Red Herrings - source www.mbawire.blogspot.com
After reflecting on the application process, I’ve produced a list of red herrings–topics or areas that I think first-time applicants can get hung-up on, but ultimately matter very little to the outcome. These come from my observation of other applicants and (sometimes) myself.
1. Essay Formatting - See the Business Week Forum for numerous examples of people stressing out about this. At the basic level, all that matters is whether or not the AdComm can read your application. If you stick with sensible fonts (Arial, Times, Tahoma, etc.) in sensible sizes (10-12 pt) and follow the spacing they ask for (most apps are double, a few were single), you’ll be fine. I.e. follow the guidelines for good business writing.
2. Timing the Rounds - Personally, I still believe that the whole Round 1 versus Round 2 is a red herring, and I still believe you should apply when you feel the time is right. I pushed hard to apply to many schools in Round 1, mainly because I felt pressure to know the outcomes soon enough to sell my property (if accepted). As it turns out, I’ve had enough time after the R2 decision to sell the property (albeit under a bit of pressure), so this was a slight miscalculation on my part. Still, if I had it all to do over again, I would have submitted several apps in R1 because [I felt] they were ready to be submitted.
The reason I think this is a red herring is that your applications are not judged in isolation, and I think it’s impossible to “time the market”–to know how strong the other applicants will be for each round, for any particular school. Save yourself the mental gymnastics, focus on your essays, and submit the application when it’s ready.
3. School Visit
This is a half red herring. In retrospect, I do think it is useful to visit as many schools as possible prior to applying. Let’s be honest: all schools look pretty much the same, if you’re only going by their websites and online brochures. Sure, Wharton is “strong in finance” and Chicago gives students “acadmic freedom” and Kellogg “focuses on teamwork”, but those are just very general marketing slogans. Visiting a school helps you personalize (remember that word: personalize; I think it’s one of the keys to successful apps) why you want to attend a program, which is good.
On the other hand, the issue of whether or not to visit a school can be a red herring in the sense that it isn’t a decision point for AdComms. I think very few schools track whether you have visited or use that information in a final decision, except in all but the most borderline cases. So if you’re stressing about whether you “have” to visit a school, you don’t. In my opinion.
4. GMAT 700+ - If you get around the school’s average GMAT (about 700 for most top programs), you’re fine. I absolutely believe that spending time to push a 690 to a 720+ is a huge waste. I believe that spending time to push a 690 to a 790 will result in very, very little difference in admissions outcome (unless you’re trying to compensate for a very low GPA). I am certain that schools will take an interesting candidate with great essays and a 690 over an interesting candidate with okay essays and an 800, any day of the week.
Of course, the lower the GMAT, the more serious an issue it becomes, but I think that most applicants need to remember that the GMAT is not used to judge the quality of the applicant, but only whether or not they can handle the academic rigor. That’s it.
5. Optional Essays - Look it up in the dictionary. Optional means optional. If you don’t have a good answer to give, don’t waste space (and reader time) with an essay.
6. Recs from Current Bosses - Based on my experiences, talking to others, and the feedback I received, there is no problem getting recommendations from former colleagues and managers rather than your current manager. Especially in the current economic climate, schools don’t penalize you for not jeopardizing your job. All the schools want is to get a personal view of what it is to work with you. Plus, the recs don’t matter that much, anyway.
7. Career Success - This is an odd thing to put for a red herring, but since I feel it tripped me up, I included it. From my perspective, schools undervalue career success (and overvalue introspection–but that’s another post). That is, in retrospect I think that they would choose an essaist who’s had a failing career so far, reflected on his failures a lot, and decided to jump ship to a different career, over an applicant who’s put together a string of successes and not had to change much to do it. In one sense, the former is preferrable–it demonstrates that the candidate is flexible and can learn from their experiences. But on the other hand, what if they’re just learning the things that the second candidate already knew (i.e. how to be successful, how to deliver results, etc.).
I don’t want to go off on a screed here, because obviously I would much lean towards the latter candidate, but anyway, I’ve made my point.
8. Extracurricular Activities - I think applicants stress out waaay too much about these. If you have many of them, great, that’s a moderate plus in your direction. If you’ve only done a few, don’t sweat it, they’re really not that big a deal.
Let me put it this way: I did two minor extracurricular activities during college, and one or two since graduating. From the feedback I got (and my gut sense) that was not considered a negative in my app. I think substantial extracurriculars are only critical if you do not have any management experience on your job (in which case, they’re an acceptable avenue for demonstrating leadership).
Don’t stress about not having fed the homeless, sheltered the poor, or whatever. If you have done those things, first, pat yourself on the back, and second, understand they don’t count for a lot by themselves.
That’s about it. If you find yourself stressing about any of the above points, take a step back and ask yourself “will this really affect the outcome of my app?”
Source www.mbawire.blogspot.com
