Interview Skills Course - Nov. 2nd

Interview Skills Course:

Master Your Nerves - Ace Your Interview

-"How can an MBA help you achieve your goals?"

-"What key skills do you have that can help you succeed in your career?"

-"How can you contribute to our program?"

Are you ready to answer these and the many other extremely difficult MBA interview questions?

This one-day four (4) hour course is designed to give you real-world, practical knowledge which can quickly improve your interviewing ability and increase your chances for admission into your dream program.

Books are helpful for preparing for the GMAT, but to nail your MBA interview, you need to deeply understand the interview process, get inside the interviewer’s mind and learn what they want to hear - and you need real world practice in front of real people.

Schedule:

11/2 (Saturday):  14:00-18:00

Class Size, Location & Pricing:

Size: limited to 20 students

Location: A2 GMAT (台北市大安區信義路四段6號13F-7).

Pricing: NTD1,500 per student

RSVP to David at: david@transcendadmissions.com 

Instructor:

David Johnston (Graduate of Georgetown University Law Center; Founder of Transcend Admissions Consultants)

Course Overview

(14:00 – 15:00)  Understanding the MBA interview

-          An explanation of the MBA interview process

-          Review the most important interview questions and discuss the purpose of the questions

-          Learn how to best structure your interview answers

-          In-depth discussion of how to approach the most important questions (“why MBA?”, “why career goals?”, “why our school?”, and questions about teamwork and leadership)

-          Analyze a sample written answer to a “Why MBA?” question

(15:00 – 16:00)  Applying Your New Interview Skills

-          In the “hot seat:” Students give presentations and receive in-depth personalized feedback from the instructor other students

(16:00 – 17:00) Applying Communication Skills to the Interview

-          Introduction and examples of how to use effective body language

-          How to make a positive impression on the interviewer and get the interviewer to like you

-          Learn how to “break the ice” and convey a sense of humor in a professional setting

-          Strategies to practice for your interview

-          How to adapt a story to multiple questions and situations

-          Examples of the best questions you can possibly ask your interviewer to connect with them

(17:00 – 18:00)  Applying Your New Interview Skills

-          In the “hot seat:” Students give presentations and receive in-depth personalized feedback from the instructor other students

-          Ask David interview questions to see how he responds under pressure, and adapts the same story to different scenarios

How to Clearly Express an Accomplishment

Graduate programs, especially MBA programs value diversity of ideas and are extremely results-focused.  There is no one ‘right’ type of background for MBA programs - in order to create an optimal learning environment the admissions committee aims to fill the class with students from a wide range of industries and countries.  The admissions committee simply seeks students who are outstanding and the primary way applicants can to prove that they are outstanding is to provide clear explanations about some of their accomplishments.  Stories about key accomplishments will be first delivered in essays and eventually in the admissions interview.  

Many applicants struggle to identify and adequately explain their accomplishments.  In many cases, applicants have had an experience with a great result, such as completing a project that helped their company save US$250,000 per year - but they fail to help the reader deeply understand why this accomplishment should be viewed as impressive.  Other times, applicants fail to see that their stories could be viewed as impressive accomplishments, if explained in the right way.

Stories with an impressive result:  Achieving an impressive final result is obviously a great reason to tell a story but there should be much more substance to the story than the final result.  Providing an explanation of the challenges that you overcome to get to the result will give the reader some context into specific situation.  Explaining challenges faced can also allow the applicant to showcase the creative thinking and skills they applied to find a solution.  Most importantly, an explanation of challenges will heighten the drama in an essay and make the story more interesting - and more memorable in the mind of the reader.     

Stories without a really impressive result:  Even if a story does not have an amazing result (like helping your employer save US$250,000 in one year) it does not mean the story is not worth telling.  Sometimes the result of our actions cannot be easily quantified.  For example, perhaps you have had a volunteer experience teaching English to children and you created a unique learning method that the children really responded to and benefited from.  It might not be possible to quantify exactly how much their English improved, but as long as you can explain that you felt your idea had a positive impact on the children, the volunteer organization, or yourself then it could still be a great story.  Always look for ways to explain the impact on others, and also on yourself, such as something you learned or a skill (like leadership!) you improved.

By clearly presenting your accomplishments and the challenges you faced during the process you’ll be sure to help the admissions committee fully comprehend and value them.  Of course, if you are having trouble clearly expressing your key stories and accomplishments in your essays, using our Essay Analysis & Editing service would probably pay dividends for your business school applications.       

