Recruiting “celebrity” professors has become de rigueur at top business schools, and Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management continues the trend with the addition of former United States Senate Majority Leader and transplant surgeon Bill Frist, M.D.

Slated to begin next semester, Frist’s class will combine business students with fourth-year medical students to scrutinize the financing, delivery and quality of health care. He hopes the class will inspire students to work with each other to create innovative ways to improve the public and private sectors of the health care system.

“Current and future challenges in cost, access and quality of health care demand a synergy between the business and medical sides of the industry,” says Frist. “I am excited to use my medical, business and policy expertise to ignite and challenge this unique group of future health care leaders.”

Prior to his election to the Senate in 1994, Frist spent almost a decade as a transplant surgeon at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and also founded and directed the Vanderbilt Transplant Center. He also leads yearly medical mission trips to Africa.

“By sharing the knowledge and expertise Senator Frist has gathered through 20 years as a practicing physician coupled with 12 years of public policy experience at the highest legislative levels, he will be able to challenge these young people to think beyond their comfort zones and hopefully make a real difference in the quality and delivery of health care,” says Owen dean Jim Bradford.

Connecting participants from these two disciplines may make Frist’s students amongst the few who will actually understand the complexities of health care reform.

*
We are now on Facebook – please join the Stacy Blackman Consulting group, or become a friend of Stacy Blackman. I am posting news about MBA related events, job listings, and of course MBA news.

I am on Twitter too…click to follow me on Twitter! www.twitter.com/stacyblackman

For a concise, thoughtful guide that will help you navigate the MBA admissions process with greater success, order our NEW book, The MBA Application Roadmap.

The Purdue Krannert School of Management is a program that offers a global focus and flexible programs. Krannert offers several specialty opportunities for study, including a new Master of Science in Finance program. In addition, being part of the Purdue community offers the opportunity for joint studies in areas from Mechanical Engineering to Doctor of Pharmacy.

Learn more about Krannert at the many off campus admissions events the school is attending.

Essay 1: Discuss your long- and short-term goals, how these goals developed, and what you hope to gain from graduate study at Krannert. Limit your responses to no more than 500 words.

While this essay is similar to a classic career goals essay, there is a strong focus on understanding your past and the thought process that lead you to develop your goals. In addition, you will want to spend a fair amount of time in the essay in describing what is unique about the Krannert program and why it is the ideal next step in your career trajectory.

Essay 2: The Krannert community is comprised of a diverse student body. Describe an aspect of your personality, things you have learned, skills you have acquired, or life experiences you’ve had that could benefit potential classmates and will help you contribute to Krannert’s diversity. Limit your response to no more than 500 words.

Tuck and Kellogg have similar diversity essays, and the Krannert essay offers the same opportunity to differentiate yourself if you are not a classically diverse candidate. Think about the family background you come from, the experiences you have had that may be unique or that may be beneficial to others.

In this essay, try to focus on more than just your professional experiences. Delve into your personal background, your hobbies and your community involvement to present a well-rounded view of yourself and how you will contribute to your classmates at Krannert.

Essay 3: In 250 words or less, describe a character-building event or situation in which your involvement made a significant difference.

This essay is the perfect opportunity to demonstrate key leadership or teamwork experiences. It may be the ideal place to discuss an important accomplishment in your life, or even a mistake or ethical challenge. Think about an example that is clear and concise enough to explain in this brief space, and then reflect upon your example in way that showcases your personal qualities, leadership potential, and ability to work with others.

Additional Information (Optional) Please provide any additional information that was not captured within your application. If you feel you’ve already provided us with sufficient information about yourself, you need not add anything here. (250 words or less)

Optional essays are an ideal opportunity to communicate anything additional that hasn’t been expressed in your other essays. If you have an area of concern such as a low GPA or academic probation, this is an opportunity to explain. Stay away from excuses and focus on explanations and evidence of change.

*
We are now on Facebook – please join the Stacy Blackman Consulting group, or become a friend of Stacy Blackman. I am posting news about MBA related events, job listings, and of course MBA news.

