Success Story Part 6: "The D-Day Trilogy (+1)"

(This is the sixth in a series of blog posts in which Julie DeLoyd, a Veritas Prep GMAT alumna-turned-instructor, will tell the story of her experience through the MBA admissions process. Julie will begin her MBA program at Chicago Booth this fall. You can also read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5 to learn Julie's whole story.)

I applied to Harvard, Stanford, Chicago Booth, Kellogg, and Michigan. By December, I’d been interviewed by Booth, Kellogg, and Michigan. As I hadn’t received any invite from Stanford or Harvard, I basically stopped thinking about my status and expected dings on decision day. (Side note: I actually can’t stand that word “ding.” Why don’t people just say “rejected”? It’s much more apt… and not as bell-like. But, I digress.)


By December, folks on the Business Week forums were posting rumors on how schools were going to start releasing decisions. The Chicago Booth admissions committee had announced they’d release results over a two-day period in December, in part so the rejected applicants still had time to apply Round 2 to other schools. The rumor was those who were accepted on the first day would be offered scholarships. For me, I had a hard time sleeping the night before that first day of calls. The prospect of actually getting in to one of these great schools was daunting enough, the prospect of having to find a way to pay for that education—in some ways—was even worse.

The call came the next morning. Sure enough it was a member of the Chicago Booth admissions committee. Not only had I gotten admitted, but the rumors turned out to be true (for me, at least). They offered me an almost full-tuition merit scholarship. The woman who called was an AdCom that I’d actually met a couple of times before, so it was a very personal phone call. More so than any other calls I ended up getting, I felt like a friend was calling to share good news. Since my scholarship wouldn’t cover all of tuition, she did mention that there were some fellowships available that I might be interested in as well. I followed up with her later on this (and will tell y’all about it in my next post).

Most other decisions wouldn’t be released until January, so once again I had some waiting to do. During this time I got more excited about Chicago Booth. The admissions director, Rose Martinelli, called me herself to check in and answer any questions I had. Additionally, she wanted to assure me there was a lesbian support network there, including a few prominent professors and administrators. She even connected me with one of these professors who talked with me on the phone for several hours on a Saturday afternoon. Additionally, Rose connected me with another current student who I have a lot in common with and who is now someone I’m lucky to call a friend. Chicago’s early decision date made it so that by the time the next round of news came in I was already finding myself with my heart set on Chicago (even though it was the bottom of my list when I started!)

While I awaited the responses from Michigan and Kellogg—though everyone ELSE seemed to be hearing from Kellogg already—I went on a trip to visit family for the holidays. Late December, I was having another night of restless sleep and I checked my email for no particular reason. I had another Punk’d moment where I looked around to see if someone was watching and about to make fun of me—but no, I’d been invited to interview at Stanford. The school I applied to knowing full well that no one gets interviewed, much less accepted. So even though my heart had grown attached to Chicago, now I went into high research mode for my Stanford interview. Through my research, I remembered all the reasons that it had been one of my top choices to begin with. Still, I tried not to get my hopes up.

Shortly thereafter, the final Kellogg decision day loomed. At this point applicants had already been hearing responses for, oh, 2 months. Tons of waitlist responses were being released these last few days on the forums, with a little smattering of accepts and rejections were in the mix as well. Still, I was pretty sure the deny email was on its way, and I didn’t much care anymore. With Stanford now on the table, and Chicago in the bag, it didn’t matter much. Surprisingly I found a message on my phone on the final decision day—Accepted.

My inner cartoon Scooby made a questioning “Rranrf?” noise in my head, but I called and confirmed. They’d accepted me. The very last possible moment they could. Yeah, this bugged me. Maybe I’d been spoiled at this point by Chicago, but it still somehow felt like I was an afterthought. I gave them a lot of constructive feedback when I ultimately rejected their offer (including the fact that their scholarships aren’t offered until you go through a whole separate process, post-acceptance).

I got the phone call from Michigan around this time as well—accepted, with full-tuition scholarship offer to boot! In this case, the director of admissions called me personally. I appreciated this high-touch recruitment effort, and felt bad knowing that I wouldn’t be accepting their offer. Really, in almost every way, I was incredibly impressed by Michigan’s admissions team. One small example? Their accepted student’s welcome packet is the best I’d seen from anywhere. Included was a Michigan Ross T-shirt (XL, which was maybe their ONE misstep), and a nice Michigan Ross binder with all of the information any incoming student could possibly need (including two pages of buildings where students commonly live--with commuting times by bike, walking, and car, as well as the pet policies for each building). Though I didn’t ultimately decide to go to Michigan, the caliber of excellence displayed in their recruiting efforts and in my fellow admitted students makes me excited to some day have the opportunity to work for or hire a Michigan grad.

At first I thought this new scholarship offer might give me a little bargaining leverage with Chicago (which had become my top choice of the three), but even a full-tuition scholarship at Michigan was worth less than the scholarship Chicago had already offered me. Though I’d have to pay more out of pocket, the tuition at Michigan was notably less expensive than Chicago’s.

Stanford’s decision was the real wild card at this point. My future was decided but for this one outlier. I started feeling like I was on a roll and maybe would actually get admitted to Stanford and have to figure out the Chicago-to-Palo-Alto commute for me and my wife after all. My record had been pretty good, so as the word of phone calls started coming out I stayed by my phone, expecting a phone call. I waited all night. (Derek makes his calls throughout the night, oddly enough.) Just as I was beginning to think that I was about to get a “deny,” I check my email to see one of the most dreaded results.

“Waitlisted.”

Now, I’m not seriously complaining about being waitlisted at Stanford. I’m incredibly honored to have been put on the list. But the wait had already been driving me crazy, and this was supposed to be Decision-Day. The official results wouldn’t be announced until the end of May. So I approached my Chicago acceptance with hesitance and another possibility looming over my head…

NEXT UP: “Distinguished” Fellow and the Stanford Decision

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GMAT Tip of the Week

There Must Be An Easier Way

(This is one of a series of GMAT tips that we offer on our blog.)

If you've been a loyal reader of this space for a year or so, you may have read something similar to this post back in the fall of 2008, but it bears repeating. Business schools aren't particularly interested in "human calculators," but they do express a direct preference for problem solvers -- those who can efficiently make good decisions. As such, the quantitative side of the GMAT is skewed toward that kind of thinking, and rewards test-takers who can efficiently and accurately analyze numbers.

Because of that, Veritas Prep GMAT tutors have long encouraged their students to become adept at using fractions to simplify calculations on the exam. Simply put, GMAT problems are much more efficiently solved using fractions than using long division or decimals. Recently, your author had a chance to put this practice in to real-world use when he had to confront the daunting.... metric system!

While driving through France to personally investigate the topic of last week's blog post, the Tour de France bicycle race, I encountered road signs that all expressed distances in terms of kilometers, a unit of measure that doesn't quite satisfy my American appetite for knowledge of "are we there yet?". However, driving a foreign car while navigating roundabouts with signs posted in French didn't leave me with much mental capacity to calculate mileage using the 1 kilometer = 0.62 miles conversion... until I decided that 0.62 is almost exactly 3/5.

Using a fraction like 3/5, instead of a decimal like 0.62 (or even 0.6) allowed me to quickly convert kilometers to miles to satisfy my desire to know how far it would be to the next gas station, restaurant, or exit. 150 km? Simply divide by 5 and multiply by 3, and I could quickly determine that it was approximately 90 miles.

On the GMAT, just like while driving, you will want to avoid tedious calculations. Using fractions will allow you to make quick calculations and decisions without the mess or stress (rhyme unintentional) of handwritten calculations.

To receive more GMAT Tips of the Week, be sure to follow us on Twitter!

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Duke (Fuqua) Application Deadlines for 2009-2010

Duke University's Fuqua School of Business hasn't yet released its application for the coming year, but the school did recently release its application deadlines for 2009-2010 (click on the "When to Apply" tab on the Fuqua site).

Here they are, followed by our comments in italics:

Duke (Fuqua) Application Deadlines
Early Action Round: October 6, 2009
Round 1: November 12, 2009
Round 2: January 7, 2010
Round 3: March 9, 2010

(Note that, unlike most other schools' Early Action rounds, Fuqua's is binding; schools normally call it "Early Decision" when it is binding. We only recommend applying via Early Action if your heart is set on Duke. If you are admitted, you must submit a non-refundable $3,000 deposit by December 10, 2009. Interestingly, you only need to submit an official transcript once you are admitted.)

For more advice on applying to Fuqua, visit Veritas Prep's Duke (Fuqua) information page, and be sure to follow us on Twitter!

