NYU Stern Admissions Essays for 2010-2011

Recently we wrote about NYU Stern's MBA application deadlines for 2010-2011. Today, we take a close look at Stern's admissions essays for the year.

You will see that Stern's essays are virtually unchanged since last year. Still, our advice has evolved slightly, so read closely. Stern looks extra hard for applicants who can prove that they really are passionate about the program.

Our comments follow each question in italics:

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 carries over unchanged from last year. What we think makes this question unique vs. other school's "Why an MBA?" 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 some useful admissions tips on its essay page, 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 also unchanged. Stern 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 copy 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? And how will you convince the admissions committee? 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 is also unchanged. Like Booth and Anderson, Stern seeks new ways to learn about what makes you unique. The admissions office 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. "Being memorable" means more than just sending them something outrageous; the most effective submissions really are the ones that leave admissions officers feeling like they know you better.

Applying to NYU Stern this year? Download our NYU Stern Annual Report, one of 15 completely free guides to the world's top business schools. And, as always, be sure to find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

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Admissions 101: How to Make the Most of MBA Fairs

MBA fair season is upon us, with multiple tours passing through the world's major cities, along with local information sessions hosted by schools themselves. For many applicants, this will be the first time they ever come face-to-face with official representatives from their dream schools.

Wow, high stakes, right? One well-timed question could turn you into a superstar in an admissions representative's eyes, while one boneheaded remark could forever ruin your chances of getting into HBS. Right? Isn't that how these things work? Don't admissions officers stand behind their little tables with one finger permanently on the "trap door" button?

Of course not. The reality is that truly the best way you can help yourself at these events is by asking thoughtful questions to learn things that you really want to know. It's always nice to strike up a deep conversation with a a school representative, but remember that they're going to meet possibly hundreds of applicants at the event, then probably have to grab their bags and jet off to the next city to do it all over again. And again and again. So, instead of trying to hit a home run with a question, go with some legitimate questions in mind, ask the right questions of the right people (e.g., a recent alum or current student may be better equipped to talk about what the school experience is like for students' spouses), and be respectful of admissions representatives' time.

To this last point, the foot traffic at these events always has interesting ebbs and flows. One minute a table may be swarmed with applicants, while the next minute it could be empty. If you're really interested in drilling down deep on a topic with a representative, be smart about doing it while the table isn't overly crowded. Early in an event is often a good time to do it, before the place gets too crowded. You can also wait until the end of the event, although sometimes admissions representatives are trying to hurry up and pack and head off to the airport. Admissions officers always appreciate when an applicant is sensitive to the challenges of manning these fair booths.

In terms of what NOT to do, the folks at QS wrote a nice list of rules & etiquette for MBA fairs earlier this year (it was actually written for EMBA fairs, but the advice still applies for full-time MBA program fairs). And, an unfortunate applicant who bombarded some Fuqua representatives last year provided a template for what not to do at these events.

There's already plenty of good advice out there, and with some modest research and a healthy helping of common sense, you will do just fine.

By the way, we've partnered with the QS World MBA Tour, and will be at some of their events in North America this year. If you haven't already, register for an event near you. Hopefully we'll see you there!

If you plan on applying to business school, call us at 800-925-7737 and speak to a Veritas Prep admissions consultant. And, as always, be sure to find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

Photo courtesy of SeedRocket, under a Creative Commons license.

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GMAT Tip of the Week: Some Means Anything-But-None

You can't talk about probability without mentioning Las Vegas, and with the football gambling season looming it seems time for a probability-themed post with a gambling lead. As the football season approaches, you may well be placing your futures bets, noting that Alabama is a 9:2 favorite to win the collegiate national championship and that Indianapolis is a 13:2 favorite to win the Super Bowl.

The interesting thing about those futures bets is that when you select, say, Alabama, the sports book gets "everyone else". Will Alabama defend its title? Possibly, but the football season has so many hurdles (LSU, Auburn, the SEC championship game, the BCS championship game, injuries, Nick Saban leaving mid-season for another job...) that "everyone else" is a pretty good bet. Most seasons, a team that loses one game is eliminated from contention for the national championship, so a team would have to go undefeated in order to win. In a 12-game season, even if a team is 90% likely to win each game, that corresponds to:

9/10 * 9/10 * 9/10.... probability of going undefeated. For 12 games, the calculation would be (9/10)^12 = <30% chance of going undefeated.

And that's with a 90% chance of winning each game. Sure, Alabama will be favored against LSU, Auburn, and some of its other SEC opponents, but maybe it only has a 60% chance of winning those big games. That puts the undefeated odds down considerably (even with a returning Heisman winner).

How can this help you on the GMAT? As we've talked about, the opposite of "Alabama wins the national championship" is "anyone else wins the national championship", and that setup of complementary events (one and only one of those options will occur) allows you to tackle difficult problems with some insightful ease.

Here's an example of a GMAT problem that might test this subject:

Alabama is undefeated with four games remaining, with two at home and two away. If it has a 75% chance of winning its home games and a 50% chance of winning its away games, what is the probability that Alabama loses at least one of its last four games?

This question could get quite involved, as "at least one" loss has many permutations:

Loses the first and wins the next three (which would correspond to 1/4 * 3/4 * 1/2 * 1/2)
Loses the first and the last and wins the middle two (1/4 * 3/4 * 1/2 * 1/2)
Wins the first three and loses the last (3/4 * 3/4 * 1/2 * 1/2)
Loses all four (1/4 * 1/4 * 1/2 * 1/2)
Etc.

Each of the above corresponds to one sequence via which Alabama would lose at least one game, and you could drive yourself crazy (particularly if you bleed Crimson) thinking of all the possible ways to lose at least one game.

However, you can also look at it this way (through Crimson colored glasses):

If Alabama does NOT lose "at least one game" that means that it wins them all. And it's easier (and more fun for Bama fans) to calculate the odds of winning them all:

There is only one sequence that works - Win-Win-Win-Win:
3/4 * 3/4 * 1/2 * 1/2 = 9/64 chance that Alabama wins the rest.

Because there's a 100% chance that "something" happens, and we can divide that 100% into two comprehensive categories: "Alabama goes undefeated" or "Alabama loses at least one game", then we can take 100% and subtract "undefeated" to get "loses at least one":

1 - 9/64 = 55/64 probability that Alabama loses at least one of its last four games.

When you see questions that ask for the probability of "at least one" occurrence, the easiest way to calculate them is to calculate the probability of "no" occurrences and then subtract that from 100%. There are several sequences that could give you "at least one" (just the first, just the last, all of them, etc.) but only one that gives you "none" (all nones), so use that strategy to make quick, efficient work of probability questions on the GMAT.

What is your probability of missing at least one question on the math section of the GMAT? Well, it's 1 - getting-them-all-right, and the odds of your getting them all right just went up after reading this post!

