Research MBA Programs using my Delicious.com Links

MBA applicants need to thoroughly research all programs to which they tend to apply so that they can, in the essay and interview, give specific examples that show the strong fit they feel with each program. Demonstrating fit with a given program is important to getting that all-important offer. You can read more about fit here, but the purpose of this posting is to give you some resources that will kick-start your school research.

I have been collecting articles on MBA programs (as well as LLM and other grad programs) for years, and when I come across a resource I find interesting I bookmark it using Delicious.com. This website has undergone some transformations over the years but remains at its essence a useful social bookmarking resource.

As you begin (or continue) researching schools, I encourage you to put my social bookmarks to good use. They're searchable, and using the right keywords will help you get to what you are looking for quickly.

The starting page of my bookmarks can be found here.
Here is the listing of all sites tagged "MBA".

You can also combine keywords to refine your search. Here are two examples:

A search of my bookmarks for "MBA", Harvard", "admissions" and "interview" is here. Substitute in Harvard for another school and you'll get links related to their interviews as well. Replace interview with essay and you'll get links related to that.

A search for "MBA" "admissions" and "recommendation letters" will take you here.

I encourage you to look around and see what useful information you can dig up on any program to which you are applying.

John Couke
john.couke@gmail.com

MBA Application Strategy: Adding 1-2 Schools is Easier than Ever

I have never endorsed the concept of applying to more programs than you might normally do so just for the sake of maximising your overall chances. Applying to 10 programs instead of 7, or to 5 programs instead of 3 has often meant, to me at least, greater risk of shoddy and underdeveloped work as a result of not spending enough time on each application. Rushing to complete a lot of work in a short amount of time never really works out for anyone.

However, today MBA applications are easier to complete than ever as recommendation letter prompts and essay topics are becoming more and more generic. 

Essays - 

More and more top MBA programs have been cutting their number of required essays (Wharton, Michigan, Stanford, Tuck) or eliminating mandatory essays entirely and leaving only one optional essay (Harvard). I don't agree with this trend, as I feel schools should be investing more time into choosing the right candidates for their program rather than cutting application requirements. However, the amount of time spent drafting and completing essays is going to be a bit less now that schools have less essays. What will stay the same though for most is the amount of time spent brainstorming contents. This, brainstorming and deciding essays approaches and strategies, is and will always remain a vital component of the process.

Recommendation letters - 

Recently several top MBA programs announced they’re requiring recommenders to respond to a standardised set of questions. Columbia, Yale, Wharton, Chicago, Virginia, and Kellogg are expected to participate. A Poets&Quants article on the topic can be read here. Stanford even made their famous peer recommender an optional part of this year's application - more on that here.

Overall, I feel the change is again a negative one in that schools are becoming more and more alike and less differentiated at the application level. But there’s no doubt that if you aim for 1-2 extra schools amongst those in this list, your recommenders won’t be greatly affected. 

So, if you have finished one application that is strong, and completed to your liking, and it cannot be improved anymore..  then adding an extra school or two might certainly be within reach. I don’t mean that you SHOULD apply to more programs, just that the OPPORTUNITY COST is lower than ever. 

Remember: application quality is most important, and should never be sacrificed. Don’t cut and paste blindly between applications. Research programs and be ready to show how you feel fit with a given program when asked to do so. These are important things to consider for every school to which you apply. But, at the same time, know that the days of saying “I don’t think I have the time to submit an HBS or Wharton app in R2” are likely gone for those who are well-prepared and keeping to a schedule.

John Couke

john.couke@gmail.com

Sample MBA Recommendation Letters (are not what you need)

I am often asked to provide sample recommendation letters. In fact, you probably found this blog entry because that is exactly what you were looking for!  What I've found is that those that want samples are really looking for a better understanding of how ideal recommendation letter answers should be structured, the level of detail required, and what kind of assessment of the applicant is provided in them. For this, rather than samples, all that is needed is good advice.

Here are the factors that, to me, make a recommendation letter impactful.

1. They include specific and detailed examples.

A good recommendation letter offers clear and specific examples. Ae you a great leader? If your supervisor agrees, than they may write this in their letter. However, it is too easy just to write "so and so is a great leader". Instead, he/she should be able to derail a specific episode that shows you are a great leader. What did you do? What did you not do? How did you do it? These details should be included, and from the perspective of the referee. This last detail is important, and is picked up in the next point.