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Dartmouth (Tuck) Admissions Essays and Deadlines for 2009-2010

Dartmouth College's Tuck School of Business won't release its full 2009-2010 application until mid-August, but the school has already announced its application deadlines for the coming year, and has also spread the word that its admissions essays will carry over unchanged from last year.

As always, our comments follow in italics:

Tuck Application Deadlines
Early Action Round: 10/14/09
November Round: 11/11/09
January Round: 1/6/10
April Round: 4/2/10

(Tuck is one of the few top business schools to offer an Early Action admissions option. "Early Action" means that the decision is non-binding, although if you are admitted you will need to send in a deposit by mid-January, or else you will give up your seat. If Tuck is your top choice, or at least a very close 2nd or 3rd choice, Early Action is a great way to signal your enthusiasm for the school.)

Tuck Application Essays

(There are no hard word limits for Tuck's essays, but Tuck does provide some guidance. According to the school's web site, "Although there is no restriction on the length of your response, most applicants use, on average, 500 words for each essay.")

1. Why is an MBA a critical next step toward your short- and long-term career goals? Why is Tuck the best MBA program for you?
   
   (This is the fairly standard "Why an MBA? Why this school?" question that most schools ask. Tuck takes the concept of "fit" very seriously when evaluating candidates -- maybe more so than any other top school, given its small class size and remote location -- so be sure that you can present a compelling argument for why Tuck in particular is the right place for you to earn your MBA.)


2. Tuck defines leadership as "inspiring others to strive and enabling them to accomplish great things." We believe great things and great leadership can be accomplished in pursuit of business and societal goals. Describe a time when you exercised such leadership. Discuss the challenges you faced and the results you achieved. What characteristics helped you to be effective, and what areas do you feel you need to develop in order to be a better leader?
   
   (Wow, this is a lot of ground to cover in about 500 words! You will keep your response focused on one single situation, what action you took, and what the results were. The last part, about areas that you need to develop, could make for a whole separate essay by itself, but you will need to succinctly respond to this. Your response here may or may not tie into the situation you describe earlier in the essay, although ideally you won't introduce an entirely new theme with only 100 words to go in your essay.)


3. Discuss the most difficult constructive criticism or feedback you have received. How did you address it? What have you learned from it?
   
   (We tend to like this question better than "What is your biggest weakness," because it starts with an actual experience -- the feedback you received -- and asks you to reflect upon it. As with all "weakness" responses, you want to give an honest, real response, but you also don't want to give an answer that could ruin your entire candidacy. The best answer will address a true weakness, but will be backed up by progress you have made in overcoming it.)


4. Tuck seeks candidates of various backgrounds who can bring new perspectives to our community. How will your unique personal history, values, and/or life experiences contribute to the culture at Tuck?
   
   (This is a good chance to specifically highlight any strengths or themes that may need more emphasis in your application. Everything in your background is fair game here: your work experience, your personal life, and your hobbies all make you unique!)

For more advice on applying to Tuck, visit the Veritas Prep Tuck information page, or download our FREE Veritas Prep Annual Reports!And, be sure to follow us on Twitter!

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Announcing Six New MBA Admissions Blueprint Cities for August!

After the success of our first two MBA Admissions Blueprint events in New York City over the past year, we've expanded the event to include SIX cities in late August! Next month we will run MBA Admissions Blueprint events in New York, Boston, Chicago, Washington DC, Los Angeles, and San Francisco!

What is MBA Admissions Blueprint? It's a one-day event that brings together some of Veritas Prep's top MBA admissions experts will applicants who are ready to get a head start in the admissions process. In the morning you will attend a seminar to get an overview of Veritas Prep's MBA Game Plan^TM methodology for strategically approaching your business school application.

Then, in the afternoon, you will meet one-on-one with an experienced Veritas Prep admissions expert for an hour, to get specific advice on your candidacy. Use this time however you'd like -- to review your resume, discuss your long-term career goals, or identify which schools are the best fit for you.

Follow the links below to register for the MBA Admissions Blueprint event nearest you:

• New York - August 22


• Washington DC - August 23


• Boston - August 29


• Los Angeles - August 29


• Chicago - August 30


• San Francisco - August 30

Registration for each event costs $250, and is very limited to ensure these are intimate events, so register soon to ensure that you have a seat!

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Berkeley (Haas) Admissions Essays for 2009-2010

Recently we posted the Haas School of Business' application deadlines for 2009-2010. Haas has since posted its admissions essays for the coming year. Our comments follow in italics:

Haas Application Essays

(Note that we present these essays in a different order than what you will see on the Haas web site.)

Required Essays:

1. Give us an example of a situation in which you displayed leadership. (500 words)
   
   (This question carries over from last year. Right out of the gate, Haas wants you to show how you are a leader. This should give you a clear idea of how important this trait is to the Haas admissions office when evaluating applicants. You don't need to have a big job title or have a team of ten people reporting to you. Think about any time when you showed leadership -- maybe by overcoming an obstacle, or by helping a colleague or was struggling -- regardless of your role or the circumstances.)


2. What are your post-MBA short-term and long-term career goals? How do your professional experiences relate to these goals? How will an MBA from Berkeley help you achieve these specific career goals? (1000 words)
   
   (This question carries over from last year, with the addition of "post-MBA" to the question. Pretty standard question here: Where do you see yourself in a few years (and beyond that), and why do you need an MBA to get there? Specifically, why do you need a Haas MBA to get there?)

Short answer:

1. What are you most passionate about? Why? (250 words)
   
   (This is new this year. This question reminds us a little bit of Stanford's "What matters most to you, and why?" question. The key here is to write about something that you really, really care about. A good litmus test is this: How knowledgeable are you about the subject? Many applicants will be tempted to go bold and say something like "Fighting hunger is what I'm most passionate about," because they feel like that's just what one is supposed to say here, but then can't back it up with facts... and passion. Admissions officers will see right through this, so keep it real!)


2. Tell us about your most significant accomplishment. (250 words)
   
   (This question carries over from last year. All things being equal, a story from your professional life will serve you best, but don't feel that your significant accomplishment MUST be from the workplace.)


3. At Haas, we value innovation and creativity. Describe a time when you created positive change in a group or an organization. (250 words)
   
   (This one also carries over from last year, although it's worded a bit differently to take the emphasis off of an "innovative solution" you created and instead emphasize the impact you had on those around you. We consider this type of impact to be one of the real signs of leadership, so it's not surprising that Haas asks for it here. Be mindful of that when you answer this question... What real, tangible impact did your solution have?)


4. What steps have you taken to learn about the Berkeley MBA program, and what factors have influenced your decision to apply? (250 words)
   
   (This one also carries over from last year. Regular readers of this blog know how we feel... You'd better have better reasons for applying than "Because it's a top-ten program!" The Haas admissions team seeks evidence that you've really done your homework on the school.)

Supplemental questions:

1. If you have not provided a letter of recommendation from your current supervisor, please explain; otherwise, enter N/A.


2. List in order of importance all community & professional organizations and extracurricular activities in which you have been involved during or after university studies. Indicate the nature of the activity or organization, dates of involvement, offices held, & average number of hours spent per month.


3. List full-time and part-time jobs held during undergraduate or graduate studies, indicating the employer, job title, employment dates, location, and the number of hours worked per week for each position held prior to the completion of your degree.


4. Please explain all gaps in your employment since earning your university degree.


5. Beyond the courses that appear on your academic transcripts, please discuss other ways in which you have demonstrated strong quantitative abilities.


6. If you have ever been subject to academic discipline, placed on probation, suspended or required to withdraw from any college or university, please explain. If not, please enter N/A. (An affirmative response to this question does not automatically disqualify you from admission.)
   
   
   (Note the comment following that last question. If you have a blemish in your past, don't try to hide it. Better to address it directly, explain what you learned and how you've changed, and move on.)
   

For more advice on applying to UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business, visit Veritas Prep's Haas information page, or download our FREE Veritas Prep Annual Reports!. And be sure to follow us on Twitter!

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GMAT Tip of the Week

No Chain!

(This is one of a series of GMAT tips that we offer on our blog.)

This weekend, some of the best-conditioned, hardest-working human beings on the planet will complete one of the most grueling challenges known to man. At the same time, some of those not taking the GMAT will finish the Tour de France, a similarly daunting challenge. What can you, as a test-taker, learn from the champions of the grand Tour?