Are you studying for the GMAT? Be sure to compare us to other GMAT courses and see why more people choose Veritas Prep every year. And, as always, be sure to find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

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Law School, Hunger Strikes, and Transparency

The blogging world has been abuzz over the "Unemployed JD" scandal that broke out this week. In case you missed it, a blogger named Ethan Haines who runs a blog dedicated to crusading for better transparency on the part of law school when it comes to employment data, actually turned out to be Denver-based Zenovia Evans, an employed 28-year-old graduate of Cooley Law School in Michigan.

While everyone is more hung up on on the fact that Evans tried to rally people around a cause in a disingenuous way, we think that the assumptions behind her demands are somewhat misguided. When Evans (posing as Ethan Haines, an unemployed JD) contacted 10 law schools and told them about "his" crusade, he asked them to commit to new standards of transparency on their job placement statistics and to agree to letting Haines audit their career counseling programs.

Those standards came from another group, calling itself Law School Transparency, which maintains that by misrepresenting or under-reporting their job placement stats, law school essentially dupe students into enrolling under the false impression they will inevitably land lucrative jobs.

Even if Haines/Evans/whatever-we're-calling-her-now got her way, we're not sure that it would make much of a difference. We don't want to give it all away yet, but in a recent survey of law school applicants that Veritas Prep conducted in partnership with Law School Podcaster and PreLaw Magazine, an overwhelming percentage (81%) of respondents said that they would still apply to law school now even if a significant number of law school graduates were unable to find jobs in their desired fields! Further, only 4% said they would not apply to law school at all if they knew job prospects that bad. (We will share the full results of the survey shortly!)

While we certainly will join the crusade against any school that deliberately misleads people and tricks them into applying (*cough*... for-profit online schools, we're looking your way...), even if schools replaced their glossy web sites with black & white photos of somber, jobless grads, we actually think that many would-be applicants would still apply to law school.

Why? We answer that question with another one: Why not? The reality is that, for many young people, law school (and business school, to some extent) has become an inevitable weight station on the road to real life. Is the economy in shambles? Great! Even more reason to hide out in grad school for two or three years. While the obvious downside is that many of those students will graduate with a nearly insurmountable amount of debt, most of them don't see it that way. Either Mom and Dad will pick up the tab, or the applicant assumes that the economy will inevitably be better in a couple of years, or they would just not rather think about it today. (Or, even better, maybe Uncle Sam will bail us all out one day! That would be a hoot.)

Don't get us wrong... Transparency is always a good thing. We're glad that publications such as U.S. News have recently taken a stand against law schools gaming the rankings by deliberately withholding their employment data. But, for better or worse, we predict young people will keep applying to law school in droves.

For more information on law school admissions, visit our law school admissions site or call us at (800) 925-7737 to speak with an admissions expert. And, as always, be sure to find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

Photo courtesy of LollyKnit, under a Creative Commons license. And no, that's not a picture of Zenovia Evans.

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GMAT Challenge Question: The Red Stapler

Studying for the GMAT does not have to be a chore -- it can certainly be made enjoyable through fun challenge problems! That's why we try to keep things lighthearted (yet effective) when it comes to your GMAT preparation.

With that in mind, try today's Cheerful Challenge Problem, channeling your inner Peter Gibbons in your pursuit of an MBA to become the next Bill Lumbergh. Do it right, and you just may have The Bobs eating out of the palm of your hand. Check back later today for the answer to this problem!

GMAT Critical Reasoning Question

Milton: I believe that you have my red stapler.

Boss: Yeah…we switched from the Swingline to the Boston staplers some time ago. So I am just going to have to go ahead and confiscate this…

Milton: But I was told that I could keep this stapler, it is a better stapler and it does not jam.

Boss: Sorry, Milton. Oh and I’m going to have to ask you to go ahead and move your desk to the basement…

Milton and the Boss are committed to disagreeing about whether_______________

A) Milton should move his desk to the basement.

B) The red Swingline stapler jams less.

C) Milton should be allowed to keep his red stapler.

D) The company previously switched to Boston staplers.

E) Milton needs to go ahead and come in on Saturday.


What do you think? Post your response (along with an explanation!) in the comments field below, and we'll add the solution later today!


UPDATE: SOLUTION

This is a unique variation of an Inference question, as the question asks for the subject on which the two parties must be in disagreement. They may well disagree on each of the answer choices, but only one of them is definite based on the passage.

The correct answer is C, as both parties mention the stapler, and each has a different opinion. Milton provides reasons that he should be allowed to keep it, and his boss denies him that opportunity and takes it. Because both parties explicitly express an opposite opinion about Milton's ability to keep his stapler, they must be in disagreement about it.

As in any Inference problem, the other answers could be true, but are not necessarily true. It's very likely that Milton does not want to come in on Saturday (who would?) and that he wouldn't want to move his desk to the basement, but because there is no explicit evidence of either, neither is correct. Correct Inference answers on the GMAT must be true, so use that burden of proof to your advantage as you approach these questions on the exam.

Follow these and other steps to GMAT success, and you may one day be in a position to have as many as...four people working directly under you (or get a high-paying consulting job at McKinsey or Bain & Company as one of the Bobs).

Plan on taking the GMAT soon? Take a a look at our new, lower prices on Veritas Prep online GMAT courses. And, as always, be sure to subscribe to this blog and to follow us on Twitter!

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Cornell (Johnson) Admissions Deadlines for 2010-2011

Today we take a look at the MBA admissions deadlines for the The Johnson School at Cornell University.

You will notice that Johnson's deadlines have only changed slightly vs. last year. Here they are, followed by our comments in italics:

Cornell (Johnson) Application Deadlines
Round 1: October 5, 2010
Round 2: November 9, 2010
Round 3: January 4, 2011
Round 4: March 22, 2011

Note that, like Haas, Johnson actually has four main admissions rounds for its full-time MBA program. With the typical three-round program, conventional wisdom dictates that you should only apply in Round 1 or Round 2. (While our advice re: Round 3 is a little more nuanced than that, it's a good rule of thumb to follow.) If you're not ready to apply in Round 1, then push back to Round 2, but the decision to push back to Round 3 is always a tougher one.

In the case of a school like Johnson, Round 4 is the new Round 3... If you're not ready to apply by the Round 2 deadline, there's absolutely no problem with applying in Round 3. Beyond that, however, Johnson's class starts to fill up, and your odds of admissions success could be significantly lower in Round 4.

Also, note that Johnson's Round 2 deadline in November falls between most other schools' Round 1 and Round 2 deadlines. Many of our clients therefore get their October applications done, take a breath, and them come right back and complete their Cornell applications in time for the Round 2 deadline.

Applying to The Johnson School? Last year we helped many applicants with their Cornell applications, and even got one client a full ride to the school! Call us at (800) 925-7737 to speak with an MBA admissions expert and learn about how we can help you. And, as always, be sure to find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

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UC Berkeley (Haas) Application Essays for 2010-2011

Recently we wrote about the Haas application deadlines for the coming admissions season. Today we'll dig into the school's admissions essays for 2010-2011.

You may notice that Haas has barely changed its essays since last year. When we school make few or no changes, that tells us that its current essay prompts are doing the job. By "doing the job," we mean that they help the admissions committee get to know each applicant better, and they help the committee separate the great applicants from the rest of the pool. As long as the school gets what it needs, there's no need to tinker with the formula too much.

