Round Three or Not Round Three: Part One

This is the time of year when, every time the phone rings here at Veritas Prep HQ, there's a good chance it's an applicant calling to ask us if he should apply to business school in the third admissions round, or if he should wait until next year. The answer, as is the answer for most things in life, is "It depends."

Notice that we didn't say, "No way!" and we also didn't say, "Heck yeah!" There are some important macro trends to consider when applying in Round Three (or any any round, for that matter), but how good your chances are still depends on you and the quality of your application more than anything else.

The most obvious question is, How much room is left in Round Three? Business schools know that the proportions of applicants that come in each round are fairly consistent from year to the next, so they can plan ahead to some extent, leaving at least some room for Round Three applicants. Still, the number of seats at top MBA programs does tend to get pretty low at this point -- admissions officers from Stanford, Kellogg, Yale, Booth, and Ross have all said this, among others -- sometimes making admissions officers more reluctant to take a chance on an applicant with a glaring weakness or one who simply doesn't have anything remarkable to point to in his application. So, borderline applicants probably will indeed find that it's harder to get into a top MBA program in Round Three.

Said another way, great applicants will still have a strong chance of being admitted to at least one of their target schools, although creating a great application is of course a challenge for most applicants. In a blog post last March, Stanford GSB's Derrick Bolton said, "While it is true that the final round typically is smaller than the first two, we do admit excellent candidates in Round 3." Note the emphasis on excellent... If your candidacy is anything less than excellent, then you probably wno't get into Stanford in Round Three, although the same can be said about the earlier rounds, too.

When you submit a Round Three application, you also may need overcome the question of "Why are you applying now, and not five months ago?" This is especially crucial if you're presenting a story of how earning an MBA has been a lifelong ambition, one that you've been planning for years. Of course, situations change and force applicants to apply a little earlier than originally planned (e.g., losing one's job), and other things hold an applicant back from applying sooner (e.g., taking the GMAT again to try to earn a significantly better score), and admissions officers are open-minded about these reasons, but you do need to be mindful of the message you send if you apply in Round Three... Is yours a well planned application that just so happened to arrive in March, or is the result of a hasty whim? That may be the difference between being one of the last applicants that the school will accept for the year, and being one of the school's final dings.

Next week we'll revisit a few other things to consider when deciding whether or not to apply to a top business school in Round Three. In the meantime, if you're in this conundrum right now, call us at (800) 925-7737 and speak with a Veritas Prep admissions expert today. And, as always, be sure to subscribe to this blog and to follow us on Twitter!

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GMAT Tip of the Week: Standardized Parts

What do Eli Whitney and Honore le Blanc have in common? And what does their commonality have to do with your impending GMAT exam?

Le Blanc is widely credited with having invented the concept of standardized parts in manufacturing. A gunsmith in the 1700s, his idea was to standardize each component of a gun, so that when one part broke, it could easily be replaced by another instead of needing to be individually repaired by a blacksmith or replaced by another gun entirely.

His idea didn't make it too far in France, where other gunsmiths and blacksmiths wholeheartedly opposed this threat to their business models, but the notion of standardization crossed the Atlantic, and with the support of Thomas Jefferson, Eli Whitney incorporated the idea of standardized parts in to his manufacturing. Standardized manufacturing revolutionized industry, and, perhaps just as importantly, made its way in to the realm of academic assessment with the eventual dawn of the "standardized test."

The driving force behind the standardized test is the concept that a series of seemingly-unique questions written to be nearly identical in difficulty and skill assessment can uniformly assess a student's academic abilities. In order to work, these questions need to appear unique to the test-taker, but be nearly identical to the test-maker. Knowing this can be a huge advantage to you as you study. How can you use your knowledge of Le Blanc, Whitney, and Jefferson to your GMAT advantage?

Knowing that the GMAT is committed to testing "standardized components", you can avoid a frequent Sentence Correction mistake. Many students both intensively study and excruciatingly debate obscure idioms. While the GMAT will certainly use appropriate idioms in its correct answer choices, such idioms are difficult to fit within the "standardized components" framework of a standardized test. Consider the sentences:

At the time of the Civil War, more American soldiers died than during any other period in U.S. history.

vs.

During the time of the Civil War, more American soldiers died than during any other period in U.S. history.

