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Admissions Straight Talk

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Oct 3, 2023 • 50min

ENCORE: Cornell Johnson EMBA Program: 4 Options for the Largest EMBA Program in the U.S. [Episode 543]

Please enjoy this encore edition of  one of Admission Straight Talk’s most popular episodes of 2023: “The Cornell Johnson EMBA Program: Four Options for the Largest EMBA Program in the United States.”This encore was chosen not only due to the episode’s  popularity,  but also because it’s a fascinating exploration of a well-established, large EMBA program with four distinct components. If you are even considering an Executive MBA, this episode is a must-listen. Alternatively, if you are debating whether to go down the MBA or EMBA path, Dean Mark Nelson and Dr. Manoj Thomas provide unique insight with indispensable advice obtained from their years of experience.To learn more about EMBA admissions, download Accepted’s free guide, Ace the EMBA. Did you know that Cornell Johnson has the largest Executive MBA program in the United States with four distinct flavors? I didn’t, but let’s learn together about Johnson’s EMBA program, its unique distributed classroom, and how to get in from its dean and director. [SHOW SUMMARY]Welcome to the 506th episode of Admission Straight Talk, Accepted's podcast. Thanks for tuning in. Before I dive into today's interview, I want to invite you to download Ace the EMBA, expert advice for the rising executive. This free guide will compliment today's podcast and give you suggestions on how to choose the right EMBA program for you, differentiate yourself from your competition in a positive way and present yourself effectively as a future business leader, who will bring credit to any program that accepts you. It gives me great pleasure to have for the first time on Admissions Straight Talk, Dean Mark Nelson, the Anne and Elmer Lindseth Dean and Professor of Accounting at Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management, and Dr. Manoj Thomas, Senior Director of EMBA and MSBA programs, and the Nakashimato Professor of Marketing, also at Cornell's Johnson Graduate School of Management. Dr. Nelson and Dr. Thomas, welcome to Admissions Straight Talk.[Dean Mark Nelson]Thanks for having us.[Dr. Manoj Thomas]Thank you, Linda, delighted to be here.Dean Nelson, what makes a Cornell Executive MBA program different from other EMBA programs? [1:55][Dean Mark Nelson]That's a great question, Linda. I mean, first off is the fact that we have these four different flavors of a Cornell MBA. And that's very intentional, it's been developed over time. We started initially with our Metro EMBA program, which is based in New York City, and which is focused on a general management EMBA, providing that jurisdiction, that market.Second, then we have our Americas EMBA program, and that's a really unique program where we're reaching out to executives throughout the Americas using our own unique approach to distributed learning. And then third, we created an FMBA program, a collaboration with Tsinghua University, a finance-focused EMBA, and that's bilingual and offered in Beijing. And then fourth, we have our MBA/MS in Healthcare Leadership program, which is providing both an EMBA and also an MS in healthcare from two great institutions, the Johnson School and the Weill Cornell Medicine.And so I go through that because the unique combination here is that we've got a general interest EMBA in New York, we've got something focused in the healthcare sector, we've got something that's a unique and leading program in China, and then this Americas program serving the Americas. And I see that as a pretty special and unique roster of great EMBA programs.Now, when you think about what's the spine that relates all these together, there's a couple thiFollow UsYouTubeFacebookLinkedInContact Uswww.accepted.comsupport@accepted.com+1 (310) 815-9553
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Sep 26, 2023 • 28min

How to Get Accepted to Berkeley Haas’ Amazing Master of Financial Engineering Program

