Congratulations! You got into an MBA program, and you're gearing up for what many consider to be the most transformative two years of their lives. While it’s important to celebrate and recharge, the months between now and your program’s start are also a valuable runway to set yourself up for success—if you use them wisely....
In a world where environmental consciousness and corporate responsibility are top of mind, sustainability has become more than a buzzword—it’s a driving force shaping the business world. At its core, sustainability reinforces the idea that businesses can thrive while protecting the environment, promoting social equity, and supporting economic resilience....
If you browse the “Our Team” pages of top private equity and venture capital firms, you’ll notice a trend—many senior investment professionals have MBAs from top business schools. An MBA provides the technical and leadership skills needed to excel in PE and VC....
Most applicants pursue an MBA to advance their careers or pivot into a new industry or function. And business school absolutely delivers on that front. It fills gaps in your foundational business knowledge, provides access to career services, and vastly expands your network—all of which can be crucial to reaching new professional heights....
If you are fortunate enough to have finished round 1 with acceptances from multiple MBA programs in hand, congratulations! While you may have entered the application process with a mental ranking of your target programs, it’s often not that simple when it comes to making the final decision. ...
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to take a pause and reflect on what we’re grateful for. If you’re applying to business school in Round 2, you may still be in the thick of applications. ...
If you’ve begun to consider whether to apply to business school (maybe you even read our last article, 'Should I Get an MBA? Stuff They Tell You and Stuff They Don’t'), you likely have a multitude of questions swirling in your mind. ...
A post caught my eye on the r/MBA Reddit thread this week. It posed a question: “Are there non-soul crushing careers out of MBA?”. The author, an M7 grad, was questioning their career choices. Despite landing coveted roles in management consulting and then private equity, they felt that neither had delivered on their promises....
2023 was a tough year for graduating MBAs looking to enter the technology industry. As a result of hiring too many people during the pandemic and the threat of a recession, major tech companies that reliably recruited MBAs instead implemented hiring freezes while laying off over 250,000 workers. The good news is that the technology industry is...
In a recent LinkedIn post, our Co-Founder and President, Melody Jones, shared the following: “On Friday last week, a prospective client asked me why I decided to get an MBA. I'm actually surprised that more people don't ask me that :) In case my story inspires you, I'm going to share why I made the decision over...
If you’re interested in pursuing an entrepreneurial career, either immediately post-MBA or in the long term, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’re sharing the entrepreneurship-focused resources offered by the top US MBA programs. For those targeting an entrepreneurial path, it's not just about earning an MBA, but immersing yourself in an ecosystem...
If you’re interested in pursuing a post-MBA career in healthcare, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’re sharing the healthcare-focused resources offered by the top US MBA programs. Whether you aim to work for a healthcare or pharmaceutical company, invest in the healthcare space or pursue countless other tangential careers, these programs will...
We recently came across this article, where the Dean of Loyola Marymount’s business school eloquently makes the case that, by investing in employees’ continuing education, employers can cultivate a higher-performing, more committed workforce. We agree and want to add our two cents – as two women who have benefitted from access to top MBA programs and...
You’re probably aware that ambitious, yet realistic post-MBA goals are critical to a compelling business school application. Not only that, understanding how business school will accelerate or pivot your career path is essential to justifying the financial and time investment required to pursue an MBA. Many clients we speak with have a general sense of their post-MBA...
If you’re one of the many who have been impacted by recent tech sector layoffs, you are likely pondering the next steps in your career. Change and uncertainty are scary, but they can also result in important reflection on what you want that next step to be. If business school has been in the back of...
If you've ever thought about starting a business (maybe that is even why you are applying to business school!) or simply enjoy reading about people who've taken that leap, we'd love for you to check out Vantage Point MBA Co-Founder Melody Jones's recent interview with digital magazine, GoSolo. As she shares, Melody and her Co-Founder (and best...
