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Hosted by linda abraham
Hosted by linda abraham
4 episodes with linda abraham
4 episodes with linda abraham
3 episodes with linda abraham
2 episodes with linda abraham
In this episode of Admission Straight Talk, Linda Abraham interviews Dr. Christy Bozic, the Executive Director of Duke University's Masters of Engineering Management (MEM) program. They discuss the unique aspects of the MEM program, including its focus on blending technical engineering skills with business acumen, the differences between online and in-person formats, and the importance of professionalism in engineering management. Dr. Bozic shares insights into the admissions process, the challenges faced by online students, and the incorporation of AI into the curriculum. The conversation also touches on the new co-op program and future directions for the MEM program.TakeawaysDuke's MEM program is one of the oldest and largest in the field.The program aims to equip engineers with business skills.Online and in-person programs share core courses but differ in delivery.Residency requirements enhance networking and community building for online students.Time management is a key challenge for online students.Professionalism is emphasized through five core principles.The admissions process is the same for both online and in-person programs.Video introductions help applicants showcase their personality.AI is integrated into the curriculum to prepare students for future challenges.The new co-op program offers practical experience opportunities for students.Relevant Resources:Dukes' Masters of Engineering Management (MEM)Applying to Graduate Engineering Programs: What You Need to KnowHow to Get Accepted to Graduate Engineering ProgramsHow to Write Your Master's in Engineering Statement of PurposeAdmissions Straight Talk Ranks in Feedspot Higher Ed Podcast RankingRelated Admissions Straight Talk Episodes:Duke's Master of Engineering ManagementStanford's MCiM Combines Technology, Healthcare, and BusinessBerkeley Haas' Master of Financial Engineering ProgramWhat's New at Cornell's Masters in Engineering ManagementAll You Need To Know When Follow UsYouTubeFacebookLinkedInContact Uswww.accepted.comsupport@accepted.com+1 (310) 815-9553
In this episode of Admissions Straight Talk, host Linda Abraham interviews Dr. LeeAnna Muzquiz, Associate Dean for Admissions at the University of Washington School of Medicine (UWSOM). Dr. Muzquiz, a graduate of UWSOM and a family physician with ties to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, discusses the unique five-state WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho) curriculum, which allows students to complete their foundational training in their home states.The School of Medicine emphasizes training for rural and underserved communities, offering special programs like TRUST (Targeted Rural and Underserved Scholar Track) and CUSP (Community Urban Scholars Program) aimed at fostering future physicians committed to these populations. Dr. Muzquiz highlights the comprehensive and transparent admissions process at UWSOM, including the importance of personal storytelling in applications and interviews. Follow UsYouTubeFacebookLinkedInContact Uswww.accepted.comsupport@accepted.com+1 (310) 815-9553
Welcome to the 600th episode of Admissions Straight Talk! In this milestone episode, host Linda Abraham sits down with Dr. Michelle Schmude, Vice Provost for Enrollment Management and Professor of Medical Education at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, to explore the innovative and comprehensive Total Health Curriculum.Dr. Schmude shares how this evidence-based program prepares medical students for the complexities of 21st-century healthcare through early clinical experiences, team-based learning, and a focus on systems-based and humanistic medicine.Listeners will also learn about exciting updates at Geisinger, including the evolution to Geisinger College of Health Sciences and its impact on healthcare education, as well as details on the Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program, which allows students to graduate debt-free in exchange for service in underserved areas.Relevant Links:Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Med School Admissions: What you Need to Know to Get AcceptedEvaluating a Situational Judgment Test for Use in Medical School Admissions: Two Years of AAMC PREview Exam Administration DataRelated Shows:Accepted: Your Guide to CU School of Medicine An Interview With the Temple Katz School of Medicine Admissions Dean NYMC: How to Get InHow to Write Essays That Will Get You Into Medical SchoolFollow UsYouTubeFacebookLinkedInContact Uswww.accepted.comsupport@accepted.com+1 (310) 815-9553
In this episode of Admissions Straight Talk, host Linda Abraham interviews Dr. Jeffrey SooHoo, Assistant Dean for Admissions at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. They discuss the unique aspects of the Colorado medical curriculum, including the new Trek curriculum, the importance of longitudinal integrated clerkships, and the various tracks available for students. Dr. SooHoo also shares insights into the secondary application process, the role of the CASPER test, and the criteria for interview invitations. The conversation highlights common mistakes applicants make, the importance of research experience, and the support systems in place for medical students. Dr. SooHoo emphasizes the competitive nature of medical school admissions and the holistic review process used to evaluate applicants.Takeaways:The Colorado School of Medicine has a unique Trek curriculum launched in 2021.Longitudinal integrated clerkships allow for deeper relationships with preceptors and patients.Students can choose from various tracks, including rural medicine and global health.The secondary application focuses on value alignment with the school's pillars: leadership, curiosity, and commitment.CASPER is used to assess non-cognitive competencies in applicants.The admissions process is highly competitive, with many qualified applicants not receiving offers.Interviews are conducted virtually and include both group and individual assessments.Research experience is beneficial but not mandatory for applicants.Common mistakes include not understanding the competitiveness of admissions and failing to tell a cohesive story in applications.Support systems like Compass Guides help students navigate their medical education.Relevant Links:University of Colorado School of MedicineAccepted's Med School Calculator QuizRelated Shows:Washington University School of MedicineDeep Dive Into Duke Medical: An Interview with Associate Dean Linton YeeDuke's Physician Assistant ProgramGetting Into Med School Isn't Easy…But This Applicant Did It! Follow UsYouTubeFacebookLinkedInContact Uswww.accepted.comsupport@accepted.com+1 (310) 815-9553
With so many great MBA programs out there, how do you choose which to apply to? Linda Abraham is the founder of Accepted, which has advised college and graduate admissions since 1994. In this episode, Linda shares her process for developing an MBA program list and figuring out which programs you should apply to according to your application factors like your goals, test scores, previous work experience, and more. Accepted has a new graduate school admissions guide: Fitting In and Standing Out. Access it here for free - https://accepted.com/FISO Achievable's GRE prep course uses AI-powered adaptive learning to target your weak areas and boost your score - visit https://achievable.me/exams/gre/overview/#s=podcast to try it for free.
In this episode of Admissions Straight Talk, host Linda Abraham shares a strategic framework for a successful MBA application, with tips that can benefit applicants to any program. She discusses how to choose the right schools to apply to, demonstrate your knowledge of the programs you are applying to, effectively present yourself throughout the application, and review the application materials before submission.Follow UsYouTubeFacebookLinkedInContact Uswww.accepted.comsupport@accepted.com+1 (310) 815-9553
With undergrad institutions including Harvard, Stanford, and MIT re-instating testing requirements for undergrad, should graduate schools follow? Linda Abraham is the founder of Accepted, which has advised college and graduate admissions since 1994. In this episode, Linda walks you through the test-optional landscape as it is today, and shares her advice for what you should do when applying to a test-optional graduate program. Accepted has a new graduate school admissions guide: Fitting In and Standing Out. Access it here for free - https://accepted.com/FISO Achievable's GRE prep course uses AI-powered adaptive learning to target your weak areas and boost your score - visit https://achievable.me/exams/gre/overview/#s=podcast to try it for free.
This week, Linda Abraham welcomes Dean Shane Cooper, Senior Associate Dean for Admissions, Financial Aid and Student Services at Cornell School of Law. Dean Cooper shares insights into the admissions process at Cornell Law School, emphasizing the mutual goal of finding the right fit between the school and the applicant. We discuss the benefits of small class sizes, close faculty interaction, and strong international programs. Despite its Ithaca location, the school offers abundant opportunities for experiential learning. Dean Cooper explains that Cornell accepts LSAT, GRE, or GMAT scores without preference, with financial aid linked to the strength of these scores. He highlights the importance of diverse experiences and well-rounded characters in applicants, and we explore how interviews, re-applicant growth, and the Why Cornell essay play significant roles in the admissions process. Dean Cooper underscores Cornell Law's commitment to opening doors for students and making a positive impact on the legal community.Mentioned in today's episode:Cornell Law School JD ProgramAre You Ready for Law School?, Accepted's Free Law School Admissions Quiz Related Admissions Straight Talk episodes:How to Get Into George Washington School of Law How to Get into Washington University in St. Louis School of LawHow to Get into USC Gould School of LawJD-Next: A Great Option for Law School ApplicantsHow to Get into the University of Chicago Law SchoolFollow UsYouTubeFacebookLinkedInContact Uswww.accepted.comsupport@accepted.com+1 (310) 815-9553
In this episode, Linda Abraham invites Accepted consultants Esmeralda Cardenal and Kelly Wilson to discuss the updates to the Harvard Business School application and provide insights into how applicants can approach the essays. They emphasize that HBS is still looking for leaders who have made an impact and can grow in any environment. While the criteria may be similar to before, the way applicants communicate their experiences has changed. The panelists advise applicants to focus on the entire application, not just the essays, and to demonstrate growth, leadership, and curiosity throughout. They also discuss the potential impact of the new essay requirements and the importance of authenticity in the application process.Relevant Links: Sign up for a Free consultation with an Accepted expert.Esmeralda Cardenal, Consultant profileNatalie Grinblatt Epstein, Consultant profileMichelle Stockman, Consultant profileKelly Wilson, Consultant profileRelated Admissions Straight Talk shows: Do You Have the Spike for Toronto Rotman?MIT Sloan: For Rising Executives Considering an MBAHow to get into Berkeley HaasWhat's New at Penn's The Wharton School. And How to Get InFollow UsYouTubeFacebookLinkedInContact Uswww.accepted.comsupport@accepted.com+1 (310) 815-9553
In this episode, Linda Abraham interviews Dean Sophia Sim of George Washington School of Law. They discuss various aspects of the law school admissions process, including what makes a standout personal statement, the importance of a balanced program, the acceptance of alternative standardized tests, the use of AI tools in the application process, and the introduction of interviews at GW Law. Relevant Links:George Washington University Law School AdmissionsAre You Ready for Law School? (Accepted's free Law School Admissions Quiz)Free Consultation with an Accepted ExpertRelated Shows:How to Get into Washington University in St. Louis School of Law How to Get into USC Gould School of LawJD-Next: A Great Option for Law School ApplicantsHow to Get into the University of Chicago Law SchoolNavigating the Law School Admissions ProcessFollow UsYouTubeFacebookLinkedInContact Uswww.accepted.comsupport@accepted.com+1 (310) 815-9553
In this episode of Admissions Straight Talk, host Linda Abraham interviews Yael Bruk, a recent graduate from Binghamton University who was accepted to multiple medical schools. Yael shares her advice for pre-med students, including the importance of taking notes during clinical experiences and writing down meaningful stories to include in applications. She also discusses her own journey straight from college to medical school, including her exploration of different career paths within the healthcare field and her decision to major in biology and philosophy. Yael emphasizes the importance of staying organized during the application process. She also offers tips for preparing for medical school interviews, such as reviewing common interview questions and taking a moment to think before answering difficult questions. Free Application Resources
Show Summary In this episode, Linda Abraham interviews Darrell Nabers, Assistant Dean for Admissions and Recruitment at Loyola University of Chicago, Stritch School of Medicine. They discuss the distinctive elements of the Loyola Stritch approach to medical education, the importance of faith and compassion in the application process, the impact of AI on medical education, and the timing of the medical school application process. Darrell emphasizes the importance of being ready and not comparing oneself to others in the application process. He also advises applicants to seek advice from reliable sources and to focus on their own journey rather than succumbing to the fear of missing out. Show Notes Welcome to the 580th episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for joining me. Are you ready to apply to your dream medical schools? Are you competitive at your target programs? Accepted's med school admissions quiz can give you a quick reality check. Just go to accepted.com/medquiz, complete the quiz, and you'll not only get an assessment, but tips on how to improve your chances of acceptance. Plus, it's all free. Our guest today, Darrell Nabers is a return guest. He's the Assistant Dean for Admissions and Recruitment at Loyola University of Chicago, Stritch School of Medicine. Darrell earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from Whittier College and Golden Gate University, respectively. He then held various admissions positions from 2000 to 2005 before joining the University of Chicago's admissions staff. There, he served in different roles until 2015. He joined Loyola College Stritch in 2015 as Director of Admissions and became Assistant Dean for Admissions and Recruitment in February 2019. Darrell, welcome back to Admissions Straight Talk. [2:12] Good to see you again, Linda. Thank you for having me back. To start, can you give everybody an overview of the distinctive elements to the Loyola Stritch approach to medical education? [2:27] Well, we're one of four Jesuit medical schools in the country so I think that by virtue of that, there tends to be an understanding within the collective consideration of our institution about the path to medicine being similar to that of one who discerns their vocation very comprehensively. So within the scope of that discernment, we apply a lot of the same principles that might be applied in any kind of Jesuit environment, which is to obviously think of others first in supporting efforts that are more social justice oriented, being a global thinker, to be proactive and engaged when you sense or see a problem, that you don't resist the urge to do something about it, that you are putting into motion perhaps an understanding of the situation, and then utilizing your resources to understand what needs to be done, and then pursuing a path to mitigate that which you see as an injustice or an inadequacy or an inefficiency. And I believe that within the scope of that also is the added element of compassion for others, not just that you're supporting the goals of others, that you're helping others, but that you have a passion to do that and a passion to build equality among populations where that may not be the case. So if you apply that Jesuit ideal within the realm of education, which is where I'm pursuing my doctorate. I'm about a year away, but the thing that helped me affirm the sort of Jesuit pedagogy is taking classes myself, not in the medical school, but adjacent in another program because then I could understand the pedagogical link. I could understand reflection as a means to solve problems, I can then understand why principally we focus our efforts on underserved populations, because of the opportunity that exists to help a great number who are underserved, but also the potential to mitigate further consequences as a result of their being ignored. These are all essential elements of the Jesuit culture.
Show Summary In this episode, Linda Abraham discusses successful secondary applications for medical school. She highlights the key differences between primary and secondary applications and provides 6 tips for submitting a successful secondary application. Additionally, Linda offers practical advice on when to submit and how to write concisely to meet word or character limits as well as how to check these crucial documents before you hit SUBMIT. Show Notes Welcome to the 578th episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for tuning in. Are you ready to apply to your dream medical schools? Are you competitive at your target programs? Accepted's Med School Admissions Quiz will give you a quick reality check. Just go to accepted.com/medquiz, complete the quiz, and you will not only get an assessment of your chances, but tips on how to improve them. And it's all free. Today is going to be a solo show, and we're going to be discussing successful secondaries. Given that the show is airing on May 28th and AMCAS is just starting to process the primary applications today, I think the show is extraordinarily timely. You can't submit your secondaries yet if you don't have them, but for those of you who submitted or will submit early, in other words, your primary application sometime in June, this show really couldn't be better timed. For those of you planning to submit later in the cycle, you can take advantage of it as soon as you submit your primary applications, and there may be even a tip or two for you regarding the primary in the course of the show. So if you are in either group, perhaps you submit it today or will submit very shortly, or perhaps you're the parent or significant other of someone in either of these two groups, in other words, somebody submitting early or somebody submitting later in this cycle, congratulations, you or a very important person to you is progressing down the path to medical school and achievement of his or her career dreams. Now, applicants still have a long, grueling journey in front of them, but the next leg consists of the secondary applications, and that's the topic of today's show, which as I mentioned, I'm going to present. It's going to be a solo show. Going back to the timeliness part of the show, once you have submitted your primary, give yourself a day or two off. Don't even think about medical school applications. If you have to study, study for school. If you can take a break, take a break, go to the beach, go for a hike, do whatever you love to do, and then start pre-writing your secondaries. You had your break, get back to business. Secondary application questions tend to change little from year to year, and one thing that is very consistent is that they come in a deluge, and if you can have drafts of essays ready for final tweaks for the programs that you are most interested in, especially if those programs automatically send out secondaries without any screening, you'll have a much easier time when those secondary applications start raining down upon you. And your essay responses – your applications – will probably be of better quality if at least some or most of those essays are pre-written and written at a time when you don't have the time pressure you're inevitably going to experience when the deluge starts. Primary vs. secondary applications [3:51] Now, let's start by discussing conceptually what secondary applications are and the similarities and differences between them and the primary applications that you have been working so hard on or will be shortly working so hard on. For those of you new to the process, for MD applicants, secondary applications are sent out after medical schools have received your AMCAS or your primary application. It could be the AACOMAS, the TMDSAS... Actually, I think TDMDSAS doesn't send secondaries. It does it simultaneously. But for MD applicants, secondary applications are sent out after medical scho...
