B-Schooled: Get Your MBA Admit

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.

Our host Erika Olson interviews her recent SBC admissions consulting client Mike, who is about to head to Columbia Business School (CBS) after applying to MBA programs during the intense 2020-21 application year that saw record-high application numbers due to COVID. Mike talks about his background, the strengths and weaknesses in his candidacy, how he approached his essays, and how his CBS interview went, and also shares advice for future applicants.

Being able to tell a clear story about your career to date is a critical part of your MBA candidacy. This episode covers what to do if you've worked for several employers within a relatively short timeframe, especially if your career moves don't immediately make sense "on paper." We'll also cover what to do if you've been laid off or fired for a job, or if you worked somewhere for less than a year.

In this follow-up to episode 56, which gave a general overview of European MBA programs, Cathy, an INSEAD graduate and one of Stacy Blackman Consulting's European MBA experts, answers frequently asked questions about MBA programs outside of the US. Topics include the differences between European and US-based MBA experiences, the visa process, the interview process, recruiting information, and more.

This episode covers 5 MBA applicant pitfalls – as in, traits, attitudes or approaches that some MBA applicants take that can ultimately derail their chances of success.

Harvard Business School's essay is open-ended and has no word limit. This episode focuses on how MBA candidates should approach both the content and the length of their response.

This episode covers exactly why extracurriculars are so critical to your MBA candidacy. It also gives advice on what to do if you're light on extracurriculars, volunteer work and community service, from either your college years, your post-graduation years, or both. Our host Erika will discuss if it's worth it to try and beef up this aspect of your MBA candidacy if you plan to apply to business school this year. She'll also address what those in areas of the world still battling COVID can do to strengthen their extracurriculars in a virtual manner. Overall, this episode gives MBA applicants some tactical ideas for how to ensure they're not just relying on their academic and professional achievements in their materials.

In this episode, Chandler Arnold, a Stanford MBA, SBC consultant and social-impact executive, shares advice for those in social-impact careers who are thinking about pursuing an MBA, and discusses what some of the top programs are doing in the social impact space. He also explains SBC's first-of-its-kind MBA Social Impact Accelerator, designed specifically for applicants with nonprofit or social impact backgrounds.

The 2021-2022 MBA application season is officially upon us, with several top business schools having already posted their deadlines, as well as a few programs confirming what their essays will be this year. Now that Round 1 is underway, what should you be doing? How exactly should you begin working on your MBA materials? This episode outlines some of the to do's it makes sense to tackle sooner rather than later.