[Apurv]

We welcome on board Jennifer Bloom, one of the most experienced Editors at Accepted.com. Jennifer has vast experience in helping Asian applicants writing winning applications and an in-depth understanding of B-school admissions processes. View her profile.

You can use this thread to seek advice and ask questions of her about writing applications to the best B-schools of the world. Her PG user-id is Accepted

To post your questions to Jennifer, hit the 'Post Reply' button above or click here

Hope this helps you get closer to your MBA dream

Cheers,
Apurv

[Accepted]

Thank you for that warm welcome, Apurv.

I am excited by this opportunity to help a wide range of aspiring MBAs from throughout India. Please feel free to post your questions, everyone.

Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
Accepted - Helping you write your best!

From pre-application consulting and strategizing to essay and letter of recommendation editing, resumes, mock interviews, and wait-list tactics - we guide you through the application maze.

[gabriel666]

Hi Jennifer,

..Welcome Aboard..

Good to have among us an expert on what is the most important part of a B school application ... the application stage itself :satisfie:.

Jennifer it would be great if you could start with a post on what you think are the essential qualities of a good SOP and Reco letter.

Also, I plan to apply for my masters in finance next year, would you recommend the same strategy for preparing a SOP for a course like Msc in Finance,compared to the strategy that would be applied for preparing a SOP for a MBA application.

Thanx and Regards

PS:- I have a feeling that this will soon turn out to be one of the most popular threads on PG .

[Accepted]

Gabriel666,

Every year prospective applicants ask me this, and I always marvel at the question. The letter of recommendation forms for most programs have a grid for the recommender to fill in describing exactly the qualities that the program is seeking. Some grids are longer than others, but most MBA programs ask for leadership, teamwork, initiative/creativity, analytical ability/intelligence, and communication. The top MBA programs are seeking individuals whom they will be proud of both while they are in school and for the many, many years that they will be alumni – and these are the qualities that make them proud.

Luckily, most MBA applications pose several essay questions, so you don’t need to demonstrate all of these skills in just one essay!

In contrast, Master of Finance programs are less focused on the personal qualities of leadership and teamwork and much more concerned by the applicant’s quantitative ability and reasoning. Solid test scores, academic performance, and a couple of examples of your ability to apply your fundamental intellect and quantitative ability in decision making generate an excellent MSc in Finance application’s statement of purpose.

Good luck making your decision and with the applications!

Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
Accepted - helping you write your best!

From pre-application consulting and strategizing to essay and letter of recommendation editing, resumes, mock interviews, and wait-list tactics - we guide you through the application maze.

Originally Posted by gabriel666

Hi Jennifer,

..Welcome Aboard..

Good to have a expert on what is the most important part of a B school application ... the application stage itself :satisfie:.

Jennifer it would be great if you could start with a post on what you think are the essential qualities of a good SOP and Reco letter.

Also, I plan to apply for my masters in finance next year, would you recommend the same strategy for preparing a SOP for a course like Msc in Finance,compared to the strategy that would be applied for preparing a SOP for a MBA application.

Thanx and Regards

PS:- I have a feeling that this will soon turn out to be one of the most popular threads on PG .

[abhishekghuwale]

Jennifer,

The length of Kellogg's application essays is not specific and open to interpretation. Do you have any recommendations on the font size, margin size, etc for the document containing your essays?

For the essays that say 2-3 double-spaced paragraphs, do you know what a good size (in terms of word limit or page length) might be for these essays?

Thanks,
Abhishek

[harshRambles]

Hi Jennifer,

Glad to see you here!

Earlier this year, I got rejected by INSEAD in round 2 for the Jan 2008 session. They did not give me any specific feedback even though I asked for it a second time.

I have strong academics and GMAT (750), + 2 years of work experience in software development at a Fortune 50 in the US. I have some social work leadership and interests as well. I had strong recommendations too.

Did I get rejected just because of low work experience or is there something else I should work on for US business schools?

Thanks!

[Accepted]

Originally Posted by abhishekghuwale

Jennifer,

The length of Kellogg's application essays is not specific and open to interpretation. Do you have any recommendations on the font size, margin size, etc for the document containing your essays?