Many might consider the difference in the sentences - "At the time of" vs. "During" - to be an idiomatic choice, but in actuality it fits the GMAT's standardization well:

1) The GMAT requires that, when items are compared, they must be compared in equivalent form. Each sentence includes the phrase "...during any other period...", meaning that we need to compare durations of time, and not a single snapshot of time to a duration. This suggests that the second, "during", is correct.

2) The GMAT also tests logic moreso than it does "idioms", and the first sentence is illogical. It suggests that, at one time (THE time of the Civil War), a large number of soldiers died. Because the war took place over a period of time, the phrase "at the time of" is illogical, as the action would have needed to take place over the duration of the war. Again, the second statement is correct.

As you study for the GMAT, the more that you can look for broader-scope reasons that answers are correct or incorrect, the better off you'll be. The test has to assess your ability using standardized components - comparisons, the logic of statments - and, by nature, can't afford to rely on solutions that are simply "idiomatic." As Whitney and LeBlanc demonstrated, idiomatic solutions are too primitive to be largely useful in the new wave of industry.

For more GMAT prep tips and resources, give us a call at (800) 925-7737. And, be sure to subscribe to this blog and follow us on Twitter!

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Veritas Prep Announces 2009 GMAT Instructor of the Year Winners

If it's February in Southern California, it must be awards season. This past weekend, Los Angeles played host to the Grammys, and the nominees for this month's Academy Awards were announced. Just a few miles west, at Veritas Prep headquarters in Malibu, the academic services team at Veritas Prep sorted through its 2009 evaluation data to select its winners for the almost-as-prestigious Instructor of the Year award.

To be considered for the Instructor of the Year award is an honor in itself. Veritas Prep's GMAT prep instructors are no strangers to award and honors, with the faculty possessing accolades such as NCAA All-American, Forbes Future Capitalist, and Philly's Phunniest Comedian. Selecting award winners from this already select group is a difficult task, but the selection committee thanks this year's winners for excelling at their job enough to make that decision a bit easier.

Without further ado, this year's winners are:

• Rob Stringham, New York City


• Bobby Umar, Toronto

Rob Stringham, New York City
A Veritas Prep instructor since 2004, Rob has managed to lead the worldwide faculty in instructor evaluation scores with the added degree-of-difficulty of teaching in the world's most demanding market, New York. Typically juggling multiple schedules - often teaching on Long Island or in New Jersey in addition to his Manhattan classes - Rob strikes an admirable rapport with his students, eliciting multiple comments to the extent of "Rob was probably the best teacher I've ever had".

Bobby Umar, Toronto
Bobby's GMAT students are typically well-prepared for the AWA essays if only because they get so much writing practice when they submit multiple paragraphs of praise in the "optional comments' section of their course evaluations; Bobby leads the worldwide faculty in length-of-comments and number-of-exclamation-points in his course reviews, having inspired his students with equal parts knowledge of, confidence in, and enthusiasm for the GMAT. Like Rob, Bobby garners praise to the extent of "Bobby is the best teacher I've ever had at any level;" the team at Veritas Prep headquarters agrees that he's one of the best that we've ever had, as well.

Veritas Prep Instructor of the Year winners will be teaching several classes around the world this spring. Their upcoming assignments include:

• Bobby Umar: Toronto Weekend Course, February 13; Toronto Full Course, March 8


• Rob Stringham: New York City Full Course, March 20


• David Newland: Boston Weekend Course, February 13; Boston Full Course, March 8


• Burak Powers: Houston Weekend Course, April 10


• Amit Kakkad: London Full Course, March 8; London Intensive Course, March 21


• Ken Kleinfeld: Washington Verbal Focus, February 13; Washington Full Course, March 8


• Chris Kane: New York City Weekend Course, February 13; New York City Full Course, March 8; New York City Intensive Course, March 14


• Megan Kucik: Washington Quant Focus, February 20; Virtual Veritas Prep, April 14


• Kevin Richardson: Virtual Veritas Prep, February 8


• Cliff Smith: Palo Alto Full Course, March 20; Palo Alto Full Course, March 23; Voice of Veritas Prep on Demand

From the entire Veritas Prep team, we'd like to offer a huge CONGRATS to Rob and Bobby! Great work in 2009, guys. Here's to an even better 2010!

