Amazon.com lists over 200 paperback books for sale on the topic of “MBA admissions.” Furthermore, the websites of various admissions consultants promote their own self-published guides, DVDs, etc. It seems like every week, there’s a new publication being touted on how to get into top b-schools.
The titles are quite alluring, with liberal use of terms like “insider” and “secret.” Some authors are veteran consultants, while others are relative newcomers. Although such publications can be very attractive to eager applicants and very profitable for the authors, there are five reasons why you’ll never find such a book coming from The MBA Exchange:
1. Your candidacy is different.
The differences among applicants in terms of the professional experiences, personal traits and values, and career goals are dramatic – and are too valuable to be diluted or homogenized by following directions in a book.
2. Every business school is different.
While each school seeks the strongest possible students, their process for evaluating candidates is highly subjective and varied by school. Selection criteria reflect each program’s unique culture, wants and needs. So, taking a one-size-fits-all approach to building and presenting your candidacy by following a book that instructs everyone to emphasize “A” is not going to endear you to an admissions committee that is looking for “Z”.
3. The myth of the admissions “insider.”
It may feel very comforting to read the advice of an author who actually worked in MBA admissions at a top business school. However, that knowledge is limited to one school and one point in time. The validity and accuracy of an author’s admissions-office recollections diminish with each day that passes since they worked at the school. So, what is the most meaningful credential for an admissions consultant? Independently verified proof of performance in actually helping applicants gain admission to their targeted schools over time. An “outsider” with a track record for results is a resource worthy of your trust, confidence and dear dollars.
4. Once it’s published, a “secret” is no long secret.
Even if a book somehow, some way – miraculously – captured The Secret to MBA Admissions, the fact is that you’re one of thousands of applicants who are now reading and using it. And, for best sellers, thousands of other applicants read it and used it in previous years. Admissions committees easily spot applicants who build their applications around the same book. In fact, admissions officers could very well have read it themselves at the beach last summer! Not much of a secret now, is it?
5. You deserve the 1-on-1, personalized advice that you paid for.
Applicants who engage a consultant to help develop and present their MBA candidacies — and pay hard-earned dollars for this individualized guidance – deserve personalized advice and insights that are not shared with thousands of competing applicants who bought a $15 book or DVD from the same expert. When the identical strategies and tactics that you — as a contracted client — receive are already public, the efficacy and ethics of that counsel is diminished. The “competitive edge” that you rightfully expected to gain as a client is no longer your edge. Our clients know that there won’t be any other applicants who look and sound like them.
So, for those 5 reasons and more, you won’t see a book or DVD coming from The MBA Exchange. Our sole focus is helping a relatively small number of highly dedicated applicants to discover and leverage their uniqueness, align their candidacies with the priorities of each targeted school, and maximize their chances for admission 1 on 1. If this philosophy and approach appeal to you, then please introduce yourself to The MBA Exchange. Allow us to provide a free, personalized evaluation of your business school candidacy.
