1. Reflect on a time when you turned down an opportunity. What was the thought process behind your decision? Would you make the same decision today? (600 words)
   
   This question carries over from last year, and we love it as an “introspection” question. MBA admissions officers really want to see self-awareness and introspection in applicants, and this question provides that. Don’t worry if the opportunity that you turned down seems small — you don’t need to blow them away with the “sexiness” of the opportunity. Also, note the emphasis on your thought process; that matters more to the admissions committee than what the actual opportunity was. Help them understand why you made the decision, what you learned about your wants and values in the process, and how it’s shaped you as a person. Also, answering “No” to the last part of the question is okay. Having the humility to wish you could make a decision over again is one terrific sign of introspection and maturity.
2. Discuss a time when you faced a challenging interpersonal experience. How did you navigate the situation and what did you learn from it? (600 words)
   
   This question is new this year, although it is not radically different from one of last year’s essays. The difference to note is that, while last year’s question only asked about navigating a challenging relationship, this new version specifically asks for how you did it and — perhaps most importantly — what you learned from the experience. Our bet is that last year many applicants didn’t place enough emphasis on this last point, and now Wharton wants to make clear that this is a critical part of this essay.
   
   This essay is your chance to demonstrate empathy, maturity, and a willingness to consider others’ points of view. Where it differs is that it takes a little emphasis off of the idea of diversity and explores tough relationships of all types. As we’ve said before, it’s most important here that you can make clear why the situation was challenging, what you did to overcome it, and — hopefully — how you were successful. Even if you weren’t successful, though, what’s most interesting here is what you learned in the process.
3. “Innovation is central to our culture at Wharton. It is a mentality that must encompass every aspect of the School – whether faculty research, teaching or alumni outreach.” – Thomas S. Robertson, Dean, The Wharton School. Keeping this component of our culture in mind, discuss a time when you have been innovative in your personal or professional life. (600 words)
   
   This question is entirely new this year. “Innovation” can be interpreted in multiple ways, and if no example from your past immediately springs to mind, then think about the word “creative.” How did you creatively solve a problem at work or in your life? How did you go beyond your normal job description or come up with a solution that had never been tried before? While it’s so trite that we’re reluctant to use this phrase, think about a time when you “thought outside the box.” More than anything, here the Wharton admissions committee looks for signs that you’re not content to just follow your job description, you do more than simply work on assignments as they’re handed to you (but do no more than that), and you’re not afraid to dream big now and then. Don’t think “innovation” necessarily means “science” or “tech” here!

Are you applying to Wharton this year? Take a look at our Wharton Annual Report, one of 15 guides to the world’s best business schools, available for purchase on our site. If you’re ready to start building your own application for Wharton or other top MBA programs, call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today. And, as always, be sure to find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter! ]]> http://www.veritasprep.com/blog/2011/07/wharton-admissions-essays-and-deadlines-for-2011-2012/feed/ 2 http://www.veritasprep.com/blog/2011/06/tuck-is-a-good-fit-for-you-if/ http://www.veritasprep.com/blog/2011/06/tuck-is-a-good-fit-for-you-if/#comments Thu, 30 Jun 2011 14:11:29 +0000 Scott http://www.veritasprep.com/blog/?p=4967 We love to work with applicants who want to apply to the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. The school’s close-knit culture and rigorous curriculum make it a school that everyone should look at closely, particularly those who are interested in pursuing careers in the Northeast. But, besides knowing that it’s a top-ranked school with a strong community, how well do you really know Tuck? How do you know if it’s a good fit for you? And, perhaps more importantly, how do you know if the admissions committee will decide you’re a good fit for Tuck?

Today we look at six reasons why Tuck may be a good fit for you:

You want to go into private equity.
It seems almost a secret how strong Tuck is in private equity — unless you’re in private equity. This is an exclusive industry that is looking for the best and the brightest. Who you know can really matter, not just in breaking in, but throughout your career. How else are deals done except through smarts and connections? It’s a given that you’re smart if you’re going to Tuck; and the relationships that this school can provide can be pivotal in launching you into such an incredibly competitive field. Tuck even has a research institute for private equity; no other business school has anything quite like it.

