Several news outlets recently wrote about a list of strange questions that you might encounter in a business school admissions interview.

The admissions process is stressful enough without having to worry about which type of tree you think you would be if you were a tree. Thankfully, our partner mbaMission has confirmed that it is very unlikely you will be asked such a question. In fact, they’ve conducted interviews with top admissions officers at Yale, Tuck and Kellogg, and all of the officers said their goal for interviews is to get a feel for the applicants and who they really are. They are not looking for how quickly prospective students can answer strange questions on their toes. A new mbaMission blog posting notes:

We feel that our responsibility as an admissions consulting firm is to calm MBA candidates and keep them focused on what is truly important within the application process. Interviews are not easy, but overwhelmingly the questions are straightforward and will be about you. So, you should be able to rely on your experiences to answer the questions. By entering your interview calmly and staying in your everyday frame of mind, you will be able to thoughtfully address the questions that you are asked. If you can do that, you should perform to the best of your abilities and you may even enjoy your interview.

You can read the rest of the blog post, which includes quotes from interviews with top admissions officers, here.

More women are headed to business school these days, according to a piece over at Forbes.

The numbers certainly are striking. In the last decade, women have enrolled at business schools across the country in ever-greater numbers. Between 1997 and 2007, the percentage of MBAs awarded to women jumped from 39 percent to 44 percent”a 12.8 percent increase over a single decade.  Top schools are showing big leaps, too: HBS went from 28 percent women in 1995 to 38 percent in 2010, while Wharton’s female population climbed from 32 percent in 2007 to 40 percent in the class of 2011.

So what’s driving the increase? The article suggests it’s the combination of a weak economy, recruiting initiatives targeted to women, and, most of all, the flexibility offered by an MBA. Female grads can take their degrees into the nonprofit world or even start their own businesses, says Deirdre Leopold,  Harvard’s managing director of MBA admissions. That allows more wiggle room, especially for students juggling family responsibilities.

The increasing gender balance sure seems like good news to us!

There have been many stories about the improving economy, but apparently the current climate remains tough for 1st year MBA Students seeking internships, according to Businessweek.com. For those of you who haven’t yet started school, you’ve got a year or two for things to improve!

Good news for MBA hopefuls: A couple of recent stories indicate things are picking up at career offices, particularly if you’re interested in clean energy.

Last week we pointed to a Business Week piece about increased interest in European MBA programs. Now the mag tells us recruiting is also picking up at the continent’s top b-schools. Renewable energy companies are recruiting aggressively, along with biotech, public administration, and nonprofits, says the director of INSEAD’s career office. That fits with the news from the senior director of Sloan’s career office, who recently told the Journal she’s seeing a lot of action in consumer products companies, including clean tech and medical devices. The hiring process still isn’t easy, but there’s light at the end of the tunnel! If that’s too far in the future for you to worry about right now, rest assured that students are seeing more summer internship opportunities too.

When you think about school rankings, US News & World Report is likely top of mind. However, the Business Insider has come out with its own B-school rankings using a method that emphasizes value to the graduate based on network and perception of the credential. These rankings also claim to have incorporated the feedback of top recruiters. It’s worth a look, if only to get a second opinion on the value of having graduated from certain schools.

Thinking of going to school abroad?  You’re not alone! Applications are up sharply at European B-schools, according to Business Week. It’s part of an upward trend worldwide, but the increase is particularly high in Europe, where many institutions say apps are up 10 percent or more. The Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School in Belgium has doubled its class in the past year, while Switzerland’s St. Gallen has grown its part-time program 100 percent. The trend is also ramping up competition in many places–Westminster Business School, in the UK, has had to wait-list full-time MBA candidates for the first time in the school’s history.

The piece attributes the growth largely to career changers and young people looking for a recession safe haven that will bolster their resume. European schools are also increasingly attractive to international students who plan to return, thanks to easier visa requirements and widely dispersed alumni networks.

If you’re in the market for an international GMAT course, check out our new London offerings, as well as our Live Online classes. And if you just want to take a trip to Europe, the dollar’s getting stronger, so a Big Mac will only be $8 or so.

We’ve all heard various things about getting into business school. Is it true that only quant types get into Wharton and marketing types into Kellogg? Do alumni recommendations matter more than others? Is the third round really the dead zone in terms of getting into a selective school?

Well, if you want to know the real scoop on these and other issues, our admissions consulting partner mbaMission is holding Mythbusters events in Boston and Philadelphia next Thursday, March 18th, and online on March 23rd! All events are free and conducted by an experienced Admissions Consultant from mbaMission. Thanks to them for dispelling MBA Admissions myths everywhere!

Businessweek recently hosted a chat with admissions officers from Kellogg, one of the most popular business schools for our students. We thought we’d pass the link along, as it’s always great to get insight directly from the people who will be reading applications. (Also, they mention that they just care about your highest GMAT score, so don’t fret if you didn’t knock it out of the park the first time!)

The New York Times blog, “Bucks”, recently published two in-depth articles about a recent court ruling that has made MBA tuition tax deductible provided that you can prove that an MBA can enhance your career. There are some subtleties to the ruling; for example, you cannot deduct the cost of your MBA if you use it to switch careers and in some cases, you might have to provide written proof that the specific classes you took to earn your MBA are directly relevant to your established career. It’s worth giving both articles a full and thorough read, as this new ruling has the potential to save you a significant sum of money.

New York Times: When You Can Deduct the Cost of Your M.B.A.

New York Times: More on M.B.A. Tuition Reductions

If you live in DC, LA, or Chicago, we invite you to attend a Long Term Planning workshop led by our friends at mbaMission this Thursday, January 28th. The workshop will teach you how to create an admissions timeline, accelerate your personal goals, and weigh the differences between various MBA programs, along with other useful tips. We’re very excited to be able to host these events for our community. Keep in mind, however, that while these events are free, space is limited, so select your location below and register today!

For those of you who do not live in the cities above or who miss the event, mbaMission will be running more Long Term Planning Workshops in the coming weeks. Two will take place online, one in Philadelphia, and one in New York. View our full schedule of events to register.

Thanks to mbaMission for putting these events on!