Here are Haas's MBA admissions essays for the coming year, followed by our comments in italics:

Berkeley (Haas) Admissions Essays

Short Answers:

1. What are you most passionate about? Why? (250 words)
   
   Whoa! Did Stanford's Derrick Bolton slip into the Haas admissions office? Actually, this question carries over from last year. 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 income inequality 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 try any stunts here!


2. Tell us about your most significant accomplishment. (250 words)
   
   This question also carries over from last year. Ideally the story you choose will demonstrate at least one or two of the key themes in your application. 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, our distinctive culture is defined by four key principles -— question the status quo; confidence without attitude; students always; and beyond yourself. Give an example of when you have demonstrated one of these principles. (250 words, Review Berkeley-Haas' Defining Principles)
   
   This question is new this year, replacing a question that put emphasis on innovation and creativity. The fact that the admissions office directs you to the school's defining principles sends a very clear message that those ideas/traits matter to Haas A LOT, and that the admissions office will be looking closely for evidence of those throughout your application, not just in this essay. Any of the four should make for a good starting point for a compelling essay, although we have noticed the admissions office frequently bring up the the "confidence without attitude" one in our discussions with them. If you're unsure of which one to choose, we'd say go with that one.


4. There are many ways to learn about our program, what steps have you taken to learn about the Berkeley MBA? (250 words)
   
   Haas slightly reworded this essay since last year, although it essentially remains the same. One subtle but importance difference: The addition of "There are many ways to learn about our program," almost says to us, "Please skip past the obvious ones like our web site and brochures... Show us some real effort, please." Our stance on essays like this is always the same: 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.

Required Essays:

1. Give us an example of a situation in which you displayed leadership. (500 words)
   
   This question has remained the same for the past several years. Haas hits on it directly: The admissions office 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 also carries over from last year. Note that last year Haas added the "post-MBA" part to the question, suggesting that some applicant had perhaps been speaking in terms that were too "big picture." 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? Even though you will answer another "Why Haas"-type question, clearly it's very important to the school that you answer this question.

Plan on applying to Haas or another top MBA program this year? Veritas Prep now offers the ability to start working with an admissions consultant today and pay over time. And, be sure to find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

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GMAT Tip of the Week: Get Flexible

At Veritas Prep we're big believers in the idea of flexibility. As we discussed in our take on the new version of the GMAT that's coming in 2012, business schools want to see how well you can think, not how well you can memorize idioms. That's why our 42-hour GMAT course trains you in the higher-order thinking skills and "mental agility" you need to do well no matter what type of question you face on the real exam.

Flexibility also matters in how you prepare for the exam. Deciding on Day One that you're just going to keep taking practice tests until you "get it," or that you're going to mow down practice GMAT problems until your eyes hurt, will only set you up for failure. That's why Veritas Prep gives you the most flexible options for GMAT prep in the industry.

What do we mean? Let us count the ways!

One year of membership for all GMAT students.
When you enroll for a Veritas Prep class (in-person or online), you're a member for 12 months from the start of your course. Did you sign up in July for a class starting on September 7? Then you have access to EVERYTHING for 12 months from September 8, so you in fact have more than one full year of membership!

You can attend two full-length, live courses during your membership period.
When you enroll in an in-person GMAT course, included in your membership is the ability to take two in-person courses in a 12-month period. Did you take the course but don't still don't feel ready to take the GMAT? Did your job get in the way, and you weren't able to complete the course? No problem... Just call us and we'll gladly put you in another course of that same type, no questions asked.

Unlimited access to our GMAT preparation resources for one year.
No one offers a longer membership, no one else offers all of the following resources: 15 practice tests, seven diagnostic midterms, Veritas Prep On Demand™ pre-recorded lessons, instructor-manned phone support, and MBA admissions workshops, all included in your membership.

Prepare for the GMAT any way you choose.
Not sure whether you want to do an in-person or online course. No problem. Enroll in any in-person Veritas Prep GMAT course, and you already have access to our online Veritas Prep on Demand™ course. Decide that you'd rather do Live Online? Great... Just call us and we'll put you in any upcoming Live Online GMAT course! Or, start with an online course, and if you decide you really need in-person prep, let us know and you can upgrade to any in-person class!

Flexibility matters. That's why we give you the most flexible GMAT preparation in the industry, period.

Plan on taking the GMAT soon? Take a look at our new, lower prices on Veritas Prep online GMAT courses. And, as always, be sure to subscribe to this blog and to follow us on Twitter!

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INSEAD Admissions Deadlines for 2010-2011

While we most often write about U.S.-based business schools in this space, INSEAD is one of the more popular programs among our clients. That's why it's one of the MBA programs we cover in our Annual Reports, our free guides to 15 of the world's top MBA programs.

Today we take a look at INSEAD's admissions deadlines for the coming year. You'll note that INSEAD is one of the few major program that has two distinct start dates (or "intakes") for its incoming students: one in January and one in September. Here are the deadlines for both intakes, followed by our comments in italics:

INSEAD Application Deadlines
September 2011 Intake
Round 1: September 29, 2010
Round 2: December 1, 2010
Round 3: March 9, 2011

January 2012 Intake
Round 1: March 30, 2011
Round 2: June 15, 2011
Round 3: August 3, 2011

For the September intake, the big change is in Round 3, where INSEAD pushed back its deadline by a month. Like other top MBA programs, INSEAD seems to want to keep the window open a bit longer to attract a few more great applicants, suggesting that Round 3 is not the dead zone that some applicants think it is. For the January intake, INSEAD's Round 1 deadline is about three weeks earlier than it was last year, although its Round 2 and Round 3 deadlines have barely changed.

Applying to INSEAD this year? Download our INSEAD Annual Report, one of 15 completely free guides to the world's top business schools. And, as always, be sure to find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

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Chicago Booth Application Essays 2010-2011

Recently we wrote about Chicago Booth's admissions deadlines for the coming year. Today we dig into the school's admissions essays, which have changed quite a bit since last year.

It's interesting to note that, after there was some chatter a few months ago that Booth would drop its "PowerPoint question" this year, it lives on. We firmly believe that schools like Booth are still looking for new ways to learn more about you, and while that question hasn't been perfect, they don't want to give up on it since it's still Booth's best bet to get to know the real you before interviewing you.

Here are Chicago Booth's essays for the Class of 2013, followed by our comments in italics:

Chicago Booth Admissions Essays

1. The Admissions Committee is interested in learning more about you on both a personal and professional level. Please answer the following (maximum of 300 words for each section):
   
   a. Why are you pursuing a full-time MBA at this point in your life?
   
   b. Define your short and long term career goals post MBA.
   
   c. What is it about Chicago Booth that is going to help you reach your goals?
   
   d. RE-APPLICANTS 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?
   