Perhaps the buildup to yesterday's stage, an Individual Time Trial that pits man against clock (much like the GMAT), is the best illustration of a Tour tactic that will help you succeed on the exam. If you watched the pre-race coverage, you likely saw footage of the elite riders - Armstrong, Contador, Sastre - spinning along on bike trainers in anticipation of their races. Their motions looked effortless, as they spun small gears for a visual effect that looked like they were riding bikes without chains. The goal? To build a healthy heartrate and facilitate the range of motion they would need to employ throughout the race without burning unnecessary energy or taxing themselves beyond a basic warmup.

What does this mean for you?

The day before you take the GMAT, and the morning of the exam if you have a later-in-the-day appointment, you'll likely have enough nervous energy that you'll want to go through more practice problems, or (Heavens, no!) take a final practice test. However, like the Tour riders, you'll want to save your mental stamina and preserve your conditioning and confidence for the event that truly counts. At this point in your studies, you should be a well-conditioned "GMAT athlete", with "ranges of motion" in the form of strategies and progressions that you employ for each type of problem. Accordingly, you'll want to practice those progressions to satisfy your nervous energy and warm up for the exam itself, but you certainly don't want to tax yourself counterproductively, and the nature of the GMAT offers another nasty byproduct of last-minute preparation - you could accidentally hit a particularly-difficult patch of problems and, via happenstance, distraction, nerves, or any combination thereof, make a few errors that will strike a blow to your all-important confidence heading in to the test.

Because of these potential factors, envision your final 24 hours of GMAT prep as a "bicycle ride without a chain", going through the thought process of questions you've done before to remind yourself of the step-by-step progression you'll use, the errors you'll need to anticipate and correct, etc. In this way, you'll remind yourself of all the things that you know how to do well, without the potential for fatigue or self-doubt that could unravel the preparation you have already done. The GMAT is an endurance event, and as any well-conditioned endurance athlete can tell you, the taper is a crucial part of any training regimen as one allows himself to conserve energy and build confidence heading in to the event. You have trained like a champion - in the time immediately before your exam, prepare yourself to perform like one!

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Veritas Prep's Own Adam Hoff Interviewed by Law School Podcaster

Prospective law students will be pleased to learn that a new resource has become available that will help them navigate the difficult path to a legal education. The folks at the highly successful MBA Podcaster have expanded into the law school world with the appropriately named Law School Podcaster.

Three episodes are already available for download and feature topics such as planning for the admissions process, piecing together a great application, and choosing the right schools. Veritas Prep is pleased to have been a guest on the premiere episode, as Adam Hoff, Director of Admissions Consulting and Research, was featured on the initial panel of experts.

Students can access the podcasts through either the Law School Podcaster website or by subscribing through iTunes.

To learn more about what we do, take a look at Veritas Prep's law school admissions consulting offerings, including our very popular JD/MBA admissions consulting practice.

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Five Things You Should Know About the GMAT but Don't

Recently we conducted an informal poll of business school applicants preparing for the GMAT. We wanted to learn more about what GMAT students know -- and what they don't know -- about the exam. Some of the results surprised us. It turns out that there are some critically importance details about the GMAT that many students do not know, and, even more dangerously, there are some myths out there that need to be dispelled.

From the results of the poll we created this list of Five Things You Should Know About the GMAT but Don't:

1. Your Verbal and Quantitative scores matter at least as much as your overall score. Some test takers hope that an exceptionally strong performance on one section of the GMAT will overcome a weak performance on the other section. However, MBA admissions officers care about both sections’ scores, not just the overall score, so a balanced strong performance is critical. While it is by no means a mandatory minimum score, applicants can improve their chances of admissions by reaching the GMAT’s "golden ratio," with scores in at least the 80th percentile on both the Quantitative and Verbal sections and an overall score of at least 700.
   


2. You’re not doomed if you miss the first few questions on the GMAT. Many people wrongly assume that the first questions matter far more than any subsequent questions in computer adaptive exams, which present questions of greater difficulty if a question is answered correctly, and questions of lower difficulty if a question is answered incorrectly. No less than the Graduate Management Admission Council, which runs the GMAT, has publicly debunked this myth. In reality, computer adaptive exams such as the GMAT are very sophisticated, and will accurately home in on one’s true ability by the end of the test, whether or not a student accidentally misses an easy question early on.
   


3. You don’t need to master difficult math concepts to do well on the GMAT. In reality, the math tested on the GMAT is high school- or middle school-level arithmetic, and does not require advanced knowledge of finance or calculus. The GMAT is designed to evaluate a student’s ability to reason (such as the capacity to recognize patterns), as opposed to gauging how well test-takers understand advanced mathematical concepts.
   


4. Business schools do not look unfavorably upon people who take the GMAT multiple times. Admissions officers realize that a single test sitting does not necessarily reflect a candidate’s true ability. In general, they are very open to considering an applicant’s best score among multiple scores—and many applicants do in fact take it more than once. However, taking it more than three times can be a red flag to an admissions officer.
   


5. Retired real GMAT questions are not the only ones suitable for studying. While going "straight to the source" to get GMAT practice questions certainly makes sense, by no means are previous questions the only questions that can give an applicant an accurate feel for the real GMAT. In fact, retired questions are only published after they have been out of use for five years, during which time the test continues to evolve. GMAT experts, such as those at Veritas Prep, constantly monitor the exam and frequently create new questions to reflect these changes, preparing applicants for what they will see on test day.

For more information on how to prepare for the GMAT, take a look at the GMAT prep resources at Veritas Prep. If you want to get a first-hand look at one of our courses, sign up for our Free Virtual Trial Class, running on July 28!

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Chicago Booth Admissions Essays and Deadlines for 2009-2010

The Chicago Booth admissions office recently announced its admissions deadlines and application essays for the coming year. These will help you start planning your Chicago Booth application. Our comments follow in italics:

Chicago Booth Application Deadlines
Round 1: October 14, 2009
Round 2: January 6, 2010
Round 3: March 10, 2010

(These deadlines haven't changed much vs. last year's. Note that, like other top MBA programs, Booth is is pushing to get all of its Round 1 decisions out before the holiday season. If Booth is your top choice, this will give you a chance to know your status with the school before you decide whether or not you need to work on Round 2 applications at your backup schools.)

Chicago Booth Application Essays

1. How did you choose your most recent job/internship and how did this experience influence your future goals? What about the Chicago Booth MBA makes you feel it is the next best step in your career at this time? (750-1000 words)
   
   (This is a new question for Booth his year, although, at its core, it's still the same "Why an MBA? Why now?" question that every business schools asks. What's interesting is how much emphasis this question places on your most recent job. This suggests that Booth wants to know more about your career choices to date, rather than just your future goals. If your experiences don't all line up into a perfectly neat, well-thought-out career trajectory, that's okay. But be prepared to show some introspection and communicate credible reasons why a Booth MBA is a logical next step.)


2. For reapplicants only: Upon reflection, how has your thinking regarding your future, Chicago Booth, and/or getting an MBA changed since the time of your last application? (250 words)

(Ahh, "reflection." Notice a theme here? Again, Booth looks for true introspection. What makes this different than many other schools' reapplicant questions is that it asks what's changed about your thinking, not what new jobs you have taken on or achievements you have earned. A strong answer to this question will still highlight these things, but the school also again wants to see evidence that you're really digging deep to understand why a Booth MBA is right for you.)


3. Please choose one of the following (500 - 750 words):
   
   Describe a time when you wish you could have retracted something you said or did. When did you realize your mistake and how did you handle the situation?
   
   or
   
   Describe a time when you were surprised by feedback that you received. What was the feedback and why were you surprised?
   
   (Both of these options are new this year. Usually, when a school replaces or changes its essay questions, it's because the old ones weren't giving the school what it needed in terms of really getting to know applicants and distinguishing one from the next. Both of these questions are a little different than the norm, and we even consider the first one a bit risky. However, that's a good thing -- don't shy away from discussing a serious mistake you made and what you learned from it, because such an experience can make for a terrific essay. The key, as always, will be to not only discuss the mistake, but also write about what you learned from it.)

Slide Presentation

In four slides or less please answer the following question: What have you not already shared in your application that you would like your future classmates to know about you?

We have set forth the following guidelines for you to consider when creating your presentation.

• The content is completely up to you. There is no right or wrong approach to this essay.


• Feel free to use the software you are most comfortable with. Acceptable formats for upload in the online application system are PowerPoint or PDF.


• There is a strict maximum of four slides, though you can provide fewer than four if you choose.


• Slides will be printed and added to your file for review, therefore, flash, hyperlinks, embedded videos, music, etc. will not be viewed by the committee. You are limited to text and static images to convey your points. Color may be used.


