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!