   This question is new this year, although in many ways it's a direct descendant of last year's first essay question. This is the fairly standard "Why an MBA? Why this school?" question that most schools ask. Note that, as important is it is to make a convincing case about your career goals and your reasons for wanting an MBA, you also really need to take part (c) seriously... What about Booth attracts you to the school? This is where you need to show that you've done your homework, and convince the school that you're not only applying because Booth is highly ranked.


2. Chicago Booth is a place that challenges its students to stretch and take risks that they might not take elsewhere. Tell us about a time when you took a risk and what you learned from that experience .(750 words)
   
   This question is also new this year. The best response here will come directly from your work experience, provide enough drama to pull the reader in, and give you an opportunity to really answer the second part of the essay prompt: What did you learn from the experience? Last year "reflection" was a big theme in Booth's essay questions, and while this question doesn't specifically ask for reflection, this is your chance to show the kind of self-awareness and introspection that Booth admissions officers really want to see.


3. At Chicago Booth, we teach you HOW to think rather than what to think. With this in mind, we have provided you with "blank pages" in our application. Knowing that there is not a right or even a preferred answer allows you to demonstrate to the committee your ability to navigate ambiguity and provide information that you believe will support your candidacy for Chicago Booth.
   
   We have set forth the following guidelines:
   
   
   • The content is completely up to you. Acceptable file formats are PowerPoint or PDF.
   
   
   • There is a strict maximum of four pages, though you can provide fewer if you choose.
   
   
   • The document will be printed in color 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.
   
   
   • The file will be evaluated on the quality of content and ability to convey your ideas, not on technical expertise or presentation.
   
   
   • Files need to be less than 9 megabytes in order to upload. If your file is too large you may save your file as a PDF and upload your essay.
   
   This is the famous "PowerPoint question," although Booth sets it up differently this year, putting much more emphasis on the "Hey, you have a blank slate here!" message than before. Here the school asks you to present yourself creatively and succinctly. Almost nothing is out of bounds, but you really must ensure that these pages 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! The reason Booth kept this question is because, while it hasn't worked perfectly for the school so far, it really is the admissions committee's best chance to tease some personality out of your application. So, give them some!

Are you applying to Chicago Booth this year? Download our Chicago Booth Annual Report, one of 15 completely free guides to the world's top business schools, available on our site. And, as always, be sure to subscribe to this blog and follow us on Twitter!

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Preparing for the GMAT Online Just Got Easier!

Since 2002, tens of thousands of business school applicants have chosen Veritas Prep to help them achieve their maximum potential on the GMAT. In 90+ cities worldwide, every year more and more students find out what makes the Veritas Prep strategy for GMAT mastery the best in the industry.

Our courses are also available online, in a Live Online option and a self-paced "On Demand" format. When you enroll in either one of these, you get access to the same 15 GMAT books that have made our in-person class so popular, plus access to our 15 practice tests, seven detailed diagnostics, more than 2,700 practice problems, and online homework help for one full year. It's no wonder that they've become so popular!

So, how could we possibly make these courses any more appealing? By making them even easier to afford! Starting Monday, our Live Online course is available for just $700 (or three monthly payments of $250) a savings of $500. And our On Demand online GMAT course now only costs $450, a savings of $400!

How can this be?! Like Crazy Eddie, we're insane!! Well, maybe, but the real reason is that we know that large numbers of students don't have the means to afford our industry-best 42-hour in-person course. That's no reason why they should be left out in the cold. (Or, left out in the heat, if you're like Crazy Eddie over there.) We're making it affordable for anyone to prepare for the GMAT, any time, anywhere. Our march on the GMAT world continues!

Plan on taking the GMAT soon? Compare us to the competition and see why more people choose Veritas Prep every year. And, as always, be sure to find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

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Admissions 101: The Number of Applicants Barely Affects Your Chances

This post is the second installment in our new "Admissions 101" series, devoted to teaching our readers the basics of admissions for business school, law school, or medical school. From time to time we'll tackle popular questions and dispel some of the more common myths about the admissions process.

Some business applicants were encouraged by last week's news that application numbers were down at some top MBA programs this past year. Notably, the decrease happened at some very desirable schools, such as Wharton (down 9% vs. the previous year) and Haas (down 11%). While this was far from a universal trend (many top schools saw applications increase), it certainly paints the picture of the trend cresting. It's not hard to imagine more top MBA programs announcing a decrease in the number of applicants next year.

Maybe, Just Maybe, Some Good News for Once!
If you're applying to these schools, that's good news, right? Well, it certainly isn't bad news but we recommend against buying that Wharton sweatshirt just yet. In reality, there's only one applicant pool you really care about:

The number of GREAT applicants who apply to each of these schools.

"But wait a minute," you might say. "The BusinessWeek article didn't say anything about the number of great applicants. And I don't see that stat in my U.S. News rankings, either." The point isn't to figure out that number, but rather to remind yourself that, assuming you're competitive at a given school (and that's not a small assumption!), your real competition comes from the other competitive applicants.

Not All Applicants are Created Equal
What if I told you that Wharton received about 675 fewer applicants this past year, but that all of them had GMAT scores below 620 and GPAs below 3.2? "Well, they probably weren't really competing against me for a spot, anyway," you'd say, and you would be right. In that case, that drop in applicants didn't really help you. Of course, that's probably not the case, but it's a reminder that not all applicants are the same, and thus a rise or fall in the number of applicants can't be taken at face value.

Now let's assume that those additional 675 applicants were identical to the rest of the applicant pool, meaning that, all things being equal, Wharton would admit approximately 17% of them. (Why 17%? That number came from this past year's U.S. New Rankings.) That's about 115 applicants that Wharton would want to admit. In fact, let's bump that up a bit since top schools always find more great applicants than they can admit... Let's bump it up to 180. So, this past year there were 180 fewer GREAT applicants competing for about 817 seats in Wharton's full-time program.

While having about 180 fewer people to compete with for a seat at Wharton is good news -- it's sure better than having to compete against 180 more applicants! -- it's not a real game changer in the grand scheme of things. Your chances are still going to be impacted far more by your work experience, GMAT score, letters of recommendation, undergraduate transcript, and admissions essays than by whether 180 strangers from around the world decide whether or not to take a shot at Wharton this year.

An Even More Basic Exercise
Let's look at it one more way: Assuming Wharton admits the same number of people every year (and this is a fair assumption, although we know it will change slightly based on yield), taking the number of applicants from the BusinessWeek article and acceptance rates from this year's U.S. News rankings -- and forgiving the author for any loose mixing and matching of stats from different admissions season -- if Wharton received 675 fewer application this year, its acceptance rate would only rise from 16.9% to 18.6%. While that's better than seeing it go down, it's hard to argue that those 1.7 percentage points make your odds that much better this year! Don't kid yourself -- getting into the world's top business schools will still be tough this year, next year, and the year after that.

For anyone who reads this and says, "You're peddling GMAT prep courses and MBA admissions consulting... Of course you're going to say that the decrease in applications doesn't make it easier to get in." While you're right that we obviously have a motive, you may be interested to know that, for the past two years (while application numbers were climbing A LOT), we frequently made the reverse argument to many applicants: Yes, application numbers are soaring, but that doesn't automatically mean that your chances just got much worse. You only need to worry about the other GREAT applicants (especially those most similar to you). While the odds are that there are more of them, their numbers probably haven't grown by 25%. Just focus on what you can do to make YOUR application terrific, and let the rest just happen, because that's all you can do.

