[商学院活动] [分享]MBA申请之成功要素

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6.6 percent, 10.6 percent, 12.6 percent. Those are the acceptance rates at Stanford, Columbia, and Wharton, of course, and if you’re a prospective MBA student, you probably know them by heart. With numbers like these, getting into business school is difficult for even the most qualified applicants, and there is no magic formula that guarantees you’ll be accepted. Still, even the top schools have to admit someone, and it might as well be you.
So what does it take to stand out? In a word, knowledge. Know yourself: Be able to identify your strengths and weaknesses. Know why you want to get an MBA and what you plan to do with it. Know the school you’re applying to, how it can help you achieve your goals, and where you stand with regard to the rest of the applicant pool. Last, know the process. Understand how you can maximize your chances of landing in the accept pile. Fortunately, we can help you figure some of this out. Just read on.

The Application

Undergraduate grades: Schools are going to pay particular attention to your performance in quantitative courses like calculus, statistics, accounting, and economics -- especially if you majored in a nonquantitative field like English or philosophy. The overall difficulty of your course load and the school’s reputation will also likely be factored in. Unfortunately, you can’t go back and change your transcript, so what can you do to overcome a less-than-stellar college career? Strong GMATs and solid work experience might be enough, but your essays are powerful tools here. Use them to discuss circumstances that might have affected your GPA -- perhaps you had to work your way through school, experienced a personal tragedy (steer clear of whining here, just talk about how the experience changed you), or were just young and too focused on having a great time instead of on academics. Whatever the reason, a well-thought-out essay discussing what you learned from the experience can work wonders.


GMAT: These scores are rarely the sole determining factor for admission, but don’t take them too lightly, either. At top schools, you’ll be competing against people with very high scores, and many of them won’t get in. So it pays to make sure that you can hold your own. Aim to get a GMAT score within 50 points of a school’s average; if your score is lower, consider retaking the test. Schools don’t generally notice or care how often you take the test -- they only see the three most recent scores. However, unless there are extenuating circumstances, you aren’t likely to raise your score much from test to test, though prep courses can help a lot. Be sure to read Getting Through the GMAT for some great tips for taking the test.

Work experience: In the 1980s, over half of MBA students had just two years of work experience or less. Now the vast majority of applicants have worked for at least four or five years. What admissions committees are looking for here is evidence that you’ve made progress in your career, taken on increasing responsibility, and demonstrated leadership. Strong communications skills and a proven ability to work well in groups are also important. Highlight these experiences throughout your application.

Recommendations: Almost every school will want to see one recommendation from your current supervisor. If that’s not possible for whatever reason, one from a former supervisor is also acceptable. Choose your recommenders carefully -- a big name won’t help you as much as a thoughtful, positive letter from someone who knows your work well. The kiss of death is a recommendation where the person just checks off the boxes and doesn’t make any personal comments, so make sure to give your recommenders enough time to do a thorough job. Give them a copy of your application and résumé and brief them on how you believe that you can best contribute to your particular school. The more informed they are about the school and your application as a whole, the better the recommendation will be. A little-known tip: If given the option to provide an additional recommendation, think twice. Unless the recommender can really add something to your application, an additional rec can hurt you more than it can help you.

Essays: In the essays, you must clearly articulate your career goals, your potential for success in high-level management, and your ability to handle the academic challenges of the institution. Only your essays can convey the important facets of your work experience and the attractive aspects of your personality. Without nailing the essays, no matter how high your GMAT score is or how high your college GPA is, you will never be admitted to a top business school. More so than with undergraduate admissions, business schools absolutely require that you clearly demonstrate your ambition, confidence, maturity, passion, creativity, and career-focus. You can only communicate these qualities through your essays.


The Aftermath

Your applications have been sent, so now what? You may be asked to come in for an interview, or you might request one, but be sure to research each school’s policy. Some schools conduct interviews by invitation only, some will let anyone who wishes schedule an interview, and some don’t interview at all. At invitation-only schools, it’s generally a good sign if you are asked to interview, but again, know the school’s policy. Some schools interview all candidates who are under serious consideration, while others use the interview to make a call on a borderline application.

Your interview might be on campus, or with an alum or campus representative in your area. In either case, unless you’re told otherwise, dress professionally and treat it as you would a job interview: arrive promptly, don’t talk negatively about your boss or your coworkers, and make sure that you are prepared to talk about why you want an MBA, why that particular school is the one you want to attend, and what you can offer.

The Decision

If you’ve followed our tips, you should get fat acceptance envelopes (and with some schools, congratulatory phone calls) from every school you applied to. But even the best-laid plans go awry. On the off chance you’re waitlisted or rejected, what’s the next step?

