AdmissionsConsultants Insider Edge Newsletter


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In the June 2008 Edition: AdmissionsConsultants News Business School Admissions Undergraduate Institutions and MBA Admissions B-School Updates Multiple New Finance Programs Beginning David's Corner: Handling a Low GMAT Score Preparation Will Pay Off College Admissions Finding 'The One': Tips for Compiling Your List of Target Schools Wake Forest Makes SAT Optional Putting This Year's Admissions Numbers in Context	Graduate School Admissions Look Beyond Numbers in Gauging Your Admissions Chances Why Grad School Won't Be Undergrad II Maximize Your GRE Potential Law School Admissions 6 Steps To A Successful Law School Application Northwestern to Offer Two-Year J.D. Letter Grades Dropped at Stanford Ready for Fall LSAT? Medical School Admissions What is a D.O.? Identity Verification for Medical-School Entrance Exam MSAR 2009-2010 Now Available Visit Our Sponsors
New Happenings at AdmissionsConsultants
We're very pleased with the admissions outcomes we achieved for our clients in the 2007-2008 admissions season. Now we're gearing up for 2008-2009. The feedback we're getting from our clients, consultants, and university and college contacts, plus news from the educational sector, suggests we'll face some interesting challenges this year. B-school application volume continues to rise along with employers' demand for MBAs. We expect 2008-2009 to be at least as competitive as 2007-2008 was. College admissions will be as least as competitive as they were last year, and probably just as confusing and frustrating. One trend that seems to have continued from last year was the rise in application volume and the drop in acceptance rates at many large public universities. This increasing selectivity makes it advisable to re-think 'safety school' application strategies. Even strong students would be wise to assume that admission to their state school is not a given any more. Medical and law school admissions are just as competitive as ever. It now seems that the biggest challenge many lawyers or doctors may ever face is just getting their foot in the door of law or medical school. We respect the tenacity of people who are dedicated enough to these fields to run the gauntlet of the application process, and are committed to providing them with the insight and advice that can make a difference in their admissions success. It's difficult to name any overall trends in graduate school admissions because grad school admissions depend so much on individual applicants' backgrounds and goals. Our graduate school consultants will continue to work closely with our clients to devise the application strategies that best serve their unique situations. The changes we've seen in admissions over the past year leave us more convinced than ever that the key to successful applications lies in understanding what schools and programs are the best match for your ambitions, abilities, and preferences, and understanding what your 'wow' factors are and how to present those to admission committees effectively. We're looking forward to putting that philosophy to work for our clients over the coming months – and are confident that this time next year we'll again be able to say we're very pleased with our results! Our consultants can help you understand these and other aspects of college and graduate school admissions. They have served on admissions committees themselves, making accept/reject/waitlist decisions at highly selective colleges, b-schools, and law, grad, and medical schools. Their understanding of the admission process can give you the edge you need to prepare effective applications and maximize your admissions chances at your top-choice schools. Call us at 703.242.5885, email us, or visit our website to learn about our consultants' various fields of expertise and how they can help you position yourself for admissions next fall. < back to top >
BUSINESS SCHOOL ADMISSIONS
Undergraduate Institutions and MBA Admissions
Business school applicants often ask us whether the name of the college that awarded their undergraduate degree can hurt their MBA admissions chances. In other words, will an admissions committee think less of someone who attended a state university instead of Harvard or Yale? We put that question to Admissions Consultant Mindy Oakley. This is what she told us... Read more Having Trouble Getting Started on Your Essays? Our consultants can help you understand why admissions committees ask the essay questions they do and guide you through the process of identifying and developing your best essay topics and strategies. Call us at 703.242.5885, email us, or visit our website to learn more. < back to top >
B-School Updates
Some interesting news items on IESE and Darden: IESE's new Young Talent Program International b-school IESE at the University of Navarra has unveiled its Young Talent Program, something similar to Harvard's 2+2 program. The YTP combines professional experience with pre-admission to the full-time MBA program at IESE. The program is designed for juniors and seniors at the university level who demonstrate academic and personal excellence. Students who are accepted are able to develop a long-term career path with a top firm, obtain possible corporate sponsorship for their MBA, and gain skills necessary to be an international manager. For more information, visit IESE's YTP website. Darden and PLE Cement Partnership The University of Virginia's Darden / Curry Partnership for Leaders in Education (PLE) has joined with Portugal's Universidade Autonoma de Lisboa (UAL) to create a program that will eventually lead to a post-graduate leadership degree for teachers in Portugal. Beginning in the fall of 2008 in Lisbon, Darden / Curry faculty via the PLE will work with the UAL to develop a two-semester post-graduate leadership program on educational management and administration. The mission of the PLE is to strategically combine the most advanced thinking in business and education to meet the unique demands of managing and governing schools and school systems, proving that by engaging leadership at all levels and aligning those efforts, all students can learn at high levels. < back to top >