If you plan on applying to business school, law school, or medical school this year, call us at 800-925-7737 and speak to a Veritas Prep admissions expert. And, as always, be sure to find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

Photo courtesy of austinevan, under a Creative Commons license.

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GMAT Tip of the Week: Put the Critic in Critical Reasoning

Admit it: you're a critical person. When you drive, you criticize the others on the road. When you're in a long line at a store or DMV, you criticize the way the establishment runs things. When you're at the airport, you criticize the way that others dress and act. No need to deny it -- like anything, being critical is a matter of interpretation as to whether it's a good or bad thing. Critical person? Bad. Critical thinker? Harvard material. And on the GMAT, it pays to embrace your inner critic.

One of the least-used but most-useful ways of doing so takes place on Critical Reasoning questions that ask you to identify an assumption that an author makes when constructing an argument. True, the correct answer will strengthen, and not weaken, the author's conclusion, but we're much better at criticizing than we are at defending, and when given the option we should probably choose the former.

Consider this argument and question:

When it rains for more than an hour immediately before or during a baseball game, the game is canceled. Therefore, tomorrow's game is sure to be canceled.

The author of the argument above assumes which of the following?

(A) The manager of the home team has already begun planning his pitching rotation around the impending cancellation.

(B) The ticket office has issued a statement to ticketholders regarding the rain check policy.

(C) It will rain for an extended period of time leading up to tomorrow's scheduled game time.

Looking at the answer choices, each seems to be a good reason to believe the conclusion, that the game will be cancelled. If, according to choice A, the manager is already planning for a cancellation, it seems quite likely that the game is doomed. If, according to choice B, the ticket office has begun its preparations for a cancellation, it's also likely that the game won't be played. But neither of these is a correct answer for an assumption that the author makes, regardless of whether they would aid his case if they were true.

An assumption is a missing premise -- one upon which the author's argument depends. This fact can help you to navigate answer choices, as if the correct answer is required in order to believe the author's argument, if it weren't true then the argument would fail to hold. Accordingly, you can quickly turn these questions into opportunities to be critical, something you do quite well!

To use what we call the Assumption Negation Technique, which allows you to convert these assumption questions into Weaken questions, take each answer choice and negate it, making it an opposite statement. When done so, the correct answer will directly contradict the author's conclusion, while the others will fall safely out of scope. To negate these answer choices:

(A) The manager of the home team has NOT begun planning his pitching rotation around the impending cancellation.

WRONG: Whether or not the manager has begun to prepare for the cancellation has no bearing on whether it will rain enough for the game to be cancelled. The manager may have many reasons not to have begun that prep, most of which are unrelated to the weather.

(B) The ticket office has NOT issued a statement to ticketholders regarding the rain check policy.

WRONG: Again, whether the ticket office has begun preparing for a cancellation -- or whether it even has a rain check policy to begin with -- has no bearing on whether the game will be cancelled.

(C) It will NOT rain for an extended period of time leading up to the game's scheduled start time.

CORRECT: Our only basis for concluding that the game will be canceled is the rainout policy described in the argument. If it were true that it would not rain, we'd have no way to conclude anything about the game. This demonstrates that choice C is essential to the author's argument; without it, the argument is meaningless.

By using these opportunities to allow yourself to be more critical, you can answer these questions from a position of your own natural strength -- as a critic. When faced with assumption questions on the GMAT, see them as opportunities to do what you do best -- be critical. After all, that's the name of the game (which will not be canceled).

Plan on taking the GMAT soon? Compare us to the competition and see why more people choose Veritas Prep every year. And, as always, be sure to subscribe to this blog and to follow us on Twitter!

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The MBA Tour Coming to London and Paris

If you plan on applying to business school this fall, now is a great time to connect with representatives from the schools that you are interested in attending. The MBA Tour will be in Paris and London at the end of September and if you are in the area, we encourage you to attend. You'll get the opportunity to meet with business school representatives from the world's top MBA programs and sit in on informative panels about the admissions process.

Before attending either event, start your MBA search by learning your top MBA program preferences and finding your ideal schools with the MBA Spotlight Survey. The survey, administered by The MBA Tour, will reveal your preferences for choosing a business school and you'll then receive alert messages before each event from the business schools that match your preferences.

At each event, you will be invited to attend special information sessions with your matched schools. Once you register for an event, you’ll be invited to take the survey and can attend for free!

Paris - Saturday, 18 Sept, 2010
Marriott Paris Rive Gauche Hotel & Conference Center
17, Boulevard Saint-Jacques
Paris, 75014 France

London - Sunday, 19 Sept, 2010
Grange City Hotel
8-14 Coopers Row
London, EC3N 2BQ

Space is limited at these events, so make sure you register soon!

Thinking of applying to business school this year? Give us a call at (800) 925-7737 and speak with one of our business school admissions experts today. And, as always, be sure to subscribe to this blog and follow us on Twitter!

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UC Berkeley (Haas) MBA Admissions Deadlines for 2010-2011

UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business has published its MBA admissions deadlines for the coming year. We'll dig into the school's admissions essays shortly, but first, here are the Haas deadlines, followed by our comments in italics:

Haas Application Deadlines
Round 1: October 13, 2010
Round 2: December 2, 2010
Round 3: January 20, 2011
Round 4: March 16, 2011

Note that Haas is fairly unique in that it actually has four rounds of admissions. In a way this makes it easier on you as you plan your Haas application -- it gives you the option of applying at an "off-peak" time, such as early December, when you're probably not yet cramming on a lot of other applications. Aiming for Round 1 and Round 2 is still your best bet, although we expect that Haas gets many more Round 3 applicants than most other schools do.

Like many other top MBA programs, Haas has moved its Round 1 deadline a bit earlier this year (by one week). However, unlike some other top schools, Haas won't send your decision until mid-January, so you will have to have most of your Round 2 applications in order before you hear back from Haas. Most of the school's other deadlines also moved forward by a week or two, with the exception of the Round 4 deadline, which is actually about a week later than it was last year.

Plan on applying to Haas or another top MBA program this year? Veritas Prep now offers the ability to start working with an admissions consultant today and pay over time. And, be sure to subscribe to this blog and follow us on Twitter!

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Understanding the GMAT Scoring Algorithm

As you likely know, the GMAT is a computer-adaptive test (CAT), in which your score is calculated by an algorithm that provides you with harder questions (and higher score returns) when you answer previous questions correctly, and with easier questions (and lower returns) when you've answered previous questions incorrectly.

Through this method, the GMAT can ascertain your ability level in a relatively short period -- 37 math and 41 verbal questions -- and provide you with an immediate score upon completion of the test. On the flip side -- and unintentionally -- the GMAT can cause you a great deal of stress as you try to find ways to better understand and game its scoring system. To save you that stress, here are some important things you should know about GMAT scoring:

1) Good news: You can get a lot of questions wrong and still do well!

