From the Trenches: Insights from Successful Applicants
As one group of nervous applicants transitions to being enrolled students, another group gets ready to apply. Why not learn from the successes, failures and decisions of the group before you? For the next several weeks we will be publishing interviews that we conducted with some of last year’s clients. We gave them a list of questions and asked that they be brutally honest and try to provide any insights that could help future applicants.
Biggest mistake you made or almost made in this process?
For the GMAT, I didn’t give myself enough time to prepare properly.
For the application, don’t try to have too many people help you review the essays – your story will be diluted and lose its meaning. Find the important experiences and get help ensuring that your points come across with impact.
Some keys to your success?
Talk with current/recent students from the schools you are targeting. In addition to having recently completed the application process successfully, they can provide great insight to positioning at your school. In my case, my interviewer recognized my resume format as matching the schools and asked me how I was so familiar with the culture.
What did you find most challenging?
I found the broad, open-ended format for some of the essay daunting. I remember one student telling me that he didn’t apply to Stanford because of the question, “What matters most to you and why?”
What was an exercise you went through that was helpful?
I created a list of qualities that I wanted to convey and experienced that demonstrated those qualities. When working with my coach, I organized the results into a grid to map essay questions to stories. Not only did this reduce work on the applications, it provided clarity on more challenging open-ended questions. For example, when approaching the Stanford question at the end of my applications, I noticed a recurring theme that kept coming across in my other essays – aha, the solution to what matters most!
How did you put together the following important aspects of your story?
– why MBA?
I wanted to keep an open mind when starting out, so I wrote as many reasons as I could in the beginning. After I was a bit more honest with myself, I removed several of the reasons and reworked ones that might come across as negative. I think that pusuing an MBA is a time to be optimistic and dream about possibilities – harness this energy and focus on your ability to enact change. After all, if you didn’t think an MBA would provide great opportunities, you would take on hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt and opportunity costs.
– why this school?
I looked for the common ground with each school and spoke with students or alumns from that program. I believe that understanding the culture of the school with lead you to find the right fit, which will come across in the application.
– what are your career goals?
What was most helpful in your interview prep?
I read through several lists of interview questions and prepared talking points. My goal was to have thought through expected questions but not come across as “canned.” I prepped three or four mock sessions to get rid of the interview jitters, and made sure that two sessions were with second-year students familiar with the school’s culture.
How did you select your recommenders?
Some schools now require a direct supervisor. I’m fortunate to have a great boss and an unofficial mentor in senior management at my current company. Having worked together for about five years, they understood that going back to school would help me reach my goals.
How did you prep your recommenders?
I provided recommenders with my list of stories, essay outlines, a sample recommendation, and important qualities and themes early in the process. After they had a chance to review my information and I developed more structure in my essays, I arranged quick meetings to clarify my positioning and answer any questions.
What were you most nervous about in your profile?
I didn’t have a great GPA or a stellar GMAT.
How did you overcome this potential stumbling block?
I emphasized my work experience (9 years), professional accomplishments, and fit with the schools. I also tried to create a compelling story around my current path leading to getting the MBA.
How did you select your list of schools?
Because I am a little older, it was more important for me to go to a top-five school to justify a full-time program. I also attended a smaller undergraduate school (Rice), and was looking for schools with larger networks (Harvard and Wharton). Finally, given my interest in technology and entrepreneurship I applied to Stanford and MIT.
What was helpful when you hit writer’s block?
Early on, I found talking with certain people about my ideas left me energized and excited. When I couldn’t progress, I would arrange a meeting to gather feedback and get the juices flowing.
How did you stay motivated?
Once I truly decided that I wanted to go down this path, it was never a question. Having my wife encourage and remind me of my goals did help however.
What was the best GMAT resource?
I believe Kaplan has the best all-around program (book and CD). I primarily used it for brushing up on the different question types and simulating the computer testing experience. I also highly recommend using the test maker’s book with hundreds of real questions for each section if you want to run though the sections and determine which questions you have trouble answering.
END RESULT: ATTENDING WHARTON
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