How to Shorten Your Resume to One Page

MBA essay word limits are shrinking.  Essays that used to have a 750 word limits are now limited to 250-500 words.  With these very tight space restrictions it is impossible to mention all of your important past experiences in the essays.  As the essays get shorter, the resume becomes an even more important vehicle to provide the admissions committee with a holistic perspective of your background.  And of course, your resume might provide the only information your interviewer knows about you.

You will want to convey a lot of critical information in your resume.  However, trying to shift large chunks of essay content into your resume won’t work - it is still highly advisable (or even required) for applicants to submit a one page resume.  If you have had a lot of important professional and extracurricular experiences you face the difficult task of prioritizing them and squeezing them into one page.  If you are struggling with this here are some tips that can help you save valuable space on your resume:    

Reduce the length of your statements. Your bullets should provide adequate detail about your responsibilities and list your achievements but they do not need to tell the entire story.  Sometimes context is important; but if your bullets are spilling over into three lines you’ll need to reduce some context from your statements.

Remove the statement of objectives.  A statement of objectives is not necessary for an MBA resume.  It takes up a lot of space and provides little value.  The typical information conveyed in a statement of objectives would normally be covered in a personal statement or “goal” essay. 

Reduce the number of sections.  You do not need a separate section for items like awards, publications, community service, etc.  This would often eat up too much space and could be condensed under broader headings like: “Additional Information.”  It might make sense to create a specific section only if the information was critical to your field of study or future goal.

Reduce the number of bullets.  You do not need to list several bullets for every experience you’ve had.  Use more bullets for more recent or longer professional experiences.  Limit internships or military experiences to one bullet unless there is something particularly important you need to express.

Adjust the formatting.  The last thing you can do is make minor adjustments to the formatting to squeeze more information into one page.  But be sure that the resume is uncluttered and easy to read.  Some minor formatting adjustments can make a big difference: the font theme Times New Roman takes up much less space than some other fonts and you can create extra space by listing your address, phone number and email address on one line.

We hope these tips were helpful!  If you need any help creating the perfect resume for your graduate school applications please consider using our Resume Editing Service.  

Northwestern (Kellogg) MBA Deadline Update

If you are planning to apply to the Northwestern (Kellogg) Full-Time MBA program you’ll want to be aware that the admissions office has provided updated information for applicants that will request off-campus interviews.  Kellogg recommends that applicants requesting off-campus interview submit their application about one month before the final deadline!  See the deadline information here:

Round 1

- Final Deadline: October 16, 2013
- Recommended deadline for off-campus interview requests: September 18, 2013

Round 2

- Final Deadline: January 7, 2014
- Recommended deadline for off-campus interview requests: December 3, 2013

If the admissions office for the MBA program recommends that applicants do something, it would be wise to follow their advice.  Therefore anyone who is planning to apply to Kellogg in Round 1 and will request an off-campus interview will need to start working on their Kellogg MBA essays ASAP!

*Free* Personal Statement/SOP Information Session

Time:  Wednesday, August 28^th from 17:00 – 18:30.

Location:  Transcend Admissions Consultants - 106台北市信義路4段6號15F-14

Instructor:  David Johnston, personal statement guru and Founder of Transcend Admissions Consultants

Class Size:  Limit 16 people

RSVP:  info@transcendadmissions.com

An excellent personal statement can increase your chances of grabbing a coveted admission.  But when you think about your personal statement does it give you a headache?  Are you having problems generating and organizing ideas for this critical essay?  Transcend Admissions can help! 

It might be called a personal statement / statement of purpose / statement of motivation / study plan or goals essay but regardless of the name it is a critical essay that you will almost always need to write if you are applying to graduate school.   This challenging and complex essay requires the writer to include lots of information such as explanations of their important past experiences, the motivations behind their future goals and why they need graduate education now to succeed. 

Agenda:

°         Avoiding common problems

°         Organizing your ideas

°         Analyzing the question

°         Tips for outlining your answer

°         Clearly explaining your goals

°         Your need for graduate education

°         Your fit and contribution to the program

°         Writing in a concise and compelling way

°         Incorporating a theme & making your essay more interesting

°         Lots of practical materials!