You want to work in Japan or the UK.
Because of the smaller size of the overall network, Tuckies are not as easily found all around the world, however, due to the school’s outreach and attention in past decades to both Japan and the UK, more Tuck alums are found in these countries than others.

You are bringing a partner and/or a family with you to business school.
Many business schools have clubs, outreach, and resources available for partners of students, t o minimize the sense of alienation that can be felt when your significant other disappears from your life for a good two years. Tuck is an inclusive community, and spouses and partners — and children — usually report feeling very welcome and engaged. There are perhaps more students with children at Tuck than at many other schools, because of the emphasis on significant work experience which attracts people in a later stage of life. Teammates and project partners may be more understanding of the multiple priorities that a parent has to juggle than would be the case at other schools. However, Hanover is a small town, so employment options for a partner may be limited.

You’re switching careers.
Tuck doesn’t shy away from or discourage those who want to use business school as a catalyst to change direction — or even jump the tracks. With the increased attention on career development that begins for new Tuckies literally when the first year starts, the school is ready and able to provide the in-depth support and concentrated attention to help traditional and nontraditional students alike realize heir dreams. About two-thirds of Tuckies change careers as they go through the program, which is higher than other schools report. The dean has said that business school is the proper platform for all types of career-changers, including the more “challenging” types like those coming from an arts background and looking to transition into business. At Tuck, the student is empowered to pursue a new path, in whatever direction that might lead. You still need to express your goals well in your application, but don’t feel limited or constrained when you do so.

You appreciate the small size and truly understand the value of relationships.
With all the emphasis we’ve given to the small cohort and intimate environment, you probably already have a sense for whether Tuck is the place for you. There are advantages and disadvantages of being at a large school versus a small one. Tuck definitely has all the advantages in terms of community and network, and they work hard to mitigate the challenges of the remote location (in terms of attracting teaching talent and recruiters) and smaller alumni network. There’s a lot to be said for being able to disconnect from the world for two years to “immerse” in the business school education, and for the right type of person who can take advantage of this, Tuck could be an excellent choice. If you already went to Dartmouth for undergrad, even better: they tend to look favorably on applications from Hanover alumni.

You’re not afraid to work hard.
Tuck is known to be a place where people roll up their sleeves and dive in. The work load at Tuck is tough even compared to other very challenging programs. If you enjoy the company of hard-working people, Tuck may be just the place for you.

Looking for more reasons why Tuck may be a great fit for you? Read on in our Tuck Annual Report, one of 15 guides to the world’s best MBA programs, available for purchase on our site. If you’re ready to start building your own application for Tuck or other top business schools, call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today. And, as always, be sure to find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

If you’re considering applying to Haas, ask yourself: How do you know if Haas really is a good fit for you? And, perhaps more importantly, how do you know if the Haas admissions committee will decide that you’re a good fit for the school? Today we look at five things that set Haas apart from other top-tier MBA programs:

The Haas Culture
Regular reader of our blog know how much we like Haas’s culture. How that culture translates for students is in extensive collaboration inside and outside of the classroom. Teamwork is the cornerstone of the Haas experience. Small groups are formed in practically all classes, allowing students to exercise different team roles based on their interests and areas of expertise. Versatility is often a prized attribute of Haas students in the eyes of employers, and is one reason why the school places graduates into such a broad range of industries and functions.

Innovation
The Haas tagline for some time has been Leading through Innovation, and the Innovative Leader is now a hallmark of the school’s marketing message. The school combines theoretical and experiential learning opportunities to develop confidence and judgment for real-life situations. Industry thought leader Henry Chesbrough is a professor at Haas, and a deep set of electives in open innovation, product development, and design are natural complements to the strong entrepreneurship support expected from a top business school.

