Inner Circle Contest: Road to Business School

Okay, so you know that our Road to Business School events are right around the corner, right?  You also know that putting yourself in front of admissions officers during the business school application process is critical to gaining acceptance.  And, we have spoken at length about perfecting your elevator pitch and the psychodynamics of first impressions.  Basically, you’re ready to kill it at these events.

Schools will be lining up to court YOU and giving YOU money to attend their program.  In fact, maybe YOU should have a table at the event and have schools wait in line for YOUR attention.  That’s how ready you are. I like it…maybe with a generous dose of humility thrown in…but I like it.

Now we need to talk about how you will arrive – in style or just one of the masses.  I’m not talking about how you dress or what kind of ride you pull up in.  I’m talking about being a part of the Inner Circle at the event and getting introduced to your top schools instead of waiting in line to introduce yourself.  Everyone can have a great experience at the event, but only 5 people at each event will be given this red carpet treatment.  This is where the contest comes in:

What is the Inner Circle contest?

• A chance for  5 business school prospectives in each Road to Business School event city to join the Inner Circle.

What does being in the Inner Circle mean (what’s the prize)?

• mbaMission Insider’s Guides for each of your top 3 schools – mbaMission is the recognized expert on the MBA admissions process.  With these Insider’s Guides, you will benefit from a well-researched and customized perspective as you speak to schools and write your applications.  
• Personal introduction to the admissions officer at your top school during the event – Kaplan GMAT has deep relationships, forged over many years, with the admissions officers at your favorite schools. Andrew Mitchell, Director of Pre-Business programs, will make a personal introduction to help you jump-start your first impression.  Since only 5 of these will be made at each event, this introduction will help you stand out.
• Kaplan GMAT Premier Book – The GMAT has changed.  The newest and most comprehensive book on the market will help you adapt and succeed.
• Kaplan GMAT Quiz Bank on Demand – Practice your GMAT skills on 1000+ context-realistic practice problems with the Quiz Bank on Demand.
• Entered to win the Grand Prize: 2 Hours of admissions consulting – Having a team of experts in your corner to give you feedback as you prepare your application is invaluable.  mbaMission will provide 2 hours of their highly sought-after consulting.  There will be one winner of this prize and only Inner Circle winners will be entered into this contest.  Winner will also receive a free 30-minute consultation with an mbaMission Senior Consultant.

  How does the contest work?

• Enter by tweeting a picture:
  • Register for a Road to Business School event in your city (or the virtual fair). 
  • Tweet a pic that answers the question, “Why do you want to go to business school?” (hint: the best pics will be creative and tell a story)
  • Include hashtag #RTBS and the city in which you will attend
  • You will have until 6pm EST on Wednesday, August 8, 2012 to submit pictures and vote

• Have everyone you know vote for your picture on Instagram and Pinterest:
  • We will curate all the pics on:
    • Instagram (search @kaplangmatprep)
    • Pinterest
  • You will have until 6pm PST on Wednesday, August 8, 2012 to submit pictures and vote
  • Each Like counts as a vote
  • You can vote on both platforms
  • You can have your friends vote on both platforms
  • The top 5 pics (based on total votes from both sites) from each location will win

That’s it…pretty simple.   The reality is that any work you do now to answer the question “Why business school?” will only help you when it comes time to write your essays.   However, if you handle this right, it could also provide a lot more mileage along the Road to Business School as you join the Inner Circle.

For more information on the Road to Business School events, the contest, or the MBA admissions process, be sure to follow on Twitter:

mbaMission: @mbaMission

Kaplan GMAT: @kaplangmatprep

If you have any questions about the contest, feel free to ask them below.  Have fun and good luck!