I’m a project Manager at a boutique strategy consulting firm by day, and I was recently approached by one of the consultants on my team about writing a recommendation for his Kellogg application. This got me to thinking – what are the real keys to getting into a top ten business school?
Obviously, the usual suspects come to mind: undergraduate college, undergraduate major, GMAT score, professional experience, leadership and communication skills, essays, recommendations, etc. However, these are just the basic elements of the application itself. The real key to understanding the admissions process is to consider the broader criteria against which each applicant is evaluated. There are different ways to break it down, but every top MBA school, in my opinion, is basically evaluating each applicant across four basic areas:
First, they are looking at the applicant’s ability to succeed academically in what can sometimes be a pretty rigorous set of classes. Here, they look to the GMAT score, undergraduate school attended and GPA, and courses taken.
Second, they’re looking at the applicant’s rationale for wanting to attend business school. They are trying to understand specifically where the applicant is looking to take his or her career and how business school will help get them there.
Third, they’re looking at what that applicant will bring to that specific program, which may place an emphasis in one specific area, such as finance, marketing, entrepreneurship, or even teamwork.
Fourth, all MBA schools are looking for potential students who have demonstrated the potential to develop the managerial skills required to succeed in business; for example, good communication skills, the ability to work well in teams, leadership skills etc.
Based on my experience applying to and attending Kellogg, discussing the process with classmates, helping others write their essays, and writing recommendations, I believe that across these four elements there is a hidden key to gaining admission – simply starting the “admissions process” early – well before you are actually ready to write applications.
Start Early
Perhaps the most important thing an aspiring MBA school applicant can do is realize he or she is an aspiring MBA school applicant earlier rather than later. Starting the process early is important simply because applying to and getting accepted at a top MBA program is a complicated, complex and competitive process. As written above, business schools are looking at a variety of criteria and evaluating you in many areas. And the top business schools are extremely competitive, there are a large number of applicants each year, and a safe bet is that 10 to 15% will get accepted at any given top program.

One super simple example of “starting early” is taking the GMAT while still in college. The GMAT prep process, unless you’re a natural test taker, can be stressful. So, get it over with while you are in college or soon after, even if you’re not sure if you’ll ever go to business school. It’s not a great feeling to decide you want to go get an MBA, and realize you have many months of studying just to take the GMAT, which is but one small (yet critical) component of the overall application process. If you just consider yourself a potential MBA applicant while still in college, you’d check this box much earlier (and have time to retake the test if need be).

The ideal situation is to decide that you want to go to business school early enough so that you can sketch out all of the required elements of a strong application, and compare those elements to your specific situation and experiences. This way, if you find that you are weak in any given area, you can proactively address this potential weakness in your application by building experiences or taking specific steps to strengthen that area of your application – you can “fill your application gaps,” so to speak, as your undergraduate and professional career progresses.

For example, let’s say you become interested in applying to business school, you look in to what it takes to get admitted, and you realize you don’t have much community service experience to speak of (this was actually my situation). When this happened to me, I was 25, and four years removed from college. This was actually pretty late in the game – but, I wasn’t actually planning to apply for a few years. So, I did have time to find a role as an assistant youth hockey coach, which provided me with one year of community service related experience to reference (and which I enjoyed) in my application. Had I been 27 and two months away from submitting my application, it simply would have been a gap – there just wouldn’t have been time to address the situation.

Community service, of course, is just one example. Let’s say you haven’t taken any analytically rigorous coursework since high school – no math, no economics, no finance, etc. If you have the time to take an online or community college class or two, you can fill this gap. But, if you are applying in two months – you just don’t have time.

Hopefully the thoughts above increase your chances of admission. Most importantly, if you’re reading this early on, and have a few years before actually applying, take advantage of this time. Review your “application” in your head, identify key gaps, and start working to fill them. Good luck.

Mark

Mark Skoskiewicz holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and an undergraduate degree from Indiana University – Bloomington. He’s a Manager at a boutique strategy consulting firm in Chicago, as well as a co-founder of MyGuru, a provider of in-person and online private tutoring and test prep, with a focus on the GMAT, GRE, LSAT, and MCAT. Click here to learn more about MyGuru’s boutique in-person and online 1-1 tutoring and test prep.

I’ve got another treat for all of you! One of my Story Over Numbers members let me record a 40-min consultation call we had this week. He’s a joint MBA/MPP candidate who wants to be a social venture capitalist.