• Slides will be evaluated on the quality of content and ability to convey your ideas, not on technical expertise or presentation.


• You are welcome to attach a document containing notes if you feel a deeper explanation of your slides is necessary. However the hope is the slide is able to stand alone and convey your ideas clearly. You will not be penalized for adding notes but you should not construct a slide with the intention of using the notes section as a consistent means of explanation.

(Here Chicago Booth asks you to present yourself creatively and succinctly. Almost nothing is out of bounds, but you really must ensure that these slides add something new to your application -- don't use it to just show off professional achievements that you already cover elsewhere in your application. Be creative, and show some personality!!)

For more advice on applying to Booth, visit the Veritas Prep Chicago Booth information page, or download our FREE Veritas Prep Annual Reports. And, be sure to follow us on Twitter!

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Cool MBA Tool: List of Online Pre-MBA Courses in Calculus, Accounting, Finance and Statistics

Applying to MBA programs and need to bolster your GPA?

The one issue I see with MBA applicants is their inability to properly account for their undergraduate performance:

• Most think that an admissions comittee will gloss over a few low grades during the applicant's freshman year.


• Other's believe that using the optional application essay to point out low academic performance or non-traditional undergraduate degree will suffice.

However, these applicants are missing the point.

• Admissions committees are keen on the "show and tell" not just the "tell". Most applicants miss the opportunity to bolster their undergraduate performance by taking recent courses relavent to the MBA experience.


• Remember that demonstrated success in quantitative coursework is a strong signal to an admissions committee that you can handle the quantitative rigor of the MBA core courses.


• Throwing gasoline on the fire, most MBA are torn between a number of current professional and personal responsibilities that push this priority to just below watching paint dry.

To help the prospective MBA get a grasp on taking an additional course(s) to bolster their academics, I have put together a list of online courses via Google docs.

• Admissions committees want to see an A grade in these courses. They are less concerned about the school name and online/in-class format.


• Click here: List of Pre-MBA Online Courses

Paul Lanzillotti

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Introducing Our First Free Trial Online GMAT Class!

Introducing another first in the history of Veritas Prep! For the first time ever, we're offering students a chance to sit in on the first class of our Virtual Veritas Prep live online GMAT class for free, with no strings attached! Our July 28 Free Virtual Trial Class gives you an excellent chance to attend the first class of our 14-session Virtual Veritas course, meet your Veritas Prep instructor, see Veritas Prep's GMAT prep methodology in action, and get a feel for our online learning environment.

What is Virtual Veritas Prep? It's one of our two online GMAT courses, and it gives you access to one of our top-rated instructors (who has scored in the 99th percentile on an actual GMAT exam, of course), just like in an in-person Veritas Prep course. It's ideal if you don't live close to any of the 90 locations where we offer traditional in-person classes, or if you simply prefer the flexibility of attending class online. You'll receive the same 15 lesson booklets, 15 GMAT practice tests, more than 1800 problems, and 25 hours per week of toll-free phone support and unlimited email support. And, you're eligible for our same generous free retake policy when you enroll in the whole course.

The Free Virtual Trial Class runs on July 28, from 7 to 10 PM U.S. Pacific Daylight Time. Enrollment is limited, so register soon to secure your spot!

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Success Story Part 5: The Wait (Take a load off Annie...)

(This is the fifth in a series of blog posts in which Julie DeLoyd, a Veritas Prep GMAT alumna-turned-instructor, will tell the story of her experience through the MBA admissions process. Julie will begin her MBA program at Chicago Booth this fall. You can also read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4 to learn Julie's whole story.)


Applications are in. I can’t stress about edits anymore. I can’t do much of anything.

I had stopped touring around the same time that I had my initial b-school epiphany, so with my essays and applications out of the way I was insanely bored. Though I had started to teach for Veritas by then, my days were achingly devoid of activity. This is when I made a terrible discovery… the Business Week B-school Forums.

Most of the applicants hanging out on these forums were the “superstars”—the uber-anxious superstars. Most of the posts were from people who scored above 700, came from Ivy league backgrounds, and had some grand job title. Rumors and ill-founded advice ran amuck. Applicants tried to divine any tiny inconsequential “advantage” they could find. As for me? I loved every second of it.
Truth be told, I didn’t have anything else to spend my time on, but the drama and intrigue of the b-school forums were my favorite new soap opera. A soap opera that was on all day, every day.

I didn’t find many other folks on the forums that were much like me. I tried to post messages to pull the other non-traditional candidates out of the woodwork. Mostly, it didn’t work. Fortunately, a new hurdle approached.

Within a few weeks of each other, I started hearing about interviews. Chicago Booth was the first to let me know. I was invited to interview and I set up my meeting with a local Boston alumnus for beginning of November. Michigan invited me to what they called “Super Interview Saturday” (the meaning of which was fodder for many BW forum strings) but that wouldn’t be until early December. Kellogg invites every applicant to interview, so I set my interview for the end of October.

I used every online tool I could find to prepare for my interviews. I posted to the forums. I discovered Admissions411 and ClearAdmit which collected user-generated feedback about b-school interviews, applicants’ stats and results. I started brainstorming answers to every question I found online, and started practicing the “Why MBA? Why Now? Why Here?” in the mirror. Every interview I’d ever done was for a coffee shop or other service job, where the main purpose was to show how friendly I could be. I’m good at those kinds of interviews. This was a whole new thing.

I had to tweak my stories so I would have enough answers if my interviewer asked me more than two “team” questions. (I have very little team experience, since I’ve only ever worked for myself.) When you spend hours talking to yourself, you start to feel a little weird. I could only hear the weaknesses in my spiel. I had to fight the critic in my head that said the interviewer would see right through me. I should have done some mock interviews with my Admissions Consultant, but I didn’t really think about it. I suppose I was avoiding the possibility of having someone else tell me I was doing something wrong. It was a silly thing to be scared of, and it would have been a great benefit.

First up: Kellogg!
I was nervous and screwed up applying my lipstick. In seldom-worn heels, I hobbled over the cobblestones to the interviewer’s office in Boston. Pretty much right off the bat, I could sense it wasn’t going that well. My interviewer, an alumna, didn’t seem to “take a shinin’ to me” (as we say in the South). In my musical career I was used to getting validation, oh, every three minutes or so—maybe I was expecting a lot. I wasn’t used to interviewing with someone who was critical and I didn’t expect her to ask so many follow-up questions to clarify my answers. At the end of the interview, I once again grimaced at my wonky lipstick in the elevator mirror on my way out. Kellogg had rolling admissions, so I knew I could hear back in a matter of weeks, but I wasn’t particularly optimistic. At the time, Kellogg was my top choice, but the interview was a bit of a downer and my excitement for Kellogg began to wane.

Next up: Chicago Booth!
The following week I had my next interview—this time for Chicago Booth. I met my interviewer at Starbucks, and sat down with a vanilla soy latte and an edition of the Economist to wait for his arrival. When he arrived, I found he was what one might consider a pretty “typical” Booth dude. He had been in finance since school and everything about my past and my goals were entirely out of his realm. He asked very similar questions to those in the Kellogg interview, but he was genuinely excited about my answers. Essentially, I had him at Hello. Maybe the trial run had helped, or maybe he just liked me more than the Kellogg interviewer did. Either way, our conversation went on for almost an hour and a half. It started to feel as though he was trying to sell me on Booth, instead of it being the other way around. I loved that he was so excited about the school; it was contagious. He even said that if there was a problem with my application, he sometimes steps in to help out—so I should stay in touch.

Most admissions committee members will say that the interview is only yours to screw up. If it’s good enough, it won’t hurt your application. I found that on rare occasions, a great interview can really work to your advantage. My interviewer contacted me the following week to tell me he had submitted my evaluation and had given me the highest possible marks on everything. I believe this played a part in my later financial aid offer at Chicago.

3rd up: Michigan!
Michigan’s “Super Interview Saturday” was a weekend of tours, dinners, and dancing and felt more like a sell weekend than an interview weekend. The interview was only 30 minutes and was conducted by a current student. I had already done two at this point, so I felt very confident and I believe that showed. I also noticed that the group of people selected for this weekend were all students that had a lot in common with me. I even met another woman who was vegan for environmental reasons—just like me. Most people either worked in something do-gooder-ey or wanted to after b-school. I really appreciated that; it made me feel a lot less alone.