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Kellogg Admissions Officers Offer Insights in Online BusinessWeek Chat

Earlier this week Beth Flye, assistant dean and director of admissions at the Kellogg School of Management, and Carla Edelston, senior associate director of the school's Career Management Center, fielded questions from applicants during a live online chat on BusinessWeek. In the chat Flye and Edelston offered up some good nuggets for applicants who are in the thick of the MBA admissions process.

When asked about how much Kellogg "weighs extracurricular activities," Flye's response was right on target with what we tell our clients: "We do review extracurricular activities as that area shows us more about the applicant—i.e., his/her passions, involvements—as well as [allowing us to] learn more about that person's leadership and team involvements beyond work."

Note those last few words... Don't think of extracurricular activities, community service, and hobbies as a "check the box" exercise, but rather as one more way to demonstrate the traits that admissions officers look for in all applicants: leadership, teamwork, innovation, and maturity. While it may not seem obvious at first glance, community service and recreational activities can help you demonstrate these attributes just as much as your full-time job can.

In terms of the number of applications Kellogg has received so far this year, Flye reports that Kellogg's numbers are up slightly vs. this time last year. It will be interesting to see where Kellogg and other top MBA programs net out at the end of the year... Will the soft economy keep pushing more people to grad school, or will the worldwide financial shakeout continue to put downward pressure on the number of business school applications? Or both?

One applicant asked about whether a low GMAT score will hurt an applicant with a strong undergraduate GPA, and once again Flye gave advice that we frequently give to applicants: "If your quantitative score was not as competitive and if you had never had a quant class, I would encourage you to take a statistics course to be more competitive, and to further prepare yourself to be a student." We firmly believe that you can't go wrong by taking a couple of college-level courses before applying to business school, especially if you didn't major in (or do well in) quant-oriented courses while you were an undergrad.

Interestingly, while some schools recently have encouraged applicants to consider applying in Round 3, Kellogg's take is less rosy for a potential Round 3 applicant: "We strongly encourage candidates to apply for one of the first two rounds."

Finally, to an applicant who asked about low GMAT scores, Flye confirmed that Kellogg focuses on an applicant's highest GMAT score. So, if you aren't happy with your current score, there's virtually no downside in taking it again.

If you're ready to start building your own application for Kellogg or other top MBA programs, call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions consultant today!

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Five Things That Make UCLA Anderson Unique

Continuing our series of admissions insights clipped from Veritas Prep's Annual Reports, our in-depth insider's guides to 15 of the world's top MBA programs, this week we investigate a few things that make UCLA Anderson's approach to graduate management education unique. (Our Annual reports are absolutely free with registration, but we thought we'd share some snippets here to help get you started in your Anderson research.)

UCLA Anderson's methodology is composed of a multi-faceted approach primarily delivered through lectures. The following are five key aspects of a UCLA Anderson education that comprise the framework of the MBA experience:

• The UCLA Anderson Culture. The emphasis on teamwork inside and outside of the classroom is the hallmark of the UCLA Anderson experience and the foundation for the rest of the school's approach. Student collaboration and leadership within teams is the attribute that ties everything together at UCLA Anderson. There are several schools with great student cultures – NYU Stern is known for the way students look out for each other during the job search process and Duke Fuqua is legendary for the enthusiasm on display from the various student groups – but Anderson's culture is largely unmatched, save perhaps for Kellogg. In fact, Anderson and Kellogg can often seem very similar in this one area of true collaboration and a spirit of teamwork that runs through the entire program.


• Diversity of Coursework within a Generalist Approach. The classroom approach at UCLA Anderson mirrors its general curriculum. While students may focus on a certain subset of course work, there are no declared specialties or designations. With the 10 core classes, students are expected to collaborate with other team members, each from differing professional backgrounds and skills sets. By putting everyone on the same page, the core offers a base of skills that are as much lessons in human relations and cooperation as they are on a given subject matter. Beyond the core, students will gravitate towards a multitude of electives in eight specialty areas. These eight areas include Consulting, Entertainment and Media Management, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Management, Marketing, Operations, and Real Estate.