Show Summary In this episode of Admissions Straight Talk, Linda Abraham interviews Andrea McHale, the Director of Admissions for the Michigan Ross MBA program. They discuss the unique elements of the Ross MBA program, such as its action-based learning principles and emphasis on impact. Andrea also provides advice for MBA applicants, including the importance of showcasing impact in the application, preparing for interviews, and addressing weaknesses or gaps in the application. Show Notes Welcome to the 576th episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for listening. You've seen the stats that most people have a great return on their MBA investment, but what about you? Are you going to see that return? How much will it be? We've created a tool that will help you assess whether the MBA is likely to be a good investment for you individually. Just go to accepted.com/mbaroicalc, complete the brief questionnaire and you'll not only get an assessment, but the opportunity to calculate different scenarios and it's all free. It gives me great pleasure to have on Admissions Straight Talk for the first time, Andrea McHale, Director of the Michigan Ross Full-time MBA and Global MBA Admissions. Andrea has 10 years of industry experience in marketing, sales and supply chain management within the healthcare and automotive industries. In 2013, she transitioned to education administration. Before joining the Ross MBA team, she worked as the Director of Admissions for Michigan State University's Broad MBA program. She has a BA and MBA from Michigan State, an MS from the University of Michigan and is currently pursuing her doctorate of business administration from the University of Florida. Pretty impressive. Andrea, welcome to Admissions Straight Talk. [2:14] Thank you for the super generous welcome. Yes, I'm also a student, so anyone who chats with me, we can talk about the pros and cons of going back to school as someone that's been in the workforce for a while, but I definitely have a bias towards a full-time MBA and higher education in general. Let's start with a few general questions about Ross and then we'll get more specific and focused on admissions. Can you give us an overview of Ross' full-time MBA program for listeners who may not be that familiar with it, focusing on its more distinctive elements? [2:51] Yes. Absolutely. The Ross School of Business is located within the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. We are 2024 national champions. However, back to the Ross MBA program, our key differentiators are our action-based learning principles. So really, many people have heard about MAP. MAP stands for multidisciplinary action projects. This is a quintessential end-of-your-first-year MBA experience where you are consultants with real-world impact. Fortune 500, NGOs, you name it, and you're doing a seven-week project on site and back at Ross with them with real deliverables. It's that pre-internship before the internship. Sometimes you'll also hear of “Midwest nice,” but that really does define our culture. We're a highly collaborative, very inclusive culture, and we want everyone to be highly successful while they're here at Ross, and we do that through very intentional pedagogy within the curriculum as well as within your experiential learning through student clubs, different organizations. We have a number of centers and institutes to support your learning even outside of your classroom experience. And I think the last thing about Ross and our curriculum particularly is the flexibility of it. We have over 110 top-ranked graduate programs at the University of Michigan. And you have the opportunity not only to dual degree and choose your path in those dual degrees, but also take up to 10 of your elective credits outside of Ross. So really thinking about what is most important and unique to you and what your goals are and your experience for your education,
Show Summary In this episode of Admissions Straight Talk, Linda Abraham interviews David Kirschner, the Associate Dean of Admissions, Financial Aid, and Innovation at USC Gould School of Law. They discuss the distinctive elements of USC Gould's JD program, including its small class size and student-centered approach. Dean Kirschner also highlights the flexibility and experiential learning opportunities available to students. They discuss the admissions process, including the acceptance of both the LSAT and GRE, the importance of engagement in an applicant's background, and the components of a strong personal statement. Dean Kirschner shares his advice for wait-listed applicants, transfer applicants, and re-applicants. Show Notes Thanks for joining me for the 573rd episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Are you applying to law school this cycle? Are you planning ahead to apply to law school next year or later? Are you competitive at your target programs? Accepted's law school admissions quiz can give you a quick reality check. Just go to accepted.com/law-quiz, complete the quiz, and you'll not only get an assessment, but tips on how you can improve your chances of acceptance. Plus, it's all free. I'm delighted to have back on Admissions Straight Talk, David Kirschner, Associate Dean of Admissions, Financial Aid, and Innovation at USC Gould School of Law. Dean Kirschner earned his undergrad degree at USC, in Political Science and Film-Production. He then earned his JD at California Western School of Law. He has been in law school admissions since 2006, when he joined Loyola Law as an Associate Director of Admissions. In 2011, he became Director of Admissions at USC Gould, and in 2016 he became USC Gould's Associate Dean and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Dean Kirschner, thanks for joining me again on Admissions Straight Talk. [1:59] Thank you. I'm happy to be here, Linda. I always like to start with this question in case some people may not have listened to the previous episode. Can you give us an overview of the more distinctive elements of USC Gould's JD program? [2:03] Certainly. I think one of the things that really sets our JD program apart, is the fact that it's relatively small in class size, and that allows us to offer a very student-centered approach to the program. I like to tell prospective students, admitted students and enrolled students, that they're not merely passers by during their three years in the JD program, but that they're owners of their legal education. And our small size and our student-centered approach really do allow us to give students the opportunity to take ownership of their legal education. How does that ownership manifest itself? Does it mean there's more flexibility in the program and students have more opportunity to shape the program that they engage in? [2:51] Absolutely. I think it's both of those things. From a curricular standpoint, once a student gets beyond the first year required courses, in the second and third year, we have very few requirements, it's a handful. There's an upper division writing requirement, there is a required class on race, racism and the law, that's a new addition since we last talked, and that's something we're very proud of, that's now part of our curriculum, right. So there's that upper division writing requirement, there's the race, racism and the law course. And then there's an experiential learning requirement, so we want to ensure that our students have some kind of practical experience before they graduate. Beyond those three requirements, it's really up to the student to shape those second and third years in a way that they believe will most benefit them. The USC Gould website emphasizes the flexibility of the curriculum as well as the experiential learning opportunities. Can you touch on the experiential learning opportunities? I know they're quite broad. [3:49]
Show Summary In this episode of Admissions Straight Talk, Linda Abraham interviews admissions directors from MBA programs outside the United States to find out if there are any common threads among them. The guests on the show include representatives from Oxford Saïd Business School, INSEAD, NYU Abu Dhabi, and HEC Paris. The interviews cover various topics such as program overviews, admissions processes, and common applicant mistakes. The interviews also touch on language requirements, the role of the video interview in the evaluation process, and the importance of holistic review in admissions decisions. Overall, this interview provides valuable insights into the unique aspects of these MBA programs and shed light on the similarities and differences among them. Show Notes Welcome to the 572nd episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for tuning in. Before I turn to today's show, I have a question for you. Are you ready to apply to your Dream MBA programs? Are you competitive at your target schools? Accepted's MBA admissions quiz can give you a quick reality check. Just go to accepted.com/mbaquiz, complete the quiz, and you'll not only get an assessment, but tips on how to improve your qualifications. Plus, it's all free. . If you are a regular listener, you know that during most episodes of Admissions Straight Talk, I interview a guest, frequently, an admissions director or dean. Usually, our guests are leaders at a US graduate program. However, within the last couple of years, I have had the privilege of interviewing several deans or directors from programs outside the United States. Today we're going to take specific excerpts from four of those episodes and let you determine if there are some common threads and of course, how they differ. Today's episode is a collection of their answers to admissions questions as well as insight into their programs. The guests on this program are: Hannah Griffiths, MBA Recruitment and Admissions Director at Oxford Saïd Business School Teresa Peiro, Associate Global Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at INSEAD Dr. Robert Salomon, Dean of Stern at NYU Abu Dhabi Sara Vanos, Executive Director of Marketing and Admissions at HEC Paris. I've asked some questions of almost every admissions director I've spoken to, so the responses that you're going to see, again, represent a sample. In any case. Let's start with Hannah Griffith of Oxford Saïd Business School. Oxford Saïd Business School While Saïd is a fairly new and very innovative MBA program, Oxford is the oldest university in the English-speaking world, and Hannah provides the following: An overview of the Oxford Saïd MBA program, focusing on its more distinctive elements; insights into the program's admissions process, and a review of common misconceptions about Oxford Saïd.Can you give us an overview of the Oxford Saïd MBA program for those listeners who aren't that familiar with it, focusing on its more distinctive elements? [2:32] [HG] Yes, absolutely. So the Saïd Business School is a business school that is embedded within Oxford University. Our MBA program is a one-year MBA program, and given that the business school is embedded within a world-class university, that does impact the MBA experience in a number of different ways. One of those ways being that the students can expect, in the one-year program, a lot of academic rigor. Our program is an intensive one-year MBA, it aims to include everything that a candidate would maybe anticipate finding on a two-year program, but packed into a 12-month period. The main aim of the business school and of the MBA program is to prepare our students to be responsible business leaders and individuals who, as they move through their career in the future, are prepared to tackle world scale problems, challenges, and to really see business as a vehicle to drive change. And be that within the organizations that they work in,
Show Summary In this episode, Linda Abraham interviews Christian Essman, Senior Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at Case Western Reserve University Medical School. They discuss the unique aspects of Case Western's three MD programs, the significance of research in the application process, and what makes an applicant stand out. Christian emphasizes the importance of quality experiences and reflections in the application essays and advises applicants to submit their applications when they are in tip-top shape, rather than rushing to submit on the first day. He also discusses the culture at Case Western, describing it as laid-back, balanced, and invested in the success of its students. Show Notes Thanks for tuning into the 571st episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Are you ready to apply to your dream medical schools? Are you competitive at your target programs? Accepted's med school admissions quiz can give you a quick reality check. Just go to accepted.com/medquiz, complete the quiz and you'll not only get an assessment but tips on how to improve your chances of acceptance. Plus, it's all free. I'm delighted to introduce today's guest, Christian Essman, senior director of admissions and financial aid and fellow podcaster and host of the All Access Med School Admissions Podcast. Christian, thank you so much for joining me today on Admissions Straight Talk. [1:31] Hi, Linda. Delighted to be here. Thank you for having me. Let's start with some just really basic information about Case Western University's medical school programs. Can you give a 30,000-foot perspective or view of the three MD programs that it offers? [1:39] Certainly. We're a bit unique in that we have not one, not two, but three different pathways to an MD/MD-PhD. The first one is the university program, which is our four-year MD, which is a traditional four-year degree. Then we have our MD-PhD program, which is a medical scientist training program, and that's about eight or nine years. MSTP actually started at Case Western back in the 1950s, by the way. It's the longest NIH-funded program ever in the history of the universe. And then the one in the middle is unique. I don't know if the word boutiquey is a word, but it's boutiquey. Our Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. So these are all three Case Western programs. They're under the umbrella of the university and they're all Case Western students, but we have three tracks. So the one in the middle, the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, is a five-year MD and it's for students who really like research. Really, really, really like research. But maybe advancing to an MD-PhD is not an educational goal to be in school for eight or nine years and getting a PhD, but they really like research. And so the reason why it's five years is because they thread research throughout the entire five years that you're there. And at one point students will step away usually after the second year to do 12 months of research with the results of hopefully having some publishable results. And so it's for students who might be considering MD-PhD, maybe they're also applying to MD-PhD. So it's one in the middle there and so that's why we have three different tracks. It's a bit unique. It is unique. I don't know of any other school that has that three structured program. [3:36] When people apply to us in AMCAS, they apply to Case Western and then in the secondary application, they can indicate which program or programs plural that they want to apply to. And so you could apply to the university program and the Cleveland Clinic program and then you get separate admissions decisions. We review them separately. So it's two for one or three for one if you want to think of it that way. But I will say this. Very few students apply to all three. Usually, if you're interested in MD-PhD, that's what you're applying to, and then maybe add in Cleveland Clinic,
Show Summary Here at Accepted, we're getting more and more inquiries from applicants interested in PhD programs in the STEM fields, so Linda Abraham has invited a panel of Accepted consultants to discuss PhD admissions in engineering, life sciences, and STEM. The panelists discuss what PhD programs in STEM typically look for in applicants, including academic achievements and research experience. They emphasize the importance of research experience, publications, and presentations in the application process. The panelists also discuss the role of rankings in selecting schools, the importance of finding the right faculty advisor, and the significance of the statement of purpose in the application. They provide advice for interview preparation and offer insights for re-applicants and international applicants. Show Notes Welcome to the 566th episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for tuning in. The challenge at the heart of PhD admissions is showing that you both fit in at your target programs and stand out in the applicant pool. Accepted's free download, Fitting In and Standing Out: The Paradox at the Heart of Admissions, will show you how to do both. Master this paradox and you are well on your way to acceptance. You can download this free guide and accepted.com/fiso. Our panelists today are Dr. Karin Ash, Accepted consultant since 2015 and former director of the Career Management Center at Cornell's Johnson School, career coach at Cornell's College of Engineering, and Director of Cornell Career Services; Dr. Herman “Flash” Gordon, Accepted consultant since 2014 and former chair of the U of Arizona Tucson College of Medicine's admissions committee as well as a member of several Ph.D. admissions committees; and Dr. Barry Rothman, Accepted consultant since 2015 and Emeritus Professor of Biology, and founder and former Director of SF State University Postbac Programs. Welcome to Admissions Straight Talk. [2:05] [BR] Great to be here. When we talk about PhDs in STEM, we have a very broad topic. What will most STEM PhD programs want to see in applicants both academically and experientially? [2:11] [KA] I used to work with MBAs. When I was at one of my stints at Cornell and was working with MBAs, the admissions team would look for leadership and achievements in that regard, personality, being able to lead a team, being able to get along with a lot of other people and being able to motivate other people. I have found with STEM that it is very much about achievements in the STEM field and less focused on personality. Yes, you need to get along on any project team, and yes, it would be ideal that if you are, let's say going to work in industry, that you become a leader someday, but I think what I have seen is it's more about the achievements in their field. Some of my PhD clients have come directly from undergrad, they were just able to get a number of research experiences as an undergrad and applied successfully to PhD programs. Others have come to me from master's programs. I'm not sure that there's a right way or a wrong way, it depends on what your own experience is, but you can be successful either route. You seem to be dealing more with the experiential qualifications. [4:00] [KA] Especially research experience. Let's say you're applying after working in industry, but you never had any research experience as an undergrad or in industry, then the challenge is much tougher. If you had research experiences at your university, even if you're not published, you have an easier path. Barry, do you want to add something? [4:33] [BR] Yeah, I wanted to add that I think for STEM PhD applicants, one of the criteria is you need to know how to think and that the entire application process emphasizes that and experience. They don't want somebody who was a pair of hands who was told what to do on a research project and wasn't intellectually involved, so I think that's extremely important. Then,
Show Summary Are you planning to take the LSAT or the GRE before you apply to law school? Are you dreading it? Well, there's a new option that includes a course and a test, and is accepted by 25% of all law schools. The JD-Next is an eight-week online course that simulates a real law school contracts class and trains students on the skills necessary to be successful in law school and as practicing attorneys. In this episode, Linda Abraham sits down with David Klieger, Program Director for JD-Next at Aspen Publishing to discuss the course that was developed to provide individuals with a preview of what law school is like before making the commitment, as well as to better prepare them for success in law school and possibly replace the LSAT and GRE. Show Notes Welcome to the 562nd episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for joining me today. Are you preparing to apply to your dream law schools? Are you competitive at your target programs? Accepted's law school admissions quiz can give you a quick reality check. Just go to accepted.com/law-quiz, take the quiz, and you'll not only get an assessment of your chances, but tips on how to improve your qualifications. Plus, it's all free. Let's move on to our interview and fantastic guest. Our guest today is David Klieger, Program Director for JD-Next at Aspen Publishing. His work in admissions includes successfully leading efforts to make the JRE widely recognized for use by law schools. David practiced law after receiving his JD from the University of Pennsylvania with Carey Law School. He then earned his PhD in Industrial Organizational Psychology, specializing in psychometrics and statistics from the University of Minnesota. David has worked in the assessment and training field for more than 20 years. His published work has appeared in leading publications, such as Harvard Business Review, The International Journal of Testing, and the Journal of Applied Psychology. He's given interviews to The Wall Street Journal and NPR about his work to innovate law school admissions. Of course, he's just continuing to move up the ladder by joining us on Admissions Straight Talk. David, welcome to Admissions Straight Talk. I'm delighted to speak with you today, and again, congratulations on your new position with JD-Next. [2:09] Thank you very much, Linda. It's a pleasure to be here. Let's start with a really basic question. What is JD-Next? [2:19] JD-Next is an innovative eight-week online asynchronous course which essentially simulates a real law school contracts class. In it, one is exposed to what a real law school class would be like. One is trained on the skills that are really important to being a successful law student, as well as a successful practicing attorney. At the end of the course, there is a final exam. Why was it developed? Why have this pre-law school course, if you're ultimately going to go to law school? [3:01] Well, the back story is multiple. First, there was a desire to provide a way of giving individuals a preview of what law school is going to be like before they make the actual commitment, which can be obviously quite expensive and time-consuming. Law school can be quite a stressful experience at times. In addition, it was an opportunity to get people better prepared for success in law school. There actually is research that shows that, by participating in JD-Next, people will perform better in law school. It's very important to perform well academically in law school because it's really determinative of employment opportunities. The other really important aspect of JD-Next is that there's research that does show that the score gaps that you can see, in terms of different demographic groups, for other kinds of assessment, really you don't see nearly to the same extent for JD-Next. It does actually provide equity and fairness in a way that's rather innovative and unique. When you talk about people taking the course and...
Show Summary Are you a mid-career manager hoping to elevate your career to senior management? Do you feel your business skills could use a boost? Are you interested in a top, top program? In this episode of Admissions Straight Talk, Linda Abraham interviews Johanna Hising DiFabio, Assistant Dean of MIT Sloan's Part-time and Full-time MBA Programs for Executives. They discuss the MIT Sloan Executive MBA program and the Sloan Fellows program, focusing on the application process and the unique aspects of each program. They also touch on the importance of innovation and the MIT ecosystem in these programs. Johanna provides tips for preparing a successful application. She also highlights the strong sense of community within both programs and the impact they have on developing principled, innovative leaders. Show Notes Welcome to the 563rd episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for joining me today. Before I dive into today's interview, I want to invite you to download Ace the EMBA: Expert Advice for the Rising Executive. This free guide will complement today's podcast and give you suggestions on how to choose the right EMBA program for you, how to differentiate yourself from your competition in a positive way, and present yourself effectively as a future business leader who will bring credit to any program that accepts you. Now we're going to examine two fantastic options for mid-career, rising executives at MIT Sloan. MIT Sloan's Executive MBA program has a more typical part-time MBA structure and the MIT Sloan Fellows program, which is a full-time immersive executive MBA program. We're going to focus more on the more traditional one with our guest, Johanna Hising DiFabio, Assistant Dean of MIT's Executive MBA and Sloan's Fellows Programs. Johanna worked in business after earning her undergraduate degree from Ithaca College in 2000. She came to MIT Sloan as associate director of student life and learning in 2010, became director of MIT's EMBA program in 2014, and added the Sloan Fellows program to her responsibilities in 2017, becoming assistant dean in 2018. Johanna, welcome back to Admissions Straight Talk. [2:15] Linda, thank you for having me. I'm so excited to talk about my programs. Can you start by providing an overview of both the MIT EMBA and the MIT Sloan Fellows program? [2:22] Absolutely. The Sloan Fellows MBA program is an over 90-year-old program. Often we talk about this as the first executive degree program that came to the US in the world. It's a very exciting program to lead. It is over 70-ish percent international, so people move their lives. If they have families, they move their families and spend an entire year immersed, earning an MBA or an SM degree either in management or in management of technology. They're a very tight-knit community. On the EMBA side, it's 14 years old. I was part of the founding team of the EMBA. That's why I came to Sloan. As you shared, it's a little longer. It's 20 months, and we call it an executive schedule. Meaning that they come to campus every two to three Fridays and Saturdays. We have some executive modules to give them a little bit more immersion here at MIT every six months and they're working full time. They're learning and working. The expectation is that they all have some form of general management experience to both be able to tack on the learnings to their previous experience as well as when they go back to the workforce or on Monday go back to work are able to have the responsibility to actually use what they're learning in their workplace. You mentioned the MS and the MBA as an option. I think that was for the Sloan Fellows program, right? [3:51] Right. What is the difference? [3:58] On the Sloan Fellows side, we sometimes have people who already have MBA degrees, so they're looking for a different degree for that reason. But I would say most people get the MS degrees if they're interested in doing a thesi...
