The GMAT Club Blog

GMAT Takers Are Up 12% in 2008 - Less than Expected?

GMAT sign ups are up 12% for the first three months of 2008 compared to 2007, according to The Economist. I would see the numbers probably rise a bit more than that. I doubt that we've seen all the applicants who decided to start taking GMAT for the 2009 admission year - those folks will come in the Summer/Fall/Winter of 2009. Nevertheless, the article is optimistic about the MBA - there are signs of weakening job market (duh), but it is not a fallout that happened in 2000 and 2001. Offers are not revoked and internships are still there. Full Article link: http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11392358

HBS 2009 Questions

Harvard Business School's 2009 deadlines, essay and recommendation questions are now available on the HBS web site. The essay questions are:

Deadlines

                    Application Submission         Notification Date

Round 1     October 15, 2008                             January 21, 2009
Round 2     January 6, 2009                                 April 2, 2009
Round 3     March 11, 2009                                   May 13, 2009

Essay Instructions and Questions

All applicants must submit answers to four essay questions. The first two questions are required of all applicants. The remaining two essays may be in response to your choice of the next four sub-questions.

Joint program applicants for the Harvard Medical School, Harvard Law School, and Kennedy School of Government must provide an additional essay.

Essays  Questions:

1. What are your three most substantial accomplishments and why do you view them as such? (600-word limit)
2. What have you learned from a mistake? (400-word limit)
3. Please respond to two of the following (400-word limit each):
   1. What would you like the MBA Admissions Board to know about your undergraduate academic experience?
   2. Discuss how you have engaged with a community or organization.
   3. What area of the world are you most curious about and why?
   4. What is your career vision and why is this choice meaningful to you?

Joint degree applicants:

1. How do you expect the joint degree experience to benefit you on both a professional and a personal level? (400-word limit)

I'll post tips in the not-too-distant future. Let the season begin!

Beautiful B-School Photo Contest Judges Announced

We have asked those MBA bloggers on Clear Admit's Best of Blogging nominee list for both applicants and students to be judges for the Beautiful B-School Photo contest, provided we could find contact information for them and they accepted our invitation to judge.

The judges are: 

1. Graham Richmond – Co-Founder and CEO of Clear Admit; Co-founder of AIGAC
2. Iday (Chicago) - Author of etc, etc. and currently an MBA student at the University of Chicago.
3. Necromonger  Author of Let me wear a Suit. Please! and an MBA student at INSEAD. 
4. Achilles - Author of Experiences- My Life and an MBA applicant. 
5. MBA Runner Girl - Author of MBA Runner Girl and  an MBA applicant joining Columbia's class of '08.
6. Christof Meyer - Author of Square Method Design and an MBA student at Darden

All the students and applicant judges were winners or nominees in Clear Admit's 07-08 Best of Blogging contest. Congratulations to you all and thanks for volunteering to judge the photo contest.

We will announce the winners as soon as the Accepted staff  receives the responses and tallies them. Stay tuned.

Quick Reminders: Ebook Sale Ends, MBA Admissions Telethon

Today is a big day at Accepted:

1. My birthday ebook sale ends tonight at midnight. You can still save 50% on all ebooks and info-products today.
2. The 2009 MBA Admissions Telethon starts today at 10:00 AM PT (1:00 PM ET, 5:00 PM GMT) and runs for two hours. You still have time to register for your free, 15-minute MBA admissions consultation. But do so ASAP.

The Future of the MBA

Business Week has a new article touching on the potentially bright future of the MBA. Apparently 135,000 applicants receive the degree each year. Not quite the exclusive club it is told to be...
Full Article is here: http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/content/may2008/bs20080511_815214.htm

MBA Admissions News

Much is happening on Accepted and in the MBA admissions world  these days. Here goes:

         

• Birthday Ebook Sale. May 9-13  In honor of my birthday, I am giving you all 50% off all MBA admissions ebooks including:

   

 

 

   

Best         Practices for MBA Admissions: Take advantage of the super advice captured in this transcript of a one-of-a-kind teleseminar.  Find out what are the 4 Pillars of a Successful Application, and most importantly, discover the concrete steps you can take to strengthen your pillars.

   

MBA BlastOff: 45 Terrific Tips to Launch         Your MBA Application to Acceptance: Learn how to create a winning MBA application package including advice on writing your application, crafting your resume, working with recommenders, and preparing for your interview.

   

The         Consultant's Guide to MBA Admissions: Invest in the one resource written for YOU. Transform yourself from "just another consultant" into a distinctive, exciting prospect. Learn to mine your experiences and project the qualities schools value. This ebook has sample HBS essays.

   

The Finance Professional's         Guide to MBA Admissions: If you are in investment banking, corporate finance, venture capital, or any financially related field that sends oodles of applicatants to top business schools, this ebook can teach you how to distinguish yourself from your competition and improve your chances of admissions.

