Pushing the submit button

Yes, it is that time of year.  Try, if possible, to push the submit button only after reviewing everything closely and making sure your application is as good as it can reasonably be.  If you know your application is real weak, but think playing the lottery is a good idea, think again.  A wise person knows when something has to give.  If it is a choice between MBA application suicide in round two and submitting something effective in round three, think about not pressing that button yet.
-Adam
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Happy Holidays!

Now get back to graduate school application preparation!
Adam

Undergraduate Institutions of HBS MBA Students

Comparatively speaking, HBS provides a more transparent approach to admissions data than any other MBA program.  In addition to essentially breaking down the age distribution by revealing the year of undergraduate graduation and providing extensive statistical profiles,  HBS has recently  uploaded the list of all undergraduate institutions that members of the classes of  2009-2011.  This is certainly one of the most interesting lists that HBS has released.  The diversity of institutions represented is great.  Just because your school is not on this list is not a cause for despair, but you should certainly factor that in to how your academic experience is going to be evaluated and you should consider to what extent you will need or want to educate HBS about the value of your undergraduate experience.

Here is the list:

• Academia de Studii Economice
• Adam Mickiewicz Univeersity
• Albert-Ludwigs-Universität
• Albright College
• Altay State Technical University
• American University of Beirut
• American University, Cairo
• Amherst College
• Anahuac University
• Anna University
• Aoyama Gakuin University
• Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
• Arizona State University
• Ateneo De Manila University
• Australian National University
• Azerbaijan State Economic University
• Babson College
• Ball State University
• Bar Ilan University
• Barnard College
• Bates College
• Baylor University
• Bentley College
• Bernard Baruch College
• Berry College
• Bilkent University
• Birla Institute of Technology and Science
• BMS College of Engineering
• Bocconi University
• Bogazici University
• Boston College
• Boston University
• Bowdoin College
• Brandeis University
• Brigham Young University
• Brown University
• Bryn Mawr College
• Bucknell University
• Buenos Aires Technical Institute
• California Institute of Technology
• California Polytechnic State University
• California State University
• Carleton College
• Carnegie Mellon University
• Case Western Reserve University
• Catholic University
• Catholic University, Cordoba
• Chartered Institute of Management Accountants
• Ching Hua University
• Christ College
• Claremont McKenna College
• Clarkson University
• Classe Préparatoire Saint Pierre
• Clemson University
• Colby College
• Colgate University
• College of Charleston
• College of the Holy Cross
• Colorado School of Mines
• Columbia University
• Complutense University of Madrid
• Concordia University
• Connecticut College
• Cooper Union
• Copenhagen Business School
• Cornell University
• Creighton University
• Czech Technical University
• Dalian University of Technology
• Dartmouth College
• Davidson College
• De Paul University
• Delaware State University
• Denison University
• Dillard University
• Drexel University
• Duke University
• Durham University
• Eastern Kentucky University
• Ecole Centrale
• Ecole de Technologie Superieure
• Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commeriales
• Ecole des Mines de Paris
• Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications
• Ecole Nationale Supérieure EEHT
• Ecole Polytechnique
• Ecole Sainte Genevieve
• Ecole Superieure de Commerce de Paris
• Emory University
• Erasmus University
• Escuela Superior de Administracion y Direccion de Empresas
• Escuela Superior de Economia y Negocios
• Escuela Superior de Ingenieros, Universidad de Sevilla
• ESSEC Graduate School of Management
• European Business School
• European University Viadrina
• Fachhochschule Munich
• Faculdade Ibmec Sao Paulo
• Faculty of Economics and Business, Zagreb
• Faculty of Economics, University of BL
• Florida A&M University
• Florida State University
• FOM University of Applied Science
• Fr C Rodrigues Institute of Technology, Mumbai University
• Franklin & Marshall College
• Franklin W. Olin College
• Fudan University
• Fundacao Armando Alvares Penteado
• Fundacao Getulio Vargas
• Georgetown University
• Georgia Institute of Technology
• GIK Institute of Engineering Sciences & Technology
• Gonville & Caius College
• Gothenburg School of Business
• Government Engineering College
• Grinnell College
• H.R. College of Commerce & Economics
• Hampton University
• Handelshochschule Leipzig
• Hansraj College
• Harvard University
• Hautes Etudes d'Ingénieur
• Haverford College
• Hebrew University of Jerusalem
• HEC Paris
• Helsinki University of Technology
