Michigan Essay Topic Analysis (2005-2006) » Clear Admit: MBA Admissions Consultants Blog

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Application Deadlines
Below are the upcoming deadlines for admission to top-tier schools.
Feb 10: INSEAD R3
Mar 1: Michigan / Ross R3
Mar 3: CBS
Mar 3: LBS R3
Mar 4: Kellogg R3
Mar 8: Cambridge / Judge R4
Mar 8: CMU / Tepper R3
Mar 9: Duke / Fuqua R3
Mar 9: Penn / Wharton R3
Mar 10: Berkeley / Hass R4
Mar 10: Chicago Booth R3
Mar 10: Yale SOM R3
Mar 15: NYU / Stern R3
Mar 17: UCLA / Anderson R3
Mar 19: UNC / Kenan-Flagler R4
Mar 30: Cornell / Johnson R4
Mar 31: UVA / Darden R3
Mar 31: INSEAD R4
Apr 1: UT-Austin / McCombs
Apr 2: Dartmouth / Tuck R3
Apr 2: Oxford / Saїd R3
Apr 7: Stanford GSB R4
Apr 8: Harvard R3
Apr 14: CBS

Essay Topic Analysis
Below are links to our comments on some of the top programs' essay topics.
The Career Goals Essay
Berkeley / Haas*
Chicago Booth*
CMU / Tepper*
Columbia*
Cornell / Johnson*
Dartmouth / Tuck*
Duke / Fuqua*
Harvard*
Indian School of Business*
INSEAD*
London Business School*
MIT / Sloan*
Michigan / Ross*
Northwestern / Kellogg*
NYU / Stern*
Oxford / Said*
Penn / Wharton*
Stanford GSB*
UCLA / Anderson*
UNC / Kenan-Flagler*
USC / Marshall*
UT Austin / McCombs*
UVA / Darden*
Yale SOM*
* denotes '09-'10 commentary

Categories
Use categories to access all that has been written on each of the topics. We have categorized by school and by subject matter.

Interview Reports
A selection of interview field reports from fellow applicants posted to the MBA Admissions Wiki. Add your reports when you are finished with your interviews.
Chicago
Columbia
Dartmouth / Tuck
Duke / Fuqua
Harvard
Kellogg
Michigan / Ross
MIT / Sloan
Stanford
UNC / Chapel Hill
Virginia / Darden
Wharton
London Business School

GMAT Resources
MBA.com
Manhattan GMAT
GMAT Club
Princeton Review
Test Prep New York
Kaplan
Beat The GMAT
Knewton

Writing Resources
Guide to Grammar and Writing
The Internet Grammar of English
English Usage, Style and Composition
The Economist Style Guide
Paradigm Online Writing Assistant

School Rankings
Rankings are a good way to start your research on various MBA Programs. Keep in mind each uses a different methodology.
Business Week
Economist
Financial Times
Forbes
USNews
Wall Street Journal

Career Guides
The following resources should be useful to those who want to research the careers open to them after (or before) earning an MBA.
Vault.com
Wetfeet

Business School Resources
The following are business resources offered by a variety of leading Business Schools. It's useful to subscribe to these resources, especially for the schools to which you are applying.

MBA Programs: North America
If an MBA Program is not listed, please e-mail and we will be happy to list it.
Berkeley / Haas
Boston College / Carroll
Carnegie Mellon / Tepper
Chicago
Columbia
Concordia
Cornell / Johnson
Dartmouth / Tuck
Duke / Fuqua
Emory / Goizueta
Harvard
HEC Montreal
Indiana / Kelley
Michigan
MIT / Sloan
Northwestern / Kellogg
New York / Stern
North Carolina / Kenan Flagler
Notre Dame / Mendoza
Pennsylvania / Wharton
Queens
Stanford
Syracuse / Whitman
Texas / McCombs
Thunderbird
Toronto
USC / Marshall
UCLA / Anderson
Vanderbilt / Owen
Virginia / Darden
Washington University in St. Louis / Olin
Western Ontario / Ivey
Yale