Multiple New Finance Programs Beginning
European business schools have traditionally run Master's in Financial Engineering (MFE) programs, as compared to financially-oriented MBAs in the United States. But new, specialized degrees in finance are on the horizon here and abroad. By the end of next year, European business schools will have launched nine specialized master's degrees in finance. Schools such as Cass Business School and the London School of Economics in the UK and EM Lyon and Edhec in France have already started; the IE Business School in Spain and the University of Strathclyde in Scotland are launching programs in 2009. In the US, Purdue's Krannert School of Management, Pepperdine and Rochester are all launching programs this year. The Anderson school at UCLA will begin a degree in financial engineering in 2009, and MIT’s Sloan school of Management is expected to launch a master's in finance within the next year. The growth in demand mirrors the growth in the financial services sector but also reflects a growing demand for technical knowledge. < back to top >
David's Corner: Handling a Low GMAT Score
Few topics create more anxiety among b-school applicants than that of GMAT scores. Unfortunately, this focus leads many applicants put time and energy into re-taking the GMAT when they could be taking other, more beneficial steps to strengthen their applications. To learn more about how to decide whether you should re-take the test or not, see "Handling a Low GMAT Score," which I contributed to BusinessSchoolAdmission.com as this month's David's Corner. Discuss < back to top >
Preparation Will Pay Off
The 2008-2009 application season may still seem a long way off – but Jeff Glazer, president of Griffon Preparation Services, reminds applicants that it's by no means too early to begin working on their GMAT preparation. "Since the GMAT is weighted so heavily in the b-school admissions process, it is crucial to spend as much time studying for the GMAT as possible," he says. "Proper preparation is key" in doing your best on test day, says Glazer. "Your studying should begin with a full-length, timed exam" that will help you identify the areas that you need to improve on. Not sure whether you need a GMAT prep course? Call us at 703.242.5885 or email us to discuss your situation. We're here to help you! < back to top >
COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
Finding 'The One': Tips for Compiling Your List of Target Schools
School selection is the first and one of the most important steps in devising an effective college application strategy. You'll have better application outcomes if you apply to schools that you are genuinely excited about the prospect of attending – and chances are you'll be happier in your college career, too. We asked former Harvard admissions committee member Aileen Kelly what advice she had for high school students who are beginning the college search process. Read more Are You Unsure About What Lies Ahead of You in College Admissions? We can help. Our consultants can explain what to expect, when, and give you an informed and candid assessment of your strengths and weaknesses as an applicant to your targeted schools. Call us at 703.242.5885, email us, or visit our website to learn more about our services. < back to top >
Wake Forest Makes SAT Optional
Wake Forest University, ranked no. 30 in the most recent U.S. News & World Report list, is ending its SAT requirement for applicants, beginning today. The university will allow applicants to submit scores if they want. In order to study the impact of the policy and success levels of students, they will ask all accepted applicants who have taken the SAT to submit their scores. Provost Jill Tiefenthaler reviewed the research on the test with university admissions officials and found that the SAT "is not a great predictor of college success." Additionally, she believes the test actually discourages applications from minority applicants, who see the test as biased. Wake Forest doesn't believe it is diverse enough and continues to search for ways to get their percentage up. Minority students currently make up around 16 percent of the undergraduate class. The university is also increasing the size of its admissions office by 20 percent, in order to enhance recruiting and still provide careful application reviews. Additionally, the school hopes to use the office increase to encourage more applicant interviews; only 10 percent of the applicants currently do so. The office will also start offering virtual interviews to assist those unable to visit the school. Many colleges that have dropped the SAT requirements have experienced a surge in applications, especially from minority students. To see a list of 750 SAT-optional schools, visit the FairTest website. Discuss < back to top >
Putting This Year's Admissions Numbers in Context
If you've been spooked by the headlines about this spring's college admissions outcomes, you're not alone. We're fielding questions from parents and applicants alike who are worried about what the record-low acceptance rates posted by many colleges and universities mean for their admissions chances in 2009. Read more Are You Unsure About What Lies Ahead of You in College Admissions This Year? We can help. Our consultants can explain what to expect, when, and give you an informed and candid assessment of your strengths and weaknesses as an applicant to your targeted schools. Call us at 703.242.5885, email us, or visit our website to learn more about our services. < back to top >
GRADUATE SCHOOL ADMISSIONS
Look Beyond Numbers in Gauging Your Admissions Chances
