ABC of Getting the MBA Admissions Edge: International (officially supported by McKinsey & Co. and Goldman Sachs) [Paperback]

Mendonca Alan (Author), Matt Symonds (Author), Alan Mendonca (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 28, 2001 | ISBN-10: 0971482217 | ISBN-13: 978-0971482210

Getting into MBA programs is more and more competitive. This over 600 page book will improve your chances of admission to the schools of your choice. This version of The Edge, aimed at international applicants, features an in-depth analysis of applying to

Product Details

• Paperback: 605 pages
• Publisher: MBA Site, Ltd. (November 28, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0971482217
• ISBN-13: 978-0971482210
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,007,453 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Very Useful, But Dated And Extremely Specific, May 11, 2009

By 

Robert I. Hedges - See all my reviews
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This review is from: ABC of Getting the MBA Admissions Edge: International (officially supported by McKinsey & Co. and Goldman Sachs) (Paperback)

"ABC of Getting the MBA Admissions Edge" is a very good resource for those wishing to pursue an MBA from any of the ten schools profiled. The book is extremely thorough and features informative sections dissecting the admissions essays (though the results are still often quite stilted,) and helps students learn to distinguish themselves during the application process both on paper and in an interview. The book is also good at discussing the pros and cons of various programs and teaching methodologies, a vital piece of information that is often overlooked by prospective students.

This edition is very much geared toward European students; there is apparently a 2002 edition more geared for US audiences, though I have not read it. I might have appreciated its perspective more, as this volume does not make its Euro-centric views clear until you start reading it in depth (neither the cover or title of the copy I bought had the word "International" associated with as is now the case.) The book does explain pros and cons of an American versus a European MBA, which is an option relatively few US applicants consider. I do view this as a very suitable book for European students considering applying to these ten programs. The book also discusses the benefits and disadvantages of one versus two year programs, as well as other relevant factors in the decision making process.

My primary problems with the book are twofold: first, the book was most recently published in 2001, and much of the information is now quite dated (I was very amused in the introductory section of the great high-dollar jobs that an MBA from one of these schools can get you at varying financial firms that no longer exist or are in receivership); second, the book focuses like a laser on ten specific schools. Certainly the principles presented here will be applicable to other schools to varying degrees, but unless you truly wish to go only to one of these ten schools, there are better resources for you. The schools the book profiles are: Harvard, Stanford, INSEAD, Columbia, London Business School, Berkeley, Kellogg, MIT, Chicago, and NYU. Certainly these are all great schools, but not everyone has a burning desire to go to any of them (the only schools on the list of interest to me personally were Chicago and Kellogg.)

Each school profile is quite detailed, containing information on student and faculty statistics (remember, it's old data,) an introduction to the program, a section on core curriculum, a very useful section on good and poor courses, teaching methods, life on campus, tuition expenses (way, way out of date,) and "the application dossier." The application dossier details GMAT and TOEFL statistics, the essay requirements (including the author's views on what the school is looking for,) examples of essays, and interview tips. Most of the information is great, but some of it is similar to advertising boosterism. For instance, the book revealed (p. 390) that "Kellogg is constantly looking to hire professors at the top of their profession; for example, Oprah Winfrey, one of the biggest stars of television talk shows, teaches a course in Dynamics of Leadership." What qualifies a talk show host to teach MBA candidates leadership? It did not impress me that Kellogg offered such a course, or that the authors thought such a piece of fluff was important. Perhaps Jerry Springer could lecture on marketing.

This is a very thick book with very small print, so it is not casual reading for unfocused people. The level of detail here is great, but as I have said before, it is focused on ten schools and is dated. An additional annoyance contributed to my ultimate three star rating: the book is available in at least two different editions, and several different bindings. I paid full retail price for mine in part due to the cover, which listed not only the ten schools in the book, but also ten other schools not in the book (UCLA, IMD, Michigan, Duke, Tuck, Darden, Cornell, McGill, Wharton, and Yale) several of which were also on my list to pursue. I didn't consider it necessary to examine the table of contents to cross-check the cover. Evidently that gaffe has been fixed in the most recent edition, but it is totally unacceptable and deceptive.