If you find yourself waitlisted, be patient and don’t flood the admissions office with pleas from your grandma and your cousin Sue about why you should be admitted. It’s okay, however, to follow up with any supporting material that adds something new to your candidacy -- maybe you got a promotion at work, or you took the GMAT again and received a higher score. If you haven’t had an interview (at an interview-optional school), request one.

If -- and we truly hope you’re not reading this far -- you didn’t get in, think through your application to see where the weaknesses are and spend the next year addressing them. It may be that taking (and acing) a calculus class will help, or perhaps simply another year of work experience will do the trick.

Some schools, including Tuck, Fuqua, Kellogg, and the University of Michigan, will give you feedback on why you weren’t admitted if you ask. You should definitely take advantage of this and follow their recommendations. You can then reapply the next year and have a much better chance of admission.

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Hardwares: GMAT, TOEFL, GPA
Getting Through the GMAT
By Alicia Bell
Experts say that acing the GMAT doesn’t guarantee you’ll get into business school, but a low score can definitely keep you out. So how can you make sure you’re in the running? Check out our GMAT cheat sheet to learn how to tame the test.


What is the GMAT? Well, officially, the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is a three-and-a-half-hour exam designed to measure your verbal and quantitative skills and predict your academic performance in the first year of business school. The verbal section of the exam consists of reading comprehension, grammar, and logic questions, while the math section tests basic algebra, geometry, and arithmetic. The Analytical Writing Assessment consists of two 30-minute essays.


Now, not so officially: Although the GMAT theoretically tests your ability to do well in business school, some say all it tests is your ability to do well on the GMAT. But whether or not it’s a good predictor of either academic ability or future success in business, it is an important metric used in business school admissions. Like all standardized tests, the GMAT is a uniform tool for comparing students whose academic and professional backgrounds vary wildly.


How Well Do You Have to Do?

To be considered by elite schools, you need at least a 600. But the scores at the very best programs are much higher: The average scores at Stanford and Harvard last year were 722 and 699, respectively. However, it’s possible that schools are looking more at percentile scores than numeric scores right now because the CAT is so new. "Schools are very cautious because they don’t know how to evaluate it," says a Kaplan instructor. The 90th to 99th percentile usually gets you considered at the top programs. In general, the verbal and math subscores are less important than the total score, although some schools will look at the breakdown to see that a certain skill -- usually quantitative -- is up to par.


Many of the top schools will consider only your highest total score from a single test date. So if you got a 650 the first time you took the test and a 700 the second time, 700 will be the score they look at. Around 40% of schools will combine your highest verbal, quantitative, and total scores if they’re from different test dates. A few will look at only your most recent scores, and others will average your scores. Ask schools about their policies.


Incidentally, lest you think your score no longer matters once you’re admitted to school, keep in mind that some recruiters (McKinsey is one) will ask to see your GMAT scores.

Hint: You may have heard the rumor that the top schools don’t even look at writing samples because they have such a huge load of applications to review. While it’s not untrue -- according to a former member of the admissions committee at Harvard Business School, the writing score is generally only used to break a tie between two students -- don’t blow off the writing section. A stellar score can help you if you’re on the borderline.


TOEFL
The Test of English as a Foreign Language, known to most people as “TOEFL,” is designed to measure the English proficiency of people whose native language is not English. Colleges and universities in the United States and Canada require TOEFL test scores of their international applicants. A number of academic institutions in other countries, as well as certain independent organizations, agencies, and foreign governments, have also found the test scores useful. In addition, several medical certification and licensing agencies require TOEFL test scores.


Oversight of the Program — A national council on the testing of English as a foreign language was formed in 1962; its members were representatives of more than 30 private organizations and government agencies concerned with the English proficiency of nonnative speakers of English who wished to study at colleges and universities in the United States. The council supported the development of the TOEFL test for use starting in 1963-64. Financed by grants from the Ford and Danforth Foundations, the TOEFL program was administered, at first, by the Modern Language Association. In 1965, the College Board? and Educational Testing Service? (ETS?) assumed joint responsibility for the program. Since many who take the TOEFL test are potential graduate students, a cooperative arrangement for the operation of the program was entered by ETS, the College Board, and the Graduate Record Examinations? Board in 1973. Under this arrangement, ETS is responsible for administering the TOEFL program with oversight from the TOEFL Board.The TOEFL Board is comprised of 15 members. Some are affiliated with such institutions and agencies as undergraduate and graduate schools, junior and community colleges, nonprofit educational exchange organizations, and other public and private agencies with an interest in international education. Other members are specialists in the field of English as a foreign or second language.