The job of the GMAT scoring algorithm is to determine your ability level by asking you questions that begin to close in on it. Think of how you'd play a game of 20 Questions as you attempt to zero in on the historical figure that your "opponent" has selected:

Was this person famous in the era BC? (No -- too early)

Was this person famous before the Middle Ages? (No -- still too early)

Was this person famous before the Declaration of Independence? (Yes -- 1776 is too late)

Was this person famous before 1600? (Yes -- 1600 is still too late)

Did this person become famous before 1500? (Yes -- now we're getting close to that period between around 1300-1500)

Was this person famous in the late 1400s? (Yes -- now we're getting close to really knowing the answer)

Was this person famous for something that happened in the 1490s? (Yes)

Is it Christopher Columbus in 1492? (Yes -- once you get to the 1490s, you can be pretty sure that you're talking Columbus. We've managed to narrow down our assessment of the figure in question by getting some "yes" and "no" answers)

Essentially, that's what the GMAT is trying to do with the questions it feeds you. "Is this person above a 700? Yes." "Is this person above a 750? No." Because the test needs to get those "no" answers at the upper limit of your ability, it will continue to feed you harder questions that you will likely answer incorrectly as it tests your upper threshold, and at the lower end it will feed you easier questions to test your minimum ability.

The upshot for you? You're supposed to answer a fair number of questions incorrectly. Everyone does. Akil over at BellCurves wrote up a pretty extensive analysis of official practice test scores that demonstrated some trends in the ways that scores are calculated. If you don't want to sort through the dense analysis to draw your own conclusion, know this: those scoring in the 46-50 scaled score range on the quant section (the upper limit of high scores) answered between 21 and 26 of the 37 math questions correctly. You can score well above the 90th percentile on math and miss more than a dozen questions! (And if you're good enough at math to do that, you'll note that it equates to your missing roughly a third of the questions)

2) The first ten questions are no more important than the last ten.

The Graduate Management Admissions Council goes as far as to spell this out clearly in the Official Guide for GMAT Review and on its blog, but the rumors still persist. Let's go back to the game of 20 questions; if it's that easy for you or I to correctly guess "Christopher Columbus" in just 20 questions, why does the GMAT need 37 or 41 to determine your score? After all, GMAC is run by a sophisticated team of statisticians and psychometricians.

The answer? The GMAT needs to account for false positives and false negatives. In a game of 20 questions, it's in unbelievably poor form to lie about the answer to a question, but on the GMAT you'll "lie" about your ability whenever you guess correctly or make a silly mistake and answer incorrectly. The test needs to account for that, and so more questions are needed.

Going back to Columbus, say that the 20 questions proprietor had forgotten that catchy rhyme "In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue", and tried to estimate your line of time-sensitive questioning by thinking "Jamestown was in the early 1600s, so Columbus must have reached the Americas in the 1500s." He'd have answered your question "before 1500?" as "no". But your subsequent questions -- "was he an explorer/sponsored by the Spanish crown/etc." -- would eventually bear out that the answer to the pre-1500 question was false.

The GMAT knows that you'll have some false positives/negatives in your answers, and accordingly it's equipped to filter through those. And, accordingly, it can't make any major decisions about your ability level that early in the test. If you're taking the GMAT soon, hopefully you're studying probability concepts thoroughly enough to recognize this -- 1 out of every 525 test-takers who guesses blindly on the first four questions will get them all right. The GMAT can't hand that person a 700-ish score on the basis of pure guessing and then some mediocrity for the rest of the test. With well over 200,000 GMATs taken per year, the overseers of the test (statisticians to boot) know that they'll see quite a few tests that include sets of 3-4 consecutive correct guesses, and the algorithm is set up to mitigate those and accurately reflect your scores.

3) Knowing how the scoring algorithm works neither significantly impacts your score nor excuses you from having to answer questions correctly!

Of the time that most examinees spend preparing for the GMAT, among the least-value-added is the time beyond that first, say, 20 minutes that they spend thinking about the scoring algorithm. Consider this quote from Dr. Eileen Talento-Miller, one of the chief psychometricians behind the GMAT, in her blog post about guessing on the exam:

"And because no one knows what item you would have gotten next if you don’t complete the items at the end, then there is no good way to estimate how that would affect your score."

If the creators of the exam are willing to admit that they're unsure how they'd game the test, it's unlikely that you'll somehow crack the code on your own. The psychometricians at GMAC are tasked by business schools with, above all else, the job of ensuring that the test is a valid assessment of a student's performance. Quite frankly, they do that incredibly well, and so even if they did spot an opportunity to beat the system, rest assured that they'd identify and correct it before you would have the opportunity to use it.

The GMAT measures your score differently, but not entirely differently, than Omega measures the results of the Olympic 100 meter dash. Like GMAC, Omega has a job to ensure that the results of the race accurately reflect the performances of the athletes. Usain Bolt, the fastest man alive and defending Olympic sprint champion, could spend hours understanding the nuances of electronic timing, the ways in which a second is calculated, etc., but in the end he'll only defend his championship and potentially lower his world record if he simply runs faster than everyone else.

In fact, Omega and the international track & field governing bodies have even instituted a system that punishes runners who try to beat the system. As it is scientifically understood as impossible for an athlete to react to the starter's pistol in less than 0.10 second, any athlete who tries to time the start and begins his motion after the gun but before that natural reaction time has elapsed is charged with a false start (notably, 1992 Olympic champion Linford Christie was disqualified from defending his title in 1996 under this rule). When the stakes are high, those who perform the assessment of your performance have greater incentive to validate that numerical assessment than you have to beat the system.

Accordingly, like Bolt, you can spend your time much more effectively by preparing to succeed than by trying to fully understand the nuances of how you'll be assessed. Ultimately, you should trust that the scoring system will accurately value your performance, and that the only thing you can control is that performance itself.

Are you preparing for the GMAT? Take a look at Veritas Prep's GMAT prep courses and GMAT books, now available for individual purchase. And, as always, be sure to subscribe to this blog and to follow us on Twitter!

Photo courtesy of William Warby, under a Creative Commons license.

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Three Reasons to Retake the GMAT While You Can

We're just two months away from the first Round 1 deadlines for the 2010-2011 MBA admissions season, and one question that we frequently receive at this time of year is, "I took the GMAT and scored X... Should I take it again before I apply?"

Of course, the answer we give largely hinges on what exactly X is, but let's make things interesting. Let's throw out the obvious "Yes!" and "No!" scenarios and assume you scored a 680, with no particular weakness in either the quant or verbal half of the exam. You're targeting no less than the five highest MBA programs in the rankings. While you're comfortably in the middle-80% range for each school, you have a nagging fear that your GMAT score might contribute to a ding in a few months. What do you do?

Our money's on retaking the GMAT. Why? Here are three reasons:

#1: Business schools truly do take your highest GMAT score.
Don't believe it? It's what admissions officers at nearly every top MBA program have told us. Still skeptical? Ask yourself this: When U.S. News asks each business school to report its student body's mean GMAT scores for MBA ranking purposes, which scores do you think the schools submit? Each student's lowest score? Heck no... If you have a 660 and a 700, they'll gladly report the latter.

