MBA Strategies Workshop Remember who you used to be!!!

!! o You will not get in based on your LEK experience HBS o You MUST visit live classes to tell them they are different o Case study forces you to think like a GM You do the analysis but you have to make a decision Research the special programs at the schools (e.g., the international lauder program at Wharton) and tell them this is a selling point for you o This will help you a little bit in getting in Be able to say to the school in a way that will absolutely believe it that they are far and away o Compliment them only on the things that make them the best academic program for you Think about the people that are making the decision- they make the curriculum and their life is about making this better Do not focus on geography or compensation o Talk about school related, curriculum related material Do not ever give them the impression that you just want to pass through Even talking about placement is a no-no You are selling yourself to people who are in academics and who have given their lives to researching this stuff They have given up the professional life for academic You talk about your career in the essay questions about short and long term goals, so do it there, not elsewhere All about how you have a felt need for the material you will get in B-school o All about how your mind will be different through the two years Not because the smartest students there!!!! o It is about what they can offer you!!! There is a huge rush of people who go get an MBA because they want to get out of their job o They will automatically assume you are one of those people until you show them you are not o They have tools and you want those tools!!!! Get some sound bytes when you visit o I heard this student say this. o Say something that comes uniquely from you Resources o BusinessWeek o School website o Poets and Quants Great resource with tons of angles
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HBS o Admissions board 10 people All female, all have MBAs All given score 1-4 (5% get 1, 50% get 4s) 1s and 2s are given a comprehensive read 3s and 4s are given a quicker read It pays to apply early, usually o Often fewest applicants o Longest read o Benefit to being first in a diverse class Self Awareness o Dont market yourself to me, I want you to think long and hard about who you are- what impassions you? What is important to you? Many times applicants overlook the critical, first step: self-evaluation. This should be the first task you undertake before positioning yourself to a school. You can be a beautiful writer, but it you dont reflect thoughtfulness, it is an empty essay Admissions director, GSB o What skills have I developed? How? o How well do I know myself? Maturity and wisdom about yourself To know where you are happiest, and where you are not going to be happy Do you appreciate how others perceive you Understand strengths and weaknesses Always relative to other top applicants Do you have access to your feelings I learned. I felt frustrated. Dont sound like a robot Give them the sense that you are being led to business school for the learning, not the degree o How have I been impacted by the events that have shaped my life o What am I going to offer this place? How will I make an impact? What tends to be my impact on groups that I am a part of? What is my give? (you often talk about the take) o Self awareness is not about deep dark secrets of unconscious motivations, but is about people who know. What they do well What motivates them What satisfies them

