BusinessWeek released its much awaited biannual, full-time MBA rankings. The rankings showed slight movement: Columbia went from #10 in 06 to #7 in 08. Wharton went from #2 to #4. Kelley climbed from #18 to #15.

Frankly, don't pay too much attention to the absolute ranking or even slight movement. Take advantage of BW's rich, informative database and fantastic resources for applicants. Then choose what's important to you and do your own ranking.

Top 30 U.S. Programs
1 University of Chicago
2 Harvard University
3 Northwestern University (Kellogg)
4 University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)
5 University of Michigan (Ross)
6 Stanford University
7 Columbia University
8 Duke University (Fuqua)
9 MIT (Sloan)
10 UC Berkeley (Haas)
11 Cornell University (Johnson)
12 Dartmouth (Tuck)
13 NYU (Stern)
14 UCLA (Anderson)
15 Indiana University (Kelley)
16 University of Virginia (Darden)
17 UNC - Chapel Hill (Kenan-Flagler)
18 Southern Methodist (Cox)
19 Carnegie Mellon (Tepper)
20 University of Notre Dame (Mendoza)
21 Texas - Austin
22 Brigham Young (Marriott)
23 Emory University (Goizueta)
24 Yale University
25 University of Southern California (Marshall)
26 University of Maryland (Smith)
27 University of Washington (Foster)
28 Washington University (Olin)
29 Georgia Tech
30 Vanderbilt University (Owen)

Top 10 Non-U.S. MBA Programs
1 Queens University
2 IE Business School
3 INSEAD
4 Western Ontario (Ivey)
5 London Business School
6 ESADE
7 IMD
8 Toronto (Rotman)
9 IESE
10 Oxford (Saîd)

BW bases its rankings on employer and student surveys as well as school research output or "intellectual capital."  This year for the first time, in a nod to the economic crisis, it is also including a ranking based on ROI and years to recoup the MBA investment. Not surprisingly, European schools, which tend to be one-year programs, are at the top of the chart. More surprising: HBS ranks 50 out of 50 in this chart. I guess assumptions matter.

We are excited to host Yale School of Management and its representatives this Thursday September 25 at 10:00 AM PT/1:00 PM ET/5:00 PM GMT. Our guests will be:

• Bruce Delmonico, Director of Admissions
• Shelley Clifford, Deputy Director of Admissions
• Keith Morriss,  Yale SOM Class of 2009

Please join us to learn more about Yale’s innovative curriculum, tight-knit community, and international study opportunities. Located close to the epicenter of today’s financial turmoil, Yale has a front seat. You can also use this opportunity to ask questions about the impact of the crisis on past, current, and future MBA students.

The chat will take place in Accepted’s chat room.

I am also please to announce that we have posted a couple of transcripts from recent chats: 

• INSEAD Chat Transcript   with Cassandra Pittman, Patrick Parker
  
• Wharton Chat Transcript with Jackie Zavitz,   Tiffany Gooden, and Alex Fleming

Highlights from the INSEAD chat:

Gayatri (Sep 11, 2008 12:16:10 PM)

Cassandra: How big of a factor is age; I will be 34 at Jan 2010. Will INSEAD very strict for older applicants? 

CassandraPittmanINSEAD (Sep 11, 2008 12:19:48 PM) 

Gayatri - we don't consider age in the Admissions process. Instead, we look at the quality and quantity of your work experience. So, age is not a factor at all. 

Linda Abraham  (Sep 11, 2008 12:22:35 PM) 

Cassandra, INSEAD used to have a maximum age of 35, has it done away with that limitation?

CassandraPittmanINSEAD  (Sep 11, 2008 12:24:43 PM) 

Linda: To be honest, I wasn't aware that INSEAD ever had an age limit. I've been with INSEAD for 3 years and we haven't had it in that time. However, we do encourage candidates who have 10+ years of work experience to consider whether they might get more value from our Executive MBA, in which they would learn with a peer group with similar levels of experience. 

Highlights from the Wharton Chat:

Wharton2011  (Sep 15, 2008 12:01:36 PM)

Jackie: Can you update us on the search for your director of admissions? How does a change at the top affect this year's applicants compared to last years? Any change in the type of students you are looking for?

JackieZavitzWHARTON  (Sep 15, 2008 12:03:13 PM) 

Wharton2011: We are in the process of interviewing candidates right now. There is no impact on candidates, really-- our office still serves our faculty, and the School strives to admit the best, most qualified and diverse group of students possible. We have a wonderful admissions committee, student volunteer base and alumni network to rely on, as well! 

i4 (Sep 15, 2008 12:11:30 PM) 

Tiffany: What do you really look for in reapplicants?  

TiffanyGoodenWHARTON  (Sep 15, 2008 12:14:37 PM) 

I4 - We would hope that you have done some reflection on the strengths and weaknesses of your previous application. While your core values may not have changed, the application should be stronger than the one you previously submitted in the other areas that we evaluate (i.e. presentation, cohesion, etc.). Having previous experience with the application process should be a help for you in managing the process this year.

