Anna Ivey of Ivey Consulting in Boston interviewed Dr. Marlena Corcoran.
Rescue Your Round-One Application!
Today we’re talking with Dr. Marlena Corcoran, Director of Athena Mentor: International University Admissions Counseling, based in Munich, Germany, with operations in Boston, Massachusetts. Marlena is a co-moderator of MBA Central. Marlena, what’s the biggest mistake you see non-US applicants make in applying to the top U.S. MBA programs?
They do not allow enough time to compose a convincing application. If your goal is to start at a top U.S. MBA program in the fall of 2010, I sincerely hope that you began preparing your application last winter. If you didn’t, this newsletter is for you! Please remember that we will not be discussing an ideal scenario, but how to rescue your round-one application.
That sounds dramatic. Just to put this in context, how do non-U.S. applicants fall into this predicament?
Here in Germany, the problem arises from the difference between the general university admissions processes in Germany and the United States. German secondary-school students must wait until they have their diploma, or Abitur, before they can apply to university.
But doesn’t that mean they apply in, say, July, to begin their bachelor’s studies in the fall?
That’s right, Anna. And from the German point of view, it is just as startling to hear that the American admissions process is so complicated—and so long. In Germany, it’s pretty much point-and-click. Unless you want to study, for example, medicine at a popular location, you can expect to be accepted at the university you designate. People will tell me smugly, “I want to do my MBA at Stanford.” They assume that all they need to do is let Stanford know they are coming.
Uh oh. Don’t these people read the news?
Their own experience is too much of a counterweight, I suppose. The prevailing attitude in Germany is that good enough is good enough. For example, grades here count for less than the simple fact that you got the degree in question. The notion that the very top U.S. programs are looking for very top grades and GMAT scores over 700—well, it’s just hard for Germans to process. Frankly, peer pressure here stigmatizes Streber—that’s a term of contempt for “people who strive.” Things are changing, though. I’m happy to say that the process of applying to top MBA programs is in itself quite effective in changing attitudes.
Don’t people resist this change? After all, it means they have to work harder.
It’s a funny thing, Anna. Talented people prefer to use their abilities, just as racehorses love to run. When I show people exactly what they need to do, most of them rise to the occasion. Here at Athena Mentor, we actually like to do GMAT problems. It’s exhilarating. Really!
Do MBA-hopefuls still have a chance to prepare for Round One, if they begin today?
Yes. Sit down right now and make yourself a schedule for the next months. Fill in the big rocks, such as:
• take the GMAT
• take it again
• research programs
• draft your essays
• choose and approach your recommenders
• submit transcripts
• enter program deadlines
You’ll be surprised at how few weeks are left in which to accomplish all of this before the October deadlines are upon us. Be sure to work on more than one of these items every week!
I hear you’re offering a free workshop in Munich on 20 June to help people get started.
The U.S. College and MBA Admissions Workshop will be part of the Knowledge Exchange organized by the American-German Business Club of Munich and powered by KPMG. It will take place on Saturday morning, June 20, at the KPMG offices. Learn more about the workshop and register now at:
http://athena-mentor.com/admissions-workshop/
There is no charge for the workshop, though there is an entry fee of 15 euros for the entire Knowledge Exchange, if you are not a member of AGBC. (Hint: you might want to join.) You must register in advance for the event.
We’d love to meet Munich-area MBA Centralites and help them jumpstart their applications! I’ll be there, along with our current student intern at Athena Mentor, who is an undergraduate at the Wharton School of Business. Bring questions!
Thanks, Marlena. By the way, I’ll see you next week at the AIGAC conference in New York! We’ll be back next week with more advice on how to Rescue Your Round-One Application!
Perhaps this is one of your questions . . .