APPLICANT RESOURCES

Clear Admit Interview Guides
Be as prepared as possible for your MBA interviews this season with the Clear Admit Interview Guides! School-specific sample questions and in-depth strategy, campus visit details and places to stay.

Clear Admit School Guides
Seventeen titles available! Understand how the leading programs compare and learn more about the MBA experience in and beyond the classroom through Clear Admit School Guides. As featured in the Economist.

Essay Topic Analysis
Below are links to our comments on some of the top programs' essay topics for the 2007-2008 admissions season.
The Career Goals Essay
Berkeley / Haas
Chicago GSB
CMU / Tepper *
Columbia
Cornell / Johnson
Dartmouth / Tuck
Duke / Fuqua
Harvard
IESE *
INSEAD
London Business School
MIT / Sloan
Michigan / Ross
Northwestern / Kellogg
NYU / Stern
Oxford / Said *
Penn / Wharton
Stanford GSB
UCLA / Anderson
UNC / Kenan-Flagler
UT Austin / McCombs *
UVA / Darden
Yale SOM
* denotes last year's commentary

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• School: Berkeley / Haas
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• School: CMU / Tepper
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• School: ESADE
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• School: Harvard
• School: IE
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• School: IMD
• School: INSEAD
• School: ISB
• School: London Business School
• School: Michigan / Ross
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• School: Northwestern / Kellogg
• School: NYU Stern
• School: Oxford
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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
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ARCHIVE FOR JULY 2006

Monday, July 31, 2006

Duke Deadlines 2006-2007

Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business has just released its application deadlines for the coming admissions season:

Round 1
Application Due: November 1, 2006
Interview Deadline: November 21, 2006
Decision Notification: December 19, 2006

Round 2
Application Due: January 8, 2007
Interview Deadline: February 23, 2007
Decision Notification: March 8, 2007

Round 3
Application Due: March 21, 2007
Interview Deadline: April 17, 2007
Decision Notification: May 4, 2007

Applicants should note that interview dates reflect the timeframe for on-campus sessions, which are strongly encouraged but not strictly required (the program also offers alumni interviews to west coast and international applicants). The website promises that the program’s essay questions will be announced and online application launched early in the coming month.

Friday, July 28, 2006

Carnegie Mellon / Tepper Recruiting Update

We’ve just received a press release that was issued by CMU / Tepper and covers the latest recruiting figures. As expected, the current students are doing well - with rising salaries and healthy numbers in both the banking and consulting sectors.

Tepper School of Business Students Report Strong 2006 Recruiting Season
Increased Demand, Higher Salaries Cited for MBA and MSCF Students

PITTSBURGH - Both newly minted MBAs and first-year graduate studentsat Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business report a strengthening market for jobs and summer internships, with increased offers overall and more offers being made earlier than last year. Salaries for full-time positions and internships are also up compared to 2005, according to student surveys.

About 83 percent of graduating MBAs had offers in hand - and about 75 percent of those had accepted their first job - at the time of their graduation, said Ken Keeley, executive director of the Tepper School’s Career Opportunities Center. Graduates of Tepper’s Master of Science in Computational Finance (MSCF) program reported exceptionally high demand for their blend of strong quantitative, computing, statistical and finance skills. All MSCF graduates accepted a job within a month of graduating, up from 71 percent during the same period a year ago. The numbers were nearly as good for internships: 99 percent of first-year students received at least one internship offer for the summer, up from 95 percent last year. Salaries for 2006 MBA graduates also continued to climb. The average salary reported by MBA students who graduated in May was $94,935, nearly seven percent higher than last year. The average starting salary for MSCF grads was $90,118, down slightly from 2005’s average of $93,510. “Across the board, the economy has definitely emerged from the hiring downturn we saw two years ago,” Keeley said. “This year’s strong recruiting season speaks directly to the value that recruiters place on the analytical skills and interdisciplinary education our students receive here at Tepper.”

An increase in the amount of recruiters visiting the Tepper School is another indication of growing demand for graduate business majors. The number of companies interviewing on campus increased by about 31 percent from 2005, and students also traveled to locations such as New York and Silicon Valley, making use of Tepper’s existing satellite classrooms there for interviews and information sessions with recruiters.