Relatively, TOEFL is less important than the GMAT. But for most top B-schools, the average TOEFL score has been increasing in the past decade, with the current average of more than 645 (paper-based) and 275 (computer-based)


The importance of Universities and GPA
To some extent, GPA is less important than the GMAT for comprehensive reasons. First, since many applicants have left the school for many years, the GPA cannot efficiently measure the academic ability at the time of application. In addition, for different university and different major, the measurement value of GPA is quite different. For example, the courses of engineering must be more difficult than the courses of international business or marketing, and the GPA of some top schools sometimes is more rigid than other less top schools. So due to the relative lower efficiency to measure the academic ability of applicants, GPA is not so important as GMAT in evaluating the overall capability of applicants.


Of course, this does not mean that GPA is not important and cannot say anything. For applicants whose GPA is too low, they’d better to give a reasonable explanation to minimize the influence of the low GPA.


Usually, for top b-schools, average GPA has been more than 3.3. For instance, the average GPA of Wharton is more than 3.57 last year. But in most cases, the undergraduate university itself is more important than the GPA. It is obvious that an applicant from Qinghua or Beijing University whose GPA is comparatively low will have greater chance to get into a top school than an applicant from an infamous university whose GPA is very high if all the other material and backgrounds are the same.

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ESSAY
Importance
There are two kinds of interviews: phone and in person interview by alumni, senior students or admissions officers. For most top schools, interviews are required, but different schools have different requirements, and different schools take it in different importance. Like Harvard and Darden, which are 100% case study, interviews may be 100% important; but for many other schools, it is not. Also, some schools interview all of their applicants, like Michigan and Kellogg; but others just interview by invitation, like Harvard, Wharton, NYU, etc. In addition, B-schools often change their interview policies, so applicants should carefully investigate the interview requirements of school they will apply.

MBA Admissions Interview Tips


General

Be yourself; allow your personality to shine.
Respond to questions honestly and candidly.
Understand what is asked of you. Feel free to ask for a repeat if you don’t clearly understand a question.
Avoid the "smart-aleck" reply or the clever-flip demeanor (you know, the effort to be cute, snappy alert, falsely witty).
Do your homework on the school and program.
Be on time. Look nice.
Examine yourself. Know something about the MBA and how it can aid you.

Specific

Discuss special interests and ask how the school may help you to pursue them. For example, one representative particularly enjoyed talking to a young lady about her interest in fund-raising management.
Ask about faculty research and interests, especially in areas that concern you.
Review with representatives your work background, highlighting the benefits you received from the experiences.
Know something about the MBA degree and what it can do for you. Explore the possibilities of the degree as it relates to what you are seeking.
Inquire about the school’s philosophy, approach, and direction. Since management education is young, many schools are still defining and redefining themselves in regard to what they do and how they do it.
Inquire about facilities (library, computer equipment), housing, and campus life. A recent graduate chose a school based on its tremendous computer laboratory.
If financial aid is critical to you, ask about aid sources, its availability, and the name of the person responsible for administering the program.
Describe to the representatives who you are: your strengths, assets, traits needing development.
Discuss your college work, making special reference to those courses/projects that were valuable, exciting, worthwhile, and important to your future.
Be frank about problems — real or perceived — without rationalizing, apologizing, blaming, or excusing. Common problems may include grades, test scores, an inconsistent record, or minimal work experience.

Formal Questions
A group of applicants have offered the following as questions asked of them when they interviewed for admission to MBA programs:

Discuss your career progression.
Give examples of how you have demonstrated leadership inside and outside the work environment.
What do you want to do (in regard to business function, industry, location)?
Why the MBA? Why now?
Describe an ethical dilemma faced at work?
Describe your career aspirations?
What would you do if not accepted?
What are your long- and short-term goals? Why?
Why are you applying to business school?
Why does this school appeal to you?
What is an activity you are involved in? Why is it important to you?
Talk about experiences you have had at work.
Why are you interested in a general MBA program?
Why did you choose your undergraduate major?
Discuss yourself.
What contributions would you make to a group?
Name three words or phrases to describe yourself to others.
What is most frustrating at work?
How would co-workers describe you?
Describe a typical work day.
Have you worked in a team environment? What were your contributions to the effort?
Discuss any experience you have had abroad.
How did you choose your job after college?
What do you do to relieve stress?
It’s two years after graduation, what three words would your team members use to describe you?
Describe a situation where you brought an idea forward, and it failed.
How do you define success?
What would you do if a team member wasn’t pulling his own weight?
Is there anything you would like to ask me/us?

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Resume
Importance

It’s a hard truth: your résumé will usually be the first and only opportunity most admission officers have to get to know you and your skills. Because of the volume of résumés they receive, most admission officers will only give your résumé fifteen seconds to make your case for you. You not only have to make a great first impression — you have to do it fast!


Fortunately, there are many ways to craft a résumé that strategically highlights your skills and makes you and your qualifications stand out from the crowd. The following "Do’s and Don’ts" will help you develop a dynamic, powerful résumé that will enable you to sail through the employer’s initial fifteen-second screening process and earn your outstanding qualifications the closer look they deserve.