For the essays that say 2-3 double-spaced paragraphs, do you know what a good size (in terms of word limit or page length) might be for these essays?

Thanks,
Abhishek

Hi, Abhishek.
In the past, Kellogg was very specific about a 12-point font with 1 inch margins all around and double spacing. But I have not seen anyone punished for using 11-point font, playing with the margins (0.8?), and even using line spacing of 1.8 to keep the essays to the page requirements.

The 2-3 paragraph essays can exceed one page. The key to these is just to be concise: first paragraph shows the "before" picture, second paragraph tells your actions, and the third paragraph shows your impact (or the "after" picture).

Good luck with the application!

Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
Accepted - helping you write your best!

From pre-application consulting and strategizing to essay and letter of recommendation editing, resumes, mock interviews, and wait-list tactics - we guide you through the application maze.

[Accepted]

Originally Posted by harshRambles

Hi Jennifer,

Glad to see you here!

Earlier this year, I got rejected by INSEAD in round 2 for the Jan 2008 session. They did not give me any specific feedback even though I asked for it a second time.

I have strong academics and GMAT (750), + 2 years of work experience in software development at a Fortune 50 in the US. I have some social work leadership and interests as well. I had strong recommendations too.

Did I get rejected just because of low work experience or is there something else I should work on for US business schools?

Thanks!

Hi, harshRambles,
Most MBA programs are targeting 28 year olds, and the INSEAD class does tend to be a bit older than that in my experience. While they may accept a few applicants younger than 26/27, those people would have to demonstrate exceptional leadership skills and impact in the workplace and the community.

I suspect that you fell into the "techie" trap and will need to demonstrate that you have had a significant impact in the company and not just on its code. I apologize for the brazen product plug here, but Linda Abraham and my book "The Techie's Guide to MBA Admission" explains this process in detail. You can read all about it at Techie's Guide to MBA Admission.

Good luck with the reapplication process!

Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
Accepted - helping you write your best!

From pre-application consulting and strategizing to essay and letter of recommendation editing, resumes, mock interviews, and wait-list tactics - we guide you through the application maze.

[DerivativesGuy]

Hi

My profile is IT( 3 yrs by the time I join school ), working for a top investment bank; hence exposure to a lot of domain knowledge. Also, I have picked up a lot of interest in the area of financial risk management and plan to do my Financial Risk Manager certification. I look at moving into this domain in the future.I have also had a lot of leadership & initiative taking experience back in college. Considering this, would my profile still be "traditional IT" or would there be another dimension to it, when looked upon by B-schools?

Also, how do recruiters view career shifters? Taking a concrete example, would an I-bank offer me an associate position(considering no previous work-ex in related domain)?

[Accepted]

Originally Posted by DerivativesGuy

Hi

My profile is IT( 3 yrs by the time I join school ), working for a top investment bank; hence exposure to a lot of domain knowledge. Also, I have picked up a lot of interest in the area of financial risk management and plan to do my Financial Risk Manager certification. I look at moving into this domain in the future.I have also had a lot of leadership & initiative taking experience back in college. Considering this, would my profile still be "traditional IT" or would there be another dimension to it, when looked upon by B-schools?

Also, how do recruiters view career shifters? Taking a concrete example, would an I-bank offer me an associate position(considering no previous work-ex in related domain)?

Yes, DerivativesGuy, you will be viewed primarily as an IT guy (from the financial sector). You will need to prove that you possess the leadership and decision making abilities that the top MBA programs are seeking.

Recruiters are very open to career shifters, as long as the applicant can demonstrate a fit with the new position - that the combination of your previous experience and your MBA make you the ideal candidate. The investment banking industry will certainly view your application positively because of your previous experience, but you will still need to demonstrate to them that you have the exceptional leadership, teamwork, and decision making abilities that they are seeking to earn that coveted associate position.

Best of luck with the application,
Regards,
Jennifer Bloom, CPRW
Accepted - helping you write your best!

From pre-application consulting and strategizing to essay and letter of recommendation editing, resumes, mock interviews, and wait-list tactics - we guide you through the application maze.