Are you looking for a highly respective quantitative program that will prepare you for a career in the most demanding, analytical, and data-driven areas of financial services? Today’s guest, Jacob Gallice, Executive Director of Berkeley Haas Master in Financial Engineering program, shares what it takes to get accepted to this highly competitive program. Welcome to the 540th episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for joining me. Before we dive into today's interview, I want to mention a resource at Accepted that can help you prepare your statement of purpose to a Master in Financial Engineering program as well as the other graduate programs. Download 5 Fatal Flaws to Avoid in Your Grad School Statement of Purpose to learn how to avoid the five most common mistakes we see in grad school statements of purpose, as well as tips on how to write a statement of purpose that makes your story memorable and highlights your qualifications for your target graduate program.Our guest today is Jacob Gallice, Executive Director at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business’ Master of Financial Engineering. Jacob earned his bachelor's at Binghamton University and his MBA at NYU Stern. He has worked for Goldman Sachs and Heidrick & Struggles in the financial services world. In 2017, he pivoted to admissions as Associate Director and then Senior Associate Director of Admissions at NYU Stern before deciding he preferred west coast weather and moving to Berkeley in 2021, first as Program Director of the MFE, then he became Executive Director of the MFE in March 2023. So I can still, I think, congratulate you on your promotion, right? Still within 12 months. [1:56]Sure. Thanks.Congratulations, Jacob, and welcome to Admissions Straight Talk. [2:02]Happy to be here.Now let's start with a really basic question. What is the Master in Financial Engineering program at Berkeley Haas, and what does it prepare one to do? [2:06]Excellent question. A financial engineering degree is a specialized master's degree here that prepares one to enter the field of quantitative finance and more largely, can prepare someone to enter the fields of financial technology, namely in roles such as data science, machine learning. But largely speaking, what we're talking about here are individuals who are interested in the intersection of technology and finance and working within the ecosystem of what we kind of call the niche field of quant finance.Can you provide an overview of both the full-time and the part-time options at the MFE program and roughly how many students participate in each of the programs? [2:48]I can indeed. So we enroll about 80 students in our flagship full-time program. We're one of the only programs out there in the market that is a one-year or 12-month program. So the program is intensive, it's immersive, but it prepares students very well to enter and break into this field. So that is the one-year program. We can certainly get into that a little bit more in due course.I contrast that with the part-time program, which gives students the flexibility to do their studies over a two- to three-year period, and it's a much more small specialized cohort. Typically you're looking at roughly 7 to 10 students in that cohort. It's really designed for working professionals who are simply looking to augment their education, their studies, and apply that real world knowledge directly on the job. So we started that program a few years ago to sort of allow those students who otherwise did not feel it was necessary to leave their job, but still wanted to tap into the grFollow UsYouTubeFacebookLinkedInContact Uswww.accepted.comsupport@accepted.com+1 (310) 815-9553
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Sep 19, 2023 • 50min

All You Need to Know about BU’s Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

If you want to know how much of BU medical school's recent $100 million gift it intends to use for scholarships, or what happens to applications to ensure a genuinely holistic process, or what its associate dean of admissions wants to see in students read on! In this interview, Dr. Kristen Goodell, associate Dean of Admissions at Boston University’s Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine answers all these questions and more.Welcome to the 541st episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Are you ready to apply to your dream medical schools? Are you competitive at your target programs? Accepted's Med School Admissions Quiz can give you a quick reality check. Complete the quiz, and you'll not only get an assessment, but tips on how to improve your chances of acceptance. Plus, it's all free. DON'T MISS Linda Abraham's 2021 interview with Dr. Kristen Goodall: All About BU School of Medicine, a Social Justice-Minded Med School [Episode 405]. Click here for a full transcript!Today's guest, Dr. Kristen Goodell, associate Dean of Admissions at BU's Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, earned her bachelor's degree at Colby College and her MD at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. She completed her residency in family medicine at Tufts and has been a practicing physician ever since 2007. In addition, from 2012 to 2017, Dr. Goodell served as a Director for Innovation in Medical Education at the Harvard Medical School Center for Primary Care. In 2017, she was appointed Assistant Dean of Admissions at the Boston University School of Medicine and became Associate Dean in 2018. Dr. Goodell, welcome back to Admissions Straight Talk. [1:57]Thank you so much. I'm happy to be here.Can you give an overview of Boston University’s Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine program focusing on its more distinctive elements? [2:03]Sure. So the most important thing to know about BU School of Medicine is that we are a social justice medical school, and you see our social justice focus come through in many different ways. It is woven into the curriculum quite explicitly. You see it in what our students do with their free time. You see it in the particular areas of expertise of our faculty, and of course it's in the patients that we serve at our primary hospital, which is really on the same campus with the medical school.Now I normally ask what's new and I will ask what's new, but the obvious thing that's new is the school's name. So why don't we start with that; then you can tell me what else is new in addition to the name. [2:44]Sure. So last year we got a new name for our medical school along with a hundred million dollar gift.That's a big gift. [3:00]Right. And it was a wonderful gift and in my mind, perhaps the most exciting thing about that is that $50 million of it, so half of the gift was specifically earmarked for financial aid. Ever since I have been here, we’ve been really focusing on increasing the amount of scholarship aid that we have available to give students, and the maximum scholarship award has almost doubled just since I've been here. It's gone from $30,000 to $55,000 per year, and that's just only for scholarships and it’s need based. And so that increase has been really remarkable, but now we know that it's going to increase even more. So I think that is amazing. As a private school, we know that our tuition is high. As a school that is in Boston, we know that living expenses here are high. So anything that we can do to offset the cost I think is really good, obviously for our students and makes us a morFollow UsYouTubeFacebookLinkedInContact Uswww.accepted.comsupport@accepted.com+1 (310) 815-9553
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Sep 12, 2023 • 45min

