MarquisParker.com // Business Strategist, Speaker, Advisor, and Coach

The email below came in from a reader who found me through the interview that I did with ManagementConsulted.com last year. He’s a former Mechanical Engineer who worked his way up to VP of Operations at a software company. Now, he’s aiming for business school with a goal of going into Management Consulting after his graduation.

He’s presented me with a few questions regarding his school choices, how they might affect his chances of getting into Consulting, and whether he will have any control over his choice of office if he gets an offer. All of these are pretty interesting … Read the rest

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The message below is the kind that I find to be both encouraging and discouraging. It’s encouraging because it’s from a 4th year college student who is already thinking ahead to business school, but it’s discouraging because it seems like this student is rushing into the process before he’s ready.

I’ll let you guys read his email to get more background, but, in summary, this reader wants to get a Stanford MBA, but doesn’t want to wait 2-3 years after graduating college to do it. He wants to get the MBA as soon as possible because he wants to be … Read the rest

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This edition of the Conversations series features Kaneisha Grayson, a 2010 Harvard MBA/MPA and well-known blogger and entrepreneur. My long-time readers have seen me mention her on this site before, but, for my newer members, I’ll give a quick introduction.

Kaneisha is a long-time member of the MBA blogosphere, starting with her personal blog back in the day when she was approaching the MBA application process. She ended up gaining admission to a joint MBA/MPA program at Harvard and, during her time at Harvard, she became a relationship and dating advisor and launched Crazy Girl Nation, a site … Read the rest

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The email below came from a reader who found me through the interview that I did for ManagementConsulted.com about a year ago. During that interview, I shared several insights that I picked up during my time at McKinsey and tried to give some tips for other folks who want to follow a similar path. Since that interview, I have received several emails from people who had really good and specific questions about topics that I didn’t cover that day and the email below is another one of those. I’ll let you read this person’s questions below.

I’m not certain that … Read the rest

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What’s going on, everyone. I hope you’re all doing well. The email below is from a long-time reader of my blog who has finally decided to start the MBA application process. He was invited to complete an admissions interview by one of his schools and reached out to me for advice on how to approach it. He sent over 5 questions that he hoped would help him to get off on the right foot with his preparation.

Before you move on to read this entry, I have to give my standard caveat that I’ve never worked for an admissions office … Read the rest

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In today’s entry, I bring you the third installment of the “Conversations” interview series, featuring a discussion with Linda Abraham, Founder and President of Accepted.com. Those of you who have applied to business school in the past few years or are currently applying likely know about Linda and her organization. Those of you who don’t should definitely start learning about her because she’s one of the best admissions consultants in the game today.

Since the mid-1990′s, Accepted.com has worked with tons of applicants to undergraduate and graduate programs over the years and has seen significant success with its focus … Read the rest

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In some of my recent issues, I’ve tried to share the lesson that people can come from a variety of backgrounds and still have successful business careers. Many visitors to this site are aiming for drastic career transitions into business, but conventional wisdom often leaves people thinking that it isn’t possible. Before I applied to business school, I remember hearing that people needed to major in Business Administration in undergrad and do either investment banking or management consulting afterward to have a shot at being a successful businessperson in the long-term. I’m so glad that I didn’t listen too intently… Read the rest

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In this entry, I present the second installment in my “Conversations” series of interviews with professionals in the business world. In the video below, I am interviewing Damien Ritter, who is the co-founder and President of an independent hip-hop label and production company called Funk Volume.

Damien has an educational and professional background that most people would kill to have. He is a Stanford MBA and University of California at Berkeley grad who has worked at Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, and Deloitte Consulting in his career. About 18 months ago, he decided to make the plunge into entrepreneurship and … Read the rest

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