• A Practical Approach to Learning. Many elite business schools offer its students the chance to study in the field and to get real world experience, but few incorporate the mantra of "learning by doing" to the degree of UCLA. The crux of this approach is the Applied Management Research project (AMR). The AMR project is conducted in teams of 4-6 students during the second year and represents a capstone to the UCLA Anderson experience. From the number of students who participate in business plan competitions to unique classroom opportunities to creating and test new technologies, UCLA Anderson allows every student to find a way to put their theoretical learning to the real world test. The school offers a nearly unparallel variety of courses and labs that focus almost entirely on learning by doing.


• Leadership and Social Responsibility. As mentioned above, UCLA Anderson puts a great deal of focus on leadership and a commitment to community. This applies to the admissions process, but also to the coursework and educational experience as the school attempts to elevate good leaders to great ones. Specific leadership courses and a pre-term orientation course, Leadership Foundations, bring this approach to the curriculum. Prominent programs and organizations such as the Riordan Programs and Challenge for Charity offer students the opportunity to explore concepts surrounding social responsibility.


• A Global Perspective. Like many top business schools, UCLA can boast an increasingly global approach to its learning environment and coursework. The student body is comprised of students from 40 different countries and the school has focused coursework and experiential learning opportunities specific to the global landscape, such as the Global Access Program, Advanced International Exchange Program, and Special Topics in Management courses that focus on emerging economies.

Today's installment was clipped from our UCLA Anderson Annual Report, one of 15 completely free guides to the world's top business schools, available on our site. If you're ready to start building your own application for UCLA or other top MBA programs, call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today!

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Improve Your GMAT Score in Just Two Weeks!

Sorry, we couldn't resist creating a "Seven-Minute Abs"-like title. If you've landed here while looking for a way to boost your GMAT score in two weeks' time, you've got your work cut out for you. But, we are the GMAT prep experts, and we received this question from an applicant recently, so let's dig in:

The surest way to improve quickly on the GMAT is by identifying the mistakes that you're making, and being aware of them on test day so that you don't make them again. The writers of the GMAT craft incorrect answers around a series of commonly-occurring mistakes that examinees tend to make –- things like misidentifying the conclusion on a Critical Reasoning problem, or skipping a last step on a Problem Solving question (e.g., solving for x when they actually ask for y), or making an assumption on a Data Sufficiency problem (e.g., assuming that x is positive when they don't specify it, and it could in fact be negative).

If you're aware of the mistakes that you tend to make, you can make quick notes to yourself at the beginning of the exam on your noteboard, and remind yourself at the end of each question to double-check those mistakes.

Another relatively-quick fix to scoring problems on the GMAT is a better pacing strategy. On your most recent practice test, did you have any time left over at the end of either section? It's likely that you didn't based on your score, and if you either failed to answer any questions at the end of a section, or had to guess on a series of questions just to complete a section, the penalty affected your score substantially. Again, go back to your practice tests and/or homework sets and determine which types of questions create the biggest timing problems for you. If you can identify 1-2 of those on test day and avoid spending an undue amount of time on them (guess early if you have to), you'll have sufficient time to answer more of the questions that you can get right in a limited amount of time, and increase your score.

(Note: this advice assumes that you truly only have a couple of weeks to prepare for the exam. If you have more time, we advise spending more time to become quicker at any questions that take you a long time, but if you're in a rush, simply knowing that you can guess on a question that would take you 4-5 minutes in order to have a shot at 2-3 or more questions that you can do in under 2 is a great way to make a quick improvement to your overall score).

If you have more time, we suggest working with a GMAT program that will help you master the individual question types. In addition to the "common errors" mentioned above, each question on the GMAT is written to be similar to a series of others, and you can learn to spot quickly what you're being asked to do and how to break down the steps of each question systematically. Even having a thorough understanding of one third of the questions on either section (say, Critical Reasoning on verbal and Data Sufficiency on quant) will drastically increase your odds of getting those questions correct, and also give you more time to carefully work through other questions.

Ideally, if you're armed with the strategic blueprint of each question type, plus a good understanding of the types of errors you're likely to commit on each, you'll work through the test methodically and confidently with time to spare at the end.

For more GMAT preparation tips and resources, give us a call at (800) 925-7737. And, be sure to follow us on Twitter!

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GMAT Tip of the Week: The Answer Is Part of the Question

It seems so simple, but Jeopardy! has built an empire out of giving "answers" as clues and requiring its contestants to provide the questions. This tiny twist on traditional trivia has created a mass following, which has kept the show as a mainstay of entertainment culture for nearly 50 years. Just mention Jeopardy! in social situations and nearly everyone will have an opinion, either regarding their own strategy, or their household rules for watching:

"My roommates and I have a rule that we're not allowed to say anything until Alex has finished the question."