Mark your calendars. Don’t miss our upcoming chats:

• Sept. 25 – Yale
  
• Sept. 29 – London Business School
  
• Oct. 2 – Columbia
  
• Oct. 6 – UCLA Anderson
  
• Oct. 7 – MIT Sloan  

   

It is with great pleasure that I welcome Natalie Grinblatt to Accepted's staff. Natalie previously served as:

• Assistant Dean at Arizona State University's W P Carey School of Management.
• Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at Cornell's Johnson School
• Director of MBA Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at the University of Michigan (where she also earned her MBA).

She is a wonderful addition to our already excellent staff.

If you would like to work with Natalie on your application, please register and request her in the comments box.

We have a couple of great chats coming up:

• INSEAD MBA Admissions tomorrow  Sept. 11 at 10:00 AM PT/1:00 PM ET/5:00 PM GMT with Cassandra Pittman, Assistant Director of Marketing for INSEAD’s North American Office. Whether you are a North American, Asian, South American, European, or simply a homo sapien interested in this leader in global management education, this chat provides a convenient opportunity for you to learn about, interact with INSEAD representatives, and ask your own questions. In Accepted's chat room.
  
• Wharton MBA Admissions with Jackie Zavitz, Senior Associate Director in the Office of MBA Admissions and Financial Aid, and Tiffany Gooden, Associate Director. Our guests will answer your questions about the University of Pennsylvania's renowned business school. Maybe even a few students will join us too. This Monday September 15, 2008 at 10:00 AM PT/1:00 PM ET/5:00 PM GMT in Accepted's chat room. Mark your calendar.
  

The transcript from our recent chat with Paul Bodine on Great Application Essays for Business, also the title of his excellent book, was an enlightening chat.  A little less frenetic than some of other our chats, but filled with good tips on writing those critical essays. The transcript should be posted by the end of the week.

Finally, stay tuned, our new version of Consultant's Guide to MBA Admissions should be available any day. It's updated and contains advice for Harvard's 2008-09 application.

INSEAD Sept 2009 Deadlines

  Application Deadline    Decision Released 

Round 1   Oct 1, 2008        Dec 19, 2008

Round 2   Nov 26, 2008     Mar 6, 2009

Round 3   Feb 11, 2009     May 7, 2009

Round 4   Apr 1, 2009        Jun 19, 2009

INSEAD Sept & Jan 2009 MBA Essay Questions

The questions are the same as last year's and my comments (in red) are virtually the same. 

Each essay topic listed below and in the subsequent pages must be answered.

1. Give a candid description of yourself, stressing the personal characteristics you feel to be your strengths and weaknesses and the main factors, which have influenced your personal development, giving examples when necessary. (400 words approx.)

For a question like this I recommend two strengths and one weakness. If you can choose one anecdote that reveals both the strengths and the weakness, you will have a strong essay.  Don't forget to discuss how these qualities influenced your personal development.

A word on weaknesses. Be honest without going overboard. Don't make up a phony weakness. I attended an HBS info session a few years ago. One of the alumni said that he discussed a "phony weakness" in his essays (required for HBS that year) and his interviewer focused right on it, and basically said, "Come on. What's a real weakness?" The applicant had to get real in a hurry. Take advantage of the essay: Give it some thought and respond with the benefit of that reflection. For more information, please see "Flaws Make You Real."

2. Describe what you believe to be your two most substantial accomplishments to date, explaining why you view them as such. (400 words approx.)

Try to take accomplishments from different arenas of your life. (But don't go back to high school and earlier to do so.) The accomplishments should show impact, contribution, and for INSEAD at least one should have a multi-cultural flavor.

3. Describe a situation taken from school, business, civil or military life, where you did not meet your personal objectives, and discuss briefly the effect. (250 words approx.)

In choosing the situation, here's a case when you can go back in time a little -- let's say 2-5 years. You can illustrate how you learned from this situation and were able to meet similar objectives next time around.

4. Discuss your career goals. What skills do you expect to gain from studying at INSEAD and how will they contribute to your professional career. (500 words approx.)

This is a forward-looking career goals question. Use the past just enough to set context for your future and show that your goals are anchored in experience. Then explain how INSEAD with its intense, one-year, general management program and strong international focus will help you achieve your goals.

5. Please choose one of the following two essay topics:

a) Have you ever experienced culture shock? What did it mean to you? (250 words approx.), or

b) What would you say to a foreigner moving to your home country? (250 words approx.)

These two have been part of the INSEAD repertoire for several years. Choose the one that is easiest for you to answer and allows you to bring out a facet of your experience not found in the other essays.  

6. Is there anything that you have not mentioned in the above essays that you would like the Admissions Committee to know? (200 words approx.) This essay is optional.

Take advantage of the optional essay to give them one more reason to admit you. DON'T use it for a grand summary, a restatement of your other essays, or something similarly boring, superficial, and repetitive. A tight, focused essay highlighting something you haven't yet discussed.

If you would like help with your INSEAD MBA application, please consider Accepted's MBA essay editing and admissions consulting or a INSEAD Comprehensive Packages, which provide essay editing, interview coaching, consultation, and a resume editing for the INSEAD MBA application.