Technology
While “innovation” is not limited just to high tech, a key distinction at Haas is the focus on technology and the school’s ability to place students into the tech industry. Haas sends over 25% of each graduating class into the tech sector, which is high compared to other top tech programs like MIT and Stanford but about the same in absolute number of placements. This is of course enabled by the school’s proximity to Silicon Valley as well as the wealth of resources available on the larger Berkeley campus, particularly in the engineering school. Haas offers a distinctive Management of Technology certificate (open not just to business and engineering students but other UC Berkeley grad students as well, such as those in Environmental Design). The Haas Technology Club is one of the largest and most active student groups on campus. The Haas School even has a CIO (Chief Information Officer) featured on the Leadership page of its website.

Social Responsibility & Social Entrepreneurship
Haas prides itself on being the preeminent institution for research, teaching, experiential learning, and community outreach in areas of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Woven into the core curriculum, Haas offers more than a dozen different programs and initiatives around social responsibility and business sustainability. Nonprofit management is also a focus here. With the University’s radical history and the very liberal government and policies in the surrounding City of Berkeley, it is to be expected that many are attracted to Haas because of an interest in changing the world. This is a positive quality that can be nurtured through the ecosystem of the Haas School, including the Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership and a specialized curriculum, plus a range of social venture courses.

Global Reach
Nearly every business school currently espouses a “global perspective,” but Haas is one of the few that combines its international focus with its emphasis on experiential learning. The International Business Development program places about 150 students a year in all corners of the globe for three-week consulting projects. This program allows students to confront and solve business challenges in unknown business settings, forcing them to apply innovative thinking and problem solving skills while developing a global business mindset. While the MBA itself is sometimes seen as a little regional — most graduates stay on the West Coast after finishing the program — Haas has an expanding network of connections in the business and academic communities around the world and 31% of full-time MBA students come from foreign lands.

Today’s blog post was clipped from our Berkeley-Haas Annual Report, one of 15 guides to the world’s best MBA programs, available for purchase on our site. If you’re ready to start building your own application for Haas or other top business schools, call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today. And, as always, be sure to find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

Today we look at six things that might make MIT Sloan a perfect fit for you:

You’re a techie — or any kind of entrepreneur.
While it’s probably obvious that MIT would be a good school for someone interested in tech ventures, what may be surprising to some is that Sloan is strong on all things innovation. No matter what type of entrepreneurial business you want to launch, you’ll find good support for it at MIT.

You’ve got a good GMAT score — or a stellar one.
MIT is an academically rigorous school, and like other schools, they use the GMAT score as one indicator that an applicant can handle the curriculum. In the past year or so, the average GMAT score and ranges of scores of accepted students have been creeping up. While MIT often hits just outside the top 10 of many business school rankings systems, its statistics on GMAT scores put it in the same category as Harvard, Stanford, and Wharton.

You’re interested in finance.
Many people may not realize how extensive the finance resources are at MIT, nor how deep its roots in the field. Regardless of where you earn your MBA, you will likely learn about the Black-Scholes formula to model the market for a particular equity. Fischer Black and Myron Scholes originated this model, and Robert Merton published a paper on it — all of them professors at MIT. MIT offered courses in finance before most other schools, and it remains a strength of the program, sending almost a quarter of graduates into finance careers.

You’re interested in operations or supply chain management.
With the LGO program and the opportunity to take classes campus-wide at MIT, Sloan students interested in a career in manufacturing or logistics have a wealth of resources and the best academic researchers in the world at their disposal.

You’re interested in “green” business.
With the new Certificate in Sustainability at Sloan and its institute-wide sustainability initiative, MIT is leading the way in a focus on “green” business. While plenty of other schools have strong social venture programs, with more popping up all the time, the emphasis at Sloan is cutting-edge and integrated.

You’re a woman.
While strong female candidates are well received at most schools, MIT often gets fewer applications from women because of the misperception that it’s a techie school. The LGO program only has 25% women, compared to 34% in the overall MBA class — both these numbers are significantly smaller than the schools with the best ratios, including Wharton (40%) and Stanford (39%). Female applicants still need to present a strong profile, including a good GMAT score and academic history. However those who do have an exceptionally good chance of getting an offer from MIT.

