MBA Admissions Strategy: From Profile Building to Essay Writing 2nd Edition

This is an excellent book that provides tons of insights about the MBA admission process. The author's writing style is very informative. He always conveys a list of key points for everything that makes it easy to remember or refer to the most important information. Early on the author conveys the 22 qualities Bus Schools are looking for. Next, he maps them out elegantly within a four dimension vent diagram (academic, professional, communal, personal). He mentions the 5 objectives of admission officers. At the end of the book, he restates the main 12 key points (if you forget everything remember at least those 12 points).There is no miracle to getting into a top MBA program. You need the grades (GPA 3.3+), the GMAT scores (690+), the successful working experience. Those are the essentials to make the first cut so your application is not immediately rejected. In essence, that's where the real work begins because there are a lot more candidates (3.3+/690+/strong work exp.) than there are available seats at the top programs.The author guides you on how to differentiate yourself. It is all about deep introspective analysis (know thyself), and communicating clearly who you are, what is unique about you, how you fit the mission of the school, what are your life goals, why you need an MBA, why are you applying to this specific school. It is all about your communication proficiency in interviews and even more importantly in the essays.More than half the book is about the essays. Excellent essays with a 690 on the GMAT make for a more competitive application than a 720 with poor essays. The author covers everything about the essay writing techniques including how to address the hardest questions such as writing about your failures. Everyone needs help tackling skillfully such tough writing challenges.The book is also full of other insights besides essay writing. If you are a strong candidate, apply early even if you have an oversubscribed background (banking, consulting). That's because upon the first deadline, the admission officers are looking strictly for excellence. They will select 45% of the class from this first group. If you are not so strong, but have a background outside the oversubscribed one apply by the second deadline instead. At that time, the admission officers are looking for class balance. They will select another 45% from this second group. Thus, if you are a nonprofit manager you are not competing against consultants, but instead against other candidates with your similar background. Don't bother applying by the third deadline. By this time, the class is already 90% full. Also, don't take the GMAT more than twice. The schools see all the scores. A 700 on the 3d shot may not cut it. Apply to at least 3 but no more than 6 schools. An application is an extensive effort. You don't want to spread your energy to thin and also tire your references with too many requests.The author provides a lot more information at his website that is mainly free. There, he actually shares with you even what are the class room experiences at different top schools with short videos. This blog also shares tons of resources on essay writings, the latest admission trends at specific schools, and much more. The author is truly a helpful and dedicated expert on this subject.

I like the most part three.

I read two other MBA admissions books plus several combo GMAT prep / MBA admissions books, and this book was the best of the bunch (although Richard Montauk's book is a close second). This is not an easy read! To maximize this book's value, you need to follow Avi's step-by-step guide to building your profile. Truthfully, I almost threw the book away a few times in frustration. I am glad that I didn't.The profile building section is probably the most valuable part thanks to Avi's insight. The book guides you through 11 different aspects of your profile that will be critically analyzed by MBA admissions offices. It helps you not only to remember and retell your experiences, but also to ANALYZE those experiences. Avi teaches you how to weave these stories and your analysis of these events into a compelling and, more importantly, differentiated profile. While other books attempt to do the same, none come close to the depth and sophistication of this book.After building your profile, the book guides you through answering common essay archetypes. It also provides broader essay advice. The "mission goals vs. functional goals" advice on pg. 103 really transformed my application. I totally rewrote one of my goals essay after reading that section and am 100% certain that my goals essay would have been boring and uninspiring had I not followed this advice. I will say that the essay section seemed to miss a few essay archetypes, and really should be read along with Montauk's book.Thanks to this book, I was admitted to a top 10 program (Haas). This book really challenged me and in the process helped me create a very unique profile and compelling "pitch" to admissions offices. Avi's book was key to my success and I highly recommend it to fellow applicants.

This is one of the books that I bought solely based on other reviews and have to say, I was more than satisfied. I had bought more than 4 MBA admission books and this is by far the best that I had. More than anything, it helped me formulate a strategy on how to apply effectively. I had applied unsuccessfully to a few schools in 2010. Chapter 8, the personal profile analysis really opened my eyes as to what I had been lacking in my profile or rather how to present what I had in an effective manner. I am joining Kenan-Flagler this fall and I do thank Avi Gordon for guiding me in the right path through his book.

I was applying for the Executive MBA program at UCLA (top 5 school) and this book helped me to write my essays and learn to market myself in the way that admission boards want to hear about me. It changed the way I looked at essays and the interviews. And the point of this review is results, well, I got into UCLA and was able to use the resources from this book to help me overcome poor undergraduate grades to get in on my first admission attempt. HIGHLY recommend.

for the second edition...After perusing many online and print resources on MBA Admissions, Gordon's MBA Admissions Strategy is truly one of the best resources an applicant can have in his/her toolkit. It should be required reading for any ambitious MBA applicant.

A couple of years ago, this book helped me get admission offers at 3 Top-15 business schools, and a spot on the waiting list for a fourth school. I have successfully used the strategies talked about in this book not only during the MBA admissions process, but also as tools to prepare for behavioral interviews during my business school days. This is quite possibly one of the better investments I have made in my professional career, and I heartily recommend it to anyone thinking of an MBA.

doesn't seem to be useful for me.