In the call, he and I discuss his profile, how he can stand out in the application process, and why being unemployed is actually a great thing for him right now.

Right click here to download the mp3 recording of our call.

I just received a tip from one of my current clients regarding the Consortium of Graduate Study in Management application:

If you’re having trouble copying and pasting into the Consortium application, you need to use Firefox.

Good luck!

Kaneisha

It’s a rare situation but one that can be really tricky. What do you do when you’ve decided that you DO NOT want your boss to write your letter of recommendation? In this clip, I role play the situation with one of my clients. Listen, share, and let me know what you think!

Unasking for a letter of recommendation by The Art of Applying

Note: The deadline for both internships has been extended until November 1. This is a PAID internship.

Marketing Communications Intern

About the Company:

Kaneisha Grayson started the Art of Applying in June 2010 with a $10,000 grant from the Arthur Rock Center for Entrepreneurship at Harvard Business School. Since then, Kaneisha Grayson, alumni of Pomona College (a highly-ranked competitive liberal arts college in Claremont, CA), Harvard Business School, and Harvard Kennedy School of Government, has worked one-on-one with over 50 clients from all over the world in preparing their graduate school applications. She uses social media marketing to reach out to potential clients and serves all of her clients virtually. The Art of Applying with Kaneisha Grayson is set apart from other admissions consulting companies by its focus on making the grad school application as stress-free, fun, introspective, and interesting as possible. Kaneisha’s clients often say that working on their grad school applications with her is like working with a close friend.

About the Opportunity:

Hey there! It’s the peak season for business here at The Art of Applying and I want some extra minds in the mix and hands on deck to make this business even better! The Art of Applying is a young company that is growing quickly, and I want to make sure that I’m getting the word out about my products and services to the right people wherever they are. This internship is perfect for you if you want real responsibility, and the chance to have your ideas heard and able to influence how a real business runs. You’ll get to see the results of your efforts unfold while you’re still interning–rather than 12 months down the line when you’re already back in school.

You’ll be working with me and other team members in creating marketing content and helping to increase The Art of Applying audience and community. You’ll have the opportunity to brainstorm ideas, create plans to implement your ideas, and create your own reports and presentations. I’ll always be there to advise and mentor you to help you improve your work and make sure that you’re learning as much as you are contributing.

You are positive, hard-working, organized, and dependable. You’re a creative person who is excellent at finding interesting and relevant content on the internet. You are web savvy, a quick learner, and can work well independently as well as part of a team. All majors and interest areas are encouraged to apply as long as you have the skills and qualities required for the position.

Some of your responsibilities will include:

- Reaching out to current/recent grad MBA and Public Policy students doing really cool things with their degrees to be profiled on the site

- Researching various applicant forums and sending me 10 questions to answer per week.

- Engaging our followers on Twitter and Facebook with contests, interesting information, daily tweets and status updates, etc.

- Optimizing blog posts for search (I can train you on how to do this, which is called SEO–search engine optimization)

- Researching and reaching out to owners of relevant sites for me to write guests posts, which will bring new visitors to The Art of Applying

- Assisting in creating and updating our editorial calendar

Logistics:

- This is a paid internship where you will get paid weekly.

- Must have your own computer with a webcam and fast internet access

- You will be working remotely–in your PJs in your dorm room, at an outside table at a European cafe, wherever you like! This means you need to be good at time management and getting your work done on your own. We will communicate frequently, but people who need lots of hand-holding will not be a good fit.

- approximately 5 hours per week starting November 1 or soon after and end date is negotiable. Ideally, someone will be available through the end of January but earlier end dates are fine.

Applications will be accepted until November 1. I will not be able to respond to all applicants.

To apply for this position, fill out this form.

A big thanks to my friend Laura Roeder and her team for providing the template for such a killer job posting!

Public Relations Intern

About the Company:

Kaneisha Grayson started the Art of Applying in June 2010 with a $10,000 grant from the Arthur Rock Center for Entrepreneurship at Harvard Business School. Since then, Kaneisha Grayson, alumni of Pomona College (a highly-ranked competitive liberal arts college in Claremont, CA), Harvard Business School, and Harvard Kennedy School of Government, has worked one-on-one with over 50 clients from all over the world in preparing their graduate school applications. She uses social media marketing to reach out to potential clients and serves all of her clients virtually. The Art of Applying with Kaneisha Grayson is set apart from other admissions consulting companies by its focus on making the grad school application as stress-free, fun, introspective, and interesting as possible. Kaneisha’s clients often say that working on their grad school applications with her is like working with a close friend.

