MBA News Roundup: The First-Year, 10 Biggest Lies of B-School, and Best International Programs

August 15th, 2011

Welcome to another installment of Knewton’s MBA News Roundup! This week, check out articles on your first-year in b-school, admissions at Wharton, the ten biggest lies of b-school, and the best international programs.

1. First-Year of Business School: Advice from the Trenches

What should you know about summer internships, social cliques, networking strategies, and your school curriculum before starting the MBA? Renowned admissions consultant, Stacy Blackman lays it out for you in this insightful piece.

2. The Ten Biggest Lies of Business School

No, you likely won’t be making seven figures your first few years out of an MBA… Knowing that an MBA isn’t an invincibility armor, you’ll be positioned to navigate your business career with foresight and humility.

3. The Best International Business Schools

Want a one-year international MBA? IMD and INSEAD top the list of schools with a high ROI.

4. Elitism at Top MBA Programs

Just how important is pedigree at top business schools like Wharton? Get a sober look at the reality with this well-researched article from Fortune magazine.

5. A Slide-show: Top 10 Business Schools

Need some architectural inspiration for your GMAT studying or essay-writing? Check out this slide-show of the nation’s powerhouse programs.

6. Can You Negotiate Financial Aid?

Does having multiple acceptances put you in an advantageous position when it comes to financial aid? Check out this Businessweek forum to get the answer.

Posted in B-School Life, GMAT | No Comments »

Adaptive Learning Roundtable, Part 1: Why Adaptive Testing? [VIDEO]

August 15th, 2011

Recently, our CEO Jose Ferreira and VP of Research David Kuntz sat down with Len Swanson, the former Executive Director of ETS and the designer of Knewton’s testing algorithm, for a wide-ranging roundtable on all things adaptive learning.

We’ve broken the discussion down into six parts, all of which we’ll be sharing on our blog in the weeks to come. The first topic: why adaptive testing?

Adaptive tests do just what their name suggest: that is, they adapt to the test-taker’s ability level, yielding more efficient measurements of students’ proficiency levels at a given point in time. [It is important to keep in mind that adaptive testing is not synonymous with adaptive learning, which tracks students' proficiency levels over extended periods of time.] If you’ve applied to grad school, you’re probably already familiar with adaptive testing: the GRE and GMAT are both computer-adaptive tests (CATs).

Click on the video to learn more about the reasoning behind adaptive tests.

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Posted in Adaptive Learning, EdTech, Featured, Knewton | No Comments »

EdTech News Roundup: Proficiency-Based Learning, Facebook in Schools, and How Students Use Technology

August 12th, 2011

In this week’s EdTech News Roundup, read articles about college students’ technology use, what Facebook does to kids’ brains, and UCLA’s new minor in digital technologies.

1. How Students Use Technology

Check out this infographic for a perspective on students’ use of — and dependence on — various forms of technology.

2. What Facebook Does to Kids’ Brains

Check out this Atlantic Wire article about the impact of Facebook — good and bad — on kids. Also check out a few related articles from Mindshift: 50 Reasons to Invite Facebook Into Your Classroom and Questioning Facebook in School.

3. A Beginner’s Guide to Integrating Technology

Want to start bringing your classroom into the modern age, but unsure of how to start? This helpful article will help guide you on your journey toward technology integration.

4. Students Assess Their Professors’ Technology Skills

The Chronicle of Education had four students make videos assessing their professors’ proficiency levels with technology. Spoiler alert: everyone’s over Powerpoint.

5. UCLA Offers Minor in Digital Humanities

The minor will cover “the use of new technologies for non-technological study” and allow students to apply their learning on the subject to their individual fields of interest. Read more in this article from ReadWriteWeb.

6. Beyond Seat Time: Advancing Proficiency-Based Learning

In this article from THE Journal, read about the movement to replace traditional advancement with advancement based on subject mastery — and the role that technology is playing in the shift.

 

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Posted in EdTech, Education, Education & Technology, Knewton, Technology | No Comments »

Filling in Your Chart: A Data Sufficiency Primer

August 11th, 2011

In last week’s post, I gave the following Data Sufficiency problem to be solved using a chart:

A certain zoo has 288 mammals, 25 percent of which are female. What percent of the mammals in the zoo were born at the zoo?