In today’s whirlwind work world, you need an OUTSTANDING résumé at hand at all times — a résumé that reflects your high standards, expectations, and goals.

Nine Tips for Better Résumés

Know your prospective employer’s needs. First, customize your résumé to reflect the aspects of your background that are most relevant to each organization you target. Then craft a cover letter that wows the employer with your specific knowledge of their needs and goals.
Know the position. Generic résumés are sometimes appropriate — for example, when sending a general inquiry to an executive recruiter announcing your availability. Still, the best résumés focus on a specific position and are customized to address it. Behind every job description is a set of clearly discernible employer needs. Without copying the language of the job description verbatim, you must make sure that your résumé addresses those needs, from identifying the job skills and accomplishments most relevant to the position to including the right industry buzzwords and "keywords."
Know yourself — your skills and your accomplishments. What skills are you particularly good at? What accomplishments are you proudest of? What have you achieved that gained you the most recognition? Interview yourself and inventory your previous jobs, the skills you acquired, and your "greatest hits" as a professional — the times when you impacted your organization the most. Look through your formal performance reviews for glowing appraisals, scan your work files for successes you may have forgotten about, or keep a personal career folder where you keep track of new skills you’ve learned or the comments of happy customers.
Be concrete, specific, quantitative. Don’t say "Developed e-commerce plan that was selected for implementation" when you mean "Designed $5 million e-commerce strategy that increased revenues by 12 percent and attracted six new clients." If you work for a private company and can’t disclose revenue figures, refer to percentage increases or improvements or cite the improved industry ranking of the organization’s product or performance as a result of your contribution. Think of numbers and other hard details as the proof that you can deliver.
Know your negatives. The vast majority of us have screwed up once or twice in our careers: been downsized, locked in a dead-end job, or just failed to work to our full potential for a time. You can’t lie about these career plateaus (see Tip No. 7) but you can present them in the best possible light so you have the chance to explain them fully if they come up during the interview. It all starts with your résumé. With the right strategy you can deal with everything from typecasting and job-hopping to limited experience and unemployment.
Don’t lie. Making up degrees, accomplishments, and other personal and professional facts is always a bad idea. Don’t do it — it’s unethical and potentially self-destructive. Employers won’t hesitate to show employees the door when they learn their résumé is more fiction than fact. But even less brazen forms of dishonesty should stay far from your résumé. For example, if you were one of six members of a team of managers with equal rank and responsibility, don’t say you "Served as lead of six-member management team
Focus on the employer. No matter how tempting, don’t get too carried away pointing out your brilliant accomplishments. Remember that the bottom line is convincing the employer that your real concern is helping them. Use your résumé to shown them you are a team-playing, organization-oriented individual. For example, always make clear how an achievement benefited the organization you worked for, and if appropriate to your background, be sure to salt your résumé with good cooperation-laden verbs like assist, contribute, support, or provide.
Be strategically creative. No, we don’t mean using DayGlo ink or faux marble résumé paper. We do mean bringing to the preparation of your résumé the same capacity for thinking outside the box that you bring to your career. For example, if the traditional chronological résumé will bury your best material near the bottom, consider using a "functional" résumé format or even a combination of the chronological and the functional. Similarly, if you paid for your entire college education, add a line mentioning this in your résumé’s education section. Want to let the employer know that you’re from a minority group without committing the no-no of adding a personal data section? Add a memberships section to your résumé and include the name of community organizations (for example, "South Asian Business Alliance of Ohio") you belong to so employers know what groups you identify with.
Use design elements to enhance your résumé. The skillful use of understated design elements can result in an eye-catching résumé that projects a sophisticated, successful image. These elements can be uncomplicated, such as using white space generously or replacing the traditional round bullet with the less common diamond- and arrow-shaped bullet. Or they can be more complex, such as using expanded text (kerning) to highlight a key term or enclosing the professional profile section of your résumé in a shaded box. Naturally, applicants for positions in management or traditional industries will want to stick with conservative typefaces and avoid "flashy" visual elements.