Admissions Criteria Worksheet

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1. Academic ability and intellectual vitality a. This is a deal breaker b. They have to be absolutely sure that you will succeed in the classroom c. They also need to be sure that you will do okay in their school i. For example, you cannot be shy in HBS d. Your attitude toward learning is almost as important as your aptitude e. Proof that you are driven by your quest for knowledge i. Are you turned on by the stuff you are thinking about? ii. Do you get endorphins from the things you are learning? 2. Analytical problem solving skills a. What do you recommenders say about how you think b. GMAT c. How you write d. Work experience i. Fundamentally, the way you THINK e. Do you ask the right questions to get to an answer 3. PROVEN ability to manage people, projects, resources, and information a. Managing up, down, and laterally b. Managing up i. What are you doing to make your boss most effective? 4. Proven ability to lead others a. This is a deal breaker b. Preference for elected or appointed positions c. A HISTORY of leadership d. Schools want to develop existing leaders, not create them e. Thought leadership and your persuasive abilities f. All about examples g. When all hell breaks loose, leaders have a gear that others do not have h. how do you inspire people and bring out the best in them i. How can I convey leadership i. Convey visions ii. Stubborn resolve iii. Incredible stamina j. Show leadership in undefined roles i. Confronting friends that were cheating 5. Interpersonal skills and the ability to work in teams a. Understand other people, empathize b. Teamwork with people that are unlike you i. BYU you need to show that are really good at handling the different people c. Teamwork is like a recipe i. Use one of your essays to talk about a time you created a team ii. You thought all about the people you needed to create an effective team iii. Show that you have always played different roles d. International experience e. Experience with diversity
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i. Socioeconomically ii. Functionally iii. Hierarchically iv. Racial v. Sexual orientation 6. Intrapersonal smarts a. How well does this person know himself? b. Level of emotional intelligence c. Ego is the kiss of death i. As is dubious ethical behavior ii. If your recommender says even one line about this, you are done d. Are these persons goals motivated from within? e. Effective leaders all have a high level of emotional intelligence 7. Clarity of educational objectives a. Macro: why business school? b. Micro: Why my business school? i. How will your brain be differed ii. OK reasons 1. what and how you will learn iii. Not ok 1. price 2. reputation 3. location 4. alumni network 5. placement 6. you are a finance school 7. personal or family reasons 8. Clarity of career objectives a. What you say you want to do should be based on real experiences b. Articulate vision and strategy, then bring it down to specifics c. Does this candidate understand the career path? d. Do I believe this candidate will be successful in this field? e. You can cut it by the industry or the function f. At the end of the day you want to run the thing g. There is not a right answer here, but proving your analytical problem solving skills towards your career is a win here i. It is the journey not the destination here 9. Proof of superior performance a. If not, why? b. In school, extracurricular, at work, community 10. Commitment to a cause or passion a. What are your proven passions? b. Clarify the 1 or 2 activities where you have shown real commitment and WHY? c. THINK IMPACT d. It is the why as much as the what
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e. Create longer term involvement by choosing passions that have mattered to you OVER TIME f. Given these proven passions, how will you impact our student body and our school? g. Avoid superficial stuff h. What makes your eyes well up i. Is there something you believe in so strongly that you cant give up on it ii. Talk about the leadership you feel around that thing, and you can even avoid talking about the issue itself 1. are you showing initiative and bringing out the best in people i. You have to take the ACTION level to LASTING IMPACT level i. What are you doing to expand your passion and leave a footprint behind? Recommendations Those who have had the occasion to evaluate your performance Are committed to doing a good job for you You should meet with them in person o Give them an organized file o Give them unbelievably specific examples o Allow them four to six weeks o Pick the earliest deadline and make it their deadline Good recommendations o Packed with examples o Written by bright individuals 75% of recommendations dont tell us much o Tell them to tell us what sets them apart from all of the other applicants Specific letter on the recommendation form o The schools spend as much time deciding what these questions are as they do for your own questions o Have the highest level of specificity possible Interviews HBS 64% odds for the interviewees Do not waste time talking about things that are located elsewhere in the application Essays Three dimensional writing Do not tell me what you did- EVERYTHING should be the SO WHAT o Essays answer the SO WHAT of your data sheet and resume o I want to understand the decision making process being the data points o You have to dig deeper on the data points and answer the hows and whys, this will set you apart Great essays
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o Packed with examples o Answer the question being asked EXACTLY o Picture of you in writing o Are VERY personal o Make a point o INSIGHT INSIGHT o Technically perfect o Convey who you really are o Tell who you are rather than creating something that will get you in Leadership o Initiative among other people o Challenge the status quo o Ability to influence o Proof of impact o Ability to execute HBS o Everyone single one of your three accomplishment should SCREAM LEADERSHIP KEEP A RECORD OF CHALLENGES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS o Write down how you feel Foster relationships with recommenders Draft generic essays o Why b school o Career goals o Why school x? Sally Lannin o MBA Strategies o Email: slannin@aol.com o Cell: 952 239 5605 WORK FOR THE SMARTEST PERSON YOU CAN FIND o This matters more than what you are working in and how prestigious the firm is White males o Depth with which they talk about themselves and the experiences tha they have o They are searingly mature They sound older than they are o Dont sound defensive, dont push up your experiences Look down at what you have down with a willingness to speak to the wrong decisions Speak to the wisdom you got from this person or this boss No sense of trying to hide something or sound better than they are o Also people who are living three lives at the same time You also do all of these other things How many layers are there to you?
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With older applicants o You need to prove that know exactly what you are going to do o And that you are going to be able to get that job Dont use the word career, LIFE WORK is better Are you gifted in some way other than being an LEK guy? Church volunteer o I have to know that you are not your average volunteer o Are there gifts you have at that o Are you a good advisor, teacher, or advisor o Do people come away better than when you got there XXX

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