°         Answering students questions about personal statements

*The information presented at this session is suitable of anyone applying to MS, Law, PhD, MBA or any other type of graduate program – as long as you need to write a personal statement.  Please join us!     

Interviewing & Public Speaking Class! (Aug. 31 & Sept. 1)

Talented public speakers are typically excellent interviewees as well.  This practical six-hour course will provide instruction in how to improve your public speaking ability, and then teach you to apply these methods in graduate school and professional interview settings.

Schedule:

8/31 (Saturday):      14:30-17:30

9/1 (Sunday):          14:30-17:30

Class Size, Location & Pricing:

Size: limited to 25 students

Location: A2 GMAT (台北市大安區信義路四段6號13F-7)

Pricing: NTD3,200 per student

**Special Bonus**: Course attendees can receive a 20% discount on the purchase of Transcend Admissions Interview Preparation Services in the future 

RSVP to David at: info@transcendadmissions.com

Instructors:

David Johnston (Graduate of Georgetown University Law Center; Founder of Transcend Admissions Consultants)

Austin Yoder (Graduate of Georgetown University; Georgetown alumni interviewer; public speaking guru)

Part One – Public Speaking

·         Overcoming the fear of public speaking

·         Breaking the ice, establishing a relationship with your audience

·         Overview of positive body language

·         Overview of how to structure & deliver your speech for maximum impact

·         Example speeches from Austin & David

·         Class participants give speeches & receive feedback from the instructor and other students

Part Two – MBA / Graduate School Interviewing 

·         An explanation of the MBA / graduate school interview process

·         Discuss the purpose of the most commonly asked interview questions

·         Learn how to best structure interview answers

·         How to approach the most important questions (“why do you want this degree?”; “why career goals?”; “why our school?” and questions about teamwork and leadership)

·         Analyze a sample written answer to a “Why MBA?” question

·         How to make a positive impression on the interviewer and get the interviewer to like you

·         Learn how to “break the ice” and convey a sense of humor in a professional setting

·         Ask David interview questions to see how he responds under pressure, and adapts the same story to different scenarios

·         In the “hot seat:” Students give presentations and receive in-depth personalized feedback from the instructor and other students

Part Three – Professional Interviewing 

·         The real purpose of an interview: getting to know you as a person, how you make decisions, and determining if your values align with the values of the organization

·         What not to do during a professional interview

·         How to set yourself apart from other interviewees

·         How to research and prepare for your interviewer to form a strong positive connection with your interviewer

·         Specific examples of the best questions you can ask your interviewer

·         Develop your narrative toolbox and apply your most compelling stories to multiple scenarios

·        How to practice for your interview in advance

·         Learn to integrate the communications and people skills learned from Class One on Public      Speaking into your interview style

·         In the “hot seat:” Students give presentations and receive in-depth personalized feedback from the instructor and other students

Selling Your Career Change to the Admissions Committee

As we noted in this past article, shifting functions or industries upon earning an MBA is very normal – ½ of an MBA class may be seeking a major career change.  Although this is common, a career changer faces the challenge of persuading the MBA admissions committee that they are not only a strong MBA candidate, but that they will be able to break into and succeed in their new field.

It’s no surprise that one of the most common questions we receive from our clients is how they can “sell” their career change aspirations to the admissions committee.  A good way to approach this issue is to think about it in terms of writing a standard cover letter when applying for a job.  An ineffective cover letter (or goal essay) might state that the person is interested in a job and then simply regurgitate basic information about their experience that can already be found in their resume.  An effective cover letter (or goal essay) would mention the job they are seeking and then draw connections between their past experiences and specific skills and how these could be applied to the new job & company. 

To summarize:

Ineffective cover letter = “I want x job and this is a basic summary of what I have done in the past.” 

Effective cover letter = “Here is why my past experiences and skills make me a good fit for x job.”

Now let’s think about the MBA goal essay like it is a cover letter.  After clearly explaining one’s future goal it would be important for a career changer to display the relevant skills and knowledge they have that would be transferrable to their new career.  If you are an engineer who wants to jump into consulting you should find ways to display that you have some of the teamwork, communication, logical reasoning and problem solving skills that are crucial for success in that industry.  And keep in mind that you don’t have to limit your explanations to skills that you have developed or experiences you have gained in a professional context.

Since not everything can be learned in business school it is up to you to persuade the admissions committee that you are a good fit for your new career even before the MBA program starts.  By approaching your MBA goal essay like a cover letter you might find it easier to tell a more compelling and interesting story about this new career that you are so excited about!