Before my actual interview took place, I had the experience that every applicant should aim for. When one of the AdCom (admissions committee) passed me in the hall and saw my name tag. She stopped me, and said, "You’re Julie Loyd? (I was still going by my maiden name then) I read your application. You’re the musician, right? You sound fascinating.” It made me laugh at the time. But that’s the ultimate goal—-to have the AdCom, Admissions director, or Dean know something striking about you from your application so they immediately remember who you are from your name.

So it was with a warm fuzzy feeling that I approached the second half of my wait, post-interviews—or so I thought.

NEXT UP: The results, the wrench, and the “Benjamins.”

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GMAT Tip of the Week

When Two Wrongs Make a Right

(This is one of a series of GMAT tips that we offer on our blog.)

If you've ever been a child, you've probably been told on multiple occasions that "two wrongs don't make a right" (that's typically the companion lesson to the rhetorical question "if all of your friends jumped off a bridge, would you?"). Parents don't anticipate fun activities like bungee jumping and cliff diving with the bridge hypothetical, nor do they account for GMAT Critical Reasoning questions with the wrong/right axiom.

One of the higher-difficulty Critical Reasoning question types asks you to "mimic the reasoning" of a given argument by choosing from five different arguments the one that parallels the logic in the original. Perhaps the most important concept to keep in mind when facing these questions is that if the original argument uses flawed logic, the correct answer must be flawed, as well. Put another way, if the original has a "wrong", you'll need another wrong to make the question right! Consider the following example:

Original: Fish have fins and tails. The new dolphin at the aquarium has fins and a tail, so it must be a fish.

This argument is flawed. Fish aren't necessarily the only animals with fins and tails, so it cannot be proven that the dolphin is a fish.

Which of the following arguments is most parallel in its logical structure to the argument above?

Incorrect answer: Giraffes have spots and long necks. The new animal at the zoo is a giraffe, so it must have spots and a long neck.

This argument is not flawed. If it is accepted that giraffes have spots and long necks, then any giraffe will share those characteristics.

Correct answer: This movie must be made by Pixar, because it uses computer animation, and Pixar movies always use computer animation.

This argument is flawed in the same way as the original - Pixar movies aren't necessarily the only ones to use computer animation.

The GMAT tries to obscure answers like these, however, by having slightly different subject matter, and by changing the sentence structure. Note that your job is to replicate the logical structure of the original, but not its subject matter or sentence structure. The original was flawed, so the correct answer needed to be flawed, as well.

To find out how Veritas Prep can help you maximize your GMAT score, take a look at the GMAT prep resources on our site, or give us a call at 1-800-925-7737!

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Go Where the Opportunity Lies: Master's Programs

You took the Veritas Prep Full Course and you just nailed the GMAT on your first try. You're chest-bumping the rest of your 2nd-year analyst team at J.T. Marlin while the NASDAQ drops it like its hot. You just did a five-point take-down on the biggest standardized test of your life. Your 760 tells the rest of the world that you're 99% sharper than the other knives in the drawer and good enough for the top quarter of HBS's incoming class. You're pretty darn swoll and you're making your way up to a deluxe top ten MBA program in the sky.

As you kick back in your Herman Miller Aeron, you imagine moving beyond your humble and current 28% tax bracket. As you dream of sunny days, chrome spinnin' and moving beyond DUMBO into SoHo, your Managing Partner's assistant's assistant calls you over. He whispers, "Mr. Gecko would like to see you in his office in five minutes, please do not be late." Four minutes and fifty seconds later you find your polyestor/wool blend wearing glutes in a leather chair that resembles part baseball glove, part Angelo Mozillo. Mr. Gecko's perfectly parted hair, Barney's New York suit and Shell cordovan shoes are a perfect reflection of you and your MBA in 25 years.

You think it must be your lucky day nailing the GMAT and finally getting promoted ahead of your class. As the Gecko starts rattling on a little too long about your potential, contributions and unusually white teeth, it hits you like Maximum Overdrive. You're being given the chance to succeed elsewhere. Like something that is truly loved, you are being set free. Except you ain't comin' back, you ain't never comin' back as Andre Young so eloquently put it. Not only are you getting laid off but your MBA hopes and dreams are sinking faster than LTCM. Suddenly that chrome spinnin' looks more hubcap than plated alloy.

As your fist-bumps turn into that time you got dumped, know that admissions committees understand that it hits the fan. Veritas Prep has put out a pretty slick guide for laid off professionals that addresses the nuances of being liberated from your current profession. While getting laid off does not put you out of the running, it can make you less competitive if the weeks of unemployment drag into months. If you can find a significant extracurricular activity that can show your continued progression, that's good. If you can find another job, that may be good to great. Just be aware that this new job, given it's brevity and perhaps urgency, may be unlikely to serve as a showcase for continued professional progression. Basically, you got right-sized, you needed a new gig and you got one. Admissions committees are empathetic to a certain point but in some cases it's a hard sell to convince them otherwise.

Admissions committees are well aware of the business environment and are in the unique position of serving as gatekeepers for both MBA programs and recruiters. GMAC surveys admissions committee members every year and their research is publically available for download. One interesting report details MBA applicant trends for the 2008 MBA-hunting season. Only applications at full-time MBA programs were significantly up. Part-time and executive MBA programs were basically flat, year over year. This GMAC report also details the acceptance and matriculation rates for other types of master's programs that utilize the GMAT as an entrance requirement. This includes master's programs in accounting and finance that create a deep domain expertise within these subject matter areas. These master's programs also tend to run shorter in duration and may result in a more compelling ROI than a two-year investment at an full time MBA program. The good news; full time acceptance rates at these alternative master's programs are higher than full time MBA programs.

So if you find yourself pounding the pavement, resume in hand, there is a thin line of hope between fries and shakes. I encourage MBA applicants to think outside of the box when evaluating graduate degrees. Consider this; as recent MBA graduates continue to flood the job market, recruiters are going to place a heavy emphasis on specialized skills that will make these graduates immediately employable. This means that the generalist acumen that many MBA graduates possess may not be enough to convince recruiters that they have the skills to pay the bills. Recruiters and employers want to know you are a known quantity. Within an uncertain business environment, firms want to know that you can come up the curve in days, not weeks or months. It's a brave new world out there; experience, expertise and execution may count even more on day one than an MBA business plan or case study.

So this is my bottom line advice, go where the opportunity lies. Don't complain, just adjust and check your current MBA hoop dreams at the door. For example, if you can get another great job, apply to part time or executive MBA programs as applications are flat and admissions requirements are generally easier than full time programs. If you can not find another great job, apply to your desired MBA programs knowing your chances for admission may be diminished. However, hedge your bets by applying to several alternative master's degree programs. Yes, it's somewhat non-traditional but think better ROI, deeper domain expertise and higher acceptance rates.

Paul Lanzillotti | Veritas Prep

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How Does Chicago Law School Do It?

An ongoing trend in the law school world over the past few years is that the University of Chicago Law School has been losing top professors to rival schools at an alarming rate. And not just any old professors either - the attrition has included some of the most brilliant and famous legal minds in the country, as well as several other prominent subject matter experts and prolifically cited researchers.

Yet for all that, Chicago still ranks second in the country - behind only Yale - in terms of educational quality, according to the foremost authority on such things, Brian Leiter's EQR (Educational Quality Ranking).

Which begs the question: how do they do it?

To start with, Chicago has made a decision (and stuck by it) to put the quality of the teaching at the law school on the top priority rung, even to the detriment of other aspects of the school. As other elite law schools made the cirriculum more flexible and created more "crossover" opportunities with other programs, Chicago cinched its belt and required even more classes be taken within the law school. When Internet access flooded classrooms and threatened the intense dialogue between professor and student, U of C yanked out Ethernet and wireless in every room. Students didn't like it. Prospective students want flexible classes and wireless access, but frankly, Chicago doesn't care. At least, they don't care enough to risk diluting the quality of instruction that goes on within the law school.

Of course, making it all about priorities is a bit of a negative way to look at things. The other reason that Chicago's educational quality stays elite in light of the mass exodus is that they keep finding and nurturing amazing new professors. This is done through careful planning, the work of a highly-engaged hiring committee (populated with elite professors in their own right), and also by giving young academics a chance to come and shine in a "think tank" atmosphere. Very few schools allow as many workshops, seminars, and other non-traditional courses - all taught by some of the brightest young professors. Furthermore, Chicago was one of the first law schools to implement a mandatory legal writing class - called the Bigelow Program - and they staff the teaching positions with aspiring academics who show great potential. One of Chicago's best new professors - Adam Cox - came from the ranks of the Bigelow Program.

