HBS has released its interview invitations for 2+2 applicants. Those who received and who did not receive invitations (and are consequently dinged) have both been notified.
HBS received over 600 applications to its 2+2 program and intends to enroll roughly 90 participants in 2+2's inaugural cohort.
App Review Begins Notification Deadline
Early Decision 08/13/08 W/In 10 Wks 10/08/08
International 01/07/09 W/In 12 Wks 03/04/09
US Citizens* 01/07/09 W/In 12 Wks 04/15/09
* & Permanent Residents
** Applicants who wish to be considered for a merit-based fellowship must submit a complete application by January 7, 2009. Fellowship recipients for the September class are announced between January and May.
On BW Forum's "Ask Columbia Business School Admissions" thread, Columbia GSB's AdCom representative advises that this year's questions are the same as those on the J-Term 2009 application, which has three required question as opposed to last September's four.
My comments are in red.
The following essay questions are part of the application to Columbia Business School. In addition to learning about your professional aspirations, the Admissions Committee hopes to gain an understanding of your interests, values and motivations through these essays. How you answer these essays is at your discretion, there are no right answers and we encourage you to answer each question thoughtfully and honestly.
1) What are your short-term and long-term post-MBA goals? How will Columbia Business School help you achieve these goals? (Recommended 750 word limit):
This is a forward-looking goals question. While you shouldn't ignore the factors that contributed to the development of your goals, the bulk of the essay should be about the future. What do you want to do immediately after completing your MBA? 5 years later? How will Columbia's program help you achieve your goals? Which of Columbia's strengths and programs are critical to your success? And be specific!
2) Master Classes are the epitome of bridging the gap between theory and practice at Columbia Business School. View link below. Please provide an example from your own life in which practical experience taught you more than theory alone. (Recommended 500 word limit) :
View with Real Player: http://merlin.gsb.columbia.edu:8080/ramgen/video1/faculty/MasterClass-promo.rm
View via Google: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4698876883776961370&hl=en .
I also recommend you read the section of CBS' web site about Columbia's Masters Classes.
To me, the masters classes are CBS's attempt to integrate the various business functions and add a real general management element to a program that tended to keep those business silos distinct.. To respond to the question you need to bring an example from your life when you applied theory successfully. Ideally, you would want to use an example where you used management principles to guide your team, office, company, or club in solving a problem or completing a project.
3) Please provide an example of a team failure of which you've been a part. If given a second chance, what would you do differently? (Recommended 500 word limit) :
When have you been part of a team that came in last. Or that came in second when it should have come in first? Or that failed to close the deal? Or did finish the project, but over budget and late so that your firm lost the client?
And more importantly, what have you learned from the experience? How would you attempt to change the outcome if you had the chance? When would you seize the initiative? When would you encourage others? When would you sit quietly and let someone with complementary strengths take center stage.
While the particular incident you choose should complement other elements of your essay and ideally discuss some interest, activity, or experience not discussed in other essays, the key part of this question is the second one.
For more assistance, please see:
(Optional) Is there any further information that you wish to provide to the Admissions Committee? (Please use this space to provide an explanation of any areas of concern in your academic record or your personal history.) :
Obviously you could use this optional essay question to address a weakness in your application, but in my mind, it is also open-ended enough to allow you to discuss a diversity element in your personal background or simply some unique area of interest. Also, tucking a weakness explanation somewhere else would allow you to end the application with a strength and not a flaw.
If you would like help with your Columbia MBA application, please consider Accepted.com's MBA essay editing and admissions consulting or a Columbia Comprehensive Package.
The Scoretop Scandal is a messy business. Angst runs high; solid information about the scandal's implications for many applicants has been scarce.
BusinessWeek, however, has just posted an interview with GMAC's Peg Jöbst that should relieve anxiety for many and heighten it for a few. In Ms. Jöbst's words:
"GMAC is limiting its investigation to those individuals who a) posted GMAT questions they saw on their GMAT exam, and b) posted a message on Scoretop confirming that they saw items from the Scoretop Web site on their GMAT exam. In these instances, GMAC will cancel GMAT scores and notify schools to which those scores were sent."
If you were a VIP member of Scoretop, I strongly urge you to read the interview in its entirety, but the above quote summarizes GMAC's position.
