MBA Admissions Survey for those targeting 2014 entry (participate for the chance to win $500!)

I enjoy sharing admissions-related information here on my blog. Now, I have a favor to ask of you, my readers in Japan and all over the world. I'd like you to spare a few minutes of your time to fill out an MBA admissions survey. If you have been admitted to or are applying to MBA programs with a 2014 start date, then this survey is for you.

We will share anonymous data with admissions offices from top programs. This is the chance to make your voice heard!

As a member of AIGAC, the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants, I am highly motivated to get as many of you as possible to complete this survey.

I would love to have you complete this survey by the end of February. Can you help? If you can, you'll be eligible to enter a drawing for a $500 cash payment (sent via PayPal). Your email address would be used only for prize notifications.

This survey should take only 10-15 minutes to complete and can be accessed by clicking this link or pasting it into your browser:

https://huron.qualtrics.com/SE?SID=SV_5avUSpmdneTZakt&RID=MLRP_dj4gyokWqy9JX3n

Here's what we will do with the information you provide: In May 2014, we will hold our annual AIGAC conference in New York. While there, we will present anonymous data about MBA applicants to many top MBA programs. That data will come from these surveys, and we need a lot of responses to make the data useful. In doing so AIGAC helps the MBA programs, which leads them to like admissions consultants more and give us better information and access, which in turn helps us better serve our clients. If you are curious, you can read more about our survey here:

http://aigac.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/AIGAC-2013-Prospect-Survey-Report-6-12-13-presentation.pdf

I truly appreciate your taking this time to read this message and help us improve the MBA admissions process.

John Couke
john.couke@gmail.com

MBA Applicant/Graduate Survey

Please find below a short survey for applicants to Japan-based MBAs or MBA holders currently working in Japan. It is for a project conducted by students and sponsored by an MBA-granting institution in Japan.

John Couke
john.couke@gmail.com

MBA Questionnaire - win a free Personal Effectiveness coaching session

We are students participating in this year’s Japan Market Expansion Competition.  For our project we are doing some research about MBA programs in Japan.  If you are considering applying to an MBA program or already have an MBA degree, you can help us by answering a short questionnaire.

Win a one hour Personal Effectiveness Coaching session including a free Lumina Spark psychometric profile (normally worth Y30,000).  We will choose one lucky winner for each questionnaire.  For more information about Lumina Spark, visit www.luminalearning.com.

Questionnaire for prospective MBA students

If you are considering applying to an MBA program in Japan that is taught in English, please answer this questionnaire:

http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/1513429/f47994b22384

Questionnaire for MBA graduates

If you are an MBA holder and currently work in Japan please answer this questionnaire:

http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/1530845/Questionnaire-for-MBA-holders-working-in-Japan

Preparing for the MBA Informational Interview

Some MBA programs offer informational interviews to allow prospective applicants to learn a bit more about their program. The school, in turn, gets to learn a bit more about the motivations and interests of prospective applicants, while also pointing out specific elements of their program that may be attractive to the applicant.

Here are some of the typical components of an MBA admissions informational interview.

1. resume-based discussion

These types of interviews are typically driven by the resume. So, when finalizing yours, ensure that you are comfortable talking about every line included within it.

To prepare for your informational interview, brainstorm and practice approaches to these topics:

- an explanation of the business model of each company you've worked for (if not obvious)

- an explanation of each role you've had

- an explanation of your role in any particular accomplishment on the resume (I usually encourage people to describe what they did, the result, and what they learned)

- explanation of choices you've made (why xx university, xx major, xx company)

- explanation of extra-curricular activities and accomplishments (the best way to do this is to explain WHAT you do and WHY you do it)

I understand that this approach may seem overly comprehensive, but the practice will be valuable as you (eventually) prepare for real interviews, and even as you evaluate you current skill-set and strengths when determining post-MBA goals. 

2. academic interests and goals

This to me should be pretty straight forward. What do you want to learn in the MBA, and do you have some idea as to your direction post-MBA? The concept of an informational interview is that you share information about your motivations and interests, and the interviewer shares information about their program that match your motivations and interests.