The Do’s
Place your strongest material in the two-inch visual space that begins about 2 5/8 inches from the top of your résumé. Make sure you include your most impressive, impactful achievements and qualifications in this "primetime" space. It’s where the reader’s eyes will focus first.
Use a professional profile or qualifications section in your résumé’s primetime space to give the employer a quick but concrete capsule of your achievements and skills. Write it when the rest of your résumé is complete and you’ve already decided what your strongest qualifications are.
Give the most weight to your most recent (past ten to fifteen years) professional position. The section of the résumé for your most recent position should contain more bulleted accomplishments than your previous positions. For each position, rank the accomplishments in order of decreasing relevance to the employer you are targeting.
Quantify your impact on the organizations you have worked for. If you reduced expenses, say by how much or by what percentage. If you supervised a project, say how many were on your team. Always ask yourself how you helped the organization, and insert the numbers that demonstrate that impact.
Pay as much attention to your résumé’s design as you do to its content. Use bullets or other appropriate symbols, insert rules (horizontal lines) to separate major sections, and use a 10-to-12-point conservative typeface for the body text of the résumé. Aim for 1-inch side margins and slightly smaller top and bottom margins.
Include publications, patents, presentations, honors, relevant volunteer experiences, and professional licenses or certifications in your résumé, particularly if they are relevant to the position you seek. These "extras" can sometimes be the factor that wins you the interview.
Edit and proofread mercilessly. Edit your résumé to reduce fluff and make every word count. Set your résumé aside for a few days and then come back to it again with "fresh eyes." Misspelled words and grammatical mistakes are the proverbial kiss of death in a résumé. Eliminate them.
Place your education after your experience if you’ve been in the workforce for more than five years. If the degree you earned is the most relevant or impressive detail of your education section, highlight it. If the school you attended is the selling point, emphasize it.
Use a two-page résumé if appropriate. Two-page résumés are fine (and in some cases, preferable) if you’ve been in the workforce for about ten years or more or have particularly impressive work experience.
Mail your résumé in a 9-by-12-inch labeled envelope rather than folded up in a standard No. 10 envelope. The impact and professional image this produces is worth the extra postage.

The Don’ts
Don’t make things up or inflate your accomplishments, level of responsibility, or skills.
Don’t confuse your résumé with your autobiography. While there are many pieces of information that your résumé must have, its primary purpose is to focus on the aspects of your life and career that address the employer’s needs.
Don’t automatically include a separate "objective" line at the beginning of the résumé. If you believe that stating your career objective will improve your chances, then mention the job title you seek in the "rofessional Profile" or "Qualifications" section at the beginning of the résumé (see "Do" number 2). More often than not, separate objective lines are too general and take up valuable space at the top of the résumé that could be better used to focus on the skills prospective employers need. Use your cover letter to explain your career objectives.
Don’t use pronouns ("I") or articles ("a," "the"). They detract from the force of your accomplishments, slow down the reader, and take up precious space.
Don’t provide personal data. Marital status, date of birth, height/weight, and similar non-work-related information can be used to illegally discriminate against applicants, and they rarely add anything of value to your qualifications.
Don’t repeat the same action words throughout the résumé. Instead of using the verb developed or led over and over, pull out your thesaurus and mix in terms like accelerated, delivered, directed, established, initiated, or reengineered.
Don’t leave out dates. Even if you choose the functional résumé format to minimize frequent job changes or lack of experience, include your dates of employment somewhere on your résumé (usually at the end).
Don’t use more detail than you need to convey your accomplishments. Dense, paragraph-sized bullet points make for tough reading. A good rule of thumb is to limit each bullet to one to two lines of text with three to five accomplishments for each position.
Don’t use clichéd adjectives like dynamic or self-starting. Let the details of your résumé and cover letter convince the employer that you have these qualities.
Don’t make your résumé a list of your job duties — make it a list of your accomplishments! Weave your job responsibilities into your descriptions of your accomplishments.

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Recommendation
Most undergraduate and graduate school applications require two or three letters of recommendation. Depending on whether you are applying to an academic program or professional degree-- for instance, business or law school -- these letters should come from former or current professors, employers, or supervisors who are familiar with your work and performance.
For academic applications, letters from teachers or professors are generally preferable to letters from employers. Admissions officers are looking to supplement their knowledge of your academic performance and aptitude -- gleaned from your transcript and standardized scores -- with concrete evidence that you are a dedicated and enthusiastic learner. Remember: most schools nowadays recognize the value of a dynamic, diverse student body and are thus eager to fill their spots with candidates who have been actively engaged in both academic and extracurricular activities. These letters should reflect not only your participation and performance in the classroom, but also your initiative (for instance, through research projects undertaken with the professor, through leadership in group activities, and through active contribution to classroom discussions).

If you are applying to a PhD program, make sure that at least two out of the three recommendations come from people within your field (or from a field that is closely related to the one you are about to enter. for instance, you might have a letter from a political scientist for an application to a PhD in Sociology, but you better have a real good reason to include a letter from your Medieval Poetry professor if you are hoping to enroll in a doctoral degree in Biochemistry).


Asking for a Recommendation

Writing a letter of recommendation requires considerable effort. Don’t just blurt out a request to a supervisor or instructor you see walking down the hallway. Choose your letter writers carefully, and plan out your timing and approach. Most importantly, don’t procrastinate.

