Greetings to all, and 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 kick off their MBAs, offer tips for both applicants and students, and share some conversations that boggle the mind.

 And so it begins— Ms. HR says it feels like yesterday that she was writing essays and studying for the GMAT, but as of this week, she has officially started her b-school journey at Vanderbilt Owen. Living in Nashville has been non-stop fun, she writes, adding that without a doubt coming to Vandy was the right choice for her.

The recommended eight—After equating the first month of his b-school experience with drinking from a fire hose, Army JMO writes that the best way to succeed in an MBA program is simply to get enough sleep every night. Accept the fact that you won’t be able to participate in every possible academic, social or recruiting event, he says, then block out eight hours of shuteye and schedule the rest of your day from there.

On paying close attention—His experience at a recent MBA admissions event in San Francisco convinced Sassafras that the admissions committees really do want applicants to succeed, and will help you get there if you pay close attention. Among the key takeaways he elaborates on: be yourself, be memorable, be nice, and be honest. Oh, and use the right school’s name in an application.

“Not normal conversations”— A few of Ellipser‘s posts this summer have addressed the differences in both income and work intensity of his friends doing internships in investment banking. This week, he describes some of the head-spinning conversations he’s had regarding signing bonuses and post-MBA salaries, which provide a stark comparison between the worlds of start-ups and finance.

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

Hello, and welcome back to Stacy Blackman’s B-School Buzz, our periodic examination of life in the MBA applicant and student trenches. This past week, our featured contributors have made the most of their summer down time; realized the magnitude of attending a top-ranked MBA program; and prepared to wrap up their internships.

Enjoying summer “funemployment”— Cheetarah knows much academic prep awaits once she returns to the States, but until then she has savored every moment of her 12-day European vacation. As she struggles with watching her bank account dwindle and no relief in sight until loan disbursements begin in September, she offers this helpful nugget to current applicants: “Get on a savings plan now.  The spending doesn’t end with the tuition deposit.”

Investment banking, not a walk in the park—Though few people imagine a career in investment banking is easy-breezy,  Ellipser (Cornell ’13) has come to appreciate just how hard his b-school friends are working as they slog away for endless hours at their internships.  Whereas in early summer Ellipser would try to get together with said friends, he now sends “I miss you” texts to these classmates.

Endings and beginnings—With just a couple of weeks left to her summer internship,  Julianne (Tepper ’13) has enjoyed the break from academia as well as the temporary monetary infusion. After submitting her resume as part  of the graduating students resume book–which is distributed to interested companies before school even starts–Julianne notes that the time will soon come when she has to put on a suit and brush up on her STAR interview stories.

Elite MBA paves the way—The Senator came away with some eye-opening realizations after attending the Early Insights pre-MBA program offered by Morgan Stanley. Having what he calls “non-pedigree professional credentials” has actually been a plus rather than a hindrance, and the mere fact that he’s about to begin his MBA at one of the world’s best programs means the door to a brilliant future has already been opened. It’s now up to him to walk through it.

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

Welcome back to Stacy Blackman’s B-School Buzz, our regular ramble through the MBA blogosphere to discover what’s been keeping applicants and students busy. In this edition, our Buzz contributors set goals, share summer updates, offer advice on selecting recommenders, and discuss the latest revamped applications.

Second-year goals—Julianne is half-way through her internship and already thinking of goals for her second year at Tepper School of Business. After meeting two of the three goals she set for her first year, Julianne vows to be more realistic this time around. We always look forward to reading what our regular contributors have been up to, so one item on her list–posting once a week on her blog–sounds good to us!

B-school apps get a makeover—We’ve seen it ourselves and Sanket points it out, too: several top schools have made significant changes to their applications this year. Whether the change revolves around fewer essays, a post-interview email or the addition of a multimedia component, schools are upping the ante for a way to really get to know applicants.

A high-level recap—It’s been a busy couple of months for Motown, who checks in this week with the 411 on her May/June activities. May passed in a whirl with a trip to meet up with a Kellogg ’14 friend in India, while June included the MLT conference and landing an exciting internship working in economic development.

Advice from the other side—After receiving many petitions for advice from both friends and strangers, Cheetarah has written a post on selecting recommenders—particularly about asking your direct supervisor for a letter of recommendation—as a way to pay it forward to this year’s applicants.