Tips for Getting an Outstanding Letter of Recommendation

We enjoy providing advice on this blog to assist potential applicants in their quest to gain acceptance to great graduate programs.  However, sometimes the best admissions advice comes directly from the universities themselves!  For example, the Graduate Student Recruitment Office at Purdue University recently sent out a helpful email about how to get a great letter of recommendation (LOR).

We often tell our clients that if they want to secure a great LOR, they should take a hands-on approach and support their recommendation provider as much as possible.  The information in italics below (written by personnel at Purdue University) supports this idea -- they give very clear advice about proactive steps an applicant might take:

Coach your recommendation providers. Try to select recommendation providers who can talk about various aspects of your potential and suggest to them what they could highlight. For example, a research advisor could talk about specific research skills while a professor could talk about your academic potential. This prevents you from having three generic recommendation letters. Most recommendation providers appreciate knowing what they should discuss in their letters.

Make the process as easy as possible. Provide your recommendation providers with:

•          a copy of your resume or curriculum vitae

•          a file that lists all of the institutions, program names, contact information, and application deadlines to which you are applying

•          a list of details they will need to answer specific questions about you

•          a friendly reminder of approaching deadlines

After reading this information one should clearly understand that it would be a mistake to simply hand the recommendation provider a form (or send them the recommendation system email) and send them off to write without any further discussion.  Professors teach hundreds of students and they get many LOR requests each year.  Therefore it is very difficult to expect them to: a) clearly remember everything you have done or every skill you have, and b) to spend a lot of time writing about these things.

The applicant who takes a passive approach will more likely have a generic LOR sent to the school by the provider.  And that won’t help your application very much will it?  Therefore we strongly advise that you get organized and plan a strategy far ahead.  If the recommendation is professional, analyze the LOR questions and then write down bullet points of projects you have worked on and the skills you have displayed at work that fit these questions. Then discuss your application strategy with the recommendation provider in depth.      

Here are a couple more pieces of advice regarding how to best manage the LOR process:

Give your recommender a clear timeline. Send the recommender a schedule with the schools you will apply to and the deadlines for each school.  Ask them to complete the LOR 4-6 weeks in advance.  If you feel they have forgotten you might send them a friendly reminder after two weeks, and one week in advance of the deadline.  It is always better to have everything finished earlier than later, so choose a deadline that helps everyone.

Remember to send a thank you note to all of your recommendation letter providers! A thank you letter gives you an open door to go back to them in the future with more personal updates and an excuse to stay in touch.  This isn’t the last time you’ll need your recommender’s help (probably) so be sure to maintain a positive relationship with them all throughout your graduate education. 

Is Graduate School Right For You?

What do you do when you’re unsure about whether or not graduate school is right for you? There are a number of factors -- time and expense perhaps being the two biggest -- which could influence whether or not a graduate degree makes sense for you.

Graduate school is an amazing way to build new skill sets, network with ambitious people who are changing their industry, their country, and possibly even the world, and to acquire knowledge which will help you in your future career. Graduate school can give your resume a serious upgrade – but it’s not necessarily the case that you need to spend so much time and money learning new things and networking with new people just in order to polish your resume.

Before you decide whether or not you’re going to apply for a graduate degree, you should give careful consideration to some of the following questions. Be HONEST with yourself when you think these things through.

Why do I want to go to graduate school?

Different people go to graduate school for different reasons.

Some people want to go to advance within their company or industry, others want to change their career or hop into a new industry. Some of the folks in the latter group feel like graduate school is a great place to get your feet wet in an industry in which they have little, or no experience.

BUT – is it worth it?

If you aren’t sure about the path you’re going to take after you complete graduate school, and that a graduate degree concretely adds value to your future career path, you need to stop and think about why you’re going.

Parental pressure? A bad economy where it’s tough to find jobs? Because you have nothing better to do with your time right now?

These are not necessarily good reasons to go to graduate school.

If however, you see a clear path from your graduate degree to your dream career, if you are applying for personal reasons, to prove to yourself you can cope with the challenge of advanced education, or to become a better, more educated and well-rounded person, you may be thinking along the right track. Admissions committees are typically looking for people with a very clear career and learning objectives so thinking in this way will certainly increase your chances of convincing them to accept you.

