Google Adsense Top 728 By 90 Leaderboard

Saturday, April 04, 2009

New GMAT Exam in the Works...

The Economist is reporting on the discussions that GMAC is planning to initiate on the next version of the GMAT.

The changes planned mainly relate to addressing the concerns of the U.S centric bias in the verbal part of the test and also enhanced security to check impersonation and cheating.

GMAC is planning to begin consultations on the “Next Generation GMAT” and release the new format some time in 2013.

Click here to read more.

Sunday, July 08, 2007

Chicago GSB Essays Fall 2008 - Twist in the tale - Tell us about yourself in four powerpoint slides!!

Chicago GSB has released its essay questions for Fall 2008 applications. And true to its tradition of being different in its approach to the essay questions, Chicago GSB this time has introduced a new question in a non-traditional format - a powerpoint presentation. The Chicago GSB adcom want applicants say what they are about in just four slides. This is what they want:

We have asked for a great deal of information throughout this application. In this portion of the application, we invite you tell us about yourself using a non-traditional application format--a PowerPoint presentation. In four slides or less, please provide readers with content that captures who you are.

Given that this is a new section we have set forth the following guidelines for you to consider when creating your presentation.

  • The content is completely up to you. There is no right or wrong approach to the way you construct your slides or answer this question.
  • There is a strict maximum of 4 slides.
  • Slides will be printed and added to your file for review, therefore, flash, hyperlinks, embedded videos, music, etc. will not be viewed by the committee. You are limited to text and static images to convey your points.
  • Slides will be evaluated on the quality of content and ability to convey your ideas.
  • You are welcome to attach a word document of notes if you feel a deeper explanation of your slides is necessary.
  • If you do not have access to PowerPoint or a similar software application, you can contact the admissions office at admissions@chicagogsb.edu for alternative methods.



The full list of questions is here.

Well, this is indeed tough one for most applicants who were probably expecting the standard written essay format. Take a look at some tips on impactful presentations from Guy Kawasaki . There’s also a list of the winners of the World's Best Presentation Contest. See if you get some ideas here. Good luck!!

Friday, January 12, 2007

Free Full-Text Article Access to Harvard Business Review!!

Now you can get free full-text access to Harvard Business Review current issue and 12 previous issues in exchange for clicking and viewing a brief ad before accessing the article. You only need to view the ad once in a 24-hr cycle. Small price to pay for some great stuff!

Friday, June 30, 2006

Harvard Business School Professor Emeritus Theodore Levitt Passes Away

Harvard Business School Professor Emeritus Theodore Levitt, a great doyen of the field of marketing and former editor of Harvard Business Review passed away on Wednesday, June 28 at his home in Belmont, Mass., after a long illness. He was 81 years old.

The man behind concepts such as “Marketing Myopia” and "Globalization", he was one of the towering personalities in the study and practice of Marketing. His article “Marketing Myopia" published in the Harvard Business Review (HBR) in 1960 is perhaps one of the all-time great classics of HBR.

The key question that all managers must be able to answer, he advised, is “What business are you in?” The railroads, for example, “let others take customers away from them because they assumed themselves to be in the railroad business instead of the transportation business,” he wrote.


That most basic but powerful question in the article really was the beginning of many a strategic re-evaluations for some big businesses in history.

Read all about the great man in a wonderful eulogy on the Harvard Business School website here.

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Stanford GSB may waive GMAT only requirement

BusinessWeek is reporting that Stanford Graduate School of Business is considering accepting GRE scores for applications for its MBA program starting Fall 2007. While there is no official word on this from Stanford University, BusinessWeek quoted Stanford's Director of MBA Admissions Derrick Bolton on this reported move. The Stanford GSB is also considering waiving the application fee for certain groups of applicants. Other leading B-Schools may follow if the Stanford GSB sets an example.

If all this is indeed true, then it is just great news for applicants from developing countries like India. The $250 fee for GMAT, $140 fee for TOEFL and the $200+ application fee is a very steep barrier for most applicants. This is more than a month’s savings for most applicants from a developing country. This forces most applicants to either limit the number of attempts at GMAT and forces them to go ahead with their applications even if their first attempt at the test was not in line with their expectations. Applicants are also forced to choose their target schools very carefully as they most of the time have very limited funds for the application process. Add to that most schools continue to insist on receiving hard copies of additional documents like transcripts which adds to the cost of application process. The high cost of applying makes even applicants from North America and Europe balk at the cost. Most applicants end up 'donating' up to $1000 to $1500 for the four to five schools on an average they apply to. Good money for Uncle Sam, but a lot of heartburn for most international applicants.

There are some schools in India like the upcoming Indian School of Business (ISB), which accepts GRE scores in lieu of the GMAT. ISB also accepts the IIM-CAT scores but insists on a 90 percentile score either in the GRE or GMAT later on. This is mainly to facilitate broad-basing the applicant pool in India. The number of GMAT test seats available in major cities in India can outstrip demand almost round the year.

While waiving the application fee requirement may boost the application volumes significantly, the B-Schools admissions teams must find a way to manage the process. While most schools claim they waive application fees in exceptional situations, the process can be cumbersome. Certain schools like Ross School of Business at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor refund the application fees for some candidates based on certain criteria. While this may be a way to regulate application volumes and ensure that only serious candidates apply, at the same time it can help the applicants from groups that need such help.

So go for it Stanford!!! Set an example!

Monday, June 26, 2006

The beginning…

"If you know both yourself and your enemy, you will come out of one hundred battles with one hundred victories." -- Sun Tzu, The Art of War