I am on Twitter too…click to follow me on Twitter! www.twitter.com/stacyblackman

For a concise, thoughtful guide that will help you navigate the MBA admissions process with greater success, order our NEW book, The MBA Application Roadmap.

INSEAD is a highly regarded international program located in both France and Singapore that has the added benefit of opportunities to study at some of the top US MBA programs as an exchange student.

While INSEAD has a diverse, international focus it also has the name recognition in the US to translate to interesting career opportunities. If you are an international student interested in the shorter length of an international program, yet interested in recruiting at US firms, INSEAD may be the ideal program for you.

To learn more about INSEAD, there are opportunities to attend one of the many admissions events.

Each essay topic listed below and in the subsequent pages must be answered.

Essay 1: Give a candid description of yourself, stressing the personal characteristics you feel to be your strengths and weaknesses and the main factors, which have influenced your personal development, giving examples when necessary. (400 words approx.)

This essay asks for a self-aware and candid exploration of your strengths and weaknesses. Ideally you can use one concise example that will highlight both a few strengths and at least one weakness. Think about an example where you were able to interact with others and exhibit leadership and teamwork. When you discuss your weakness, make sure that your weakness is genuine and that you are able to provide evidence that you were self-aware enough to both recognize the weakness and work on it to improve your effectiveness.

While you can use non-work examples in this essay if they exhibit the key characteristics you would like to explore, it is probably most effective to focus on a great professional example to start the set of essays in the right tone.

Essay 2: Describe what you believe to be your two most substantial accomplishments to date, explaining why you view them as such. (400 words approx.)

This is a fairly similar essay to the HBS three accomplishments essay. Similarly, you will want to choose two examples that highlight different sides of yourself. If you chose a professional example for Essay 1, you may want to choose extracurricular and personal examples for Essay 2, and if you choose another professional example make sure it is materially different from the example in Essay 1.

Because you only have about 200 words per accomplishment you will need to focus on providing a concise and specific situation, a clear result that demonstrates the significance of the example, and a bit of space for self-reflection upon the accomplishment.

Essay 3: Describe a situation taken from school, business, civil or military life, where you did not meet your personal objectives, and discuss briefly the effect. (250 words approx.)

This is a classic mistake essay. While some questions ask you to focus specifically on a mistake, this one allows the room for a situation that may have been objectively successful, yet did not meet your personal objectives.

You will want to demonstrate the pivotal nature of this event in your life, and due the leeway in topic areas, you will have the ability to delve into areas of your life that you may not have previously discussed and that may be fairly far in the past. Think about the moments in your life where you have changed direction, defined your goals more clearly, or had an epiphany about yourself or your purpose. Most importantly, you want to demonstrate that you have the ability to reflect upon the imperfect nature of your past and retain lessons that continue to serve your future.

Essay 4: Discuss your career goals. What skills do you expect to gain from studying at INSEAD and how will they contribute to your professional career. (500 words approx.)

This is a classic careers goals essay, yet similarly to HBS asks only the future oriented question of your career goals. You will certainly need to discuss your past a little in order to demonstrate how you have arrived at your goals, but you want to devote most of the space to explaining what your goals are, and how you expect the INSEAD MBA program to assist you in reaching them.

Essay 5: Please choose one of the following two essay topics:

a) Have you ever experienced culture shock? What did it mean to you? (250 words approx.), or

b) What would you say to a foreigner moving to your home country? (250 words approx.)

You can choose either question, and should pick a) if you have a clear and vivid example of culture shock. If you are struggling to recognize and communicate such an example, you will want to choose essay b) which is more oriented towards those who may not have a clear international background.

When answering either question you will want to demonstrate your interest in and sensitivity towards different cultures, and discuss some of the international or multicultural experiences in your own life.

Due to the very short word count, choose a vivid and concise example and reflect upon its meaning in the context of your life and goals thus far.

Essay 6: Is there anything that you have not mentioned in the above essays that you would like the Admissions Committee to know? (200 words approx.) This essay is optional.

