Accepted Admissions Almanac

Admissions Tip: Applying After Being Laid Off

BusinessWeek this week screams on p. 007 "34,000: Estimated number of jobs lost on Wall Street in the past nine months."

What if you were a holder of one of those no-longer-existing jobs and planned to apply this fall for matriculation in Fall 09? Does the layoff doom your application?

No. Not at all. Admissions committee members read BusinessWeek and a host of other periodicals that blare the same numbers, gloom, and doom. They  know you are not responsible for a recession (I said it), turmoil in the credit markets, inaccurate risk management at the top of major financial institutions, and the bust that so frequently follows a boom.

But you are responsible for your reaction to the lay off.  If you quickly succeed in obtaining a new position that moves you closer to your long-term goal or that allows you to take on more responsibility and show growth, that's great. But obtaining a good job may be difficult in this business climate. Keep the following in mind:

1. You may have to adjust or alter your career plans to meet market conditions.  Risk management has suddenly become a growth industry. Perhaps your number crunching skills can be put to good use in this suddenly hot field.
2. If your layoff starts to drag on, don't plop yourself in front of the TV, video game, or sudoku book. Do something. Take up a new hobby. Learn new skills. Participate in a community service active. Volunteer for a candidate. (There's more than enough of them this year in the US.) Transform your layoff into a growth experience with initiative, energy, and optimism. 

Either of these responses will allow you to show the resilience and backbone schools value. In addition, by taking these steps you will learn new skills, develop marketable talents, and demonstrate the personal qualities schools (and employers) admire.

Tomorrow's Post: My Stab at MBA Admissions Punditry.

US News Grad Rankings Are Out

The US News released its 2008 Grad School Rankings today. I'm going to list the top ten for business school, law school, and medical school and provide links to the ranking methodology for each category. For other graduate specialties, please visit the US News site.

Business School Rankings and methodology
1. Harvard
1. Stanford
3. Wharton
4.  MIT Sloan
4. Northwestern Kellogg
4. Univ. of Chicago
7. Dartmouth Tuck
7. UC Berkeley Haas
9. Columbia
10. NYU Stern

Law School Rankings
1. Yale
2. Harvard
2. Stanford
4. Columbia
5. NYU
6. UC Berkeley
7. Univ. of Chicago
7. Penn
9. Northwestern
9. Univ. of Michigan
9. Univ. of Virginia

( I am not including a link to the law school methodology because as I am writing the link provided is a bad link.)

Medical School Rankings (Research)  and Methodology
1. Harvard
2. Johns Hopkins
3. Washington U (St. Louis)
4. Penn
5. UCSF
6. Duke
6. Univ. of Washington
8. Stanford
9. UCLA
9. Yale

A few caveats: My strong recommendation is to use the rankings as a library of raw data  conveniently compiled in one location and not as a tried and true guide of educational quality. They are not the latter. They are the former. To the extent you are going to use the rankings as a guide to school reputation and brand value, you must understand the methodology behind them and what they are measuring. Be cognizant of the differences between what is important to you and what is important to the rankings.

A few observations on the rankings themselves:

1. There are many ties in the rankings, which implies that the differences in reputation are almost imperceptible when talking about closely ranked programs. For example the difference between being "in the top ten" and out of the the top ten (i.e. #11) for MBA programs is 1 point,  for the top law schools is 2 points, and for the top medical schools is 1 point. Don't get hung up on these differences.
2. The "top ten" changes little from year to year. In most cases, if you compare these rankings to the 2007 version, it looks as if US News just reshuffled the deck a little.

For more on rankings, please see:

• Rankings: Controversy and Magazine Sales
• Thoughtful Dean Looks at Rankings
• Law School Admissions: Study Says Rankings Influence Decision Makers

Personal Statement Tip: Pick Yourself Up and Applaud

Essay questions dealing with failure,  risk, mistakes, and difficult interactions or conflict cause applicants to cringe, squirm, and bite their nails. After all, you want to show yourself succeeding and conquering the world in your application essays and personal statements.  Not falling down. 

Schools ask these questions because they want to see how you get up, how you grow following setback. Do you smile and try again? Do you view the stumble as temporary? Move on? Applaud effort? Accept a helping hand when offered?

A video of my seventeen-month-old granddaughter when she finally decides to walk exemplifies a positive attitude to risk, challenge, and yes even failure. She chose to start walking at the end of a two and a half week visit, minutes before going through security at Los Angeles International Airport. My husband and I were letting her crawl around to tire herself out before the long plane ride and her parents were finishing up with ticketing and luggage, when she just stuck her rump in the air, straightened up, and started to ... walk. ( I caught the event on my camera phone so the quality isn't great.  Babies never perform on cue.)

Despite a lot of practice holding onto fingers and furniture before this grand and sudden experiment, success was neither immediate nor guaranteed. But she tried and tried again. She applauded despite falling. And she accepted big brother's hand when he ran over to help her. I hope she will always display the determination and resilience one sees here.