• Heriot Watt University
• Hitotsubashi University
• Hofstra University
• Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
• Howard University
• Hunter College
• IBMEC School of Economics and Finance
• Illinois Institute of Technology
• Imperial College of Science and Technology
• Indian Institute of Technology
• Indian School of Mines
• Indiana University
• Institut d'Etudes Politiques
• Instituto Superior Tecnico
• Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico (ITAM)
• Instituto Tecnologico de Aeronautica
• Instituto Tecnologico de Buenos Aires
• Instituto Tecnologico de Monterrey (ITESM)
• Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya
• Iowa State University
• ISCTE – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa
• Jacobs University
• Jadavpur University
• Jiao Tong University
• Johns Hopkins University
• KAIST
• Kansas State University
• Keio University
• Kettering University
• Kiev State University
• King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals
• King's College
• Koblenz School of Corporate Management
• Koc University
• Kochanowski Secondary School
• Korea University
• Krivoy Rog Economic Institute
• Kyiv National University of Economics
• Kyoto University
• La Sapienza
• Lahore University of Management Sciences
• Laval University
• Lehigh University
• Lipetsk State Technical University
• London School of Economics and Political Science
• Ludwig-Maximilians University
• Lycee Carnot
• Lycee Henri IV – classes préparatoires
• Lycée Thiers, Sciences Preparatory Classes to Grandes Ecoles
• Maastricht University
• Macalester College
• Macquarie University
• Marian College of Fond Du Lac
• Marquette University
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• McGill University
• McMaster University
• Mercy College
• Miami University
• Michigan State University
• Michigan Technological University
• Middle East Technical University
• Middlebury College
• Milan Polytechnic
• Military Engineering Institute
• Missouri State University
• Monash University
• Morehouse College
• Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology
• Moscow State Institute of International Relations
• Moscow State University
• Mount Holyoke College
• Muskingum College
• Nankai University
• Nanyang Technological University
• National Institute of Technology
• National Taiwan University
• National Tsing Hua University
• National University of Sciences and Technology – College of E&ME
• National University of Singapore
• New University of Lisbon
• New York University
• North Carolina A&T University
• North Carolina State University
• Northeastern University
• Northwestern University
• Northwood University
• Novosibirsk State University
• Oberlin College
• Occidental College
• Odessa National Academy of Law
• Odessa National I.I. Mechnikov University
• Ohio State University
• Oklahoma State University
• Oregon State University
• Osmania University
• Peking University
• Pennsylvania State University
• Pepperdine University
• Politecnico Di Torino
• Pomona College
• Pontificia Universidad Catolica Argentina
• Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile
• Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru
• Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Rio de Janeiro
• Preparatory school – Lycée Kléber
• Princeton University
• Principia College
• Private University of Witten/Herdecke
• Punjab Engineering College
• Purdue University
• Qinghua University
• Queen's University
• Radford University
• Ramrao Adik Institute of Technology
• Renmin University of China
• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• Reutlingen University
• Reykjavik University
• Rice University
• Richmond, the American International University in London
• Rijksuniversiteit Gent
• Rio De Janeiro Federal University
• Rochester Institute of Technology
• Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
• Rutgers – The State University
• Saint Lawrence University
• Saint Louis University
• Saint Olaf College
• Salisbury State University
• Scripps College
• Seattle University
• Seoul National University
• Shanghai Chiao Tung
• Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade
• Shanghai International Studies University
• Shanghai Maritime University
• Shanghai University of Finance & Economics
• Sichuan University
• Simon Bolivar University
• Simon Fraser University
• Smith College
• Sogang University
• Solvay Business School
• Sophia University
• Southern Methodist University
• Southwest University of Finance and Economics, China
• Spelman College
• St Stephen's College, Delhi University
• St. John's College
• St. John's University
• St. Mary's College
• St. Petersburg State University
• Stanford University
• State University of New York
• State University of West Georgia
• Stockholm School of Economics
• Stockholm University
• Sung Kyung Kwan University
• Supelec
• Swarthmore College
• Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
• Symbiosis Center for Distance Learning
• Taylor University
• Technical University of Berlin