ASK SOMEONE WHO KNOWS YOU WELL
When deciding on whom to ask for a letter of recommendation, don’t simply think of those classes or projects in which you have done well: think of those instructors or supervisors who are most familiar with your work and achievements. Admissions readers look for evidence of the letter writer’s familiarity with your work. Without this type of evidence, the letter lacks credibility and force.

College and Graduate School Applicants: If you are applying to an academic program, it’s preferable to have letters of recommendation from upper-level course instructors. Remember that, although letters from senior professors are often more impressive than ones penned by teaching assistants, most senior faculty members receive large numbers of recommendation requests. Depending on the size of your college, senior professors sometimes must teach a wide variety of courses. As a result, they seldom come into close contact with undergraduates. While you might be tempted to request a letter from a tenured academic superstar, refrain from doing so unless you know the recommendation will be strong. An impressive signature will not compensate for a lukewarm letter; in that case, it’s much better to have a stellar letter from a junior faculty member of TA who knows you well and can comment on your specific abilities and achievements. Keep in mind that sometimes a professor will be willing to co-sign a letter written by a TA, or will simply adapt and then sign a letter written by a TA.

Business School, Professional School, and Job Applicants: When applying to business schools, professional schools, and jobs, you should ideally have a letter from your current employer. If you have not been at your current job for very long, you might instead ask a former employer who is familiar with your work and achievements. The same rule of thumb described above applies here: although you might feel tempted to request a letter from your company’s CEO, refrain from doing so unless that CEO is indeed knowledgeable about your accomplishments. Your direct supervisors will generally be far more familiar with your work history and style, drafting a far more effective letter.

ASK EARLY
College and Graduate School Applicants: Don’t wait until the last minute. Instructors are invariably flooded with recommendation requests at the end of the semester (as well as near application deadlines), and you don’t want your letter to end up just one more item in a long To Do list. Likewise, be sure to take into account foreseeable busy periods at work and common holidays such as end-of-the-year vacations.

If you approach your instructor a few months before the deadline, you will avoid putting him or her under undue pressure, and you give him/her plenty of time to ponder your performance. As the deadline approaches, you can always send the letter of recommendation writer a friendly reminder of the impending deadline. A quick email or phone call should do the trick -- but don’t err on the side of pestering your letter writer.

A note on timing: it’s never a bad idea to begin cultivating relationships with key instructors early on in your academic career. Participate in class discussions, visit your instructors during office hours, and show an active interest in their research. Catching your instructor’s attention doesn’t necessarily make you a sycophant, and standing out among your peers might prove very useful later on when you actually request letters of recommendation.

Whether you are in high school, college, or graduate school, don’t wait until your last year to ask for letters. If you took a fascinating course your sophomore year and did particularly well in it, ask your professor for a letter at the end of the semester -- even if you don’t plan on filling out applications until your senior year. Most professors (or rather, their secretaries and assistants) keep copies of letters filed or saved for future reference; if you show up two years hence requesting a recommendation, that professor will already have a written record of your accomplishments.

Business School, Professional School, and Job Applicants: Whereas academic letter writers usually have a great deal of practice writing letters of recommendation, company employees -- even in the higher echelons -- vary widely in their experiences with recommendations. This is one among many great reasons to get the process started as early as you can.

In addition, it’s a good idea to continuously build your recommendation portfolio. Ask your employer or supervisor to write you a letter whenever you leave a job, branch, or office (assuming you are leaving in good terms) where you have a made a considerable contribution to the firm. A copy of the letter will prove invaluable later on if you ever decide to go for an MBA or apply for a position that requires such a letter, and it will help your by-then former employer to remember your specific qualities and accomplishments.

ASK PERSONALLY
When asking someone to write you a letter of rec, don’t simply send an email or leave a voicemail message. It’s to your advantage to ask the person face-to-face; not only does this allow you to clarify any doubts about the request, it automatically conveys to the recommendation writer just how important this letter is to you.

VOLUNTEER INFORMATION ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR PLANS
About yourself. Many instructors and supervisors deal with dozens of recommendation requests every year. Even if you are a stellar student or employee, they might not remember that smashingly astute comment you made on Kant’s Categorical Imperative back in March, or the speed with which you smoothened loan negotiations during that Korea project. Along with the letter of recommendation form and materials (see below), include a vivid reminder of your past accomplishments, particularly those with which your instructor or supervisor is already familiar. You might include a resume, a pared-down version of your personal statement, and/or a relevant writing sample (preferably one written for that particular instructor, and one which earned you a high grade or evaluation).