About the Opportunity:

Hey there! It’s the peak season for business here at The Art of Applying and I want some extra minds in the mix and hands on deck to make this business even better! The Art of Applying is a young company that is growing quickly, and I want to make sure that I’m getting the word out about my products and services to the right people wherever they are. This internship is perfect for you if you want real responsibility, and the chance to have your ideas heard and able to influence how a real business runs. You’ll get to see the results of your efforts unfold while you’re still interning–rather than 12 months down the line when you’re already back in school.

You will be working with me and other team members to make sure that relevant online and offline sources know about the great work we are doing at The Art of Applying. If you are interested in educational PR or tech B2C PR, this is a one-of-a-kind opportunity!

You are positive, hard-working, organized, and dependable. You’re a creative person who is great at promoting and spreading the word about things you love. You are web savvy, a quick learner, and can work well independently as well as part of a team. You are also an excellent writer. All majors and interest areas are encouraged to apply as long as you have the skills and qualities required for the position.

Some of your responsibilities will include:

- Creating a speaker packet with information about me and the company to distribute to area high schools and colleges (You will have the opportunity to help hire and work with graphic designers on making an awesome product that will make schools excited to hire me as a speaker)

- Research area photographers for a professional photo shoot

- Scan daily for resources for press opportunities (I can direct you to where to look)

- Screening interview requests

- Keeping up with the latest news in MBA and Public Policy programs and the admissions consulting industry

- Updating a running list of “As Seen In” and press mentions

- Reaching out to MBA and Public Policy applicant bloggers to join our MBA blogger promo team and review my products and services

Logistics:

- This is a paid internship where you will get paid weekly.

- Must have your own computer with a webcam and fast internet access

- You will be working remotely–in your PJs in your dorm room, at an outside table at a European cafe, wherever you like! This means you need to be good at time management and getting your work done on your own. We will communicate frequently, but people who need lots of hand-holding will not be a good fit.

- approximately 5 hours per week starting November 1 or soon after and end date is negotiable. Ideally, someone will be available through the end of January but earlier end dates are fine.

Applications will be accepted until November 1. I will not be able to respond to all applicants.

To apply for this position, fill out this form.

A big thanks to my friend Laura Roeder and her team for providing the template for such a killer job posting!

Ever wondered what I talk about with clients during consultation calls? In this video, I talk about 10 different kinds of things I talk about with clients and how you can sign up for a one-hour consultation call with me. Enjoy!

How to Prepare for a Consultation Call with an Admissions Consultant

More details on how to sign up for a one-hour consultation call.

Last weekend, I accompanied my friend Lady A to go look at some mid-century rosewood furniture for her house. Mid-century rosewood furniture is the kind of furniture that the characters on the show Mad Men have. Rosewood is extremely durable, hard, and lustrous, making it ideal for furniture and musical instruments like the guitar.

As Lady A and I pulled up to the home of the Craigslist seller, we both gasped and began to furtively whisper to one another, taking turns guessing at what we were both seeing.

“He’s a hoarder!”
“Oh my goodness…Maybe the hoarder died and he’s selling all their stuff…”

The seller’s two-car garage was open, revealing countless rosewood tables, chairs, and desks packed tightly and carefully like so many Tetris blocks. Every square inch of the garage housed a piece of carefully placed rosewood furniture.

Though we originally thought that the Craigslist vendor was a hoarder, we quickly learned that no, he was not a hoarder. His family specialized in buying, fixing up, and reselling mid-century rosewood furniture. Rather than pay for a storage unit, they stored their inventory in the garage. The seller knew where every single piece was in the unit, and how to access it without disturbing the rest of the Tetris pieces.

I was in awe during the entire thirty minutes we spent with the rosewood expert. He knew about the history of rosewood, how to clean it, how to store it, how to buy it cheaply and sell it for premium prices. He even knew when it was worth his time to fix up pieces to sell at a higher price and when he should just put it on Craigslist at an attractive price for those who know the value of rosewood furniture.

“You are a master of mid-century rosewood furniture,” I breathed as I watched him use steel wool to gently scrub paint marks from the legs of a chair without leaving one scratch.

“Of course I am,” he said nonchalantly. “This is what my parents did and what I do too.”

