In August we covered some of the benefits of being a B School alum such as:
Kellogg‘s executive education initiative exclusively for alumni
Columbia‘s online career resource center
Stanford‘s service opportunities for alums
Tuck‘s wide-reaching alumni club gatherings

Kellogg has introduced another alumni perk with the launching of Kellogg Insights, a web-based research digest. According to an email to Kellogg alums, they developed Kellogg Insights to address the student and alumni requests for “an up-to-date account of what [the] faculty is producing.” Recent articles include:

Are Large CEO Severance Packages Justified?

Pricing a Global Measure of Liquidity Risk

Beating the Bottlenecks in E-Commerce

Choosing the right commercialization strategy as a technology start-up

Remember that your MBA education doesn’t end at graduation. It’s a lifetime investment.

The Wall Street Journal Online reported last week on the new HBS program to widen the MBA applicant pool. Read the full article here. Excerpts are posted below:

Called 2+2, the initiative allows college students to lock in a spot in Harvard‘s M.B.A. program by the end of their junior year. Before they start classes, accepted students must work for two years. The school is providing free career counseling and other resources to help students secure these short-term positions…

Liberal-arts students generally lack exposure to what a graduate business degree can offer, says Andrea Mitchell Kimmel, associate director of M.B.A. admissions at Harvard Business School…”There’s a myth out there that business is putting on a gray flannel suit every day and going to a big office,” she says. “No one ever tells [undergrads] that business involves areas like nonprofits, government, education and social enterprise.”

By providing deferred admission, 2+2 will also help Harvard Business School attract more women applicants, says Carl Kester, deputy dean for academic affairs. The demographic is one that M.B.A. programs in general have historically struggled to recruit. “Young women who are considering an M.B.A., but believe they need for five or six years of work experience before applying, are often faced with concerns about when they might start a family,” he says. “By comparison, many professional-degree programs can be completed in less than five years.”

To participate in Harvard‘s 2+2 program, undergrads must apply by July 1 of their junior year, which costs a nonrefundable fee of $100. By comparison, the regular application process for the most recently admitted class was $235. Up to 90 students will be admitted to the Class of 2013 next fall, which will account for roughly 10% of Harvard Business School’s total student body that year.

The jobs students select must be approved by the business school, Ms. Kimmel says. “Since they have a coach from September of their senior year, we don’t envision that there will be a problem,” she says.
From wsj.com, Sept 13, 2007

View the HBS 2+2 press release.

Earlier this summer we directed your attention to the Wharton MBA Blog. There you can find:
*application tips
* MBA news
* answers to FAQ
* links to general application resources and other school websites

Stanford recently started a blog to “share more information about the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Stanford MBA Program with you.”

Here’s a sample of topics covered in the blog so far:
*Myth buster questions and responses with the admissions office
*No preferred amount of work experience for the Stanford MBA Program
*Interviews with a current student and a recent grad
*Information on Stanford’s almost 80 information sessions around the globe
* Admissions office steps to walk the talk on global and social impact

Why an MBA? (Required)
Please describe your short and long term goals and how your previous experience and an MBA will help you to achieve these goals. (500 words maximum.)
Break down this question into the sub questions and be efficient with your words.

Please describe your short and long term goals
Your career goals should in some way reflect what is important to you (this does not mean they are one and the same, but that there is some correlation). Articulate concrete short and long terms goals that reflect your values, and briefly explain why your goals are meaningful to you.

How will your previous experience help you achieve these goals
Note that they are not asking for a description of your previous experience. Articulate how you will leverage your experiences as your pursue your goals. Think beyond just the content of your previous experiences (especially if you are planning a career change) to consider the skills you’ve gained and lessons learned. Also note that they have not said work experiences. You can consider extra-curriculuar, volunteer, or even personal experiences.

How will an MBA help you achieve these goals
While they haven’t asked specifically why Yale, you should be specific about how a Yale MBA will help you achieve your goals. As with the Stanford, Chicago, Wharton, and Kellogg essays of this nature, offer up classes, clubs, etc that will help you. Show how you will make a difference at Yale as you pursue your dreams.

Leadership Example (Required)
Describe a situation in which your leadership and/or teamwork had a significant impact. (500 words maximum).
Many schools have a leadership question this year. Like Wharton, Yale has worded this so that you can think outside of the box, meaning you don’t need to write about work. Consider volunteer or even personal experiences when you have demonstrated your ability to motivate a group and make things happen. Also it may be a situation when you were part of a team and not necessarily the leader. Be sure to articulate the significant impact you made – focus on your actions and also include reflection on the experience.

Personal Statement (Required)
Please develop a question/topic of your choice and answer it in essay form. Please state the question/topic at the beginning of your essay. (500 words maximum.)
Yale offers up examples for you. This is a great opportunity, like the HBS open question, to round out your application by discussing a surprising aspect of your background. Focus on the positive lessons learned from any experience. Show Yale your self-awareness, resiliency, and passion for living a well-rounded life.

Optional Essay
 If any aspect of your candidacy needs further explanation, please provide any additional information that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider. 200 words maximum.
This should only be used for unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, TOEFL waiver request, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, significant weaknesses in your application, etc. Be brief and simply explain the situation.

This fall, Forté is coming to cities across the country with their Forum
series, featuring top women business leaders sharing candid advice drawn
from their own career experiences.

They’ll be joined by admissions officers from the top MBA schools, who will
answer questions and give advice about the admissions process.

The event includes plenty of time to mingle with corporate and school
representatives for one-on-one networking opportunities.

The schedule of events is as follows:
Boston, September 17th (register by September 13th)
Washington DC, September 18th (register by September 13th)
Chicago, September 19th (register by September 13th)
New York, September 20th (registration is closed)
Atlanta, September 24th (register by September 20th)
Houston, September 25th (register by September 20th)
San Francisco, September 26th (register by September 20th)
Los Angeles, September 27th (register by September 20th)
New York, October 1st (register by September 24th)
London, October 9th (register by October 1)

To register for any of these events, visit
http://www.fortefoundation.org/forum

Podcasts:
You can also learn more by listening to their Forum podcast series
at: http://www.fortefoundation.org/podcasts

The podcast features interviews with past Forum participants, including
Elizabeth Vale, Managing Director at Morgan Stanley; Jacquelyn Cuccaro, CEO
of Vincent Longo Cosmetics and Beth Polish, founding CFO/COO of iVillage.

This fall, the Forum events will feature business leaders like Snezana
Zlater, Senior VP at Fidelity Investments; Deborah Brooks, Co-founder of
the Michael J. Fox Foundation; Elvia Daley, Vice President at Coamerica
Bank; Pam Flank, General Manager at Joie de Vivre Hospitality and Emily
Christner, Manager of Interactive Marketing for TV Guide.

Forté Foundation is dedicated to encouraging women to pursue careers in
business leadership by providing access to information, scholarships and
networking opportunities. Forté is backed by 26 leading corporations, 32
top business schools in the U.S. and abroad, and The Graduate Management
Admission Council® (GMAC®).

For more information, contact Forté at info@fortefoundation.org

This week we have a classic GMAT probability question from PrepForTests to test your grey matter.

Have a go and then review your answer.