Cool MBA Tool: MBA Essay Map - Online Google Doc with Essay Topics from Top US, Asian and European Business Schools

MBA Essay Map: View all business school essays, side by side, in one succinct view.

The wealth of online information about the business school application process and programs is staggering.

• I certainly appreciate the opportunity to gather a number of differing viewpoints on essays topics and school culture, for example.

I also know that as b-school applicants navigate through the application process, they do have the potential to get lost in the weeds.

• As I have seen with many MBA applicants, they get "analysis paralysis", innudated by almost too much data.
• Having worked in management consulting, I come from the school of tell me what I need to know, when I need to know it and how I can use it to get the right result.
• In finance terms, I want to see a balance sheet. Give me a snapshot of where I stand today.

This is why I created the "MBA Essay Map".

• The MBA Essay Map rolls up all essay questions from top US, Asian and European MBA programs.
• It puts them all in one view, side by side, for comparitive purposes.
• I also included a side by side comparison of word limits and deadlines. This should help an applicant estimate workload and timing so they can address the writing process in the most efficient manner.

The Map also includes specific formatting requirements for each program and any specific reapplicant stipulations.

• I can not tell you how many times I have seen essays submitted using the wrong format or reapplicants who neglected to follow the rules. This is a huge red flag for the admissions committee.

View the "MBA Essay Map" here:

• http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tc4U3LxI41c9UXBO-0rhwog&output=html
• Please note that not all essays for 2009 - 2010 have been released. I will update when these roll out.
• Additionally, if you find value in the "MBA Essay Map" please check out the "Top MBA Program Deadlines and Important Dates" Google Calendar I created. You can add this calendar to your own Gcal or MS Outlook. (Long live Google.)

-Paul Lanzillotti

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Bespoke is no joke: why I buy custom made clothes.

A b-school colleague told me that once I went bespoke, or custom-made, with my work clothing that I would never going back to buying off the rack. I must admit, he was right.

I never really ever thought about seriously buying custom fit clothing for work. I guess I don’t know why as I have a 44 chest and a 32 waist. I figured it would be too expensive without really investigating it. It was went I went to buy a couple of suits that I began to realize that for about $600 I could get a custom suit made with a good super 120 wool.

Well, after soliciting some more fellow b-school opinions, I settled on Fit Wel custom clothing in Brentwood, Los Angeles. They measured, I ordered and waited about 4 weeks. When I finally received my suits and shirts, I tried them on and felt like a million bucks. I have never had clothes fit so well, well!

I will never go back to buying off the rack. Additionally, buying custom clothing is helping me with my transition to less is more. As I continue to simply my life by adopting GTD or reading the latest posting on zenhabits.net, I am realizing that I need to focus on having fewer things that declutter my life. So with my clothing, I am donating all the old and just having a few things. Additionally, and as a former traveling consultant for KPMG Consulting, I could only take 5 shirts and pants on the road at any one time. So how many shirts, pants, suits do I really need to have? I can spend a little more on custom made, look better, feel better and continue to declutter my life.

So how can you get in on this? Go to a tailor, have them measure you, then find a reputable tailor from Hong Kong online. I really like Cosmo Circle Custom Tailors in Hong Kong. Send them your measurements. Buy a few shirts and see how you like them. I guarantee if this is done right, you will never go back to off the rack! Trust me, this pays off in business school and in the workplace. People who know can tell a cheap suit, especially in investment banking and management consulting.

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