(1) The number of male mammals that were born at the zoo is three times the number of female mammals who were not born at the zoo.

(2) The number of male mammals that were not born at the zoo is three times the number of male mammals that were born at the zoo.

In that post, I mapped out exactly what the chart should look like:

Notice that I included not only each category, but also its total, which will end up being just as important. So once you have your chart, start filling it in appropriately.

The prompt tells us that there are 288 total animals, 25 percent of which are female. We are then asked what percent of the mammals are born at the zoo. Fill in all the information, and your chart should look like this:

Notice three very important things:

1. I used a question mark to very clearly denote the quantity I’m looking for — the TOTAL of the “Born” column.

2. I filled in EVERYTHING I could deduce from the given information. If I know that 25% of 288 is the female row, then 75% of 288 must be the male row. Don’t stop just because you’ve filled in everything mentioned! See if you can take things a step further.

3. This is Data Sufficiency; I don’t care what 25% of 288 is. I’m not going to waste time calculating it if I don’t need to. I’m more concerned that it is a DEFINITE QUANTITY, and thus I have a number for that box.

This brings up an interesting strategic point. If you really wanted to, you could just put a check mark (✓) in the box instead of “25% of 288″. That’s because you don’t care as much about the quantity itself; the most important thing is that SOME DEFINITE QUANTITY is in the box, and thus that box is accounted for.

If you follow that pattern, your chart would look like this:

Now let’s look at Statement 1. It says that the number of male mammals that were born at the zoo is three times the number of female mammals who were not born at the zoo. Okay, so we are given a ratio instead of some hard numbers. So how can we label the appropriate boxes? If you said variables, then you are right! If you represent the number of females not born at the zoo as x, then the male/born quantity will be 3x. The end result should look like this:

Now, is this sufficient? Well no, because there’s no possible way to establish what quantity will replace the question mark. The chart makes this easy to see. Eliminate answer choices A and D.

So what about Statement 2? It says that the number of male mammals that were not born at the zoo is three times the number of male mammals that were born at the zoo. We can use the same process of assigning variables, but choose a different variable besides x, so we don’t get confused. You should get something like the following:

Is there anything we can deduce? Well yeah, because we have only one variable representing the male row. If we add y and 3y together, we get a definite number (as indicated by the check mark), so that means we can find y and thus the values in each of those boxes:

Is this sufficient? Well no, because there’s still no way to get a definite quantity for the question mark box.

Now we’ve narrowed down the answer choices to C and E. So which is it? Well… you tell me :) .

I’ll leave the final step of combining the information to you guys, and you can leave an explanation in the comments. Good luck!

Posted in GMAT, Quant Guide | 1 Comment »

EdTech Tweets You May Have Missed: Digital-Age Upgrade, Google Docs, E-Portfolios

August 10th, 2011

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Posted in EdTech, Education, Education & Technology, Knewton | No Comments »

Law School Admissions Tip: Early Decision

August 10th, 2011

This post comes to us from our friends at Clear Admit. For more expert law school admissions advice, check out their blog.

Several law schools offer applicants the option to enroll in an Early Decision (ED) program. Although this is similar to undergraduate ED programs with which law school applicants may be familiar, today we’d like to take some time to discuss law school ED to help applicants decide whether or not this option is right for them.

Through law school ED programs candidates submit their applications before the regular decision deadline, typically have their applications reviewed earlier than regular decision applicants, and are quickly given an admission decision – admitted, denied, waitlisted, or moved in to the regular decision pool. These admissions decisions are usually administered by mid-February, giving applicants the opportunity to apply to other schools regular decision if they do not receive a favorable admissions decision.

The benefit to applying ED is that applicants are considered earlier in the admissions season, as well as in a smaller pool, thus giving them an advantage in the rolling admissions process. In addition, ED applicants hear about their admissions decision earlier than regular decision applicants, giving admitted ED applicants the opportunity to relax during the spring before they attend law school.