How to Get Into Yale SOM

How to Get Into Yale SOM [Episode 542]Are you looking for a mission-driven school that aims to educate leaders for business and society? Would you like to know how to get into that MBA program, which happens to be at the Yale School of Management? Tune in for this interview with its Assistant Dean for Admissions, Bruce DelMonico.Welcome to the 542nd episode of Admissions Straight Talk, thanks for tuning in. Sometimes I'm asked, "Is the MBA worth it?" And my answer is, "It depends on your individual circumstances." But I've got good news, we've developed a tool that will help you evaluate whether an MBA is worth it for you and your individual circumstances and it also estimates by how much. Check out how much you're likely to benefit, or not, from taking an MBA education. Using the tool won't set you back even one cent because it's free.Don't miss Linda Abraham's 2021 interview with Yale SOM Dean, Bruce DelMonico - full transcript below!It gives me great pleasure to have back on Admissions Straight Talk, Bruce DelMonico, Assistant Dean of Admissions at Yale School of Management. He's been on the admissions Team at Yale since 2004. He became the director in 2006 and the assistant dean in 2012. He was last on Admissions Straight Talk almost two years ago in November 2021. Bruce, welcome back to Admissions Straight Talk. [1:44]Thank you so much, Linda. It's great to be hereI'm so pleased to have you join me today. Now, let's start with a basic overview of the Yale SOM MBA program for listeners who may not be that familiar with it, and if you could focus on the more distinctive or perhaps the newer elements of the program. [1:48]Sure, happy to do that. So just briefly, we're a two-year, full-time, in-residence MBA on the Yale campus in New Haven, Connecticut. There are some things similar to other programs, some things I think are a little bit distinctive, as you say. So when you join us at Yale for your two years, the first year is primarily our core curriculum. Then you start to take electives in the spring the first year, and your entire second year are all electives. I would say a couple of the distinctive things, first of all, our integrated curriculum in the core I think is a little bit different than what you might experience in other MBA programs, the way the material is organized. A lot of the same concepts and same material, but organized differently and presented differently, and we think it teaches you to learn and think differently.In addition, I mentioned the electives, you could take those across Yale without limit and there are other features of the program that I think really heightened the connectivity to the larger Yale community. I think that's one of the nice features of being in an institution like Yale, is taking advantage of all the resources that the entire university has to offer, so I think that's another distinctive aspect of our program. I think a third thing I would point to is our global footprint. A lot of MBA programs have global programming and I think the way that we've assembled our Global Network for Advanced Management and the kind of opportunities that flow from that, I think are rather unique and I think do give our students a rather special global perspective in their two years with us at Yale.That was a great summary, thank you. Now, you mentioned the Global Network. Yale was a leader in global education for its students, innovating before the pandemic, the Global Network for Advanced Management, which allowed students to take classes around the world from New Haven. It also had several stFollow UsYouTubeFacebookLinkedInContact Uswww.accepted.comsupport@accepted.com+1 (310) 815-9553
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Sep 5, 2023 • 42min

Is Boston University Law For You?