Top Industries Employing Tepper School of Business Graduates and Graduate Interns in 2006

INDUSTRY: (MBA/MSCF %) (Graduate Interns %)
Financial Services: (28.41) (36.67)
Consulting: (23.86) (10.67)
Technology: (11.93) (14.67)
Consumer Products: (5.68) (7.33)
Petroleum / Energy: (4.55) (2.67)
Information Systems / IT: (3.41) (2.67)
Other: (22.16) (25.32)

Upcoming Events: Free Workshops!

The Clear Admit team has a busy month of August ahead! We’re reaching out to applicants through participation in several exciting free events. While plans continue to be finalized, here’s an initial schedule to help our readers stay on top of two August offerings:

Tuesday, August 1st. 8:00 - 9:00 PM (ET) [online]
Virtual GMAT Preview and MBA Admissions Strategy Session
Our friends at Manhattan GMAT will be offering a free online workshop that reviews GMAT test basics and preparation essentials. Attendees will learn four practical strategies to use on the test! Clear Admit’s Graham Richmond will join the workshop to offer strategic advice on the role of the exam in the admissions process, covering answers to key questions like: How many times can I take the exam? How do admissions officers view multiple scores? How can one compensate for a low GMAT score?, and more general questions about the admissions process at the top MBA programs! Register for the event here.

Thursday, August 17th. Evening/TBA (ET) [138 West 25th St., NYC]
In-person GMAT Preview and MBA Admissions Strategy Workshop
This session will be very similar to the event mentioned above - with the exception being that it’s an in-person event at the offices of Manhattan GMAT in New York City. Once again, our friends at Manhattan GMAT will be offering a free workshop that will review GMAT test basics and include Q&A with Clear Admit’s Brett Haber to address attendees questions about the MBA admissions process and the role of the GMAT. Registration details will be announced next week for this event! Space is limited.

Fridays from the Frontline

Welcome to another edition of FFF, our weekly recap of the goings on in the MBA blogosphere. A look at what student bloggers have been up to really highlights the range of different considerations and activities that come up during business school summers. For starters, the LBS blog featured the diary of a student out on a unique shadowing project while his classmate rsr.pt is planning on having a productive summer and bidding on classes at Columbia in preparation for an exchange term. Brit-chick, meanwhile, recounts a harrowing visa problem and plans to offer a word of advice to incoming international Wharton students and jp recaps his interactions with some members of the Houston Class of 2008. Marquis also recounts his participation in the LEAD conference and remarks that he enjoyed meeting some future MBAs. Mbwana, on the other hand, spends time looking back on his own first year and provides a review of his Stanford experience to date, and Le MBA reflects on his motivations for pursuing the degree in Europe. Finally, KV is looking forward to the coming year at LBS and entertaining some compelling housing options in England and elsewhere.

Which roof to have over one’s head is a concern that incoming b-school students share as well. Angel Angie bid an illustrated farewell to Hamburg this week on her way to LBS (via Switzerland), MBA Spanky succeeded in finding an apartment by Anderson and MJ is moved in and explorin’ Durham before things kick off at Fuqua. Speaking of farewells, FM will soon be on his way to the UK now that he’s gotten his visa, some family members threw a party for DomoDomo to wish him luck at INSEAD, while fellow admit InvisibleInk experienced the other end of this journey at a BCG reception. In more academically-focused admit news, Axechick has just a month left of her internship before starting at Columbia and is feeling indecisive about her b-school path, Marina wonders how many classes to try her hand at waiving through the upcoming CBS exemption exams, and Rahul tries his hand at couse registration at Kellogg.

One final activity of students slated to begin school in the fall has been sharing their insight with the next wave of applicants. Axechick offers some high level essay advice and Been There Done That posted his AGSM responses, Oxford-bound Nagendra tries to alleviate some common concerns, and Rupin shares the viewpoint he developed while applying to Chicago last year. As for the applicants themselves, FSM shares his GMAT prep approach and Kent learns that he’s a consistent test-taker, while Suser McLoser braces herself for the oncoming exam; others, like GuyMBA, have quite a while to go before test day. We were glad to hear that Juggler is making progress with her Harvard essays and feeling positively about the process again, and that GuyMBA already has a full set of Columbia responses. Others are busy with school selection, as Anand has an eight school roster and fellow reapp Rusgirl is beginning to think about her target programs for this time around, or simply marveling at the wisdom of European schools in requiring that students be bilingual.

That does it for this week. We wish all of these applicant and student bloggers ongoing luck in all of their very varied pursuits, and hope that everyone has a great weekend!

