Every MBA hopeful is, or should be, considering how he or she can step-up and lead at work, no matter your title or even role. This has been an essential differentiator for those hoping to demonstrate what many b-schools call a “habit of leadership”. But in the current work from home environment, some of the traditional...
Melody and I have held off on sending out advice over the last week as the right “advice” has seemed like a moving target. However, it looks like uncertainty will be the new “situation normal” for a while; and as two banker girls who lived through the 2008-2009 financial crisis, we have some advice for how...
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...
The rankings, such as those published by U.S. News & World Report, Forbes, The Economist, and several others, are a logical starting point when evaluating MBA programs and can provide a general pulse on how the market feels about the school. That said, have you ever noticed how widely rankings can vary by source, depending on...
At first glance, the Harvard Business School essay question, which will remain unchanged again this year, seems fairly simple. What more would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy? However, after giving it some more thought, many candidates find themselves quite lost, trying to figure out what the adcom is looking for and...
Last week we presented to a large bank’s analyst class, and one of the first questions we were asked was “when should I start working on my applications if I’m applying in the fall?” It seems so far away...
MBA applications take up a TON of time!! From studying for the GMAT to visiting schools, writing essays, prepping recommenders and interview prep, we estimate that the average applicant spends around 150 hours to 250 hours applying to b-school depending upon the number of schools you’re focused on. That’s a pretty serious part-time gig in addition...
This time of year, our team is doing a lot of “ding analysis”, which is when someone who applied last year comes to us and asks our team to help them understand what went wrong. Below are some of the common pitfalls that we’ve seen, and that you can avoid as you start the application process...
Every year we run into a question that the “interwebs” appears to be conflicted about. Is it ok to write your own recommendation, or hire an admissions consultant to write your recommendations, and then have your actual recommender submit it? A lot of people apparently do this. Should you? No. And here’s why: first and foremost, your...
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...