Show Summary Ranked number three in U.S. News' most recent rankings, the law school at the University of Chicago is a top law school famous for its intellectual rigor. In this podcast episode, Linda Abraham interviews Dean Ann Perry, Associate Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid at the University of Chicago Law School. Dean Perry discusses the distinctive elements of the law school, including its engaged student body, expert faculty, and interdisciplinary approach to legal study. She also provides insights into the admissions process, including tips for the personal statement. Show Notes Are you applying to law school this cycle? Are you planning ahead to apply to law school next year or later? Are you competitive at your target programs, be it the University of Chicago or any other program? Accepted's law school admissions quiz can give you a quick reality check. Just go to accepted.com/law-quiz, take the quiz and you will not only get an assessment, but you'll receive tips on how to improve your chances of acceptance. And it's all free. I'm delighted to have on Admissions Straight Talk, Ann Perry, Associate Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid at the law school at the University of Chicago. Prior to joining the University of Chicago Law School community as assistant dean for Admissions in 2002, Dean Perry was the assistant dean for student affairs and financial aid at the University of Illinois College of Law. Before entering the world of law school administration, she was an associate at Stellato & Schwartz in Chicago. Dean Perry received her AB and JD from the University of Illinois. Dean Perry, welcome to Admissions Straight Talk. [2:00] Thank you very much, Linda. I'm happy to be here. Can you give an overview of the more distinctive elements of the Law School of the University of Chicago? [2:07] Yes, I'm happy to do that. I've been at the law school for over 20 years, and so what I find makes UChicago Law distinctive are a few things. First, it's our students. We bring very engaged students to the law school through the admissions process, students who are engaged in their learning, both inside and outside the classroom. And we're a small community, we only have a total JD enrollment of about 600 students. So really, it's an active, engaged learning community, so we bring these students that are just very much part of their learning process. Second, I'd like to highlight our faculty. Our faculty are experts in their fields, but also why they're here is because their first love is teaching. They really engage with students not just in the classroom, obviously, but outside the classroom. I constantly see that as I'm walking through the halls. It's not a mistake that all the faculty's offices are located in the library where students tend to study. Students will see their faculty members coming back and forth, it's generally an open-door policy, and the faculty want that engagement. But also, and the final point I'd like to make is that we're part of the University of Chicago, a great university that has a lot to offer, and it really helps foster the interdisciplinary approach to the study of law that we really find is important these days when you're learning the law. You mentioned the interdisciplinary approach, and that leads to my next question. The University of Chicago Law School has a real focus on the interdisciplinary approach to legal study. How is that manifested in the program practically? [3:35] That's a great question because people talk about it a lot. Here at Chicago, we really live it, and it starts actually during your first year. We have a class that I think is unique to the University of Chicago Law School, our Elements of the Law class, which every first-year student takes as part of that first-year curriculum. And it is really the first introduction to the interdisciplinary approach to the study of law.
Show Summary In this episode of Admissions Straight Talk, host Linda Abraham looks back at her predictions for the 2023/2024 application cycle and offers advice for current and future applicants. She reflects on her previous predictions, such as the increase in test options and waivers and the continued use of rankings in admissions. She also makes new predictions for the upcoming year, including the increased use of video in applications and the continuation of questions about lived experiences and contributions to inclusive environments. Linda advises current applicants to pursue parallel tracks, prepare for interviews, and address weaknesses while also considering reapplication strategies. For future applicants, she emphasizes the importance of clarifying goals, researching programs, and preparing for tests. She encourages all applicants to start early and seek expert guidance to maximize their chances of acceptance. Show Notes What's coming down the pike in 2024 for applicants? How right or wrong was Linda Abraham with her predictions for the 2023/2024 cycle? What should applicants be doing now? We're diving into all that in this episode of Admissions Straight Talk. The academic world is at an inflection point [0:49] It's the second week of January, and the academic world is at an inflection point. It's not just the new year. Yes, 2024 just started. It's that the 2023-2024 application cycle is starting to wind down. As decisions come out, some people are admitted and some people are rejected, but it's also that a new crop of applicants is emerging for the 2024-2025 cycle. That cycle is starting to come into focus. At this inflection point, I'd like to examine some of my predictions for the 2023-2024 application cycle. I'm going to brave it again, and I'm going to make some additional predictions for the 2024-2025 application cycle, and finish the episode with suggestions and advice for current as well as new applicants. Now, if you feel that you are at a crossroads with your educational and professional journey and aren't quite sure which is the correct path for you to pursue, take advantage of Accepted's free consultation offer. You can have a free 30-minute call with one of Accepted's experienced admissions consultants. Just go to Accepted.com and click on Get Your Free Consultation in the upper right to have your free consultation. Were Linda's predictions for the 2023-2024 cycle right? Now, let's start off today's show by exploring where I was right and where I was wrong in my predictions for the 2023-2024 application cycle. Prediction: More withdrawals from rankings [2:07] One of the things I predicted was more withdrawals from the rankings, which started in fall 2022. Med schools joined the ranking withdrawals, which I did not predict, and I didn't make any predictions about MBA programs, but I did say that US News will use publicly available data and continue to rank programs. That is exactly what has happened. Those rankings sell lots of magazines and online subscriptions. Rankings are not going to go away as long as they produce sales. That part of my prediction was 100% correct, and they won't go away as long as applicants, alumni, and recruiters continue to buy them, use them, and cite them constantly. Prediction: More experimentation with test options and waivers [2:57] I anticipated more experimentation with test options and waivers. In that, I was 100% right. I predicted more test options and waivers, except for medical schools, and indeed, that's exactly what's happened. Many, if not most, law schools now accept the GRE. Some accept other tests also. Most MBA programs accept the GMAT or GRE, and many also accept the executive assessment, and there was a switch over from the traditional GRE and GMAT to new versions of it, which are shorter. As I predicted, there has been very little change in connection with the MCAT and medical school.
Show Summary In this podcast episode, Linda Abraham discusses the use of ChatGPT in MBA application essays with admissions directors at top MBA programs. The admissions directors generally view ChatGPT as a tool that can be used to enhance the application process, but they emphasize the importance of authenticity and personal reflection in the essays. They caution against relying too heavily on ChatGPT and stress the need for applicants to take ownership of their ideas and experiences. The admissions directors also discuss the potential benefits and limitations of using ChatGPT and suggest ways in which it can be used effectively as a tool. Overall, they encourage applicants to use ChatGPT thoughtfully and responsibly, while still putting in the necessary effort to create thoughtful and authentic applications Show Notes ChatGPT roared into our consciousness at the very end of last year, and I had the opportunity to ask several admissions directors what they thought about applicants using it. That's what we're going to discuss today. Welcome to Admissions Straight Talk. [0:46] Welcome to the 556th episode of Admissions Straight Talk, thanks for tuning in. Before I turn to the subject of today's show, I have a question for you. Are you ready to apply to your dream MBA programs? Are you competitive at your target schools? Accepted's MBA admissions quiz can give you a quick reality check. Complete the quiz and you'll not only get an assessment, but tips on how to improve your qualifications. Now, if you are a regular listener, you know that during most episodes of Admissions Straight Talk, I interview a guest, frequently an admissions director or dean. I also have many times asked these guests, "What do you think about applicants using ChatGPT or artificial intelligence when writing their application essays?" Today's episode is a collection of their answers to that question with a little commentary from me, but mostly it's admissions directors at top MBA programs, sharing what you need to know – the good, the bad, and the ugly – about using ChatGPT in writing your applications. In this episode, you're going to hear from: Clare Norton, Columbia Business School Senior Associate Dean for Enrollment Management Shari Hubert, Associate Dean of Admissions at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business Blair Mannix, Executive Director of Graduate Admissions at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School Eric Askins, Executive Director of Full-Time MB admissions at UC Berkeley Haas Dean Robert Salomon, the inaugural Dean at Stern at NYU Abu Dhabi. I've asked this question of almost every admission director I've spoken to, so these responses represent a sample. And there is some difference, there's more differences on this one than on some other questions, but in any case, I think you'll see that there's cautious acceptance of ChatGPT, with several caveats and warnings for applicants. Clare Norton, Columbia Business School's Senior Associate Dean for Enrollment Management. [2:43] [CN] I think ChatGPT is a tool, and there are many, many tools that we have now that we did not once have. At some point in time we thought to ourselves, "If people use a calculator, will they understand math?" Yes, they do still understand math, and in fact, probably, probably higher level math than they understood before that was utilized broadly. And I suspect ChatGPT will be quite similar. We've made it very clear to students in our application process that it's a tool that can be utilized, but generative AI is not something that can write the whole answer. It's the kind of thing that could do some editing for you or provide you with some ideas to make sure that you've touched upon, but that the work must be your own. So from that perspective, I think we're quite clear. But also I think, actually back to what we were just talking about, the best applications are reflective, truly,
Show Summary In this episode of Admission Straight Talk, host Linda Abraham addresses the concerns of medical school applicants who have not yet received interview invitations. She debunks the myth that not receiving an invitation by Thanksgiving means rejection and shares insights from several admissions directors. She offers tips for both current med school applicants and those preparing for a reapplication. Show Notes Welcome to the 555th episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for tuning in. This episode is for those of you who applied this cycle to medical school and haven't received any interview invitations or at least haven't received an interview invitation from your top choice schools. We're also going to discuss a little bit about what you should be doing now – neither hitting a panic button nor just worrying and chewing your nails – which is preparing for the possibility of a reapplication. Before we dive in, I have two free resources that I'd like to invite you to take advantage of: The Ultimate Guide to Medical School Interview Success and Medical School Applicant Advice: 6 Tips For Success. Welcome to Admissions Straight Talk. [1:00] If you are a regular listener, you know that during most episodes of Admissions Straight Talk, I interview a guest. Occasionally I give a solo show, but usually I interview a guest and frequently that guest is an admissions directors. I also have many times asked guests who are med school admissions deans or directors, “When do you stop sending out interview invitations?” I started asking this question because many applicants believed incorrectly that if they don't have an interview invitation by Thanksgiving, they are toast. And here we are in the midst of the Christmas and New Year holidays, and if you haven't gotten the invitation by now, are you actually burnt toast? Well, let's hear what five admissions deans and directors have said in response to my question. The five are: Roshini Pinto-Powell, the Associate Dean for Admissions at Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine Paul White, Assistant Dean for Admissions at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Dr. Kristen Goodell, Associate Dean of Admissions at BU's Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine Dr. Michael Ellison, Associate Dean for Admissions at Chicago Medical School at the Rosalind Franklin University Dr. Cynthia Boyd, Associate Dean for Admissions and Recruitment at Rush Medical College Today's episode is a collection of their answers to that question, “When do you stop sending out interview invitations?” At the end there's a little commentary from me, but mostly it's admissions directors and their own words. These are admissions directors at top medical programs sharing what you need to know about the interview invitation timeline. Dr. Roshini Pinto-Powell, Professor of Medicine and Medical Education and Associate Dean of Admissions at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth University. [4:20] [RPP] So, our process is a rolling process. We do rolling admissions and we continue to send out invitations well into March. And similarly with the waitlist, that's another thing that people worry about. This is a long process, which is why I said I feel sorry for our candidates. It's a long year. It's a long year. Paul White, Assistant Dean for Admissions at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. [5:09] [PW] Well, when it was in person, the last date would be around the first week of February. With virtual interviews, we literally sometimes invite people three or four days before the interview. I would say at least a week before is ideal. Mid-February to late February, certainly not the day before. Yeah, we want to give a heads-up, but when it was in person because of travel in February, we always did minimally two weeks in advance. The reason I asked this question is because there's this meme out there that if you don't have an interview invitation by T...
Show Summary What are the pre-med competencies? And if you're pre-med and planning to apply in September 2024, what do they mean to you? That's the subject of this week's podcast of Admissions Straight Talk, as Linda Abraham and Dr. Valerie Wherley, an Accepted consultant, dive into pre-med competencies. Dr. Wherley gives an overview of the 17 competencies identified by the AAMC as essential for success in medical school and beyond. She leans into her expertises as an Assistant Dean, medical school program director, and advisor to present practical tips on how to develop these traits and demonstrate them in an application. Show Notes Our guest today is Dr. Valerie Wherley, an Accepted consultant. Dr. Wherley earned her B.S. and M.S. at the University of Maine in kinesiology, and her PhD in higher education and higher education administration from the University of Connecticut. Over the last 20 years, she has served as the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and Career Development at William Beaumont School of Medicine, Director of Pre-Health Post-Bacc Certificate program at Sacred Heart University, and the Director of Pre-Health Advisement at Sacred Heart University. In those roles, and before joining Accepted in 2022, she advised thousands of students in the following pre-health tracks: pre-med, pre-PPA, pre-vet, pre-dental, pre-pharmacy, pre-PT, pre-OT, pre-accelerated nursing, and pre-optometry, as well as applicants to master's programs in exercise science, biomedical sciences, occupational therapy, speech language pathology, athletic training, public health, and applied nutrition. Today we're going to focus on med school admissions, and specifically the AAMC's recently updated pre-med competencies for entering medical students. Dr. Wherley, welcome to Admissions Straight Talk. [2:21] Thank you so much. I'm happy to be here. I'm delighted to have you joining me. Now, let's start with the basics. What is a pre-med competency? What's the goal of them? [2:27] Sure. Where I thought that we would start is just looking at the word competency. The National Institutes of Health, or the NIH, define competencies as the following: "Competencies are the knowledge, skills, abilities and behaviors that contribute to individual and organizational performance." So, if we keep that word in mind, that helps inform our conversation. Pre-med competencies are now a list of 17 standards that have been identified by the AAMC and others, which I can talk about in a minute, as essential for success for entering medical students, and also people who are going to be practicing medicine in the future. So, it's not just for students in medical education, but our future practitioners. So that's the conceptual framework for the competencies. [3:35] Right. Let's discuss a little bit more in depth. Do you want to focus on some particular ones? I'll let you take the lead here. [3:41] Sure. I can give an overview. The competencies are grouped in three categories, and then within the categories there are specifics. With those specifics there are sort of a deep dive into the definitions. So, without getting too far into the weeds, let's look at the categories, and then maybe the specifics. The three categories are the professional competencies, which has the biggest list now, and then there's thinking and reasoning competencies, and then science competencies. If I start backwards, the thinking and reasoning competencies, that's one category, and the science competencies actually did not get updated in the update that we will talk about. It's the professional competencies that underwent the update. So, I'll start with science competencies. There are two specifics within that category. There's human behavior and living systems, and you can look at the specific definition of both of those. Thinking and reasoning competencies include the following: critical thinking, quantitative reasoning,
Show Summary Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business is welcoming a newly launched Masters of Science in Management (MSM) program. The one-year program is designed for early-career professionals with zero to two years of work experience who are looking for a career pivot or to gain business skills. If that sounds interesting to you, you don't want to miss this episode of Admissions Straight Talk, where Linda Abraham sits down with Dr. Kevin Dietrick, director of the MS in Business Analytics and MS in Management Program to learn more about the program and how to get in. Show Notes Are you a college junior or senior with an interest in business and a non-business major? Or maybe you've graduated already and you feel like you need to boost your knowledge of business to propel your career and have a life of impact and consequence. Today's show is with the director of Carnegie Mellon Tepper's brand new Masters of Management. Let's learn all about it, because it might just be the program for you. Welcome to the 553rd episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for joining me. Before we dive into today's interview, I want to mention a resource at Accepted that can help you prepare your statement of purpose to a Master's in Management program or other graduate programs. Download Five Fatal Flaws To Avoid In Your Grad School Statement of Purpose to learn how to avoid the five most common mistakes that we see in grad school statements of purpose, as well as tips on how to write a statement of purpose that makes your story memorable and highlights your qualifications for your target program. Our guest today is Dr. Kevin Dietrick, Director of the MS in Business Analytics and MS in Management Program at Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business. Dr. Dietrick attended Allegheny College as an undergrad and earned his master's in education and his PhD in Higher Education and Higher Education Administration from the University of Pittsburgh. He has been working in higher ed for most of the last 12 years. He came to CMU Tepper in 2018 as senior associate director of student services and became the director of the MS in Business Analytics in August and the director of the MS in Management last month. Dr. Dietrick, welcome to Admissions Straight Talk and congratulations on those positions. [2:12] Thank you, Linda. Thanks for the introduction. Thanks for having me. My pleasure. Now let's start with a really basic question. What is the MS in Management at CMU Tepper and who is it for? [2:16] That's a really excellent question and I think a good place for us to start today. The new MS in Management – we just launched it a couple of months ago – is a new venture that we have here at Tepper that falls into what I think is a suite of master's degree programs offered through Tepper. It is a one-year business degree, and to the question of who is it for, it is for folks who are early on in their career. So we talk a lot about pre-experience. That's not necessarily exclusive. It doesn't mean you have to have zero experience, but generally, zero to two years of work experience is the type of student that you'll find in this program starting. Very exciting, the fall of 2024. So what that person looks like, and I know we're going to dig into a little bit of that today, but just to give you a little bit of a sense of what we're anticipating and frankly what we're searching for. I think this is a really neat opportunity for folks who maybe are looking for an early career pivot. And so, I think that looks and manifests in a couple of different ways. It might be simply that what I studied in college, I don't actually want to do. Maybe I was a computer science major, maybe I was an engineering major, and maybe I'm just looking for a little bit of a pivot and determining, you know what, I don't want to be a programmer. I don't want to work as a software engineer.