A few other points from the interview.
(This post is a shameless plug. If that offends you, please click away.)
In my Internet meanderings, I occasionally come across posts from applicants who dismiss and deride admissions consultants. These sages, who usually have never talked to a consultant, claim that applicants can get all they need to know from the web and books and talking to a few friends.
They don't understand the difference between the dynamic, individual qualities of educational advising and the static, mass nature of information.
I am proud of the rich information Accepted.com provides, probably more than any boutique consultancy. But I am also keenly aware of its limitations. Information is static, inert. It cannot respond to individual needs. It can't react to a fluid situation. It doesn't analyze or change. It can target segments, but rarely individuals.
We can write a gazillion articles and ebooks. We can develop web tools, databases, and chats to serve you. But none of them will replace an in-depth, one-on-one consultation or the nitty-gritty work of critiquing and editing your applications and essays.
Accepted editors and advisers can help you develop and implement your admissions strategy, whether you are shooting for a BA, MBA, JD, MD, or PhD or a host of other degrees. And unlike friends, we stay abreast of admissions news and developments because admissions is our business.
Using our expertise and experience to guide you as an individual interacting with a dynamic admissions world is the magic of admissions consulting.
That's how we help you develop your admissions strategy. Then there's implementation, and the personal statement, application essay, or statement of purpose.
Professional writers have editors with reason: writing is rewriting. Writers can fall in love with their own words and lose objectivity. Writers need editors.
If the professionals need editors, so do you.
Can you implement a carefully thought-out strategy? Can you maintain your critical eye after reworking an essay ten times? Can you bring the superior editing skills of professional writers to your application? If you can't, you need an Accepted editor to critique and review your essay(s).
Accepted has two early bird specials running through July 31, 2008.
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Deadline Date Notification
Round 1 Oct. 22, 2008 Jan. 16, 2009
Round 2 Jan 7, 2009 Apr 10, 2009
Round 3 Mar. 18, 2009 May 8, 2009
Yale has added another question this year, which will allow it to make more informed admissions decisions. Use this additional essay to give the adcom more reasons to admit you.
My comments are in red.
1: Why a Yale MBA?
What is the impact that you wish to have on the world? How will your previous experiences and a Yale MBA enhance your ability, in the short-term and long-term, to pursue a career that will allow you to achieve this impact? (500 words maximum)
You've seen this before -- a classic goals question. What do you want to do after your MBA short-term and long-term and how will an MBA help you achieve that goal.
However, this year, they ask specifically about Yale. You need to explicitly connect the Yale MBA experience to the achievement of your goals. Yale's curriculum emphasizes the integration of business functions. In your essays discuss how an integrated, general management approach is important to you. How will a highly structured, but innovative program, with a required international project help you arrive at your desired professional destination? That program just happens to be Yale's.
2: Leadership Example
Describe a professional accomplishment that exhibits your leadership style. The accomplishment should include evidence of your leadership skills, a description of the actions you took, as well as the impact you had on your organization. (500 words maximum)
When have you made a significant contribution to an organization or team? What was the challenge? How did you lead? What was the impact and outcome? A PAR approach to this question could work well.
3: Personal Statement 1
Choose one (1) of the following topics and answer it in essay form. Please indicate the topic number at the beginning of your essay. (500 words maximum)
(1) A central premise of our teaching about leadership at the Yale School of Management is that true leadership – leadership that helps to address a significant problem in a new way – is necessarily personal. It is only when personal passion aligns with meaningful aspirations that individuals are able to inspire others to act in support of an important goal or cause. What are you most passionate about, and how have you demonstrated a commitment to this passion?
(2) What personal achievement are you most proud of and why?
(3) Describe a situation in which your values were challenged. How did you respond to the situation and what did you learn from it?
(4) A phrase often heard among SOM graduates is that they aspire to lead a life that is an “SOM Story” – that of a broadly engaged, values-based leader who owns and solves hard problems that matter. How will you create your own SOM Story? Describe a situation in which you devised and implemented a creative or innovative solution to a difficult problem. What obstacles did you face and how did you overcome them?
(5) The Yale School of Management is a community of individuals with diverse backgrounds and interests. What unique attributes would you bring to the Class of 2011?