About Your Plans. If you intend to study agronomy and your instructor is under the impression you are planning on pursuing astronomy, your admissions readers might end up with either a hysterical or quizzical letter of recommendation. Make sure that your letter of recommendation writer is aware of your plans, even if they seem hazy to you at this point. State your plans clearly: "Mr. Guzman, I am applying to Colby College." "rof. Leary, I am applying to the PhD program in biochemistry at the University of Iowa." "Hank, I am applying to the Information Technology track of ISU’s MBA program." Write down your plans somewhere; that way, Mr. Guzman, Prof. Leary, and Hank won’t get confused.

Again, handing in a concise outline or summary of your personal statement is not a bad idea, especially if you focus on your achievements in that instructor’s class or under his/her supervision. Also consider giving your instructor or supervisor a copy of your resume, which should remind him/her that you are an individual with both focus and broad interests

PROVIDE THE LETTER WRITER WITH ALL THE NECESSARY MATERIALS
Most applications include specific forms for letter of recommendation writers. They often ask for both a written-out statement and a series of ranking or short questions. If you are asking your instructor for several versions of the letter -- for instance, if you are applying to a number of schools -- you might remind him/her that the statement need not be written directly on the sheet itself; it can simply be stapled to the form.

Always provide your letter of recommendation writer with stamped envelopes. If you are asking for multiple letters, it’s a good idea to organize all the forms in one folder and include a cover sheet with a list of the schools for which you are requesting letters. Remember to include envelopes of the appropriate size, and overestimate the value of stamps (remember that the instructor might attach extra pages to the form).

Some applications require the instructor to return the letter to you in a sealed envelope. Don’t forget to ask the writer to sign across the flap of the envelope.

Finally, you might consider providing the letter writer with a diskette for saving a copy of the letter. Chances are the letter writer saves these letters on his hard-drive anyway, but a new diskette might serve as a reminder of the importance of keeping a backfile. Letters, after all, have been lost in the mail before -- not to mention in admissions offices, which are flooded with mail around each application deadline -- and there’s always a chance you might have to ask for a second copy to be sent out.

WAIVE YOUR RIGHT TO READ THE LETTER
Federal Law grants you access to your letters of recommendation, but many applications include a form where you can waive your rights to read the letter. We highly recommend that you waive your right to read the letter when given the option to do so. Waiving your right reassures the admissions readers that the instructor has written a candid letter -- that is, without the bothersome pressure of knowing that you might read it one day. Studies have shown that confidential letters carry far more weight with admissions readers.

In addition, letter of recommendation writers are far more comfortable writing a complete, candid letter when they know the applicant will not have access to the text. If you fear that the letter writer might not do justice to your achievements or might include negative information -- well, that’s a good sign you should not be asking that person for a letter of recommendation.

SEND A THANK-YOU NOTE
Always send your letter of recommendation writer a thank-you note after you know the letter has been sent out -- whether or not you have heard from the school. Don’t wait to long to do this: a week or two is a good timeline. Of course, if you are eventually admitted to that coveted program or land that sought-after job, you might want to call up your letter writer to share your good news and thank him/her once again. Never hurts to quietly share your success, especially with those who helped you to achieve it.

Note for Business and Law School Applicants

The same rules above apply for business and law school applications, but these are often a bit morute aborate than regular college or graduate degree applications. Many business and law school applications spell out exactly what information they will be looking for in the letter of recommendation forms. The instructions will often include specific sub-questions such as:

Please provide us with a concrete instance in which the applicant demonstrated his or her leadership skills.

What are the applicant’s main strengths?
What are the applicant’s main weaknesses?
What will this applicant contribute to our program?

Letters that contain concrete, vivid anecdotes supporting their claims are stronger than ones that fail to go beyond abstract generalizations. Likewise -- and this is particularly true of that pesky question about your weaknesses -- letters that balance achievement with a candid assessment of perceived weaknesses are far more convincing than letters that contain only superlative comments. Admissions readers, even those at the top schools, are not interested in flawless candidates: because flawless candidates don’t exist. They are interested in people who are willing to tackle challenges and learn from their mistakes; thus, the best b-school letters of recommendation balance praise, candidness, concrete evidence, and convey both focus, breadth, enthusiasm, and resilience.

Writing the Letter Yourself

When requesting a letter of recommendation, don’t be surprised if your instructor or supervisor hands the forms back to you and says, "Sure, why don’t you go ahead and write the first draft yourself, and I’ll revise it and sign at the bottom."

Chances are, that person will already be handling (or dodging) a large number of such requests, and in addition busy schedules sometimes call for letter-writing delegation. This is particularly true within professional settings, where employees are expected to carry out self-evaluations.

