Good Article on Chicago GSB Essay Three

UPDATE: Click here to begin to read my analysis of Chicago GSB's essays for 2008 admission. Question 1. Question 2. Question 3. Optional Question 4.
If you planning to apply to Chicago GSB and want further insight into Essay Three, the PowerPoint Question, I suggest taking a look at the following AP article (excerpts below):

In a first, the University of Chicago this fall will begin requiring prospective students to submit four pages of PowerPoint-like slides with their applications....

By adding PowerPoint to its application, Chicago thinks it might attract more students who have the kind of cleverness that can really pay off in business, and fewer of the technocrat types who sometimes give the program a bad name....

"We wanted to have a free-form space for students to be able to say what they think is important, not always having the school run that dialogue," said Rose Martinelli, associate dean for student recruitment and admissions. "To me this is just four pieces of blank paper. You do what you want. It can be a presentation. It can be poetry. It can be anything."

...Martinelli acknowledges one reason for the requirement is that students inevitably will have to master the technology in their jobs.

But she says students won't be judged on the quality of their slides. Rather the slides are an outlet for judging the kind of creativity the business world needs.

Chicago does have a few ground rules: no hyperlinks and no video. Beyond that, "I really don't know what we're going to get," Martinelli said.

In a series of future posts later this month, I will discuss the Chicago essay set. Till then, you should take a look at accepted.com's and clearadmit.com's analysis.

-Adam Markus
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シカゴ、ビジネススクール, MBA留学

Admissions Advice: Mentor, Consultant, Editor or Ghostwriter?

What kind of admissions advice are you looking for? I think it is important to think very carefully about the types of advisers available when selecting what is best for you. The right advice from the right adviser(s) will facilitate your acceptance in to an MBA, LLM, PhD, or other graduate program, while the wrong advice might very well result in the need to reapply.

MY BIAS: If you have not read, the blog post or the article where my views are discussed, I would simply state that my own bias is towards ethical consulting and against ghostwriting as this is simply the only basis upon which I would counsel someone. I believe applicants should write their own essays. That said, I am not looking to impose my own views on you. You must make your own choices. In the next four posts, I will analyze the pros and cons of mentors, admissions consultants, editors, and ghostwriters.

A couple of things to mention. I will not include the names of any specific admissions consultants, editors, or ghostwriters here. This is not due to any ignorance or laziness on my part, but rather the fact that I am not advocating or criticizing the use of any specific service because (1) I can't fairly attest to the efficacy of all major service providers and (2) I am not interested in being sued for libel.

I hope these posts will help you determine what kind of advice you need and who you should get it from.

Questions? Write comments or contact me directly at adammarkus@gmail.com.
-Adam Markus
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MBA留学, LLM留学, 大学院留学

MBA Applicants: Join caseplace.org

As a follow-up to my last post, I wanted to mention the benefits of joining caseplace.org. Membership is free.
Benefits include:
"My CasePlace section to organize, track and save information you gather. You'll be notified, every time you log on, about the new materials that have been added to your interest areas.

My Folders: Create multiple lists which contain information about cases of interest to you and how to get them. Organize cases around themes and courses.

My Bookmarks: Return to documents you are especially interested in.

Contact Information: You will be added to the Membership Directory. You can then contact others who work in your area, or they can contact you."

Questions? Write comments or contact me directly at adammarkus@gmail.com.
-Adam Markus
アダム マーカス
MBA留学

Learn About the MBA Case Method Before You Apply

Did you know that approximately 25% (Chicago GSB) to 80% (HBS) of all courses at top Business Schools use the case method?

While Harvard Business School is most known for its use of the case method, other top programs use it typically 30%-50% of the time with the remainder consisting of lecture, experiential learning, simulations, and other methods.

If you are thinking about applying to business school, you should learn about the case method to help determine (1) whether it suits your own learning style and (2) which schools you want to apply to.

If you have decided to apply, you should learn about the case method because you will (1) need to think whether you need to discuss directly or indirectly in their "Why MBA" essay and (2) need to be prepared to discuss why you would benefit from the case method in an interview.
One of the clearest explanations for the case method is, not surprisingly, the HBS website. Every MBA applicant could benefit from watching the case study video which will provide you with a clear 13 minute and 25 second image of what case study is about.

Want to read some case studies?