Thursday, July 27, 2006

Clear Admit Tipline

As those who follow this blog closely are already well aware, one of our aims is to track the latest trends in the MBA admissions world and keep readers abreast of breaking business school news. Today, we’d like to introduce a new feature that we hope will make this site an even more comprehensive source of b-school information: the Clear Admit Tipline.

If you’re an admissions officer who wants to put the word out about a new development in your program, a student with inside information about the goings on at your particular school, an applicant with an inside track on admissions updates, or someone who just happens to have come across an interesting article about the MBA space, consider yourself encouraged to send an email to news@clearadmit.com at any time. We’ve always enjoyed receiving notes from our readers, and are pleased to offer this opportunity for members of the community to join us in building this resource. Hope to hear from you soon (and often)!

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Article: Financing the MBA

Though many applicants for the fall 2007 b-school entry have already committed to the process and are working full tilt on their application materials, there are many that are still on the fence about whether an MBA program makes sense. For many such would-be applicants, one of the greatest factors in this decision is the financial viability of an MBA, which involves not only sacrificing one or two years of income (depending on the program), but also incurring a considerable amount of debt to cover the cost of tuition.

For those individuals who are leaning toward business school but finding the money issue to be the major sticking point, we wanted to highlight an ongoing series in The Times that promises to cover MBA funding options in six weekly installments. The philosophy behind the articles is summed up in a quote from David Simpson, London Business School’s senior manager of MBA marketing and admissions, found in the article announcing the feature:

“We advise prospective students to really plan ahead and build a funding portfolio from as many different sources as possible. There is money out there and they should take advantage of the opportunities.”

The first installment, which came out last week, covers the topic of sponsorship and offers a few words of advice to those hoping for financial (among other kinds) of support from their employer. Because employers that sponsor students expect some return on their investment, this topic is most relevant to those seeking part-time or executive MBAs and planning on staying with their current company for at least a few years after graduation. This week’s article, covering the topic of scholarships and due out tomorrow, promises to be more broadly applicable to all business school aspirants.

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

MBA Trends: Post-MBA Exec Ed

Kellogg announced last week that it will be launching a new executive program catering to what was previously a largely untapped segment of the business education market: individuals who already hold MBAs. Kellogg’s Renaissance Program is intended for seasoned managers who completed their degrees before 1995, and is designed to bring students up to speed on new developments and issues that have become increasingly significant over the past decade. Here’s a comment from the school’s press release announcing the new course offering:

“We asked ourselves a simple question — what are we teaching now that we did not teach a decade ago?” said Stephen Burnett, associate dean of executive education at the Kellogg School. “We asked our colleagues to look back over their teaching notes and course outlines and identify concepts, tools, and best practices that today are considered essential but were not a part of the classroom a decade ago.”

With the undeniable utility of such a curriculum given the rapid pace of technological innovation and the growing impact of trends such as globalization and outsourcing, it will be interesting to see whether other business schools follow suit by offering similar programs.

More information is available on Kellogg’s site at:
http://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/execed/programs/MGMT08/index.htm

Monday, July 24, 2006

Tuck Essay Topic Analysis 2006-2007

Because we posted Tuck’s essay questions last week, we wanted to follow up with some comments and tips covering each of the program’s prompts.

There’s been relatively little change across Tuck’s set of questions; the fourth is worded slightly differently from last year’s inquiry about what the applicant most wants others to know about him or her, but the angle of community contribution remains the same. The only entirely new question is the third, replacing the subject of a “significant nonacademic failure” with a query about an instance of constuctive criticism.

In addition to asking a set of questions that are very similar to last year’s, the program’s instructions with respect to length are also much the same, stating that there are no formal length limits, but that most applicants use 500 words per essay “on average.” This provides a bit more leeway than schools whose essays have explicit word counts, but it would still be wise to avoid exceeding or coming short of this mark by very many words.

Let’s take a closer look at each of the school’s essays:

Essay 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?
This is a rather straightforward career goal essay. The one way that it differs from those of most other schools is that rather than simply inquiring about the basis of an applicant’s interest in the program, Tuck wants to hear the reasons it might be the best of the candidate’s options. Navigating this issue will require a fair amount of research, as it will be important to identify some features that are truly unique to Tuck and very relevant to one’s goals, background and/or interests.