The first question is crucial, as without an understanding of what you want to learn at business school it'll be hard for you and your interviewer to talk about the program in any kind of a focused way. 

Clear post-MBA goals are less crucial but definitely helpful - if you know that you want to become an investment banker post-MBA for instance, then this kind of information can help your interviewer select elements of the MBA program that are related to this career path. 

3. your questions

Don't expect your entire informational interview to be driven by the interviewer. There is usually time for you to ask questions, and in some cases perhaps a significant number of questions. As a rough estimate, have 5 ready. Also, for each, listen carefully to the answer and ask a follow-up that takes that mini-conversation to a deeper level. Good questions start fruitful conversations. 

As a final word, BE CAREFUL. Are you being assessed? Yes, of course you are. If you show that you cannot handle even a simple conversation in English, this will most certainly be remembered. So practice! 

John Couke

john.couke@gmail.com

Using an English teacher for MBA Interview Practice

This is something I do NOT recommend, primarily because the feedback you are receiving is not coming from someone with ample experience preparing applicants to gain admittance to the school you are applying for. This kind of perspective is important, and is what you should be aiming for when it coms to live practice.

Having said that, I am aware that a lot of my clients do use a regular English teacher (in most cases RareJob.com) for general English communication practice. This is great! Some use their teacher for interview practice. This is less than great, especially if the English teacher does not have relevant experience or is aware of the MBA interview (and entire application) process.

Here is a way you CAN use your English teacher when rehearsing for an interview:

(1) Give your teacher a bunch of questions that your target school has asked in the past.

(2) Ask them to ask you these questions. Ask your teacher to listen carefully to your answers, but not to give you any feedback on any of them.

(3) After doing a few of them, go back and ask the teacher to recall for you the key details of your answers to a previous question (ideally core content like your career goals or why you need an MBA).

(4) Listen to what kind of information you get back and decide how effectively you are getting across your message. If what they say back to you is not what you are intending to get across, ask questions as to what might have been clear, and what detail may be lacking or where further explanation is warranted.

What you are doing here is practicing. Of course, before practice you need to devise contents. What stories are best? What details show the best fit with a program? What's the right balance of work and non-work content? Such strategic planning is something you should do with someone familiar with the process, and experienced at advising as to what strategies are effective for you when it comes to answering interview questions.

John Couke

john.couke@gmail.com

Rotterdam School of Management (RSM) to Host MBA Information Session and Master Class in Tokyo on February 19, 2014

The Rotterdam School of Management (RSM) will be hosting an event in Tokyo to give potential applicants the chance to learn a bit more about RSM and their programs. The Master class will also help potential applicants get a feel for their curriculum.

The event will be on February 19, 2014 (a Wednesday). Sign up here!

John Couke
john.couke@gmail.com

Kellogg MBA Program to Host Interview Day in Tokyo on February 1st 2014

I have seen a couple of examples early in 2014 of schools aiming to set up interviews on short notice. Kellogg was sending out emails earlier today offering slots to their Tokyo Interview Day set for February 1st. This is earlier than in previous years.

There are two takeaways here for MBA applicants.

(1) Do a session of interview practice after completing your first application.

You may feel like there isn't time for this, but the reality is that it is important to know how well you are communicating and what areas you need to work on EARLY in the application season. The interview is the clincher and the earlier you begin your preparations the better off you'll be.

(2) Start interview practice RIGHT AFTER completing round 2 applications.

There's no time to wait, even if you're tired. If you haven't already done so, arrange your practice starting now - and don't delay!

John Couke
john.couke@gmail.com

Kellogg MBA Round 2 Deadline Extended

Kellogg has just extended their Round 2 deadline for admission to the MBA program to January 9th at 5pm central time. The new deadlines are posted here, and came after the application system seemed to have been down for a period of at least 8-10 hours.

The lesson to be learned is to apply early. Waiting until the last minute is risky. If something goes wrong, the casualty will be your application.

John Couke
john.couke@gmail.com