B-Schooled's host Erika interviews her 2020-21 Round 2 client Maddy, who was accepted to HBS, Stanford GSB, Berkeley Haas and Yale School of Management, and chose to attend Stanford. Erika and Maddy will discuss Maddy's background, her application highlights and her interview experience at each program.
Is there an advantage to applying for business school in Round 1? If your MBA materials aren't ready in the fall, is it significantly harder to be accepted in Round 2 after the new year? This episode focuses on the differences between Round 1 and Round 2, whether or not there is an advantage to applying in either round, and what the single most important factor should be in choosing when to apply.
Sometimes “Why do you need an MBA now?” is an essay question that programs ask directly, but more often than not it’s something applicants should end up covering in an essay response even if there isn’t a question about it. Questions around the timing of an applicant's MBA pursuit could also be asked in an interview. This episode covers common reasons why applicants need an MBA now versus earlier or later in their careers, and suggests exercises to help articulate a strong response to questions ...
This episode talks about how to use the STAR method to organize your thoughts for powerful resume bullets, essays or interview responses. STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action and Result, and if you follow this structure when telling a story or explaining an accomplishment, it will help you get straight to the point and focus on the information that matters most to the admissions committee.
In order to stand out from your MBA competition, you need to take a step back and assess your candidacy from the admissions committee's point of view. This episode explains what they're looking for, how to differentiate yourself if you're in an over-represented demographic or industry bucket, and generally what types of themes successful applicants focus on in their essays.
This episode builds upon the advice covered in episode 16 ("MBA your resume") on how to create an MBA resume that best positions and differentiates your candidacy.
Our host Erika Olson interviews her recent SBC admissions consulting client Mike, who is about to head to Columbia Business School (CBS) after applying to MBA programs during the intense 2020-21 application year that saw record-high application numbers due to COVID. Mike talks about his background, the strengths and weaknesses in his candidacy, how he approached his essays, and how his CBS interview went, and also shares advice for future applicants.
Being able to tell a clear story about your career to date is a critical part of your MBA candidacy. This episode covers what to do if you've worked for several employers within a relatively short timeframe, especially if your career moves don't immediately make sense "on paper." We'll also cover what to do if you've been laid off or fired for a job, or if you worked somewhere for less than a year.
In this follow-up to episode 56, which gave a general overview of European MBA programs, Cathy, an INSEAD graduate and one of Stacy Blackman Consulting's European MBA experts, answers frequently asked questions about MBA programs outside of the US. Topics include the differences between European and US-based MBA experiences, the visa process, the interview process, recruiting information, and more.
This episode covers 5 MBA applicant pitfalls – as in, traits, attitudes or approaches that some MBA applicants take that can ultimately derail their chances of success.
Harvard Business School's essay is open-ended and has no word limit. This episode focuses on how MBA candidates should approach both the content and the length of their response.
This episode covers exactly why extracurriculars are so critical to your MBA candidacy. It also gives advice on what to do if you're light on extracurriculars, volunteer work and community service, from either your college years, your post-graduation years, or both. Our host Erika will discuss if it's worth it to try and beef up this aspect of your MBA candidacy if you plan to apply to business school this year. She'll also address what those in areas of the world still battling COVID can do to ...
In this episode, Chandler Arnold, a Stanford MBA, SBC consultant and social-impact executive, shares advice for those in social-impact careers who are thinking about pursuing an MBA, and discusses what some of the top programs are doing in the social impact space. He also explains SBC's first-of-its-kind MBA Social Impact Accelerator, designed specifically for applicants with nonprofit or social impact backgrounds.
The 2021-2022 MBA application season is officially upon us, with several top business schools having already posted their deadlines, as well as a few programs confirming what their essays will be this year. Now that Round 1 is underway, what should you be doing? How exactly should you begin working on your MBA materials? This episode outlines some of the to do's it makes sense to tackle sooner rather than later.
