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!

Read More >>

UCLA Anderson to Give World MBA Tour Visitors a Taste of a Business School Class

If you're in Los Angeles, here is a unique opportunity to attend a business class before you ever even begin your applications. UCLA Anderson professor Sanjay Sood will be leading a sample MBA class at the QS World MBA Tour this Saturday, October 3rd at 3:00 p.m, in Downtown Los Angeles.

Professor Sood specializes in cutting edge research in marketing management, brand management, advertising and consumer behavior. This class will be a great experience for prospective applicants interested in learning more about what class is like at UCLA Anderson.

Adrian Aguirre, one of the school's Associate Directors, and some current UCLA Anderson students will also be on hand to answer questions about the school and its admissions process.

Event Information:
World MBA Tour
When: Saturday, Oct. 3rd at 3:00 p.m.
Where: World MBA Tour Wilshire Grand Los Angeles
Register at: www.topmba.com

For more advice on applying to UCLA Anderson, visit the Veritas Prep UCLA Anderson information page. And, be sure to follow us on Twitter!

Read More >>

Applying to B-School in a Few Years? Maximize Your Candidacy Today.

A significant portion of my MBA admissions consulting applicants come to be with little to no extracurricular experience since their undergraduate days. While this is a problem that can be addressed, it can show a lack of proper planning over the long term. A lot of applicants don’t think about the impact of their actions on their applicant competitiveness when the graduate from undergrad. To a certain extent, even I was the same way.

What I like most about some of my clients is the the way some of them are way ahead of the game we call the MBA application process. Those that have been planning since day 1 to go back to b-school tend to be distinguishing yourself from your peers out of the gate and these habits show when constructing the business school application.

This is what I tell those who have graduated and are planning to apply to business school in a few years:

1. Make sure you find a mentor at your employer. This does not have to be formal but it always helps when someone can show you the ropes. This person should be senior and be respected in the office.
2. This mentor will also be able to make introductions for you around the org. This will help when it comes to recommendation time.
3. Adcoms will consider your tenure and the ratio of leadership experience to overall experience at your work. Work to maximize this so that you can write about it eventually in your essays.
4. Make sure you are asking for leadership responsibility. It does not matter if it is leading the charge with organizing the company holiday party or asking for more work when on a project. It’s called managing your manager and it works wonders when its time for a promotion. Do this and more opportunities will arise. You may get to pick and chose your project work…..
5. Stepping up also helps with respect to your eventual recommendation when your manager is asked for how well you rank against your peer group.
6. Seek out those in the organization who have MBAs. Get to know them. Eventually, ask them to lunch and get to know how they liked their MBA experience.
7. Get involved with extracurriculars at work. Assume a leadership role as well as I have alluded to above.
8. See what pre-MBA mentoring programs are available to you. I know UCLA Anderson has the Riordan program. This is a great way to gain exposure.
9. Join several other organization types:
10. Toastmasters International - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toastmasters_International
11. A young professionals organization in your city - these orgs have social and business elements that will help you network.
12. Meetup.com - look for groups on meetup that have business or philanthropic goals that align with your interests.
13. As you get within a year of applying, go to open houses and MBA tours. Get your name and face out there. Adcoms have an uncanny way of remembering who you are.
14. Last but not least, start preparing for the GMAT now! Studying in drips and drops over a long period of time is far more effective that crammig just weeks before the exam.

Read More >>