Illuminations (blog)

Advice From Past MBA Applicants (To Those About To Apply)

Every year we ask our clients who just completed the MBA application process to answer the following question: What is one piece of advice you’d offer to future applicants?  Here is what the most recent class wanted to say to you. (Notice some common themes?) Take...

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Resources for MBA Applicants

In addition to sharing our own advice with you, each year, we like to share our past clients' recommendations of the resources they found most helpful in applying to business school. Whether you're gathering information about your target b-schools, preparing for the...

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What To Do After Submitting Round 1 Applications

If you are one of the business school candidates who was driven enough to apply in Round 1, then it's time to give yourself a pat on the back. Though you might be wondering what you're supposed to do now. Here are a few ways to keep yourself productively occupied:...

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Branding Yourself for Business School Applications

We believe that the MBA admissions process is inherently a marketing exercise, plain and simple.  To be clear, this does NOT mean “spinning your story” to impress the admissions committee or telling them what you think they want to hear.  It means, presenting...

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Crafting an MBA-Caliber Resume

What exactly are the top MBA programs looking for in a resume? Can it be two pages? Should I include an executive summary? How should it be formatted? Relax. These details won’t be the determining factor of whether you are accepted. However, a compelling, polished...

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The GMAT: To Retake or Not to Retake

Virtually all business school applicants worry about whether their GMAT (or GRE) score is good enough for their target schools. If you’re deliberating whether it’s worth retaking the exam, the following might help you make your decision. How Prepared Were You, Really?...

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Applying to the Right Business Schools

You know you want to apply to business school, but there are so many schools to choose from, and you need to use your time wisely. Here are some tips in finding the right MBA programs for you. Fit, Not Rankings Ranking can be a helpful starting point, but they should...

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Advice for the AWA and IR Sections of the GMAT

The following guest blog post was written by Rich Carriero of NextStep Test Prep: Analytical Writing Assessment As you likely know, The Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) essay is the first section of the GMAT. The task is for you to read and analyze a short argument...

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MBA Waitlist Strategy

You've turned in an excellent MBA application.  Unfortunately, the news was disappointing: you've been waitlisted. Being on the waitlist can feel like a rejection, but don't be discouraged. All hope is not lost. A spot on the waitlist means the admissions committee...

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MBA Application Planning Timeline

Planning to apply to business school this fall? Though it’ll still be a few months before applications are released, there's plenty you can do now to get ahead of the curve and reduce your stress when crunch time approaches. 6 Months Before the Deadline If you still...

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Which Test to Take: GMAT vs GRE

Many MBA programs are now willing to accept GRE scores in lieu of the GMAT. The question is, which test should you take? Do Your Target Schools Accept the GRE? Before you get too excited about closing your GMAT books forever, research what your target business schools...

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MBA Interview Recap

By now, you should have heard from most of the business schools you applied to in Round 2 to find out if you’ve been invited to interview. If you’re lucky enough to be interviewing over the next few weeks, you won’t want to miss our recent blog posts covering MBA...

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What To Do After Submitting Your Round 2 Applications

If you have just finished polishing and submitting your business school applications for Round 2, then congratulate yourself. What a way to kick off 2015! Now you may wonder, what are you supposed to do next? Here are a few ideas to keep you occupied: Prepare for...

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Respect the Data Form

When beginning an MBA application, many candidates jump right into the essay portion, without much consideration of the part one of the application (what we like to call the “data form”). What they often find out the hard way is that the data form takes a substantial...

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Deciding Whether to Interview on Campus

If you're one of the lucky MBA applicants who have been invited to an interview, congratulations! Most business schools offer you the choice of going to campus for your interview or meeting with an alumnus in your city. The question is, which should you choose? Should...

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What To Ask Your Interviewer

Pop Quiz:  When your MBA interview wraps up, and your interviewer asks, “Now, do you have any questions for me?” the correct answer is_______? Hopefully your response was, without any hesitancy, “YES.” The best way to demonstrate your interest in an MBA program is to...

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MBA Interviews 101

Congrats, you've been invited to interview by one of your target business schools!  This is your first glimpse of positive feedback on your applications and should certainly make you feel good.  Though it's important to keep your head in the game.  The application...

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Why Should Your Reader Care?

As we review our clients' business school essays, we often find ourselves responding back to them with this simple question:  So what? That’s great that you’ve told us that interesting story. However, why should we care about what you just said? That sounds harsh....

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Which Business School is Right for Me?

Plenty of you out there are targeting Round 2 for your applications and are still deliberating your final list of target schools. We’d like to offer a little advice. Take rankings with a grain of salt Business school rankings can be a great starting point for...

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MBA First Round Deadlines: Final Checklist

Just about ready to turn in your MBA applications? Maybe you're still putting the finishing touches on your essays, or waiting for your recommenders to upload their writeups. Use this last-minute checklist to help you finish–and finesse–the best round one business...

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Resume FAQs for MBA Applications–Part II

Here is our second installment of resume FAQs, straight from our clients’ mouths. In the era of the incredible shrinking essay section, the resume has become increasingly important in the business school application process. Take the time to make sure yours is as...

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Resume FAQs for MBA Applications

Applying for business school means crafting an outstanding resume that exhibits your talent, clarifies your work experience, and shows off your leadership roles, all while convincing them that you can handle the rigors of a top MBA program. Whew! While schools are not...

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Making the Most of School Visits

As summer begins its wind-down and business school starts up another year, you're hopefully planning a campus visit to your target schools so you can be as informed as possible when applying. How To Prepare Before you visit, do your homework. Be well-versed in what...

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Getting the Best MBA Recommendations

An important component of the MBA application is the recommendations. While it seems that this piece may be out of your control, you can do plenty to ensure that your recommendations shine as brightly as the rest of your application. Who are the Right People to Ask?...

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Taking the GMAT vs. the GRE

Did you know that many MBA programs now accept GRE scores in place of the GMAT? The question is: which test will play best to your strengths and demonstrate that you're the most capable candidate? Make Sure Your Target Business Schools Accept the GRE Before you get...

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Retaking the GMAT: 3 Ways to Know It’s Time

Are you wondering whether your GMAT is “good enough?” Did you nail a 740 total score but bomb one section? Did you fall just short of a threshold you were aiming for? Not long ago, one top-five school examined the profiles of students who struggled in their...

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Planning Timeline for MBA Applicants

Are you ready to apply to business school this year? Maybe you’ve been prepping for the GMAT or staring at your resume, unsure of what to say. Think you can’t do much right now? Think again! It’s time to start thinking ahead to when you will be applying and how you...

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Considering an International MBA?

What an interesting and life-changing proposition.  To not only earn an MBA, but to do so in such a unique environment that extraordinary diversity, cultural immersion, and hands-on international experience are a part of your daily life. There are very real factors...

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Communicating with the admissions office

You have a question about your upcoming MBA application deadline, so you write up a quick email to the admissions office and hit send.  No problem, right?   Wrong. The email itself may be perfectly innocuous… or it may just have cost you in the admissions process. ...

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After completing your final application

Often, we receive questions from MBA candidates who have completed their applications and are now wondering what to do with their time.  Is it OK to quit my job now and travel?  I was offered a new job; should I take it even though I may be leaving for business school...

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Should I apply to business school in round three?

For most candidates, the answer is no.  However, under certain circumstances, it makes perfect sense to submit a 3rd round application.  Here are some ways to gauge whether you should apply this late in the game, or whether you'd be better off waiting until the 1st...

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