"I'm actually pretty good at predicting the $200 question just based on the category, before Alex even reads anything."

"Even if I don't know much about the topic, usually they give you enough of a clue with the category and something in the answer that I can get the question."

That last quote (and, in large part, the second quote, as well) is one that you may have experienced yourself, and an ideology that you can certainly translate to success on the GMAT. Often times on the GMAT, the answer choice provides you a valuable clue for how you can approach the question.

Consider geometry problem that includes the answer choices:

A) 2

B) 2√3

C) 3

D) 3√3

E) 4

Even without looking at the question itself, you have some clues as to what may appear. The square root of 3 is part of the 30-60-90 right triangle ratio, and also a number that appears when calculating the area of an equilateral triangle (which can be bisected in to two 30-60-90 triangles). On this question, because the answer choices feature the square root of 3, if you are unsure of how to approach the question, one logical step is to try to identify a potential equilateral or 30-60-90 triangle, as it's quite likely that the square root of 3 will be derived from one of those triangles.

Geometry questions often feature these types of clues in the answer choices -- pi implies that you'll need to use a circle; the square root of 2 often appears in conjunction with isosceles right triangles (45-45-90) and squares (the diagonals of which are the hypotenuses of isosceles right triangles). Other questions provide clues, as well; if the answer choices are spread far apart in number, you can likely estimate. If the answer choices provide simple "plug-ins," like 0 or 1, you can use them to plug back in to the problem and determine how the equation will react.

Most importantly, know that, like with Jeopardy!, the GMAT embeds subtle clues in its answers to help you with the questions. Learn to use them to your advantage, and you can reduce your workload and increase your score.

For more GMAT prep tips and resources, give us a call at (800) 925-7737. And, be sure to follow us on Twitter!

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Signs of Green Shoots in the MBA Job Market?

In a recent Reuters article, MIT Sloan students had a rather optimistic outlook on the job market, considering how gloomy it has been for the past couple of years. As they returned from their annual "Tech Treck" job trips, in which they visit employers all over the United States, students expressed that they think the worst of the bad job market is behind us.

It sounds as though companies -- especially the more tech-oriented ones that Sloan students visit -- could finally start hiring again this year. While it will likely be a while before companies again start hiring at the levels that MIT Sloan and other top business schools have grown accustomed to, it sounds like the trend is clearly positive.

According to the article:

"Our MBAs are unbowed, and they came back with a lot of gusto," said Sloan adviser Paul Denning, who has made the trek to California for several years. "The general consensus is that things are better, particularly in Silicon Valley."

Last year, Denning said, even tech giant Google, "was really not hiring. Everything had contracted after the financial market collapse." Now, green shoots are popping up.

Like those of other top business schools, MIT Sloan graduates find themselves choosing among multiple six-figure job offers, but that changed last year, when even healthy and growing companies such as Google significantly cut back on the number of Sloan grads that it hired. Now, as companies expect demand to warm up and some spot opportunities that they will need managerial talent to go after, grads at Sloan and other top business schools can expect the job offers to start flowing again, at least more than they did last year.

For MBA students who will graduate this year, many of whom still hope to land jobs before they graduate this spring, the news that some companies are ready to hire again is obviously a very welcome sign. It's even better news for the Class of 2011, though -- assuming they can find some sort of meaningful internship work this coming summer, they still have at least a year's more time for the economy to warm up again before they they need to find full-time work. And, the job market for today's applicants (the Class of 2012) looks even rosier, assuming that a steady thaw continues.

For more advice on your own candidacy for MIT Sloan or any other top business school, call the MBA admissions experts at Veritas Prep at (800) 925-7737, and we'll gladly give you an initial assessment of your candidacy!

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Get Access to All GMAT Club Tests When You Enroll with Veritas Prep!

Starting January 26, when you enroll in a Veritas Prep GMAT prep course or MBA admissions consulting service through GMAT Club, you will not only save 10% (up to $180 savings), but you'll also get free access to all 30 of GMAT Club's online tests -- a $79 value!

You can read more information about this special offer at GMAT Club, here and here.