One great resource for cases studies is caseplace.org, where you can read (890 were available when I checked) cases written by and for top business schools. Many were published by Harvard Business School through Harvard Working Knowledge, Harvard Business Review, and Harvard Business School Publishing. Sources for other cases include Stanford Graduate School of Business, Stanford Social Innovation Review, Knowledge @ Wharton, and MIT Sloan Management Review.

Sponsored by the Aspen Institute, "CasePlace.org is designed for business school faculty" , it "is a free, practical on-line resource for up-to-date case studies, syllabi, and innovative teaching materials on business and sustainability - from corporate governance to sustainable development." Given the sources and purpose of the site, this a wonderful opportunity to read cases on a diverse range subjects.

If caseplace.org is not enough for you than you can also purchase case studies directly from schools such as HBS, Stanford, University of Virginia's Darden School of Business, and the University of Western Ontario's Ivey School of Management. Actually, according to a recent Wall Street Journal article, "Some Schools Now Sell Case Studies on Web," online case sales are a major source of revenue for many top schools.
Please keep in mind that the objective is to get enough background to make good decisions about your applications, so don't feel obligated to spend so much time reading cases. Just spend enough time to know what the case method is and how it will impact your application decisions and admissions strategy. Just as in my earlier post about professors, the point here is learn about what you want to do in graduate school.

Questions? Write comments or contact me directly at adammarkus@gmail.com.
-Adam Markus
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ハーバード, シカゴ、ビジネススクール, MBA留学

The iBT TOEFL: A Test of Real English Abiility

One recent change that is effecting most international applicants to graduate programs (1) who did not graduate with a bachelors from a university where English was the primary method of instruction and/or (2) are not native English speakers, is the new iBT (Internet Based TOEFL).

For high level English speakers, especially those with less than perfect grammar, the new test is probably no harder and, may in fact be easier than the old CBT, but for everyone else, IBT (see below) appears to be much more difficult.

Since I first taught TOEFL in 1995, it has gone through significant changes in an attempt to make it a real test of English. From 1997-2001, when I marketed US residential English language programs at UC Berkeley and for the international division of a major US testing company, the TOEFL course was part of an integrated English language program, a program that combined typical English language study with test preparation. Such courses made the correct assumption that there was a disparity of some degree between learning English and studying TOEFL. I think the situation has changed quite a lot with the development of the iBT because it was clearly designed to be a test of real English ability:

The TOEFL iBT emphasizes integrated skills and provides better information to institutions about students' ability to communicate in an academic setting and their readiness for academic coursework. With Internet-based testing, ETS can capture speech and score responses in a standardized manner.

I have not taught or sold the iBT, so my knowledge of it is limited to the public domain, but based on what ETS says about it, it is clearly more difficult than the old CBT, not to mention the PBT:

Is the Internet-based test more difficult?

• The TOEFL iBT Reading and Listening sections are not dramatically different from those on the current TOEFL test.
• The integrated tasks on the TOEFL iBT Speaking and Writing sections may be considered more challenging because they are new to test takers. However, to succeed academically in English-speaking colleges and universities, students need to be able to combine their language skills in the classroom.
• The integrated tasks in the new test will help learners build the confidence needed to communicate in the academic environments they plan to enter.

Summary: The iBT is more difficult because it is a more realistic measure of English ability.

According to Longman, the major educational publisher:
Preparation for the Next Generation iBT requires a lot of different components. It requires lots of language skills, some academic skills, test-taking strategies, realistic test practice on the computer, and good basic computer skills.

I wanted to provide some analysis about how long it will take to improve scores, but I was unable to find anything that clearly answered that (If anyone knows, please email me). Regarding English language acquisition in general, I think the following statement by TOEIC Europe is worth considering:
Improvement in overall English ability generally takes a considerable amount of practice and study. There are many things that affect an individual’s progress in learning English such as motivation, amount of practice, the number of hours or weeks of classroom study, previous exposure to English, and the type and quality of instruction. It is difficult to say exactly how much learning time is needed before a significant improvement in English proficiency is seen.

I know this is not much of an answer, but what it means to me is that since the iBT is a better measure of English ability, it will take longer to study for. For those MBA applicants who must take GMAT and other applicants who must take GRE, this will indeed be added pressure.

Questions? Write comments or contact me directly at adammarkus@gmail.com.
-Adam Markus
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MBA留学, LLM留学, 大学院留学