ABC of Getting the MBA Admissions Edge (Us): Officially Supported by McKinsey Co. and Goldman Sachs

... my recommendation is that you get this book. if you use it correctly, it should boost your chance of getting into a better b-school – it’s a small investment compared with the salary you can expect at the end of it! Beware: this is a huge book... (about 600 pages written in small characters) so it’s not the for the faint-hearted! Loads of useful information and insider tips. you can tell it was written by successful candidates – the writer of each chapter gives the tips he used to get admitted to his school. Their essay advice is good value, and it was way easier than getting in contact with alum for insider help.

I must admit I needed a helping hand with my application. The Essays, GMAT, letters of recommendation... sometimes seems like an endless process where you never know if youre wasting your time since you have no guarantee of being accepted (especially at schools where it's getting ridiculously competitive). this book has guided me through the whole process.First, the book gives you the confidence you need to keep faith. It outlines loads of testimonials of successul candidates (harvard, MIT, Berkeley, Columbia, kellogg...). When you read their stories, you feel that they were like you: people who had accomplished some stuff but obviously had doubts and weaknesses. Then, the game is how you present yourself and how you write succesful essays.The key is that you should adapt your essays to the various school profiles. The authors have done an outstanding work on the top schools. There are about 50 pages per school outlining the differences between all the schools. If you want to be admitted to Stanford, you obviously don't say the same thing in your essays as if you want to be admitted to Columbia. The great thing about this book is that you get insider information. The other books I bought are just too general, stuff like "smile on the day of your interview"....this is more specific.You read this book, and the profiles of the schools you want to apply to, and you feel that the game is easier than you thought.

If you are hesitating about which schools to apply or if you have decided that you want to get into one MBA in particular (for me, it was Stanford and MIT), this book is a MUST buy. It will save you a lot of time since it will help you to make the right choices and will increase your chances of being admitted. This book has helped me throughout the entire process, from choosing the right school to getting admitted to the school of my choice. The essay section is really helpful since the authors make an in-depth analysis of about 100 essays from successful candidates. You should make sure that you are admitted to the best school possible since your salary upon graduation will be different according to the school. There is about $40,000 difference (salary upon graduation) between the upper-crust schools and schools which are just "good". Go for the best you can!

I have bought about 6 books on MBA preparation, attended an intensive GMAT test prep. center, taken private tuition for my essays, asked friends who got into Harvard, Berkeley and Wharton for their advice... but the bottom line is, the most helpful advice has come from "Getting the MBA Admissions Edge". This book is worth every cent as it really gives you faith in yourself that you can make it. It helps you understand and play upon your strengths and weaknesses. One part in particular is just dynamite - for each school (Harvard, Berkeley, Stanford, MIT, NYU...) they analyze typical essay questions (what the school wants to get out of the question, what the do's and the don't's are, sample essays from admitted candidates..). You've even got interviews with each of the Director of Admissions as well as insider views from successful candidates of each school reviewed. Basically it feels like you have access to the "mysterious black box" of the admissions process: it gives you the motivation (even if you have not scored 750+ at GMAT) and resolution you need to get you home and dry... and eventually you receive this letter that tells you that you have been admitted to your dream MBA!"