Going for an MBA? Show your management smarts by following this straight-talking advice that will direct you through the MBA admissions maze. Written by two leading experts in MBA admissions consulting, MBA Admissions for Smarties reveals vital, yet often-neglected steps that will save you from the needless disappointment of applying at the wrong time, for the wrong reasons, or to the wrong programs.

Part 1 of the book lays the foundation for a successful application by mapping out the key factors to consider before you actually apply. It guides you through clarifying your goals for an MBA – and why it’s essential that you do so. It shows you how to research MBA programs to see if you are a good fit, and then teaches you how to evaluate your qualifications for your target schools. This section concludes by preparing you to choose the right schools for you, taking into account your uniqueness as an individual with a unique learning style.

With that strong foundation the book then focuses on presentation – the nuts and bolts of the application process:

Essential tips on writing with clarity, specifics and meaning.

Key steps to maximizing the impact of specific essay types, such as those that ask about goals, leadership, overcoming failure, and personal influences.

Secrets of crafting a strong MBA resume (it’s not a job resume) and gathering outstanding letters of recommendation that can tip the scales in your favor.

Indispensable steps to prepare you to shine during your interviews.

Finally, a special section with advice for special applicant groups: waitlisted, reapplicants, career changers, military, overrepresented groups and underrepresented minorities, as well as older applicants and younger applicants.

MBA Admissions for Smarties is chock-full of specific examples from winning essays, resumes and letters of recommendation, as well as advice from admissions committee directors and other industry experts. If you plan to apply to a top MBA program, this book will become your best friend.

Linda Abraham is the founder and president of Accepted.com, the premier MBA admissions consultancy. She is also the co-founder, first president, and current vice-president of the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants. Since 1994, Linda has advised thousands of clients applying to top MBA programs. Her expert personal coaching and editing, as well as the concrete, cogent admission tips she has written on the Accepted.com Admissions blog and in more than a dozen grad school admissions ebooks, have benefitted countless applicants. As a leading expert in grad school admissions consulting, Linda has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Sunday Times of London, MBA Podcaster, Beat the GMAT, GMAT Club, Poets and Quants, and other media outlets and web sites.

Judy Gruen joined Accepted.com as an editor in 1996, bringing broad experience in corporate communications, health care public relations, journalism and essay writing to her work with clients. Together with Linda Abraham, she has co-authored two Accepted.com ebooks: MBA Letters of Recommendation That Rock and Law School Letters of Recommendation That Rock. Judy’s essays on topics both serious and humorous have appeared in dozens of major media outlets and have been anthologized in several books. She is also the author of several award-winning humor books, including The Women’s Daily Irony Supplement.