A dedicated international management degree is best suited for those who necessarily want a career abroad, while an MBA with international opportunities is best for students who would like to leave their options open.
Second Part of the Series - Top MBA in International Management
Harvard Business School has published the MBA Admission Event Details for August 2013. Here are the summary of the events.
Admissions Q&A Webinar – Aug 14th 12:00 pm EST
Silicon Valley Outreach – Aug 15th 6:00-8:00pm PT
Campus Tour – Aug 16th Starts 1:00 pm
Information Session – Aug 16th Aldrich 2:00 pm EST
Learn More about August 2013 HBS MBA Admission Events
I got a 610 in the GMAT and I was wondering which top schools would be willing to accept a student like me. A little back ground on me. Female from India, currently residing in Boston Massachusetts I have an engineering degree with a 3.6 GPA and I have 5 years experience. Presently I am a Business Analyst and I am also involved in many community services through work. I have taken the GMAT twice and both the times I have scored 610 despite intense preparations. I would like to go to either Tuck or Harvard mainly because I like the Case Method approach.
Please advise if I should even bother to apply to these schools if not which other schools should I be looking into?
Read the Expert Answer from Maxx Duffy
Leadership and Organizational Behavior (LEAD), Field Immersion Experiences for Leadership Development (FIELD) and leadership Courses in the MBA Program provides the Foundation for Leadership Development at Harvard MBA Program.
Learn More!
Simulations require collaboration with team members and teach students to think for the team and effectively communicate with each other. The Games can be broadly categorized based on the learning function – Communication, Finance, Sustainability, Leadership & Teamwork, Marketing, Strategy, Supply Chain, Change Management, Venture Capital, Entrepreneurship, Economics and Pricing, and Statistics.
Here are some of the Best Simulation games used in top Business Schools.
CommonBond is a startup founded by Wharton Alumni. Interest rates are just 6.24%, lower than the lowest Federal loan rate of 6.8%. Private loan rates go even higher, averaging around 12%. Learn more about Funding your Wharton MBA.
The Arthur Rock Center for Entrepreneurship has announced a one-time award of $10,000 to each of the 2013 graduating MBA student who is committed in starting an entrepreneurial venture. This is a need-based award and is aimed at for-profit startup ventures. The winner will be decided by the Rock Center. In addition to the award, the student will be eligible for regular MBA Financial Aid.
Join the Harvard MBA Admissions team in Montreal on 29th August 2012.
Phone: 617-495-6128
E-mail: admissevents@hbs.edu
Date: 29th Aug 2012
Time: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Location: McKinsey & Company
1250 Rene-Levesque Blvd. West
44th Floor
Montréal, QC H3B 4W2, Canada
Registration Open From: 07 Aug 2012 07:00 PM - 28 Aug 2012 07:00 PM ET
How should I prepare for MBA Admissions Interview? What are the skills, personalities and fit that top schools like Harvard, Stanford and Wharton are trying to figure out through the interview? Are there any additional aspect of my application that should be highlighted in the interview or consistency is the key?
Best Admission Interview Tips for Harvard, Stanford and Wharton
Q) The NEW Harvard MBA Application Essay requires the candidate to submit an essay, 24 hours after the Interview. Is it possible for a candidate to plan for this essay?
Alex Chu (MBA
Apply): Many people will fall into this trap of trying to pre-write the essay.
DO NOT DO THIS.
That's why they are asking this essay in the first place. They want to know how you follow up based on what happened in the interview. Adcoms can sense quickly if something is pre-written: it's either too vague and generic, or it's covering material in such a decorated and stage managed way that it's obvious someone spent way too much time trying to manicure every single sentence and to contrive an example that had nothing to do with what happened in the interview.
There are two types of MBA programs – General MBA and Specialized MBA program. If you have read F1GMAT’s article - MBA Specialize or Generalize, you will understand that the choice of General or Specialized MBA program depends on your background, career goals and practical application of the program.
800 words in Total —let’s discuss the fact that you will need to be very, very economical in your use of these words.
1) Map out all of the things that HBS needs to know about you and then figure out how those stories can be told through other parts of the application.