Essay 2: Tuck defines leadership as “inspiring others to strive and enabling them to accomplish great things.” 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 is a tall order for an (approximately) 500 word essay, as applicants are asked not only to recount a situation in detail, but also to reflect on the strengths behind the success and comment on areas for potential improvement. In order to keep the details and length under control, a sound approach would be to make sure that the characteristics you intend to cover in response to the follow up question are clearly illustrated in the initial story, as this would enable you to refer to the events in passing at the end of the essay rather than introducing completely new ideas.

Essay 3: Discuss the most difficult constructive criticism or feedback you have received. How did you address it? What have you learned from it?
Though this question will elicit a different sort of story than last year’s prompt about a failure or setback, the major themes of growth and learning remain the same. In addition to recounting the steps you took to address the issue that had been raised, commenting on the way you reacted to this difficult feedback could be a great way to demonstrate maturity and a sincere interest in improvement.

Essay 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 is trying to understand the potential value of not only your knowledge and interests, but also of the way you think about the world and synthesize information. This is a great opportunity to highlight your overall point of view and the experiences that have shaped it, which is information that you might not have a chance to mention in applications to other programs. It will be important to make it clear that you’ve done your research and are familiar with the school’s close-knit community and overall atmosphere, and describe the way you would influence the culture and contribute to the community with concrete examples, if at all possible.

Sunday, July 23, 2006

Looking for a DC-based MBA Blogger

If there is anyone in the Washington DC area, who is blogging his / her MBA experience, or application experience, and would consider participating in a “class” that Clear Admit’s Alex Brown is teaching for GMAC’s Professional Development Program, please e-mail him ASAP at: alexbr@clearadmit.com. Our apologies for the late notice, but the class is this Tuesday afternoon, July 25!

Friday, July 21, 2006

Fridays from the Frontline

With another week comes another installment of FFF! Fittingly enough for this time of year, things are heating up in the MBA blogosphere as admitted students get closer to the start of school and the new crop of applicants gears up for the task ahead. Let’s take a look at the latest developments and goings on in the lives of our blogger friends:

Though several applicants are still focused on conquering the GMAT - Kent Torokvei will be giving the test another go today (good luck!) and Suser McLoser is still in the early preparatory stages - essays have become a more popular topic among the candidate crowd. This is hardly suprising, given the number of schools that have released their questions over the past weeks in a move that some view as more benevolent than others, as ScareCrow equates it with the weather while Forrest Gump treats it more as a declaration of war (not too hard to tell who’s the reapp here). While UniQpath ponders the best frame of mind from which to approach her essays, Juggler is thinking about the ways her story might fit the questions asked by each of her target schools, MaelstromX is still hashing out his school selection, and GuyMBA is nearly finished with his Columbia essays and seems more focused on the issue of recommendations. Similarly, Median2K9 learned a valuable lesson about managing recommenders and StressTensor finally shared his b-school plans asked his boss for a letter (and, just to bring things full circle, hopes to get his input on his essays).

Fortunately for those diligently working on their application materials, a number of current and admitted students have shared their essay-related insights this week. Brit-Chick notes a change in this year’s Wharton essays and Benny tracks adjustment’s to Tuck’s questions, while Angel Angie shares her secrets of success in getting into LBS and MBAXploit publishes what must have been an effective Darden essay. In other tips, InvisibleInk has pledged to share the lessons he learned in the process of getting into INSEAD (beginning with the GMAT), FooBarMe offers some thoughts on how to get the most out of info sessions, and DomoDomo weighs in on additional ways to get a feel for INSEAD.

Those admits who aren’t offering advice are looking ahead to the start of school. Some are mired in specifics - MJ is buried under a mound of pre-Fuqua reading, FM is selling furniture and filing paperwork before heading to London, Rahul is thinking about Kellogg classes and Marina is getting ready to ship (things) off to Columbia - while others are facing broader concerns. DomoDomo shares his four step plan for getting settled in Fontainebleau, MGalBlue has mixed emotions about leaving work for Michigan, and Paxti is formulating a plan to hit the ground running at INSEAD and meeting some fellow admits while he’s at it.

Just as one blogger is getting ready to arrive on campus, another is saying goodbye forever, as Auris has just finished P3 at INSEAD and will be spending his last two semesters in Singapore. Jeff is also thinking about relocating to Japan on exchange from Brandeis. While we’re sorry to hear from Jerry Blank that Yale second-years are feeling a bit neglected as a result of the curriculum changes, we home that he’s having as good a time with his internship as some of his fellow MBA students. In particular, Stanford student Mbwana is getting exposure to a new Microsoft product, MarketWizWannabe is getting some great finance experience, and Natasja seems to be enjoying her marketing consulting internship.

