Welcome back to another edition of Stacy Blackman’s B-School Buzz, our periodic check-in with some of the MBA blogosphere’s regular contributors. This week, Buzz bloggers discuss spring break adventures, finalize their course load, visit target schools, and make formal plans to help their fellow MBA applicants.

Africa-bound—Cheetarah begins a voyage to Ghana and Ethopia for spring break as part of Chicago Booth School of Business‘s annual trek through its African Business Group. After vowing to consume all of the Ethopian injera she can stomach, Cheetarah congratulates new admits and promises some “poetic waxing about career choices in business school” when she returns.

Countdown to the end—While the last “mini” is typically the easiest as students prepare for graduation and a return to the real world, Tepper School of Business‘s Julianne says she’s registered for seven (!) classes next term. However, she’s suddenly been hit with the realization that it probably would be better to sharpen her focus a bit. Looks like Julianne’s got some serious contemplating to do in order to decide what courses to keep and which to jettison.

First impressions—New MBA applicant blogger Hamm0 of the Boots to Suits blog provides a rundown of a recent campus visit to UV Darden School of Business. Some stand-out impressions included a very positive classroom visit and chat with the professor, as well as experiencing a sense of community right of the bat. Since a prior visit to NYU Stern didn’t yield the same initial “warm and fuzzies”, perhaps Hamm0 is on the right track to narrowing down the ol’ target school list.

A new venture beckons—After having enjoyed the experience of offering free MBA essay editing services to more than 25 prospective applicants, Sanket is contemplating two new initiatives: publishing a small guide on how to review b-school essays; and launching a consulting firm focused on editing and school selection services.  “Helping people achieve their dreams in one of the most satisfying and proud feelings for me,” he says.

Do you have an MBA-centric blog? Want it featured in an upcoming B-School Buzz post? Email me at [email protected].

Welcome back to another edition of Stacy Blackman’s B-School Buzz, our periodic check-in with some of the MBA blogosphere’s regular contributors. This week, Buzz bloggers discuss various essay approaches, offer interview advice, fight discouragement, and revel in their international learning experiences.

Thoughts on essay writing—MBA admit Sassafras shares his point of view on how to approach the essay prompts from various top schools. He suggests looking at the questions themselves to help you determine whether your tone should be more formal or personal, and offers concrete examples of which style is best suited to sample essay questions from UC Berkeley Haas, Harvard Business School, and Kellogg School of Management.

MBA interview wisdom—Always a wealth of great information for applicants, Cheetarah1980 doesn’t disappoint with her recent post covering the MBA interview. After describing her own experiences interviewing with Kellogg, Wharton School, and Chicago Booth School of Business, Cheetarah shares four truths she has come to believe after having interviewed so much over the last 15 months.

No rosy outlook here—CCatcher‘s past few posts have been decidedly downcast as this first-year Tepper School of Business student struggles with staying afloat amid what she calls the whole recruiting-networking-interviewing cycle. We hope she can tap back into that joy of just a few months ago, when she posted, “Everyday I spend at Tepper, I fall more in love with the school and the people and feel happy about the day I decided to come to Tepper.”

The experience abroad—UT McCombs School of Business student Erin Whalen has posted an engaging description of her study abroad adventures at ESADE Business School in Barcelona. from the interesting mix of classes geared toward deepening one’s global perspective, to the abundant cultural and social opportunities, we’ve no doubt Erin is having the educational experience of a lifetime.

Do you have an MBA-centric blog? Want it featured in an upcoming B-School Buzz post? Email me at [email protected].

Welcome back to this edition of Stacy Blackman’s B-School Buzz, our periodic check-in with some of the MBA blogosphere’s regular contributors. This week, Buzz bloggers discuss school culture, share 30 tips for “killing” the MBA application, and play the waiting game—not the waitlisted kind, but that of the recruiting variety.

The advice cup overfloweth—Ellipser, now in his second year at Cornell, was quite impressed with a recent post by MBAOver30, which lists not one dozen, not two dozen, but 30 valuable tips to help future b-school applicants. From advice such as “Thou shalt play to win” to “Though shalt save thy money”, this  list covers the gamut of the b-school application experience.

Another look at culture—Julianne, Tepper ’13, candidly discusses what has been dubbed “stress culture” at Carnegie Mellon University, and Tepper specifically.  Accustomed to over-achieving in her undergraduate years, she explains how her high expectations brought on a lot of stress when she first began the Tepper program…until she changed her mindset completely.

The job search: a marathon, not a sprint—Cheetarah  is trying not to panic as her fellow Chicago Booth classmates begin to snag solid internship offers while she steadily plugs away on cover letters tailored toward opportunities in her areas of interest— sustainability and CSR. “So until miracle or May happens I’m spending a whole lot of time giving my own version of the ‘Pick me, choose me, love me,’ speech to any company that will listen.”

A solid recommendation— Sankethas high praise for the series of videos posted by the admissions team at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, which he says give significant insight into decision making in the b-school application process. A good take-away is this truth: the admissions process really is more art than science as the schools strive to compose a diverse and dynamic class.

