Stacy Blackman’s B-School Buzz
Welcome to the latest edition of Stacy Blackman’s B-School Buzz, our periodic check-in with some of the MBA blogosphere’s applicant and student contributors. This week, MBA bloggers look forward to a sleepless first year, lay out their essay strategies, and think up an entirely new approach for conquering the GMAT.
The whirlwind begins—Now a few week’s into her first year at Harvard Business School, Defying Gravity realizes the hustle and bustle of the start of the program pales in comparison to the next rising wave of activity: the start of student clubs. Despite severe sleep deprivation, she says, “I’m still ridiculously excited about what’s ahead of me for this first year at HBS.”
The nuts and bolts of R1 essays—For the curious, of which surely there were many, Scott Duncan provided a detailed recount this week of how he tackled each of the essays for the schools he submitted for in Round One: HBS, Kellogg School of Management, and MIT Sloan. Coming up with essay material was a challenge last season, but on the bright side, it seems to have laid the groundwork for stronger essays this year.
Argh, technology!—When things happen too smoothly, sometimes a closer look is warranted. Luckily for PullingThatMBATrigger, the systems glitch that occurred when he submitted his application for Duke Fuqua‘s Early Action deadline was sorted out in time. That’s two applications down, and possibly two more to go. Finger’s crossed for a Duke interview invite October 7th.
An allegory for the GMAT—Most of us are familiar with the tale of David and Goliath, the classic underdog story. Efessay decided to apply the strategies suggested by this allegorical tale to his test prep technique. “If I approach the GMAT like Goliath would want me to – attempting to ‘win’ with brute mathematical and grammatical skills alone – I’d be (and have been) pummeled. If I change the game, however, and think my way through the test, I’ll have a better chance,” he explains.
Do you have an MBA-centric blog? Want it featured in an upcoming B-School Buzz post? If so, email me at buzz@StacyBlackman.com.
