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!