2009年06月15日
For those of you that do not know, the 2009-2010 deadlines for Columbia GSB have been posted to the GSB website. The thing to keep in mind with the Columbia GSB is that while there are deadlines, they review applications as they come in. Their website explicitly states that it is always better to apply before the deadlines. The GSB will begin reviewing early decision applicants on August 17th 2009. The early decision deadline will be October 7th, but you will want to apply well before that. So, those of you considering the Columbia early decision option, you should start preparing your essays very soon, if you haven’t already.
One thing you need to know about the early decision round is that if you apply to that round and get accepted, you must pay a non-refundable $6,000 deposit and make a pledge that you will not try to enter any other programs. In the past, candidates would apply to Columbia first, and then if they got accepted apply to one or two dream schools. They were willing to accept the lost deposit (which was previously $5,000). The fact that some students went to other schools anyway, caused Columbia to increase the deposit and introduce the strict pledge form. The pledge is not legally binding, but you shouldn’t apply in the early round if you just plan on using Columbia as a high-end safety school.
But before we get ahead of ourselves, it should be noted that there is still time to apply to the January 2010 intake for the 16-month program graduating in June 2011. They began taking application in April, but they will continue accepting them until October 7th, 2009 (the same deadline as the early admission for the class of 2012). This accelerated program is ideal for candidates who are sponsored, taking a leave of absence or in some other way have there next position secured. January entrants take classes in the summer instead of internships, which allows them to catch up with the students who started in the previous fall. Once again, if you are planning to take this last chance to get into the graduating class of 2011, you better get to it ASAP. The clock is ticking.
2009年06月08日
I went to a fundraiser event this past Saturday night for Temple University Japan. It was a really fun event at the Grand Hyatt in Roppongi Hills. The theme of the event was Diamonds. One diamond was auctioned off and another one was given away to tne lucky winner who found the precious stone, which had been placed her champagne glass. And the money raised was all for a good cause.
For those of you not familiar with TUJ, it is the oldest and largest foreign university in Japan. Temple University, which was founded in Philadelphia in 1884, opened its Japan campus in 1982. TUJ has grown to the point that there are now two campuses, one in Azabu and one in Mita. Those who attend TUJ receive the same education and earn the same degrees as those who attend the main campus. They send professors from their main campus for one or two-year stints. And students can easily transfer to the Philadelphia campus if they wish. Conversely, many students from the main campus come to Japan for a semester or two. This adds to the school’s diversity. TUJ offers graduate and undergraduate degrees as well as certificates in its continuing education program. In total, 3,000 students from 60 countries attend Temple Japan.
TUJ has a fully-accredited executive MBA program, which is taught on Saturdays so that its students can continue in their jobs. One of the unique features of this program is that students can attend up to three classes without having to apply. If they decide to apply and are accepted, the credits from those courses count toward their degrees. TUJ also has LLM (Master of Law) and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) graduate programs.
For Tokyo-base professionals considering an overseas education, TUJ is a very good place to start preparing. In addition to the graduate and undergraduate programs, TUJ’s excellent continuing education program teaches classes in a wide range of subjects, including many business and career related courses. The program also offers intensive English courses and classes focused on improving academic skills. Such courses are truly great preparation for overseas study, and you can do it without having to leave your job.
Some of my past clients have taken courses at TUJ as a way to prepare themselves for US or European business schools. It improves their skills and knowledge and also helps prove that they can handle a high-level English language environment. Having such valuable school right here in Tokyo is almost like finding a diamond in your glass. It is definitely something worth taking advantage of.
2009年06月01日
My oldest daughter plays on a local youth basketball team for 3rd-6th grade boys and girls in our Yokohama neighborhood. When she started two years ago, there were about 30 girls and 30 boys. They used to practice 4 hours every Sunday and 2-4 hours during the week. They would play games one every 2 or 3 months or so. Otherwise it was almost all practice, practice, practice. And even when they played the rare game, only the top players got to play. The rest were cheerleaders. My daughter played zero minutes in the first three tournaments. And when she finally did play in the fourth tournament, she played a whopping 16 seconds.
To me, the whole set up was wrong. The practices were serious, intense and long. It seemed to me like not a lot of fun. I really felt it was too much practice for small kids. I also think kids should be involved in a variety of events and not specialize in one activity at such a young age. Fortunately, my daughter was, and is, also involved with violin, dancing, taiko drumming, etc., and the basketball club allowed her to miss practices. I know of other clubs that are even more strict. Plus, my daughter likes basketball a lot, so I let her continue playing.
Well, this year, the basketball club is down to about 12 girls and 15 boys. Apparently, the over-emphasis on practice drove several members away. And, this year my daughter has been involved in a play to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Yokohama. So, we thought it might be best if she “retired” from the basketball club. But when we talked to the coaches, who are all volunteers by the way, they said that it was OK if our daughter missed practices. She would always be welcomed by the club. I was really happy to hear that. They also mentioned that they would try to schedule more games with local clubs, which was also music to my ears. I was very impressed by the coaches’ flexibility, so my daughter stayed on the team.
And I have to admit now that I am glad that she did. She has learned discipline and teamwork and she has become a pretty decent basketball player. Most importantly, she is having fun. And thanks to the basketball club’s open policy, she is also enjoying her other activities as well. It is a nice balance that is working well for everyone.
The MBA-related point of this entry is to encourage applicants to try to be as well-rounded a candidate as possible. Even if you played soccer, or tennis, year-round for 15 years, you should not let that theme dominate your essays. Surely you have other interests, so you should write about them as well.
At the same time, when you do write about your team activities, it is important to emphasize the teamwork aspects. The business schools will not give you extra points just because you scored the winning basket against your rival high school. However, if you were a good team motivator or overcame adversity to become a contributing member, that is worth writing about. The human aspect is what the schools are looking for.
2009年05月25日
Harvard Business School is one of the first schools to release its essay questions and deadlines for the 2009-10 application season. There are a couple of key changes on the deadlines, namely the first round is a few weeks earlier (Oct 1) than before and the second round is a couple of weeks later (Jan 19, 2010) than previously.
The earlier first round deadline means candidates need to be really organized. If you wait until September to start writing essays it is probably too late for the first round. Meanwhile, because the gap is greater between the first and second rounds, it is likely that the number of 2nd round applicants will increase. HBS, like most top business schools, claims that there is little if any difference between applying in the first versus the second round. However, I can think of two key advangates:
1. In the first round, you will be part of a smaller applicant pool, meaning you have a better chance to stand out.
2. The 1st-round decision comes out Dec 15th, 2009. That means you will either have an early Christmas present or early notification that you need to restart/continue applying to other schools.
The 3rd round deadline is April 8, 2010, but HBS encourages international students to hit the first or second rounds due to visa issues. The 3rd round is harder to gain admission anyway, even for domestic students.
2009年05月18日
Last week I wrote about the great Beers for Books event in Ginza, where hundreds of people donated their time and livers to a good cause. The event was organized by Gary Bremermann, and the guest of honor was Room to Read Founder John Wood (center in photo). I knew it was an awesome event, but now it is official. This was B4B’s most succesful event ever: 471 people attended and their good libations generated 2,811 books for children in developing countries.
- Photo courtesy of Jim Grisanzio. For more photos of the event, please visit his website.