So, if you are worried about taking the test again and scoring lower, you shouldn't be. The worst you'll do is get a lower score, which schools will ignore. If you're still worried, you can decline to send your score to any schools the day you take the test, and later ask GMAC to send an updated score report to your target schools, after you know how you did. There's truly no downside here.

#2: On average, test takers boost their scores by 31 points on their second GMAT sitting.
None other than GMAC, the people behind the GMAT, reported this a few years ago (see page 5 in the PDF) that the average score gain from the first to second sitting is 31 points. Now, before all of you statistics buffs jump on us for not reporting the whole story, we urge you to read the whole report. Of course, that's just an average, and your score could in fact go down. But, as GMAC notes on page 9 of the report, "The observed gains for repeat test-takers are greater than the gains one would expect solely based on measurement error." So, even if you don't do much additional GMAT preparation before taking the test again, on average, the odds are in your favor.

#3: If you're applying soon, your GMAT score is one of the few things in your application that you can still change significantly.
We saved this argument for last since we think it's actually the most important one. Almost all of those things are in your past and can't be changed: your undergraduate transcript, your work experience, your community involvement, etc. Assuming you will apply soon, from today going forward, the only things you still control are: your GMAT score, your essays, your letters of recommendation, maybe additional college coursework, and your admissions interview.

Yes, how you present all of those backward-looking things will significantly impact your chances (and that's what our MBA admissions consultants do), but what would you rather do -- submit a 660 GMAT score along with a terrific optional essay explaining that you really can cut it at Stanford GSB, or a 700 with no explanation needed? Very few applicants are perfect, and admissions officers accept applicants with blemishes all the time, but why have that one additional blemish (or, at least, something that's not a strength) on your application when you still have a chance to improve on it?

Different Answers at Different Times of Year
The question gets more interesting as you approach the admissions deadlines. With just two weeks to go before the Round 1 deadline, do you go full steam ahead with your 670 GMAT score, or do you try to take the GMAT again while you're cramming on your essays and closely managing your recommendation writers? (Or do you take a breath, spend some more time on getting the GMAT score you can really achieve, and apply in Round 2? We normally recommend that approach.) What about if you're faced with that decision right before the Round 2 deadline? What about Round 3?

It's more a nuanced discussion in those cases, to be sure, but if you're still two months away from your target deadlines, the answer is clear: Your GMAT score is still one of the few things you can significantly impact before you apply... Why not make take advantage of one more chance to improve it?

Getting ready to take the GMAT? Compare GMAT prep courses and see why more and more people choose Veritas prep every year. And, as always, be sure to subscribe to this blog and to follow us on Twitter!

Photo courtesy of Smath., under a Creative Commons license.

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GMAT Tip of the Week: Cinderella Man

Who forms pyramids and raps circles around square lyricists?

Eminem, Cinderella Man.

Eminem's latest (and greatest?) album, Recovery, has defied convention in many ways:

• Few rappers have enjoyed success well into their 30s or more than a decade into their careers, but Eminem has led the Billboard charts now five weeks and counting.


• In the digital age, few artists can even sell full albums anymore, but Recovery sold more albums in its first week than any album since 2008.


• In between aggressive, venomous lyrics that need to be rewound to be fully appreciated, Eminem also provides listeners with an insider knowledge of some of the GMAT's unconventional geometry questions.

With his lyric "who forms pyramids and raps circles around square lyricists", the world's greatest inside-out rhyme pattern rapper isn't merely calling out the world's other emcees, but also calling attention to one of the GMAT's favorite inside-out Geometry question formats, those that wrap circles around squares and vice versa.

The GMAT loves to ask questions about:

A circle inscribed in a square

and

A square inscribed in a circle

This allows the exam to test your ability to link together seemingly disparate concepts. But much like a top emcee, you can blend together unique concepts to achieve financial success.

When a square is inscribed inside a circle:

The diagonal of the square is the same length as the diameter of the circle, which also means that the diameter of the circle / diagonal of the square takes the "x * squareroot 2" side of the 45-45-90 triangle that it creates with two sides of the square. Divide the diameter by the square root of 2 and you have the length of the side of the square.

In this case, just having one piece of information allows you to solve for everything else. Given the area or circumference of the circle, you can find the radius and then the diameter, and use the diameter to acquire the lengths of the sides of the square. Given the area or perimeter of the square and you can find the diagonal, use that as the diameter of the circle, and find out whatever you need to know about the circle that way.

When a circle is inscribed inside a square:

The diameter of the circle is the same as the length of a side of the square. This may make things even easier than the square-inside-circle setup. Once you have the area, circumference, or radius of the circle, you can find the diameter and therefore a side of the square. Or, if given information about the square, you can then find the length of a side, equate it to the diameter, and use that to unlock the numerical properties of the circle.

Circles and squares are perfect shapes because they're perfectly symmetrical: find one piece of information about either and you know about the entire thing. Because of this, they're great shapes for the GMAT to use to test your ability to link together concepts, and these one-inscribed-in-another questions have long been favorite geometry question fodder. Learn to wrap circles around squares and squares around circles and you'll be testing circles around the GMAT in no time. The next step after that? Echoing Eminem's "Hi, My Name Is..." at business school orientation.

Are you preparing for the GMAT? Take a look at Veritas Prep's GMAT prep courses and GMAT books, now available for individual purchase. And, as always, be sure to subscribe to this blog and to follow us on Twitter!

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UVA (Darden) Application Essays for 2010-2011

The University of Virginia's Darden School of Business has released its application essays for the 2010-2011 admissions season. (We wrote about the school's upcoming MBA admissions deadlines last week.)

You'll notice that Darden has one of the shorter sets of admissions essays that you'll find among top schools. Also, Darden's essays are pretty different than most other schools' essays, meaning that you won't be able to do much copying and pasting. Darden wants you to put original thought into these essays and demonstrate your fit with -- and your enthusiasm for -- the program.

Here are Darden's essays for the 2010-2011 admissions season, followed by our comments in italics:

Darden Admissions Essays

1. The Darden MBA program expects students to actively participate in learning teams, the classroom, and the broader community. Please share one or two examples from your past experience that best illustrate(s) how you will contribute to this highly engaging and hands-on learning environment. (500 words)
   
   This question is new this year, although it's loosely descended from last year's Essay #2, which asked what you will contribute to an MBA program. This new version is actually very focused compared to most MBA admissions essay questions: Darden doesn't wallflowers, but rather active participants... Give them specific reasons to believe you are one of the latter. Ideally you can spell out at least one really good example using the "Situation-Action-Result" method outlined in Your MBA Game Plan. (One really good example beats two okay ones, hands-down.)
   
   Also, you only have 500 words, but this question is your best chance to demonstrate a measure of fit with Darden... Again, words are precious here, and the majority of your response will need to focus on you, but you need to give the admissions team at least some reasons to believe that you "get" the Darden community and understand what they're looking for when they talk about valuing active contributors.