Located in the heart of vibrant and historic Boston, Boston University School of Law offers enormous breadth to its students, and today, we're speaking with its Dean of Admissions. Are you applying to law school this cycle or are you planning to apply to law school next year or later? Are you competitive at your target programs? Accepted's Law School Admissions Quiz can give you a quick reality check. Complete the quiz, and you'll not only get an assessment, but tips on how to improve your chances of acceptance. Plus, it's all free. I'm delighted to have on Admissions Straight Talk Alissa Leonard, Senior Assistant Dean for Admissions, Financial Aid and Enrollment at Boston University School of Law. Dean Leonard attended Oberlin College and earned her AB in History. She has been in admissions at BU Law since 2008 and brings 15 years of experience to our conversation today.Dean Leonard, welcome to Admissions Straight Talk. [1:37]Thanks very much for having me.My pleasure. Can you give an overview of the more distinctive elements of the BU Law JD program? [1:41]Sure, I'd be happy to, and you'll have to stop me when I run on too long because I love this question.We're in the center or heart of Boston obviously. If I look out my window, I've closed my shades, but you would see the Charles River with folks on it on this sunny day. You would see the State House from my office. Boston's obviously a major legal market. It's the hottest biotech city in the country. The First Circuit sits here. We're big on tech and innovation, and of course, it's a very youthful city because of all the schools and colleges here.On top of being in the middle of Boston, we're part of a large research institution of 36,000 students. It has remarkable benefits, concrete as in opportunities for dual degrees or for students to just take up to 12 hours of graduate-level coursework anywhere at BU towards their degrees, but also sort of lifestyle enhancements like an outstanding gym and that sort of thing.Within the law school, we have a deep and broad curriculum. We have an outstanding portfolio of experiential opportunities that maybe we'll talk about. We guarantee a clinical opportunity to any student who wants one. We have a broad range of study abroad programs. We have just expertise, a faculty renowned, not only for their legal research, but for their talent in the classroom.So I think we feel very strongly about a student's ability to find their path, even change their path during the three years, and we might want to talk about that, for all sorts of avenues toward their eventual practice. We also offer students a community of support, by which I mean students are assigned a faculty mentor, career development advisor, an upper-level student and an alumni mentor if they would like one upon entry to the law school. So I think this gives students an extraordinary opportunity of designated people from whom they may seek advice and counsel as they proceed into the building of their professional careers. It really sounds like very robust support. [3:45]Yes, I think so.Now, when I was preparing for the call, I was really struck by the breadth of the law school, and you've touched upon it in your response to my last question. Can you go into a little bit more depth? I noticed that BU Law has, for example, a special program in transactional law as well as study abroad programs and a concentration in international law. There's a lot more, but those two programs caught my eye. [3:49]Sure. I think I'll start with the transactional practice program, which I'd say isFollow UsYouTubeFacebookLinkedInContact Uswww.accepted.comsupport@accepted.com+1 (310) 815-9553
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Aug 29, 2023 • 16min

Admissions Directors Reveal the Most Common Mistakes Applicants Make

Admissions committee directors discuss common mistakes in MBA applications, emphasizing the importance of motivation, authenticity, and avoiding sloppiness. They give tips on standing out by focusing on accomplishments, showcasing personal side, and avoiding provocative content. Other topics include answering essay prompts appropriately, accuracy in school names, and aligning resume with LinkedIn profile. They also stress the significance of clarity in goals, personal growth, and utilizing available resources for guidance.
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Aug 22, 2023 • 34min

