Your personal statement for business school is one of the most important components of your application portfolio. The essay is kind of like a presidential candidate’s speech at a convention; the audience may have learned a lot about you from second-hand sources, but this is the only shot to sell yourself in your own words. Accordingly, you should bring your A-game.

The most essential aspect of a strong essay is a compelling narrative. Tell your story and give it an ambitious ending. Place yourself within a chronology, and explain why it’s now time to get an MBA. You may have been a Philosophy major who entered the workforce as an Editor but ended up really interested in Marketing and Business Development. Or you may be looking to switch your focus from selling grain in Nebraska to nanotechnology in The Netherlands. Everyone has a story; tell yours.
It’s also super important to show a track record of success. B-school admissions counselors want to fill their spots with students who will go on to be successful (and, cynics may say, give money back to the institution). Regardless, don’t highlights missteps or regrets – keep the piece almost 100% positive and optimistic, without sounding cocky or self-entitled.

Hopefuls often neglect to properly edit their personal statements for business school. While you’re certainly not applying for a PhD in English, you are expected to submit a polished product – and a polished product means no typos and solid grammar. Show a friend who reads a lot, show a significant other, take a few days, look at it one more time, and then send it off.

The B-school personal statement is not the single most important part of your application. Your work history and GMAT score are certainly more weighty in the decision-making process. Nevertheless, there is more volatility in the person statement, more room for candidates to make – or break – their applications. So take your time, tell your story, bounce it off a friend, and then move upward and onward…

An Executive MBA program provides an opportunity for experiences professionals to obtain a master’s degree in Business Administration on a schedule that minimizes the disruption of work and personal pursuits. Executive MBA (EMBA) students are required to complete their degrees in two years or less. Business week ranked the top ten best schools for an executive MBA:
1. Northwestern University (Kellogg)
2. University of Chicago (Booth)
3. University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)
4. Columbia University
5. University of Southern California (Marshall)
6. IE Business School
7. University of Michigan (Ross)
8. University of California – Los Angeles (Anderson)
9. Southern Methodist University (Cox)
10. Duke University (Fuqua-Global)
An MBA degree will give you a refined level of understanding and skills relating to a wide range of up to date management topics. … | Read the rest of this entry »

Many students that are considering pursuing an MBA ask themselves this question prior to enrolling in graduate school: is the cost of an MBA worth the end-result? In part, the answer depends on how hard you work, what type of program you enroll in, and the state of the economy upon your graduation. However, many studies show that MBA graduates earn significantly more than their non-MBA holding business professionals. Consider this advice from Hobsons’ MBA Central:
At a time of global economic uncertainty, MBAs from the best schools are the most attractive to employers. During a boom, almost any MBA is employable.
As for earnings, most full-time MBAs who pay their own way and attend a good school can reasonably expect to recover their fees, subsistence … | Read the rest of this entry »

While tuition costs are the number one concern of MBA-seekers, there are a lot of other costs that students must plan for when considering enrolling in an MBA program. Cost of living, textbooks, and software costs are just some of the other expenses of students in an MBA program. Students who are not going to work need to know all of the possible funding sources available to them. Consider these sources listed at MBAMap.com:
MBA Loans
There are a number of loan programs available to MBAs. Check to see if you are eligible for government-subsidized loans. Also, the GMAC has started the MBA LOANS program.
Scholarships
MBA programs have scholarship monies available for applicants fitting particular profiles.
Employers
Sometimes employers can be convinced to help support the costs of MBA programs. … | Read the rest of this entry »

Recent reports show that companies in the business world have increased their hiring by 18%. Not only that, but MBA-holding employees are getting paid more. With this hike in demand and pay, right now might be the best time to go back to school for your MBA. According to BusinessSchoolAdmission.com:
Over 94 percent of Harvard MBAs had received at least one job offer by graduation day, as did 93 percent of University of Virginia at Darden MBAs. Over 80 percent of Columbia’s second-year MBA students were reported to have secured post-graduation employment by February. Dartmouth’s Tuck School reported a 30 percent increase in the number of employers recruiting on campus this year. 87 percent of UC Berkeley at Haas students had one or more job … | Read the rest of this entry »

Many students struggle with choosing a major, and many more struggle with attending grad school to earn their MBA. However, recent statistics have shown that earning a business degree may be the quickest way into a high-paying job. According to PRWeb:
“The field of finance is hot right now and the job outlook is expected to stay strong,” says Business-Programs.com. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, accounting jobs are expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations, and various accounting jobs will grow between 8 and 16 percent by 2014. The median pay for an accountant is currently $41,100.
A marketing bachelor’s degree or MBA can lead to a lucrative career. According to CNN Money, median pay for a marketing specialist is $52,400; … | Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re looking to enroll in a part-time MBA program, then you may be interested in these rankings of the top ten part-time MBA programs from MBA Admission:

University of Chicago
NYU (Stern)
Northwestern (Kellogg)
UCLA (Anderson)
Michigan
Berkeley (Haas)
USC (Marshall)
DePaul
Maryland (Smith)
Babson

The following things were considered to determine these rankings: opinions of individuals from top MBA reporting firms, opinions of graduates of the program, recruiter perspectives, incoming student qualifications, graduate professional success, and the curriculum ideologies.
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While 99% of the time an undergraduate degree is required to get into an MBA degree program, some colleges may make exceptions for those who have been highly-promoted but have little or no college education. This is a rare occurrence, but it may be an option for those who have worked hard for their high-management position and want to get the best MBA program to expand their career options. Consider this advice from CareerJournal:
Schools normally require undergraduate degrees for their full-time and part-time M.B.A. programs. But some executive M.B.A. programs will occasionally admit a seasoned manager without much formal education. “We’re very selective and generally want to see that the person had a couple of years of undergraduate courses and quit college for a good … | Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re debating on whether or not to go back to school for your MBA, then you’re going to need to evaluate your reasons for wanting to return for a higher degree. The following questions from MBAAdvice were designed to help students evaluate their reasons for pursuing an MBA:

Does getting an MBA allow you to pursue a career about which you are passionate?
Does getting an MBA allow you to do something at which you can achieve excellence? Does it allow you to do something at which you are naturally talented?
If you answered yes to the above two questions, does getting an MBA allow you to pursue a career that can financially support your lifestyle?

Students should remember that earning an MBA degree can offer … | Read the rest of this entry »

Prior to Applying to MBA programs, students have to take the GMAT Exam. This exam is a general exam that measures a student’s ability to reason verbally and quantitatively as well as their ability to write in a coherent and well-developed manner. It helps to know what the test will be like prior to taking it. Consider these tips from MBA in America:
The test is like this: you have two essays at the beginning of the test. One is an analysis of an argument and other is analysis of an issue. Each is a half an hour in duration.
The third section deals with verbal ability. You have reading comprehension and sentence correction exercises. Don’t underestimate this section. This section is perhaps the toughest of the … | Read the rest of this entry »