The axiom that 'no one's perfect' holds as true for college students as it does for anyone else. Even serious, dedicated, hard-working students sometimes graduate with a transcript that includes one or two poor or even failing grades. Those grades can later become a major source of anxiety for students who decide to apply to graduate schools. What should you do if you're a grad school applicant with one of those less-than-perfect college records? Read more Are You Ready to Get The Most From Your Grad School Interviews? Our Mock Interview service may be just what you need to do your best on your interview day! A consultant who has previous experience interviewing MBA applicants on behalf of a top b-school admissions committee will conduct a mock interview with you to ensure that you are ready for the "real thing." Call us at 703.242.5885, email us, or visit our website to learn more about our graduate school admissions consulting services. < back to top >
Why Grad School Won't Be Undergrad II
A common misperception voiced by people who have never been to graduate school is that people who do apply to grad school are trying re-live their college years. In reality, anyone who applies to grad school with that goal in mind is in for a big disappointment. Graduate-level studies are a completely different experience than the one undergrads go through. Prospective grad students should think about these differences, and what they mean to them, before committing themselves to a course of graduate study. Some of the major differences between the graduate and undergraduate student experiences are: Graduate students are expected to produce original research and analysis. Absorbing a body of knowledge is not enough to get you through a graduate program. You need to show that you can put information and ideas together and come up with a new (to you, at least) finding or insight. Graduate study is more focused than undergraduate study is. You're expected to have a fairly specific educational goal in mind when you begin a graduate program, and to work diligently toward achieving that goal. While there's some room for academic exploration, you won't have the same opportunities that you did as an undergrad. Transferring to another program or school is difficult. Make sure you're happy with your program before you matriculate. Your relationships with professors will be more like relationships with senior colleagues and supervisors than like student-teacher relationships. You'll be expected to take more responsibility for your learning. That means taking more responsibility for organizing your workload and managing your progress toward your degree. It also means not going to your professors with every minor question you have. You'll be expected to develop good judgment about which issues are worth bringing up in class or in an office visit and which ones are not. You will work harder and probably socialize less. Graduate students have a heavier and more complex academic workload than undergrads do, which leaves less time for socializing. In addition, many graduate students live off-campus or have family or work obligations in addition to their studies. All of those factors mean that graduate students tend to have fewer opportunities to socialize than undergrads do. That's not to say that people don't establish life-long friendships with fellow grad students – many do. But if the social aspects of being a student are important to you, you should research this side of the schools you're considering applying to carefully, and be prepared to take the initiative in shaping a strong and active student community. Discuss < back to top >
Maximize Your GRE Potential
One thing to keep in mind in preparing for the GRE is that cramming in study-time doesn't necessarily translate into a great score. These tests don’t only measure what you know or how well you know it; they also measure how well you take them. To help you get into the right frame of mind, Bara Sapir of Test Prep New York has a couple of suggestions. "Make sure you exercise regularly and eat healthy with plenty of water," she says. "Take some time to be with friends and laugh, too - it helps alleviate the stress on the body and keeps your system calmer. "Optimal test readiness includes feeling confident, calm, focused and alert," she continues. "When you achieve this state, you can have a "conversation" with the test, a dialogue in which you understand what the questions are really asking and then respond with ease and clarity. In this state, it feels easy to pick the right answers." – Contributed by Bara Sapir, founder and executive director of Test Prep New York, the first and only educational company to fuse academic and strategy-based learning that helps students reach their most relaxed, effective mental state by targeting the most pivotal traits of peak performance to give them a critical edge. Not sure whether you need a GRE prep course? Call us at 703.242.5885 or email us to discuss your situation. We're here to help you! < back to top >
LAW SCHOOL ADMISSIONS
6 Steps To A Successful Law School Application
"With the approach of summer – and what only seem like the far off days of early fall, in September – June is a good time for law school applicants to start planning ahead," says admissions consultant and former Harvard Law School admissions officer Mark Meyerrose.. Read more Are You Selling Yourself Short on Law School Selection? The school you attend will make an enormous difference in the career options open to you after graduation. Our consultants can help you understand how competitive an applicant you would be to the top schools. An initial, one-hour consultation may be all you need to answer your questions about the suitability of various programs to your interests and career goals, and about your chances of gaining admittance to your preferred schools. Call us at 703.242.5885, email us, or visit our website to learn more. < back to top >
Northwestern to Offer Two-Year J.D.