Show Summary In this episode of Admissions Straight Talk, Linda Abraham discusses MBA return on investment (ROI) and NYU Stern's part-time MBA options with Isser Gallogly, Associate Dean of MBA Admissions at NYU Stern School of Business. They discuss how to calculate ROI, the ROI of NYU Stern's part-time MBA program, and the benefits and flexibility of the program. Isser Gallogly also provides tips for applicants and encourages them to create options for themselves by applying to the program. Show Notes Are you concerned about possible lack of ROI if you go for an MBA? Are you considering part-time options? Then today's episode is for you. We're discussing MBA ROI and NYU Stern's four part-time MBA options. Welcome to the 552nd episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for joining me. Sometimes I'm asked, "Is the MBA worth it?" And my answer always is, “It depends on your individual circumstances”, but I've got good news. We've developed a tool that will help you evaluate whether an MBA is worth it for you and your individual circumstances, and by how much. Use Accepted's MBA ROI Calculator and check out how much you are likely to benefit or not from getting an MBA. And using it won't send you back even one cent because it's free. We're going to dive more into the topic of MBA ROI today with our special guest. It gives me great pleasure to have back on Admissions Straight Talk, Isser Gallogly, associate dean of MBA admissions at NYU Stern School of Business. Isser has been involved in MBA admissions at NYU Stern for the last 20 years, and I've probably known you for about 20 years since you started there. Today we're going to talk about MBA, return on investment or ROI, and specifically the ROI provided by Stern's part-time MBA program and then how to get into that program. Isser, welcome back to Admissions Straight Talk. [1:53] Great to be here. Thank you. I'm delighted to speak with you today, as always. I want to start by discussing the topic of MBA ROI or return on investment. Since our listeners have not yet earned their MBA, maybe we should start by discussing how to calculate ROI. What is it? I mean, I've seen lots of definitions, not all of which I agree with. Yeah, there are a lot of different ways that you could think about ROI, and I think ultimately it probably comes down to the person and their individual goals in pursuing the part-time MBA. I think for most people, just the notion that they're going to gain useful information, skills, experiences that will help them advance their career, be more effective at their career, might be sufficient. But for some people, they want to do some type of financial calculation and oftentimes they want to look at things like how much does a program cost and then what might that do to my salary over my working life? Right, and the one caution I would give people is every so often I see ROI and the expense part of it includes living expenses, food, and room and board. And I would argue that that should not be part of the calculation in terms of calculating the ROI of an MBA, not because I'm trying to reduce the expenses, but because those are expenses you'd have regardless of whether you did an MBA or not. So, if you're going to calculate the return on investment or just the cost of the MBA degree, while you have to budget for living expenses, it's not really part of the cost of the MBA because those are expenses you would have in any case, under any circumstances. That's just my own thing, but okay, let's go on. What is the ROI of the NYU Stern part-time MBA program? [2:47] Yeah, so we've been working on this for a few years now for the part-time program, to try to come up with a methodology that we feel is helpful for people who are interested in looking at that type of calculation. And what we did is we looked at data over the last four years of the class of the part-time students that were graduating,
Show Summary Brigitte Suhr, an Accepted law school admissions consultant and a former application reader for UVA Law, shares insights and advice on the law school admissions process in a podcast interview with Linda Abraham. They discuss topics such as changes in law school admissions, the importance of work experience before law school, the personal statement and diversity statement, common mistakes to avoid, and the character and fitness section of the application. Brigitte emphasizes the importance of starting early in the application process and being genuine in one's essays. She also provides guidance on addressing academic weaknesses and navigating the interview process. Show Notes If you're applying to law school now or in the near future, you're going to love today's show. Brigitte Suhr, Accepted Law School admissions consultant and former application reader for UVA Law, is going to help you get accepted to your dream law school. Welcome to the 550th episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for joining me. Are you ready to apply to your dream law school? Are you competitive at your targeted programs? Accepted's law school admissions quiz can give you a quick reality check.Take the quiz and you'll not only get an assessment, but tips on how to improve your qualifications. Plus, it's all free. Our guest today, Brigitte Suhr, earned her bachelor's from UT Austin and her JD from UVA. She then went on to travel the world as an international lawyer, working for Human Rights Watch, The International Criminal Court and other foundations and NGOs. For approximately two years, prior to joining accepted in 2019, Brigitte worked as an application reader for her alma mater, UVA School of Law, and in that capacity reviewed over 2,500 applications. She was the one recommending admit, or deny. Let's find out when she made those recommendations and how she helps accept its clients. Brigitte, welcome to Admissions Straight talk. [1:52] Thanks, Linda. I'm happy to be here. Pleasure to have you. Now let's just start with something fairly basic, actually not so basic. What's new in law school admissions this year? [1:56] There's a lot new, Linda, maybe too much new. So from year-to-year it seems like essays don't change that much. Applications don't change that much, but with the Supreme Court decision this past summer, law schools took that opportunity to review what they were doing. They want to be compliant with the decision, but in so doing, they added quite a few changes and in my opinion, maybe overloaded a bit on essays and supplementals and things like that. So it's been a big transition for those of us working in admissions and certainly for students who have even more work to do than ever. And frankly from, I wonder if some admissions committees aren't going to be regretting some of their extra essays at some point, because it's going to be longer and longer to read and I think maybe- Could be maybe more work for them. [2:47] Exactly. We might see some cutting back. I don't have inside information on that, but if I were them I'd be doing some cutting back by next summer. I know business schools used to have many more essays and over the years they've cut back quite a bit. [2:56] Yeah. This is not a change that occurred this year. I think it's a change that's occurred over the last 10, 20 years, and that is that more and more law school applicants or more and more law school students do not go directly from college to law school. They take a year off, I think it's frequently to work for a year. Do you advise applicants to, “take a year off,” – take a gap year or work before going to law school? [3:03] I mean, I think that law schools have always cared about employability, and they care about it all the more now because the US News and World Report is factoring that into the rankings, and so it becomes an important issue. But frankly,
Show Summary In this episode of Admissions Straight Talk, host Linda Abraham interviews Dean Robert Salomon, the inaugural Dean of Stern at NYU Abu Dhabi. They discuss NYU Stern's groundbreaking one-year MBA program in Abu Dhabi. The program is open to applicants from around the world, but it is particularly aimed at those interested in building a career in the Middle East. The program will offer the same core courses as NYU Stern's MBA program in New York, and students will have the opportunity to study in both Abu Dhabi and New York City. The program also includes an experiential component, with students working on live projects for local companies. Dean Salomon emphasizes the growing entrepreneurial ecosystem in Abu Dhabi and the opportunities for students to engage with start-ups and gain hands-on experience. He also discusses the importance of diversity in the student body and the availability of merit-based scholarships. The episode concludes with Dean Salomon discussing the reasons behind choosing Abu Dhabi as the location for the program and the opportunities it offers for students to be part of the region's transition to a knowledge-based economy. Show Notes Are you interested in doing business in the Middle East but want an MBA from a top US business school? And would you prefer a one-year program? Today's episode is all about NYU Stern's groundbreaking one-year MBA program in the UAE's Abu Dhabi. Welcome to the 548th episode of Admissions Straight Talk, Accepted's podcast. Sometimes I'm asked, is the MBA worth it? And my answer is, it depends on your individual circumstances, but I've got good news. We've developed a tool, the MBA ROI calculator that will help you evaluate whether an MBA is worth it for you and your individual circumstances and by how much. And using the tool won't set you back even one cent. Use of the tool is free. It gives me great pleasure to have for the first time on Admissions Straight Talk, Dean Robert Salomon. Dean Salomon earned his bachelor's from Michigan Ross and then moved to NYU Stern, which has been his home almost ever since. He earned his master's in PhD in strategy and international business there and has been a professor of management at Stern since 2005. Dean Salomon will lead the NYU program in Abu Dhabi and will actually be the inaugural Dean of Stern at NYU Abu Dhabi. Dean Salomon, welcome to Admissions Straight Talk. [1:49] Thanks for having me. I'm so glad you can join me. As we were talking about before, it's morning for me, night for you. It's amazing that we can... I think you're 12 hours ahead of me, right? [1:53] 11 this time of year. Once you change your clocks, I think it'll be 12. So we're literally on other sides of the world and yet we can still have this delightful conversation. Let's start with an overview of NYU's Abu Dhabi MBA program. Can you please provide us with one? [2:07] Sure. So we are opening here a full-time MBA program. It's going to be a 12-month, accelerated MBA program that will run from January through December, and the first class will start in January of 2025. So you're really just getting going. You're not going to have a class this year, you're just getting going for the following year, really? [2:36] We'll start a year from January, although the website is now live, the application is available, it can be downloaded, people can start it, and we are accepting applications now. The first deadline comes up January 15th, but people can start applying now. It takes a while to put together a good application, so that makes a lot of sense. [3:00] Yeah. Is this program for people in the Middle East who want a US MBA or is it for people anywhere in the world who want to focus on business in the Middle East? What's the goal of the program? [3:06] So the program is for anybody in the world, and what we would like however, is that people who are interested in the region,
Show Summary In this podcast episode, Linda Abraham interviews Dr. Kevin Schulman, the director of Stanford's Master of Science and Clinical Informatics Management Program. They discuss the opportunities available at the intersection of medicine, business, and technology, and the problems that you can solve by combining these interests in your career. The program at Stanford combines business courses, technology courses, and ethics to train leaders who can transform healthcare delivery. The program is designed for working professionals and is a one-year, part-time cohort program. Graduates of the program can pursue careers as Chief Medical Information Officers, start their own companies, work in tech or industry, or advance in clinical leadership roles. Finally, the interview concludes with a discussion on the potential risks and benefits of technology in healthcare, and the importance of personalizing healthcare through technology. Show Notes What are the opportunities for you, if you're interested in the intersection of medicine, business, and technology? What problems can you solve if you combine those interests in your career? What education would you require? We're going to find out in this interview with the director of Stanford's Master's program and Clinical Informatics Management. Welcome to the 540th episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for joining me. Whether you are applying to a niche, innovative graduate program or more traditional one, the challenge at the heart of admissions is showing that you both fit in at your target schools and are a standout in the applicant pool. Accepted's free download, Fitting In and Standing Out: The Paradox at the Heart of Admissions will show you how to do both. Master this paradox and you are well on your way to acceptance. Dr. Kevin Schulman, director of Stanford's Master of Science and Clinical Informatics Management Program is also Professor of Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine and Professor of Operations Information and Technology at Stanford GSB. He is our guest today, and those are just three of his titles. He has several more, along with over 500 publications. His research focuses on organizational innovation and healthcare, healthcare policy and health economics, which leads us directly to Stanford's Master's in Clinical Informatics management or the MCIM. Dr. Schulman, welcome to Admissions Straight Talk. [2:00] Oh, thanks so much for having me, Linda. My pleasure. I'm really delighted to be speaking with you. I saw an ad for the program online and it just felt like such a fascinating program that I looked into it and I thought, gee, it'd be great to have you on. So let's start with a couple of really basic questions. I am not a techie and I'm not a healthcare professional. I do have an MBA. What is clinical informatics management? [2:05] That's a great question. As you think about healthcare compared to other services that you receive on a daily basis, we're just lagging so far behind in terms of how we provide digital services to our patients, to consumers, how we do follow-up, how we provide education. So we wanted to build a program to help create leaders that will transform the delivery of healthcare in this country and around the world. To do that, we combine business courses and technology courses and ethics in a year long program for working professionals where we meet every other weekend. So my next question was going to be, can you give us an overview of the MCIM program, and you kind of just did that, but can you go into a little bit more detail about how it is structured and what is actually taught in the program? I mean, again, it just sounds absolutely fascinating to me. [3:06] So at a high level, when I first started a program like this after the HITECH Act in 2009. Oh wow, it was back that far? [3:27] I was at Duke at the time, it wasn't here, but our CIO said, look,
Looking to apply to a psychology graduate program? Linda Abraham is the founder of Accepted, which has advised college and graduate admissions since 1994. And her colleague, Dr. Karin Ash, was the former director of career services for Cornell University. In this episode, Linda and Karin go through the application and evaluation process for psychology graduate programs, strategies for creating your application, and how to adjust your application depending on whether you're applying a PsyD, PhD, and more. Achievable is a modern test prep platform for the GRE exam - visit https://achievable.me to try our course for free.
Looking to apply to a STEM or engineering graduate program? Linda Abraham is the founder of Accepted, which has advised college and graduate admissions since 1994. And her colleague, Dr. Karin Ash, was the former director of career services for Cornell University and the career coach for Cornell's Master of Engineering students. In this episode, Linda and Karin go through the application and evaluation process for STEM graduate programs, strategies for creating your application, and more. Achievable is a modern test prep platform for the GRE exam - visit https://achievable.me to try our course for free.
Reflecting on trends that impacted graduate admissions in 2022, Linda Abraham shares her predictions for 2023 and offers an action plan for those planning to apply in the new year. [Show Summary] Thanks for joining me for today's solo show. I'm going to review a few trends from 2022 and also attempt to inspire you for the upcoming year. You can email me at ast@accepted.com when my predictions prove wrong in the course of the year. Predictions: More law schools will withdraw from U.S. News rankings [1:16] I predict that more law schools will withdraw from U.S. News rankings. Will the rankings influence end with the withdrawal of these schools? I actually don't think so. U.S. News will use publicly available data and still rank programs. Its rankings will continue to influence admissions, recruiting, and applicant decisions. But are they going to hold as much sway as they have in the past? I don't know. That's hard to say. I don't think the U.S. News is going to just stop ranking schools. I don't think applicants are going to stop looking at rankings, and I don't really think schools are going to stop being influenced by rankings. Perhaps a little less so in the past, but I think you're going to see changes on the margins in that segment. What about other segments of the higher education market? I don't think medical schools are going to stop ranking or participating in the U.S. News ranking. I also think that the rankings are a little bit less influential in the med school arena than they are in law schools or business schools. It'll be really interesting to see if business schools withdraw from the rankings. Certainly, the admissions directors there have no greater love of rankings than the law school admissions directors and deans. I think if you see the M7 schools withdraw, you might see a trend very similar to what you've seen in the law school market, where it's the elite programs that have largely withdrawn, and the lower-down ones are not withdrawing yet. There are some that have but not that many. We'll link to posts that Accepted has on the withdrawal of specific schools from the U.S. News rankings. Prediction: More experimentation with test options and waivers [3:05] What about test optionality? That has been a trend that's been growing and increasing over the last several years. It really took off with COVID. I don't think you're going to see much change in the law school space this year. I think you will see it if, as anticipated, the ABA approves making tests optional for its accredited programs. I think you're going to see more experimentation in the grad and MBA market with test optionality. And you may also see, throughout the graduate and undergraduate arenas, acceptance for a larger variety of tests. Many law schools are accepting the GRE in addition to the LSAT. In the business school world, you're seeing widespread acceptance of the GRE or the GMAT to the extent that the test is required. You're seeing more waivers. You're also seeing greater acceptance of the Executive Assessment, which was originally designed for Executive MBA programs. And at some schools, you're seeing them basically saying, whatever has an alphabet soup in it is fine. I think you're going to see more and more experimentation. You'll see more waiver options and there's been a lot of experimentation with that in the B school market. I'm not sure you're going to see wholesale test optionality at the elite programs. I think med schools will stick with the MCAT. It has some correlation to performance on the USMLE, which is obviously the test that doctors have to take at the end of medical school. And medical schools very legitimately want to know that the people they admit are going to perform in medical schools. Grad schools are all over the map outside the professional designations that I've just discussed. Some are going to require a GRE or another test; some won't. Again,
Invaluable insights into all aspects of the graduate admissions process [Show Summary] In celebration of Admissions Straight Talk's 500th episode, Linda Abraham invites Accepted consultants to pose and answer the questions that students should be asking – and frequently don't ask. This conversation is filled with invaluable insights that will benefit anybody preparing for graduate school. Accepted consultants share invaluable insights into the questions that students should be asking [Show Notes] Welcome to the 500th episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for joining me. This is a very special episode. It's the 500th, and I am very proud of that. We've been working hard to present a particularly informative show. I've invited different Accepted consultants over the course of the past few weeks to respond to one question that each one believes applicants should ask and know the answer to. And they frequently don't ask and, therefore, never learn the answer. So this is a collection of clips with different consultants – all experienced experts in their area of admissions – addressing different issues. I think you'll find it invaluable as you apply. I've been finding it very interesting to hear what they're asking and also what they're answering. I'm going to start with a question right now. What is the paradox at the heart of graduate admissions? I'll tell you, you need to fit in and stand out. You can learn how to master that paradox by downloading Accepted's free guide, Fitting In and Standing Out: The Paradox at the Heart of Admissions. ____________________________________________ Let's start with our first guest, Cydney Foote, who is one of Accepted's most experienced and, consequently, most beloved consultants. Before joining Accepted in 2001, Cydney was an administrator at the University of Washington School of Medicine. She has also written three ebooks on med school admissions, and she's guided hundreds, if not thousands, of applicants to acceptance, mostly in the healthcare field. The question for Cydney is: What's a useful tool that applicants can and should use no matter what stage of the application process they're in? [2:57] [Cydney Foote] I think one of the most useful things that someone can do before they even start to write their application materials is to keep a journal. It sounds very simple. It sounds like something a little kid would do, but so many people will sit down to write their first question and they don't know what to write about. If you keep a journal for the months, or even the years, before you start writing [applications], you can flip back through it and see what you've done. Often, you'll see patterns arising from things that you enjoyed and things that you did well. It's kind of the way that the universe is nudging you towards a certain area. A lot of that can just slip by you in your daily life as you're running from one event to the next. If you'll write it down just five minutes a day, then you'll have a whole wealth of material to go back on and look through later. Another really good reason to journal is that it helps you support your claims. This is one of the most severe flaws that I see in a lot of people's writing in their first drafts is they will make claims about things that they did like, “I am a great team player,” “I'm a great leader,” or “I am a great communicator,” but without the examples to support that, there's nothing that will help the person who's reading the application believe that you are that. It's not that they necessarily disbelieve you, but they don't have anything to reference. If you have something written down, those examples can be used to support your claims, and it will just make your application process so much more powerful, compelling, and convincing. There's also a final reason for doing this. When you start to write your application, especially for medical school, but for any field,
Find out the latest admissions news and what it all means [Show Summary] It was a very newsy November and in this episode, Linda Abraham is covering the most notable updates in the graduate admissions world: law school test waivers, top school withdrawals from US News rankings, accommodations for laid-off workers, and more! In this bonus episode, Linda Abraham, Accepted founder and CEO, talks about the latest admissions news and what impact this can have on applicants [Show Notes] Thanks for joining me for this bonus episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Last month was indeed a very newsy November. It was full of admissions news and I just decided I'd be remiss if I didn't touch on it for Admission Straight Talk listeners. Hence this bonus episode. In the meantime, if you have any thoughts or feedback for me on this episode or any other episode, feel free to email me at ast@accepted.com. American Bar Association Ceases Requiring Admissions Tests From Law Schools [0:55] All right, the first news item that I'd like to touch on is the American Bar Association. It looks like it will cease requiring that law schools require admissions tests which would mostly be the LSAT and the GRE. (A couple of schools accept the GMAT) And they're going to do that as of 2025. If this change is finally approved, as is very likely, law schools can individually choose whether to require an admissions test or not. Based on the experience of business schools that have gone with a lot of test optionality, most law schools will either require it of all incoming applicants, or they will require the test, but offer applicants the opportunity to apply for a waiver. Or they might say, "Those who meet certain requirements can automatically get a waiver." How will this apply to you? If you have good grades and tend not to test well, optionality is fantastic news for you, because you won't have to take the test if you apply to schools where the test is optional after 2025. However, schools do want to know that you can do the work. If your academic record leaves something to be desired or doesn't convey your abilities adequately, it would probably still be wise to prepare for and take the test so that it will better show your abilities. It's too early to tell, but in the business school realm, I think it's true that a high test score can enhance somebody's chances of getting a scholarship. As I indicated, it's my gut feeling in the B-school world, and it may become true in the law school world as well. If a scholarship is important to you, even if you have the grades, and particularly if you test well, it may make sense for you to take the test, even if it is optional. Whatever it is, just keep in mind that schools want to admit people they believe can thrive in their programs. Make sure that somehow, you're providing them that confidence. Top Schools Withdrawing From US News Rankings [3:08] Newsy November item number two is that top-15 law schools are withdrawing, with two exceptions, from the US News rankings. It all started when Yale and Harvard withdrew from the US News rankings on November 16th. They were followed by Berkeley, Stanford, UCLA, Columbia, Penn, University of Michigan, Duke, Northwestern, Georgetown, UC Davis, and UC Irvine. Today I read about the University of Washington, and there may be more by the time we get this recording posted. The University of Chicago and Cornell Law announced that they currently intend to stay in the rankings. For the schools that decided to withdraw, what's their motivation? They say that the rankings simply don't jive with their values. They've discouraged diversity and they've discouraged schools from accepting applicants who are more interested in public interest law which pays less than corporate law. You might have noticed that it was mostly the top 15 or so schools that withdrew from the rankings. Top schools don't need the publicity they get from the rankings as ...
