The MBA Video Diaries: This fall, Forté Foundation debuted their video blog, called The Forté MBA Video Diaries. Each week, three women correspondents from top business schools around the country chat about their business school experience. All three are first year MBA students. So far, we’ve heard about surviving the first round of mid-terms, carving out a social life in b-school, what it’s like to be a woman in a mostly male MBA class, and other candid topics.

To view the video blog, visit http://www.fortefoundation.org/podcasts.
New installments are added every Thursday throughout the first semester.

Podcasts: This fall also marks the second seasons of their podcast series,
The MBA Value Proposition. Monthly podcast episodes feature interviewsvwith admissions officers, alumnae and executives.

This month, the podcast features interviews with Carolyn Bao, Senior
Product Marketing Manager at Yahoo! and Tawana Murphy Burnette, Brand
Manager at Leapfrog. They talk about the value of an MBA in their careers.
We also hear from admissions officers at Dartmouth College, Tuck School of
Business; Washington University, Olin School of Business; and University of
Michigan, Ross School of Business. They talk about how to write a winning
essay, and finding the right career after business school.

To listen online or subscribe to the series, visit:
http://www.fortefoundation.org/podcasts

Forté Foundation is dedicated to encouraging women to pursue
careers in business leadership by providing access to information,
scholarships and networking opportunities. Forté is backed by 26 leading
corporations, 32 top business schools in the U.S. and abroad, and The
Graduate Management Admission Council® (GMAC®).

For more information, contact Forté at info@fortefoundation.org

Many prospective applicants count themselves out of the MBA game because they have too many career changes. But not everyone follows a direct path to business school. Businessweek.com currently features A Mistake Leads to Business School one woman’s reflection on how her twists and turns from HR to freelance marketing to yoga instructor to Whole Foods led her to Cornell.

Of course, it is a realistic concern that business schools will think you lack focus if you have jumped from job to job or industry to industry. The key to telling this type of story in your application is to explain yourself. Schools want to understand why you have made these decisions and why business school fits into the plan now. Some of the most interesting and inspiring essays come from applicants with complicated job histories provided they show insight and self-awareness.

For ideas on how to talk about your background, be sure to check out our essay tips for UCLA, Yale, Kellogg, Darden, MIT, Ross, Tuck, Columbia, Haas, Wharton, Chicago, Stanford, and HBS.

Today’s NY Times includes an article on MBA programs to help individuals, mostly women, return to the workforce. “M.B.A. Programs Pay Off for Women Seeking a Return to Wall Street” discusses the popularity of executive MBA programs targeted at “women who are trying to return to the work force, many of whom left for family obligations.”

Tuck has a new program with a “curriculum that combined academics and career opportunities” that had 41 students in its first year. Some graduates headed to firms such as Goldman and Merrill, others went to non-profits, and some even became entreprenuers.

“Tuck is not the only business school with this type of executive program,” according to the article. “Harvard Business School, for example, has had a program for its alumni for five years. Wharton started its first program in March.”

Read the entire article here.

Tis the season for essay writing. Experience-My Life’s recent blog is appropriately titled “essays, essays, essays.” With the HBS and Insead deadlines rapidly approaching, many applicants are looking to get feedback on their essays. Round one game plan has a list of potential reviewers including family and friends.

It can be very helpful to get an objective second review of your essays. However, you should be savvy in selecting your reviewers. Here are some tips:

Select 1-2 people who know you well and can iterate a few times rather than 5-6 different people
*Too many cooks in the kitchen results in too many ‘voices’ being reflected in your essays
*Everyone will have a different opinion

Pick someone who understands the process

Give them the entire package at once so they can help identify weaknesses in the overall package rather than the quality of a particular essay. Feedback will be more actionable, effective, and holistic
* E.g., your app is weak on leadership rather than this essay is lacking energy

Save comments on grammar until the very end

Also remember to check out our essay tips for Chicago, Columbia, Darden, Tuck, HBS, Kellogg, Ross, Sloan, Stanford, UCLA, Wharton, and Yale.