Unlike regular decision, the ED program is binding, and thus applicants must attend the law school if they are accepted; candidates can therefore only apply to one school through a binding ED program. It is therefore important that applicants only apply ED to the law school that they prefer over all others, as being accepted ED means they do not have the opportunity to consider attending other law schools; candidates must withdraw all their applications to other schools after being admitted to their ED school. If it is discovered that applicants have applied to more than one school ED or double-deposited for more than one school in the spring, law schools will revoke their offer of admission. We therefore encourage all law school applicants to take the rules and regulations regarding ED and deposits very seriously.

We hope this post was helpful for all law school candidates considering Early Decision. Good luck with your applications!

Posted in Law School Admissions, LSAT | No Comments »

MBA Admissions Tip: Planning for the Round 1 MBA Deadlines

August 10th, 2011

This MBA admissions tip comes to us from our friends at Clear Admit. For more expert MBA admissions advice, check out their blog.

Anyone who’s familiar with the MBA application process knows that August moves forward at an accelerated pace, and come September, entire weeks seem to disappear.  To help this year’s Round One applicants avoid the classic time crunch, today’s blog post offers some basic advice on how to approach the Round One deadlines at a reasonable pace.

Let’s start by taking a quick look at the published Round One deadlines for the top MBA programs:

September 15: ISB (for Indian Passport Holders)
September 23: Cambridge / Judge
September 28: INSEAD (September Intake)
September 29: Duke / Fuqua (Early Action)
October 3: Harvard, Wharton
October 5: Columbia (Early Decision and January Term)
October 6: Yale SOM
October 10: Michigan Ross
October 12: Cornell / Johnson, Stanford GSB, Chicago / Booth, Berkeley / Haas, Dartmouth / Tuck (Early Action)
October 14: Oxford / Saïd
October 17: UVA Darden
October 18: Northwestern / Kellogg
October 21: UNC / Kenan-Flagler (Early Action)
October 24: CMU / Tepper, UT Austin / McCombs
October 25: MIT / Sloan
October 26: UCLA / Anderson
November 1: Duke / Fuqua (Round 1)
November 9: Dartmouth / Tuck (November Round)

Though some schools have yet to announce their deadlines (such as London Business School and NYU), one can still get a general sense of the lineup of R1 deadlines.  Here are a few tips to keep in mind when creating your personal timeline:

1) Plan to be busy in August and September. Yes, it can be tempting to work on one’s tan instead of one’s essays.  However, many MBA applicants squander the month of August only to wake up in September and realize that they cannot make their target deadlines.  If not bogged down by professional obligations in August, this makes for a great opportunity to devote time to working on your MBA applications in the evenings.  The last weeks of summer can easily be split between resume drafting, essay writing, recommendation coaching, GMAT prep, school research, and more.

2) Think carefully about the timing of the R1 deadlines. Looking at the deadlines above, it becomes clear that some deadlines may be easier to make than others.  A candidate applying to Wharton and MIT Sloan could have a leisurely October when compared to someone targeting Wharton, Yale, and Tuck.  Look at the deadlines, assume about three weeks of research and writing for each school’s application and count backwards to determine a start date for each.  It is entirely possible to meet back-to-back deadlines, such as Darden and Kellogg, but doing so requires a well-planned schedule and consistent progress.

3) Consider taking some time off from work. We realize that many MBA applicants work 70 hours/week and haven’t had a day off in months.  For such applicants, a day or two out of the office can really do wonders for focus and organization.  Applying to business school is a serious undertaking, and in the long-term you won’t regret having given yourself enough time to prepare strong applications.  Many successful candidates take a week off in late September to make the final push.  It’s not a glamorous way to spend your vacation time, but an offer to attend a leading MBA program can make the sacrifice well worth it.

4) Get your recommenders on board early. While many of the schools have not yet made their online applications and recommendation forms available, it’s a good idea to engage your recommenders early and inform them about the process and your timeline.  Sit down with each recommender in August, perhaps over lunch or coffee.  Present them with a rough sketch of the deadlines and the process.  It’s then a wise idea to meet again once the forms are available, and by that time many applicants are in a position to share their background materials (a resume, career goals essays, etc.) to help their recommenders understand—and support—their message.