2. They include opinions as to how you have developed and in what ways.

It's not enough for a recommendation letter to relay the story behind one of your great successes. Rather, a good recommendation letter should (a) relay that story from the point-of-view of the referee, and then (b) he/she should detail the strengths or skills that you demonstrated or developed over the course of that episode.  This, in total, offers a detailed and comprehensive assessment of you.

3. They have insightful and interesting strengths and weaknesses.

I think the strengths part here is obvious. If the writer of your recommendation knows you well, then it stands that they should also know your weaknesses. No one's perfect right? I recommendation letter with no weaknesses, or one with uninteresting weaknesses (time management is simply not insightful enough to stand out.  

If your recommendation letter has all three of these things going for it, then chances are it will stand out from the crowd, because it will be insightful and memorable.  That's what makes a recommendation letter good.

John Couke

john.couke@gmail.com

MBA Admissions: Round 2 or Round 3?

It is now December, and most Round 2 deadlines for top US programs are about a month away. Are you ready?

If your test scores (TOEFL and GMAT) aren't quite there..  and your essays are coming together slowly..  is it worth rushing to put together a sub-standard application just to make the Round 2 deadline?  

Some people think it is - and they often talk about how impossible it is to gain admission to schools in Round 3.  It might very well be more difficult - but it is also worth considering just how much better your application could be if you gave yourself more time to make your essays stronger, and add some points to your test scores. The increase in the strength of your application just may outweigh the increase in difficulty you face in Round 3.  

John Couke

john.couke@gmail.com

What are They Looking For? MBA Essay vs Recommendation Letter Prompts

A client once asked me what kind of characteristics school X is looking for in an applicant. This isn't necessarily a great approach to take, as instead it is better to ask yourself how you can appeal your own unique points to the school. But nonetheless how to answer the question? There are a few places to consider looking. 

Class Profile:

You could scan the class profile, to see how schools have chosen from certain industries and academic backgrounds in the past. For example, what percentage of their class come from banking, or what percentage find work in consulting? What percentage of their students have business or economics academic backgrounds? <<LINK about Harvard and a possible change>>.  The downfall here is that is that while you can learn about the make-up of the current class, you won't now how the school hopes to change the class profile in the future.  

Essay Questions:

You could also look at the essay questions to see what they value or find important.  The downfall here is that the importance of essays within the overall application are being undermined as they get shorter, a trend occurring at most top schools this year.  This also makes it difficult for applicants to differentiate themselves in the essays.

Recommendation Letter Prompts:

Instead, to me, one interesting way to figure out "what a school is looking for", is to scan their recommendation letter instructions. This is their set of questions for your referees, so it makes sense that what they are asking about would be things that the school values highly or consider important/relevant for applicants. Let's use UCLA Anderson, and a recent posting to their blog introducing both their essay prompts and recommendation letter instructions, as an example.

In a recent post to their blog, the admissions team at UCLA Anderson released both their essay prompts as well as the questions that recommendation letters are meant to answer. UCLA's essays are only slightly shorter than last year's (750 to 700 words each) and so like those of other schools, there isn't a lot of space for you to write a lot, especially about topics like how you have excelled at work.

New Essay Questions:
We require just two essays to showcase your character and goals:

• What is your proudest achievement outside the workplace, and how has it impacted you? (700 words maximum)
• What are your short-term and long-term career goals, and how will an MBA from UCLA Anderson specifically help you achieve these goals? (700 words maximum)

As per the essay explanation, two are offered as a way for you to "showcase your character and goals".   But UCLA doesn't give a lot of space here for professional accomplishments or work-related leadership examples. The first essay is designed to focus on non-work contents entirely.  That leaves essay 2, where the writer can include a) a brief professional introduction, b) goals, c) a rationale for those goals (if they aren't entirely obvious), d) an assessment of what they need to achieve these goals, and e) how UCLA is the best place for them to get these things they need.  After completing parts a) through e), there may only be a little room left if the author wishes to include detail of a professional accomplishment, or an example of the kind of impact he/she has had on their organization. That's alright of course because such information may be found in the resume or recommendation letters. But, if a bit of space is left over, and you feel you can include a brief leadership example or detail - obviously you want to be careful about what details to include with the limited space you have.  So, what elements should be highlighted? What characteristics might the school value? For hints - look to UCLA's recommendation letter instructions (from the same blog posting):

New Recommendation Questions:
We revised the questions that recommenders answer to help us identify your leadership and managerial potential:

• How strong is the candidate’s focus in terms of being results-oriented, strategically-minded, and career-driven?
• How does the candidate demonstrate leadership, e.g., by creating a vision, motivating others, managing resources, and taking risks?
• How strong are the candidate’s interpersonal skills as shown by their professionalism, teamwork, attitude, and conflict management?
• How effective is the candidate in communicating clearly, eloquently, and confidently (in written and oral form)?
• How does the candidate bring a unique perspective, and contribute to activities outside the workplace?

