Do you have a 4.0 from Harvard, an 800 GMAT, international experience with McKinsey and your own charity, which you started in your garage while also building your social impact tech start-up? If so, you are the perfect MBA candidate! Just kidding. Actually, MBA candidates who look stereotypically “perfect” on [...]
You might be wondering why the MBA admissions committee asks so many questions about your extracurricular activities. Why does it matter “what you do for fun” outside of work or what clubs you joined during college? They want to admit engaged students. The top business schools are in the fortunate [...]
This time of year, I talk to lots of people who are thinking about reapplying to business school, even though they have been admitted to great programs. This situation arises when people get into schools that were lower on their list, but not their top choice, and wonder if they [...]
There is so much information swirling around about business school admissions that it can be hard to know what to believe. It’s also easy to find advice that supports what you want to hear, which can lead to trouble. In addition to the blind spots that I previously wrote about, [...]
Over the years I have worked with Olympians, as well as professional and Division 1 college athletes. They tend to be extremely successful in the MBA admissions process, and share many common strengths. Resilience You don’t succeed as an elite athlete without failing a lot along the way. Olympians understand [...]
“Do you have questions for me?” It seems so innocent and benign, but this can actually be the hardest MBA interview question for many people to answer. The wrong response can completely undermine the great impression that you made throughout the interview. Even more alarming, many people don’t even know [...]
Being invited for a business school interview is exciting and nerve wracking, and usually leads to intense preparation. In addition to practicing responses to core questions, refreshing your school research and reviewing your application, what else should you do to get ready? Understand Your Candidacy. Presumably, at this point you [...]
Not getting the results you want? Late to the application process? If so, you might be considering submitting a third round MBA application. Here are some dynamics to think about before you apply – and some realities that the admissions office won’t tell you. It’s super hard to get in. [...]
Happy New Year! Are you planning to apply to business school? Here are my predictions about 2018-2019 MBA admissions trends. More Targeted School Lists Increasingly, I hear from my clients that they are only interested in a small number of highly selective schools. I expect this pattern to continue, which [...]
If you are applying to business school, you have already discovered that there is a lot of confusing and conflicting information out there. As a former Associate Director of Admissions at Tuck and the Founder of North Star, I am happy to help sort through the misinformation and answer your [...]
Client Testimonial
"Karen has a gift for seeing and bringing out the best in a candidate by listening intently, offering solid, realistic advice, and by honoring the experiences and personality each of her clients brings to the table. Where other consultants were confused by my "non-traditional" background, Karen was able to clearly see how my non-traditional background was a strength and present it as such in my application … I am grateful for all that she has offered me through out this process and cannot recommend her services enough."
Get Social