It's certainly not easy to add professors of high quality at the same rate that other school's are poaching them, but a quick glance at the highest profile names - both new and old - shows that the school is managing to keep pace. Gone are such luminaries as world-renowned legal scholars Richard Epstein (to NYU) and Cass Sunstein (to Harvard, and then to the Obama Administration), criminal law expert Tracy Meares (to Yale), beloved constitutional and legislative scholar Adrian Vermeule (Harvard), and law and econ guru Alan Sykes (Stanford). And I suppose you could add a former constitutional law lecturer by the name of Barack Obama to that list.

But just as the school features an unfortunate list of departed stars, Chicago is also compiling a roster of emerging legal minds that should keep them at the top of the academic heap for many years to come. In addition to the aforementioned Adam Cox, Chicago can also boast of young "rock star" professors like Kirkland Ellis appellate lawyer-turned McKinnsey consultant-turned corporate law guru Todd Henderson, property law scholar Lior Strahilevitz, crim law expert Bernard Harcourt, and student favorite Adam Samaha.

And of course, the school still boasts some of the stars of yesteryear, including the wildly popular contract expert Douglas Baird, constitutional law scholars such as Geoffrey Stone and David Strauss, policy and family law expert Emily Buss, and current dean Saul Levmore.

All told, the school looks to maintain its lofty perch at the top run of law schools when it comes to educational quality. The challenge for Chicago will be to keep up with the times and the changes in legal education while doing so.

For more information on the University of Chicago Law School, or any other top law schools, please feel free to visit our law school admissions consulting website or contact us at law@veritasprep.com or 1.800.925.7737.

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Berkeley (Haas) Application Deadlines for 2009-2010

The Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley recently released its application deadlines for the 2009-2010 admissions season. Haas has not yet released its essays for the coming year, although you can review the Haas site to see last year's essays and get a feel for what the school looks for in its applicants. Our comments follow in italics:

Haas Application Deadlines
Round 1: October 20, 2009
Round 2: December 10, 2009
Round 3: February 2, 2010
Round 4: March 10, 2010

(Haas has always been a little different than most other top MBA programs in how it manages its deadlines, keeping four main application rounds. Like other top programs, Haas has moved up its Round 1 deadline this year by a couple of weeks, although its deadline falls in late October, not early October. However, note that Round 2 deadline on December 10 -- that gives you a nice opportunity to pace yourself if you want to apply to Haas along with a handful schools that have Round 1 deadlines in October. However, if Haas is your first choice, we still recommend applying earlier rather than later.)

To plan your application strategy for Haas, visit the Veritas Prep UC Berkeley (Haas) information page, or call us and talk to one of our MBA admissions consultants.

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Yale SOM Application Essays and Deadlines for 2009-2010

Yale SOM Director of Admissions Bruce DelMonico was kind enough to reach out recently and let us know that Yale has posted it application essays and deadlines for the coming season. It looks like Yale has significantly overhauled its essays for the coming year, going with shorter essays that will require brevity and focus.

Key information is below, followed by our comments, in italics:

Yale SOM Application Deadlines
Round 1: October 8, 2009
Round 2: January 7, 2010
Round 3: March 10, 2010

(Note that, like other top MBA programs, Yale will release its Round 1 admissions decisions in December, before the holidays. This is a tremendous help if Yale is your top choice, and you want to know your status with Yale before deciding to dive into a whole batch of Round 2 applications over the holidays. We expect this trend of earlier decision notifications will continue among the top programs.)

Yale SOM Application Essays
Please answer each of the four questions below with a short paragraph of no more than 150 words. This is an opportunity to distill your core ideas, values, goals and motivations into a set of snapshots that help tell us who you are, where you are headed, and why. (600 words total)

1. What are your professional goals immediately after you receive your MBA?


2. What are your long-term career aspirations?


3. Why are you choosing to pursue an MBA and why now? (If you plan to use your MBA experience to make a significant change in the field or nature of your career, please tell us what you have done to prepare for this transition.)


4. What attracts you specifically to the Yale School of Management’s MBA program?

(Wow, 150 each! This will really challenge you to be succinct and get right to the point in answering the school's questions. But, don't despair. We think this is a good thing. Each of these "micro-essay" questions covers a topic that you should be well prepared to answer by now. Yale is just asking you to cut the fat and get right to it, so the best thing you can do is answer these questions head-on. Career switchers should take special note of the additional instruction in Question #3. In this economic climate, Yale, like all schools, is especially interested to know how well you will do in the post-MBA job market. Career switching is fine, and is even a great reason for pursuing an MBA, but you need to show that you've done your homework and are realistic about your intended career.)


Personal Statement 1

Describe an accomplishment that exhibits your leadership style. The description should include evidence of your leadership skills, the actions you took, and the impact you had on your organization. (500 words)
(This is almost exactly the same as last year's question, with one notable omission: Last year's question asked for a professional accomplishment, but this question asks for any achievement that demonstrates your leadership style. Think broadly about a time when your being there made something happen -- something that wouldn't have happened if it weren't for you. Yale especially wants to learn how you did it, and what impact you ultimately had on the group.)

Personal Statement 2

Choose one of the following topics and answer it in essay form. Please indicate the topic number at the beginning of your essay. (500 words)

1. A central premise of our teaching about leadership at the Yale School of Management is that true leadership—leadership that helps to address a significant problem in a new way—is necessarily personal. It is only when personal passion aligns with meaningful aspirations that individuals are able to inspire others to act in support of an important goal or cause. What are you most passionate about, and how have you demonstrated a commitment to this passion?


2. What achievement are you most proud of and why?


3. What is the most difficult feedback you have received from another person or the most significant weakness you have perceived in yourself? What steps have you taken to address it and how will business school contribute to this process?


4. Describe a situation in which you devised and implemented a creative or unique solution to a difficult problem. What obstacles did you face and how did you overcome them?


5. Required for reapplicants: What steps have you taken to improve your candidacy since your last application?

(Some of these questions carry over from last year. Along the lines of the removal of "professional" from Personal Statement 1, in Question #2 here the school has changed it from "what personal achievement" to "what achievement are you most proud of." This is another example of the school wanting you to think broadly about your answers here. Of all of the questions, we still really like Question #1: "What are you passionate about?" Giving a standout answer to this -- including concrete examples of your passion -- is a great way for you to stand out vs. other applicants.

It's interesting to note that Yale has removed its "SOM Story" and "What unique attributes will you bring to Yale?" questions... These must not have been giving the Yale admissions team enough in terms of what it needs to distinguish applicants from one another.)

Additional Information (Optional)

If any aspect of your candidacy needs further explanation, please provide any additional information that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider. (250 words)

(As always, only use this essay if absolutely necessary. If there's a weakness that you feel you must address, then do so succinctly and then move on. Do not make this a catch-all bucket for excuses about holes in your candidacy!)

For more information and advice on applying to Yale, visit Veritas Prep's Yale SOM information page. For even more advice on applying to Yale SOM, download our FREE Veritas Prep Annual Reports! Also, be sure to follow us on Twitter!

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Cool MBA Tool: Get All of the Top MBA Programs' Deadlines and Important Dates in Google Calendar

This Monday, we will introduce Veritas Prep's "Top MBA Program Deadlines and Important Dates" calendar! This calendar will serve as an important tools for those navigating the business school application process.

• Deadlines and notification dates are listed for top US, European and Asian MBA programs.
• Additionally, dates are listed for full-time, part-time and executive MBA programs for each respective program.

This calendar will be publicly available to anyone logging onto Google Calendar. No log in or special software is required.

• Additionally, you can add this calendar to your person Google Calendar by simply clicking the "Google Calendar" button located in the bottom right of your browser window.
• 

For those that are increasingly saavy in their technical abilities and wish to sync Veritas Prep's "Top MBA Program Deadlines and Important Dates" calendar with their MS Outlook or smartphone:

• Use Google Calendar sync.
• A primer on how to use this tool is posted here and here.

Thanks,

Paul Lanzillotti

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GMAT Tip of the Week

Mind Your Own Business

(This is one of a series of GMAT tips that we offer on our blog.)