That’s about all for this week. We hope that everyone continues to keep cool, and that the weekend ahead is a good one!

Thursday, July 20, 2006

Kellogg Essay Topic Analysis 2006-2007

Rounding out what’s been an essay-focused week here in our corner of the blogosphere, we wanted to offer some commentary on the recently released set of Kellogg essay questions.

Whereas some programs (like Kellogg’s regional rival Chicago) have unveiled drastic changes to their essays this season, there hasn’t been too much change to this set at all, as the school has decided to stick with its usual format of three required questions followed with the applicant’s choice of three of six shorter response options. The questions themselves are also much the same as last years, with just one new inquiry among the six shorter prompts and a slight change to another.

Essay 1: Briefly assess your career progress to date. Elaborate on your future career plans and your motivation for pursuing a graduate degree at the Kellogg School (1-2 double-spaced pages).
This is another fairly standard career goals/why MBA essay. As usual, it’s important to remember that specificity of goals is key, and keep in mind that the school prides itself on its collegial culture when addressing the ‘why Kellogg’ issue. One more thing to note is that the request that applicants “assess” their progress to date is unique to Kellogg’s version of this question. This would suggest that it might be appropriate to incorporate a few reflective or even evaluative comments into your discussion of your professional path in order to tailor your perspective to Kellogg’s question.

Essay 2: Each of our applicants is unique. Describe how your background, values, academics, activities and/or leadership skills will enhance the experience of other Kellogg students (1-2 double-spaced pages).
You’re being given the opportunity to do two very important things in this essay. The first is to share a good deal of interesting information about your interests and experiences in order to distinguish yourself from other applicants and help the adcom get to know you. Second, this essay is the perfect forum for you to demonstrate your research on and fit with the program by explaining the ways your involvements and experiences to date translate to a number of specific contributions to the Kellogg community. Whether it’s a class to which your insight would prove especially relevant or a function you could organize as a member of a certain club, the more detail you can provide about the impact you would make, the more reason you’ll give the adcom to admit you.

Essay 3: You have been selected as a member of the Kellogg Admissions Committee. Please provide a brief evaluative assessment of your file (1-2 double-spaced pages).
This is one of the trickier questions out there in the MBA admissions world, as the request that applicants take a third-party perspective on their own applications virtually prohibits them from introducing any new information in this essay. The key is to use this response to draw the inferences that you would hope the reader to make based on your file, perhaps explicitly commenting on themes that run through your experience or drawing connections between your goals and some aspect of your background. This is also a great place for you to address weaknesses in your file - for instance, commenting that while your GPA is below the school’s average, it seems clear that you had one rough semester and that your performance in later years is more indicative of your abilities. [There are number of additional strategies that work for this essay, and we encourage Kellogg applicants to contact us directly for further information about our counseling services in this regard.]

Essay 4: Complete three of the following six questions or statements (2-3 double-spaced paragraphs each).
A. What have been your most significant leadership experiences to date?
This is a simplified version of a familiar question. While in previous years Kellogg also asked about the most important lesson learned as a result of the applicant’s most significant leadership roles, it’s possible that the adcom decided that this was too much ground to cover in two or three paragraphs. Applicants should keep in mind that this question is fairly open in terms of topics, and that hey can draw upon professional and/or extracurricular examples (having been asked about plural “experiences”). Further, they have some leeway to interpret “significant” here, and could focus on an instance of professional or personal growth, or emphasize an important impact on a group or organization. This flexibility should provide the opportunity to select two or three stories that will help applicants to enhance and balance the picture of their candidacies that the previous three essays create.

B. Describe an ethical dilemma that you faced and how it was resolved.
Given that previous actions are often a reliable predictor of future behavior, this is a topic that many schools are curious about. For a detailed discussion of a sound way to approach an essay of this sort, see our commentary on Wharton’s question on the same subject.

C. Outside of work I…
This question offers a prime opportunity to introduce some information about your interests and activities. While it might be tempting to provide a long list of one’s pursuits, it might be more beneficial to focus on just one extracurricular or personal passion in addition to an overview of interests, commenting on the reason that one enjoys this activity (and perhaps how one’s involvement would continue while at business school).