In last week’s article, we provided some tips to ensure the short-term goals you share in your MBA career goals essay will resonate with the admissions committee. We shared that your post-MBA goals should be specific, realistic, and logical. This is all true, but it’s only one piece of the puzzle. While a strong short-term MBA...
You’re probably aware that ambitious, yet realistic MBA career goals are critical to a compelling business school application. Not only that, understanding how business school will accelerate or pivot your career path is essential to justifying the financial and time investment required to pursue an MBA. Many clients we speak with have a general sense of what...
Updated 4.21.21 Every MBA hopeful is, or should be, considering how he or she can step up and lead at work, no matter their title or role. Highlighting an array of times you’ve led is an essential differentiator for those hoping to demonstrate what many b-schools, notably Harvard Business School, call a “habit of leadership”. But in the...
In Part I of this series on MBA career goals, I shared how to craft a short-term career goal that is specific, realistic, and logical. While ‘checking those boxes’ will demonstrate to the admissions committee that you understand the type of companies that hire out of their program, it won’t get them excited about having you...
As an MBA admissions consultant, one of the first – and most critical – things I do with clients is help them develop their ‘personal brand’. A strong, authentic personal brand is the backbone of a successful application. It is the marketing pitch you present to schools that demonstrates three key things: 1) the unique perspective...
As an MBA admissions consultant, a concern I sometimes work through with clients is how to address an employment gap in their MBA application. Given the upheaval of the past year, even more prospective MBA candidates than usual have faced job changes or periods of unemployment. They fear the admissions committees at top MBA programs will...
In recent years, we’ve seen significant growth in deferred MBA programs at the top business schools. A trend that started primarily at Harvard Business School with the 2+2 program and Stanford GSB has now come to Wharton, Chicago Booth, Columbia, MIT Sloan, Kellogg, Darden, and Yale. The list continues to grow every year. As a college senior,...
The events of the last few weeks, let alone the last few months, have left me feeling, well, a lot: anger, sadness, disappointment, discomfort, and yet hope for a better tomorrow. But I know that is nothing compared to what our black friends, neighbors, colleagues, and fellow citizens are, and have been, feeling in this country....
“If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in bed with a mosquito.” – Betty Reese In the current environment, as the days slowly tick by and an underlying sense of fear seems unavoidable, it is easy to feel helpless and yearn for the recent past when things were ‘normal’. I know I...
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...
More often than not, when I bring-up the topic of how to demonstrate “leadership experience” in an MBA application, the response is “but I’m not in a management position”. Truly, that’s OK. The average age of most entering classes hovers around 26-28, so it’s not a surprise if you haven’t yet started managing a team. The...
If you’re smart, motivated and have a good idea, then what value will an MBA really bring to you? Everyone knows that any good start-up requires a lot of trial-and-error, learning-by-doing, and sometimes learning-through-failure to actually get to the right place. Though you can't necessarily get this from an MBA, MBA programs do provide some fast-track learning...
If you are like me and believe that the MBA is one of the most, if not the most, valuable advanced degrees you can earn, then the question becomes “should I go to a full-time (“FT”) MBA or a part-time (“PT”) MBA program?” Great question! As a former admissions director at The University of Chicago Booth School...
“Stanford will pay you to attend its business school-but only if you agree to work in the Midwest.”(Business Insider, September 27, 2016) This is likely the most intriguing statement we have heard in years. As MBA admissions consultants we talk to our clients consistently about post MBA plans: including industry, job function and location. With the MBA...
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...
As an MBA admissions consultant, a big part of my job is helping my clients develop and think through their post-MBA goals. Communicating a clear vision and direction for your career is a key piece of the MBA application after all. Naturally, I work with a lot of clients that are pursuing post-MBA careers in consulting...
So, you’re ready for the next chapter in your career, and you know that an MBA is a crucial next step in that journey. But what if your post-MBA career goals represent a significant shift – in industry, function, or both – from your background? How will the admissions committee perceive your desired switch? Well, that all...