Here's how this special offer works:

1. Be sure to use the link referenced in the above pages on gmatclub.com


2. Select the GMAT course or admissions consulting service you would like


3. Enter this promo code on the check out page to get 10% off: GMATC10 (enter this at the bottom of the page) -- this is good on all Veritas Prep GMAT class and admissions consulting services!


4. Finish the transaction and receive your confirmation email from Veritas Prep


5. Fill out this form and you will receive free access to all 30 GMAT Club tests!

Also, while you're at it, stop by the "Ask Veritas Prep" thread at GMAT Club and get free advice from one of our admissions experts. For more GMAT prep tips and resources, give us a call at (800) 925-7737. And, be sure to follow us on Twitter!

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A Closer Look at Tuck's Academics

Continuing our series of admissions insights clipped from Veritas Prep's Annual Reports, our in-depth insider's guides to 15 of the world's top business schools, this week we look at a few of the distinguishing characteristics of academic life at Dartmouth College's Tuck School of Business. (Our Annual reports are absolutely free with registration, but we thought we'd share some snippets here to help get you started in your Tuck research.)

The Tuck School combines theoretical and experiential learning with a focus on leadership, teamwork and globalization. These elements inform each and every aspect of the Tuck academic experience as well as the type of recruitment that occurs on campus. Many come to visit the school or even begin the program expecting to find a laid back "summer camp" atmosphere, but while the culture is uniquely close-knit, the academic workload is actually very intense and focused.

Below are a few things that you should know about Dartmouth's academics before applying:

Teaching Philosophy
Tuck is one of the few business schools (along with HBS and Darden) that uses the case method teaching style as the predominate method, especially for core courses during the first year. Sixty percent of the core is taught via the case method, with the balance of the classes featuring the usual business school alchemy of straight forward lectures, experiential learning, and group projects.

One of the most interesting things about Tuck is that while it is a fairly case method-heavy school, it is also at the forefront of experiential learning, as discussed in the Tuck approach. An entire term of the first year is devoted to the First Year Project, which is experiential learning at its finest.

Class Organization
Each incoming class at Tuck is divided into four sections of approximately 60 students each. These sections are randomly assigned, although Tuck makes sure that each section has a balanced mix of backgrounds. Every term, the sections are reassigned so that at the end of the first year, students have worked closely with everyone in their class. Study groups in the first year are also assigned by the MBA Program Office to ensure a balance of professional expertise and background diversity. One twist on the typical section model is that during first year, study groups change each term. In the second year, students can pick their elective courses and their study groups.

Core Classes
Tuck provides a solid general management curriculum in the first year to prepare its students for any role in business. Recognized for its academic rigor, Tuck's 32-week first year core is longer than at other schools. In addition to the core classes below, first year students participate in the aforementioned group project and can select two elective courses in the Spring Term.

In some instances, students who can prove a level of proficiency in a specific subject may receive an exemption from a core class. These waivers are granted on a case-by-case basis by the Tuck faculty after review of any relevant certificates of proficiency (e.g., a CPA can opt out of accounting) or tests administered by the faculty and discussion.

Course Enrollment
At the end of the first year, Tuck distributes a list of upcoming electives for the second year. Students can rank courses in which they are interested. Based on interest levels, Tuck will sometimes provide a second section of a popular course. While Tuck can guarantee that students will get to take the courses that interest them the most, they cannot guarantee a specific professor. This is one of the huge benefits to Tuck's small size and personalized approach, as students are not forced to run through the bidding gauntlet or lottery systems present at so many other top schools.


Today's installment was clipped from our Tuck Annual Report, one of 15 completely free guides to the world's top business schools, available on our site. If you're ready to start building your own application for Tuck or other top MBA programs, call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions consultant today!

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Financial Times MBA Rankings for 2010

The Financial Times has just released its 2010 business school rankings, with London Business School remaining in the #1 spot. This comes after LBS and Wharton actually shared the #1 position in last year's rankings.

Accompanying the rankings, FT release an article called How to Choose a Programme, in which our own Director of MBA Admissions Research, Scott Shrum, is quoted. As is always the case, we strongly advise applicants to focus on many other things besides just the rankings when selecting a business school"

"Begin with the end in mind," advises Scott Shrum, director of MBA admissions research at Veritas Prep in California. "Where have other students landed jobs? Call the careers office to find out which companies recruit at the school. If you're an international student, find out how many of the recruiters are generally willing to sponsor work visas."