(6) What is the most difficult feedback you have received and how did you address it? Looking forward, what skills are you most eager to build or improve upon in business school?
(7) Required for reapplicants: What steps have you taken to improve your candidacy since your last application?
Which option should you choose? The one that fits you like a well-made suit. The one allowing you to relate the story you are dying to tell. The one that allows you to show what is distinctive about you and important to you.
4: Personal Statement 2
Choose one (1) of the other topics listed in Personal Statement 1, or create a topic of your own about a subject that is meaningful to you, and answer it in essay form. Please indicate the topic number (or state the topic if it is not one of the ones listed) at the beginning of your essay. (500 words maximum)
Yale is being really nice and making your life easy by providing this list. It gives you a wide choice of topics. Choose two that will allow you to write revealingly and easily about yourself and go for it! Essay 4 should complement Essays 1, 2, 3, and the Optional Essay, if you write it. Disclose another facet of your life experience that show you are a values-driven leader.
Optional Essay
If any aspect of your candidacy needs further explanation, please provide any additional information that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider. (250 words maximum)
Why isn't your current supervisor writing your rec? Why did your grades dip during the first semester of your senior year? Why is there a six-month gap on your resume? What are your responsibilities while working for a family business after having left a prestigious investment bank and why did you make the change? Answering any of those questions (but not all) could be the topic of your optional essay. And of course an infinite number of similar subjects could be worthwhile discussing in the optional essay.
If you would like help with your Yale SOM MBA application, please consider Accepted.com's MBA essay editing and admissions consulting or a Yale SOM Comprehensive Package, which includes essay editing, interview coaching, consultation, and a resume edit for the Yale SOM MBA application. All are 10% off, but only through July 31, 2008.
Duke Fuqua released its 2008-09 application deadlines and essay questions today.
Application Deadline Notification Date
Early Action Oct. 15, 2008 Nov. 14, 2008
Round 1 Oct. 27, 2008 Dec. 19, 2008
Round 2 Jan. 7, 2009 Mar. 10, 2009
Round 3 Mar. 16, 2009 Apr. 23, 2009
Three short answer questions and one long essay question must be completed before submitting your application. Prepare your essays carefully. The Admissions Committee considers your responses to the following questions important in the selection process. Please respond fully and concisely using 1.5 line spacing.
For the short answer questions, please restrict your response to a single page each. For the long essay question, please restrict your response to two pages. Please avoid using a font size smaller than 10-point.
Candidates who applied to Fuqua between September 2007 and April 2008 are considered reapplicants. All reapplicants are required to complete the Reapplicant Essay in addition to the Applicant Essays.
All applicants have the opportunity to submit an optional essay to explain any extenuating circumstances of which the Admissions Committee should be aware.
Short Answer Essays - Answer all short answer essay questions.
Long Essay - Answer the long essay question below.
Optional Essay (not required)
Reapplicant Essay
All reapplicants are also required to complete the Reapplicant Essay below. Please limit your response to two pages.
Write an essay describing how you are a stronger candidate for admission compared to the previous year's application
Deadline Notification
Round 1 Oct 15, 2008 Dec 18, 2008
Round 2 Jan 7, 2009 Mar 25. 2009
Round 3 Mar 11, 2009 May 13, 2009
My comments below are in red.
The Chicago GSB has once again changed their essay questions and in accordance with long Chicago tradition -- not to mention its "Challenge everything" motto, -- they are distinctive. At the same time, Chicago has abandoned the "off-the-wall" question that used to be its signature. It has retained the slide presentation, in a slightly modified form.
Essay Questions and Slide Presentation
Essay questions for the Fall 2009 application are below. The Fall 2009 Chicago GSB application will be available in late-July 2008.
Essays
Why are you pursuing an MBA at this point in your career? (750 word maximum).
This is similar to last year's Essay 1, but less directed and shorter. Here is one way to approach the question (and there are definitely others): Identify two or three critical elements in your life that have convinced you now is the right time to pursue your MBA. Describe what you want to be doing, highlighting both the foundation provided by your chosen experiences and the gap between where you want to be and where you are.
The question does not ask specifically "Why Chicago." While you will explicitly tie your answer to Chicago in the next essay, in this essay you should reveal the elements in your decision-making process and goals that demonstrate fit with Chicago.
