Marketing Yourself to the Top Business Schools [Paperback]

Phil Carpenter (Author), Carol Carpenter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1995 | ISBN-10: 0471118176 | ISBN-13: 978-0471118176 | Edition: 1

Expert advice helps you get into the business school of your choiceEarning an MBA from a leading business school can be an important career boost. But first you have to get accepted. This straight-talking guide is dedicated to helping you conquer the business school admission process. Here, Phil and Carol Carpenter show you, step-by-step, how to confidently develop your own winning marketing campaign, including:
* Tips on matching your strengths and interests with those of your target schools
* Candid interviews with admissions directors and alumni
* Advice on writing focused, persuasive essays
* Twenty actual applicant essays on frequently asked topics --with frank evaluations of why these essays worked
* Ratings of the top programs from U.S. News & World Report


"This easy-to-read guide demystifies the MBA admissions process. It provides a detailed and useful strategy for all MBA applicants by illustrating ways in which applicants can exert control and influence over the process." --

"Candid and comprehensive...the Carpenters write with the voice of experience and share practical knowledge rather than generalized suggestions." --Jon Megibow, Director of Admissions University of Virginia, Darden Graduate School of Business Administration

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

This essential guide offers a clear, concise description of how to develop and implement a unique personal marketing program for getting into the school of your choice. It provides a proven marketing-oriented plan that will set you apart from competitors. Includes numerous examples and writing tips to help you pitch yourself more effectively to specific programs.

From the Back Cover

Expert advice helps you get into the business school of your choiceEarning an MBA from a leading business school can be an important career boost. But first you have to get accepted. This straight-talking guide is dedicated to helping you conquer the business school admission process. Here, Phil and Carol Carpenter show you, step-by-step, how to confidently develop your own winning marketing campaign, including:

• Tips on matching your strengths and interests with those of your target schools
• Candid interviews with admissions directors and alumni
• Advice on writing focused, persuasive essays
• Twenty actual applicant essays on frequently asked topics —with frank evaluations of why these essays worked
• Ratings of the top programs from U.S. News & World Report

"This easy-to-read guide demystifies the MBA admissions process. It provides a detailed and useful strategy for all MBA applicants by illustrating ways in which applicants can exert control and influence over the process." —

"Candid and comprehensive...the Carpenters write with the voice of experience and share practical knowledge rather than generalized suggestions." —Jon Megibow, Director of Admissions University of Virginia, Darden Graduate School of Business Administration

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (August 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471118176
• ISBN-13: 978-0471118176
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,363,566 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #70 in Books > Business & Investing > Job Hunting & Careers > Business School Guides

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Somewhat outdated, not particularly robust, July 24, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Marketing Yourself to the Top Business Schools (Paperback)

This book covers many of the same ideas that Richard Montauk's book does: how to position yourself to business schools, the importance of knowing the school, etc. However, the advice is outdated with much of the advice written in reference to the early 1990s when the authors attended HBS. Further, most of the advice is given in the form of critiquing the essays of others, which is a somewhat tedious way to get the message.

I think that the Montauk book does a better job of addressing the positioning/marketing issues, and Montauk has is a more robust treatment of the rest of the application process. Save your money and skip this book.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good but outdated, August 9, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Marketing Yourself to the Top Business Schools (Paperback)

THis book is useful but it is somehow outdated. I wish that the authors would write a new version that would be more up-to-date. I have the impression that the rules of the game have a bit changed.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Differentiate, Differentiate, Differentiate, March 27, 2003

By 

newchapter "newchapter" (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Marketing Yourself to the Top Business Schools (Paperback)

The title offers the key to the MBA application process: Marketing.

1) Treat your application as a whole with each part adding a new piece to the jigsaw puzzle. Naturally, you must know the product (you) and the customer (school/admissions committee).

2) Know yourself. Determine your positioning statement first. What is the major theme that will pervade your application? What makes you different from the other 10,000+ Harvard applicants?

3) Know the school. Learn as much as you can about the schools. Each of them has a different market position and culture. You have to get past the information on the website or else you will bore the admissions committee to sleep. Visit the schools and talk to alumni.

4) Good tips on writing: keep it simple, write colorfully, edit mercilessly. (chapter 7)

5) 42 pages of essays, but if you want to see a lot of essays, read Richard Montauk's HOW TO GET INTO THE TOP MBA PROGRAMS (over 90 essays from 30 different people).

As other reviewers mentioned, this book is not a bad place to start, but it is terribly outdated - no mention of the internet.