We just posted some very useful information on the TOEFL on the AIGAC blog.  Any applicant who is a non-native English speaker, should check it out.

This is an excerpt from a longer article by Jeff Sackmann, originally published at www.gmathacks.com. Jeff has created several valuable GMAT-preparation resources, including Total GMAT Math and Total GMAT Verbal.

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In preparing for the unique challenges of the Computer Adaptive Test, the biggest adjustment you’ll have to make is mental. It is likely that you will not answer every question correctly. You’ll probably see several that are too difficult for you. You’ll also see a few that look doable, but would take too much time to work through.

Realize, first, that in order to get a good score (even a great one, well above the 90th percentile), you don’t need to get every question right. If you’re forced to decide between having a chance at getting a question right and conserving time in order to ensure that you finish the test, finishing the test is far and away the better choice.

Second, learn to recognize questions that are beyond your skill level. When practicing, by all means try to learn how to do those questions. But if you hit a point where you know you’ll never get tricky probability questions in less than 3:30, be ready to cut your losses on test day. Because the stakes of the GMAT are so high, we all want to nail every question and give our best effort. But if our best effort takes five minutes, the trade-off just isn’t worth it. Keep that in mind when you work through difficult problem sets.

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Stacy Blackman readers can get an exclusive 10% discount off of all GMAT Hacks products by using the coupon code “sbc10″ at checkout. Thanks, Jeff!

Yesterday on the Admissions Blog at Harvard Business School, director Dee Leopold offered updates on recent outreach activities in Shanghai  and on the first cohort of 2+2 program admits, who started their summer program on campus last week.

For those on pins and needles, awaiting the launch of the Class of 2012 application, fret no more. Leopold confirms it will become available on July 10. The essay questions, as we’ve noted, are already online.

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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.

Dr. Michael Simpson, President of the International Space University (ISU), has announced that 12 participants from 10 different countries have completed the first stage of ISU’s new Executive MBA program at its central campus in Strasbourg, France.

The new course merges the specificities of a traditional MBA with space applications. The dozen participants, who took part in the first of four residential “modules” from June 1 to June 13, came from a variety of backgrounds and employers. They include large aerospace companies, government space agencies, small and medium size space-related organizations, as well as consultancy firms.

The first module was designed to provide financial and economic baseline concepts as well as an overview of the space sector, technically as well as from an organizational perspective.

Three other two-week residential modules, at various locations in Europe and the U.S., combined with distance-learning during this 18-month program, will provide the participants with more in-depth knowledge in such space-related areas as financing, economics, business law, policy and project management. Afterwards, the participants will apply this knowledge in a thesis which they will defend in the last module to occur at ISU’s Central Campus.

The remaining modules of this inaugural class will take place in partnership with the International Business School on the Isle of Man, The Space Policy Institute of George Washington University in Washington, DC, and the Space Foundation in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The first participants are expected to graduate in December of 2010.

(photo credit: Flickr user Xamad, CC 2.0)

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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 Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley has announced the four admissions deadlines for the 2009-2010 application season, with the essay questions set for release sometime in August.

Round One
Deadline: October 20, 2009
Notification: January 27, 2010

Round Two
Deadline: December 10, 2009
Notification: March 17, 2010

Round Three:
Deadline: February 2, 2010
Notification: April 28, 2010

Round Four
Deadline: March 10, 2010
Notification: May 19, 2010

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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.

Here are the essay questions for the full-time MBA program at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.  The application will be available on the Online Application System in mid-July 2009.

Essays

1. How did you choose your most recent job/internship and how did this experience influence your future goals? What about the Chicago Booth MBA makes you feel it is the next best step in your career at this time? (750-1000 words)

1a. FOR REAPPLICANTS ONLY: Upon reflection, how has your thinking regarding your future, Chicago Booth, and/or getting an MBA changed since the time of your last application? (250 words)

2. Please choose one of the following (500 – 750 words):

Describe a time when you wish you could have retracted something you said or did. When did you realize your mistake and how did you handle the situation?

-or-
Describe a time when you were surprised by feedback that you received. What was the feedback and why were you surprised?

Slide Presentation

We have asked for a great deal of information throughout this application and now invite you to tell us about yourself. In four slides or less please answer the following question: What have you not already shared in your application that you would like your future classmates to know about you?

We have set forth the following guidelines for you to consider when creating your presentation.

• The content is completely up to you. There is no right or wrong approach to this essay.
• Feel free to use the software you are most comfortable with. Acceptable formats for upload in the online application system are PowerPoint or PDF.
• There is a strict maximum of 4 slides, though you can provide fewer than 4 if you choose.
• Slides will be printed and added to your file for review, therefore, flash, hyperlinks, embedded videos, music, etc. will not be viewed by the committee. You are limited to text and static images to convey your points. Color may be used.
• Slides will be evaluated on the quality of content and ability to convey your ideas, not on technical expertise or presentation.
• You are welcome to attach a document containing notes if you feel a deeper explanation of your slides is necessary. However the hope is the slide is able to stand alone and convey your ideas clearly. You will not be penalized for adding notes but you should not construct a slide with the intention of using the notes section as a consistent means of explanation.

Optional Essay

If there is any important information that is relevant for your candidacy that you were unable to address elsewhere in the application, please share that information here.

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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.