Please select one of the following two questions to answer. (1000 word maximum)
Option 1
a) Please provide an example of a time when you had to make a choice between two equally important obligations. How did you decide which obligation deserved your attention?
b) Did you try and predict other people's reactions to your decision? If so, how accurate were you? Why do you think you were or were not accurate in your prediction?
c) Reflecting on this experience, how do you think an MBA from Chicago GSB might have aided in your decision making process?
-or-
Option 2
a) Have you ever made a decision that caused you to go against popular opinion? Please describe that situation and your rationale for you decision.
b) Did you feel at any point that people misperceived your motives? Explain.
c) In retrospect, how do you think an MBA from Chicago GSB would have affected your decision?
The first task: choosing Option 1 or 2. Select the option that allows you to show yourself forging your own independent path in a venue not revealed either in your Essay 1, the Slide Presentation, or your optional essay.
Realize that both options ask for an experience. These are behavioral questions, and they reflect Chicago's focus on ethics and values.
Option 1 starts as the flip-side of a classic ethical dilemma question. The B and C elements of that question are where Chicago adds its own unique twist. Make sure you answer all parts of the questions.
Option 2 asks for a time when you did something unpopular. I can imagine many situations, especially in volunteer organizations where people act with only the noblest of intentions, when an idiosyncratic approach or novel idea is negatively received. And because opponents are motivated only by the good of mankind or at least of the group, they find it easier to attack the motives of the person behind an unpopular idea than the logic underpinning the idea. Has that happened to you? There's your A & B. Now just add C.
Slide Presentation
We have asked for a great deal of information throughout this application and now invite you tell us about yourself. Using four slides or less, please provide readers with content that captures who you are.
We have set forth the following guidelines for you to consider when creating your presentation.
Rose Martinelli emphasized when AIGAC met with her in Chicago and in a recent BW interview that the best slides were not the boring, bulleted summary of the applicants life. As BW put it:
There are an infinite number of good approaches to this question. Here is one: If you have a hobby, use the slides to celebrate it. Take pride in it. Share it. Show that you could be a fun contributing member of the Chicago GSB community.
Optional Essay
If there is any important information that is relevant for your candidacy that you were unable to address elsewhere in the application, please share that information here.
Last year Chicago specified that this question was intended to discuss "anomalies": gaps in your resume, a bad year in college, the absence of a recommendation from your current employer, etc. Certainly that possibility remains, but until Chicago posts similar limitations on this question for this year, I view it as a broader optional question. IN the absence of instructions to the contrary, If there is something positive, important, and relevant to your candidacy that you are unable to address in the two essays and slide presentation, then use this question to present it. I would stay under 500 words.
If you would like help with your Chicago MBA application, please consider Accepted's MBA essay editing and admissions consulting or a Chicago MBA Premier Comprehensive Package, which includes essay editing, interview coaching, consultation, and a resume edit for the Chicago MBA application.
Application and CSQ Due
Early Action Round Oct. 15, 2008
Nov. Round Nov. 12, 2008
Jan. Round Jan. 7, 2009
April Round Apr. 1, 2008
Tuck's 2009 questions are almost identical to last year's questions. My comments are also virtually identical, but I am placing them here for your convenience. Just a few, minor tweaks on my part. The comments in red below are mine.
Please respond fully but concisely to the following essay questions. Compose each of your answers offline in separate document files and upload them individually in the appropriate spaces below. Although there is no restriction on the length of your response, most applicants use, on average, 500 words for each essay. There are no right or wrong answers. Please double-space your responses.
1. Why is an MBA a critical next step toward your short- and long-term career goals? Why is Tuck the best MBA program for you? (If you are applying for a joint or dual degree, please explain how the additional degree will contribute to those goals.)
Note that the MBA is a "step" towards a goal. That means you have to briefly discuss the path you have been on and then reflect on your reasons for wanting an MBA and specifically a Tuck MBA to go in the direction you want to go. You have to know a lot about Tuck as well as your goals to respond effectively to this question. Why do you want a program that stresses the integration of business functions? Why do you want a small, tight-knit program? Which of Tuck's strengths appeal to you? How will they help you achieve your goals?