Similarly you want to display resilience in your essays and applications. I have seen clients and others portray setbacks as growth opportunities and occasions of achievement.  They definitely acknowledge a "blew it" moment, but their "failure" essay screams success, accomplishment, resilience, and character.

As always, don't just talk about "resilience." Demonstrate it with anecdotes that show you picking yourself up, improving, acknowledging effort, persisting, and ultimately succeeding in one way or another. 

You want to portray those qualities in your application.  They will convince the committees that you can indeed conquer the world. Or at least straighten up after a stumble.

2008 Match Stats for Residents

AAMC summarized the match this year:

U.S. medical school seniors celebrated Match Day on Thursday. More than 94 percent of seniors who applied for residencies this year through the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) were paired with a program of their choice-the highest percentage in more than three decades. In fact, 84.6 percent of those seniors matched to one of their top three program choices.

The 2008 Match was also the largest ever. Overall, 28,737 applicants vied for one of 22,240 first-year residency positions--the most applicants in history.
A record-high 15, 242 of those applicants were U.S. medical school seniors.
The number of first-year residency positions available through the Match was also the highest in history; 395 additional positions were added this year.

For more information, please read the press release from AAMC.

I am happy to say that we have heard from many happy residency client who matched with their first choice program this year.

New MBA Admissions Service: Start Smart

Yesterday I met with a LAMP client who is shrewdly starting now to prepare for his fall application. We went over his profile, and I made several suggestions as to what he can do between now and this fall to improve his chances of acceptance next year. He found the session very valuable. And again, I commend him for starting early to work on his application. I want to be able to commend and mentor and help prepare more of you.

For years I have encouraged MBA applicants to lay the foundation for their MBA application in the months before applications come out. That's why I wrote Best Practices for MBA Admissions, a featured ebook this month. That's why Accepted has hosted MBA Admissions Telethons and teleseminars. And that's why Accepted is introducing a new subscription form of MBA Admissions Consulting: Start Smart ™.

With Start Smart, you can meet up to one hour per month with your adviser, an experienced Accepted consultant and editor who for years has seen what works and what doesn't. Our experienced staff shares my frustration when talented but flawed clients come to us in September wanting to apply in Round 1 and hoping that a magic wand will make them competitive. We don't have that wand. We do have decades of collective experience that we would like to share with you on an individual basis through Start Smart.

With Start Smart, you can have a mentor guide you in:

• Identifying the core stories for your application.
• Focusing on specific schools.
• Strengthening your application and ameliorating weaknesses.
• Choosing recommenders.

We can even help you work out an application time table.

In addition, Start Smart is something that rewards your early-bird-gets-the-worm approach to your applications:

• You will pay less per month when you sign up for more months.
• Your credit card is billed on a monthly basis for the exact number of months you want. You do not pay for the entire service up front so it is more affordable.

Start Smart to propel your MBA application.

Medical School Admissions Telethon

With the med school application season just around the corner, medical school hopefuls are preparing to join thousands of other applicants eager to distinguish themselves. Meanwhile admissions committees prepare to read thousands of similar-sounding essays about ailing relatives and a deep-seated, inner yearning to help others.

The Accepted Medical School Admissions Telethon can help applicants find a fresh approach. During two hours on Tuesday, April 8, admissions consultants will be standing by to offer advice to medical school hopefuls. Candidates can speak with one of these admissions experts -- FREE.

Accepted launched this innovative concept originally to encourage MBA candidates to begin thinking early about the application process. In fact for the last thirteen years I’ve seen consistently that those who start early and set aside the time to prepare the best applications, end up submitting—surprise!—the best applications. And that's true for all applicant categories.

Now medical school callers can learn the same smart choices that ensure their application journey is smoother, more successful, and less nerve-wracking.

Accepted.com editors Cydney Foote and Joan Davis will be on hand during the Medical School Admissions Telethon to advise applicants on strategies for essays and secondaries, mitigating weaknesses, and even which recommenders to choose. Says Foote, “I see so many applicants who overlook the more unique aspects of their lives, instead writing the more generic stories that they think the admissions committees want to hear. They just aren't aware of what they can do to make themselves more competitive.”

Consultants who have experience working with hundreds of medical school applicants can provide that awareness. Davis observes, "So many applicants forget that the AMCAS application requires lists of work experience, volunteer experience, research experience, etc. The essays they produce are often just expanded versions of the lists, and they share nothing of personal backgrounds which are often real attention-getters."

Foote adds that non-traditional students can especially benefit from an admissions consultant's advice. "Applicants who don't fit the regular cookie-cutter mold have an uphill battle. Even in a short conversation, we can share some of the proven steps that have helped past client get noticed -- and accepted -- by top medical schools."

The Medical School Admissions Telethon offers 2009 candidates a chance to get an early start and get noticed. For more information and to sign up, please visit Accepted.com Medical School Admissions Telethon. The telethon is free, but it does require registration for you to obtain the call-in information and the consultation.

MBA Admissions: Military MBA's Have Lessons for All MBAs

This week BusinessWeek published a special report on MBAs coming  from the military: the challenges they face in b-school and the benefits they offer their classmates, their schools, and their future employers.