Today’s blog post was clipped from our MIT Sloan Annual Report, one of 15 guides to the world’s best MBA programs, available for purchase on our site. If you’re ready to start building your own application for Sloan or other top business schools, call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today. And, as always, be sure to find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

If you’re considering applying to INSEAD, ask yourself: How do you know if the school really is a good fit for you? And, perhaps more importantly, how do you know if the INSEAD admissions committee will decide that you’re a good fit for the school? Today we look at six things that applicants think they know about INSEAD:

Is INSEAD really a global school? Or is it just an American school located overseas?
While INSEAD may have physical locations in three very different countries, with students representing over 80 nations on campus, and it has been successful in defining itself as a global education, some still criticize INSEAD as being an American school experience, given the large number of U.S. nationals who attend, the concentration of American faculty, and the relationships with so many American companies. In the past, this was simply a reflection of the power of the U.S. in business the world over, and that may be changing. Regardless of nationality, all students and faculty at INSEAD have a global worldview, and all are interested in learning about business from this broader perspective which is simply not as pervasive (yet?) at any American school.

INSEAD is in France so I need to speak French to apply.
No — but you need to speak a second language to gain entry (and a third to graduate). Courses are taught in English, not French, and the program rotates through the different campuses — and in fact, applicants to the program are not guaranteed that they will be assigned to one location or the other to start the program, and a large number switch campuses at least once. The main language requirement to apply is to be fluent in English, though students must be familiar with at least one more language before entering, and must demonstrate a working knowledge of a third during the course of study.

INSEAD is only good for someone who wants to work in Europe.
The location in France can be an advantage if your goals are to stay in Europe however many American graduates do return to the U.S. after finishing school. The job search can be more difficult for these students, but that can be true for American graduates of any international program, including those at London Business School, HEC Paris, IE, IESE, among others.

INSEAD students are older.
Actually, the average age in each intake is currently 28 — the same as for American schools such as Stern and Haas. The average age decreased in recent years as INSEAD has accepted a wider range of candidate profiles. Successful applicants at INSEAD definitely are able to articulate how they are ready for the experience, and often students will have already led rich lives with diverse and impressive accomplishments.

All INSEAD students are sponsored.
Just like with other full-time MBA programs, some students do have their tuition covered by their employers and will return to work after graduation, but the vast majority are self-funded. (The number of sponsored students increased in the past year, no doubt a result of the economic downturn that made the security of staying with their employer more enticing for those pursuing their MBAs.) The major exception to this are students who come from the Big Three consulting firms — McKinsey, Bain and Booz. These students typically are sponsored, in exchange for a commitment to return to their firm. However, candidates may be pleased to note that all three of these marquee companies recruit a large number of additional INSEAD graduates each year.

Since it’s a top-ranked program, INSEAD must require a stratospheric GMAT score to get in.
Actually, GMAT scores on average are lower at INSEAD. This program, as some other international schools do as well, values a variety of attributes in a profile, with test scores being just one. As with any MBA program, a high GMAT can help, and a low GMAT can hinder, a candidate’s chances, but there are lots of other factors taken into consideration by the INSEAD Admissions Committee when evaluating an application.

Today’s blog post was clipped from our INSEAD Annual Report, one of 15 guides to the world’s best MBA programs, available for purchase on our site. If you’re ready to start building your own application for INSEAD or other top business schools, call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today. And, as always, be sure to find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

Today we look at six things that might make NYU Stern a perfect fit for you:

You’re a little further along in your career.
Stern prefers candidates to have significant work experience to make the most out of the MBA and to be able to contribute to their peers. While work experience is not actually required to apply to either the full-time or the part-time MBA programs, it can be difficult to get an offer from Stern unless you’re able to demonstrate how your background has prepared you for the challenging environment.