How to Get Into MSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine

Michigan State's College of Osteopathic Medicine provides an innovative patient-centered curriculum with multiple specialties and multiple opportunities for clinical exposure. Sound appealing? Well, plug in your earbuds because today I'm speaking with the senior associate dean of admissions at Michigan State University's College of Osteopathic Medicine.Welcome to the 537th episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for joining me today. Are you ready to apply to your dream medical schools? Are you competitive at your target programs? Accepted's med school admissions quiz can give you a quick reality check. Complete the quiz, and you'll not only get an assessment, but tips on how to improve your chances of acceptance. Plus, it's all free. Dr. Katherine Ruger earned her undergraduate degree at Northwood University, her master's in counseling and sports psychology at Wayne State, and her PhD in education and organizational leadership from Pepperdine University. She started at MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine as an admissions' counselor in 2009 and has assumed increasing responsibilities ever since. Since August 2022, almost exactly a year ago, she has served as a senior associate dean of admissions and student affairs at Michigan State University's College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Ruger, welcome to Admissions Straight Talk. [1:40]Thank you, Linda.Can you give us, just to start, an overview of MSU's DO program, focusing on its more distinctive elements? [1:54]Sure. I'd love to. MSUCOM, which is what I'll refer to it during the course of the session, is a really special place. I think it has a lot to do with the type of people that we recruit and attract, both from an admissions' perspective as well as faculty and staff. Certainly, it's a college of osteopathic medicine, and so our training really revolves around that holistic approach and focusing on preventative medicine. But we're looking for students and faculty and staff who have a commitment to service, a heart for leadership. That type of community just inspires a lot of growth, curiosity, excitement. It's a really wonderful place to be, and I know that I'm biased in saying that perhaps. But I think something that sets us apart is that we are part of Michigan State University, and we have a lot of wonderful access to resources as part of the university.Our college is committed to local community outreach as well as international outreach. A lot of reasons why folks want to be part of our community is because they get to serve different populations of people. We have street medicine, which is where our students, in partnership with clinicians, get to go and work with individuals who are experiencing homelessness. That's more on the local level. Then from an international perspective, we have renowned faculty that are trying to cure malaria in Malawi. We have students going out there and doing medical missions. We have them going to Peru and Guatemala. It's really fun to be able to get them involved in a lot of different ways. It tends to be a reason why, again, folks want to be here.You mentioned the community focus as well as the international focus. That's a balancing act I assume, but I noticed that you have three campuses. You also mentioned that it's obviously an osteopathic school. How do both the ability to study on three different campuses and the osteopathic nature of the program affect the educational experience for MSU students? [3:43]Good question, and one that I've not been asked. The first thing I thought of was the interconnectedness of systems, which Follow UsYouTubeFacebookLinkedInContact Uswww.accepted.comsupport@accepted.com+1 (310) 815-9553
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Aug 15, 2023 • 53min