These questions offer a lot of information as to what UCLA is interested in assessing.  So, if you make space in essay 2 to demonstrate some impact you've had on your current organization (for instance), and feel the experience demonstrates a strength the school is asking about through its reference letter questions - then why not emphasize it? 

Important caveats:

Having emphasized the value in understanding what strengths and characteristics schools are looking for via their recommendation letter instructions, the three following points are things to avoid during the application process.

1. Don't intentionally duplicate content:

Considering recommendation letter prompts does not mean that your essays should duplicate what may be in your recommendation letters.  In fact, that strategy might backfire, as both sets of documents would touch upon the same things, and not allow your application reader to get a fuller view of who you are and what makes you tick.  

2. Don't avoid answering questions:

There is a reason why the essays and reference letters seem to be asking for different things - because they are. So don't avoid answering elements of the questions asked for in the essays, just so you can fit in additional things that you feel might be effective.  Make sure you answer each essay question fully.   

3. Don't just give them what you think they are looking for:

Most importantly, and as noted at the very start of this post, it is better not to focus on what you think the school wants to hear, but instead focus on what unique elements you can offer the school.  Focus on what makes you special, rather than trying to change your profile into something else that you feel will please the school to which you are applying.

Summary:

The recommendation letter prompts can be telling in terms of skills and values a school is interested in learning more about.  This is worth keeping in mind, although it is certainly necessary to answer the essay questions, and do so fully, while trying to differentiate yourself by emphasizing those skills and experiences which make you unique. 

John Couke

john.couke@gmail.com

Choosing and Managing Referees for your MBA Application

This post is designed to offe the starting points of selecting, talking with, and managing the work your recommendation writer will contribute to your MBA application.

1. Choose the Right Person

There are three basic principles to keep in mind:

a) Choose someone who knows you well, rather than someone with an impressive title.

It isn't worth it to try and impress your reader by getting a referee who has CEO in his/her title.  First of all, the CEO of your company is probably not famous anyways.  Moreover, if you do play the "impressive referee game", you're likely to be competing with people offering reference letter from current or former Presidents, so you'll end up using the game.  Finally and most importantly, if your referee with the impressive title doesn't know you well because you two haven't worked closely on anything, it'll be immediately obvious from the contents of the letter, and your application reader will be less willing to value it highly - because their job is to learn something about you, and the weak or vague reference letter won't allow them to do that.

It's always best to find someone who knows you well, and has been in a position to observe your work, and assess the skill set you have gained from your work. 

b) Choose someone who has been in a position to judge your performance recently.

Avoid the direct supervisor who you worked with from 1996 to 1998.  The obvious reason is that no matter what they have to say about you, it'l be extremely difficult for your application reader to feel like they understand who you are, what you are good at, and how you work with or lead others now.  Always aim for more recent supervisors wherever possible.

Moreover, avoid choosing a colleague, or subordinate.  It is best to use someone who was responsible for or responsible for evaluating, your work.  Choosing a colleague may compromise the effectiveness of the letter, especially if the relationship is vague or hard to understand.

c) Choose someone who can go beyond the shallow compliment level.

The letter needs detail on what you have done, and an analysis as to what this says about your strengths or areas in need of development. For this, it is best to find a referee who can describe one of your accomplishments or projects in detail, and with specific examples of what you did, as well as their own clear reflections as to the impact you made, and what the experience says about who you are and what you are good at.  There is nothing less effective than a recommendation letter that is full of nice adjectives (friendly, smart, great, really great) but short on detail.  

2. Buy them Lunch

It is important that you sit down with your referee and have a conversation about your story. By this I mean why you need an MBA, and your future goals.  Doing so will allow you both to discuss any relevant skills you feel you have towards this goal, and possible examples of how you have shown them at the place of work shared by you and the referee. 

Note that this is not you lecturing your referee about what to write - instead for the two of you it is an opportunity to brainstorm and reflect upon your experience, to consider examples which may help to show you in a clear way.  Ultimately, it is up to your recommender to choose what to write about.  But by discussing the topics listed above, you can help them to understand where the MBA fits between your background and future, as well as what you aim to gain from, and possibly contribute to, the program.