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

Welcome back to Stacy Blackman’s B-School Buzz, our regular ramble through the MBA blogosphere to discover what’s been keeping applicants and students humming. In this edition, our Buzz contributors share summer internship news, urge applicants to look beyond the Top Ten, and relate a recent computer purchase with the b-school application.

Summer internship—Being able to use what you’ve learned in your core classes on Day One of a summer internship is just one of the things that has Cornell’s Ellipser feeling pretty good these days. Although recruiting is a grueling process, he sounds quite pleased with where he’ll be spending the next two months.

Looking beyond the hype—In her latest post, Cheetarah brings up an excellent point regarding applicants getting hung up on rank and name when contemplating MBA programs. While she admits attending a Top Five school has obvious advantages, she wagers that most b-school alums wind up working side by side as peers with graduates from across the top 20.

Relating Apple and applications—Only Sanket would come up with a way to tie in the purchase of an Apple MacBook Air with b-school applications! His recent acquisition has taught him the importance of creating a sense of excitement and zeal in his application. “I might produce a technically great application,” he writes, “But if that excitement is missing…I might still be on [the] losing side.”

Off to a great start—It’s been an intense few weeks for The Senator, who had a full plate crammed with everything from a wedding, a funeral, a huge professional project, and The Consortium’s Orientation Program. Although he originally felt lukewarm about the selection of companies attending, the Senator came away from the experience completely satisfied and a bit overwhelmed by the number of recruiters expressing interest in him.

Hello, and welcome back to Stacy Blackman’s B-School Buzz, our weekly ramble through the b-school blogosphere for a look at what’s keeping MBA applicants and students buzzing. This week, our featured contributors share end-of-year updates, strategize for their essays, and make peace with their ultimate school selection.

A tale of two grads—Part-Timer shares details and photos of his recent commencement celebration from GWU School of Business, which, as fate would have it, coincided with his oldest daughter’s senior prom. The picture of father/daughter graduates is too special!

Flash recap–With promises of more posts to come, Cornell‘s Ellipser breaks blogosphere silence with the news that he went on a class trek to Korea and Japan; has started his internship; and will offer essay editing services to five applicants—not 150, like last year–for a small fee.

Too much of a good thing— While receiving admissions offers from Kellogg, Wharton and Chicago Booth is absolutely a dream come true, the downside is that you can’t actually attend three schools. Cheetarah1980 shares the difficulties of choosing the one, when she felt such a great connection at each.

A strategy for HBS and Stanford essays—Sanket sees a striking similarity between Harvard Business School‘s newest essay incarnation, “Tell us something you have done well” with Stanford Graduate School of Business’s slightly intimidating prompt, “What matters most to you and why?” Strategic thinking, he says, will definitely be required.

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

Hello, and welcome back to Stacy Blackman’s B-School Buzz, our regular examination of life in the MBA applicant and student trenches. This past week, our featured contributors have kept busy mapping out summer plans; absorbing the reality of an impending MBA; and getting their petanque on.

This is really happening—Reality is starting to sink in for The Senator, who ticks off a list of things—precipitous drop in bank balance, receiving an official school email address—that signal that his future at Tuck School of Business truly is just around the bend.

Filling time in pre-MBA land—Is it wrong to want to relax for a minute before launching into one of the most intense experiences of one’s life? Cheetarah1980 finds herself reevaluating summer plans as her inbox overflows with pre-MBA internship opportunities. With a little luck and some careful planning, she’ll find a way to have a little bit of everything this summer.

MBA Tournament recap—Once again, Bayo Babalola is back to regale readers of his latest competitive exploits…this time at the MBA Tournament recently held in Paris, where groups from 13 of Europe’s top business schools competed in sports ranging from football to petanque. Oxford took fourth place overall, and the pics substantiate Bayo’s claim that he had the time of his life at this event.

A forward-thinking reading list—Lori of HEC Montreal shares a few choice articles this week, and of special note is a piece from the Huffington Post discussing the importance of learning social media within the MBA curriculum. Lori also expresses elation at learning that Canada makes the list of the Top Ten happiest countries in the world.

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