This optional essay is the ideal place to write about any aspect that was not covered in the previous five essays, and/or explain any weaknesses in your application. In either case, keep the essay brief, to the point, and make sure you are describing a new aspect of yourself that fits in with your overall application strategy and assists your case for admission.

Re-application

Essay 7: In case of reapplication, please use this page. Your essay should state any new aspects of professional, international, academic, or personal development since your last application. We would also like you to explain your motivation for re-applying to INSEAD. This essay should not exceed 400 words.

Reapplication essays should focus entirely on why you are a better candidate this year than you were last year. Describe any promotions, new extracurricular activities, awards or academic achievements. Keep the descriptions brief and topical, and use the rest of the essay to reiterate your interest in the INSEAD program and your desire to attend if admitted.

*
We are now on Facebook – please join the Stacy Blackman Consulting group, or become a friend of Stacy Blackman. I am posting news about MBA related events, job listings, and of course MBA news.

I am on Twitter too…click to follow me on Twitter! www.twitter.com/stacyblackman

For a concise, thoughtful guide that will help you navigate the MBA admissions process with greater success, order our NEW book, The MBA Application Roadmap.

Entrepreneurship programs at schools like Babson, Wharton and Columbia are giving future MBAs a chance to try out their big ideas before the training wheels come off — but in the real world of business.

The Babson Hatcheries at the Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship at Babson College provide rent-free space and resources to current students in order to support their efforts to launch successful businesses. Student entrepreneurs like those who created MindScout, a hand-held device targeting early-stage Alzheimer’s patients and their care partners by replacing the care partner for routine tasks and repetitive questions, have access to professional and semiprivate workspace to grow their businesses.

Participation in the Babson Hatcheries is free but the school encourages student businesses to contribute a percentage of their equity position to Babson’s Founder’s Fund, created by alumni as a “venture capital fund” used to support Babson’s mission of providing entrepreneurial education.

Wharton’s Venture Initiation Program (VIP), managed by Wharton Entrepreneurial Programs, helps U Penn students shepherd their business concept from idea to implementation. Current VIP company Greenlightenment offers home delivery of environmentally friendly products such as recycled stationery and paper products, reusable water containers and filters, reusable coffee containers, energy efficient personal appliances, smart electricity strips, rechargeable batteries and personal consumable items for less green than traditional green retailers.

Under the program’s guidance, students develop their ideas through the real-world experience of executing the initial stages of their ventures. While in VIP students become part of an entrepreneurial community that provides office space and administrative tools as well as a support system of fellow VIP members and professional advising. Students rave that participating in VIP has awakened their entrepreneurial spirit and boosted the value of their MBA.

Over at Columbia Business School, the Eugene M. Lang Entrepreneurial Initiative Fund fosters an entrepreneurial environment by providing early stage investing opportunities to qualifying student business initiatives. The Lang Fund considers proposals for all types of enterprises: small- or large-scale, high- or low-tech, start-ups or acquisitions and service, manufacturing or retail operations. Among this year’s lucky nine startups: EduStor, an automatic online data backup for student laptops and schools, and Avenida, an apparel brand targeting Hispanics.

These programs offer more than the ubiquitous case study. They help students explore opportunities, launch their ventures and make the successful transition to becoming their own boss.

(Image by Trahvis via Flickr, CC 2.0)

*
We are now on Facebook – please join the Stacy Blackman Consulting group, or become a friend of Stacy Blackman. I am posting news about MBA related events, job listings, and of course MBA news.

I am on Twitter too…click to follow me on Twitter! www.twitter.com/stacyblackman

For a concise, thoughtful guide that will help you navigate the MBA admissions process with greater success, order our NEW book, The MBA Application Roadmap.

Each week, we bring you news from the front lines with business school bloggers sounding off on life in the trenches.

Meeting management guru and MIT Sloan professor Peter Senge last week helped Darden’s Mandy Lozano add texture to and fortify the framework of her life’s work, and provided a more concrete vision of the changes that must happen for the human race to continue to inhabit this Earth.