Don't think, "I've never been in the military. I'll skip this post and these articles." The articles have lessons for all MBA applicants, at least those of you trying to demonstrate leadership.  And that should be all of you.

Of broadest interest is "Veterans with the Right Stuff," in which executive recruiter Al Chase writes about the strengths of vets in the job market, specifically their leadership skills. Note how he breaks down leadership, an umbrella term if there ever was one.

"Under the broad banner of leadership I see specific strengths: strategic vision, commitment to the mission, accountability, integrity, flexibility, interpersonal skills, communication skills, and a commitment to equip and empower their teams to achieve excellence. A good officer needs to be comfortable throwing on some camouflage paint to lead his enlisted troops on a mission to neutralize a group of bad guys hiding out in Fallujah. He needs to be equally comfortable standing before the commanding officer in the Tactical Operations Center to report on the results of that mission. That kind of flexibility is rare in the business world, and it is part of what makes military officers with MBAs such a prized commodity."

OK. So you didn't neutralize a group of bad guys in Fallujah. When have you worked closely with subordinates and superiors to achieve a goal? When have you set a vision and helped your team pursue it?  When have you communicated with diverse stakeholders? How can you demonstrate your effectiveness?

Probably you can't demonstrate the responsibility shouldered by a man or woman coming from the military officer corps, but these articles give you multiple clues as to the subsets of leadership you want to reveal in your essays even if you never touched an AK-47.

Healthcare Loan Limits Increased

AAMC released the following announcement:

Dept. of Education to increase health professions student loan limits

In response to an AAMC-led group letter sent last fall to Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, the Department of Education has agreed to raise the combined aggregate Stafford loan limit for health professions students from $189,125 to $224,000. Secretary Spellings sent a letter to AAMC President and CEO Darrell G. Kirch, M.D., last month, in which she announced the increase in student loan limits and promised to provide additional information as soon as possible. This increase is entirely in unsubsidized Stafford loans and will allow medical students to borrow at a 6.8 percent interest rate.

For more information: http://www.aamc.org/advocacy/library/educ/corres/2008/022808hploanlimits.pdf

Whom Do You Want Working for You?

Inside Higher Ed continues to report on conflicts of interest involving consultants who work for colleges or graduate schools and admissions staff members who moonlight as admissions consultants. Its most recent piece, "Private Counselors Who Won't Double Dip" spotlights the position of the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants, an organization that Accepted belongs to and that I am president of.

The article cites AIGAC as the admissions organization that has taken a clear stand on dual employment: It bans what the article calls "double dipping."

It quotes me in giving the basis for AIGAC's unequivocal position:

Linda Abraham, president of the association and also of a private counseling business called Accepted.com, said that the group wants to be very clear about the philosophy behind its ban. “You can’t have two masters when their interests may be in conflict,” she said. “As an adviser to applicants, we have to try to have one employer, the applicant.”

Life is full of conflicts and clashing interests. Adding  the impossible task of balancing the interests of client applicants and employers who just happen to be deciding  whether to accept those applicants adds a layer of complexity and ethical challenge that I don't want to face. In fact, I don't even want the appearance of facing it.

When you seek advice, you should not have to wonder if your trusted adviser and mentor has your interest as primary or that of the school you are applying to. If you choose to seek Accepted's help, or the help of other AIGAC members, you'll know that your interest in our primary concern.

I am proud to be a member of AIGAC, an new organization that is proving to be a leader in defining standards on dual employment and conflicts of interest in admissions. I urge other graduate admissions consultants who share AIGAC's vision and values to join. I encourage applicants to seek out AIGAC's growing list of members when choosing an admissions consultant.

2009 MBA Applicants: What Can I Do Now?

A lot.  There is much you can do during the next several months to prepare for a 2009 MBA effort. The steps you take today can really improve your chances when you hit the SUBMIT button next fall. Here is a short list:

1. Prepare for and take the GMAT.
2. Clarify your post-MBA career goals.
3. Research the schools and visit, if possible, while class is in session.
4. Assess your qualifications in comparison to your target school's class profile.
5. Determine the steps you can take to improve your profile and ameliorate weaknesses.

And there's more, but the list above should get you started. For more guidance, please check out:

1. Accepted's GMAT section, which offers tips on GMAT prep and insight into the role of the GMAT in admissions, as well as a special discount for Manhattan GMAT Prep courses.
2. MBA Admissions Pre-season Consulting. Want help determining which schools are best for you given your goals and qualifications? Or perhaps you want to brainstorm possible essay topics and themes? Or maybe you would like guidance on improving your profile while you still can? This service is for you.
3. Best Practices for MBA Admissions, an ebook and/or CD, guides you through the 6-9 months before applying. Here are a few of the topics covered:

• What are the pillars of a successful MBA application?
• How can you ensure that your MBA application will support your goals?
• How should you narrow your choice of schools?
• When should you take the GMAT?
• What can you do NOW about weaknesses in your profile?
• What should you be doing NOW if you don't have weaknesses, lucky you?

Best Practices for MBA Admissions  is 25% off this month only, and the ebook is instantly downloadable.