Which graduate school is right for me?

Not everyone needs to go to the most famous school; and the question of what school is the best possible fit for you is a highly personal one. Even if you have a strong background and test scores, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the most famous schools are the right place for you.

You must examine the strength of the programs at the schools you’re considering. Some schools are better suited to engineering and technical education, some schools are better suited to venture capital and entrepreneurship, and some have better career services or international study opportunities.

Don’t make the mistake of falling for a sexy brand name if they don’t have a program well-suited to what you want to accomplish in your professional career.

Researching and selecting a school which will help you fulfill your dreams can sometimes feel daunting, but it is critical to take school selection seriously, as it will largely determine the quality of your graduate education experience.

Can I afford it?

This is a serious question, given the ever-rising cost of tuition at institutes of higher education. If you manage to secure admission to your dream school, but are also offered a scholarship from your second or third choice, which is the right school to attend?

You and your family, or anyone else supporting you in your quest for education, must do a practical cost-benefit analysis. Is attending a particular school worth going into debt for? You can always apply for financial aid, but keep in mind that there are rigorous requirements for international students and that not all who apply are awarded financial aid.

Especially in difficult economic times, jobs are hard to come by even if you have a degree from a prestigious graduate school. If you’re willing to take on a certain amount of debt to finance your education, make sure you have a solid plan in place to pay your debt off as soon as possible after graduation.

In conclusion, graduate school isn’t always right for everyone. While you’re considering applying to graduate school, you have to seriously consider your personal and professional motivations, which school is the right fit for you, and how you intend to fund your education. If you would like any extra perspective on graduate school, you are most welcome to reach out to me at david@transcendadmissions.com. 

Top Public Universities in the United States

If you are an international student seeking to apply for undergraduate college programs in the US – you have probably heard of all of the famous schools – the Ivy League names that charge tuition fees.

Because of this cost concern, there is a growing trend with students to attend public instead of pricey private schools.  There are some truly world-class public schools in the US, and below we have sourced a list of the best public schools across the country.

It is worth keeping in mind that many public schools offer scholarships that grant international students in-state tuition even when they aren’t residents of the states where the schools are located.  If your grades are outstanding and high tuition is a concern for you, you may wish to look more closely into some of the following public universities for scholarship opportunities.

Top 25 US Public Schools for Undergraduate Education

Rank	School
#1	University of California–​Berkeley  Berkeley, CA
#2	University of California–​Los Angeles  Los Angeles, CA
#2	University of Virginia  Charlottesville, VA
#4	University of Michigan–​Ann Arbor  Ann Arbor, MI
#5	University of North Carolina–​Chapel Hill  Chapel Hill, NC
#6	College of William and Mary  Williamsburg, VA
#7	Georgia Institute of Technology  Atlanta, GA
#8	University of California–​Davis  Davis, CA
#8	University of California–​San Diego  La Jolla, CA
#10	University of California–​Santa Barbara  Santa Barbara, CA
#10	University of Wisconsin–​Madison  Madison, WI
#12	University of California–​Irvine  Irvine, CA
#13	Pennsylvania State University–​University Park  University Park, PA
#13	University of Illinois–​Urbana-​Champaign  Champaign, IL
#13	University of Texas–​Austin  Austin, TX
#13	University of Washington  Seattle, WA
#17	University of Florida  Gainesville, FL
#18	Ohio State University–​Columbus  Columbus, OH
#19	University of Maryland–​College Park  College Park, MD
#19	University of Pittsburgh  Pittsburgh, PA
#21	University of Connecticut  Storrs, CT
#21	University of Georgia  Athens, GA
#23	Purdue University–​West Lafayette  West Lafayette, IN
#23	Texas A&M University–​College Station  College Station, TX
#25	Clemson University  Clemson, SC

- Source: Forbes

Although the top private schools have a longstanding reputation for excellence, the price tag of higher education in the US has risen so much that many schools traditionally considered second tier are now being viewed as equal to the historically most prestigious universities.

And for all of you sports fans out there, keep in mind that public schools often have the advantage of incredible sports cultures. Many of the schools listed above have amazing tradition in football, basketball and many other sports that can make one’s university experience much more rewarding and interesting.

You are always welcome to reach out to me to discuss the pros and cons of different undergraduate schools (and their sports!). I welcome your emails at david@transcendadmissions.com.

Regards,

David Johnston