HBS’s Bradley Lautenbach shares his run-in with the school’s famous campus squatter–a turkey. The interloper with a “fowl” attitude chased Lautenbach across the lawn and got his blood pumping for the first case of the morning.

Blogger RVD at Wharton West MBA for Executives has some capitalistic insight on the case of the WaMu CEO getting $18m for three weeks of work. RVD says it’s un-American to limit CEO pay at failing banks, and if the government decides to place a limit on their salaries, then the best talent simply will look to other industries.

To MBA or Not has doubts about all things MBA these days, as the non-stop job hunting and preparation is growing beyond tiresome. As the frustration mounts, she’s considering closing off her options and walking away.

Tinydancer thinks people planning on going back to b-school to ride out the financial crisis are in for a rude awakening. Although current students aren’t fearing lay-offs for themselves, everything that is happening right now in the economy does not paint a pretty picture for anyone.

Inside HBS offers insight on the RC first semester courses. Unlike many business schools, HBS designs their curriculum so that every student takes the exact same courses taught the same way their first a.k.a. “required curriculum” (RC) year.

Sam Huleatt‘s blog Leveraging Ideas muses on why the process of buying online is insanely difficult and cumbersome.

Zoe Robins explores unsolved business mysteries and lays down some thoughts culled from Ron Wilcox (author of Whatever Happened to Thrift and her two-time marketing professor), when he shared what interests him academically.

*
We are now on Facebook – please join the Stacy Blackman Consulting group, or become a friend of Stacy Blackman. I am posting news about MBA related events, job listings, and of course MBA news.

I am on Twitter too…click to follow me on Twitter! www.twitter.com/stacyblackman

For a concise, thoughtful guide that will help you navigate the MBA admissions process with greater success, order our NEW book, The MBA Application Roadmap.

Stacy Blackman’s Weekly Roundup of B-School Intelligence

The Wall Street fallout has spurred people to look for an escape route while waiting out the financial storm. Business schools across the country are bracing for the impact as they encounter a surge in applications this year to their full-time MBA programs, Wall Street Journal reports.

On October 14, four members of London Business School‘s economics faculty shared their perspectives on “The World Economy: Where have all the good times gone?” Outlining the causes of the current crisis, Professor Hélène Rey described a series of macroeconomic factors, starting with the abolition of the Glass-Steagall Act in the United States, which accelerated the move of commercial banks into more risky investments.

With any fast-developing economy comes a need for skilled leaders, strategists and managers to take that economy forward. With a country as vast and well-resourced as Russia the need is paramount and the country’s ambitious MBAs have always looked overseas for their business education. Until now, Top MBA reports.

What do you do if you’ve got a legal or academic problem in your past? BusinessWeek offers some advice for B-school applicants.

Babson College has received a $10.8 million gift from the Lewis Charitable Foundation for the establishment of an institute to support teaching, research, and outreach in social entrepreneurship.  The Lewis Institute will develop leaders, create knowledge, and grow new enterprises to solve compelling global problems.

Duke University finance professor Campbell Harvey recommends steps to instill confidence in the financial sector and says it’s not surprising that global markets are reacting negatively to the $700 billion bailout plan because it “represents a drop in the bucket to the problems we face.”

Real estate expert Casey Wold recently visited Kellogg School of Management and had some predictions of big changes for his industry. When the U.S. economy wakes up from its current slump, Wold forecasts that the real estate business will get back to its roots.

Top international business school INSEAD has created the INSEAD Gender Diversity Initiative to coordinate, support and build on the school’s many activities relating to women’s participation in business and business education. Its creation reaffirms the school’s commitment to harnessing the management potential of women from diverse cultures throughout the world.

*
We are now on Facebook – please join the Stacy Blackman Consulting group, or become a friend of Stacy Blackman. I am posting news about MBA related events, job listings, and of course MBA news.

I am on Twitter too…click to follow me on Twitter! www.twitter.com/stacyblackman

For a concise, thoughtful guide that will help you navigate the MBA admissions process with greater success, order our NEW book, The MBA Application Roadmap.