You might at first find the assignment rather awkward, but this is a great opportunity to make sure the letter matches your goals and effectively highlights your most relevant achievements. When preparing to write a draft for your own letter of recommendation,

keep a few things in mind:

Balance praise with candidness. Many people feel uncomfortable praising themselves. If you are the shy type, cast aside your timidity and try to be objective about your accomplishments. Letters of recommendation are, by definition, laudatory: so grab a sheet of paper and make a list of your good qualities. On the other hand, don’t completely discard modesty and err on the side of pure, distilled self-praise: your supervisor might not agree that you are indeed "superhumanly brilliant", and anyway admissions readers are much keener on candid, well-balanced letters than ones rife with superlatives.
Pick wisely and discard the fluff. Writing your own letter of recommendation is not unlike putting together your resume: you must choose your accomplishments carefully. A letter that highlights two or three specific qualities, accomplishments, and achievements is far stronger than one that covers all your positive traits. If you are having trouble paring down the content, ask a friend or colleague to look over the text and pick out the most impressive points.
Maintain credibility. Concentrate on making the letter believable. This doesn’t mean just sticking with the facts; it means finding a voice that accurately portrays you from the recommendation writer’s perspective. Remember that the letter must be stylistically different from your other submitted written work. Vary your vocabulary, adapt expressions, and generally avoid phrasing things exactly as you did, say, in your personal statement or cover letter.
Avoid redundancy. Don’t repeat accomplishments that have been described in detail elsewhere in your application. The letter should support your main accomplishments rather than merely rehash your resume. Write about these accomplishments in a new light, expanding on areas where you did not have the opportunity to elaborate on elsewhere in the application or cover letter.
See the writing a letter section.

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Interview
Importance
There are two kinds of interviews: phone and in person interview by alumni, senior students or admissions officers. For most top schools, interviews are required, but different schools have different requirements, and different schools take it in different importance. Like Harvard and Darden, which are 100% case study, interviews may be 100% important; but for many other schools, it is not. Also, some schools interview all of their applicants, like Michigan and Kellogg; but others just interview by invitation, like Harvard, Wharton, NYU, etc. In addition, B-schools often change their interview policies, so applicants should carefully investigate the interview requirements of school they will apply.

MBA Admissions Interview Tips


General

Be yourself; allow your personality to shine.
Respond to questions honestly and candidly.
Understand what is asked of you. Feel free to ask for a repeat if you don’t clearly understand a question.
Avoid the "smart-aleck" reply or the clever-flip demeanor (you know, the effort to be cute, snappy alert, falsely witty).
Do your homework on the school and program.
Be on time. Look nice.
Examine yourself. Know something about the MBA and how it can aid you.

Specific

Discuss special interests and ask how the school may help you to pursue them. For example, one representative particularly enjoyed talking to a young lady about her interest in fund-raising management.
Ask about faculty research and interests, especially in areas that concern you.
Review with representatives your work background, highlighting the benefits you received from the experiences.
Know something about the MBA degree and what it can do for you. Explore the possibilities of the degree as it relates to what you are seeking.
Inquire about the school’s philosophy, approach, and direction. Since management education is young, many schools are still defining and redefining themselves in regard to what they do and how they do it.
Inquire about facilities (library, computer equipment), housing, and campus life. A recent graduate chose a school based on its tremendous computer laboratory.
If financial aid is critical to you, ask about aid sources, its availability, and the name of the person responsible for administering the program.
Describe to the representatives who you are: your strengths, assets, traits needing development.
Discuss your college work, making special reference to those courses/projects that were valuable, exciting, worthwhile, and important to your future.
Be frank about problems — real or perceived — without rationalizing, apologizing, blaming, or excusing. Common problems may include grades, test scores, an inconsistent record, or minimal work experience.

Formal Questions
A group of applicants have offered the following as questions asked of them when they interviewed for admission to MBA programs:

Discuss your career progression.
Give examples of how you have demonstrated leadership inside and outside the work environment.
What do you want to do (in regard to business function, industry, location)?
Why the MBA? Why now?
Describe an ethical dilemma faced at work?
Describe your career aspirations?
What would you do if not accepted?
What are your long- and short-term goals? Why?
Why are you applying to business school?
Why does this school appeal to you?
What is an activity you are involved in? Why is it important to you?
Talk about experiences you have had at work.
Why are you interested in a general MBA program?
Why did you choose your undergraduate major?
Discuss yourself.
What contributions would you make to a group?
Name three words or phrases to describe yourself to others.
What is most frustrating at work?
How would co-workers describe you?
Describe a typical work day.
Have you worked in a team environment? What were your contributions to the effort?
Discuss any experience you have had abroad.
How did you choose your job after college?
What do you do to relieve stress?
It’s two years after graduation, what three words would your team members use to describe you?
Describe a situation where you brought an idea forward, and it failed.
How do you define success?
What would you do if a team member wasn’t pulling his own weight?
Is there anything you would like to ask me/us?

wuliao98

wonderful article!!

fastrunner

good article, thanks!

飘雨的午后

3x...

sunhong81

up!