How to get into Duke Fuqua

Leadership, teamwork, and ethics are essential elements of the Duke Fuqua MBA, which is why you’ll need to make sure you express your passion for these qualities in your application essays. Impress the Fuqua adcom by positioning yourself as an innovative leader and team player, as someone who can see the big picture, work collaboratively, and shape global business.To learn more about the school, listen to our podcast interview with Shari Hubert, Duke Fuqua’s associate dean of admissions.Ready to get to work on your Duke Fuqua application? Read on. Duke Fuqua application essay tipsDuke Fuqua application deadlinesDuke Fuqua class profileDuke Fuqua application essay tipsYou’ll need to provide your thoughts on one short answer question and two longer essay questions as part of your application.Instructions for all written submissions:Responses should use 1.5-line spacing and a font size no smaller than 10-point.    Do not repeat the question in the document you upload with your application as this will cause the essay to be flagged for plagiarism.    Respond fully and concisely.    Length requirements vary by question and are detailed below.Responses must be completed before submitting your application.All submissions are scanned using plagiarism detection software. Plagiarism is considered a cheating violation within the Honor Code and will not be tolerated in the admissions process.Required short-answer essay questionInstructions: Answer the following question in 100 words.What are your post-MBA career goals? Share with us your first-choice career plan and your alternate plan.What’s your professional direction? And if you cannot progress in your career in the most direct way, what is another way of reaching your desired destination? Since you are dealing with a 100-word maximum, you will have to think long before you start drafting and then write succinctly to get your point across. Required essay #1 (25 random things about yourself)The ‘Team Fuqua’ spirit and community is one of the things that sets the MBA experience apart, and it is a concept that extends beyond the student body to include faculty, staff, and administration. Please share with us “25 Random Things” about you. The Admissions Committee wants to get to know YOU – beyond the professional and academic achievements listed in your resume and transcript. Share with us important life experiences, your hobbies, achievements, fun facts, or anything that helps us understand what makes you who you are.Your list will be limited to 2 pages (750 words maximum). Please present your response in list form, numbered 1 to 25. Some points may be brief, while others may be longer.Have some fun with this list. It certainly allows for a more creative approach than most essay prompts permit. Note that the question asks you to go “beyond the professional and academic achievements listed in your resume and transcript.” So, you can list your Pez collection or perhaps your brief membership in a rock band, or the fact that you took violin from ages 6 to 18, your membership in a gospel choir, your volunteer work in a hospital, your needlepoint, your favorite recipe or photo. Gosh – the list is endless. Just let it reflect you. Think of this list as an introduction to potential friends.Watch: Shari Hubert, Associate Dean of Admissions at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business on How to answer the 25 Random Things Question:https://youtu.be/Vzbd3AdrLE8Required essay #2 (The Fuqua community and you)Fuqua prides itself on cultivating a culture of engagement. Our students enjoy a wide range oFollow UsYouTubeFacebookLinkedInContact Uswww.accepted.comsupport@accepted.com+1 (310) 815-9553
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Aug 8, 2023 • 33min

Tuft’s MS in Biomedical Sciences: Your Pathway to Med School?

The Tufts University School of Medicine describes its fundamental mission as promoting human health, with an emphasis on leadership and clinical care. It is looking for students with a strong background in the fundamentals of science who want to apply that work in a clinical setting. The school’s curriculum emphasizes early patient contact along with full integration of the sciences. Because the Tufts medical school is focused on classes where there is a dynamic environment with a great deal of peer-to-peer work, you should emphasize your ability to lead and contribute to a medical school class in your application.Tufts Medical School secondary application essay questionsTufts secondary essay #1Do you wish to include any comments (in addition to those already provided in your AMCAS application) to the Admissions Committee at Tufts University School of Medicine? Please explain briefly. (1000 characters)You can use this space to write about anything not in the AMCAS. Be sure you do not repeat your personal statement. This is a good place to indicate anything specific about Tufts or about your personal background that relates to your med school application. Some applicants use this space to write about a personal experience that is particularly relevant and not included elsewhere in their application. Others write about a personal circumstance, an opportunity or job offer that arose at some point after they submitted the AMCAS primary application.This is also a great place to say why you want to attend Tufts Medical School.Tufts secondary essay #2Please briefly describe your plans for the coming year. Include in this explanation if you will be a student, working, conducting research, volunteering, etc. (1000 characters)A thousand characters is approximately 200 words – not a lot. Discuss what you plan to do in the upcoming year that most shows your fit with Tufts’ vision, mission, and values. If you are a rising senior, will you have any leadership positions? What do you hope to accomplish in those roles? What research, if any, will you conduct? What community service will you do? Where will you participate as a clinician?If you are taking a gap year, show, as discussed in this Admissions Straight Talk episode, that it’s going to be a growth year. What will you accomplish at work? How will you immerse yourself in different populations? Will you work as a scribe (excellent clinical exposure)? Will you participate in a research project? Be included as an author?Highlight plans that demonstrate your commitment to medicine as Tufts sees it and that indicate that you will be a valuable member of the school’s next incoming class.Tufts secondary essay #3How might you contribute to the diversity of the student body of Tufts University School of Medicine? (1000 characters)For this question, you should consider diversity in all its forms: race, ethnicity, language, family background, economic circumstances, education, gender identity, sexuality, ability, and past experience. Consider how you might interact with a diverse group of medical students and contribute to your class. It is not enough to simply say that you are diverse; you need to explain how that makes you a more appealing applicant. If you are struggling to come up with ways to describe your individuality, I encourage you to interpret the question broadly and explain how your experiences make you a unique and worthwhile candidate who is going to contribute a special background, perspective, or experience to Tuft’s class.Tufts secondary essay #4Given how the COVID-19 pandemic haFollow UsYouTubeFacebookLinkedInContact Uswww.accepted.comsupport@accepted.com+1 (310) 815-9553
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Aug 1, 2023 • 35min