First, I would like to clear up some rumors regarding the new HBS MBA Application Essay for the 2012-2013 season:
Harvard Business School dropped one spot to 2nd rank in the latest US News MBA ranking, just behind Stanford. According to Businessweek, Harvard has upheld the 2nd spot. In the Economist MBA ranking, HBS has improved its ranking by one position from 5th to 4th and in the Financial Times MBA Ranking 2011, HBS has maintained 3rd place.
F1GMAT is honored to have Chioma
Isiadinso, a former Harvard Business School admissions board member
and a former director of admissions at Carnegie Mellon University. She
is the CEO of EXPARTUS®, LLC, a global admission consulting company, and the author of The Best Business Schools’ Admissions Secrets.
1.Tell us a little bit about yourself
I am passionate about education and empowering people to achieve their dreams by accessing the best schools possible. This mindset was influenced by my experience being raised by two Ph.D. parents and growing up in university environments where my dad taught. I also have a strong affinity for anything international…I love meeting people from different parts of the world and learning about different cultures. I suspect that this interest comes from being born in Nigeria, growing up in the US and currently living in London.
Harvard MBA is the most sought after MBA program in the world. Your normal MBA Admissions Interview prep will not work. You have to clearly understand what Harvard MBA Admissions team is trying to evaluate with the Interview. Stacy Blackman, a veteran in MBA Admissions Consulting, has written a comprehensive Interview Guide for Harvard MBA Aspirants.
What you can Expect in Harvard MBA Admissions Interview Guide?
1) Discusses qualities that Harvard MBA AdCom are seeking
2) The format and typical questions asked in the Interview
3) Over 150 Sample Interview Questions
4) Sample answers for the Interview along with detailed Analysis.
5) Provides exercises to prepare for the Interview
Buy Harvard Business School MBA Admissions Interview Guide
Did you know that you can visit Harvard Business School and attend info sessions at 4:15 pm on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays throughout the year. No registration is required. The only exception is when the MBA Admissions Office is closed.
MBA Admissions Team led Campus Tours
Day: Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays
Time: 4:15 pm
View Schedule and Locations For More Details
Student-led Campus Tours
Day: Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays
Time: 3:00 pm
View Schedule and Locations For More Details
What is covered in the MBA Admissions Team assisted Campus Tour?
Harvard MBA Admissions interview are conducted by the MBA Admissions Board member on campus, via Skype or in domestic or international cities (closest to your current place of residence). Learn about the style of interview, selection criteria and tips on answering the questions confidently. Read More!
F1GMAT's Winning MBA Essay guide will teach you how to transform your essay into a life journey with trials and tribulations that will move the admission team.
+ Over 245 Sample Essays (Read Previews of F1GMAT's Winning MBA Essay Guide Sample Essays here)
F1GMAT's Essay Guides
Harvard MBA Essay Guide (20 Sample Essays)
Example #1: Persistence Narrative
Background Information: The applicant – a design and music talent, shares her journey through several setbacks. She attributes curiosity to her growth.
Curiosity: Philosophy
Curiosity (Explained): Curiosity as a philosophy is tough to translate into a narrative unless you are from the creative industry or your contributions had an influence on a solution or an initiative.
MBA Essay Strategy: I wanted to capture the humanity of the applicant and her influence in music instead of just highlighting how she overcame multiple roadblocks to gain attention as a designer.
Theme: Persistence
Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Life Starts at NO (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)
Example #2: International Community Building
Background Information: The applicant, a Machine Learning (ML) entrepreneur specializing in healthcare diagnostics, shares how his curiosity to learn other ML algorithms’ evolution in diagnosing Alzheimer’s, cancer, and heart disease transformed his platform into a global community.
MBA Essay Strategy: I wanted to show the applicant’s contributions in diagnostic from 2020 to 2024 by citing two events. Such examples build credibility instead of engagements that were recent. The evolution of the platform from an AI development community to a community for discussing the application of AI in diagnostics is captured through a ‘curiosity’ angle.
Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Growth through Collaboration (AI in Healthcare) (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)
Example #3: Culture
Background Information: The applicant, an Entrepreneur from India narrates his first entrepreneurial experience – facilitating exchange of stamps in the late 1990s.
Theme: Culture
MBA Essay Strategy: Instead of addressing the biases in the investor community that could turn preachy, I wanted to focus on the applicant and his entrepreneurial journey by citing two entrepreneurial experiences – a platform(club) for stamp collection and his Grocery delivery App.
Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – The American Dream (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)
Example #4: Addiction
Background Information: The applicant – a beneficiary of the foster home system, captures the sacrifice his adopted grandparents made to save him from a path of addiction. Paying it back through early intervention among teenagers and community engagement is the curiosity narrative.
Theme: Addiction
MBA Essay Strategy: My strategy is to capture a gratitude narrative in the first one-third of the essay to demonstrate motivation for starting the venture and dedicate the latter part of the essay to the unique solution
Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Drug Addiction and Gaming (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)
Example #5: Scarcity
Background Information: The applicant, an education major, recognizes that 70% of all students in Kenya don’t have a computer. The curiosity that drives him to pivot from one solution to another is the growth narrative.
Theme: Innovation
MBA Essay Strategy: Often, innovation is captured with a ‘hero’ narrative where the applicant is the sole originator of an idea. I wanted to break that cliché and include a person from whom the applicant learned to use a concept called ‘scaffolding.’
Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Scarcity (Growth-Oriented HBS Essay Example)
Example #6: FinTech
Background Information: The applicant captures a vulnerable moment of a beneficiary to compare his journey of side hustle before a technology giant noticed his talent. Although cryptocurrency is not a flavor for the year, capture niches where innovation is still happening.
Theme: Education, Child Welfare
MBA Essay Strategy: Empathizing with a techno solution is tough without a strong backstory around the beneficiary. For the essay, I wanted to clearly establish the beneficiary – Rami, before the applicant narrates the similarities to his journey and finally shares the solution that emerged from his curiosity.
Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – FinTech as a Tool for Good (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)
Example #7: Learning from the best
Background Information: The applicant – a Remote Engineer in the Oil and Gas industry, reflects on a value that has helped her learn from the best regardless of her geographical limitations.
Theme: Learning
MBA Essay Strategy: The effectiveness of the case-study method depends on the assumption that peers in a Harvard MBA class will help elevate your learning experience. For the essay, I have highlighted the applicant’s recognition of this value proposition with three examples.
Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Learning from the Best (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)
Example #8: Military & Search for IMPACT
Background Information: The most common narrative for US military applicants is to quote 9/11 and the reaction your immediate family had while watching the events unfold. The horrifying moment is captured as a motivation to join the Military. On digging deeper, most applicants would share that their motivations were diverse.
Theme: Career Choice
MBA Essay Strategy: I wanted to quickly highlight that the applicant had the choice of entering any industry. One achievement to demonstrate his curiosity that I shared in the first half is the invention of a game. Since the game is mentioned in the resume and verifiable through search, I didn’t quote the name. By clearly highlighting the person’s curiosity and career options, the family legacy is used as a factor in joining the military.
Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Career Choice after a Military Career (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)
Leadership-Focused Essay: What experiences have shaped who you are, how you invest in others, and what kind of leader you want to become? (up to 250 words)
Example #9: Small Business Values
Background Information: The applicant - a second-generation Asian American, is familiar with the values of fiscal conservatism, building relationships, and understanding the daily struggles of the community through his family’s department store.
Theme: Customer-Centric
MBA Essay Strategy: The applicant’s role in developing an App for the store is highlighted in the essay at a crucial part of the narrative so that the essay is not all about his father. I have also humanized the journey – by sharing how upset the father was when the revenues fell by 40%. The essay is about the transformation in the applicant’s value from a person chasing productivity and optimization technique to someone who is truly thinking about the customers.
Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Small Business Values (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)
Example #10: Breaking Away from Family Business
Background Information: A unique challenge that applicants whose parents are public figures or CXOs of businesses or entrepreneurs are the pressure to live up to the parent’s standards or milestones. For the leadership narrative, the burden of legacy is established before the narrative addresses his leadership principles.
Theme: Authenticity
MBA Essay Strategy: For the essay, I want to capture an entrepreneur’s journey to rise above his entrepreneur father’s image. But I didn’t want to make the entire essay about this complex dynamics. The narrative is around the applicant’s focus on customers and surrounding with teams who keeps him grounded.
Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Breaking Away from Family Business(Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)
Example #11: Creativity and Communication
Background Information: When the overall percentage of users with internet access is 62% in South Africa and the inequality accentuated by the rural and urban divide, the applicant endured the lack of digital infrastructure, and spending close to 22% of the family income on gaining relevant information on schools, global exams, and financial assistance.
Theme: Creativity, Communication
MBA Essay Strategy: The strategy is to share why the applicant values no distraction in a child’s home for optimum education experience. Then I highlight the many roadblocks the applicant’s non-profit faced in receiving fee waiver for their cooperative run ISP.
Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Non-Profit (Telecom) (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)
Example #12: Mental Health
Background Information: The applicant like most didn’t pay much attention to the mental health epidemic until tragedy hit home.
Theme: Communication, Innovation
MBA Essay Strategy: A question we frequently get from applicants is whether they should cite tragedy in the family as a motivation for a venture or a non-profit initiative. As long as you don’t linger too much on the tragedy and offer a balanced narrative, there are no restrictions on leveraging unique stories from your life.
Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Mental Health (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)
Example #13: Trauma, Healing & Finding Authentic Self
Background Information: The applicant narrates the absurdity of war in the narrative about the duties in Kabul, and the trauma. Instead of wallowing in on the horror, the applicant takes what makes military applicants strong and guides unprivileged children build life and leadership skills.
Theme: Resilience
MBA Essay Strategy: Capturing PTSD in an essay, the healing process, and the cues that helped the applicant are too sacred to be shared in a Harvard MBA application essay. However, with the right motivation and narrative arcs, you can capture the essence of your journey without sharing the darkest secrets. That is what I did by merging two stories – the horrors of the war with a non-profit engagement.
Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Military & PTSD (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)
Example #14: Addiction, Setback and Leadership Mantra
Background Information: In this narrative, the applicant captures Peru’s Silver mining boom of 2006. The growth experienced in her father’s business shifted the family’s economic status to a new stratosphere. Through the changing economic and family dynamics, the applicant finds her voice in a unique way, initially to record her unheard voice but later as one of the youngest subject matter experts in mining and commodities.
Theme: Failure
MBA Essay Strategy: For the essay, the strategy is to show how life’s unpredictability is a blessing. By narrating two setback events, the essay demonstrates the applicant’s resilience and her acknowledgment of people who made a comeback possible.
Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Addiction, Setback and Leadership Mantra (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)
Example #15: War, Immigration and Starting Over Again
Background Information: Despite a raging war in Syria, the family of the applicant was unblemished by the chaos. The strategic government assets near the applicant’s house would have made the region an easy target, but it was not. The calmness of her journey is shattered in one event. From the privileges of a cocooned life, the applicant is forced to think about survival, her sister’s future, and her future in the US. The second half of the narrative captures the change that was forced on her.
Theme: Gratitude, Resilience
MBA Essay Strategy: I consciously chose not to start the essay with a dialogue or trauma. Two lines are allocated to set up the narrative before the trauma event.
Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – War, Immigration and Starting Over Again (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)
Harvard MBA Business-Minded Essay: Please reflect on how your experiences have influenced your career choices and aspirations and the impact you will have on the businesses, organizations, and communities you plan to serve. (up to 300 words)
Example #16: Creative or Finance
Background Information: The applicant starts the narrative with the origin of her talents. The unbridled enthusiasm receives a reality check when in high school, the applicant’s father has a conversation with her about academics. While the applicant picked up her quant skills, she was reaching over 50,000 loyal fans, and her videos captured 1 million views.
Theme: Passion, Talent
MBA Essay Strategy: Capturing vulnerability is the toughest part for Harvard MBA applicants. For this essay example, I have captured the applicant’s uncertainty about career choice throughout the essay. Here the goal is to show vulnerability in the career choice essay while for leadership and growth essay, I could capture one example each from creative and PE industry respectively to balance the narrative. So don’t follow this example without a strategy.
Read: Harvard MBA Business-Minded Essay – Creative or Finance (Business-Minded HBS MBA Essay Example)
F1GMAT Premium
Salary Trends (3 Years):
F1GMAT's Services
I will teach you how to bring your life stories to essays faster with F1GMAT's essay guides. Download below or subscribe to F1GMAT's Service and work with me - Atul Jose, Author/Editor/Founding Consultant, F1GMAT(16 Years of helping applicants gain admissions to M7 and Top 30 schools)