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Blog: Key Posts

Thoughts on Average GMAT Scores and What They Mean

Nov, 30, 2022


When looking at average GMAT scores at top MBA programs (see https://poetsandquants.com/2022/11/25/average-gmat-scores-at-the-top-u-s-mba-programs/2/) there are a number of factors for applicants to consider: 1. For applicants worried about not meeting the GMAT minimum: Average is just that. It does not mean minimum. You should look at the GMAT range for admits to get a full sense […]


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General Characteristics of Admissions Officers, Students and Alumni Interviewers

Jan, 16, 2022


This is a revision of a blog post I wrote in 2012.  It now reflects the insights I gained  in subsequent years.  Clients frequently ask me, if they are given choice, about whether to choose an interview with an alumni, a student, and/or admissions officer.  While my answer to such questions might be very school […]


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Why you were not offered admission: It is not just about you!

Oct, 06, 2021


In this post, I discuss why a reject is not always best understand as a problem with the application or the applicant.  For understanding some of the reasons why your application and/or interview might have been flawed or why you might have been selecting the wrong school(s) to apply to I suggestion seeing “A guide […]


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Booth Interview Video Question Analysis for the MBA Class of 2023 Round 2

Jan, 30, 2021


For my overall suggestions on Chicago Booth MBA  interviews, please see here. For the current admissions cycle, Booth started asking for one minute video for those who receive interviews: “Please submit a video response to one of the following two prompts: Tell us about something new you learned recently that shifted your worldview. How did it […]


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Getting Technically Ready for Online Admissions Interviews

Jan, 21, 2021


One of the frustrations I regularly experience with clients and potential clients is their lack of technical readiness for having Zoom (or Skype or Google or FaceTime) sessions with me.  This especially freaks me out when we are doing mock interviews for MBA and other programs.  There are just some basic technical things I expect […]


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Advice on Scheduling MBA Interviews

Jan, 20, 2021


Clients frequently ask me questions about the interview scheduling process for MBA programs. Below I have provided advice on the topics I am most frequently asked about both for interviews that are scheduled using online scheduling systems (usually interviews with admissions officers and second year students) and those that are scheduled with an alumnus.   […]


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Preparing for Wharton Interviews for the Class of 2023

Oct, 29, 2020


In this post, I discuss how to prepare for Wharton Interviews for fall 2021 entry.   There are two parts to the Wharton interview, the team-based interview and one-to-one interview.  Each part can be prepared for. I am assuming anyone who is reading this post has actually been invited for a Wharton interview and has […]


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Will 2021 acceptance rates go up or down at top MBA programs?

May, 25, 2020


Will 2021 admission rates go up or down at top MBA programs? This is the question I am being asked continuously from fall 2020 admitted and new/potential clients.  For those already admitted for fall 2020, the issue is whether to defer and/or just try again for 2021. For new/potential clients, they are just trying to […]


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Q&A with a Member of the ISB MBA Class of 2020

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 […]


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Strategies for Applying to Graduate School in Uncertain Times

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 […]


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