important points. Firstly, any of the top schools can help a motivated individual achieve his or her goals. Conversely, HBS on your resume is not an instant ticket to the job of your dreams. It’s a great tool, but you need to know how to put that tool to work. In the end, your intelligence, focus, personality, perseverance and more are all going to factor into your success. It’s important to keep in mind that there are a ton of great schools out there, all with different offerings and different networks. Getting in to a great school is important. However, what you do with that opportunity is much more important.

Secondly, the notion of an internal ranking is important. Many applicants will call me saying that they want to apply to “the top 5 schools.” My first question: “What are your top five?” You would be surprised by how much the answers vary. Kellogg, Chicago, Wharton, Columbia, Harvard, Michigan, MIT, Stanford, Tuck - these are all names that are mentioned with regularity. Every list is different. This variance is reflected in the “official” published lists - EIU, the Financial Times, US News, Business Week, WSJ and Forbes all publish lists, and they all use different criteria. Instead of choosing from one of these lists, an applicant needs to determine their personal criteria. An article published last week by the Economist quotes former HBS Dean, Kim Clark, who said that he would like a school to be judged by the “achievement of its alumni”. That’s his criteria. What’s yours? When selecting your schools, use the rankings as one piece of research, but realize that it is a subjective judgement, and what matters most is not what is important to Forbes, but what is important to you.

Last week, Wharton listed the Top Ten Applicants Myths that they encounter. Indeed, these are the same myths that I encounter, many of which I have tried to dispel in this blog. I wanted to comment on Myth #6, “Candidates are assessed on their number and/or type of extra-curricular activities and community service”. Extra-curricular involvements are an important part of this process, but there are a number of misconceptions regarding how and why to become involved.

Why are extra-curricular activities important to begin with?
1) They show that an individual is multi-dimensional. They demonstrate, interests, passions, personality. As such, they help the admissions committees get to know you beyond your professioal goals.
2) Being involved outside of work shows that you can balance multiple commitments, and that you are the type of person who will be able to balance academics with clubs, conferences, recruiting and more, once you are at school.
3) They can show that you have a larger view of the world - that you see what is happening outside of your office and you are interested in being involved and contributing in some way. They can show that you understand your own role as a leader and your ability to leverage your position and give back.
4) They make you a more interesting person - someone that can contribute to the diversity and vitality of a class and alumni network.
5) It’s an opprtunity to demonstrate qualities such as creativity, leadership, teamwork, communication skills, initiative. These qualities are important outside of a professional setting as well as at work.

Unfortunately, if you have spent the past five years buried in your office, “joining” an organization or volunteering at a soup kitchen one Sunday is not going to help you much. That kind of effort is pretty transparent. The schools realize that many of you are extremely busy with demanding jobs and committing to several hours a week is not possible. Still, the most successful applicants find ways to carve out time for interests and contributions.

When thinking about ways to become involved, don’t get hung up on traditional volunteer work. There are many, many ways to become involved and show your dicersity. A good place to start is with your own interests and passions. Think hard about what excites you, and how you can leverage those interests. A couple of examples from my clients:

Client 1: Enjoyed painting as a hobby until she accepted an investment banking job out of college. She felt she had no time to become involved outside of work. She rekindled her interest in art when she became involved in a company sponsored fundraising initiative. She designed t-shirts to raise extra money and unite the team.
Result: She showcased her artistic talent and interest, became involved in a great cause, demonstrated creativity and leadership.

Client 2: Was on the swim team throughout high school and college. She decided to mentor through coaching a middle school swim team. Developed meaningful relationships with the kids on her team and ended up learning a great deal from them.
Result: She showcased athletic interests and found a personally meaningful way to give back to her community. Highlighted important coaching and motivational skills.

Example 3: Struggling with learning English in Israel. Started an English Public Speaking Club in Israel and grew it over the course of four years.
Result: Highlighted a creative approach to solving a personal problem. Came up with a solution that helped others as well. Demonstrated leadership and ability to get things done.

You can see that Habitat for Humanity is not always the answer. Keep in mind that quality is far more important than quantity. Rattling off a list of 10 involvements will not help as much as something that truly reflects who you are and can showcase important interests and skills. You may be surprised to find that these involvements will add a great deal to your life, which is exactly the point!

A number of information sessions have been taking place throughout the month, and my clients want to know whether it is worth attending. I believe it is.

1) The first rule of successful marketing is to know your target market. This means that up front you want to do a lot of research. Reading books, scouring the web, reviewing brochures - all of this is great. But nothing can replace actually meeting representatives from the schools and hearing frst hand what makes their school special. Vatsa makes this point in a recent blog entry regarding a trip to an MBA fair in Los Angeles.

2) Building off of the point above, in addition to educating yourself, you may actually gather some great content for your essays and interview. You will inevitably be asked why you want to attend a certain school, and it is so much more powerful to speak from first hand experience rather than quoting the website.

3) The information you gather at these sessions may shatter stereotypes, helping you to refine your school list or consider a school you had not taken seriously in the past.

4) You may actually make a valuable contact. You could very well meet someone from the admissions committee, a current student or alum, and stay in touch. This could prove to be a valuable or enjoyable relaionship down the road.

5) It will help to immerse you in the process. Few things will motivate you to focus on your essays more than attending a session with 100 qualified competitors.

So, dress up in business attire, bring a list of questions and a stack of business cards, and head over to those information sessions.

Ten years ago, the question on everyone’s mind was, “Am I too young?”. Back then, the more experience the better…the older the better…

More recently, top schools such as Stanford and Harvard have stated that they are taking a closer look at younger candidates, and are even willing to admit candidates with no work experience. The initial thinking behind this was that some candidates may be so successful 2-3 years out of school that they would not consider going back at that point. Thus, the schools would be missing an opportunity to admit some exceptional talent. Yes, some of these schools are opening their eyes more to less experienced candidates, but this does not mean that younger candidates have a better chance of success.

Younger candidates will have their fair share of challenges. They will need to work harder to prove that they possess the focus, confidence and maturity necessary to excel in an MBA program. They will also need to prove that they have enough insights and exeriences to be a contrbuting member of the student population. Finally, a younger applicant will need to convince the admissions committee that they have focused career goals and solid reasons for going back to school so soon after their undergraduate degree.

Similarly, older candidates will face challenges. Older candidates will have to prove that it makes sense to return to school at this late stage of their career, and that they are not merely encountering a mid-career crisis. They will also have to demonstrate that all of their time in the work world has been well spent. They should demonstrate progression, tangible contributions and a high level of self awareness, confidence and maturity. A 37 year old applicant who has spent 15 years in the same position will have a hard time getting admitted to a top school. But this is not because they are 37 or because of the 15 years of experience. Rather, it is because they have not demonstrated growth during that time.

Young or old, if you can achieve all of the above, you will have a good shot at getting in, and should not be worried that you have hit some imaginary cut-off age.