2. Tuck defines leadership as “inspiring others to strive and enabling them to accomplish great things.” We believe great things and great leadership can be accomplished in pursuit of business and societal goals. Describe a time when you exercised such leadership. Discuss the challenges you faced and the results you achieved. What characteristics helped you to be effective, and what areas do you feel you need to develop in order to be a better leader?
This question is also a repeat and reflects the importance Tuck, like many MBA programs, places on leadership..
Have you inspired a troubled teen to apply himself academically? Have you chaired a fund raiser that raised a record amount of money? Have you captained a sports team that led your intra-mural or company league? Have you been a team lead on a project that came in early and under budget? Are you head of a sales team? These could all be examples of leadership. How did you inspire your teammates to achieve? Answer all elements in the question -- despite and within the 500-word limit.
3. Discuss the most difficult constructive criticism or feedback you have received. How did you address it? What have you learned from it?
Leadership development is an important part of the Tuck program. Within that facet of Tuck life, self assessment and peer assessment play an important role. Can you take and grow from criticism? Show the adcom reader that you can learn from criticism by demonstrating that you already have done so. Provide the feedback and if necessary explain why it was difficult for you to address. Then describe the steps you took to respond constructively. Finally, show the results: what you learned and ideally how you now effectively handle situations that triggered the initial criticism.
4. Tuck seeks candidates of various backgrounds who can bring new perspectives to our community. How will your unique personal history, values, and/or life experiences contribute to the culture at Tuck?
Tuck may be small and rural, but it is no backwater. And it is fiercely proud of its diversity -- in all senses of the word. It also wants people who will contribute to the school. When I visited Tuck for the International Educational Consultants Conference, I was struck by the variety of events within Tuck and the larger Dartmouth community. Clearly, to answer this question well you must reflect on your background, but you also need to study the activities, clubs, and programs available at Tuck. What are the distinctive elements of your background? How will it enable you to contribute at Tuck?
5. (Optional) Please provide any additional insight or information that you have not addressed elsewhere that may be helpful in reviewing your application (e.g., unusual choice of evaluators, weaknesses in academic performance, unexplained job gaps or
changes, etc.). Complete this question only if you feel your candidacy is not fully represented by this application.
It is almost impossible for 4 500-word essay plus a bunch of boxes, a transcript, and a GMAT score to represent fully the uniqueness and talents of a truly impressive candidate. That comment has nothing to do with writing style and everything to do with the complexity of accomplished human beings. In my opinion this "optional essay" is optional in name only.
6. (To be completed by all reapplicants) How have you strengthened your candidacy since you last applied? Please reflect on how you have grown personally and professionally.
Straightforward. What has changed that would compel Tuck to admit you this year when it rejected you last year?
For information on how Accepted.com can help you with your Tuck application, please see the Tuck Editing and Advising Package or our MBA Admissions Editing and Consulting. Both are 10% off through July 31, 2008.
Yale just announced on its community blog the Yale SOM 2009 MBA essay questions.
1: Why a Yale MBA?
What is the impact that you wish to have on the world? How will your previous experiences and a Yale MBA enhance your ability, in the short-term and long-term, to pursue a career that will allow you to achieve this impact? (500 words maximum)
2: Leadership Example
Describe a professional accomplishment that exhibits your leadership style. The accomplishment should include evidence of your leadership skills, a description of the actions you took, as well as the impact you had on your organization. (500 words maximum)
3: Personal Statement 1
Choose one (1) of the following topics and answer it in essay form. Please indicate the topic number at the beginning of your essay. (500 words maximum)
(1) A central premise of our teaching about leadership at the Yale School of Management is that true leadership – leadership that helps to address a significant problem in a new way – is necessarily personal. It is only when personal passion aligns with meaningful aspirations that individuals are able to inspire others to act in support of an important goal or cause. What are you most passionate about, and how have you demonstrated a commitment to this passion?
(2) What personal achievement are you most proud of and why?
(3) Describe a situation in which your values were challenged. How did you respond to the situation and what did you learn from it?
(4) A phrase often heard among SOM graduates is that they aspire to lead a life that is an “SOM Story” – that of a broadly engaged, values-based leader who owns and solves hard problems that matter. How will you create your own SOM Story? Describe a situation in which you devised and implemented a creative or innovative solution to a difficult problem. What obstacles did you face and how did you overcome them?