You’re in New York and you want to keep your job.
While working full time and doing business school on the side makes for a very hectic and sometimes stressful life, Stern does have a flexible program designed for working professionals who are ready to advance their careers but not willing to step outside of their industry for two years to do so.

You’re interested in non-profit.
Stern has an active and growing presence into the non-profit world in New York City and beyond with a strong social enterprise curriculum. New programs include the Stern Fellows (appoints second-year students to serve as non-voting members on the boards of local charities) and classes such as Examining the Nonprofit Capital Market which teaches students how to apply best practices in business to the challenges of a nonprofit model.

You want to work in luxury goods.
Very few top business schools have specialized offerings in luxury retail and brand management, and Stern is one of them (the others include ESSEC in France and perhaps Harvard, along with some lesser-known programs in Europe such as Bocconi).

You want to go into media and entertainment.
If you want to pursue a career in media, you probably need to be in New York or Los Angeles. Columbia, UCLA, USC, and NYU are the best choices for anyone looking to do something in the entertainment industry, the music business, sports, publishing, or broadcasting, and Stern has a specific program designed to support students and graduates. In fact, the number of students coming to Stern from entertainment or media jobs doubled recently, to 16% of the entire class.

You want to go into sales and trading.
Stern is, after all, a finance school, and those interested in pursuing even specialized finance careers can find support here. At any school, there are generally fewer jobs available in S&T through on-campus recruiting when compared to investment banking, so if you’re interested in trading, you’ll want to go to a school that has the relationships in place to facilitate your career switch. Stern is one of the few schools (along with others like Wharton, Columbia, Booth, and LBS) that reports placements into sales and trading every year, and Stern has the right electives for those interested in this career.

Thinking about applying to NYU Stern? Read more in our NYU Stern Annual Report, one of 15 guides to the world’s top business schools, available for purchase on our site. If you’re ready to start building your own application for Stern and other top business schools, call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today. And, as always, be sure to find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

If you’re considering applying to Fuqua, ask yourself: How do you know if Fuqua really is a good fit for you? And, perhaps more importantly, how do you know if the Fuqua admissions committee will decide that you’re a good fit for the school? Today we look at four things that set Fuqua apart from other top-tier business schools:

Collaborative Leadership
Duke is focused most of all on collaborative leadership. Other than Kellogg and perhaps UCLA Anderson, few business schools can cite that as the program’s most distinguishing feature to the degree that Fuqua can. This breaks down as collaboration as embodied in “Team Fuqua” and the emphasis on student involvement across the educational experience, and leadership such as all business schools emphasize, but none in quite the same way as Duke with their “Leaders of Consequence.”

Expanding Reach
Fuqua also claims to be “rethinking the boundaries of business school” and as already discussed, has systematically broadened its reach both geographically, being the only school that has a firm presence in major centers around the world, and demographically, by offering compelling options to students in various phases of their careers and from different populations.

Leaders of Consequence
Duke has a stated goal: to create so-called “Leaders of Consequence” a phrase that we believe was coined by Dean Blair Sheppard around 2008, when he assumed leadership, and which has since been refined to “global leaders of consequence”. This “leaders of consequence” concept is so important that it comes into play within the Fuqua application essays. While a concrete definition is lacking, suffice it to say that Duke feels a leader of consequence is adaptable, down to earth, and ethical. As Dean Sheppard put it, they want to produce graduates “who can drink champagne with the rich and famous and can drink chai with those who that’s all they can afford.” In terms of an application, like other top schools, Duke’s admissions teams are looking for people who have made a difference in their jobs and in their communities, and who seek an MBA from Fuqua in their quest to make a real impact on the world in the future. See our discussion of the current essay questions below for more on the “leader of consequence” concept and how it plays into admissions at Duke Fuqua.

Open Interview Process
Fuqua strongly encourages candidates to travel to Durham and visit campus, and while you’re there, interview with a student. This Open Interview option is available only in the earliest part of the admissions cycle each year, usually starting in mid-September and running through October. Scheduling opens in August for these limited slots. You need not have your application completed in advance of the Open Interview; it is characterized more as an “evaluation” than an interview.