MBA Programs: Rest of the World
As there is some variety in the length of international MBA programs, we have denoted the length of the program next to its name (1 = one year; 2 = 2 years). If an MBA Program is not listed, please e-mail and we will be happy to list it.
AGSM (Australia) 2
Cambridge / Judge (UK) 1
CIEBS (China) 2
Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (China) 1
Cranfield School of Mgmt (UK) 1
ESADE (Spain) 1 or 2
HEC (France) 2
Hult (UK) 1
IESE (Spain) 2
IMD (Switzerland) 1
INCAE (Costa Rica) 2
INSEAD (France) 1
IPADE (Mexico)
ISB (India) 1
London Business School (UK) 2
Manchester Bus. School (UK) 2
Melbourne (Australia) 2
Oxford / Said (UK) 1
Rotterdam (Netherlands) 1
Tsinghua IMBA (China) 2
University of St. Gallen (Switzerland) 1

Additional Resources
Here we link a host of additional resources available across the web. E-mail info@clearadmit.com to have resources added to this list.
AACSB International
Association of MBAs
Beyond Grey Pinstripes
EFMD
gradschools.com (worldwide)
Infozee
International Student Loans
mba.com (GMAT Scores)
MBAInfo
mbaleague.blogspot.com
MBAzone
MBA Jungle
TOEFL
Top MBA

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Thursday, October 20, 2005

Michigan Essay Topic Analysis (2005-2006)

With the first wave of round one deadlines having recently passed, many applicants are turning their attention to schools whose round one deadlines are a bit later in the season. With Michigan’s R1 deadline coming up on the first of November, we wanted to offer our thoughts on the essay questions for that program.

Required Questions
You must answer all parts of the four questions below.
1. We believe one of the keys to effective leadership is the ability to transform ideas into action through people. Please describe a professional leadership accomplishment in which you transformed an idea into action. How did your leadership impact your organization? (500-word maximum)
You’re being asked to discuss a few key things here. The main theme is the transformation of idea into action – and ultimately results (this is where the last part of the question comes in). Be sure to carefully explain the way you arrived at the idea in question, and explain the actions you took to make it a reality, as well as the thought process behind them. The second component here is making your plan an actuality “through people.” With this in mind, it will be important to pick a story that reflects your ability to engage others, win their support for a plan and motivate them to carry it to fruition. Finally, it will also be critical to demonstrate (and perhaps even quantify) the impact that your leadership had on your organization.

2. Describe the initiatives you have taken over the past two years to develop professionally. (500-word maximum)
This question is unique in that it maintains a somewhat broad focus (as opposed to asking for an account of a single situation) within a very specific time frame. In approaching this essay, we’d recommend that applicants take some time to reflect on the ways they have proactively sought out opportunities to learn or lead, as this will be the key to crafting a compelling narrative that demonstrates that the author has been thoughtful and deliberate in cultivating his or her career. While it certainly wouldn’t hurt to comment on the success you’ve had in these roles, the emphasis of this essay should really be on the process and growth you’ve undergone over the past two years.

3. What career goals have you set for yourself and how will a Ross MBA support the achievement of these goals? How will you utilize the opportunities at Ross to co-create an MBA experience that is right for you? How will you enhance the experience of other members of the Ross community? (500-word maximum)
See the general tips we posted in this blog last summer for guidance in tackling this fairly standard career goal essay. Keep in mind that in this instance, much of your recent ‘career progress’ will have been touched upon in essay #2, leaving you more room here to elaborate on the active role you intend to pursue as a student at Ross.

4. Describe a situation where your professional ethics were challenged and how you came to terms with the situation. What did you learn from this? (500-word maximum)
While ethics are always of interest to business school admissions committees, this seems to be a particularly hot topic this year. Our advice on how to approach this sort of essay is covered in our comments on Columbia’s topics for this year.

Optional Questions
You may answer one, both or neither of these questions.
1. Describe a situation in which others with whom you were working on a project disagreed with your ideas. What did you do? In retrospect, is there anything you would have done differently? (500-word maximum)
2. Please feel free to elaborate on any other information that you believe is important for the admissions committee to assess your candidacy. (500-word maximum)
Although these essays are technically optional, we do not recommend the same approach that one would take with the usual optional essay question that most schools pose. It’s quite likely that the majority of Michigan applicants will have something more worth saying after responding to the school’s required questions, given their strictly professional focus. This would be a great place to share some information about your outside interests and activities, in order to help the adcom get to know you better and ensure that your application materials present a balanced picture of your candidacy.

As a reminder, Michigan’s deadlines are as follows:

R1: November 1st, 2005
R2: January 7th, 2006
R3: March 1st, 2006

Best of luck to everyone targeting Michigan!

# posted by Clear Admit @ 6:30 am in Essay Topic Analysis, School: Michigan / Ross

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