Congratulations!

Another engineer (helped by our team) got accepted to IESE (MBA).

Crossing Fingers!

Another engineer (helped by our team) was invited to an interview at INSEAD (MBA) and Michigan (MBA).

Crossing Fingers!

Another engineer (helped by our team) was invited to an interview at Chicago (MBA).

Congratulations!

Another engineer (helped by our team) got accepted to Berkeley (MBA).

Financial Times 2010 MBA Rankings

The Financial Times published this week its 2010 ranking of global MBA programs. In building its rankings, FT analyzes "alumni salaries and career development; the diversity and international reach of the business school and its MBA programme; and the research capabilities of each school."
Here’s the list:

1. London Business School
2. University of Pennsylvania: Wharton
3. Harvard Business School
4. Stanford GSB
5. INSEAD
6. Columbia Business School
7. IE (tied with Columbia)
8. MIT Sloan
9. Chicago Booth
10. Hong Kong UST Business School

If you’re an engineer looking to make a career change, you might find the specialty rankings particularly interesting. Here’s a sample of the programs ranked first in each area:

International Business-Thunderbird School of Global Management
Finance-University of Chicago: Booth
Accountancy- Brigham Young University: Marriott
Entrepreneurship-Babson College: Olin
Economics- University of Chicago: Booth
General management- University of Virginia: Darden
Marketing- Northwestern University: Kellogg

Put Me in Business (applying in less than a year)
Put Me in Business (applying in more than a year)

Crossing Fingers!

Another engineer (helped by our team) was invited to an interview at Stanford (MBA).

UC Berkeley Haas

Compiling your list of target schools? As an engineer, your preferences are unique. Get to know what each school has to offer. This week, we list some facts you might find interesting about UC Berkeley Haas School of Business:

• Haas is known for its focus on technology. Thirty percent of each graduating class head into the technology arena. This is twice the rate of the next closest programs (Ross and MIT Sloan).

• Practically every class involves collaboration within small groups. Students can play different team roles based on their personal skills and strengths.

• "Leading Through Innovation"- The Haas principle to building leadership is to establish confidence without encouraging attitude. The school provides a combination of theoretical and experiential educational opportunities that develop strong confidence and judgment.

• Haas offers more than a dozen programs and initiatives, incorporated within its core curriculum centering around social responsibility and business sustainability.

• Haas is one of the few programs to combine its international focus with its emphasis on experiential learning. Their International Business Development program places students all over the world for a three-week consulting project.

Put Me in Business (applying in less than a year)
Put Me in Business (applying in more than a year)

New Loan Program for International Students

According to an article published in BusinessWeek, six universities have joined a new loan program for international students. The Affiliated Loan Program for Students (ALPS), financed by Deutsche Bank does not require an American co-signer, a crucial obstacle for many international students planning to study in the States. Among the universities that have joined so far: Chicago, Northwestern, and UCLA. The ALPS program is the largest of the business school international loan programs currently available; Interest rates for student loans are less than 10%.

Put Me in Business (applying in less than a year)
Put Me in Business (applying in more than a year)

Congratulations!

Another two engineers (helped by our team) got accepted to Duke (MBA).

Crossing Fingers!

Another engineer (helped by our team) was invited to an interview at Tepper (MBA).

Congratulations!

Another two engineers (helped by our team) got accepted to Michigan (MBA).

Congratulations!

Another engineer (helped by our team) got accepted to Carnegie Mellon (MBA).

Can I exceed Harvard's word limit?

The HBS admissions committee responds in its blog:“Your essays do not get cut off if you go over the word limit. That being said, after reading many, many essays, we have a good feel for whether an essay is going over the limit. I think it's fair to say that we expect a candidate to be able to edit effectively, but don't stress over a few extra words.”

Some tips to help you adhere to word limits:

1. Remove extraneous sentences that do not promote your chances of gaining acceptance.
2. Eliminate the passive voice.
3. Limit paragraphs to two or three sentences.
4. Eliminate subjective wording.
5. Eliminate as many "glue" words as possible, such as "the", "that", "and", "about", "an", "for", "to", "in", "of", "from", etc. Instead of saying "largest engineering firm in the world" say "world's largest engineering firm."
6. Just state your point without introductions.
7. Eliminate long proper nouns. If you work for Miller Information Systems Inc., just refer to it as your "employer", or use the short name "Miller."

Put Me in Business (applying in less than a year)
Put Me in Business (applying in more than a year)

Congratulations!

Another engineer (helped by our team) got accepted to Columbia (MBA).

Congratulations!

Another engineer (helped by our team) got accepted to IESE (MBA).

Financial Aid

Admitted? Considering how you will fund your tuition? Below is a breakdown of the different types of financial aid available:

• Scholarships– Programs grant merit-based scholarships usually with no conditions. Some will entail a minimum academic standing, but this is rather uncommon with graduate schools.
• Fellowships – Fellowships might involve a requirement to belong to certain organizations or to pursue particular career paths. Engineers might seek a fellowship aimed at students headed back into the high-tech arena. Fellowships may also be relevant to students with particular experience or demographic background.
• Grants – Grants are typically awarded based on level of need and not based on merit.
• Federal Loans– The federal government provides two kinds of loans to graduate students: subsidized and unsubsidized. With subsidized loans, the government pays the interest on the amount until a period following the student's graduation date. Subsidized loans are available to qualified students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. With unsubsidized loans, the interest begins to accrue even while the student is in school. Payment is still delayed until after graduation.
• Private Loans– Private educational loans are the same as any other private loan- the student borrows money from a private lender at a fixed interest rate.

Put Me in Business (applying in less than a year)
Put Me in Business (applying in more than a year)

Congratulations!

Another engineer (helped by our team) got accepted to Columbia (MBA).

Your Contribution

“List in order of importance all community and extracurricular activities in which you have been involved…" What if community service is not your “thing?”

Community service is one more way for you to demonstrate leadership, teamwork, motivation, and initiative. There are plenty of ways you can demonstrate these strengths with activities outside traditional community service organizations.

For instance, as an engineer perhaps you’d enjoy tutoring math and science at the local community youth center or teaching computers at a nursing home. You might choose a whole different direction of helping local small businesses upgrade their software. You can combine your passions with helping your community. The options are endless; choose something that matters to you.

Put me in Business (applying in less than a year)
Put me in Business (applying in more than a year)