Author: Melody Jones

Announcing Small Group MBA Workshops for Deferred Admissions Applicants

Let’s Get Efficient With the launch of our new Small Group MBA Workshops, we’re offering the benefit of working with a Vantage Point MBA consultant in small, high value sessions where you'll receive some personalized feedback alongside learning from the questions and feedback of your fellow participants. Whether you’re just getting started, looking for a starting point,...

There ARE Dumb Questions: Pitfalls to Avoid in Your MBA Interview

Updated 9.17.20 After interviewing countless MBA hopefuls for Kellogg, I can solve the apparent mystery of whether the questions you ask the interviewer matter – they do! Why? The questions you ask demonstrate three key things. First, they show how interested you are in the program based on the research you’ve done. Second, they often demonstrate how well...

Networking For Your MBA Applications

  Last week, Vantage Point MBA Senior Consultant, Katie M., hosted a webinar on GMAT Club’s YouTube channel on a very timely topic: networking for your MBA applications. In the already subjective application process, “networking” can seem particularly abstract or can be simply another “thing” on your long MBA application to-do list. What is it exactly? Do you...

Should You Apply in Round 3?

  If you’re wondering where the last six months went, how they flew by in a blur, you’re not alone! If the first two application deadlines for the top MBA programs somehow got away from you, you’re also not alone! And now you’re probably questioning if it’s worth applying in round 3 or waiting until next year.  While...

HBS is Due in Less Than Two Weeks

For those Round One MBA applicants out there, if you haven’t had the “oh sh#t” moment yet, then you’re probably not paying attention. Harvard Business School applications are due in two weeks. Starting with HBS on 9/5, round one applicants face a crazy couple of weeks as they finalize their applications and make last minute changes before...

Non-Traditional Applicant: Weakness or Strength?

“I’m a non-traditional applicant – how do I offset this weakness in my application?” “I think that my non-traditional background is a strength in my application because it differentiates me from all the consultants and bankers – do you agree?” So which one is it? Is a “non-traditional” pre-MBA background or career path a boon or a disadvantage...

Demystifying MBA Application Networking

In an already subjective and sometimes vague process, “networking” can seem particularly abstract or worse, can be simply another “thing” on your long MBA application to-do list. What is it exactly? Do you really need to do it? How will it help you get into your dream school? How do you get started? These are all questions...

School Choice: How to Decide Where to Apply

​“Where should I apply??” That’s invariably one of the first questions that anyone thinking about getting an MBA asks us. And it’s a question that takes some diligence, and perhaps some introspection, to answer. You want to be thoughtful about school selection for a couple of reasons. First, the application process is expensive and time-consuming. So, you...

A Real INSEAD Interview Experience

INSEAD takes a different approach to the interview than many other top schools. All interviews are conducted by alumniYou'll have two interviews (with two alumni selected based on their backgrounds)Interviews can be longer (over one hour is common)Interviews are not blind. In general, applicants tend to describe the INSEAD interview process as more in-depth. For an illustration of...

The Truth about Round 3

If you’re wondering where the last 5 months went, how they flew by in a blur, you’re not alone! If the first two, and in some cases three, application deadlines for the top MBA programs somehow got away from you, you’re also not alone! And now you’re probably questioning if it’s worth applying in round 3...

Volatility plagues (yet) another MBA program ranking

At Vantage Point, we have a love-hate relationship with the rankings. On one hand they provide a directional indication of the quality of MBA programs and competitiveness of admission. On the other, complex and/or subjective ranking methodologies and the volatility that ensues can be misleading. Yet, we continue to dissect the rankings year after year. The...

The Latest Rankings from The Economist – What Do They Mean?

Back in June, we tackled the loaded question of whether or not the MBA rankings matter. (And of course, it depends.) But regardless of how reliant on or independent from the rankings your school selection decisions were, you’ve likely gotten comfortable with your choices by now. That is, until The Economist published their 2016 full-time global MBA rankings late...

If you’re an international candidate to US MBA programs, read this before finalizing your post-MBA career goals!

As an international applicant to a top US MBA program, you’re surely aware of the special challenges you may face once admitted, particularly in applying for a visa and securing housing. However, one thing you may not have considered is how your non-US citizenship impacts the reality of your career goals. In other words, if you’re...

Who Are YOU to the Adcom?

I read a Forbes article yesterday titled Why 'Results-Oriented Professional' Is The Worst Personal Brand that was so relevant to our work at Vantage Point that I had to share it. The term “personal branding” gets thrown around a lot, especially in MBA application strategy. But what does it really mean, tangibly? The definition of a personal...

Confessions of an International Applicant

Vantage Point recently had the chance to catch up with Katrin, a recent Columbia Business School grad and busy management consultant based in New York City. We asked her a few questions about her experience applying to business school as an international applicant and all the unique challenges that brings. Read below for her candid and...

Confessions of a Younger Applicant

Vantage Point had the pleasure of interviewing Anjelica, a Columbia Business School graduate, about her experience as a younger MBA applicant with <2 years of experience. She’s now a successful finance professional at a major bank in New York City and a valuable resource for anyone with a non-traditional pre-MBA career or limited pre-MBA work experience....