2. Please discuss how a global event that has taken place in the past two years has impacted the way you think about leadership broadly and personally. (500 words)
   
   This question is a revision of last year's Essay #1, which asked "How have the changes in the global economy over the last 18 months affected you and your plan for the future?" We didn't particularly like this question, since it tended to steer applicants towards talking about "big picture" issues instead of talking about themselves. Plus, built into the question was the assumption that everyone HAD been affected by the rocky economic climate, while in fact many applicants' plans hadn't changes at all. This left many strong applicants scrambling to generate an impressive-sounding story when they didn't necessarily have one.
   
   So, we're glad they changed the question, although the risk of an applicant focusing too much on "big picture" global issues -- that don't really shed any light on who they are and what they hope to achieve in life -- still remains. The key here is to especially focus on the last few words, which put the emphasis on on YOU. If the global issue you want to discuss is rising energy prices and your alarm over what you think is a lack of a coherent national energy policy for your country, don't just stop there. Bring it back to a time you witnessed a similar challenge at work, and how you took the steps needed to make sure your team wasn't only making short-sited decisions. That's the type of story that can turn a potentially murky response into a winner.

Plan on applying to Darden this year? Download our Darden Annual Report, one of 15 free business school admissions guides available on our site. And, be sure to subscribe to this blog and follow us on Twitter!

Photo courtesy of Mr. T in DC, under a Creative Commons license.

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NYU (Stern) Application Deadlines for 2010-2011

NYU's Stern School of Business has published its MBA admissions deadlines for the coming year. Here they are, followed by our comments in italics:

NYU Stern Admissions Deadlines
Round 1: November 15, 2010
Round 2: January 15, 2011
Round 3: March 15, 2011

These deadlines are identical to last year's. Note that, unlike many other top business schools, Stern has kept its Round 1 admissions deadline firmly in the middle of November. The good news for you is that, if you're applying to Stern along with a few other schools in Round 1, this gives you a chance to get those ones done in October, catch your breath, and then give your Stern application your undivided attention.

However, Stern won't notify Round 1 applicants until as late as February 15, 2011, so you will probably have to make choices about your Round 2 applications before you hear back from Stern.

Applying to Stern this year? Download our NYU Stern Annual Report, one of 15 completely free guides to the world's top business schools. And, be sure to subscribe to this blog and follow us on Twitter!

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Enrolling in the Best GMAT Prep Course Just Got Easier!

By popular demand, today we introduce something that will surely bring a smile to the face of anyone who's ever wanted to pay Tuesday for their hamburger today: Now you can enroll in any Veritas Prep GMAT class and pay in three monthly installments!

Since Veritas Prep launched in 2002, we have always been one of the highest-priced GMAT courses in the market. When a company invests as much as we do in quality -- from our 99th-percentile-scoring GMAT instructors to our industry-leading lesson books to our extensive bank of practice tests -- it tends to be the more expensive option in the market. But, you shouldn't need to choose between getting a great score or saving a few dollars. Now, you can do both.

How do you enroll in a payment plan? When you enroll in any in-person or online GMAT course, a three-month payment plan will be your default option -- you don't have to do anything! Or, if you want to pay in full immediately and save, just check the "Pay in Full" box on the checkout page. There's nothing else you need to do. As soon as you enroll, you will immediately have access to all of Veritas Prep’s online GMAT lessons, diagnostics, and computer-adaptive practice tests!

By the way, payments plans are now available for all of our admissions consulting services, too! Just call us at 800-925-7737 to enroll, and ask for the payment plan option. It works the same way as the GMAT payment plan: Start working with us today, and pay over three months!

Getting ready to take the GMAT? Compare us to the competition and see why more and more people choose Veritas prep every year. And, as always, be sure to subscribe to this blog and to follow us on Twitter!

Photo courtesy of Andres Rueda, under a Creative Commons license.

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Dartmouth (Tuck) Application Essays for 2010-2011

Darmouth's Tuck School of Business recently published its admissions essay topics for the 2010-2011 application season. You'll see that some of the questions have changed a bit vs. last year's essays, although Tuck still hits on the same themes this year. That suggests that the school still feels that these themes (e.g., leadership and overcoming adversity) work well for the school in terms of finding applicants who are good Tuck material.

Note that Tuck does not have hard word limits for its essays, but the school does provide some rough guidance: "Although there is no restriction on the length of your response, most applicants use, on average, 500 words for each essay."

Here are Tuck's essays, followed by our comments in italics:

Dartmouth (Tuck) Admissions Essays

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? (If you are applying for a joint or dual degree, please explain how the additional degree will contribute to those goals.)
   
   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. If your answer has everything to do with you and nothing to do with Tuck, then you probably have more work to do in researching the school.


2. Discuss your most meaningful leadership experience. What did you learn about your own individual strengths and weaknesses through this experience?
   
   This question is new this year, and replaces another leadership question. Interestingly, last year's question was more specific and contained more clues as to what exactly Tuck looks for in its applicants. As we noted last year, the previous question was maybe a bit ambitious in terms of how much an applicant could cover in about 500 words. Still, the advice we gave last year remains mostly the same: Keep your response focused on one single situation, what action you took, and what the results were (Situation-Action-Result," or "SAR" as we call it at Veritas Prep). Note the last part of the question, about what you learned about yourself. What exactly happened is very important, but so is evidence of self-reflection. Ideally you can show that you learned something about yourself, such as a shortcoming or lack of experience, that you were able to act on and improve. That's the richest type of response one can give here.


3. What is the greatest challenge or hurdle you have overcome, either personally or professionally, and how did you manage to do so?
   
   This question is also new, and replaces one about the toughest criticism you ever received. While this question is certainly different, in many respects it addresses the same core attribute that Tuck wants to see in its applicants: The ability to objectively take a challenge and setback and turn it into something positive, coming out better in the end. It's interesting that Tuck had gotten away from the "toughest feedback" or "biggest failure" questions, since those tend to be very revealing. This question is subtly different, but there are many responses that could work for a "failure" question that could still work well here. In fact, writing a response about overcoming a failure or weakness will usually more powerful than answering with "My biggest challenge was completing a marathon." While that's impressive, it's far less revealing than a story about a time when you had to make a more fundamental change to who you are as a person and as a leader.


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. Don't just think of "diversity" in terms of race or national origin!


5. (Optional) Please provide any additional insight or information that you have not addressed elsewhere that may be helpful in reviewing your application (e.g., unusual choice of evaluators, weaknesses in academic performance, unexplained job gaps or changes, etc.). Complete this question only if you feel your candidacy is not fully represented by this application.
   
   As always, only use this essay if you need to explain a low undergraduate GPA or other potential blemish in your background. No need to harp on a minor weakness and sound like you're making excuses when you don't need any. More generally, if you don't have anything else you need to tell the admissions office, it's okay to skip this essay!

Applying to Tuck this year? Download our Tuck Annual Report, one of 15 completely free guides to the world's top business schools. And, be sure to subscribe to this blog and follow us on Twitter!

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