• Technical University of Delft
• Technical University of Karlsruhe
• Technical University of Munich
• Tel Aviv University
• Temple University
• Tennessee State University
• Texas A&M University
• Texas Christian University
• Texas Tech University
• Thammasat University
• Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology
• The College of William and Mary
• The George Washington University
• Touro College, Lander College for Men
• Trinity College
• Tsinghua University
• Tufts University
• Tulane University
• Unicamp-Brazil
• Union College
• United States Air Force Academy
• United States Coast Guard Academy
• United States Military Academy
• United States Naval Academy
• Universidad Adolfo Ibanez
• Universidad de Lima
• Universidad de Montevideo
• Universidad de Navarra
• Universidad Iberoamericana
• Universidad Metropolitana
• Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina
• Universidad Panamericana
• Universidad Politecnica de Madrid
• Universidad Pontificia de Comillas
• Universidad Torcuato Di Tella
• Universidade Catolica Portuguesa
• Universidade de Sao Paulo
• Universidade do Porto
• Università Carlo Cattaneo
• Università del Piemonte Orientale
• Universitat Politecnica Catalunya
• Universitat Rovira i Virgili
• Universite de Liege
• Universite Libre de Bruxelles
• Université Paris I – Panthéon Sorbonne
• Université Paris X Nanterre
• University College, Dublin
• University of Alabama
• University of Alberta
• University of Amsterdam
• University of Arizona
• University of Arkansas
• University of Auckland
• University of Bath
• University of Birmingham
• University of Bristol
• University of British Columbia
• University of Calgary
• University of California, Berkeley
• University of California, Davis
• University of California, Irvine
• University of California, Los Angeles
• University of California, San Diego
• University of California, Santa Barbara
• University of Cambridge
• University of Cape Town
• University of Chicago
• University of Chile
• University of Cincinnati
• University of Colorado
• University of Cooperative Education Stuttgart
• University of Copenhagen
• University of Costa Rica
• University of Dayton
• University of Delaware
• University of Delhi
• University of Deusto
• University of Dublin, Trinity College
• University of Economics, Prague
• University of Edinburgh
• University of Erlangen-Nuremberg
• University of Florida
• University of Georgia
• University of Hawaii
• University of Heidelberg
• University of Houston
• University of Illinois
• University of Innsbruck
• University of International Business and Economics, Beijing
• University of Iowa
• University of Johannesburg
• University of Kansas
• University of Karachi, Institute of Business Administration
• University of Kentucky
• University of London
• University of London
• University of Louisville
• University of Madras
• University of Maine
• University of Manchester
• University of Manitoba
• University of Mannheim
• University of Maryland
• University of Massachusetts
• University of Melbourne
• University of Miami
• University of Michigan
• University of Minnesota
• University of Mississippi
• University of Missouri
• University of Montana
• University of Mumbai
• University of Navarra
• University of Nebraska
• University of New Brunswick
• University of New Mexico
• University of New South Wales
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• University of Notre Dame
• University of Oklahoma
• University of Oregon
• University of Oslo
• University of Oviedo
• University of Oxford
• University of Pavia
• University of Pennsylvania
• University of Pittsburgh
• University of Puget Sound
• University of Queensland
• University of Redlands
• University of Richmond
• University of Rome
• University of San Andres
• University of San Diego
• University of Southern California
• University of St. Andrews
• University of St. Gallen
• University of Sydney
• University of Tennessee
• University of Texas
• University of Texas, El Paso
• University of the Philippines
• University of the West Indies
• University of Tokyo
• University of Toronto
• University of Utah
• University of Victoria
• University of Vienna
• University of Virginia
• University of Warsaw
• University of Warwick
• University of Washington
• University of Waterloo
• University of Western Australia
• University of Western Ontario
• University of Wisconsin
• University of Zurich
• Utrecht University
• Vanderbilt University
• Vassar College
• Vienna School of Economics and Business Administration
• Virginia Military Institute
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
• Wabash College
• Wake Forest University
• Warsaw School of Economics
• Waseda University
• Washington & Lee University
• Washington University
• Weber State University
• Wellesley College
• Wesleyan University
• West Virginia University
• Wheaton College
• William Jewell College
• Williams College
• Worcester Polytechnic Institute
• Yale University
• Yonsei University
• York University
• Zhongnan University of Economics and Law