The rosewood man knew everything there was to know about mid-century rosewood furniture. His face emanated joy and accomplishment as he effortlessly packed Lady A’s jeep with a five-foot long dining table and six chairs. During the thirty minutes we spent with him, the rosewood man sold over a $1000 worth of furniture. Enjoying my admiration, the rosewood man pulled out a stack of invoices to show me the dozens of orders he receives for his pieces, for which people pay hundreds of dollars in shipping alone. Half dazed, I smiled and congratulated him as I scanned the invoices, littered with dollar signs and zeros.

That afternoon, I realized what it means to be successful:

Success is mastering something that matters to you.

Before this weekend, I had no idea what mid-century rosewood furniture was or that people paid thousands of dollars for it. Even after this experience, I will most likely furnish my next place with secondhand pressboard furniture from Ikea. Mid-century rosewood furniture just doesn’t matter to me.

But it matters to the rosewood man, and he has mastered the art of preserving and selling it. Even though rosewood is not his full-time job (he didn’t reveal what that was), there is no doubt in my mind that the rosewood man is successful. He dedicated his time and energy to mastering something that he cares about.

Inspiring and influencing people through words and ideas is what I want to master.

It’s why I love writing, why I love being an admissions coach (influencing others in how to influence admissions committees), and why I love reading relationship self-help books (how to influence relationships for the better).

Gaining clarity in the way in which I want to be successful has helped give focus to my goals and significance to what could look like side projects or hobbies. Blogging isn’t just a fun way to communicate; it’s an exercise in mastery. Learning better ways to reach potential clients isn’t just about increasing my brand presence; it’s moving me closer to my goal of mastering the art of influence.

Whether you want to master the art of parenting, skiing, painting, sales, hairdressing, or fabulous living, know that taking the time to think about what matters most to you–and being willing to dedicate the time and effort to truly master that thing–means you will inevitably be successful. Because there’s joy and fulfillment in working hard to be excellent at something that matters to you. Even if it isn’t your full-time job, the payment comes in the form of knowing that you didn’t squander your talents on mediocre effort; you gave your best to something and, in turn, received the satisfaction of knowing that there is something in this world about which you know everything.

Now I know it seems contradictory that I would write an article pointing out that you don’t need an MBA to be an entrepreneur, but remember–I give unconventional admissions advice. My goal is to be as helpful as possible to those in the Art of Applying community–not just to fill MBA programs with people.

My good friend Laura Roeder is the perfect example of how you don’t need an MBA to be a rich entrepreneur. For the last two years, she has run her own online business teaching small business owners how to use social media to promote their products and services. Before that, she was a website designer and before that she had a “real job.” I’m not going to put her on blast but I know for a fact that at 27, she makes more than McKinsey consultants graduating from top business schools and works about 1/3 the hours that they do.

I’m writing this post to briefly review her book that has just come out for those of you who may be interested in skipping business school and going straight to being a rich entrepreneur and to encourage those of you who want to try out working for yourself to go for it!

Laura’s book is available on Kindle and is called Facebook Fame: The Facebook Marketing Bible For The Small Business.

Some of the reasons why her book is awesome:

• She spells things out step by step. Whether you are a completely new to using Facebook for business or have tried out a few things with mediocre results, Laura guides you through the process of how to use Facebook to promote your business using engaging but non-jargony language and lots of illustrations.

• She encourages people to take what works for them. How often have we been pounded over the head with the idea that there is only one way to do something? Since I specialize in giving unconventional admissions advice, I’m used to dealing with shell-shocked applicants who were told by others that there was no way they could get into their dream school and that if they wanted a chance of getting in anywhere, they better do steps one, two, and three. Laura is my kindred spirit in that she encourages people to use the advice that they find to be most helpful. Rather than doggedly sticking to a strategy that works for someone else but doesn’t work for you, you should pick and choose what works best for you and your goals. Laura’s got this down.

• She admits her mistakes and shortcomings so others can learn from them. I love that Laura’s book includes whoopsie mistakes from her own experiences using social media to promote her business. Just like I don’t hesitate to tell people that my GMAT score was (only) 620 and I had no full-time work experience when I was admitted to graduate school, Laura is transparent about places where she could have done better. Seeing that Laura’s journey hasn’t been perfect is encouraging to those of us who are looking around and wondering if anyone else is feeling confused and unsure. Laura’s whoopsie mistakes with Facebook and my less-than-stellar numbers show that there is life after imperfection. In fact, being able to turn your mistakes into assets is a great talent of both me and Laura’s! Laura turned her whoopsie mistakes into content for her book and I turned mine into a point of differentiation from other admissions consultants.