The GMAT verbal section can be distracting if only because of one truth: Sentences (for correction) or reading comprehension passages must be about something. Whether it is a technical topic (immunological reactions, biological discoveries involving microorganisms) or a business-related subject (the rise of multinational corporations, the origin of hedge funds), questions on the verbal section will take place within the context of some kind of subject matter. Traditionally, the GMAT uses academic subjects such as:

• Natural Sciences (astronomy, biology, etc.)
• Social Science (history, political science, etc.)
• Business Related

As a test-taker your reaction to these subjects can take multiple forms, but usually falls in to one or two major categories: bored/intimidated by something you don't like or understand, or engaged/interested by something that intrigues you. In either case, you're likely to be distracted, either by your distaste for the subject of by your enjoyment of it. Don't forget, though, that you're not reading the sentence/paragraph/passage for the value of the knowledge contained within it! Your job, regardless of the topic, is to perform a specific function:

- Sentence Correction: identify and correct flaws in the grammar
- Critical Reasoning: answer the question presented following the paragraph(s)
- Reading Comprehension: prepare yourself to answer 3-6 questions about the scope, tone, and purpose of the passage

Because of that, do not either become intimidated by technical concepts that you don't understand (you don't need to understand them comprehensively) or entertained by concepts that can lead you on a path of tangential thinking (be careful for an engaging business-related passage, which may seem like an oasis in a desert of boring subject matter). Keep your focus on performing your function for the question, and realize that business schools are not looking, in particular, for biologists, history buffs, astronomers, or poets. Regardless of the topic, your job remains the same: answer the question!

For more GMAT tips, be sure to follow Veritas Prep on Twitter! Also, sign up to take a free practice GMAT test to see where you stand.

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Pros and Cons of a JD/MBA

Part 4: Long-Term Career Goals

The following entry is the fourth part of an ongoing series exploring the pros and cons of the increasingly popular JD/MBA degree path. The first three posts focused on:

Part 1 - Finances
Part 2 - Opportunity
Part 3 - Short-Term Career Goals

Today, for Part 4, we focus on the impact that a JD/MBA can have on your long-term career goals.


JD vs. MBA Student. In each of the three previous explorations, there has been a heavy focus on drawing distinctions between traditional law students and those that would pursue an MBA path. There are myriad near-term considerations that are informed greatly by which degree would be the "lead" area of study and subsequent career path. In the case of long-term career goals, there is less need to distinguish, because you are looking at the end of the funnel. Whether someone starts out as a lawyer or a banker or something else entirely isn't as crucial as the tools and skills that dual degrees may (or may not) provide down the road.

Legal vs. Non-Legal. As with short-term career considerations, the easiest way to add some clarity to the long-term career analysis is to split the jobs into "legal" and "non-legal" categories. Legal careers include general counsel work, public interest work, academia, and, of course, practicing at a big firm. Non-legal careers are basically anything else. A good rule of thumb: if your job does not require admission to the state bar, it is non-legal.

Pros, Legal. The biggest advantage to a JD/MBA during a long legal career is that lawyers are likely to possess a versatility that can help on two levels. The first is as a partner at a law firm. There are a variety of "soft" skills necessary to performing the tasks of an elite law firm partner, including negotiation, human resource management, rainmaking (or simply "sales," as nobody seems to want to call it), and expansion - all key elements to growing a practice and a book of business. Being an associate is about acquiring the skills to be a great lawyer, but by the time the firm is looking to mint new partners, they assume technical legal skill and start looking for the other areas so they can bring in more business. This is especially true at firms where there are few "institutional" clients where partners can be stashed (such as "Boeing partners" or "Disney partners") with no pressure to bring in business.

The second area where versatility can help a great deal is in transitioning from a firm to a company - aka, "going in house." A general counsel position requires more understanding of business concepts, challenges, shortcomings, and everything else that is necessary in order to successfully operate within a large organization. Having an MBA and, more importantly, having worked with MBA students, is a huge asset when transitioning into that world.

Cons, Legal. The only real downside to a JD/MBA over the long haul in a legal career is that you might increasingly wonder whether you ever needed the MBA degree. Each year that someone practices or studies the law, they will increase their level of subject matter expertise. So for a corporate attorney or a venture capital transactions professor, the knowledge they will possess a few years into their career will dwarf what they might have learned in an MBA program.

Pros, Non-Legal. The biggest advantage to a JD/MBA as it relates to a long-term, non-legal career path is that it often makes it all possible in the first place. An MBA can be an ace-in-the-hole for someone looking to shed the lawyer tag and move into an executive position. We've seen lawyers become business professionals in sports, entertainment, consumer goods, technology, health care, finance, education (including your author), and a host of other industries.

Another big advantage is that the combination of a JD and an MBA is extremely helpful in reaching the upper echelon of a corporate hierarchy. Just as an MBA can help a lawyer transition into business, so too does a JD often put an executive over the top as a CEO candidate. It is not so much legal knowledge that a CEO needs but rather the skills and tools that lawyers often possess - the ability to understand regulatory frameworks, a comprehension of deal timelines, recognizing transaction costs, and (this is the big one) knowing which questions to ask in a given situation. Lawyers often prove to be the best CEOs and a quick look at the Fortune 100 shows that companies are certainly aware of that fact.

Cons, Non-Legal. As with the legal track, there aren't a lot of "cons" to a JD/MBA over the long run. One longstanding issue was that acquiring both a JD/MBA at the outset of a career might eliminate the use of business school as a "reset button" later in one's career should legal work not prove to be an ideal choice. However, given the pressure on b-schools to place their graduates into great jobs in a tough economy, the reset button aspect of an MBA has all but evaporated at most top programs. Frankly, business schools simply are not looking for unhappy lawyers who want to start over. Therefore, being in prior possession of an MBA degree - and the experience that comes with it - is probably the best bet for making a career shift.

All told, long-term career goals are often where the JD/MBA path starts to make the most sense no matter what you have in mind. It is almost all upside and very little downside at this stage in the game, as most of the real "cons" have already been navigated through the process of gaining admission, paying for it, and getting a career off the ground.

For those interested in learning more about JD/MBA programs, exploring whether the degree might be a good fit, or looking for assistance with a JD/MBA application, please explore our JD/MBA admissions consulting services.

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GMAT Prep Courses Start Worldwide Next Week!

Just a quick heads up that we have more than 60 GMAT prep classes starting around the world next week. If you're gearing up to apply to a top MBA program this fall, now's the perfect time to start working on the GMAT!

We offer a variety of course formats depending on where you live. Whether it's a weeknight Full Course, a weekend course, a Saturdays-only class, a week-long intensive program, or an online GMAT course, every Veritas Prep GMAT class provides you with the same comprehensive material and top-tier GMAT instruction.

You can learn more about our GMAT course options here. Also, you can compare Veritas Prep to other GMAT prep companies, and see why we offer the best GMAT preparation in the industry.

We'll see you in class next week!

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Success Story Part 4: "Like sands through the hourglass, so are the essays of our lives..."

(This is the fourth in a series of blog posts in which Julie DeLoyd, a Veritas Prep GMAT alumna-turned-instructor, will tell the story of her experience through the MBA admissions process. Julie will begin her MBA program at Chicago Booth this fall. You can also read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 to learn Julie's whole story.)

Since the time this business school idea first occurred to me on that Texas highway, the GMAT had been my main concern and the only real hurdle I had anticipated. Now with that hurdle behind me, I realized there was a whole new challenge ahead. Choosing schools, and writing essays upon essays upon essays…

My sister, my wife, and my best friend all applied to law school at the same time. I watched them all study vigorously for the LSAT and witnessed the collective sigh when it was over. Just one personal statement to write and they were essentially done. This one statement goes to every school, and once you send your information to a central clearinghouse, all the details are forwarded on to your schools without any further effort on your part. I don’t know what I was expecting exactly from MBA admissions, but I noticed pretty quickly that the experience would be very different from that of law school admissions.

After a few days of walking on air after getting my 770 (though still secretly thinking that a letter was coming to announce there had been a technical error), I started discovering that even with a 770 GMAT, and a 3.8 GPA, my admissions journey to an MBA would be decidedly more difficult than it was for my law school friends. For MBA admissions, your GMAT is just the sales pitch that gets you in the admissions door; the essays are the substance that will determine whether you get admitted. If you can’t really sell your “story” then admissions can find someone else. I’ll admit it. I resented this.

I signed up for admissions coaching through Veritas and spoke to my consultant before I took the actual test. At the time I was scoring 670 on my practice tests. Because I was interested in marketing programs and social entrepreneurship, she gave me a list of great programs: Haas, Kellogg, Michigan, Harvard, Wharton, Chicago, Yale, and University of Wisconsin at Madison. My wife had a job waiting for her at McKinsey in Chicago, so the Midwest was a big draw for me. With a little reading from a Peterson’s guide to MBA programs, I basically chose the top 5 schools that had some geographical appeal as well. In order of my excitement: Kellogg, Harvard, Michigan, Chicago, Wharton – and I added UW Madison at the end of my list hoping that I wouldn’t need a back-up school. (Their marketing focus is on market research, and that wasn’t really my bag.)