Today’s blog post was clipped from our Fuqua Annual Report, one of 15 guides to the world’s best MBA programs, available for purchase on our site. If you’re ready to start building your own application for Booth or other top business schools, call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today. And, as always, be sure to find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

Today we look at six things that might make the Stanford Graduate School of Business a perfect fit for you:

You were a humanities major in college.
Stanford admits far more students who come from a liberal arts background than any other major — and far more of these humanities types than many other top schools. For the Class of 2011, 47% studied humanities or the social sciences as an undergraduate. This compares with 36% from engineering, science, or math backgrounds.

You did not work in technology and do not intend to do so later.
Despite a common belief to the contrary, Stanford does not have a high number of students who were in high tech either before or after going through their program. Only 6% of the Class of 2010 came from this industry, and even fewer were hired into technology firms upon graduation. Now, this does not include entrepreneurs who launched high-tech companies at Stanford, so the numbers are undoubtedly higher — and even more important, this does not mean that if you are a technologist, that you should in any way be discouraged from applying to Stanford. Your expertise would likely be highly valued on campus with so many erstwhile tech entrepreneurs around!

You are interested in a career in consulting.
With such a strong general management program, for over a generation, Stanford has been sending more graduates into consulting than any other industry. In 2009, almost a third of the class became consultants, with the majority of them moving into management consulting and a fraction going into strategy. This is at least partly attributable to the relatively high concentration of consultants entering the GSB. For the Class of 2011, 20% were consultants before business school.

You are interested in a career in venture capital.
While fewer Stanford students go straight to venture capital than consulting or investment banking — less than 5% of each graduating class became VCs the past few years — it’s still more than at any other school.

You are interested in entrepreneurship.
This probably goes without saying: Stanford is a great place to launch a business. Over 40 graduates of the Class of 2009 (almost 20% of active job seekers, or 12% of the overall class) struck out on their own after completing the program — and this during the economic downturn! The numbers have been even higher in more abundant times.

You want to change careers.
In years past, the GSB reported high numbers — well over 50%, and possibly as high as 80% — of graduates who landed in a new industry, and/or an entirely new functional area, than where they started before beginning their graduate education. The resources and format of the Stanford MBA can support those changing direction in their lives, and the environment of change even encourages it.

Thinking about applying to Stanford? Read more in our Stanford GSB Annual Report, one of 15 guides to the world’s top business schools, available for purchase on our site. If you’re ready to start building your own application for Stanford and other top business schools, call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today. And, as always, be sure to find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

If you’re considering applying to Chicago Booth, ask yourself: How do you know if Booth really is a good fit for you? And, perhaps more importantly, how do you know if the Booth admissions committee will decide that you’re a good fit for the school? Today we look at four things that set Booth apart from other top-tier business schools:

Unmatched Flexibility
With only one required class, Chicago Booth most definitely takes a different approach to the process of getting an MBA. They do foster training in the “language of business” as they call it — the fundamentals of economics, statistics, and finance — however the unique setup of the program means that students determine how they will meet the requirements of the degree. Chicago Booth is not a prescriptive environment, and the emphasis on — and appreciation for — ideas makes it a place for mavericks and renegades as well as more traditional types.

Quant Focus — Not Just on Finance
Chicago Booth possesses a strong reputation for its rigor, focus on analytics, and expertise in finance and economics — and marketing. The finance and economics faculty members at Chicago Booth are outstanding, led by professors such as Eugene F. Fama, whom many call the “father of modern finance.” Chicago Booth is both deserving and proud of its “quant” reputation, but that tends to overshadow strengths in other areas Chicago Booth has been actively improving over the last decade. Not surprisingly, when a Chicago Booth admissions representative is asked, “What’s the one thing that applicants should know about Booth?” the answer will often mention Booth’s strengths in academic areas outside of pure finance — particularly entrepreneurship and marketing.

