Hi all,

Most of us can't fit all our apps in R1 right, especially if you apply to like 4+ schools...so the question is, how do you sound convincing to your R2 schools? How do you show them that they're your top choice? I mean, if you apply to a school R2, they KNOW you're applying to higher ranked schools in R1 right? Or do you not even attempt to say they're your top choice, and just don't even talk about it?

Of course you can say you weren't ready to come up with a good app by R1...but that just sounds unprepared, which I'm not sure is better.

You're stressin' too much dude. Write the app as if you applied for all of them at the same time. Rest easy until you get an interview in like SIX months (which is when R2 interviews begin).

and i would highly recommend you NOT try to explain why you applied R2 and not R1. your essays should be soooooooo jam packed with prose related to the essay question...making such an explanation should have no logical place in your essay.

I agree with HT262. I'm actually not applying to any school in RD1 because my GMAT won't be done in time. From other people that I have spoken with I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one.

You should not be concerned about whether or not you are applying R1 versus R2. It would certainly be nice if you applied R1, but if you can't - move on and focus on making sure your essays are ready for R2. Don't discuss why you chose a particular round. Focus your essay content on demonstrating your academic abilities, leadership qualities and fit with that particular school.

Many folks apply in Round 2 as their first round, so don't worry about what schools "read into" your application strategy. Every Adcomm knows that you are applying to other schools--it would be a very

confident applicant that only applied to one school. You vouch to the truth of your applications when you submit them, so saying "You're my #1 Choice" five times is not the most ethical route. But expressing a genuine, true interest in attending is enough--you do not need to specify that you would just DIE if you didn't go to HBS [or whatever]. Just say WHY you want to go to a school and that's it. Ipso facto schools assume you want to be there if you are applying. B-schools apps aren't cheap--they charge you that entry price to know that you are serious about really matriculating if chosen. If apps cost $10 each, everyone would apply everywhere--the fees and deposits are an easy weed-out to see who's really serious.

My background is engineering and I have been working in [the] telecom sector in Europe for about 6 years. I'm now considering taking an MBA. Because I don't want to give up my job my options, [I am looking to] go for evening/part-time program or online MBA. Part-time programs are as expensive as full-time programs. Online MBA is more flexible; you can study at your own pace and [it is] a little less expensive. The only thing is that [the] online MBA misses [is] personal interaction with students and lecturers, which are an important part of building your own network in doing MBA. I would like to know recruiter/employer's point of view on online MBA in this respect.

Anyone has done online MBA and can share experience?

I'm wondering how recruiters value an online MBA degree in general? Especially because I want to switch careers into the financial industry.

PS: I'm talking here about online MBA from reputable university such as Manchester Business School, Warwick, Indiana (Kelley), Thunderbird (Garvin), Babson College.

I would give almost no credit what-so-ever to an online MBA. I am a second year Marshall (USC) MBA and when I met my girlfriend she was doing an online MBA through Regis. When I compared what she was doing to what I was doing her jaw dropped. She wasn't even acquainted with simple terms such as "ROI" and "COGS". We are the same age and we both had humanities type majors (Philosophy and Theology for me - Theater and English for her) so we were on an even playing field, but the difference in our abilities over the course of one year was vast. Making up her own mind shortly thereafter, she dropped the online MBA program before "wasting anymore damn money" on it.

As far as I am concerned almost all of this online learning is a bunch of garbage. Especially for an advanced degree. Do it right or forget about it.

Those other schools are just a tiny bit better than Regis.

However, none of them really have a "Wow" factor. What do you want to do after your MBA? Getting an online MBA just to get a degree seems silly. Check out the stuff that's offered by the University of London: http://www.londonexternal.ac.uk/

You could get a Diploma for Graduates from the LSE (though I don't know how far that will get you).

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The MBA Tour is launching its extensive offering of MBA admissions events on Tuesday September 4. The MBA Tour will travel from Buenos Aires to Moscow, Ho Chi Minh to Houston, and many other cities around the globe. For a complete list of events, dates and locations, please see the MBA Tour web site.

One of the innovative aspects of this year's tour is a new alliance between The MBA Tour and MBAMilitary.net, which will result in a special MBA admissions panel discussion for current and former members of the US military. I spoke to Peter von Loesecke, CEO of The MBA Tour and a former officer himself, about the opportunities and challenges facing the roughly 1000 officers every year who elect to pursue an MBA. (The questions and answers are paraphrased.)

LA: Peter, I understand that at the Washington MBA Event on September 11, you and MBAMilitary.net have organized a special panel discussion for military officers interested in an MBA. Why?
PVL: We decided to host this event because the military officers are a special segment of the MBA applicant pool. Schools have significant interest in military people because of their experience, which is well-liked by the business community.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. In school, former officers excel. They typically are good classroom performers with outstanding time management skills. According to many of the admissions people I have spoken to and at least one dean, military officers challenge themselves, come to class prepared, and earn good grades.

LA: What is the make-up of the special panel?
PVL: Participants will be both admissions people and military alumni of top business schools. The panelists are well qualified to answer the questions specific to military applicants. These applicants want to know how their experience will be interpreted and appreciated both by schools and potential employers. They want to know which experiences they should highlight in their applications and how is their experience going to be viewed by industry after they have their MBA. Our panel will address these and other questions.

LA: In general, how is officer experience viewed by industry when combined in with an MBA?
PVL: Very favorably. In fact, salaries among military graduates are almost 35% higher than for the rest of the graduating class, and former officers tend to have twice the number of job offers.

LA: How do schools view non-US military experience?
PVL: I'm not 100% sure, but I don't believe there would be a difference.

LA: Is a service academy education a major advantage?
PVL: Not really. The quality of the service is more important than a service academy background. There are three sources of officers: service academies, Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), and Officer Candidate School (OCS). Business schools don't distinguish among graduates of these programs.

LA Do you have plans to expand the military panel beyond the Washington event?
PVL. We are starting with just the DC event because of the high number of military personnel in and around Washington, but in the future we are considering having similar panels at other events.