Expert tips on how to approach your MBA application [Show Summary] What's the right way to approach an MBA application? Like a productivity challenge? A jigsaw puzzle? A to-do list? Linda Abraham weighs in and shares her expert tips to master this process. Linda Abraham, Founder and CEO of Accepted, shares her insights into how best to approach your MBA application [Show Notes] Welcome to the 487th episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for joining me. Today is going to be a solo show where I answer common questions while also providing information on how to approach your MBA application. If you're not applying for an MBA, there's still going to be a lot for you to learn from this episode, specifically from its strategic approach to the application process and its focus on using every element of the application to your advantage, not to mention thinking about where you want to end up after you get the degree. For you, MBAs, when you finish listening to this episode, you're invited to take a free six-question quiz at Accepted.com/MapMBA to see how well you've absorbed the lessons in this show. You'll also gain access to other relevant resources, both free and paid, that you can use as you attempt to incorporate the advice contained in this podcast into your strategy for a successful MBA application. I realize it is an enormous effort to apply successfully to an MBA program, especially if you're applying to top MBA programs with acceptance rates like 6%, 10%, and 20%. That means they reject the overwhelming majority of applicants who submit applications. Indeed, the elite programs reject many, if not most, admissible candidates. You have a challenge, even if you have good stats, and that challenge is even greater if you don't. Actually, it's really a few challenges: How can you make your application as impressive as possible?How are you going to tell your story and effectively present the non-statistical elements of your application, specifically the essays and, when necessary, a video?How can you make the process efficient? Those are the questions I'm going to address. Listen in. There's a lot to cover here. How to choose the right schools [2:47] The foundation of any effective application process is choosing the right schools to apply to. In order to determine what those schools are, you must have professional direction, defined for MBAs as having a preferred industry in which you want to work and a function you would like to perform. Note that this is not necessarily what you want to study. It's different. The basic question is, where do you want to end up? What's your goal for the MBA? Because that goal, or direction, becomes your north star in the application process and when you arrive on campus. You also need competitive academic qualifications. You're going to have to show through your application that you can handle both the communications and quantitative demands of a top MBA program. These qualifications are usually revealed via your transcript and your test score, but they can also be revealed via certifications and work experience, your application itself, your writing, and your interview. The third thing you're going to need is a sense of what's important to you in an MBA program. It might be location. This can also be a part of your professional direction. For example, you may want to work in London or you might want to work on Wall Street or you might want to work in Silicon Valley. Those are more professional, goal-oriented location questions. What I'm talking about is just personal preference. Do you prefer being in a small city or a big city? Do you prefer a warm climate or a cold climate? Do you have a significant other whose work and preferences you need to account for? Do you prefer to be close to your family or far from your family? You'll also have to consider instructional focus and curriculum: case versus experiential learning versus a combination of cas...
Linda Abraham is an MBA Admissions Consultant and the Founder of Accepted, an admissions consulting firm. Linda shared some of the trends and insights from the previous MBA admissions cycle, and previewed her thoughts on trends what's ahead for the 2022-2023 MBA admissions cycle including the impact of the economy, trends in MBA applications, and new We also talked about the challenges and opportunities of applying to an MBA program during periods of economic uncertainty, predictions of what might happen during the 2022-2023 MBA admissions cycle.Listen today on Apple Podcasts or SpotifyLinksLinda's Previous EpisodeAcceptedLinda's Poets and Quants Article
Graduate schools generally have more than one application deadline throughout the year, and when you apply often impacts your likelihood of being admitted. Indeed, it's more important than ever that you apply as early as possible in the admission cycle, according to Linda Abraham, founder of Accepted -- especially given the expected increase in application volume resulting from trends in the current economic landscape.In this episode, Linda elaborates on that thesis as we discuss:The distinction between "rolling admissions" and "rounds" and the approximate application deadlines for each submission period;Why current economic trends (inflation, rising interest rates, impending recession) suggest that applying early (i.e. Round 1) is a good idea this application cycle;The benefits of applying Round 1 even in a "normal" year;Four (4) criteria to consider that will help you determine if you're ready to apply;How long it takes to put together a polished application;Why it's a mistake to rush an application just to meet Round 1 deadlines;Whether it's better to apply in later rounds this year or wait until Round 1 next year;And more!If you've already decided that graduate school is in your immediate future, there's no time to waste when it comes to getting your test score and starting to work on your applications. After listening to this episode and hearing what Linda has to share, you'll understand why. Enjoy!RESOURCES / LINKSFrom the Accepted Blog: “When Should I Plan to Apply to Grad School? NOW!!!”Quiz - Are you ready for an MBA?Quiz - Are you ready for law school?Quiz - Are you ready for an Engineering degree?Quiz - Are you ready for med school?Contact Linda AbrahamPrepare for your standardized test with Dominate Test Prep's industry-leading prep coursesSIMILAR EPISODESIf you enjoyed this episode, we encourage you to check out these other similar episodes of The Dominate Test Prep Podcast:Episode 37: When is the Best Time to Take Your Exam?Episode 34: How to Determine Where to Apply, with Linda AbrahamEpisode 3: Framework for a Successful Grad School Application, with Linda AbrahamA DOSE OF MOTIVATION“Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today.” — Benjamin Franklin
The most selective schools and academic programs seem to set an impossible standard for applicants: be as perfect in all ways possible as everyone else but somehow also be even better in at least some ways. Amy and Mike asked educational consultant Linda Abraham to describe the delicate dance of fitting in and standing out. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the paradox at the heart of admissions? How do you show you fit in at the school of your choice? What does authenticity mean in the context of admissions? How do you stand out from the rest of the applicant school? What roles do deeds, identity, and ideas play in this process? MEET OUR GUEST Linda Abraham is the founder of Accepted and has over two decades experience helping clients get admitted to top medical, law, business and graduate schools. She is also the host of the top-rated Admissions Straight Talk podcast. Linda began helping applicants develop successful admissions strategies and craft distinctive essays in 1994. In addition to advising clients and managing Accepted, she has written and presented extensively on admissions. She also was the co-founder and first president of the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants. Accepted's clients have been accepted to top professional schools throughout the country including, Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Columbia, Kellogg, MIT, Darden, Stern, Michigan, Chicago, INSEAD, LBS and Anderson Business Schools; Harvard, Yale, Stanford, University of Chicago, Columbia, and Boalt Law Schools; and UCSF, UCLA, George Washington, Tulane, NYU, University of Wisconsin, and Tufts Medical Schools. The Wall St. Journal, The New York Times, The Sunday Times of London, Bloomberg Businessweek, US News and CBS News are among the media outlets that have sought Linda's expertise in admissions. Business Insider in March named Linda one of “9 MBA consultants, coaches, and admissions experts to know if you want to get into a top business school.” Linda previously appeared on this podcast in episode 223 to discuss Getting Ready For Graduate School. Find Linda at https://www.accepted.com/. LINKS Fitting In And Standing Out: The Paradox At The Heart Of Admissions Standing Out By Showing You Have a Unique Perspective [Fitting in & Standing Out] Admissions Straight Talk RELATED EPISODES PSYCHOGRAPHICS IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS TRANSPARENCY IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS TABOO ESSAY TOPICS ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
If your student is considering a future in business this episode is required listening. Linda Abraham leans on her experience advising students since 1994. Business Insider named her the MBA admissions consult “to know if you want to get into a top business school”. You'll walk away understanding the differences between a business degree in undergrad or earning an MBA or other graduate degrees. And you'll understand what timing is important. Linda identifies important skills and traits to develop along with suggesting which extracurriculars will be helpful in both high school and college. Learn which entrance exams to concentrate on and how both GPA and scores work with the extracurriculars and work history to determine who will be admitted. Linda share important research that determines the ROI on investing in a business school education to help determine if it's the right path for your student. Highlights Considerations when deciding between business as an undergraduate major or a master's in business administration or managementThe role of academic GPA and entrance examsNon-academic pursuits that make an applicant more desirable to universitiesThe timeline for MBA programsWhat the financial return on investment is for business programsListen on…the Flourish Site, Spotify, Apple, Google, Amazon Music, Stitcher, or your favorite platform. Links mentioned in this episodeMBA ROI CalculatorMBA Admissions Timeline graphicMBA Admissions Timeline postPrep for B-School: A 4-Year Guide for College Students & Recent Grads Launch College & Career Clarity CourseLaunch College and Career Clarity Facebook CommunityIn September, I'm hosting my complimentary parent masterclass, four common mistakes to avoid when choosing a college major. This is the final time this year it will be offered. Join me to identify the four mistakes strategies to avoid them and the proven path to picking a major on time without limiting options. Go to flourishcoaching co.com to learn more, or grab your spot. I'll see you soon. Join me in my complimentary September masterclass 4 common mistakes to avoid when choosing college major. I'll help your team get on the path to making informed choices that open doors as well as saving your family both time & money. For anyone who attends live, I have a special template that will empower your team when communicating with colleges. Visit flourishcoachingco.com to grab a spot before the opportunity is gone.
What steps can you take to get accepted despite a low GPA? [Show Summary] Linda Abraham outlines five steps for mitigating the impact of a low GPA so that you can move forward with a successful graduate school application. Linda Abraham, Founder and CEO of Accepted shares her insights into overcoming low stats [Show Notes] Welcome to the 458th episode of Admissions Straight Talk. Thanks for joining me. Before we dive into our main topic for today, I want to invite you to take advantage of Accepted's library of free downloadable reports, several of which discuss how to apply successfully with low stats. Check them all out today. Now to today's topic. I was recently doing some end-of-the-year/beginning-of-the-year review and noticed that one of our most popular podcasts is “Five A's For Your Low GPA”, which is now going to be replaced by today's podcast. I decided to address this topic again, because it is a recurring issue and because I'd like to address some factors that have changed since the initial podcast in 2016 which is almost six years ago. We're going to go through the five A's as I call them, or the five steps for dealing with your low GPA. You really have to do all of them if you have a below-average GPA, because you want to mitigate its impact or ideally eliminate its impact as schools evaluate your application. So to deal with a GPA that is causing you concern, I'm going to give you the following five steps. The five A's are: Assess your GPA (is it really low?)Analyze the causes of your low GPAAddress those causesAdd context to the low GPAAvoid mistakes in addressing the GPA Now let's go through each topic in more depth. 1. Assess your GPA (is it really low?) [2:41] I define a low GPA as one that is 0.3 or more below your target school's average GPA for matriculating students on the US 4.0 scale. This information can usually be found in posted class profiles, or sometimes on US news rankings, or on Accepted's Med Selectivity Index, Law Selectivity Index, and MBA Selectivity Index. An alternative definition, which also works in my book, is a GPA that is below your target school's 75th or 80th percentile if you have that information. Usually, the information I started with is a little bit easier to come by, but if you have this, it works also. Now let's take a look at these definitions and discuss what's good and bad about them because there's good and bad in both of them. First, the good. What I like about these definitions is that they are relative to the schools you are targeting. So if you have a 3.3 GPA and the average GPA for the entering class at your target school is a 3.3, you do not have a low GPA. You don't have anything to mitigate. You don't have anything to address unless possibly there's a downward trend in your grades. However, don't tune out yet. If you have that same 3.3 and the schools that you're aiming for have an average GPA for accepted students of 3.7 or above, as do several medical schools, some law schools, Stanford Business School, and other graduate programs, then you have a low GPA and you should definitely, definitely listen to the rest of this podcast because you're going to need to do the steps that I'm going to outline. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_T0mGKJydMc What's the flaw in my definition? Well, there are some flaws. Number one is admissions is about much more than just your GPA and you're going to see that later in this podcast. You cannot look at any one number, be it the number of publications you have, your GPA, your test score, the amount of work experience you have, the number of hours you volunteered, and focus exclusively on that number. It's just not going to work. Whether it's a good number or a bad number, admissions is much more holistic than that. It really, and truly is. By focusing on the average, which I've done, remember I said 0.3 or more below the average, the definition doesn't reflect the impact of trends in...