The New, Shorter GMAT Focus: Your Questions Answers

Thank you to Apex for contributing this informative article!With an industry-leading syllabus Apex offers the most comprehensive GMAT & GMAT Focus preparation on the market today. We exclusively offer 1-on-1 private GMAT tutoring, both in person and online, in order to deliver the strongest results for clients who simply want the best, most efficient preparation available.And don't miss our Admissions Straight Talk podcast interview with Manish Dharma, Director of Product Marketing at the Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC), where he chats with Accepted's Linda Abraham about the new, shorter GMAT Focus exam. Listen below or click the image to read the full transcript.The GMAT is one of the greatest challenges that many people face on the road to their MBA acceptance, but it doesn’t have to be. For many, the anxiety surrounding the GMAT is due to it being a largely misunderstood challenge. Contrary to what you might think, the GMAT represents an opportunity to illustrate your creativity and improve your critical and creative thinking skills, not just revise your knowledge of high school math and grammar. When properly preparing for the exam you’ll develop:new ways to approach solving problems of all sortsnovel techniques for organizing and characterizing informationthe ability to curate your own thought process to become a more effective thinkerWith this in mind, I’d like to discuss five key points to help you get into the correct mindset for a successful (read: transformative) and low-stress GMAT preparation experience.1. You are not your GMAT.Many people use their GMAT score to define their abilities across a range of fields, their value as an applicant, or, even more insidiously, in a greater self-esteem context.You are not your GMAT!Your GMAT score doesn’t represent how smart you are or how capable you are as a person, student, or professional. It certainly doesn’t deliver the distinct mix of characteristics that make you, well, you. What admissions committees are seeking when they look at your GMAT score is a set of skills that are valuable in a number of ways (more on this later), but tying your self-worth up in a number is perilous, to say the least. hbspt.cta.load(58291, 'a7004604-d7d1-4d1f-98ef-a0ec53d7e590', {}); Putting the self-esteem aspect aside for a moment, identifying yourself with your GMAT means that you are giving short shrift to who you are as a person outside of a testing environment - you know who I’m talking about, the badass who has already achieved so much and is on track for so much more. There is no need to put additional pressure on yourself to perform well on the GMAT to prove to yourself, or to your family, friends, or an admissions committee how “valuable” you are, how smart you are, or how capable you are.From our perspective as teachers, we also see this occur frequently in the other direction, with tutors who apply to work with us. They define themselves by their GMAT success rather than their ability as educators. We reject many potential tutors out of hand, despite their having a 770+ score, because a score is simply a number on a piece of paper; we seek people who understand others, are strong communicators, and who are always growing as educators.Takeaway: By focusing on your score, rather than developing stronger critical and creative thinking skills, you’re missing the point of the GMAT.2. The GMAT is both easier and harder than you think.I know this sounds counterintuitive, but bear with me.The stigma of the GMAT - that it’s a terribly difficult exam - affects the performanceFollow UsYouTubeFacebookLinkedInContact Uswww.accepted.comsupport@accepted.com+1 (310) 815-9553

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