BusinessWeek Online MBA Express February 11, 2009
******************** Five Years to B-School: The Fifth Year In a year you'll be in business school. So wrap up things at work, finalize your list of top schools, and tackle those application essays http://newsletters.businessweek.com/c.asp?751001&cf16b2f231665666&1 B-School Tales from the Front Readers weigh in on the best way to prepare for the MBA admissions process http://newsletters.businessweek.com/c.asp?751001&cf16b2f231665666&2 MBA Job Outlook Dims New research suggests fewer companies will be hiring MBAs this year, and salaries in tech, financing, and manufacturing will be flat or down http://newsletters.businessweek.com/c.asp?751001&cf16b2f231665666&3 Choosing the Right Door Recruitment isn't quite the same since the financial crisis, but Darden graduates still have plenty of opportunities http://newsletters.businessweek.com/c.asp?751001&cf16b2f231665666&4 Business Schools: A Failing Grade on Ethics The time for teaching analysis of ethical problems is over. Students must be given the tools to act decisively when it's easier to run with the crowd http://newsletters.businessweek.com/c.asp?751001&cf16b2f231665666&5 B-SCHOOL FORUMS Visit BW Online's interactive forums for wide-ranging discussions about management education. Search through over 1,359,000 posts for topics that interest you. Join in today! Here are a few samples of recent messages: Getting into B-School: Ethical Dilemma From: ce123 To: ALL "Give me an example of an ethical dilemma you've experienced." Anyone have a good answer to this interview question? I can't say I am in a professional position to experience ethical dilemmas very often, but I feel like I need to have something to say here. Thanks! ------------ From: laurjame To: ce123 How about when you thought about using a response to an MBA application essay question from the BW B-school forums? ------------ From: cthem To: ce123 Just say: "I knew you would be asking me this question, but I haven't really had any ethical dilemmas in my career. So I faced an ethical dilemma in that I had to decide to be honest with you about that fact or fabricate an ethical dilemma for the sake of the interview. I ultimately decided to lie to you and make up an ethical dilemma." (now tell them the fake ethical dilemma). "I feel that I made the right choice in talking to you about an ethical dilemma that never occured, but that seemed much better for my interview. I am sure you will agree as it was clearly a much more illustrative anecdote that will aid you in your decision and put me in a more positive light than had I simply said that I have not faced any ethical dilemmas." Then high-five them and walk out of the room. If you are now in a common area with other applicants waiting for interviews, jump into the air and thrust your arm up in triumph. ------------ From: RubyDoomsday To: ce123 This doesn't have to be exclusively relating to your work. They want to see how you may POTENTIALLY handle ethical dilemmas as a CEO or whatever. Do you have any personal ones? Was a friend ever in trouble and you needed to decide if you should get other people involved and violate their confidence? What about when you were young? Did you get caught with a fake ID? Was there ever a time when lying would have been easier, but you chose to tell the truth? Did someone advise you to "pad" your resume or you wouldn't get into b-school? The key is to explain what you did about the dilemma, the situation itself is of little consequence. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Getting into B-School: Age Bias From: zoel To: ALL I heard some top schools (HBS/S/W) are biased towards certain age. Is 30 a disadvantaged age? Your thoughts will be appreciated. ------------ From: vequis To: zoel I'm 30 and will be turning 31 shortly. I only applied to W, but was admitted R1. I think people make a bigger issue of age than it really is. It comes down to "why mba"/"why now" more than the year you were born. Best of luck! ------------ From: ce123 To: vequis Wharton has an older student body than Harvard and Stanford - i.e. all else equal it is easier for an older individual to get into Wharton and a younger individual to get into Harvard and Stanford. ------------ From: rsp33 To: zoel Having gone through a couple of admissions cycles, I'd give the opinion that there are some schools more receptive to candidates near/at 30 (Kellogg, Tuck, CBS) than others (HBS, Stanford in particular). Doesn't mean they don't admit any 30+ applicants, but just that it's likely the ones they do are pretty outstanding. I think at some schools there is a chance the same person gets admitted at 25 who - if continuing on the same career path with normal progression - gets rejected at 30. Comparative disadvantage at a higher age. It's possible to get into those schools, but it would probably help to have a mitigating factor in your profile (I started/sold a business, played pro sports, went to med school, was in the military, etc). Also connecting it to a clear post-MBA goal that is unique and incorporates your experiences. B-SCHOOL BLOGS View over 4,500 blogs in our MBA Blogs community today! Share your journey, meet new friends, and expand your network. Connect with MBA students, applicants and alumni from Columbia, Kellogg, Notre Dame, and more! Become a blogger today! Here's an excerpt: GMAT Prep Blog: GMAT Tip of the Week - Delusions of Grandeur By Veritas Prep Comments: 0 Stars: 0 If you are reading this, there is a high likelihood that you are a successful person; other than the occasional Googler-gone-astray, those who find a blog that specializes in admissions for elite MBA and JD programs tend to be students or young professionals who would like to advance their careers to an even higher level. Assuming that the description fits, congratulations to you! When it comes to the GMAT, however, your prior success may hold with it a key to your undoing. As a successful professional, you have undoubtedly been able to make decisions based on gut feel or a calculated high probability - you've correctly hypothesized that a stock price might rise, or that a corporate initiative would yield positive returns; you've effectively chosen between academic majors and job offers; you've made purchases and decisions with incomplete information and feel confident that your choices were correct. At this point, you feel comfortable with your ability to assess probability and make good decisions accordingly. On the GMAT, however, questions that ask you to draw a conclusion - "based on the above we can safely conclude that..." - require an answer that must be true based exclusively on the information given. These questions often pose a problem for successful individuals, who would rather provide a compelling answer with a high probability than a less exciting answer that is definite. When faced with the need to draw a conclusion on the GMAT, keep in mind that the conclusion must be true, but need not be exciting. For more help on the GMAT, visit Veritas Prep to find a prep course near you. Or, take a look at Veritas Prep's online GMAT prep options. FOR THE FULL VERSION ************************************************************** This newsletter is a FREE service provided by BusinessWeek. 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