Your MBA Game Plan: Proven Strategies for Getting into the Top Business Schools (Paperback)

~ (Author), Scott Shrum (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

With graduates from top business schools bringing home six-figure pay packages and entering into exciting fields such as private equity, high-tech, investment banking, and management consulting, the MBA has rapidly become the world's most desired degree. As a result, the competition for admission into select programs is fierce; some admit less than 15 percent of applicants.

In this challenging environment, Your MBA Game Plan is the resource you need--it has helped thousands get into the best schools and achieve their career aspirations. You could be next.

Written by the co-founders of a leading business school admissions service, this book will guide you through the demanding application process and help you differentiate yourself in the ever-growing pool of applicants. Your MBA Game Plan will show you how to:

* Maximize your chances of admission to a top business program.
* Ace the GMAT.
* Craft compelling essays and resumes that highlight your most salient attributes and make you stand out to the admissions committee.
* Perform flawlessly during your admissions interviews.
* Prepare your recommenders to effectively support your admissions bid.
* Select target schools and highlight the personal characteristics and skill sets that they look for.

This revised edition includes sample essays and resumes from successful applicants, fresh insight on 30 leading business schools, and advice specifically tailored to international students.

From the Back Cover

"With everything from essays and resume tips to detailed insider information, this handy guide is a must-have for MBA candidates."
--Karen Schweitzer, businessmajors.about.com

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Product Details

• Paperback: 283 pages
• Publisher: Career Press; Revised edition (September 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1564149684
• ISBN-13: 978-1564149688
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #51,529 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredibly Helpful and Informative, August 29, 2003

By	Maryann Ford (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Your MBA Game Plan: Proven Strategies for Getting into the Top Business Schools (Paperback)

I am applying to business school this fall, and just
got this book a week ago after hearing about it. I
have already read it most of the way through, and I
can say that it is DEFINITELY worth it. I have also
read How to Get Into the Top MBA Programs and
I can say that this book helps you at least
as much as that one, in less than half the length. I
actually consider that one to be good, but this one to
be even better.

I really like how the authors describe a framework for
getting your story together. I wonder if everyone will
follow their advice to the letter, but I think they
would benefit by doing so. The authors start by
describing their framework, and then step through each
part of it throughout the rest of the book. Like I
mentioned, I have read nearly the whole thing (which I
couldn't do with the other books I bought).

My favorite aspects of this book:

1) Advice on specific schools - Not everything that
they tell you about a school is earth-shattering, but
it's all good info. This is important info to consider
when you apply to any school. A friend of mine at a
Top 10 school read what they wrote about her school
and agreed with what they said.

2) Interview prep - All of my target schools require interviews,
and I really like the framework that they use in this section to help you
prepare for the kinds of questions you will probably be asked.

3) Advice for applicants based on their backrounds -
This section is fairly short, but still contains good
advice to think about as you write your essays, etc.

4) Essay analysis and advice - Other books also do
this, but this book does a good job of breaking down
essays by type and letting you know what schools tend
to look for.

They also give good general advice like making sure
that you and your recommenders are on the same page in
terms of what to emphasize, etc. And the GMAT section
looks like it has good advice, although that's the one
section that I sort of skipped, since I already took
the test.

My only suggestions for improvement would be to expand
the section that gives advice by type of applicant.
And, they give advice for the top 30 schools, but not
everyone is targeting those schools. So, maybe
covering the top 50 would be better, although that of
course would make it a lot longer.

All in all, definitely worth picking up, especially if
you want a smaller book that gives you the same advice
that the bigger, more expensive ones give. These guys
seem to know their stuff.

37 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Pleasant Surprise!, January 11, 2005

By	CalGrad "JC" (Diamond Bar, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Your MBA Game Plan: Proven Strategies for Getting into the Top Business Schools (Paperback)

Wasn't sure what to expect from this book when I bought it, but it turned out to be a great overall resource! Has information about Top-30 Schools and general information about App Strategy, GMAT, Essays, and Letter of Recs.

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.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Book on the Subject (... and I read a lot), September 2, 2006

By	MBA '08 (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Your MBA Game Plan: Proven Strategies for Getting into the Top Business Schools (Paperback)

I read a lot of books about MBA admissions. Your MBA Game Plan was the shortest, simplest ... and by far, the best!

The book taught me about the admissions process - what schools are looking for in students, how I can demonstrate those qualities, and how to avoid the most common pitfalls of applying. More importantly, it helped me develop a clear, organized, and easy-to-execute gameplan that kept me on track throughout the (grueling!) journey that is MBA admissions.

Thanks in large part to this game plan, I was accepted at Harvard Business School and Stanford's Graduate School of Business.