B-Schooled: Get Your MBA Admit

Yesterday, Harvard Business School was the first MBA program to release its 2021-22 Round 1 interview invites and dings, meaning that thousands of MBA hopefuls around the world have just received news they didn't want to hear. This episode is for anyone who experiences a business school rejection this year and isn't sure what it means about their candidacy or what their options are now.

In this episode, our host Erika interviews her 2020-21 client Jenny, who found a way to differentiate herself from the rest of the financial services pack and gained admission to both CBS and Wharton.

This episode focuses on a few important things to keep in mind for MBA hopefuls who are applying in Round 2 of the 2021-22 application year.

Round 1 of the 2021-22 MBA application cycle is soon drawing to a close, and along with those deadlines comes a surge in self-sabotaging applicant behavior. This episode covers 3 things you should do before submitting, as well as 3 mistakes you should avoid making after your materials are in.

B-Schooled's host Erika interviews her 2020-21 Round 2 client Maddy, who was accepted to HBS, Stanford GSB, Berkeley Haas and Yale School of Management, and chose to attend Stanford. Erika and Maddy will discuss Maddy's background, her application highlights and her interview experience at each program.

Is there an advantage to applying for business school in Round 1? If your MBA materials aren't ready in the fall, is it significantly harder to be accepted in Round 2 after the new year?  This episode focuses on the differences between Round 1 and Round 2, whether or not there is an advantage to applying in either round, and what the single most important factor should be in choosing when to apply.

Sometimes “Why do you need an MBA now?” is an essay question that programs ask directly, but more often than not it’s something applicants should end up covering in an essay response even if there isn’t a question about it. Questions around the timing of an applicant's MBA pursuit could also be asked in an interview.  This episode covers common reasons why applicants need an MBA now versus earlier or later in their careers, and suggests exercises to help articulate a strong response to questions about MBA timing.

This episode talks about how to use the STAR method to organize your thoughts for powerful resume bullets, essays or interview responses. STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action and Result, and if you follow this structure when telling a story or explaining an accomplishment, it will help you get straight to the point and focus on the information that matters most to the admissions committee.

In order to stand out from your MBA competition, you need to take a step back and assess your candidacy from the admissions committee's point of view. This episode explains what they're looking for, how to differentiate yourself if you're in an over-represented demographic or industry bucket, and generally what types of themes successful applicants focus on in their essays.

This episode builds upon the advice covered in episode 16 ("MBA your resume") on how to create an MBA resume that best positions and differentiates your candidacy.