(5) The Yale School of Management is a community of individuals with diverse backgrounds and interests. What unique attributes would you bring to the Class of 2011?
(6) What is the most difficult feedback you have received and how did you address it? Looking forward, what skills are you most eager to build or improve upon in business school?
(7) Required for reapplicants: What steps have you taken to improve your candidacy since your last application?
4: Personal Statement 2
Choose one (1) of the topics listed in Essay 3, or create a topic of your own about a subject that is meaningful to you, and answer it in essay form. Please indicate the topic number (or state the topic if it is not one of the ones listed) at the beginning of your essay. (500 words maximum)
Optional Essay
If any aspect of your candidacy needs further explanation, please provide any additional information that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider. (250 words maximum)
Deadline Notification
Round 1 Oct. 15, 2008 Jan. 16, 2009
Round 2 Jan. 7, 2009 Apr. 10, 2009
Round 3 Mar. 18, 2009 May 8, 2009
Round 1 Oct 10, 2008 Jan 15, 2009
Round 2 Jan 2, 2009 March 15, 2009
Round 3 March 1, 2009 May 15, 2009
International students are encouraged to apply in Round 1 or 2.
The application is identical to last year's application, and I have only tweaked my suggestions from last year.
Although Ross' questions may appear superficial or generic, don't be fooled. Ross does not want generic answers. Your answers need to connect to Ross' multi-disciplinary action projects and commitment to action-based learning. You need to show the admissions readers why you belong at Ross, not at Top B-School.
The remainder of my tips are in red below.
Provide response to the following four essay questions, each on a separate page. At the top of each page, please include your full name and a complete statement of the question being answered.
Use at least 11 point font and 1.5 line spacing.
Required questions
You must answer the following four questions:
Long Answers: (500 word max)
1) Briefly describe your short-term and long-term career goals. Why is an MBA the best choice at this point in your career? What and/or who influenced your decision to apply to Ross?
2) Describe your most significant professional accomplishment. Elaborate on the leadership skills you displayed, the actions you took and the impact you had on your organization.
Clearly your most significant professional accomplishment should reveal leadership and have had impact on your company. What challenges did you face as a leader? How did you handle them? If you can, quantify the impact of your accomplishment.
Short Answers: (300 word max)
3) If you were not pursuing the career goals you described in Question 1, what profession would you pursue instead? (for example, teacher, musician, athlete, architect, etc.) How will this alternate interest contribute to your effectiveness in solving multi-disciplinary problems?
Maybe you are someone who struggled with your career choices. You had a close second before you chose your current professional goal. Then you should have a relatively easy time answering this question.
If you always seemed pretty directed and haven't wavered since you decided against being a firefighter in first grade, then you may have a little more difficulty with this question. In the latter case, use the question to reveal another side of you. Perhaps you would be a professional basketball player and your team skills would be relevant at Ross. Or you would work as a serial entrepreneur and bring your entrepreneurial pizzazz to Ross.
4. Describe your experience during a challenging time in your life. Explain how you grew personally, either despite this challenge or because of it.
Challenge comes in so many shapes and sizes that it is very difficult to give general advice on this one. You have to be on the other side of the challenge to know how you grew as a result. You may have conquered the challenge. You may not have entirely overcome it, but you will be changed and usually strengthened by having faced it. Describe the challenge, how you handled it, and how you grew as a result.
For most applicants, this will be a non-professional essay.
Optional Question:
Is there anything else you think the Admissions Committee should know about you to evaluate your candidacy?
Do not use this essay like a storage room, my son's bedroom closet, or even a large salad: a place to put everything. Focus on one facet of your life or an experience that is important to you, reveals the human being you are, and isn't described in other parts of the application. Write about it here.
You can of course also use this essay to "explain" a weakness, but I hate to end your application on that note if it can be avoided. So weigh your options. If you have something to explain, do so. If you can tuck the explanation somewhere else in the application, more power to you. If the best place for the explanation is this last essay, so be it.
If you would like help with your Michigan Ross MBA application, please consider Accepted.com's MBA essay editing and admissions consulting or a Michigan Ross Comprehensive Package, a package of editing and consulting specific to Ross. All these options are 10% off through July 31, 2008.
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