As you whittle down your list of prospective schools, be sure to leave time for campus visits. Take a tour, sit in on a class, eat lunch in the dining hall, meet the professors and talk to students and alumni. "The best way to figure out whether a school is a good fit is to visit it," says Shrum. "Most people know within the first hour whether they love a school or whether it's just not clicking for them. The culture of the school is going to dictate how happy you are."

The FT's top ten programs in 2010 are:

1. London Business School


2. Wharton


3. Harvard Business School


4. Stanford GSB


5. INSEAD


6. Columbia Business School


7. IE Business School


8. MIT Sloan


9. Chicago Booth


10. Hong Kong UST

Big gainers vs. last year include Booth (which cracked the top ten), HKUST, Indian School of Business, and HEC Paris. Meanwhile, CEIBS, NYU Stern (which dropped out of the top ten), and Cambridge saw the biggest declines among the top MBA programs.

For a deeper comparison of how the programs performed in this year's rankings vs. the previous year's, FT.com offers this handy downloadable document.

To get a feel for your chances of admission to a top MBA program, try Veritas Prep's Business School Selector, an absolutely free resource for all MBA applicants. If you're ready to start planning your candidacy, give us a call at (800) 925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert. And, as always, be sure to follow us on Twitter!

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GMAT Tip of the Week: Wide Left or It's the Little Things

You've probably heard the song "It Never Rains in Southern California", and the expression "when it rains it pours." Here in soggy SoCal, we can disprove the first (GMAT tip -- be very leery of words like "never", and "all"), and certainly confirm the second. Naturally, that confirmation of heavy rains for five straight days comes with no sympathy from the rest of the world (the temperatures have still been in the 60s most days, and we'll be back at the beach in no time), but those outside of New York City can likely empathize with the rain that poured in to the hearts of San Diego Charger fans this past weekend. Their team visibly outplayed the upstart Jets, but went down to defeat because of something as simple as missed field goals, and as frustrating as missed field goals by the NFL's most accurate kicker.

That's the thing with high-pressure, high-stakes situations (like the GMAT), though -- it's often mistakes on the little things that undermine high-level performance on the grander stage. Just as Nate Kaeding's kicks sailed just wide, costing him and his teammates a chance at a trip to the Super Bowl in Miami, you have the potential to leave some of your work just wide, perhaps costing you at a chance for graduate school in Cambridge or Palo Alto. Here's how:

The GMAT requires you to do a fair amount of algebraic calculation, and most examinees find that they're pressed for time as they complete the quantitative section. Accordingly, you'll probably write your calculations and determine your next steps quickly.

Consider the equation:

4 - (2(x-1)) = 0

Your first step, logically, will be to eliminate the innermost set of parentheses by distributing the "2", to arrive at:

4 - (2x - 2) = 0

But there's a good chance that, not wanting to forget about the 4, which will remain constant on that step, to the left of the parentheses, you'll jot that, and the minus sign that comes adjacent to it, down "wide left" to save yourself room for the calculation to the right. If so, your calculation might look like:

4 - (2x - 2) = 0

Here's the problem -- that "minus sign" means "+ -1", so the negative one needs to be distributed across the remaining set of parentheses. Often times, however, when parentheses are preceded only by a negative sign, and not by a coefficient like "1", examinees who are working quickly will forget to take that next essential step -- particularly if that negative sign is so far away from the parentheses that it is less likely to register.

Correctly, the problem will be solved by distributing that -1:

4 + -1(2x - 2) = 0

4 -2x +2 = 0

6 - 2x = 0

6 = 2x

3 = x (CORRECT ANSWER)

Had you made the error described above, however, and not distributed the negative, you would incorrectly solve as follows:

4 - (2x - 2) = 0

4 - 2x - 2 = 0 (INCORRECT STEP)

2 - 2x = 0

2 = 2x

1 = x (INCORRECT ANSWER)

Note that, like a 40-yard field goal that a professional has made routinely for years, this calculation step is easy to botch when working quickly under pressure. Be aware that certain calculations are more prone to error, and use caution when approaching them. Don't let a negative sign float too far left and cost you a chance at a great opportunity.

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