Northwestern University School of Law will offer an accelerated JD program starting in 2009 as one of the initiatives of a major new plan to maximize its graduates' success in the changing worlds of the legal profession and the clients it serves. "Plan 2008" calls for an increased focus on core competencies for practicing law in addition to traditional case law analysis. Northwestern Law will be the only law school among top-tier institutions to offer an accelerated two-year JD program as well as the traditional three-year JD program. In May of 2009, the law school expects 40 students to begin the program, which will enable them to obtain a law degree in five semesters within two calendar years, instead of the usual three-year, six-semester program. The competencies - in communication, teamwork, strategic understanding, basic quantitative skills, cross-cultural work, project management and leadership - will be emphasized in ways that complement the traditional law school focus on case law analysis. The accelerated JD program will require the same number of credits as the traditional three-year JD program but will minimize opportunity costs and maximize learning for high achievers eager to resume their careers. Accelerated JD candidates will be required to have at least two years of post-undergraduate, full-time work experience in keeping with Northwestern Law's current admissions emphasis on substantial work experience. Students would participate in on-campus interviews for summer associate jobs after just one semester of courses, compared with three-year students who interview for those jobs after their first year of classes. Northwestern's larger initiative calls for students in the accelerated program, and eventually those in the traditional program, to take two new courses. One would cover quantitative analysis, such as accounting, finance and statistics, and focus on practice dynamics, including project management. The other course would address decision-making designed to improve ability in understanding the clients' strategies. Discuss < back to top >
Letter Grades Dropped at Stanford
A grade reform proposal was approved by Stanford Law faculty earlier this month. The proposal will eliminate letters and replace them with four levels of achievement: honors, pass, restricted, and no credit. The system is similar to the one used at Yale Law (which uses four levels) and Berkeley's School of Law (which uses five levels). The faculty vote came after a year-long study and discussion. While many details are still being worked out, the transition will most likely occur this September or the following year. With three of the country's top law schools moving away from letter grades, many experts now wonder if and when Harvard Law will be doing the same. < back to top >
Ready for the Fall LSAT?
The LSAT is next scheduled for: Saturday, October 4, 2008 (or Monday, October 6, for Saturday Sabbath observers) Saturday, December 6, 2008 (or Monday, December 8, for Saturday Sabbath observers) Saturday, February 7, 2009 (or Monday, February 9, for Saturday Sabbath observers) Whenever you plan to take the test, make sure you give yourself enough time for test preparation "Proper preparation is the key to success on the LSAT," says Jeff Glazer, president of Griffon Preparation Services. He advises against using non-LSAC practice tests. "Study books published by companies that use fake questions should be avoided at all costs," he says. "Such questions rarely mimic the real thing and can cause confusion on test day." If you choose to prepare for the exam on your own, some of the best self-study material available for the LSAT is distributed by LSAC themselves, says Glazer. "They have multiple publications that include real LSAT questions from previous test administrations. In particular, LSAC's SuperPrep contains three exams plus wonderful explanations of correct answers from the test writers." He also encourages law school applicants to begin their test preparation well ahead of time. "Since the LSAT is weighted so heavily in the law school admissions process, it is crucial to spend as much time studying for the LSAT as possible," he says. Focused preparation is the key to doing well on the LSAT, says Jeff. "The LSAT isn't like other tests," he says. "The exam is designed to test a pattern of critical reading and thinking. That means that studying for the LSAT must be approached differently than other tests. Simply taking many timed tests will not usually improve one's score. You'll need to sit down with a few real LSAT tests and work out how to derive the correct answer from the information you are given." < back to top >
MEDICAL SCHOOL ADMISSIONS
What is a D.O.?
