How to Get into the Top MBA Programs

Rating:
Summary: A very good book for getting your act together for MBA Apps
Review: "How to Get into the Top MBA Programs" is a very good resource on the business school application process. The book expounds upon three points very well:

1. Know yourself. Understand why you are considering a business school, determine what you expect to get out of it, and identify which programs are best for *your needs*. Be honest with yourself.

Assuming you've determined an MBA program is the way you need to go, you have to determine which offering is most appropriate. Objectively evaluate schools, don't blindly go off of the numerous "rankings." These are purely quantitative and may not be the best fit. (For example, if you want to do marketing and not finance, Northwestern might be a better choice than Wharton.) Evaluate programs, interview alumni and current students, and VISIT campus. Pay attention to any "gut" feel.

2. Market your strengths and weaknesses.

The ideal applicant will have a 4.0 undergraduate GPA, 800 GMAT, speak seventeen languages, served president of IBM, and have several gold medals in swimming. If this doesn't describe you, you're "just folks" (to borrow from Harry Bauld) and need to market yourself.

Montauk has some interesting generalizations for backgrounds (e.g., engineer, sales) and their general strengths and weaknesses.

One valuable suggestion is to choose and manage your recommenders. They should say what they want, and in their own words, but you can help guide the perspectives they emphasize on your candidacy so you come across as a multidimensional applicant.

The essay writing suggestions are generally very good, especially the "angle" that some of the questions are taking. (This is very similar to the "Knock 'em Dead" by Martin Yate.) However, for actually writing your essay, I would strongly recommend reading "On Writing the College Application Essay" by Harry Bauld.

3. Stay on top of the admissions process.

To a great extent, this is really "make sure everyone gets stuff when they should." Provide dossiers for your recommenders, make sure you have a completed application in on time, follow up with people.

Because the application process is competitive, Montauk offers suggestions on reinforcing your candidacy be waitlisted or are called in for an interview.

--

Throughout each chapter, Montauk includes comments from various directors of admissions. These basically reiterate what the text says and (especially for the US schools) are a regurgitation of things you'd read in the applications packet. For example, "The GMAT score is as important as any other single element in the admissions process." Duh, otherwise it wouldn't be required.

Overall, this is a very good book, offering a lot of perspective on the self-evaluation and application processes.

Rating:
Summary: Read it, but be realistic
Review: I am actually a professor at one of the top MBA programs in the country. My students tell me it is getting harder and harder to get into the best programs. That's especially true just now that the economy is bad - everyone decides to drop out of the economy for a couple of years, at the same time. Our applications are up 40-50%.

So yes, you could use some advice, and some of Montauk's is OK. But you should remember that NO book can change some basic facts about you: your GPA. Your work experience. Your basic intelligence. If you do not score well on EVERY one of these, you will probably not end up in what the book calls a "top" program.

Don't let that get you down - there are a lot of great programs out there. Instead of obsessing about whether you will get into Wharton (or whatever), obsess about learning more about LOTS of program, to find the one where you will FIT the best. This book does not really offer you any help in the way of describing the pluses and minuses of the various programs, so don't make this the first MBA admissions book you get.

That said, I found some useful pointers in this book, particularly when it comes to recommendations. Pick your recommendation writers wisely (make sure they know how to write!), and PREP them. Remind them what makes you special, send them a resume, etc. I write a dozen or more letters a year. The students who give me more information about themselves make it easy for me to help them stand out.

Give yourself enough time to take the GMATs more than once in case you are not happy the first set of results.

And (this one is mine, not Montauks) don't be in a hurry to do it this year if you don't have to. If you will be able to tell a better story about your work experience 12 months from now, wait to apply. Stronger work experience = stronger chance of getting in.

So to summarize - this book is OK but a book with detailed info about programs would be better. Concentrate on finding the right program for you instead of getting up high in the Business Week rankings. Pay attention to your recommendation letters.

Maybe you won't have to read the book now that you've read the review ;-).

Good luck!

Rating:
Summary: Gives you a real chance of getting admission in dream school
Review: I know that a professor from Ann Arbor, MI has already rated this book and provided a great review but I think applicants like me need a little more information about the book. Following review provides information that I wish I had access to, when I was looking for a guide to help me deal with the painful application process.

As the professor mentioned, this is really a great book. It covers all aspects of application process from preparing for GMAT to responding to schools once you have been invited to join the program.

However, there is something that professor mentioned about the book and that is incorrect. The book does tell an applicant to give herself enough time, an year or so, to apply.

Now on to more mundane task of describing the advantages of this book:
Montauk starts with the overview of the book, how to use it and how to get maximum benifit out of it. Do not miss this part. Think of it as a key to unlock the information presented in this book. Mantauk has clearly mentioned what is more important in each section of the book and what parts you can skip if you don't have enough time.
Once you are familiar with the structure of the book, proceed by reading just the executive summary of each chapter. This is a great way of getting the overview of the whole book and of the stages in application process! The book covers a lot of things, not all relevant to you. Reading the executive summary of each chapter can help you zero in on the section you need to focus right now without the fear of you missing any step! I found it very helpful and I gaurantee, so will you.
Some chapters like the one on writing your essays and getting recommendataion letters, are reasons enough for you to invest 16 bucks in this book. For weeks I was confused about how to ask for recommendations from my manager, how to approach him, what to say and how to convince him. Thanks to Mantauk, all that is taken care of and now I have great recommendation letters (perhaps the single most important requirement for admission).

