Be sure to read my key posts on the admissions process.
Topics include: Essays, resumes, recommendations, rankings, and more!
May, 21, 2020
The Indian School of Business is a program that I first really became aware of in 2008 when looking at FT’s ranking data and realized that ISB offered incredibly high ROI for its graduates. Soon thereafter I did a Q&A with ISB’s Hima Bindu, who has since become Senior Director of Admissions. While I am primarily […]
May, 16, 2020
In this post, I will be analyzing the essay question and key components of the HBS Application for the Class of 2023. In addition to discussing overall HBS application strategy and the required essay, I will discuss key parts of the application form, resume, and transcript. I also provide some advice for HBS reapplicants and […]
May, 08, 2020
As I suggested in an earlier blog post, “when you are facing a situation of great unpredictability have multiple winning strategies.” Critical to having an effective strategy for graduate application during these times of great uncertainty is to understand what facts to actually focus on. While I am concerned with the evolving policies of graduate […]
Mar, 31, 2020
The Coronavirus pandemic is a pure example of a VUCA (Volatility Uncertainty Complexity Ambiguity) situation. To get my head around how it would impact MBA students and applicants, I engaged in some scenario analysis and as the situation develops, so is my thinking. In this post I give some initial suggestions for how to think […]
Mar, 24, 2020
In general, whatever HBS does, I assume there is a good chance the rest of the business school world will follow. Harvard Business School is at the top of food chain, regardless in whatever their ranking at the moment might be or relative difficulty of entrance. That has been one of my core assumptions about […]
Mar, 17, 2020
In a further sign of uncertain times, Columbia Business School has extended its final deadline for August 2020 from April to June 1st. Assistant Dean of Admissions, Amanda Carlson, is being completely transparent about this decision: “Columbia Business School has decided to extend its application deadline for the August 2020 incoming class until June 1, […]
Mar, 16, 2020
I am utilizing Professor Paul N. Friga’s Scenario Planning for Coronavirus (https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2020/03/13/using-strategic-thinking-and-scenario-planning-deal-coronavirus-opinion) which is based on scenarios developed by McKinsey’s Global Health + Criss Response team’s analysis. While Frick’s analysis is addressed to higher education institutions, my consideration is the impact on MBA students and applicants. Specifically, I will consider how different scenarios result in […]
Jan, 31, 2020
For my overall suggestions on Chicago Booth MBA interviews, please see here. For my Class of 2022 Booth essay analysis, see here. The interview essay R1 and R2 questions are not the same. For the current admissions cycle, Booth started asking for essays for those who receive interviews.In addition to the essays required for applying to […]
Jan, 18, 2020
I will be hanging out with the other digital nomads in Chiang Mai, Thailand. For anyone interested in attending an MBA or other graduate program, I plan on holding an informational event. Just mail me at biz.adammarkus@gmail.com if you are interested. The event will take place in the first or second week of February.
Dec, 08, 2019
Suggestion: Start interview prep for immediately after you have made application. If you are Tokyo, please join me for a great workshop! MBA Interview Workshop in Tokyo on January 19, 2020 Interview preparation is a very, very important part of the MBA application process. Please join Adam Markus and John Couke for a highly […]