Do you have an MBA-centric blog? Want it featured in an upcoming B-School Buzz post? Email me at [email protected].

Once again, we’re back to check in with what some of Stacy Blackman’s B-School Buzz bloggers have been up to lately as we roll full-steam ahead into the holiday season, round two deadlines, and, for some applicants, the dreaded waitlist. From thoughts on conquering essays to how to survive until Decision Day, our contributors have lots of interesting viewpoints to share.

Essay tips on the go—The essay-writing portion of the application is usually the most stressful component for applicants, particularly those not used to expressing themselves on paper. After all, few businesspeople use prose in their day-to-day tasks! Fortunately, Asax has seven tips to share that may ease some anxieties out there. His most important tip: remember that “you’re not going to get your essays right in the first go even if you are a journalist. So, be ready to cut the crap, cut it again and again until you get a clear message across.”

A different kind of waitlist woe—It seems sometimes that dedicated, interested students just can’t get a break when it comes to getting off the waitlist. CMU Tepper’s Julianne shares her disappointment over a certain Strategy professor who wouldn’t/couldn’t offer her a seat even though the school has a randomly-enforced no-show policy and other enrolled students repeatedly blew off class.

Playing the waiting game—Waiting for your admission results is excruciating, but MBA Over 30 is finding ways to productively pass the time via round two applications, and looking ahead to a future when he’ll no longer feel compelled to log into the b-school blogosphere’s forums and websites for a daily dose of all-things MBA.

For the international applicants out there—English is a tricky language, no doubt, and Rolipolli shares a humorous rhyming post laying out several example of why the rules of the English language, particularly as it pertains to plurals, make no sense whatsoever.

Do you have a b-school-centric blog? Want it featured on B-School Buzz? Email me at [email protected].

After taking a bit of a breather to feature other MBA-related news on Fridays, we’re back to check in with what some of Stacy Blackman’s B-School Buzz bloggers have been up to lately. From thoughts on the new team-based application component at Wharton to the state of diversity at b-schools to how exactly does one determine “fit”, our contributors have lots of interesting viewpoints to share.

Assessing Wharton’s new “team-based” component—Many business schools have made significant changes to their MBA applications this year, and the UPenn Wharton School is no exception. Sanket shares his take on the new team-based assessment component, saying that he applauds its use, because “it is much more authentic to see the applicants live in a performance.”

Six out of 576— The call for diversity in business schools rings out loud and clear in campuses across the country; however, the reality can often be very disappointing. Cheetarah 1980 describes the situation at Chicago Booth School of Business, where she is one of  only six black women in the entire Class of 2014. Read her post to learn why women of color may be wary of Booth, and why they should give the school a second look.

 What is Fit?–The idea of “fit” as it pertains to business school leaves many applicants in a cloud of confusion. Sassafras uses the metaphors of food, ritual, philosophy, government and diversity to explain what MBA candidates should consider in order to choose schools that align with their own needs and interests.

 The importance of a top undergrad degree—The Military to Business blog recently provided a dose of clarity to enlisted personnel planning on applying to business school in the future.  The author believes that the main thing holding non-commissioned offers (NCOs) back is not military rank but lesser-ranked undergraduate degrees. His advice? Consider finishing your last two years on campus of a top national program and apply to b-school from there.

Do you have a b-school-centric blog? Want it featured on B-School Buzz? Email me at [email protected].

Welcome back to another edition of Stacy Blackman’s B-School Buzz, where we share the latest and greatest from the MBA blogosphere. This week, our Buzz contributors share essay writing advice for current applicants, divulge tips gleaned from an informational interview,  apply runner’s techniques to b-school, and make plans to actually have a life this year.

Some important tidbits gleaned—Following a recent informational interview with a top non-U.S. business school, Sanket has posted some of the most important points stressed during the conversation. In addition to driving home the point of scoring very well on the GMAT, the admissions coordinator urged applicants to scour their resumes of all jargon. Follow the link for more insight, particularly as it pertains to Indian applicants.

On actually having a life—Ah, the jaded life of a second year! Julianne recounts her interactions with first-years during the recent Tepper Cares days that form a part of BaseCamp. Seeing the giddy exuberance of the Class of 2014 reminded her of her own experiences just one year ago, and this “wise, cynical” b-schooler is looking forward to a year that is much less hectic…and actually allows time for extracurricular activities.

Essay writing tips—Wharton-bound Motown shares timely tips for those currently slogging through their MBA essays and feeling stymied on how to stand out. After reviewing the essays of a few friends, she’s found a recurring problem, which is a lack of specificity. To see what she means, follow the link to an excellent example.

Crossing the finish line—The latest post by Jordan Lofton on the Duke Cross Continent MBA Blog draws a parallel between running a marathon and the journey to achieve the CC-MBA. But how to confront The Wall, aka term five? Jordan applies six runners’ tips to push through the MBA obstacles to arrive at the finish line.

Do you have a b-school-centric blog? Want it featured on B-School Buzz? Email me at [email protected].