Finally, Mantauk has included close to 150 examples of great essays that selected candidates wrote for vaious schools. This is the reason why I got interested in this book in the first place. Unlike many of you great writers, some of us do not have degrees in journalism. Infact, I confess that I scored a mere 5.0 in AWA and I have no clue what to say about myself or how to say it.
That is a big problem. Essays are the way for schools to find out about you, your background, your character, your values, your strengths and weakness. Essays are also an opportunity for you to convince school that you fit the program better than your competition. Any complacency here will mean a letter of rejection. I know this for sure because I talked to a GSB alumni who used to evaluate applicant essays.
Essay writing skills for us, non professional-writers, are not easy to acquire. However, they can be "learned" by reading this book. Don't get me wrong. I am not talking about copying the examples given in the book. Reading good essays will give you an idea of structure and organization. Once you have it, you can plug your information into that structure and voila! a decent essay created by you will be ready to be included in your application.

In the end I would only like to say that you are going to spend over $60,000 on your MBA in next few years. These 16 bucks can ensure that you spend all that money wisely, getting your degree from the school of your choice. That is the most important thing. Isn't it?


Rating:
Summary: Yet another glowing review - a good addition to your armoury
Review: I'll keep this simple. I liked the book - it gives general and specific advice about the whole MBA admissions process. I suggest you read it at least the year before you start the whole process (including taking the GMAT). And if, like me, you pick it up in the middle of the whole process, it can still help you.

Basically - when you're sitting alone in that room while prepping for your GMAT, or staring at a computer screen while typing up yet another attempt at soul-baring in an essay, the book gives you some important guidelines and things to avoid. I especially like the parts where admissions people from colleges are quoted. In the end though - you write the answers and you smile during the interviews. Just make sure you know exactly "Why X College" and "Why an MBA".

It's a good read with commonsense advice - a good weapon as you hack your way through the admissions process.

Rating:
Summary: Solid as a Rock
Review: It is a very good resource, even though some of the information and essays are outdated - for example, many of the essays/letter of recs do not adhere to any kind of word limit! Has the most comprehensive list of essays and very useful strategy.

Others to look at:
1. ABC of Getting the MBA Admissions Edge: My personal favorite. It covers Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Kellogg, MIT, Chicago, Columbia, Berkeley, NYU, and INSEAD, but the strategies can be generalized to all schools.
2. Your MBA Game Plan: Great overall resource! Has information about Top-30 Schools and general information about App Strategy, GMAT, Essays, and Letter of Recs.
3. How to Get Into the Top MBA Programs: Very good Resource. The most comprehensive list of old essays.
4. Business Week Best Business Schools: In-Depth info on Top-30 Schools. Good reference to get the 411 on each school.
5. WSJ Top Business School: Good reference to what recruiters think of each school.
6. USNew's America's Best Graduate Schools: In my opinion the most comprehensive/accurate rankings (BW, WSJ, FT, Forbes) on the market.

Rating:
Summary: Numerous essays very useful.
Review: This book is the most useful b-school admissions book. You do not have to read the whole book if you are in a time crunch; you can read just the sections pertinent to your case. It also has direct quotations from deans of admissions and financial officers from numerous schools; explains the differentiating factors among the top b-schools. About the last 150 pages of the book is dedicated entirely to sample b-school application essays and their analyses.

Rating:
Summary: EXCELENTE
Review: This is a GREAT resource, and the tips work. All of my friends who have used this got accepted in to their 1st choice MBA program--and all of their first choices were in the Top 10. I am using it as a guide now to navigate through the hurdles to getting into my top choice school. I hope it proves be as useful for me!

Rating:
Summary: An absolute must read who anyone who seriously consider MBA
Review: This is THE BEST book I've ever read on the subject of MBA application. It's an absolute must read for anyone who is seriously consider getting an MBA.

As a Stanford law graduate and a top expert in this area, Richard Montauk made a thorough analysis of all the variables of the highly-competitive MBA application process, and gave clear recommendations that one can follow to better his/her chance of getting into the school of his/her choice. It's a great book that's fun to read as well. No wonder some friends of mine (who are attending top 5 schools) call it the "MBA admission bible".

Highly recommended!

Robert


Rating:
Summary: A great book (but I have one regret)
Review: This year I got accepted to two well-known programs, and this book helped me a lot. every aspect of the admissions process is covered: essays, interviews (this was especially helpful), work experience, ratings,etc. Most importantly, this book gives you a very good idea of what your application should look like. This, of course, is only half the battle. You still have to accumulate some work experience, do your best on the GMAT, and so on. Nevertheless, this book will certainly help. Buy it as soon as you start thinking about applying, not 2 weeks before the application deadline. I would also ignore some of these one-star revews here. They really exaggerate the book's shortcomings and downplay its numerous strengths. Also, just a word of caution. The competition is so intense, it is absurd. The smartest people get rejected from top MBA programs, so unless you are Enstein, apply to at least 4-5 programs, if possible.