How To Apply to B-School (GrantMeAdmission Style)
I’ve gotten a lot of questions over the last few weeks about HOW I am applying for schools. In today’s post, I am going to give you an inside look on how I do it, and also explore if there are an transferable skills/techniques/tools that you can benefit from.
How I am applying to 8 schools
It all starts with a plan and visualizing the progress of the plan. In my last post about my MBA plan, I listed all the tasks and dates assigned to them. Ultimately, it felt really complicated and “busy” (probably because the entire process is complicated and busy). I have reorganized the data to show my progress in a more visually appealing (and detailed) manner, which I view EVERY SINGLE MORNING.
How I make this actionable
Ultimately, a pretty table is not going to cut it. You have to make the plan actionable (with due dates). And you have to stay on top of it. I utilized Wunderlist (a great app/website that is free) to create a “list” for every school with tasks and due dates. Wunderlist will then provide me a list of objectives to complete for the current day and current week. I highly recommend using this free resource.
Lessons learned and what can you do?
Not all tools work for all people; however, with that being said, I do believe the philosophy behind this is sound. Ultimately, you should be physically seeing/viewing your progress EVERY DAY, which will keep you focused on your big goal and keep you inspired. You also should be keeping track and staying knowledgeable of upcoming tasks to keep you on track and your momentum up. This combination of staying inspired and keeping your momentum by completing tasks will help A TON to keep you on track to achieve your dreams.
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9 Responses to “How To Apply to B-School (GrantMeAdmission Style)”
Great post! I used more or less the same kind spreadsheet to keep track of everything that I had to do last year. It feels good to see the red cells turn green – almost enough motivation in itself to keep moving!
Very satisfying to see those cells turn green… I actually keep print outs of my sheet in a notebook so I can look back at my progress!
Great post!!! Thanks.
Nice! I have a very similar task chart for the entire application process!! 😀 I sleep better at night, now that I have a clear agenda.
I haven’t used wunderlist though. Looks like something I could use.
Motor onnn GrantMeAdmission! 😀
You should check it out… it is totally worth it!
This is so beautifully organised! I love looking at plans like this, it makes the OCD part of me very happy. With 8 schools, I’m sure you need this to keep track of where you’re at. Great work!
Totally! It definitely motivates me and keeps me centered!
How does one create a color changing chart? Would you mind sending me what you did and what software you used. Thanks 🙂
Excel!