   

The Techie's         Guide to MBA Admissions: Attention Techies: Are you afraid of being just         another IT applicant. If so, The Techie's Guide to MBA Admissions is for you! Learn how to highlight your individuality and unique qualifications to create a distinct, exciting MBA application.

   

MBA         I.V.: Mainline to Top MBA Programs -- MBA Interview Questions and Tips: Invest in an ebook that provides the questions that have been frequently asked during recent MBA admission interviews at the top business schools as well as the advice you need to prepare for your interview. Exactly the information you need to ace your interview.

   

The Nine         Mistakes You Don't Want to Make on an MBA Waitlist: Discover how to avoid the mistakes that doom so many on an MBA waitlist and make the right moves that increase your chances of acceptance.

   

 Create a         Better Sequel: Reapply Right to B-School: Determine what went wrong and how to change the outcome. Get the information you need to navigate the MBA admissions maze and transform those thin rejections into fat acceptances. Buy this 28-page ebook today to propel your reapplication.

 

• MBA Admissions Telethon on Tuesday May 13 at  10:00 AM – 12:00 PM PT/1:00 PM – 3:00 PM ET (5:00 PM – 7:00 PM GMT). Sign up for FREE 15-minute consultations. Ask your most important MBA application questions.
• IMD admission chat with Janet Shaner, IMD's Director of MBA Marketing, and with an IMD participant. They will participate in this online chat where you can learn more about IMD's outstanding, international MBA program.
   
• Chicago GSB's monthly admissions newsletter has two timely articles: "Stay Engaged this Summer," on using the summer months to prepare for fall applications, and "Getting the Most Out of Your Campus Visit." For more on these topics, please see "Visiting Schools: Myths and Reality" and Best Practices for MBA Admission.
• MBAPodcaster's last two segments are winners. Check out "One Year MBA Programs," which focuses on Cornell's, Kellogg's,  and USC IBEAR's one-year MBA programs, and "Business School Admission's Panel: Top Schools Answer Your Application Questions," which presents admissions directors from  Columbia, NYU Stern, and Wharton discussing their respective admissions processes. If you are interested in any of these programs, you owe it to yourself to either listen to the podcast or read the transcript. 

The Economist: News From the Schools

As always, The Economist has something interesting and unusual: a great compilation of unusual (mildly speaking) stories related to MBA programs. Short and to the point: http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11081635

No, Herbalife President Does Not Have an MBA or a Job

Update to our previous post: Herbalife President has an MBA? Maybe
Today Gregory L. Probert lost his job after the board reviewed his misstated academic records. Ouch - that hurts when one reaches the president level and just a few years away from being a CEO. What I am really interested in, is what he is going to do next.

Source: MarketWatch

MBA Admissions & Accepted News

We just added two great GMAT advice articles from Manhattan GMAT to our GMAT resources:

• GMAT Strategies for the Math-Challenged
• Strategies for the GMAT’s Verbal Section

Reminder: If you are planning to take a GMAT test prep course or either in a traditional class room setting or online or even with a personal tutor, you can receive 10% off Manhattan GMAT's regular prices. Read these articles to find out how you can take advantage of  this offer for Acceptees.

April 30 is the last day to:

• Take advantage of Accepted's MBA-Pre-season Special. In addition to saving you money, starting now gets you advice when you can actually do something to improve your profile. That improvement is worth more than the actual dollar savings, but we let you save money too.
• Save 20% on Create a Better Sequel: How to Reapply Right to B-School, the ebook for MBA reapplicants. Whatever you did last time didn't work. Don't repeat the same mistakes. Learn how to evaluate what went wrong and then change it for next time.
• Submit your photos to the Beautiful B-School Photo Contest. Yes it ends on Wednesday. We have received lovely photos in the last several days and would like to have more. So if you are visiting or have visited or are enrolled at any of the schools listed in the B-School Zones, share your works of art with the world and posterity . Submit your entries by Wednesday. Winners can receive an Amazon gift certificate worth up to $200.

What Matters the Most to You in a Job?

NY Times surveyed MBA Students from top 15 Business Schools about their career choices. The question was asked to identify most important factors when choosing a job. The Top 3 were: Challenging responsibilities, High Compensation, and Work/Life balance. Full Story Link.

That's probably exactly as I had my priorities aligned when I graduated, but after getting my first MBA job, I realized that even though the pay could be good and responsibilities challenging, my idiot boss could turn the whole thing upside down and I could easily hate a job that was still high paying and had plenty of challenges. My conclusion - when we graduate, we feel well "rested" from being fully employed after a year or two of MBA program, which makes us a bit idealistic about our first MBA job, but then reality quickly sinks in as we realize that things are actually more complex.

Good Job hunting to all the graduates!