The free online launch party (with lots of cool giveaways!) for Laura’s book is going to be on Wednesday, September 14 at 4 pm PST / 7 pm EST.

You can get your free ticket to the event here.

While I found Laura’s book to be a great read full of easy-to-do action items, my favorite part about it is that she wrote it! Besides being one of my good friends, Laura is definitely my #1 role model when it comes to entrepreneurship and living a fabulous life. Here are a few more reasons why she’s awesome and how we can all learn from her example:

• She doesn’t depend on others for legitimacy. So many times, people apply to graduate school to earn degrees that will show the world that they are smart enough or qualified to do something. I always urge my clients to go out there and get their hands dirty if they have a burning passion or desire and to not be held up by graduate school. In fact, sometimes getting a graduate degree can slow you down in moving forward, because you now have student loans that need to be paid off! Although Laura loves the many shout-outs she gets, she doesn’t let them dictate the value of her services. She creates a coaching program and puts it out there for the world to have rather than waiting around to see if someone will give her permission or the stamp of approval.

• She doesn’t let perfect get in the way of DONE. Many of us business school types are perfectionists and will procrastinate on getting things done if we don’t feel we can do them perfectly. Laura’s products and services are always top-notch but she doesn’t let the need for everything to be absolutely perfect keep her from actually getting stuff done. People are forgiving and often overlook minor mistakes. People completely overlook you when you don’t have anything to offer. Whether it’s your graduate school applications, starting your business, writing a book, or training for a marathon, take the first step and keep moving forward–even if everything isn’t perfect!

So if entrepreneurship and facebook isn’t your thang, no problem. But Laura Roeder’s example of just doing it is one we can all learn from. I loved my business school experience, and cherish my Harvard MBA, but there is no denying that Laura’s success is a testament that for those of you who want to work for yourself and make big money without working investment banking hours, an MBA is not your ticket to getting there; getting stuff done is.

If my mama hadn’t named me Kaneisha, I think my name would be Procrastineisha.

If a task before me seems overwhelming, annoying, or confusing, my first instinct–and boy is that instinct as strong as six well-fed oxen–is to just put it aside and worry about it “later.”

The problem is that later sometimes never comes. Or it comes too late.

If you’ve been procrastinating on starting your grad school applications, I’ve got some tips for you–learned from my many years of battling the p-word.

Tell your thoughts to shut up.

That’s right. One of the most important ways to stop thinking and fretting and TAKE ACTION is to put an end to the incessant chatter in your brain. You deplete your energy, enthusiasm, and motivation when you mope around brooding. It doesn’t matter how many excuses, insecurities, or inadequacies your mind conjures up. You are the master of your mind and can tell it to put a sock in it. Then you can get on to the business of getting sh*t done (have you all noticed how obsessed I am with this phrase lately?).

Stop taking in new information.

Information overload will stop you in your tracks every time. Rather than doing yet another Google search or forum lurking session, rest that you already know enough about applying to graduate school to take the first step. Stop reading. Stop searching. Start moving forward.

Take the first step. Actually just take any step.

Since you’ve been procrastinating, worrying, and gathering information for so long, you may have no idea which way is up, down, forward or backward. That’s okay for now. At least you’ve stopped staying up until 1 am reading graduate student blogs from 2008. Since we’ve already established that you already know enough to get started on your graduate school applications, do something real and tangible to move you forward in your application process. This could mean officially registering for a test date to take the GMAT or GRE, writing a first draft of one of your essays, scheduling a consultation call with an admissions consultant (make it a working session if possible–not just a theoretical strategy “what if?” session), or redoing your resume. Remember: further research is not a first step. ACTION is a first step.

Create some accountability for yourself.

You’ve probably been wringing your hands in the secrecy of your own mind. Most people who know you probably don’t even know how important applying to graduate school is for you–or how much of a challenge it’s become for you to move forward in the process. Tell several people about your goal of applying to graduate school this season so that you have trusted people whose opinions you care about looking to see if you did what you said you’d do. Wanting to live up to what you said you’d do will serve as a powerful tool to get you out of procrastination mode and into GSD mode.

TAOA Community: Have any of you out there been procrastinating? What first step are you going to take or have you taken to move forward?