B-School Buzz: Waitlist Etiquette, Essay Advice, and Culture, Defined
Welcome back to another edition of Stacy Blackman’s B-school Buzz! Whether it’s an etiquette issue, test-taking tip or thoughts on how to define culture, our bloggers share insights that can help all would-be applicants.
Wharton waitlist etiquette — As Random Wok points out, each school has its own policy when it comes to waitlist etiquette. While some programs such as Babson welcome additional information that might strengthen your candidacy, Wharton strongly discourages any contact from waitlisted candidates, unless it’s to remove yourself from that pool. While some people flout Wharton’s recommendation, Mark refuses to do so. “While I really would like to get accepted to Wharton,” he says, “I’m not willing to sacrifice my integrity to get there.”
Defining culture — Fit and culture are two important aspects to consider when choosing your target business schools, and in this post, new Buzz blogger Carl Incognito attempts to break down what culture is and how to identify it. Carl lists categories such as strength of the alumni network, teaching methodologies, class size and diversity as just some of the areas applicants should consider when trying to identify a school’s culture. But, he cautions, “none of this is relevant unless you can relate culture back to yourself.”
Essay advice — The essay component of the application is one of the most difficult parts for many people. Stanford GSB 2013, another new Buzz blogger we welcome this week, shares some of the tips and resources that he found helpful on this journey. It all boils down to writing what you want to say, not what you think admissions wants to hear, he says. But, as he reminds readers, “There are probably better ways than others to say what you want and so you really do need to spend lots of time thinking, writing, revising, and editing.”
Proven to boost test performance — Siv the GMATblogger shares a link to research conducted by the University of Chicago which has found that test-takers can boost their exam performance by writing down their test-related anxieties and tensions. He says this is due to the fact that by laying it out on paper (or computer screen), the individuals free up brain space, which can help in boosting the performance on the exam. Thanks for the tip, Siv!
Do you have a b-school-centric blog? Want it featured on B-School Buzz? Email me at buzz@StacyBlackman.com.
