MBA Reality Check : Make the School You Want, Want You

by Forster, Evan (Author); Thomas, David (Author)

• ISBN13: 9780735204485
• ISBN10: 0735204489
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-04-06
• Publisher: Prentice Hall Press

Summary

Twenty years ago, business schools were only about business, and success was defined by bottom lines. That's all changed. Now, top b-schools are looking for leaders committed to social, personal, or professional transformation. The MBA Reality Check is the only book that shows you how to find your own vision and position yourself among the crop of tomorrow's business innovators.

Author Biography

An admissions coach for 15 years, Evan Forster earned his BS in Speech from Northwestern University and two MFAs from UCLA's film school. David Thomas received his BA in Asian Studies from the University of Texas at Austin and a Masters in Magazine Publishing from Northwestern University.

Table of Contents

Prologue: Harvard or Bust	p. xv
Kick-Starting Your Candidacy	p. 1
Ready, Set… Grow!	p. 3
Stats, Story, and Experience	p. 9
Three Parts Beat as One	p. 15
Leadership: How to Live as a Leader	p. 19
Ego Versus Mission	p. 24
Community Service and Extracurriculars: The Extracurricular Equation	p. 27
Admissions Directors on the Role of Extracurriculars in Your Application	p. 30
The Wall Street Myth: “I Don't Have Time”	p. 31
What You Can Do to “Up Your Extracurricular Game”	p. 35
Gettin' Busy: Beefing Up Your Leadership Legacy	p. 43
Choose Something You Care About	p. 45
Isolate the “So What!”	p. 46
Reinvention	p. 46
Create Legacy	p. 47
Standout Service in a Nutshell	p. 48
Rec Creation: Help Your Recommenders Help You	p. 50
Recommenders 101	p. 52
Recommender Options for Different Professions	p. 54
Help Them Help You: Create Talking Points	p. 54
Six Surefire Rec Killers—and How to Avoid Them	p. 57
Prepping Your Recommender: The Meeting	p. 59
Letters of Recommendation Versus Letters of Support	p. 64
Two Types of Recommender to Avoid	p. 65
The Illustrated Rec: Alanna's Story	p. 69
Admissions Directors on Recommendation Dos and Don'ts	p. 70
Postscript: I Feel Your Pain	p. 73
Learning Differences: You're Not Stoopid, the System Is	p. 78
Amy, What You Gonna Do?	p. 81
“Multiple Intelligences”	p. 82
Come Out, Come Out	p. 85
Take Your GMAT Well in Advance	p. 86
Zen and the Art of MBA Admissions Essays	p. 89
The Career Goals Essay	p. 91
“No Essays by Committee”	p. 93
“OPE”—Other People's Expectations	p. 93
Three Blind Mice	p. 96
Jared's Goals Essay	p. 100
The Archetypal Goals-Essay Structure: A Sonata in Six Beats	p. 102
Passion—Finding Your P-Spot	p. 105
Vinod's Goals Essay	p. 108
Tip Sheet: School Research and Visits	p. 112
Get Real—Leveraging Your Personal Story	p. 114
The Accomplishments Essay	p. 120
Professional Accomplishments—Beyond the Call of Duty	p. 122
Bradley's Professional Accomplishment Essay	p. 125
Service Accomplishments—Consultant, Heal Thyself	p. 126
Anya's Service Accomplishment Essay	p. 130
Personal Accomplishments—Swimmer's Ear	p. 130
Susan's Personal Accomplishment Essay	p. 135
Leadership Essays	p. 136
Queen for a Day	p. 137
Vinod's Leadership Essay	p. 142
From Boys to Men	p. 143
Sample Leadership Essay	p. 146
Impact/Opportunity Essays: A Beautiful Mind-Set	p. 149
Ziva's Selzing an Opportunity Essay	p. 153
Ethical Dilemma Essays	p. 156
Ethical Dilemma or Bummer?	p. 157
What Happens in Tokyo Stays in Tokyo	p. 160
Oscar's Ethical Dilemma Essay	p. 164
Failure Essays	p. 167
White Men Can't Fail	p. 171
Tommy's Failure Essay	p. 175
What If Admissions Officers Hate Me?	p. 176
Mahmoud's Failure Essay	p. 180
Background, or “What Makes You Unique?” Essays: It's the Little Things	p. 182
Garrett's Background Essay	p. 188
The Whimsical Essays, or “If You Were a Tree, What Tree Would You Be?”	p. 191
The Completely Random Topic	p. 192
A Few Eye Rollers to Avoid When Addressing Whimsical Questions	p. 194
Shehzad's “Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?” Essay	p. 196
The Passion Essay	p. 198
Dutch's “What Are You Passionate About?” Essay	p. 200
The Open or “Wish” Essay	p. 201
Sadie's Open Essay	p. 203
What Matters Most: Never Settle for the B-Plan	p. 205
Connect the Themes in Your Life	p. 207
Peeling Back the Onion	p. 211
Gene's “What Matters Most to You, and Why?” Essay	p. 213
Creative/Slideshow Essays: Finding Your “Wow”	p. 217
Dancing Desi	p. 219
Culture Shock Is a State of Mind	p. 223
Vijay's Culture-Shock Essay	p. 228
The Optional Essay: The Dog Did Not Eat Your Homework	p. 230
Other Triggers for an Optional Essay	p. 232
According to Jim	p. 232
Don't Play the “I Can Top That” Game	p. 234
Steps for Building an Optional Essay	p. 236
Jim's Optional Essay	p. 238
Now That You've Hit “Submit”	p. 241
Interview Skills: Up Close and Personal	p. 243
Interviews Come in Different Flavors	p. 244
Baxter: From Nervous Nelly to Powerful Pro	p. 249
You Are What You Wear	p. 252
You've Been Waitlisted, or “We Love You, But…”	p. 254
Actions You Can Take to Get Off the Waitlist	p. 255
Anatomy of an Update Letter	p. 256
We Think You're Worthy, but We Can't Remember Your Name	p. 259
We Love You So Much, but We're Not Sure If You'll Even Come	p. 261
We're Madly in Love with You, but Your Stats Are Weak	p. 261
Reapplications: Guacamole, Meet Lemon	p. 265
You Did Not Demonstrate Quantitative Proficiency	p. 266
You Have Weak Leadership and a Lack of Substantial Extracurriculars	p. 267
You Told the Wrong Story	p. 269
You Chose the Wrong Recommenders	p. 271
You Didn't Differentiate Yourself (You Played It Safe)	p. 271
Epilogue: The Joke's on You	p. 275
Taking Your Inventory	p. 279
Your Family Inventory	p. 282
The Hard Questions	p. 284
Your Professional Goals	p. 289
The Impact/Leadership Essay	p. 292
The Accomplishments Essay	p. 294
The Background/Diversity Essay	p. 296
The Failure Essay	p. 298
The Ethical Dilemma Essay	p. 300
Glossary of Auntie Evan-isms	p. 303
Index	p. 305
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