3. Manage the Schedule

This is not to be overlooked.  Your referee - often your supervisor or someone superior to you in some way - is very likely to have a busier schedule than you do, full of commitments to keep with many people.  While there is no doubt your reference letter will be impotent to them, there is also the risk that it won't get done in a timely fashion, or will at least be pitied behind other commitments, and this can cause you undue stress at a time when you should be focusing your energy on your own essays and applications.  

One strategy I have seen work well is to set and then stick to early deadlines.  

The longer they wait, and the closer they get to the actual application deadline, the greater the chance your letter will be put together hastily, and therefore ineffectively.  

If the drop-dead date they need to submit their letter is January 5th, try and get them initially to finish their letter by December 1st.  This way, if they miss that deadline, there is an opportunity for you to extend it 1-2 weeks, and ask them to ensure they not miss the second deadline.  Even if they miss that, a final reminder can usually be effective enough to get them on the case before the holiday season begins.  

Earlier is of course better - so encourage your referee to start in on the letter shortly after your face-to-face meeting: this way you can help to ensure that what was discussed is fresh in their minds.

There's a lot to manage when it comes to applying to an MBA program.  Don't forget to manage the recommendation letter process as well.

John Couke

john.couke@gmail.com

LLM Applicants: 5 Things to do this Summer

I haven't been posting much about LLM applicants on this blog, mostly because this time of year all the admissions news is about deadline and essay topic releases for MBA programs.  But this doesn't mean that LLM applicants shouldn't be busy themselves (apart from work of course).  Here are 

1. Get a high TOEFL score.

TOEFL is a requirement for most programs, and in many cases the minimum is 100.  Some programs may accept strong applicants with a 98 or 99, but others won't.  Knowing which school does and which doesn't is not a necessity now - what you should instead be doing is putting your efforts into achieving as high a TOEFL score as possible to benefit your LLM application.

2. Get English transcripts from your university and determine your GPA.

Your academic background is one of the most important elements of your LLM application, so it is worth your while to know as early as possible how yours may rank when compared to your competition.  Calculate your GPA for your undergraduate degree as well as your law school degree and share it with your counselor to evaluate if there are any strengths to be emphasized, or weaknesses to be considered.

3. Wait for deadlines to come out.

This should be mid-August to mid-September for the vast majority of top US programs.  Deadline information is often accessible either via the LSAC application site or the LLM program's own pages directly. I encourage all applicants to verify information directly with the latter - i.e. the school's official website.  While awaiting deadlines, consider starting the last two items on this list.

4.  Research schools.

It never hurts to take a look into what programs offer what kinds of unique academic opportunities.  While the core programs may not seem to be different from one school to the next, the reality is that LLM programs are quite different from each other in several ways both inside and outside the classroom.  The websites are only starting points - and some programs don't offer reams of information online.  Talk to alumni and aim to reach out to current students finishing up their program to learn more.

5.  Start thinking about who your referees might be and what you may wish to write about in your essays.  

It never hurts to reach out to your university zemi professor if you intend to ask them to write a recommendation letter on your behalf. In terms of the essays, don't be concerned that this year's applications questions haven't been released - they don't change much form year to year. So while I wouldn't recommend that you draft and finalize your essays based on last year's app, reviewing the previous year's questions isn't a bad idea. 

John Couke

john.couke@gmail.com

Delicious Bookmarks

So far in the short life of this blog, one of the most popular ways in which my readers have found me is through my collection of bookmarks at delicious.com.  

I have been an avid collector of bookmarks since about 2005, and in particular I use delicious (as well as pinboard more recently) to sort my bookmarks and allow for easy retrieval.  As this collection has grown so has its usefulness. Currently, I have over 14,000 bookmarks (!) to a variety of topics that you may find useful, including resume design and preparation, interview questions and preparation, employment, admissions, LLM programs, MBA programs and even undergraduate programs.  In addition to this, I have school-specific bookmarks for many schools including Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Kellogg and countless others.  

The internet is, as we all know, a great place to research. If you are interested in learning about any of these topics above, or others such as being waitlisted, letters of recommendation, visiting campus, or even determining fit with programs, I'd suggest you start with my delicious bookmarks, scroll through the tags until you find ones interesting to you, and start your search there.

Good luck with your research!

John Couke
john.couke@gmail.com