The MBA Prep Steps

1. Prepare to Apply
2. Discover Your Strengths
3. Define Your Career Goals
4. Select Your Schools
5. Identify Each School's Fit Qualities
6. Create Your Application Resume
7. Write Your Essay
8. Select and Support Your References
9. Complete the Application Forms
10. Prepare for Interviews.

Your Top Character Strength
     Creativity, Ingenuity and Originality

Thinking of new ways to do things is a crucial part of who you are. You are never content in doing something the conventional way, if a better way is possible.

Your Second Character Strength
    Honesty, Authenticity and Genuineness

 You are an honest person by not only speaking the truth but by living your life in a genuine and authentic way. You are down to earth and without pretense. You are a 'real' person. 


Your Third Character Strength
    Kindness and Generosity

You are kind and generous to others, and you are never too busy to do a favor. You enjoy doing good deeds to others even if you don't know them well.  

Your Fourth Character Strength
    Appreciation of beauty and excellence

 You notice and appreciate beauty, excellence and/or skilled performance in all domains of life, from nature to art to mathematics to science to everyday experience. 

Your Fifth Character Strength
     Fairness, Equity and Justice 

Treating all people fairly is one of your abiding principles. You do not let your personal feelings bias your decision about people. You give everyone a chance.  


Road Ahead :
What you can do:

1. Learn a language.
2. Community service.
3. CFA (Level 2 or even level).

List incomplete.

MBA Prep Step 1: Prepare to Apply

• Understanding the MBA Application Process
  An MBA application is, in part, a job application and admissions officers are some of the toughest recruiters on the planet. Learn how to create the kind of application that earns you the job.
  
• The MBA Prep Steps Program
  The MBA Prep Steps program is a powerful, step-by-step methodology for building an outstanding application developed by MBA Prep School’s faculty of leading admissions consultants. This 12-week program combines all of the action steps of applying for an MBA with the principles and practices our admissions consultants use to help our clients create applications that lead to acceptance letters.
  
• How to Prepare for the MBA Prep Steps™ Program
  Prior to beginning our intensive MBA Prep Steps™ program, there are actions you can take to ensure that your strongest application emerges.
  
• How to Strengthen Your Candidacy Before You Apply
  Before beginning your application, you have an opportunity to strengthen your candidacy. Learn how to analyze your candidacy from the perspective of an admissions officer and how to create an action plan for making your candidacy more competitive. 
  
   
  MBA Prep Step 2: Discover Your Strengths
  • Discover Your Points of Difference
    Differentiating yourself is key to a successful MBA application. In this chapter, you will discover your Points of Difference – the things about you that set you apart from the thousands of others who are applying.
    
  • Discover Your Character Strengths
    The combined elements of your character are what make you an individual distinct from others; they are the qualities that society and, it follows, business schools hold in high regard. We’ll introduce you to a profiling tool developed by psychologists that will offer you a number of valuable insights on which of your Character Strengths you might want to emphasize in your application.
    
  • Discover Your Career Story
    Your career story in an executive summary of your professional achievements. Learn the elements of a complete and compelling career story.
    
  • Discover Your Leadership Capabilities
    If you have your sights set on a top-tier business school, you must demonstrate your leadership potential. Learn how to build your Leadership Portfolio and identify the stories in your background that prove you are a leader.
    
     
    MBA Prep Step 3: Define Your Career Goals
    • Discover Your Career Purpose
      Your Career Purpose is what you hope to achieve in the world in a larger sense. Admissions committees are looking for candidates who know what matters to them and who have a sense of where they want to go in their careers. In this chapter, we show you how to develop a Statement of Career Purpose.
      
    • Identify Your Dream Job
      Your Career Purpose describes what you want to achieve as a future leader. The Dream Job you identify in the exercises in this chapter will prepare you to describe the job, title, and industry that will best position you to achieve that Career Purpose.
      
    • Inventory Your Career Capabilities
      With your Dream Job in mind, you want to identify the skills, knowledge, and capabilities required to be successful in achieving your long-term career goals. In this chapter, we will show you how to inventory the Career Capabilities you already possess and those that you will need to acquire.
      
    • Develop Your Career Action Plan
      The final step in the career goals setting process is to outline a credible Career Action Plan that summarizes the steps that will take you from where you are today to your ultimate Dream job.
      
       
      MBA Prep Step 4: Select Your Schools
      • Select a Program Type
        A range of program options exists for earning an MBA. We will help you to select a program-format that best fits your needs.
        
      • Select Schools That Fit Your Career Goals
        Identify the MBA programs that will best prepare you for the career you have set your sights on.
        
      • Identify the Best Academic Environment for You
        Identify the schools that are the best match for what you need to learn and the way you learn best.
        