-Adam Markus

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MBA留学

Knewton: GMAT or GRE?

While I have previously discussed the issue below and personally take a very neutral position on whether one should take the GMAT or GRE, Jose Ferreira, the Founder and CEO of Knewton takes a very anti-GRE position. One of the primary reasons I was initially attracted to having Knewton  both advertise and provide GMAT content for my blog was because of Jose, who is certainly one of the top test prep guys on the planet.  Given Jose's expertise with both the GMAT and GRE, his comments below are really worth considering. For the record, I have yet to have done admissions consulting with a single MBA applicant who took the GRE, so I have absolutely no personal sense of what kind of admissions outcomes taking the GRE leads to.

-Adam Markus

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GMAT OR GRE

You may have heard that some business schools (Harvard, MIT, NYU, Stanford, Virginia, Yale, U Penn, and Berkeley) have started accepting GRE scores in place of GMAT scores. And you may be thinking: “Awesome! I hear the GRE is easier. I’m taking that!”
 

After all—there’s no Data Sufficiency on the GRE. Sounds great, right?

The problem is: There’s no Data Sufficiency on the GRE.

The GMAT has been designed and perfected for business school students. GMAT questions mirror the tasks you will perform every day in business school. Reading Comprehension—because you’ll be reading 50 -100 pages in case studies every day. And Data Sufficiency—because you’ll be skimming each case’s exhibits and financials to determine which numbers are key to cracking the case and which are irrelevant. What about Critical Reasoning? Well, every day in class you will comment on other students’ arguments. And they will comment on yours, sometimes in pretty snarky ways. So you need some facility in arguments, if only to protect yourself from that loudmouth ex-banker in the Skydeck.

In fact, the GMAT is a great test. By that I don’t mean that it will bring peace to the world, or spiritual enlightenment, or that a good time will be had by all. I mean it’s extremely well-constructed, with very high scoring consistency. In short, the GMAT does an excellent job of testing the skills you need to excel in business school.

In contrast, the GRE General Test is, well, general. It is designed to provide a sense of the fitness of a student for graduate-level work, whether one is interested in pursuing a PhD in English or a Masters in Psych. But the aptitudes needed to succeed in one discipline are very different from those of other disciplines, and no single test can measure them all well. Success in business, and success in business school, requires very specific skills that the GRE measures poorly, and the GMAT measures very well.

Furthermore, the GRE has been a rather troubled test. (ETS might claim that I’m the one who caused their troubles; in fact, I merely shed light on them.) In the 1990s, I developed a strategy for one question type called Pattern Identification that was so devastating that ETS had to discard hundreds of thousands of printed test booklets, admitting that I “broke the code, so we are removing the questions from the test.” Later on, I reverse-engineered the security protocols and scoring algorithm of the early GRE computerized test, forcing them to pull the exam for months to fix problems I uncovered. They sued us, and took to calling me the “antichrist.” (Umm, do I at least get Connie Nielsen with that?) Later still, they had serious scoring problems with the GRE analytical section, and consequently did away with that section entirely.

So then why do any business schools accept the GRE? Ok, well for one thing the GRE is slowly but surely getting better, and it’s about to be significantly revised so it will probably improve still further. But mostly, it’s about access, especially internationally. The GMAT isn’t available in as many locations, especially overseas. So business schools figure, “Hey, if we accept the GRE, we’ll find some great candidates who might not have been able to apply to business school, or who might add an MBA application or two along with their Masters applications.”

Bottom line: if you can take the GMAT, you should. The GMAT tests skills specific to business school. While admissions officers at schools accepting the GRE will accept a GRE score in lieu of a GMAT score, they doesn’t mean that they’ll will trust GRE scores.  And if you give them a GRE score when it’s clear you could just as easily have taken the GMAT, it could hurt your application.

Besides, Data Sufficiency is fun! Well, here at Knewton we think it’s fun. (Though we also think puns about transfinite cardinality are hilarious.) More importantly for you, Data Sufficiency is equally hard for everybody. It is also highly coachable, and Knewton’s Test Experts have developed the most powerful Data Sufficiency strategies there are. Stay tuned and maybe I’ll blog about them…

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 If you have any comments on this post, please leave comments, do not email Adam. 
Disclosure: See my earlier post regarding my Linkshare advertising agreement with Knewton.

MBA留学 GMAT オンライン コース テスト情報 試験対策準備

Wailisted in Round 1?

If you were waitlisted for B-School in Round 1, I suggest taking a look at a post I wrote earlier this year, "Waitlisted, Now what?" In addition, to what I have written there, I would just add that a waitlist is an indication that you are basically doing many things right, but might be doing something wrong.   What that means for someone waitlisted in R1 is that it is that they should try and determine what specifically was weak and try to mitigate for subsequent applications. For example, if you were waitlisted after an invitation only interview, assume that the interview might have been part of the reason. Just like a R1 ding (see my prior post), an R1 waitlist should be looked at as an opportunity to reconsider your overall MBA admissions strategy and readjust.


Questions? Write comments, but do not send me emails asking me to advise you on your application strategy unless you are interested in my consulting services. Please see my FAQ regarding the types of questions I will respond to.

For information about my admissions consulting services, please see http://adammarkus.com/. 

 
Before emailing me questions about your chances for admission or personal profile, please see my post on "Why I don't analyze profiles without consulting with the applicant."
-Adam Markus
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