The 2020-21 MBA application year saw double-digit increases in the number of students applying to business school, driven by uncertainty in the market and job losses due to COVID. Will this year be just as brutally competitive? Our host Erika discusses trends that the Stacy Blackman Consulting team has observed so far as the 2021-22 application cycle kicks off.
In this episode, Erika chats with Ryan Price of the MBA Secrets podcast. Ryan discusses his extremely unique MBA application and GMAT experience, his career, what he's learned from the MBAs he's interviewed for his podcast, and more.
Our host Erika talks with Cathy, an SBC consultant and INSEAD grad, about some of the major European MBA programs and how they compare to US-based programs in terms of the admissions process, acceptance rates, campus experience, post-graduation employment opportunities and more.
In this episode we welcome Stacy Blackman Consulting's EMBA expert, Bill Chinois, to discuss all aspects of executive MBA programs, including why someone might want to consider an EMBA over a part-time or full-time program.
This episode continues the in-depth look we started in episode 22 at research Stacy Blackman Consulting conducted across 22 SBC clients who were admitted to both HBS and Stanford GSB (some this past year, others a few years ago). We discuss the similarities between dual admits and also share how the themes we noticed may or may not have changed this past year due to COVID.
This episode marks the one-year anniversary of B-Schooled's launch, and who better to join us for the occasion than Stacy Blackman herself. Stacy will talk about her entrepreneurial career and how an MBA helped her (and continues to help her) start three companies. She'll also share advice for MBA hopefuls who are looking to run their own firms at some point after graduation, as well as for those who might be approaching the application process with entrepreneurial experience already under their...
This episode takes an in-depth look at research Stacy Blackman Consulting conducted across 22 SBC clients who were admitted to both HBS and Stanford GSB (some this past year, others a few years ago). Over the course of two episodes (this episode and episode 54) we discuss the similarities between dual admits and also share how the themes we noticed may or may not have changed this past year due to COVID.
Obviously not every MBA applicant needs to work with an admissions consultant in order to be successful! However, over the past two decades, 9 types of MBA candidates have emerged that we know we’ll be able to help the most. This episode discusses the buckets those candidates fall into and how an admissions consultant might assist in strengthening their candidacies.
After working so hard on your MBA materials for months on end, it can be shocking and devastating if you are not accepted anywhere. What should you do now? This episode discusses 5 paths forward for MBA hopefuls who were dinged.
This two-part series of episodes outlines 12 things that admitted MBA applicants should do between now and matriculation. Part 2 covers budgeting for your MBA, planning to relocate, and figuring out how to best spend your time between now and matriculation (when you aren’t attending to all of the other to do’s!). As a reminder, in Part 1 (episode 48) we discussed how to head off possible issues with your background check after you’re admitted. If that’s something that concerns you, be sure to ch...
This two-part series of episodes outlines 12 things that admitted MBA applicants should do between now and matriculation. Part 1 covers To Do's related to an applicant's current and future networks, as well as other important actions to take before leaving a job. We also discuss how to head off possible issues with your background check after you’re admitted. If that’s something that concerns you, be sure to check out (on our website under "Work With Us").
If you know you want to pursue an MBA in the future, but that future is still at least a few years away, what could (and should) you do now to build a strong candidacy? This episode gives actionable advice for all aspects of an eventual-applicant's profile.
This episode covers how an MBA applicant's social media behavior might affect his or her candidacy — both positively and negatively.
In this episode we discuss 4 things MBA candidates should consider when facing the “Bird in Hand” dilemma: namely, when they have been admitted to at least one program, but are considering not claiming their spot, forgoing the sure thing and taking the risk of trying again in the future in the hopes of getting into a program they’re even more interested in.
This episode discusses how accepted MBA candidates should go about asking for an increase in merit aid; the four situations a candidate might be in and their associated negotiating tactics; and detailed advice for approaching such an ask over the phone vs. email.
This episode covers 3 reasons why candidates who seem similar on paper could end up with drastically different MBA admissions results.
