How To Get Into the Top MBA Programs, 4th Edition

Now with new and expanded information on Executive MBA programs, the most up-to-date school rankings, new interviews with admissions officers, and more detailed advice for younger applicants, Montauk offers an up-close and candid view of what leading MBA programs look for in an applicant.

So yes, you could use some advice, and some of Montauk's is OK. But you should remember that NO book can change some basic facts about you: your GPA. Your work experience. Your basic intelligence. If you do not score well on EVERY one of these, you will probably not end up in what the book calls a "top" program.

Don't let that get you down - there are a lot of great programs out there. Instead of obsessing about whether you will get into Wharton (or whatever), obsess about learning more about LOTS of program, to find the one where you will FIT the best. This book does not really offer you any help in the way of describing the pluses and minuses of the various programs, so don't make this the first MBA admissions book you get.

That said, I found some useful pointers in this book, particularly when it comes to recommendations. Pick your recommendation writers wisely (make sure they know how to write!), and PREP them. Remind them what makes you special, send them a resume, etc. I write a dozen or more letters a year. The students who give me more information about themselves make it easy for me to help them stand out.

Give yourself enough time to take the GMATs more than once in case you are not happy the first set of results.

And (this one is mine, not Montauks) don't be in a hurry to do it this year if you don't have to. If you will be able to tell a better story about your work experience 12 months from now, wait to apply. Stronger work experience = stronger chance of getting in.

So to summarize - this book is OK but a book with detailed info about programs would be better. Concentrate on finding the right program for you instead of getting up high in the Business Week rankings. Pay attention to your recommendation letters.

Maybe you won't have to read the book now that you've read the review ;-).

Good luck!


A very good book for getting your act together for MBA Apps   August 27, 2000
 132 out of 136 found this review helpful

"How to Get into the Top MBA Programs" is a very good resource on the business school application process. The book expounds upon three points very well:

1. Know yourself. Understand why you are considering a business school, determine what you expect to get out of it, and identify which programs are best for *your needs*. Be honest with yourself.

Assuming you've determined an MBA program is the way you need to go, you have to determine which offering is most appropriate. Objectively evaluate schools, don't blindly go off of the numerous "rankings." These are purely quantitative and may not be the best fit. (For example, if you want to do marketing and not finance, Northwestern might be a better choice than Wharton.) Evaluate programs, interview alumni and current students, and VISIT campus. Pay attention to any "gut" feel.

2. Market your strengths and weaknesses.

The ideal applicant will have a 4.0 undergraduate GPA, 800 GMAT, speak seventeen languages, served president of IBM, and have several gold medals in swimming. If this doesn't describe you, you're "just folks" (to borrow from Harry Bauld) and need to market yourself.

Montauk has some interesting generalizations for backgrounds (e.g., engineer, sales) and their general strengths and weaknesses.

One valuable suggestion is to choose and manage your recommenders. They should say what they want, and in their own words, but you can help guide the perspectives they emphasize on your candidacy so you come across as a multidimensional applicant.

The essay writing suggestions are generally very good, especially the "angle" that some of the questions are taking. (This is very similar to the "Knock 'em Dead" by Martin Yate.) However, for actually writing your essay, I would strongly recommend reading "On Writing the College Application Essay" by Harry Bauld.

3. Stay on top of the admissions process.

To a great extent, this is really "make sure everyone gets stuff when they should." Provide dossiers for your recommenders, make sure you have a completed application in on time, follow up with people.

Because the application process is competitive, Montauk offers suggestions on reinforcing your candidacy be waitlisted or are called in for an interview.

--

Throughout each chapter, Montauk includes comments from various directors of admissions. These basically reiterate what the text says and (especially for the US schools) are a regurgitation of things you'd read in the applications packet. For example, "The GMAT score is as important as any other single element in the admissions process." Duh, otherwise it wouldn't be required.

Overall, this is a very good book, offering a lot of perspective on the self-evaluation and application processes.


Excellent, but you should be aware of brutal competition   May 25, 1999
 70 out of 85 found this review helpful

This guidebook on how to approach all aspects of the MBA application process is very helpful, and I strongly recommend it. However, one must be realistic when applying to the top MBA programs, and this aspect needs to be emphasized more. Interested in studying finance, I was fortunate enough to get into one of my top choices (Univ. of Chicago), but failed to get into a number of other programs that are equally or less competitive. This surprised me since I have substantial international work experience with excellent grades and a high GMAT score, and I devoted a great deal of time and effort to my essays. I know that my letters of recommendation were also very strong. Because of the sheer volume of highly qualified applicants, even if you follow all of the recommendations in this book, you may not get in. Unless you have a 3.7+ GPA and a 730+ GMAT and incredible work experience, I would recommend that you apply to more schools than Montauk suggests: go for at least 8 if you can manage it.

Also, some of the overly detailed recommendations by Montauk are questionable. For example, when you dress for the evaluative interview, he says that your shirt should be professionally cleaned, pressed, and starched. That's a bit over-the-top. If I'm going to be evaluated negatively for wearing a self-ironed shirt, then the interviewer and the school can go to hell. Let's get real. Nevertheless, most of the recommendations are insightful and helpful.

If you are applying to a top MBA program, good luck! It's an exhausting process, but hopefully you will be rewarded in the end with an acceptance letter. If so, I know you will agree that it's definitely worth the effort!


It is NOT a must buy   February 12, 2001
 64 out of 67 found this review helpful

I bought this book to prepare my application to Harvard, Stanford, Wharton and Columbia. I have to admit that I was very disappointed since I found a lot of obvious advice. There are a lot of sample essays but no in-depth analysis and comments were provided. Last, this book is a bit out-of-date. Also, it does not provide any information on school specifics so that I could position differently my application for each targeted school


Disappointing   February 8, 2001
 53 out of 56 found this review helpful

This book is now outdated and not very helpful. Looking forward to get my money back!!