What to do if you have no interviews [Show summary] What do you do if you still haven't heard back from medical schools by Thanksgiving? In this episode, podcast host Linda Abraham shares how students can pursue parallel tracks to expand their opportunities. Linda Abraham's advice for med school applicants who still haven't received interview invitations [Show notes] Welcome to the 445th episode of Admissions Straight Talk, Accepted's podcast. Thanks for tuning in. I decided to do a solo show today. This is my second in a row, but don't worry we're going to go back to normal interview programming next week. This show is aimed at our premed listeners, but I think there is value to other applicant groups as well in listening in. But the focus today will be on medical school this time. As I mentioned, this is Thanksgiving week, a short week, and I have something timely to discuss, so I'm going to share it. I'm also going to keep this podcast a little shorter than usual in honor of the short week and also because I think I can cover the topic in less time and I'm not going to keep you on the podcast for no good reason. I'm going to dive into our timely topic in just a second. The freebie we're offering with today's show couldn't be more relevant to today's topic. One common reason for no interviews or ultimately rejection for medical school applicants is that they simply aimed too high. And you have to ask yourself, were you really competitive at your target programs? If you're aiming ahead, are you competitive at your target programs? Accepted's Med School Admissions Calculator can give you a quick reality check. Just go to accepted.com/medquiz, complete the quiz, and you not only get an assessment, but tips on how to improve your chances of acceptance. Plus, it's all free. Recent admission stats [2:38] Now, let's face it. It's hard to get into medical school. The process is long, difficult and grueling. In my opinion, of all the graduate and professional programs, it has the most demanding process. One of the difficult parts of it, by the way, is the utter silence at this stage of the game. But leaving that aside for the moment, acceptance rates support my contention. The AAMC reports applicants aiming for the class that entered in 2020, where I strongly suspect acceptance rates were higher than this past cycle that entered in 2021, enjoyed a 41.9% acceptance rate overall. That means that most applicants were rejected. And the news from AACOMAS is even worse. The most recent data, which is only for 2018, shows that of 20,981 applicants to 20 DO programs, 7,415 were accepted. That's a 35.34% acceptance rate. In other words, almost two thirds were rejected. Now, this data is all for the classes that applied before COVID. It is not for the class that applied through the pandemic when the so-called Fauci effect is believed to have contributed to a surge in medical school applications, the recession probably also had some role to play. What medical schools are looking for beyond grades [3:57] Most admissions directors whom I have spoken with are still seeing a high level of applications this year, but AMC data is not yet available for last year's cycle or for this one. Of course, while we're talking about stats and numbers, the focus tends to be on GPA and MCAT but medical school admissions aren't just about stats. Medical school admissions offices are very serious about holistic review. In my many interviews with medical school Admissions Directors and Deans, when I ask them, "How do you winnow it down? How do you choose from the thousands who apply to the few hundred who get interviewed and then maybe one or two hundred who are accepted?" The answer almost always is: your essays, your experiences, and your writing. They're looking at what you've put in the application, not just the grades and the stats. So in addition to competitive grades and MCAT, which you definitely do need,
The best way to approach your MBA application [Show summary] You have your GPA and test score but how should you approach the actual application? In this episode Linda Abraham, Admissions Straight Talk host, shares Accepted's DARE framework to help you confidently apply to your dream schools. The essential ingredients that adcoms look for in an application [Show notes] Welcome to the 444th episode of Admissions Straight Talk, Accepted's podcast. Thanks for tuning in. I decided to do a solo show today, just me and you. Because this is a particularly packed episode, we also have a worksheet for you. You can use it to take notes or use it later independent of the podcast to perhaps jot things down that you remember from the podcast and add to it. You can download your worksheet at accepted.com/444download. Before we explore today's topic, I want to invite all Admissions Straight Talk listeners to take advantage of a fantastic special that Accepted is offering this week: up to $1,000 off our services purchased by November 19th, which is Friday. The coupon code is SAVENOW. Whatever graduate program you're considering, the time to buy and save is really right now. Go to accepted.com/services to find the right service for you. Get details about the special, and then use the coupon code saved now on this investment in your future. This, our last special of 2021, also relates directly to the topic of today's show, Creating Compelling Round 2 MBA Applications. Now, dear listener, if you're not an MBA applicant, you may still find relevant nuggets in this show, which really is focusing on strategy and maximizing your application. All the examples will be related to MBA applications. I recently delivered a webinar on this topic, and frankly, it was very well received - so well received that I decided to provide much of the content from the webinar here. If you attended the webinar, you're certainly welcome to stay for a review and also for a few tidbits that weren't in the original. Now, let's start with some basic assumptions: you're dreaming of a career that excites you, you're aspiring to MBA programs that will launch you towards that career, but you face obstacles. You have a problem. How do you build an application that portrays you at your best and is a perfect match for the schools you're aiming for? How do you move your application reader from your stats to your story? [2:51] I'll tell you, you use a framework that allows you to use your application strategically making the most of every inch of application real estate available to you. That part of the strategy that I'm going to outline is something that is true of every single applicant to any graduate school. Whatever program you are applying to, you want to make the most of every inch of application real estate available to you. So, part of implementing this strategy is going to start right now. You can download the worksheet, if you haven't already, from accepted.com/444download, and use it. My recommendation is to get a pile of little sticky notes and on each one, put an idea for something that you want the schools to know. Talking about business schools, I would focus on achievements, obstacles overcome, leadership examples, teamwork examples, examples of your resilience, initiative, organizational ability, but you only need three for this exercise. Put one idea on each post-it note and then put the post-it note on the part of the worksheet where you feel it most belongs. It's quite possible you might be thinking that some experiences could exemplify leadership and overcoming obstacles and an achievement, that's fine. You can copy the ideas into multiple squares. That's just fine. But at the end of the day, you want to make sure that your application is revealing a multifaceted portrait of you and that you have demonstrated these different qualities. As ideas come to you during the podcast, or as additional ideas come to you later,
On our last episode, we had a great panel of admissions professionals from three business schools tell you how they use the GMAT exam in the admissions process. We discussed the advantages of taking the GMAT exam even as some programs may be test-optional this year. This week, we continue that conversation, this time gaining the perspectives of a panel of top-rated business school admissions consultants. Admissions consultants Linda Abraham from Accepted and Joe Mashek from Merchant join the show to discuss all the questions you want to know about the GMAT exam and getting into the world's top MBA and business master's programs.
For many students, acceptance to college represents the last set of academic admissions hoops they'll ever need to jump through. A whole new circus, however, awaits those hoping to earn advanced degrees. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Linda Abraham to offer practical strategies for getting ready for graduate school. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What should students who want to keep their grad program options open do during college? What should college students with graduate aspirations not do? When should students considering different grad programs take admissions tests? What should students looking at specific programs like law or medicine do in advance? Why is direct experience in an intended field so critical before applying to a graduate program? MEET OUR GUEST Linda Abraham is the founder of Accepted and has over two decades of experience helping clients get admitted to top medical, law, business, and graduate schools. She is also the host of the top-rated Admissions Straight Talk podcast. Linda began helping applicants develop successful admissions strategies and craft distinctive essays in 1994. In addition to advising clients and managing Accepted, she has written and presented extensively on admissions. She also was the co-founder and first president of the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants. Accepted's clients have been accepted to top professional schools throughout the country including, Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Columbia, Kellogg, MIT, Darden, Stern, Michigan, Chicago, INSEAD, LBS, and Anderson Business Schools; Harvard, Yale, Stanford, University of Chicago, Columbia, and Boalt Law Schools; and UCSF, UCLA, George Washington, Tulane, NYU, University of Wisconsin, and Tufts Medical Schools. The Wall St. Journal, The New York Times, The Sunday Times of London, Bloomberg Businessweek, US News, and CBS News are among the media outlets that have sought Linda's expertise in admissions. Business insider in March named Linda one of “9 MBA consultants, coaches, and admissions experts to know if you want to get into a top business school” Find Linda at https://www.accepted.com/. LINKS Accepted Admissions Straight Talk Accepted YouTube Channel RELATED EPISODES WHAT EVERY PRE-MED MAJOR SHOULD KNOW GETTING INTO BUSINESS SCHOOL GETTING INTO MEDICAL SCHOOL ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
How to Respond to a Rejection [Show summary] Admissions guru Linda Abraham highlights four reasons that could cause a rejection and offers concrete, practical suggestions for moving forward. How to Respond to a Rejection [Show notes] Some of you are unfortunately facing a fistful of dings at the moment. Some of you haven't heard definitively. You are either in waitlist limbo, or just waiting to hear an answer, any answer, to your applications this year. But you know that rejection is still a distinct possibility. How can you respond to rejection? How should you respond to rejection? Normally I like to be positive and upbeat, and I will get positive and upbeat a little later, but of course, rejection is something that applicants have to deal with.And it isn't positive or upbeat. And therefore I want to deal with it on the podcast. But before we get to the main topic, I want to mention that one of the challenges of admissions is showing that you both fit in at your target schools and stand out in the applicant pool. Accepted's free download, Fitting In & Standing Out: The Paradox at the Heart of Admissions will show you how to do both. Master this paradox and you are well on your way to Accepted. Download the free guide. Today's podcast episode is a solo show, and I'm going to give a little high-level encouragement and then get down to brass tacks advice on what you should do as you approach re-application if you choose to reapply. Rejection reality [2:16] Let's face it, I'm not Pollyanna: Rejection is disappointing. It's frustrating. Maybe a little embarrassing, because you told people you were applying. Acknowledge those negative feelings, but don't wallow in them. Acknowledge them. You put a lot of effort into this year's application, you spent money, you invested time, you invested emotionally in this endeavor and you're disappointed. What can I tell you? It's legitimate. Some of you may feel that this is the end of the road for your particular career dream. Maybe you've applied before, maybe you find rejection to be a terrible blow. Realize that rejection is disappointing. There's no question about it. Perfectly legitimate to feel that way. It is a setback but it is not a tragedy. No one has died, no blood has been spilled, no limbs have been lost, you haven't lost your livelihood or anything close to it. What about my dreams and goals? [3:12] You might respond to me and say, "But what about my dreams, my goals?!?!" I have two thoughts for you on that. You may not need to give up your dreams and goals. You may decide to reapply. We'll get into that and how to do that effectively later on in the podcast. You may apply to different schools or programs that are easier to get into, and that still support your goal. You may decide to achieve your goals in another way that doesn't require a graduate degree. Or the second thought is, you may need to modify your dreams and goals and replace them with new dreams. In other words, re-dream, instead of reapply. I can tell you that there have been many times when my husband and I seemingly hit a dead end on a dream and had to re-dream, we adjusted. And you know what happened? Things worked out better than we had ever hoped with our original dream. For an example of an applicant who had to dream differently, please check out accepted.com/234 for the story of Andrea Benedict who had to abandon her dream of becoming a physician to become a PA instead, and absolutely loves her work and her career. Let's say you acknowledge that you're rejected, there's no question about it. What should you do? Give yourself an hour or two, maybe even a day or two, to be down and then move on. In fact, pat yourself on the back, for your effort and initiative and applying in the first place. You tried to improve your skills through education, you tried to move forward, you tried to grow and improve. That effort deserves to be acknowledged and praised and I...
w/ Linda Abraham of Accepted.com Free LSAT Cheat Sheet: https://bit.ly/lsatcheatsheet LSAT Courses: http://lsatblog.blogspot.com/p/lsat-course-packages.html Best LSAT Books: https://lsatblog.blogspot.com/p/best-lsat-prep-books.html LSAT Schedules: http://lsatblog.blogspot.com/p/month-lsat-study-schedules-plans.html LSAT Blog Free Stuff: http://lsatblog.blogspot.com/p/lsat-prep-tips.html LSAT Unplugged Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lsat-unplugged/id1450308309?mt=2 LSAT Unplugged Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lsatunplugged LSAT Coaching Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgOHAiSs08EbD-kfDFqIEoMC_hzQrH-J5 Admissions Coaching Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgOHAiSs08EbsqveKs_RZEy2sqqbz3HUL LSAT Unplugged Facebook Group (community and free livestream classes): https://www.facebook.com/groups/LSATUnplugged LSAT Blog: http://lsatblog.blogspot.com/
In this episode, Linda Abraham talks about:Her history starting an Internet business in the '90s. How and when high school students should start preparing for college.How to decide if an MBA is worth it for you.Resources and LinksAccepted.com Linda's FacebookLinda's InstagramLinda's LinkedinDownload the free guide: How to Create a Competitive MBA Profile
Linda Abraham is a MBA Admissions Consultant and the Founder of Accepted, a Graduate Admissions Consulting Firm. Linda is a repeat guest on the MBA Insider Podcast, and she joined me today to talk about some insights and trends from the 2020-2021 MBA Admissions season. During our conversation, we spoke about some of the key developments, what she’s seeing from working with her clients, and made some predictions about what’s ahead in the remainder of the application season.
Can the lessons of 2020 help us forge a better 2021? [Show summary] For Admissions Straight Talk’s 400th episode, Linda Abraham reflects on a turbulent year and identifies the most important trends in higher ed admissions to watch in 2021. Applying to graduate school: A journey of self-improvement [Show notes] We’ve reached Episode 400! I feel it's a milestone, and I've decided to do a little bit of a different kind of a show. I'm going to discuss two important developments of 2020 and their impact on applicants, their implications for you as you apply, and how you should deal with them. I also want to speak at the very end on a more personal and, hopefully, thoughtful perspective, a little bit higher level, more strategically, and share some thoughts as we are starting to see the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel. This is a brand new year. The other perspective that I'm going to share will reflect a little of what I've learned from Rabbi Lord Dr. Jonathan Sacks, a favorite writer, thinker, and teacher of mine, who sadly passed away in November. His writings have relevance to many people and many situations, but specifically to grad school applicants, and I'm dedicating this podcast in his memory. The rising number of graduate program applicants [2:16] The first development that folks need to be aware of, and I'm sure you are aware of, is the surge. And no, I don't mean the surge in COVID cases that we are tragically experiencing. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the surge in applicants to graduate programs across the board that is occurring this fall and winter. What do I mean by that? Let's give some examples. In December, NPR reported that 18% more applicants applied via AAMC to medical school than did a year earlier. Some school-specific numbers: Stanford, which also went test-optional, reported a 50% increase in applications. Boston University reported a 27% increase in applications. And when I spoke with Paul White of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in October, for Admissions Straight Talk's 392nd episode which you can find at accepted.com/392, he reported at that point an increase of 25% in applications to Johns Hopkins. Business schools are also experiencing a surge in applications. They were experiencing a decline in applications that seemed to end for most schools with round two of last year and the recession’s onset in March of 2020. They have also seen a surge in applications this cycle. The stats for last year revealed 67% of MBA programs reporting increased applications per GMAC. The stats for this year aren't out yet, but news reports, whether from The Wall Street Journal, Poets&Quants, or my conversations with admissions directors, all indicate increased application volume. Law school applications have also soared. Through December 15th, LSAC reports a 38% increase in applicants (not applications, but applicants) year over year, a whopping 57.4% increase in applications year over year, and an almost 62% increase in applications over two years ago. Twelve out of 200 law schools reported a 100% increase in applications, and 106 out of 200 law schools reported an increase of between 50 and 99%, which means that well over half of law schools are reporting more than a 50% increase in applications. LSAC, conservatively, warns that it's too early in the cycle to draw conclusions, since at this time last year, 34% of applications had been counted. However, I am concluding that with roughly a third of applications in, or presumed to be in at this point in time, the file numbers may not be this eye-popping, but there will be a marked increase in applications to the nation's law schools. Various graduate specialties are also up: for example, Master's in Public Health. ABC News, citing data from the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, which has over 100 MPH programs participating in its Common Application service,
One of the first and most important decisions you need to make on your higher education journey is determining which schools and programs to apply to. Once you figure that out, much of the rest of the application process starts to fall into place. Yet, deciding where to apply isn't always straightforward. There are a lot of factors to consider. To help shed light on this important topic, we are joined in this episode by Linda Abraham, founder of Accepted, who shares anecdotes, insight, and key considerations including:The importance of determining your "North Star" as the driver of your decision about which programs to apply to -- and how to figure it out if you're unsureWhy getting clear about your career goals is such an important first step, including its relevance to writing your Statement of Purpose on your applicationsThree good reasons for selecting target schoolsSeveral bad reasons for applying to a specific school or programThe role that rankings should play in where you choose to apply (if at all)Where money (scholarships, tuition costs) should factor in to your decisionHow many schools you should apply to -- and whether or not your should have a "safe school" on your listConsiderations for undergraduate applicants, and how they differ in some respects from the factors that are most important for grad school candidatesWhat you can do to boost your profile if your stats (test scores, GPA, etc.) aren't currently in alignment with your dream schoolAnd more!If you're just starting the admissions process, what Linda has to share will help ensure that you're going back to school for the right reasons and that you pick a school that you will enjoy while you're there and that will serve your long-term goals well. And if you're already knee-deep in the process but not 100% confident in your list of target schools, you'll benefit from Linda's perspective as well. Enjoy!RESOURCESLinda has put together a special free guide just for the listeners of The Dominate Test Prep Podcast to help you find the business school that's the perfect fit for you. Download it here:Free Guide: Best MBA Programs — A Guide to Selecting the Right OneAnd if you need to boost your test score to improve your chances of getting accepted to your top-choice school, check out our top-rated prep courses for the GMAT, GRE, Executive Assessment, LSAT, and SAT.A DOSE OF MOTIVATION“If you don't know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.” — Yogi Berra
Law school admissions experts Linda Abraham and Christine Carr share wisdom about how to achieve application success during COVID-19 [Show summary] In part two of this joint interview, TextMax Prep’s Branden Frankel and Jelena Woehr interview Accepted’s Linda Abraham and Christine Carr on what applicants should expect entering the law school admissions process. Click here for Part 1: The Test Prep Experts’ Guide to the LSAT >> How will the coronavirus pandemic impact law school admissions this year? [Show notes] [Jelena] Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, have you noticed more people interested in applying to law schools, fewer, or no change? What are students' feelings about applying to law school from your point of view right now? [0:37] Linda: We're seeing more law school applicants this year. There's no question that we're seeing more inquiries, and I think it'll ultimately significantly increase our law school admissions businesses this year. [Branden] Are applicants bringing different concerns to you than they were bringing before? [1:26] Christine: Not necessarily. Actually, with respect to the pandemic specifically, I'm generally the one that's bringing that up and asking questions as to how they're informing their decisions based on the current state of affairs and remote learning, etc. I've been seeing that most of the applicants are asking the same types of questions. Personal statements are still top of mind for many people, and how to get started, so it's not necessarily any different right now. Linda: I think there is some concern about starting law school online and the quality of their education, especially if that continues. On the other hand, there seems to be a lot of optimism about a vaccine coming out in early 2021. So for the people applying this cycle, by the time they start law school, hopefully much of the population will have been vaccinated and the restrictions that we're dealing with now, we won't be dealing with. [Jelena] Should online learning lead to any changes in an applicant's application strategy? Should they be highlighting different traits about themselves than they would in a pre-pandemic world? [2:58] Linda: I think, in general, adaptability is something that everybody is valuing a little bit more these days. I don't think that's going to fundamentally change what law schools look for in a law school personal statement. It might change a little bit. If you're showing that adaptability, grit, perseverance, and resilience, those qualities have become more important in the last six months. But fundamentally, I don't think you're going to see big, big, big changes in the core of the personal statement. Christine: I think that adaptability piece is a big piece, and that's a thread that we carried pre-pandemic, that ability to take on many things and handle different aspects and multitask and think critically about different things. When I was working with applicants from March, when the bottom fell out, essentially, and people were making decisions about where to go, I was counseling many of our applicants to look at schools for their adaptability, how they handled themselves and how that frontline admissions office was taking questions and handling questions. Are they forthcoming with information? And are they keeping in contact? Because that's setting the tone for the type of community that you're going to be joining, and in order for you to be successful, ultimately, you want to be in a community that is able to adapt to those types of changes as well, right alongside you. You don't want to be the only one that's adapting and showing those characteristics. You want the community that you're joining to already be setting that tone. So I was counseling many of my clients to be very cognizant of how you're being treated as an applicant, and how the offices are moving forward when they're making the transition to online, because it was on the fly.