A Part-Time Program That’s Bigger than the Full-Time Program
Chicago Booth is a big school, with about 3,500 active graduate students enrolled at any one time. (This compares to under 1,000 at Stanford.) The bulk of these students come from the two part-time study options (one Evening program, one Weekend program), totaling about 1,400 students between them. Another 1,100 students make up the full-time program, with about 550 students per graduating class. This compares with an intake of around 800 each year at Harvard. The balance of Booth’s students are in the EMBA and PhD programs and are found around the world at Chicago Booth’s other campuses. Unlike other schools, full-time and part-time Chicago Booth students often interact, since they sometimes take courses together.

Emphasis on Employment
Perhaps nowhere else is the focus on getting a job as strong as it at Chicago Booth. As part of their application assessment, the admissions team carefully examines applicants’ career goals to ensure that they are achievable. And the school offers significant support to its students, both during their educational experience to construct a practical curriculum, and throughout the job search process too. The big difference? There is also a front-and-center emphasis on getting industry to hire Booth graduates. Right in the middle of the Chicago Booth front page is a button that says “Hire an MBA.” And Booth often seems quicker to publish current placement data on graduates than any other school (we have often felt that some schools were dragging their feet in releasing this data once the downturn hit). This access to data is also evidence of Chicago Booth’s commitment to transparency. Every top business school offers career services to graduates, however the support for and emphasis on successful placement out of the program is more significant at Chicago Booth than you may find elsewhere. This focus on graduate success is a key factor in Chicago Booth’s #1 position in the rankings in recent years.

Today’s blog post was clipped from our Chicago Booth Annual Report, one of 15 guides to the world’s best MBA programs, available for purchase on our site. If you’re ready to start building your own application for Booth or other top business schools, call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today. And, as always, be sure to find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

Today we look at five things that might make Yale your first choice among MBA programs:

You want to go into finance or consulting.
Despite the common wisdom that Yale is the school for non-profits and other bleeding-hearts, the fact is that SOM places more graduates into consulting than any other field except finance. And this is hardly a surprise: With the unique cross-functional approach to its education, Yale creates strategic thinkers with nimble minds, who are able to deal with ambiguity and consider multiple perspectives as they work through problems – all ideal qualities in a good consultant. Yale’s proximity to Wall Street means that plenty of graduates move to the next state south when they are ready to begin their careers.

You are interested in the public sector or nonprofit.
This one is already very well known, of course, but to leave this unmentioned would be sacrilege. Yale is considered the best program for nonprofit, and SOM is right up there with Ross and Stanford in scoring on the social responsibility and corporate ethics scales.

You value a small, tight-knit network.
Partly because of the small class and the close bonds that form during the business school experience, and partly because of the tilt towards “doing good” that attracts many to Yale in the first place, Yale students can expect to receive a lot of help, both while completing their studies and when looking for that key internship or first job – or second, third, or fourth. The faculty and administration remain directly involved in their students’ careers and are well connected with industry, making for win-win relationships that benefit the entire SOM ecosystem.

You have an impressive GMAT score.
While we don’t want to discourage an otherwise strong candidate from considering Yale, the truth is that, with such a tiny class size, the admissions committee really cannot afford to admit more than a handful of students with scores below a 660. Because the GMAT scores of its students factor in, rightly or wrongly, in some of the rankings methodologies, we believe Yale is especially vigilant about this metric and will be hard pressed to admit a candidate who is sub-par on the test side. There are of course always exceptions, but just know that other schools with larger classes can more easily absorb candidates with a wider spectrum of profile statistics.

You want to stay in the northeast after graduating.
Over 60% of Yalies end up working in the Northeastern part of the U.S. after they finish their MBAs. If the tri-state area of New York/New Jersey/Connecticut, or further north into the Boston

Thinking about applying to Yale SOM? Keep reading in our Yale Annual Report, one of 15 guides to the world’s top business schools, available for purchase on our site. If you’re ready to start building your own application for Yale and other top business schools, call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today. And, as always, be sure to find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!