Happy planning!  For more information on the application process and school selection, we encourage you to contact us at info@clearadmit.com for a free consultation.

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Posted in GMAT, MBA Admissions | 1 Comment »

MBA Dictionary: Part 1 — Corporate Terms

August 9th, 2011

The world of business is characterized by a language all its own. Whether you’re looking to improve your own communication style, understand others better, or see a familiar world through a new lens, follow this series of posts for a playful look at some popular MBA words.

For our first MBA Dictionary post, here are 15 corporate and academic terms you should know if you want to fit in in the boardroom and understand your CEO’s jokes. At the same time, make sure not to overuse them, or you’ll sound like a corporate-jargon junkie.

1. Bleeding-edge [adj.]

Even newer and more hyped than “cutting edge”; potentially risky or dangerous

Ex: “Our developers released bleeding edge versions of the software, so we could get some quick feedback and jump-start the process of iterative development…”

Abuse potential: 4 out of 5. Don’t use twice in the same paragraph or your prose will start feeling blunt-edged.

2. Buzz [n.]

Hype; word-of-mouth advertising; excited discussion in the media.

Ex: “The marketing team was able to generate some good buzz with a few celebrity brand ambassadors.”

Abuse potential: 5 out of 5. One of the most annoying words out there if used in excess.

3. Cannibalize [v.]

When the launch of one product diminishes the market share of another product from the same company or product line

Ex: “If we extend the product line, we may cannibalize the potential of our current offerings…”

Abuse potential: 3 out of 5.

4. Core competency [n.]

Something that is an essential part of a company’s brand or identity; something that distinguishes the company from others in its category

Ex: “If my job function isn’t part of the company’s core competency, does that weaken my application profile?”

Abuse potential: 4 out of 5. Sprinkle this throughout your b-school app, and you’ll sound like you just learned the phrase yesterday.

5. Cross-pollination [n.]

Something that occurs when people of different talents or backgrounds interact in a professional setting.

Ex: “I chose to work at the startup because I found there was ample opportunity for cross-pollination… The company was organized into small teams; each team had at least one person from marketing, finance, and engineering…”

Abuse potential: 3 out of 5. No, you cannot cross-pollinate yourself.

6. Evangelize [v.]

To promote a product or offering with intense enthusiasm

Ex: “We need to appoint someone to evangelize the new product and act as a sort of community manager on the forums.”

Abuse potential: 2 out of 5.

7. Gain traction [v.]

To increase market share

Ex: “To help our brand gain some traction in a new demographic, I launched a new campaign using an aggressive social media strategy.”

Abuse potential: 1 out of 5. If you catch yourself using this phrase in the realm of dating and relationships, consider refreshing your word bank or leaving the Blackberry at home when you go out…

8. Low-hanging fruit [n.]

Something that’s easily accomplished or easy to acquire

Ex: “Let’s aim for all the low-hanging fruit first… We need to scale this operation quickly.”

Abuse potential: 2 out of 5. No, this is not an original metaphor.

9. Move the needle [v.]

To make a change that can be detected

Ex: “The aim of your social media work is to help move the needle a bit…”

Abuse potential: 2 out of 5. If you catch yourself saying this at least once an hour, it may be time to pick up a thesaurus or make your way through some some vocab flashcards.

10. Operationalize [v.]

To do (seriously?)

Ex: “As a third-year associate, it was my job to operationalize our process…”

Abuse potential: 5 out of 5. This term comes to you with a fat warning label. Use sparingly.

11. Startup bug [n.]

The desire to work for startups

Ex: “Then I caught the startup bug and worked for several tech companies before deciding that I needed to get an MBA to move forward with my career.”

Abuse potential: 5 out of 5. Another phrase that comes with a big warning label; use this and you risk sounding like a neophyte.

12. SWOT analysis [n.]

an acronym that means “Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats Analysis”

Ex: “As a team, we performed a SWOT analysis and determined that we had to reposition our brand.”

Abuse potential: 1 out of 5. Just don’t stud your speech with other acronyms like this one.