The Legal Level - LSAT, law school admissions, 1L, bar exam & more!
We're back with Part 2 of our joint podcast with Admissions Straight Talk, and this time Linda Abraham (founder of Accepted.com) and Christine Carr (former Associate Director of Admissions at Boston University's School of Law) are answering Branden & Jelena's questions. We dive into everything you need to know about this unprecedented law school admissions season. In this episode, find out: Whether law school applications are expected to rise or fall this season How to pad your resume during a pandemic, even if you can't get a law-related job What you should never do on a resume when applying to law school The most important step in writing a law school personal statement What questions applicants should be asking themselves and admissions teams as they apply to law school How to tell if the schools you're applying to are resilient and good at handling change Links and further resources from from this week's episode: Listen to Admissions Straight Talk: blog.accepted.com/listen About Christine Carr (former BU Law Associate Director of Admissions: https://www.accepted.com/aboutus/christine-carr Law School Applications Webinar: https://youtu.be/4YoNYl-2JvM Selecting Law Schools Webinar: https://youtu.be/K4I0VT5Gros Financing Law School Webinar: https://youtu.be/f5gYj6ddj7U "33 Common LSAT Flaws", Available Now in Paperback & Kindle Formats: https://amzn.to/3efTuzY The Road to 180: The Ultimate Guide to LSAT Prep (free on Kindle unlimited): https://www.amazon.com/Road-180-Ultimate-Guide-LSAT-ebook/dp/B00X4W9R5U/ Start Your LSATMax Free Trial: - https://go.onelink.me/z1Zu/689fb4b4 Start Your 1L Free Trial Now: - https://go.onelink.me/iOM8/68e2c335 Start Your BarMax Free Trial Now: - https://go.onelink.me/3011142272/d02ba2de
After a busy and hectic spring and summer of MBA Admissions, Linda Abraham (CEO, Accepted.com) takes some time to step away from advising her clients and joins me to talk about MBA Admissions. During this interview, we talk about what happened with MBA admissions during COVID-19, the implications of the GMAT moving forward, and some of Linda’s predictions for the upcoming MBA Admissions Cycle for 2020-2021.
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Linda Abraham founded Accepted in 1994, launched the accepted.com website in 1996, and has grown Accepted ever since from a part-time editing service to one of the most well-known graduate admissions consultancies in the country. In 2007 she co-founded the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants and served as its first president. She also co-authored the book, MBA Admissions for Smarties, and hosts the Admissions Straight Talk podcast, which she started in 2012.Linda earned her bachelors and MBA from UCLA. Website: https://www.accepted.com/ Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/MBA-Admission-Smarties-No-Nonsense-Acceptance/dp/1466294981 Facebook: https://facebook.com/AcceptedTwitter: https://www.twitter.com/AcceptedLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/accepted.comhttps://www.youtube.com/user/AcceptedVideo
COVID-19 has impacted everything including the MBA Admissions and Application process. Many MBA programs have responded by extending admissions deadlines or creating new opportunities for students to apply for this year and next year. To help make sense of all of this, Linda Abraham, CEO of Accepted.com joins me to talk about the changes to MBA admissions, and how current and future MBA applicants can navigate them.
Is there a secret recipe for MBA application success? Linda Abraham lays out seven steps that MBA applicants can take now to enhance their chance of success when the MBA applications come out over the summer. Listen to the show! What steps can you take NOW to improve your chances of acceptance to top MBA programs? The content I’m about to explore mirrors the training I offered in 7 Steps to a Successful MBA Application in 2021, a recent webinar. I feel that this material is so valuable that I don’t want my podcast listeners to miss it. What motivates me to provide this training? A frustration with applicants who start the process too late and shortchange their chances at their dream schools. We love to start working with applicants now because our clients can improve their profile, qualifications, and chances of acceptance when they start early!The amount of limiting and misleading imagery in MBA advising from adcom directors, consultants, and sometimes MBA applicants and students themselves.The paradox of MBA admissions. After 25 years in this business, I’ve seen a lot of metaphors used in describing the MBA admissions process. “It’s an accounting exercise, not a marketing exercise,” or, “It’s all about personal branding,” or, “It’s all about marketing.” While I believe metaphors and similes can be useful, I think they have been abused in MBA admissions, obscuring the process. I do not promise an image-free training! I do promise that this training will provide you with a purpose-driven, goal-centered approach to the MBA application, including what you should be doing now (six to nine months before you submit your application) to maximize your chances of acceptance at top MBA programs when you apply in Round 1 or Round 2 of the 2020–21 application season. Let’s cultivate those three seeds into a flourishing, healthy MBA application. (Not bad for someone who just complained about abuse of metaphors in MBA admissions!) When applicants come to us at the last minute Yes, we can polish your essays during the week before the essays are due, but we can do so much more if you start early. Use the next few months before the applications come out to improve your profile and maximize your chances of acceptance. Step 1: Define your goals, the foundation of your application Begin with the end in mind: Clarify your post-MBA goal, the foundation for your entire MBA application strategy, even if it changes while in B-school. In Admissions Straight Talk Episode 185, I asked Ross Admissions Director Soojin Kwon, “What makes an application really stand out for you?” She responded, “People who seem to really know what they want and know themselves, and who can articulate it well. They can connect the dots.” Define your post-MBA goals, both short-term and long-term. Short-term goals include your industry and functional focus (something you do, not something you study). Long-term goals, those five to ten years down the road, are your aspirations or dreams --perhaps a way of contributing to the betterment of society on a larger scale. These are less critical from an admission perspective, but if you have something like this, don’t hide it. Prepare to discuss. If your goals are fuzzy, look at what you like and are good at. Talk to people in positions that you find attractive. What do they actually do? What education do they believe was useful to them? Do they wish they would have had before they started? From what programs do they want to hire people for the positions you find appealing? Then take time to think about what you want to do. Reflect. Once you have a clearly defined goal, it will be a substantive and meaningful guide in the process of choosing schools—your North Star. Realize that at many schools, a clearly defined, realistic post-MBA goal is as much a requirement of admission as a competitive GMAT or quality work experience. Chicago Booth explicitly says that it seeks a “sense of person...
As the adage goes, “it takes money to make money.” For female entrepreneurs, that money can be elusive when starting a business or trying to grow one. According to a Forbes article by Kerry Hannon, author of “Never Too Old to Get Rich: The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Starting a Business Mid-Life,” her friend Linda Abraham — a serial entrepreneur, angel investor and start-up board member told her the biggest hurdle for female entrepreneurs: “Raising capital. I am sorry to say that, but it’s true.” Hannon interviewed several women in the early stages of starting ventures and each said that having enough seed money in the bank is what is slowing them down. A few said they considered launching a crowdfunding campaign — raising cash online through a campaign and inviting people to help them. But they were nervous about taking this non-traditional approach. On today’s show, I am joined by Kate Anderson of iFundWomen, a popular crowdfunding platform for female entrepreneurs. Kate Anderson is a leader in generating change and gender equality within the private fundraising space. As co-founder and Operations Director of iFundWomen, she has driven millions of dollars into the hands of female founders. iFundWomen's flexible crowdfunding platform combines a pay-it-forward model, expert startup coaching, professional video production, and a private community for its entrepreneurs, all with the goal of helping female entrepreneurs launch and grow better businesses. Kate lives in Boston with her husband and their three kids, Maggie, JR and Audrey. Meet My Guest: WEBSITE: IFundWomen.com FACEBOOK: /ifundwomen
How should you select where to apply to medical school? Accepted founder Linda Abraham sheds light on this important question. [Show summary] AACOMAS opens in May, and AMCAS opens in June, which means the new medical school application cycle is just around the corner. How should you decide where to apply? Accepted’s founder, Linda Abraham, will tell you in this podcast! What factors should you consider when deciding where to apply? [Show notes] Welcome to the 353rd episode of Admissions Straight Talk. I’ve decided to do a solo show for this podcast and address something that I’ve been thinking a lot about. I am so glad you decided to join me for this really important and fundamental show if you are considering or even committed to earning an MD or DO. Today I will address the topic of where to apply, the foundation of an effective medical school application. Imagine a Venn diagram with two circles overlapping. One circle label Schools You Want to Attend and the other circle is labeled Schools Likely to Want You. The schools where those circles overlap are the schools where you should apply. If it was just that simple, the podcast would be over. Taking a 30,000 foot view, it IS that simple, but I’d like to unwrap both those ideas and give you suggestions as to what you should consider in selecting the schools you would like to attend and also researching the schools to determine which are likely to want you. Naturally there is some overlap between the two, but I still think it’s instructive to approach the topic from this angle. I’d also like to touch on how many schools you should apply to. We typically recommend around 20 because individual school acceptance rates are so low - typically under 20% and in some cases under 10%. If you apply wisely to around 20 programs, you should have at least one and maybe more acceptances come next spring. Obviously, you also have to submit impressive primary and secondary applications and interview well, but we’re not going to discuss the application itself today. We’re going to focus on where to apply. What will make medical schools want you Medical schools where your stats align Stats are really important to consider. Look at the MSAR for MCAT and GPA ranges to see if you meet the general threshold. Ideally you want to be at or above averages across the board for at least 3-5 of the schools you apply to. You should try to be at or above the 25th percentile for most stats at 50%, or 10 if you apply to 20, of the schools you apply to. You can apply to 3-5 programs where your stats are weak, but you really want to attend and have strong fit, which I’ll get more into in a minute. Schools where you show you identify with their mission Make sure you read each school’s mission and/or values statement so that you can show you share them in secondaries and IVs. See what relevant clinical experience is necessary for MD programs, and DO exposure for DO programs. Look into the research some programs require, as well as their approach to medical education - PBL, team based, system-based, etc. Think about when have you enjoyed learning in that way or why you think you will like it. Look at their strengths and your interests – where do grads go into residencies? Admittedly your interests could change, but if they don’t you’ll be ahead of the game by coming from a program with strengths in your area of interest. hbspt.cta.load(58291, 'ac360b0f-fe6d-4846-8573-f8705e225171', {}); Make sure the schools’ values and your values mesh. For some programs, especially public state universities, there are requirements for percentages of in-state vs out-of-state students. Look at the more detailed stats in MSAR where you can see which programs have that preference. If there is a whopping difference between in-state and out-of-state acceptance rates, avoid those with a strong preference for in-state residents if you’re don’t have residency in that state.
Accepted founder Linda Abraham discusses when pursuing an MBA justifies its cost [Show Summary] Linda Abraham, Accepted’s founder and president explores the latest headlines about the value of an MBA. This is a must-listen for anyone trying to decide whether or not to get an MBA degree. Why we've been asking the wrong question about the value of the MBA [Show Notes] Headlines scream “Is an MBA Worth It?” and frequently conclude, as did an editorial in the WSJ in the fall, that an MBA usually isn’t worth it in an era of low unemployment, high tuition, and declining enrollment for U.S. business schools’ flagship, two-year, full-time MBA programs. Other articles conclude differently and trumpet that the MBA is almost always worth it because of the value of the MBA education and network. In my opinion, they’re both asking the wrong question. The right question is: “When is an MBA worth it?” This is not a categorical question, or one that an op-ed can answer across the board for everyone or even “most.” It’s something that individuals must assess and analyze individually. If you’re a prospective MBA applicant trying to decide if you should apply or attend if accepted, ignore the headlines (for the most part). Approach the question, with this maxim in mind. hbspt.cta.load(58291, '9bb31be0-3cf6-45f0-be3d-3791cc1bd9bd', {}); The MBA is worth the investment in time and money when anticipated benefits – both financial and non-financial – exceed anticipated costs. That sounds straightforward, but let’s unwrap it. To analyze the situation, record in a spreadsheet your anticipated costs: Out-of-pocket tuition, fees, travel expenses Opportunity cost – lost salary for the time spent in school less the amount you anticipate making during your summer internship. Don’t include living costs that you would have regardless of whether you work or attend school. You do need to budget for them, but they are not part of the cost of the MBA. My next point is really important: When considering costs, realize that the stated tuition and costs may be more than you will actually pay. Many schools, especially elite, private MBA programs, offer significant amounts of scholarship money. In 2018, the Wall Street Journal reported that while stated tuition has increased steadily, schools have also increased both the total dollars offered and the percentage of students receiving scholarships and financial aid. In fact, the article states that “61% of this year’s students are receiving scholarships based on merit, financial need, or a combination of the two.” The same article reveals that the average fellowship award cut the cost of Harvard tuition in half, and that total monies available for scholarships at the school have more than doubled since 2009. Dartmouth Tuck reported similar stats. Our clients who joined the MBA class of 2021 received 40% more in scholarships than those who joined the class of 2020. So far in this application cycle, we have several clients who have received full rides in round one, and two who have received two full ride offers each. What’s driving this generosity? Business schools are competing for top applicants in a shrinking applicant pool. HBS announced its second annual decline in application volume – down 6.7% in 2018-19 and 10.8% total since 2017. Dartmouth Tuck applications plunged 22.5% and Yale SOM dropped 15.6% year over year. With employment and job growth so strong, it’s understandable that some potential applicants ask themselves, “Why should I leave my job and go to the trouble and expense of getting an MBA?” The answer: The benefits of the MBA may be worth it. Let’s look at average total comp for 2019 grads at some of the top U.S. business schools, which are usually among the most expensive: Forbes surveyed 17,500 b-school alumni for its 2019 rankings. Forbes’ conclusion: “a degree at a leading business school is still incredibly valuable and pays for itself in roughly four years.
Your standardized test (GMAT / GRE) is only part of the admissions criteria when applying to graduate or business school. But what about the rest of your application? In this episode, we invited expert admissions consultant Linda Abraham, founder and CEO of Accepted, to share her 5-part framework for a successful MBA / grad school application. She breaks down each of the five key components and explains exactly what you need to do in your application to showcase yourself in such a way that schools will want to admit you.In the second half of the episode, we've excerpted participant questions and Linda's answers from a live Q&A where she goes even deeper into best-practices for crafting a winning application. These are common questions that you may have yourself, such as:If you're filling out a general application that will be submitted to multiple schools, how do you connect with the values of each school?What advice do you have for video essays when they're requested as part of your application?What qualities should recommenders highlight in their letters of recommendation?How can you show "fit" if your background is different from the focus of the grad program you're applying to?How can you make up for a low GMAT / GRE score?If you don't have a track record of community service, should you volunteer for something right before applying?And more!So be sure to listen all the way to the end.Also, here are the two Admissions Straight Talk episodes that Linda references, in case you want to go deeper:Tips for overcoming a low GPA: https://blog.accepted.com/what-to-do-about-a-low-gpa/Interview with Ida Valentine, HBS 2021: https://blog.accepted.com/ida-valentine-investment-banker-inspirational-speaker-hbs-2021-episode-311/Finally, here's the quote we opened the show with:"Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently." -- Henry Ford
Accepted Founder Linda Abraham Provides an Inside Look at the World of Admissions [Show Summary] For 299 episodes, Linda Abraham, founder of Accepted, has interviewed school deans, admissions directors, students, and more. Today we learn about her! The Interviewer Becomes the Interviewee [Show Notes] Linda Abraham: This is our 300th episode and since those round numbers seem to beg for special treatment, I decided to do something that members of my staff for several years have asked me to do: Be the interviewee. Jen Weld, Accepted admissions consultant and former assistant/associate director of admissions at Cornell Johnson’s EMBA program is going to be the interviewer. I’m going to turn the mic over to her and climb into the hot seat. Jen Weld: Our “guest” today, Linda Abraham, attended UCLA for both her bachelors in Political Science and her MBA. She started Accepted in 1994 as Linda Abraham & Associates. After putting up Accepted’s first web site in 1996, the company was incorporated as Accepted.com in 1997. Linda is also the co-founder of the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants and the co-author of MBA Admissions for Smarties. She has been sought by the media, including CBS News, The Wall Street Journal, Poets & Quants, Bloomberg Businessweek, and others for her admissions expertise. Linda, welcome to AST! Can you tell us a bit about your background and why you decided to start Accepted? [2:48] When I was a senior in college there was a lot of concern about declining writing abilities based on the “nefarious influence” of television in the 1960s. UCLA, where I was a student, was increasing writing requirements for Poli Sci 1, and I was asked to be a tutor for that course. I was a Poli Sci major but also had taken a lot of English courses for a non-English major. I loved the tutoring and editing work - helping individuals clarify their ideas and get them down on paper was really rewarding to me - but I didn’t think I could make a living at it. I am a child of immigrants, which meant that I needed a defined profession – a doctor, lawyer, or engineer, for example. My parents weren’t very happy when I graduated and I didn’t know what direction I wanted to go in, so they were relieved when I decided to go for an MBA. About halfway through the program I got married, and shortly after graduation in 1979 my husband and I started our family. In the early 90s my husband and I needed some more money to make ends meet. I had gotten my real estate license but was no longer enjoying the work, and I wanted to work from home to be more available for our six children, who at the time ranged in age from 3-12. I decided to go back to editing which I loved, and advertised in UCLA’s paper, the Daily Bruin, and got work. I was frequently asked to edit personal statements and application essays, and I’ve always loved biographies, personal stories, and historical fiction - a lot more fun than research papers! I also experimented with writing experience pieces and studied journalistic techniques. I realized that if applicants applied journalistic techniques to their personal statements and application essays, those pieces would be much more effective. The other major development coming on to the commercial scene at the time was the internet, which removed all geographic boundaries. Initially I was able to work with people maybe 30 minutes away, and suddenly I could work with people in Hong Kong, India, anywhere! Initially we would be faxing applications back and forth. When I started applications were all paper-based, then it was disc-based, and then web-based. Similarly, the way the Accepted team and I communicated with clients evolved over time, from phone/fax to email, Skype, video conferencing, etc. How has admissions evolved? [6:34] One of the biggest differences is that most information about the programs was provided by the schools in the beginning.
