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Mrdstein · 11-23-2006, 02:55 AM

Dear all,

I haven't been posting for a while. In all honesty, packing my things and moving to Boston from abroad as well as integrating into the program have been at the top of my list in the last couple of months.

I screened the posts and would like to share with you my two cents. I apologize if I miss out on any questions or comments. Please let me know and I will do my best to respond promptly.

MBA Rankings and surrounding discussions
Does it really matter which school ranks number 1, 2, 3….etc in a given year? I personally found that all schools at the top of any ranking are of high quality, however, each school has a more or less different objective and unique means to reach the desired ends. What was important to me was the following question: “Which school fits best with me given my personal goals?” In my case, Harvard resulted top of my list given my unique personal goals. For some of you out there, another school might suit your goals and personality better. Just give it a moment of thought – does there really exist an overall better or worse school?

Lack of technical expertise
HBS is a general management program. By definition, you will not engage into the deep seas of financial modeling in first semester, and, no-one here expects that. Other programs may put more emphasis on financial modeling - possible. What I have found here at HBS is the following: If you lack a financial background and want to become an investment banker, people take own initiative and acquire skills and capabilities by themselves after class (if not covered in class). Moreover, I believe that no MBA program in this world can spoon-feed you every aspect of everything. So, it is up to yourself – what you put into it is what you get out of it, and, this should not only hold for in-class material.

Some thoughts for Application
I do not claim to have superior knowledge because the entire application is a mere black box for me. However, I believe some of the following pitfalls are common, and that you should give it a thought.

First, don’t take the selling process too far. I know that everybody tries to put together the best possible application – however, if the person you are describing in the essays is completely detached from your real life personality, you might have just overdone it. Think about the following. The interviewer will have read your application before meeting you. If his/her expectations of who you are based on the written application is not at all congruent with the real life Joe – how likely is a positive admissions result ? You might want a friend or someone else read your essays and give feedback on consistency. Choose your person wisely, sometimes friends and family members simply want to be polite – but politeness and bad feedback doesn’t get you anywhere – except in the wrong direction.

Second, avoid mixed messages. Check your application for consistency. Just for sake of illustration an extreme example. If you praise yourself as a superb team player in every setting and your CV shows that your biggest interest are your chemistry lab in the basement of your home, you have taken chess to mastery and you have a stamp collection filling an entire book shelve. Or you claim to be a well balanced Joe, very social, spending a lot of time caring for family and friends, and your CV shows you are an M&A investment banker on Wall Street. There is nothing wrong with that but think about mixed message you might be sending.

Third, too narrow in the picture that you are describing. Be as comprehensive as possible (I know it is not easy given the word limits and the questions). For example, not all accomplishments need to be from work. Consider your professional life to-date covers only 20-25% of your lifetime. There may be aspects from undergraduate or high school that may be relevant. Moreover, choosing 3 partners, MD’s or senior managers as your recommenders is not going to add to creating a more comprehensive application. More information can be provided from a diverse base of recommenders (e.g. one senior manager, a direct supervisor and a peer, or, direct supervisor peer and direct report, etc.)

Fourth, don’t get lost in vague explanations and descriptions. It is both a waste of precious words and very boring to read. Make use of specific examples where you have proven your qualities to back your claims. If you claim something and have a hard time coming up with a good example – chances are high that you aren’t good at what you are claiming or that wishful thinking has set in.

Finally, rushing to meet the application deadline. Start early and take a couple of days/weeks to revisit, revise, consistency check, and polish your application. I personally underestimated this time and really needed to push hard to meet the application deadline. And no, you will never come to the point of saying “this is a perfect essay”. You can always find things to improve – don’t take it too far.

Good luck to all of you. Hope to see some of you on campus next year.

Cheers
MRD

11-23-2006, 02:55 AM	#36 (permalink)
Mrdstein Trying to make mom and pop proud Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 9	Dear all, I haven't been posting for a while. In all honesty, packing my things and moving to Boston from abroad as well as integrating into the program have been at the top of my list in the last couple of months. I screened the posts and would like to share with you my two cents. I apologize if I miss out on any questions or comments. Please let me know and I will do my best to respond promptly. MBA Rankings and surrounding discussions Does it really matter which school ranks number 1, 2, 3….etc in a given year? I personally found that all schools at the top of any ranking are of high quality, however, each school has a more or less different objective and unique means to reach the desired ends. What was important to me was the following question: “Which school fits best with me given my personal goals?” In my case, Harvard resulted top of my list given my unique personal goals. For some of you out there, another school might suit your goals and personality better. Just give it a moment of thought – does there really exist an overall better or worse school? Lack of technical expertise HBS is a general management program. By definition, you will not engage into the deep seas of financial modeling in first semester, and, no-one here expects that. Other programs may put more emphasis on financial modeling - possible. What I have found here at HBS is the following: If you lack a financial background and want to become an investment banker, people take own initiative and acquire skills and capabilities by themselves after class (if not covered in class). Moreover, I believe that no MBA program in this world can spoon-feed you every aspect of everything. So, it is up to yourself – what you put into it is what you get out of it, and, this should not only hold for in-class material. Some thoughts for Application I do not claim to have superior knowledge because the entire application is a mere black box for me. However, I believe some of the following pitfalls are common, and that you should give it a thought. First, don’t take the selling process too far. I know that everybody tries to put together the best possible application – however, if the person you are describing in the essays is completely detached from your real life personality, you might have just overdone it. Think about the following. The interviewer will have read your application before meeting you. If his/her expectations of who you are based on the written application is not at all congruent with the real life Joe – how likely is a positive admissions result ? You might want a friend or someone else read your essays and give feedback on consistency. Choose your person wisely, sometimes friends and family members simply want to be polite – but politeness and bad feedback doesn’t get you anywhere – except in the wrong direction. Second, avoid mixed messages. Check your application for consistency. Just for sake of illustration an extreme example. If you praise yourself as a superb team player in every setting and your CV shows that your biggest interest are your chemistry lab in the basement of your home, you have taken chess to mastery and you have a stamp collection filling an entire book shelve. Or you claim to be a well balanced Joe, very social, spending a lot of time caring for family and friends, and your CV shows you are an M&A investment banker on Wall Street. There is nothing wrong with that but think about mixed message you might be sending. Third, too narrow in the picture that you are describing. Be as comprehensive as possible (I know it is not easy given the word limits and the questions). For example, not all accomplishments need to be from work. Consider your professional life to-date covers only 20-25% of your lifetime. There may be aspects from undergraduate or high school that may be relevant. Moreover, choosing 3 partners, MD’s or senior managers as your recommenders is not going to add to creating a more comprehensive application. More information can be provided from a diverse base of recommenders (e.g. one senior manager, a direct supervisor and a peer, or, direct supervisor peer and direct report, etc.) Fourth, don’t get lost in vague explanations and descriptions. It is both a waste of precious words and very boring to read. Make use of specific examples where you have proven your qualities to back your claims. If you claim something and have a hard time coming up with a good example – chances are high that you aren’t good at what you are claiming or that wishful thinking has set in. Finally, rushing to meet the application deadline. Start early and take a couple of days/weeks to revisit, revise, consistency check, and polish your application. I personally underestimated this time and really needed to push hard to meet the application deadline. And no, you will never come to the point of saying “this is a perfect essay”. You can always find things to improve – don’t take it too far. Good luck to all of you. Hope to see some of you on campus next year. Cheers MRD