Are you seriously considering medical school? You may find that your qualifiers might be just under what the top medical schools in the country are seeking, yet you still have a burning desire to serve the public in the medical field. Are there other options to consider besides pursuing a degree from a Caribbean school? During your research and studies of various medical programs, you may have come across the term "osteopathic medicine" and "Doctor of Osteopathy." So what is a D.O. exactly, and is it a respectable alternative pathway to becoming a doctor? We asked Senior Consultant Dr. Walter Hartwig to define the Doctor of Osteopathy degree for us. Read more Are you unsure of how to proceed with your applications? We can help. Call us at 703.242.5885, email us, or visit our website to find out more about our services. An initial one-hour consultation with one of our consultants will help you understand your situation and lay out a plan that will maximize your admissions chances. < back to top >
Identity Verification for Medical-School Entrance Exam
Starting this month, medical-school applicants will have a new anatomy issue to worry about: their index fingers. The Association of American Medical Colleges began upgrading its identity-verification procedures last year to start requiring electronic fingerprinting of all students who take the Medical College Admission Test, or MCAT. Test takers' digital fingerprints, recorded by a sensor before the examination, are kept in an electronic database. In June, 10 medical schools will begin using this database to automatically verify that the applicants they are interviewing and enrolling are the same people who took the admission test. Medical schools have worried about fraud for years. For the last few decades, MCAT takers have had to provide ink fingerprints at test sites for a paper record. The fingerprints were kept in case of later suspicions of fraud, at which point a fingerprint expert would be needed to compare the prints of the test taker and the enrolled student. Under the new electronic system, medical schools are expected to check the identities of all students they interview and enroll. Discuss. < back to top >
MSAR 2009-2010 Now Available
The Association of American Medical College's Medical School Admissions Requirements (MSAR) for 2009-2010 is now available for purchase from the AAMC's website. This annual guide is an excellent starting point for research on school selection, application procedures, and class profiles. This edition has information on the newly accredited school in Puerto Rico, the San Juan Bautista School of Medicine, and the three new schools with preliminary accreditation (University of Central Florida College of Medicine, Florida International University College of Medicine, and Paul L. Foster School of Medicine at El Paso) that will be enrolling their first classes in 2009. One of the main pieces of information that applicants look up in the MSAR is data on the MCAT scores for admitted students – and for good reason: standardized test scores play an exceptionally important role in medical school admission decisions. Dr. Brett Ferdinand, Chief Instructor for MCAT-prep.com, urges future applicants to start thinking about how they will prepare for the MCAT now. "Make sure you schedule adequate time to plan and prepare for the MCAT," he says. "Conduct a focused MCAT review that covers what you personally need to improve in order to do well on the test. And be sure you take realistic practice tests. Use one of the full-length practice MCAT tests available from the AAMC, and take it under realistic test conditions." < back to top >
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AdmissionsConsultants is a full-service admissions consultancy that maximizes the admissions chances of its clients. Our consultants have admissions committee experience, meaning they have made accept/reject/waitlist decisions and, therefore, truly have expert knowledge of the application process. It is this admissions committee experience that enables us to know exactly what differentiates successful from unsuccessful applicants including: strategies, essays/personal statements, letters of reference, resumes/cvs/activity statements, applications, and admissions interviews. We understand that admissions committees care about more than just typo-free essays and that is why we offer comprehensive services. We have even assisted a former undergraduate admissions officer with some graduate school applications. She chose us because she recognized she would benefit from the expert advice of someone with the appropriate admissions-committee experience. We can provide this same expert level of service to you. If you would like more information about our services, you can call us at 703.242.5885, email us or visit our website. We will be glad to advise you through the application process and ensure that you maximize your admissions chances! Copyright Copyright 2008 Admissions Consultants, Inc. All rights reserved. While we ask that you not reprint or host this newsletter on a web site without our express written permission, we do encourage you to e-mail any friends or colleagues whom you believe may find this newsletter helpful. Information provided in this document is provided "AS IS" without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. AdmissionsConsultants is a registered trademark of Admissions Consultants, Inc.