The Most Important Asset in Grad School Applications: Time [Show Summary] This episode is devoted to how the precious and finite asset of time can help you get accepted when applying to graduate schools. Linda Abraham, Founder of Accepted, Discusses the Importance of Following a Graduate Application Timeline [Show Notes] The problem: Lack of time. What’s the usual root of the problem? Applicants decide to apply one day and try to do so in too short a period of time. What are the possible results? A poor decision – Possibly applying to the wrong programs or the wrong schools Perhaps you’ll be accepted at schools that aren’t as good as they could be, or, You’ll be rejected and will face the additional costs and need additional time to reapply. Sometime applicants start the application with plenty of time but procrastination or life gets in the way of them completing it. The most common way that life intrudes? Discovering that you need to retake an aptitude test. If you haven’t allowed that possibility, the retake can cause all kinds of problems and delays. While it never makes sense to submit something less than your best, there are advantages to applying early. If you can submit either early in the application cycle for rolling admissions like medical school or in earlier rounds for most MBA programs, you are applying when the class is wide open. There are more interview slots and seats available. How Much Time for Test Prep, Research, etc Prior to Application? Here are my recommendations: For MBAs, allow for 6-12 months of research and test prep before planning to submit. For medical school, allow 12-36 months of taking classes, MCAT prep, and volunteering before actually applying. For law school, allow for 6-12 months of research and test prep. For academic masters and Ph.D. programs, allow at least 6-12 months for research and test prep, and it could be longer if you also have to get in volunteer or research experience. For these types of programs it is harder to give a rule because there is much more variety. These time frames mean: You will have time to prepare for and if necessary retake an aptitude test. You will have time to research programs and visit those you are most interested in and are feasible for you to visit. You will have time to do the volunteer work or experience that is vital for some programs. You will have plenty of time for essays, statements of purpose, etc. The other key element you need to know before applying for graduate programs is a post-degree goal. Most programs want to know that you have a goal they can help you achieve. Assuming you know that, and once you know your test score (and since you already know your GPA), you can move forward in choosing schools. Important Things to Think About Most MBA programs and all programs asking for a statement of purpose want to know the purpose of your studies. If you have no purpose, no goal, no solid reason for pursuing the degree, you will find that essay extraordinarily difficult to write. And if you come to Accepted, we will give you homework to figure out how you intend to use your degree. Graduate education is way too expensive for most of us to enroll in graduate coursework for the sheer joy of learning. If you aren’t clear on your purpose, allow time for more research and for informational interviews to clarify your goals and the kind of graduate education you seek. You need that purpose in order to choose programs worth investing in, and you will probably need it to apply effectively. Also, if at all possible, allow time to visit the campuses closest to you or that you are most interested in, or at least make a point to talk to current students and recent alumni. A graduate education is one of the largest investments you will make and probably the largest you’ve made to date. It pays to ensure you are going to apply to and attend a program that will help you achieve your g...
Waitlisted? Have you been waitlisted to your top choice MBA program? Are you looking for tried and true tools that will help you gain acceptance from the waitlist? Check out the transcript from our recent Q&A, 2013 All You Need to Know About MBA Waitlists Q&A with Linda Abraham, CEO of Accepted.com, for advice on all aspects of the MBA waitlist. During the Q&A, Linda answered the following questions (and others): What is the ideal frequency of emails to the waitlist manager? Is there strategically a good time when to send my letter, i.e. right away versus waiting until round two responses go out? Is it acceptable to say that you have registered for an online class recently? There won't be a grade to report back, but would this effort make a difference? Most schools say a visit to campus does not affect decisions because they don’t want to penalize people who cannot make it. But, can a campus visit help show interest and passion that may help a waitlist candidate? Is it true that schools do in fact rank the waitlist? If so, when do they typically begin that ranking? Do you suggest we sit tight for schools like HBS who say to send in nothing? For the complete conversation, including answers to these questions, please check out the 2013 All You Need to Know About MBA Waitlists Q&A transcript or listen to the audio file. To automatically receive notices about these MBA admissions chats and other MBA admissions events, please subscribe to our MBA events list. To listen to the Q&A recordings on-the-go, please subscribe to the Accepted Admissions Podcast. // Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best
"We want to see...personality." Thank you to Niki da Silva, Director of Recruitment and Admissions, and Leigh Gauthier, Director of the Career Center at Rotman, for joining us for our first ever Toronto Rotman Q&A! The chat offered MBA applicants an excellent window into the Rotman admissions process – see the below excerpt for more on that. Linda Abraham: Can you speak a minute about the video question, what to expect? I'm sure that's one of the more innovative aspects of the application process. Niki da Silva: Yes, absolutely. It's certainly something that we were getting lots of question on. We really looked pretty carefully at what our process had been in the past, and historically had four relatively lengthy essays, and really felt as the MBA landscape has changed, and of course the Internet and chat rooms, and all of that has existed and created this culture or feeling that there was a right answer to those questions, or there was a marking guide. We wanted to do something that would be beneficial for us as an admissions committee in actually cutting through and cutting to the core of what makes candidates different and distinct and allow them an opportunity to speak to that in a pseudo-live way. So there's no pressure to research and rewrite and edit. And certainly, we still do have two essays, but wanted to give a new medium, create a new medium for candidates to really present who they are, what they're all about. We want to see their personality. We want to see their passions and their interests, and how they answer what really are first-date type questions. We're asking people to reflect on how their colleagues might describe them, or someone who really inspires them, and to do so in a way that is, essentially, live. The expectation is, as part of the admissions process, the third essay question is this video response where candidates create a profile, log on, can go through as many times as they want, sample questions that are not recorded, so they get comfortable with the technology. They get comfortable with their responses. You [calm] any nerves, you quell any fears that you have about the technology. And we did feel that so many of our candidates – and we do Skype video interviews for anyone that we can't see face-to-face – that our candidate pool, they're comfortable with the technology, so we provided a platform to talk to us. So you log in, you get to practice as many times as you want, and then you get two questions. One is a question that goes to everybody, and then the second question is chosen from a random bank of at least 20 questions. And I think, in terms of what to expect, it's just an opportunity, and I would encourage candidates to take it as an opportunity to be comfortable in your own skin and show us who you are, and feel that you'll have an opportunity to actually differentiate yourself as a candidate and be admitted based on your unique story. Linda Abraham: And when you say that candidates can practice, they just practice using the technology, they don't really practice their responses? Or they can also practice their responses to the questions? Niki da Silva: Yes, that's a good point to clarify. They get a sample question so they can practice that particular sample question multiple times as they get comfortable. It doesn't count; it's not recorded, but it is an accurate reflection of how the video pops up, they get the question, their screen starts counting down in terms of 45 seconds, and 30 seconds left, and then their webcam starts recording, and then they get to also see, there's a timed count down for when their response should be completed by. Every candidate I know who has submitted the video essays so far has done at least one or two rounds of the sample question, just to get comfortable with it and figure out how it all works, and ensure that their webcam is positioned as they want it, and the volume and everything is all working.
"We want you to be involved." Thank you to Jon Fuller, Senior Associate Director Admissions, and Diana Economy, Associate Director of Admissions at Michigan Ross for an outstanding Q&A! In the following excerpt you’ll read about Ross’s strengths and what distinguishes Ross from other top MBA programs: Linda Abraham: "How is Ross' program different from other top programs? Is there anything in particular?" Now, I know that you know the Ross program best, so let me rephrase that question if I could and say "What do you think Ross is particularly strong at?" Jon Fuller: Not that we're a one-trick pony with the action-based learning component, but that is definitely something that I think is a big differentiating factor to our students’ experience within our program; is that, again, through MAP and a lot of other experiences, such as through our institutes and centers, through student life experience, and the clubs and organizations that our students lead and develop, there are many, many opportunities to take theory and put it into practice, and to put it in practice in a context that actually has significant impact and significant weight to it. ...Our philosophy is "Why should you wait until you graduate from your MBA program to actually try some of these things out, to try some of these learnings out and apply them to the real world?" There’s a safety net in some ways for you to test yourself, to test your boundaries, and to experiment, but at the same time, there are real stakes involved... ... I'm always struck by is the engagement of our student body in terms of actually making the Ross experience their own, and really shaping and having a significant role and actually providing direction to the school. We have over seventy different student organizations and clubs. All of them are student run. Of course, there may be a faculty advisor and there is staff support to these organizations, but the students have ultimate say in terms of what the programming is...We tell people, we want you to be involved...and if you don't see something here that exists that is of interest to you, then make it happen. ...So students are very active. It is not a passive existence, or a passive experience that they have, and I think that's a real distinguishing feature to the extent that that happens, at the Ross school. Diana Economy: I think our alumni base is very much a distinguishing factor. I noticed that both as a student as well as an alum. I think to further Jon's point about the connection that students have with one another through their experience here and co-creating this great experience that develops these very strong bonds that they continue on as alum. I think our alumni feel very strongly about giving back. Of course, University of Michigan's got one of the largest living alumni bases anywhere. And as a Ross graduate, you're not just a part of the Ross school of business graduate community; you're part of a larger University of Michigan community. You could pick up the phone anywhere in the world and call somebody who was a law school alum or an undergraduate alum or a med school alum, and you're part of that broader network. Which of course, when you go to business school, you're not just preparing for that first job out of business school, but essentially for your whole career. Having that strong alumni base is something that we feel is very strong here. For the full Q&A, please view the Michigan Ross MBA transcript or listen to the audio file. You can also boost your Ross IQ by visiting our Michigan Ross B-School Zone. To automatically receive notices about these MBA admissions chats and other MBA admissions events, please subscribe to our MBA events list. To listen to the Q&A recordings on-the-go, please subscribe to the Accepted Admissions Podcast. // Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best
Linda Abraham, Founder of Accepted.com interviews Classy Career Girl about networking, student debt, classy career guys, and more. Questions include How did you come to start Classy Career Girl, Why “classy”? Are you glad you got an MBA? Why? Can you tell us about your 4X4 Networking challenge and why you decided to have one? Why is it important to network? How much of your advice do you feel applies to the other 50% of the population – men? What are your plans for the Classy Career Girl?
Our recent Be Smart MBA Admissions Q&A was a huge success with tons of excellent questions asked and detailed answers given by Linda Abraham, founder & CEO of Accepted.com. Here's a particularly good question about the connection between the application essays and the MBA resume: Miriam Berlin: J asks, "How much overlap should there be between my resume and essays? Should I try to cover every major point mentioned in my resume in my essays?" Linda Abraham: The resume is a snapshot and the essays are deep dives. So you definitely do not need to cover every major point made in your resume. That is definitely unnecessary and probably a really bad idea because that would make your essays resumes in prose and prevent your essays from supplementing and complementing your resume. If you think of your application as a great big jigsaw puzzle with every element coming together to clarify the picture of you that is being presented in the application, you realize that you don’t want things to duplicate. Obviously your resume provides context, it provides a certain chronology, but it doesn’t go into much depth—it can’t. Your essays are for providing depth. And occasionally, depending upon the question and your particular experiences, the essays may go into areas of your life simply not covered in a professional resume. So do not in any way shape or form feel compelled to explore every major point in your resume. That is definitely not necessary. Use your essays to go much deeper into really important points on the most important points on your resume to provide your motivations, to provide lessons learned, and to go into greater depth. But don’t have one duplicate the other. For the full transcript, please view the Be Smart MBA Admissions Q&A transcript or listen to the audio file. You can also learn more about how to construct a strong MBA resume and winning application essays by visiting MBA Resume 101 and our collection of sample MBA essays. To automatically receive notices about these MBA admissions chats and other MBA admissions events, please subscribe to our MBA event list. To listen to the Q&A recordings on-the-go, please subscribe to the Accepted Admissions Podcast. Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best
Huntsman Hall at Wharton We had an excellent conversation with Penn/Wharton's Colleen France, Associate Director for JD/MBA Recruitment & Administration. Colleen answered loads of questions, including the following two questions about JD/MBA career opportunities: Linda Abraham: What are the typical careers that graduates of the Joint degree program go into and does it differ? Do you see some patterns developing in terms of career opportunities? Are they in any way different from the four year program if you are in the three year program? Colleen France: While we haven’t had any graduating classes yet, we did just have our first class go through their second year summers. What we found was about half of them went to law firms and the other half went to business internships. More of those that went to law firms went to New York firms to do corporate type law work, M&A, bankruptcy etc. Of those that went into business, a few went to private equity firms and restructuring firms... It does vary and we have a few people that split their summers between private equity and restructuring or between law firms and businesses. A few law firms in New York have fellowship programs with some of the major banks in New York, so those are definitely slots that the JD/MBA are looking at. ...What we have been seeing is those that do want to go into law, most of them are interested in doing a few years at a law firm and then making a switch over to business. Realizing that they are going to get really solid training as corporate lawyers or M&A lawyers or whatever it may be at some of the top firms in the world. Then taking those skills and utilizing them, maybe by going to a hedge fund, an investment bank, private equity or venture capitalist firm... Linda Abraham: Related to what we have been discussing, Andrew asks, "Now that the first class of the three year program is getting ready to graduate, how different is their transition into the job market than those of the four year program?" Colleen France: I would say that it is a little bit more straightforward. The issue with the four year program and I think the reluctance on the part of the law firms in the past to hire JD/MBAs is that if a student does their second summer at a law firm, they worry a little bit about whether they will come back next summer. They worry that they will go to a Wall Street bank or that they will go to the bank rather than come back to the firm. I think that what we are seeing is that in the three year programs, students certainly have the ability to explore their career option but have to come into the program strategically thinking about what they want to do when they get out at a much swifter pace. For the entire conversation, please view the transcript or listen to the complete audio file on our website. Want to learn more about how we can help you navigate the MBA and law school admissions processes? Explore our MBA Admissions 101 and Law School Admissions 101 pages for more information. Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best To automatically receive notices about these MBA/JD admissions chats and other business school/law school admissions events, please subscribe to our MBA event list or law school event list.
We hope you enjoyed our recent Q&A with Cornell Johnson's Christine Sneva, Director of Admissions & Financial Aid, and Ann Richards, Associate Director of Admissions & Director of Financial Aid – we know we did! The following excerpt offers applicants advice on how to approach the MBA application essays, particularly those that may ask applicants to discuss a weakness: Linda Abraham: "What are your suggestions on how a candidate should approach the application essays?" How would you advise them to approach the application essays, and would you change that approach at all, given this particular weakness [GPA], or some other weakness in the profile? Ann Richards: [Y]ou really want to highlight your achievements and accomplishments. We’re looking for candidates who have drive, who are willing to take initiative, and who are willing to take calculated risks...you want to use your essays to highlight ...the value you brought to your organization, your employer, your extracurricular activities, your university experience. Now, if you do have a weak undergrad GPA, or a low GMAT score, or some gaps in your employment, for us, it’s best to explain that in the optional essay section. You can explain that you’re immature, you’re not a good test-taker, or whatever the circumstances are. Take the opportunity to explain that to us in the optional essay, because we have vivid imaginations. If you don’t explain gaps in your resume, or a bad undergraduate semester, we’ll use our imagination, and it won’t be in your favor. So you want to make sure that you take the opportunity to explain that to us. Christine Sneva: I would also add...we ask obviously why you want to get an MBA. I think everybody has to ask that, because there’s really nowhere else in the application where you can really present yourself, your goals, and your focus, and what’s really driving you to start this application process. That’s something that we’re looking to learn from you. Our second question is for you to write the chapter headings to your life story. We get wonderful feedback that this is an essay that most applicants are looking forward to writing. It’s also probably one of the hardest ones that people have to write. We love to hear that, because it’s one of our favorite essays to read. It’s really the opportunity for people to express themselves in a different way that isn’t a typical essay format. You can be creative. We do encourage that, and it’s just a wonderful opportunity for us to get to really know you... For the entire conversation, please view the transcript or listen to the complete audio file on our website. Want to learn more about Cornell Johnson? Check out our Cornell Johnson b-school zone page, as well as our Cornell MBA Essay Tips blog post for more Johnson-specific admissions advice. To automatically receive notices about these MBA admissions chats and other MBA admissions events, please subscribe to our MBA event list. Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best
Have you been trying to figure out how some MBA programs fit everything you need to know into one year instead of two? Then check out the 2012 Indian School of Business MBA Admissions Q&A with Hima Bindu and Linda Abraham. You can read the transcript and access the audio of the Q&A on our website or iTunes, to learn more about ISB’s amazing one-year program. The library at ISBTo give you a taste of the kinds of questions Hima Bindu addresses in the Q&A, here is a helpful excerpt describing the differences between ISB’s one-year MBA and the typical two-year program at most US business schools: Linda Abraham: Andrea asks, “How do you compare the one-year MBA program to the typical two-year program at US business schools?” Hima Bindu: When McKinsey formulated the ISB program ten years back, they found that the one-year program is going to be the future of the MBA. And when you look at a two-year program and you remove the term breaks, the winter breaks, the summer breaks, and the internship, it actually works out to a 15-18 month program. So all that has been done is they’ve cut out all the frills of holidays and compressed it to a one-year program. But there is actually no lack of classes or depth in the program. You get to do 720-740 contact hours in a two-year program. But as a one-year program you get to do 680, and you have the option of taking it to 720 contact hours if you do an experiential learning project or some other project, which is offered on campus. So there is really no compromise on the content of the program as such. It definitely is a rigorous program, but it saves you one year’s opportunity cost. You should keep that in mind. I am sure the students would like to add more onto this. For more in depth ISB info, check out the full transcript here. Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best //
Linda discusses the many possibilities and strengths of social media measurement. She explores the multiple evolving areas of analytics with Center for Digital Strategies MBA Fellow, Elissa Kline T'11.
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