After I took the GMAT, I called up my Veritas admissions consultant again and she told me that if I wanted a safety school, I could apply to Yale. This blew my mind a little. So my list of schools changed again to include another top school I hadn’t even considered before. My list now included: Kellogg, Harvard, Michigan, Chicago, Wharton, and Stanford. I didn’t really expect to get into Stanford, but I figured it was worth a shot. I also wanted to apply Round One because I was worried my musician background might be seen as a weakness in my application. I wanted to take advantage of the best possible odds for admission and also financial aid—as I only made about $15k/year as a musician, money was a major concern.

I took my GMAT in July, and though I had my list of schools set, most of the applications wouldn’t be available until late August or September. Over the next few weeks though, many of the essay topics started being released (as you likely have been reading about in other Veritas Blogs recently). Once I started looking at the long list of different essay questions for each school, I once again envied my law school friends. I also started to rethink applying to SIX schools. I ended up taking Wharton off my list, because I knew Philly wouldn’t work for me. So I now had 4-5 essays for each school… essentially meaning I would have to write 20+ essays. Oy.

I began to craft my story, choosing to accentuate my entrepreneurial experience and frame myself as more of a record label owner instead of “just” a musician. I also picked a few choice examples of instances in which I paired my musical endeavors with my political ideals, particularly around environmentalist causes and domestic violence issues. I knew that I’d be telling a different story from most because my background was in the arts, which isn’t typical for MBA candidates.

The other unique aspect of my life I tried to develop in my essays was how my identity as a lesbian would be a strength in the classroom and in my future career. (Though most minority recruitment is focused on race or gender, the percentage of lesbians in business school is incredibly low. 1 for every 150 students is a generous estimate. In the general population, it’s estimated we make up 1 out of every 16 women.) I knew this would add another unique element to my application, and had a few admissions people specifically talk with me about this aspect of my application. If any other GLBT applicant were wondering whether they should come out in their application I would strongly encourage them to do so.

Now, if I could do one thing differently about my application process, it would be to have visited more of the schools before I started applying. For the essays asking “Why MBA? Why Now? Why Here?” I found myself terribly lacking in finding an answer to the “Why Here?” question. I generally knew reputations, but even when I went to the websites to do more research they all seemed to say the exact same thing: “We’re a school focusing on leadership and innovation!” …which essentially means nothing. If all schools have the same pitch, then how can you use that information to differentiate why you want to go to a particular program? I became very frustrated.

Part of me thought that putting in too much research and emotional energy into places like Harvard or Stanford was just setting myself up for disappointment. I figured I’d do the real research once I got in and had to decide between schools. Unfortunately, my finances were such that I couldn’t visit most schools unless I happened to be touring through already. I didn’t end up going on admissions tours or day-in-the-life programs until I got interview requests, so it wasn’t until the end of the admissions process that I really had some good answers to that “Why Here?” question. If I could have begun my school search the year before, I would have been at a distinct advantage.

If I had taken my own advice, I’m pretty sure I would have changed the list of schools I applied to as well. After more research I found that Harvard was a TERRIBLE fit for me. The only thing I liked about it was that it was Harvard, but the do-gooder/environmentalist/musician/artist/weirdo in me didn’t feel at home with the culture there at all. Surprisingly, I ended up falling in LOVE with Michigan, whereas Kellogg (my top choice initially) turned out to be a disappointment. Going through this process the idea of “fit” became all too clear. What might have been a great fit for someone else, wasn’t for me. I discovered a lot about myself through the application process. I discovered what I truly wanted out of an MBA program.

The biggest surprise came when I started doing more research into the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business (then known as the GSB). Because I had been relying on reputations, I had Chicago (the-“quant-heavy”-Trekkie-antisocial-GSB) way at the bottom of my list. I didn’t want to go there, even though it was IN Chicago, which is where I wanted to live. My mind began to change when I first read the Booth essay questions. First was the traditional 3-Why’s essay (but with a longer word limit so you could actually explain yourself, instead of having to figure out a way to make your intentions fit into a haiku…). The next was an essay asking, “When have you gone against the grain?” (which I could have easily written an autobiography on). The final “essay” question, my favorite, asked for the applicant to create four slides explaining who s/he is. At this, my artsy side started to do a little white-man boogie in my head. I created my four slides in just a couple of hours and loved doing them. I appreciated the chance to express myself in another way in which I excel (i.e. graphic design). This was my first clue that Chicago wasn’t as square as the reputation had foretold.

The essay writing was endless; I pretty much wrote and re-wrote my essays every day for six-weeks until applications were due. Once again, I thought the hard work was over. But I’d never before had to go through the waiting game of MBA admissions. It was an adventure unto itself…

NEXT UP: The Wait

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Stanford MBA Application Now Available

In a brief note on the school's web site, the Stanford Graduate School of Business announced yesterday that its application is now online for the 2009-2010 admissions season. You can access Stanford's application here.

As we previously noted, Stanford has moved up its Round 1 application deadline to October 7th. In yesterday's announcement, Stanford said that it may also extend interviews earlier this year.

For more advice on applying to Stanford, take a look at our Stanford MBA essay analysis for the coming year. Note the subtle changes in this year's essays vs. last year's... These should provide some clues as to what Stanford GSB looks for in its applicants.

Follow Veritas Prep on Twitter to stay up to date on all Stanford-related admissions news!

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NYU Stern Application Essays and Deadlines for 2009-2010

Recently NYU's Stern School of Business released its application essays for the the 2009-2010 admissions season.

We recently visited NYU Stern and met with the admissions office as part of the second annual AIGAC conference in New York, and we came away impressed with how much the school has innovated with special academic and job-related programs. Take a look at Veritas Prep's NYU Stern information page to learn more about the school and see if it's a good fit for you.

Here are NYU Stern's deadlines and essays, followed by our comments in italics:

NYU Stern Application Deadlines
Round 1: November 15, 2009
Round 2: January 15, 2010
Round 3: March 15, 2010

(These deadlines are identical to last year's.)

NYU Stern Application Essays

1. Think about the decisions you have made in your life. Describe the following (750 words):
   
   (a) What choices have you made that led you to your current position?
   (b) Why pursue an MBA at this point in your life?
   (c) What is your career goal upon graduation from the NYU Stern? What is your long-term career goal?
   
   (This question is the same as last year's Question #1, although the word count grew from 500 to 750 words. What stands out most about this question vs. other schools' similar questions is Stern's emphasis on the choices you've made up until now. Be sure to answer that part of the question -- don't simply write about what you've done up until now, but also explain why you did those things and made those choices. Stern provides applicants with admissions tips, including podcasts to help you clarify your story. These are great resources for any Stern applicant.)


2. We take great care to shape the Stern community with individuals who possess both intellectual and interpersonal strengths. We seek individuals who are highly intelligent, collaborative, and committed to flourishing as Stern leaders. Please answer the following questions (500 words):
   
   (a) What is your personal experience with the Stern community? Tell us what actions you have taken to learn about us.
   (b) Describe what most excites you about Stern from both an academic and extracurricular perspective.
   (c) How do you anticipate making your mark on the Stern community? Be specific about the roles you will take on and the impact you hope to achieve.
   
   (This question is a modification from last year's Essay #2. The Stern admissions team has removed the part of last year's question that asked about the toughest piece of feedback you've ever received, and as a result this question has evolved to hit the question of "Convince us that you're passionate about Stern" more directly. Note the emphasis on specifics -- don't speak in generalities or just lift language from the school's web site. What do you know about NYU Stern that convinces you that it's right right school for you, and that you're the ideal Stern student? Looking at this kind of essay question early in the process will hopefully provide the impetus you need to really do your homework.)


3. Please describe yourself to your MBA classmates. You may use almost any method to convey your message (e.g. words, illustrations). Feel free to be creative.
   
   (This question carries over from last year. Like Booth and Anderson, Stern seeks new ways to learn about what makes you unique. As trite as it sounds, the school really does want to get to know the real you. Stern's admissions officers are almost begging you to stand out here, which is a reminder about how you can make their job easier by helping them remember the real you. One other note: Just because this question allows you to use any medium, that doesn't mean that you need to submit something other than the written word. If that's your best medium, use it. Just be creative with how you use those words, and let the Stern admissions committee get a glimpse of the real you.)

For more advice on applying to NYU Stern, download our FREE Veritas Prep Annual Reports! To keep updated on all of the latest news at NYU Stern, be sure to follow Veritas Prep on Twitter!

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