      • Identify the Best Culture for You
        A school’s culture shapes everything from the way a single classroom is run to what kinds of professors are hired and – more to the point – what kinds of students are accepted. Decide which schools have a culture where you will thrive.
        
      • Select Schools That Match Your Qualifications
        Be realistic when it comes time to apply. Consider the acceptance rates of the schools on your short list, and compare your profile to accepted applicants so that you can target schools where your profile will be competitive.
        
        MBA Prep Step 5: Identify Each School’s Fit Qualities
        • Valued Qualities vs. Fit Qualities
          Being accepted is all about the right “fit”. The general qualities that MBA programs value are generally well understood and intuitive. To prove you fit, you need to know what qualities each specific school values most, so that you can use that knowledge to shape and customize every element of your application – especially your essays.
          
        • Research the Fit Qualities
          The admissions office won’t broadcast the school’s Fit Qualities on their website or in information sessions; so we will show you how to do your own detective work and identify the Fit Qualities for each of the schools you are applying to.
          
        • Define Each Fit Quality
          Compiling a list of possible Fit Qualities is a big step forward, but we will guide you through some additional detective work to define each quality.
          
        • Rank the Importance of Each Fit Quality
          Take a step back from your Fit Quality research and weigh the evidence to ensure that each quality on your list is important. In this chapter, we will provide the criteria to rank the school’s Fit Qualities, from highest importance to least importance, based on the quantity and quality of your evidence. 
          
          MBA Prep Step 6: Create Your Application Resume
          • Gather Your Resume Building Blocks
            In the Discover Your Strengths section of the book, generated the inputs for your resume. In this chapter, you will learn how to choose the resume building blocks that provide the kind of evidence admission committees are looking for.
            
          • Create Your Resume
            In this chapter, you will learn how to assemble your resume building blocks into a highly professional, strategically sound MBA application resume. We will take you through a resume, section by section, and provide best practice advice on content and style.
            
            
            MBA Prep Step 7: Write Your Essays
            • The Eight Most Frequently Asked MBA Essay Questions
              Although each school asks a unique set of questions, there are eight question types that appear most frequently. We’ll reveal these eight essay archetypes and offer tips on scoring top marks with your answers.
              
            • Nine Qualities You Should Feature in Your Essays
              The primary objective of your MBA application is to provide evidence that you possess the qualities that admissions committees value most. Learn about the nine qualities that you should feature in your essays.
              
              How to Choose Your Topics and Stories
            • When you are just starting work on your essays, it can be difficult to decide what to write about. In this chapter, we provide you with a step-by-step process for discovering your best topics and stories.
              
              How to Outline Your Stories
            • Once you’ve narrowed your topics and stories to your best options, you should outline your essays before attempting a rough draft. We will show you a powerful outlining framework that will ready you to write an outstanding first draft.
              
              Follow a Writing Calendar
            • We have broken the writing process into seven steps and mapped out a six-week schedule that you can follow to stay organized and on track with your essay writing efforts.

                                                                       
         MBA Prep Step 8: Select and Support Your References
        

        • What Are Admissions Officers Looking for in a Reference Letter?
          In this chapter, you will learn what admissions officers are looking for in your recommendation letters so that you can ensure your letters exceed their expectations.
          
        • The Reference Letter Process
          We provide an overview of a proven reference letter preparation process and the proper timing of each step in the process.
          
        • How to Select Your References
          Much of the reference letter process is outside of your control; therefore, making excellent choices about who will write your letters is the most important step you can take to increase the likelihood that great reference letters will result.
          
        • How to Support Your References
          Learn a step-by-step approach for collaborating with your references in order to increase the probability of outstanding reference letters.
          
        • Reference Letter FAQs
          We answer the most frequently asked questions about reference letters and provide a series of reference letter best practices.
          
          MBA Prep Step 9: Complete the Application Forms
          • Strengthen Your Candidacy With the Application Forms
            Don’t wait until the last minute to fill in the application data form. If you do, you won’t be able to take advantage of the advice in this chapter on using the forms to improve your candidacy.
            
          • Application Form Best Practices
            We offer you some application form best practices to ensure that your application forms support the key elements and messaging from the rest of your application.
          
          MBA Prep Step 10: Prepare for Admission Interviews
          • Understanding the Admissions Interview
            The admissions interview is the final exam in the application process. We share a series of question you need to answer at the outset of your interview preparation.
            
          • What Will They Ask?
            An interviewer is trying to decide if you have the right qualifications for an MBA from his or her program and if you’ll be a good fit. Learn about the types of questions you will be asked and how you can score top marks with your answers.
            
          • Interview Best Practices
            We offer a series of admissions interview best practices that can make a real difference in your performance on interview day.