13. Take ownership [n.]

The act of owning a project and being responsible for its success

Ex: “You need to demonstrate that you really took ownership of the project and that you were personally accountable for the team effort.”

Abuse potential: 3 out of 5. Don’t use this to describe something over which no ownership can be taken. Ex: “I really took ownership of cleaning up the office after the party.”

14. Thought-leadership [n.]

Intellectual authority

Ex: “In order to demonstrate our thought leadership, we released a series of white-papers and infographics.”

Abuse potential: 2 out of 5. Just don’t call everything “thought-leadership” or others will stifle giggles when you speak.

15. Social enterprise [n.]

An organization that strives to improve society in some way

Ex: “From my extracurricular non-profit work, I discovered that I have a true passion for social enterprise.”

Abuse potential: 3 out of 5. Make sure your passions don’t sound half-baked-trendy. A good test? If you use the phrase “social enterprise” twice in the same paragraph without mentioning what exactly it is that you do or plan to do, you’re veering towards dangerous territory.

If the example sentence above could have been taken from your admissions essay, be sure to check out this article: Brain Drain of MBA Students to Social Enterprise.

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Posted in B-School Life, GMAT | 6 Comments »

MBA News Roundup: Global Executive MBAs, Ready-Set-B-School, and Low Scores at Top Schools

August 8th, 2011

Welcome to another installment of Knewton’s MBA News Roundup! This week, check out articles on global executive MBAs, how to hit the ground running in b-school, the reapplication process, and low scores at the top programs.

1. Going Global: A New Breed of Executive MBA

An improving global jobs market is boosting the application numbers at executive programs with an emphasis on international expansion and global business practice. Read more in this Forbes article.

2. Ready, Set, B-School: Hit the Ground Running

How can you maximize your first semester at b-school? Set personal goals and priorities and don’t get sidetracked by peer pressure. Check out this helpful Businessweek series to get the full list of tips.

3. Is An M.B.A Worth it?

According to a recent Forbes study, grads of top b-schools get their investment back within 4 years. For an employment report and a list of top “wish” employers, read the complete article.

4. How Low is Too Low for Top B-School?

What scores fall in the lowest 10% of the scores of admitted students at schools like Wharton, Stanford, and Kellogg? Get an inside look with this well-researched Businessweek article that includes a helpful chat with the Booth deputy dean on the importance of your verbal score.

5. Evolution of the Executive MBA

The first executive MBA program was launched by Chicago Booth in 1943. Since then, executive MBA programs have become more popular, more globally-minded, and more expensive (with the reduction of employer tuition assistance).

6. How to Reapply to Business School

Feeling bruised by your last business school attempt? Read on to regain your confidence and get re-energized for Round 1 this fall.

Posted in B-School Life, GMAT | No Comments »

Introducing the “WTF” Series: WTF Is the Internet? [VIDEO]

August 8th, 2011

Here at Knewton, we’re lucky enough to work with some of the brightest educators, developers, designers, and marketing gurus around. With so much brainpower floating around, it might seem like it should be easy to learn from one another. But what we realized recently is that while we want to share knowledge and bounce ideas off one another, often it feels like we’re all speaking different languages. We’re such n00bs when it comes to the other guy’s area of expertise that we don’t even know how to ask about what we don’t know. You know?

Introducing WTF Brown Bags. These informal lunchtime presentations aim to give team members a basic level of knowledge about… something. We’re talking simple stuff, stuff that (if you’re not in that particular field) you’ve probably been pretending to understand for too long. WTF is the Internet? WTF is a programming language? WTF is marketing?

We love our WTF talks. And then we realized: we can’t be the only people out there with some gaps in our knowledge base. So we decided to share them with the world outside Knewton, too. Welcome!

First up: WTF is the Internet? You think you know… but do you really? Knewton CTO Pete Miron takes us through it. Enjoy, and leave any questions in the comments!

WTF Brown Bags are curated by Sean Miller and Ian Parker. Video editing was done by Ian Parker and Justin Bonilla.

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Posted in Featured, Inside Knewton, Knewton | 2 Comments »

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