EssaySnark's Strategies for the 2011-'12 MBA Application for the Stanford Graduate School of Business

By Essay Snark

The SnarkStrategies Guide for the Stanford Graduate School of Business offers a series of exercises with practical, and possibly unexpected, tips for how to go about the process of self-discovery that an MBA application to Stanford entails. This SnarkStrategies Guide is different, because Stanford is different, and the process of introspection that you need to go through in creating your essays for this business school is different. You can use this SnarkStrategies Guide in confidence, knowing that you are not violating Stanford's request that you not use outside help in constructing your application. EssaySnark invites you to give yourself the time and the space to brainstorm and daydream your way to a set of essays that are truly your own. Dare to dream big – dare to pursue a Stanford MBA!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Essay Snark
• Release date: Jul 10, 2011
• ISBN: 9780983724049

Essay Snark

Essay Snark is an MBA admissions consultant who is sometimes amused and often appalled by what candidates write in their MBA essays to top bschools. Essay Snark shares others' mistakes, so you don't make admissions directors laugh or, worse, want to hurl when they read your essays. If you, intrepid applicant, want to have your essay reviewed by Essay Snark (and posted anonymously - yes everyone will see it), email it to gethelpnow(at)essaysnark(dot)com. Emailing your essay means you give explicit permission for it to be posted (obvious identifying information such as your name and the name of your employer will be removed), and you release Essay Snark from any claims that may result from possible humiliation over said snarkiness. (And please, people, don't email us two days before the app deadline and expect to hear back in time.)EssaySnark has helped clients with successful applications to:Harvard HBSStanford GSBWhartonColumbiaNYU SternMIT SloanKelloggChicago BoothBerkeley HaasYale SOMUCLA AndersonMichigan RossUVA DardenDuke FuquaCornell JohnsonGeorgetown McDonoughUSC MarshallVanderbiltBabsonUT-AustinINSEADIEIESEEsadeOxfordLBSISBand many more...

Book preview

EssaySnark's Strategies for the 2011-'12 MBA Application for the

Stanford Graduate School of Business

A SnarkStrategies Guide

by EssaySnark

Snarkolicious Press

SMASHWORDS EDITION

version 1.0

July 9, 2011

This SnarkStrategies Guide is copyright 2011 EssaySnark.

Cover image copyright Eric Isselée, used under license from Fotolia.com

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage system, without permission from the publisher.

This publication is provided as is, without warranty of any kind, either express or implied. The author and Snarkolicious Press assume no liability for errors or omissions in this publication or other documents which are referenced or linked to this publication. While we certainly hope that you will be successful in your quest for admission to an MBA program, we cannot offer any promises that you will be. In no event shall Snarkolicious Press or its authors, principals, subsidiaries, partners, or owners, be liable for any special, incidental, indirect or consequential damages of any kind, or any damages whatsoever, arising out of or in conjunction with the use or performance of this information. Applicants to any graduate program or university should verify the school's policies, application requirements, processes, procedures, and other criteria. This publication could include technical or other inaccuracies or typographical errors. Changes are periodically added to the information herein; these changes will be incorporated into new editions of this publication. Thus, different versions or formats of this publication may include different information.

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to others. If you would like to share this book, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should go to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

Look for other SnarkStrategies Guides at Smashwords:

EssaySnark's Strategies for Harvard Business School's 2011 MBA Essays

SnarkStrategies Guides for other schools are also available in digital and e-reader editions at your favorite bookseller or from the EssaySnark blog at http://essaysnark.blogspot.com.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

About This SnarkStrategies Guide

About the GSB

Basic Math

What You Need to Do: The First Step

First Tip

Next Question: Which Round?

Some GSB Facts

What About the GMAT?

Next Tip

The Most Important Thing to Know About the Stanford GSB

What Stanford Is Looking For

So Who Are They Likely to Actually Accept?

About Those Essays

Let's Start at the Beginning

Step 1: Dreaming Your Future

Step 2: The Raw Material

Step 3: Identify the Attributes

Step 4: Analyze Your Life

Step 5: Putting the Pieces Together

Writing the Stanford Essays

A Note About Recommendations

Getting Outside Help

What to Do Next

About This SnarkStrategies Guide

This SnarkStrategies Guide will not:

Tell you what to write in your Stanford essays

Tell you who will (and will not) get into Stanford

Tell you whether or not you should apply

Sorry.

Instead, we will tell you how to approach the process of self-exploration that's required for a successful application to this school.

The Graduate School of Business at Stanford University is a special place. Standard tricks and boilerplate rules and sample essays will not serve you well in your quest for admission here. So, that's not what this SnarkStrategies Guide is about.

If you bought this Guide in desperation as a last-ditch attempt to cram together some essays in the weekend before they're due... sorry. We're not that kind of guide. You may still find value in going through the exercises, even if you're rushed. Or you might want to re-evaluate your overall application strategy and consider trying for the next round. It's unlikely you'll be successful at Stanford if you don't spend real time and effort on this work.

About the GSB

What did we just say? Oh yeah. The Graduate School of Business at Stanford University is a special place.

If you cannot already articulate how or why Stanford is special, right now, as you're reading these words – then you have some work to do. EssaySnark might even recommend that you reconsider applying to this school. In fact, every year we actively discourage some of our clients from embarking on a Stanford application.

Why?

Because it's incredibly hard to get in to the Graduate School of Business. And, the application is an incredible amount of work.