D. Describe a professional situation where you were able to successfully persuade others to see things your way.
This is the only question that is entirely new for this year, and offers a great chance to highlight one’s interpersonal skills and communication abilities. As with any single-instance essay, you’ll need to provide the reader with a clear sense of the situation, persuading the adcom that “your way” was the best way even before describing the steps you took to bring others around to your way of thinking. Remember that in addition to your words and actions, the thought process behind them will also be of interest. Finally, it would be a nice touch to end the essay with a comment on the positive outcome of your plan.

E. I wish the Admissions Committee had asked me…
When introducing balance to one’s file and hitting all the highlights of one’s candidacy are important concerns, an open-ended question like this can be very refreshing - but it’s important to select a topic that could not in fact have been discussed in response to any of the questions the adcom did ask; Kellogg’s eight other prompts cover a good deal of ground. An added element of complexity is that it’s important to avoid that applicants avoid posing themselves a question that echoes that of another school. For instance, claiming that you wish the admissions committee had asked you to discuss your undergraduate academic experience might raise some eyebrows and create suspicions about recycled content originally composed in response to a Harvard question.

F. Since your previous application, what are the steps you have taken to strengthen your candidacy?
Required of reapplicants, this question aims to gauge the candidate’s commitment to Kellogg and provides a great chance to outline exactly how one’s application has changed for the better since last applying. In addition to those steps that will be “on the record,” such as requesting a feedback session or retaking the GMAT, it’s even more important to cover details such as informal promotions and increases in responsibility, along with actions like engaging the student and alumni community to better understand the program.

Admissions Tip: Deadline Planning

As July moves quickly towards August, it’s critical for applicants to finalize school selection and develop a personal schedule based on published application deadlines. Today’s post focuses on those applicants who are considering first round applications and offers some basic advice on how to approach this process.

Let’s start by taking a quick look at the published Round 1 deadlines for the top MBA programs:

Oct. 11: Harvard
Oct. 11: Columbia (ED)*
Oct. 12: Dartmouth / Tuck (EA)**
Oct. 12: Penn / Wharton
Oct. 18: INSEAD
Oct. 18: Chicago
Oct. 19: Darden (EA)**
Oct. 20: Northwestern / Kellogg
Oct. 20: London Business School
Oct. 25: Stanford
Oct.25: UCLA / Anderson
Oct. 27: UNC / Kenan-Flagler (EA)**
Nov. 1: MIT / Sloan
Nov. 1: Michigan / Ross
Nov. 6: Berkeley / Haas

While there are still a few schools that have yet to report deadlines (NYU and Cornell are two that come to mind), the R1 landscape is nearly set. In light of this, most applicants should be wondering how to effectively plan their time and submit strong applications. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when creating your personal timeline:

1) Plan to be busy in August and September so that you have time to apply in the first round. This may go without saying, but thousands of MBA applicants squander the month of August only to wake up in September and realize that they cannot make their target deadlines. We know it’s tempting to work on your tan at the beach, but given that most office environments are relatively calm in August, it can also be a great opportunity to curtail your hours and spend some serious time working on your MBA applications in the evenings. Don’t forget that your time may be split between resume drafting, essay writing, recommendation coaching, GMAT prep, school research, visits and more…

2) Think carefully about the timing of various R1 deadlines. Looking at the deadlines above, it becomes clear that some deadlines may be easier to make than others. For example, candidates with an interest in both Harvard and Wharton (R1 deadlines of October 11th and 12th respectively) will be faced with the challenge of juggling two deadlines that sit right on top of each other. In contrast, a candidate targeting Wharton and MIT (with its first deadline perched on the 1st of November) should have a bit more time to prepare their files. This does not mean that one cannot attempt to apply to both Wharton and HBS in the first round. It simply requires that applicants build a schedule that offers them ample time to complete these files in August and September rather than waiting until the last minute.

3) Consider taking some time off from work. While we realize that many of you work 70 hours/week and haven’t had a day off in months, you may seriously benefit from taking a day or two out of the office to really focus on making the initial push with your applications. Applying to business is a serious undertaking and you will not regret taking the needed time to get it right. We also find that many successful candidates take a week off in late September to make the final push with their files too. It’s not a glamorous way to spend your vacation time, but an offer to attend a leading MBA program can make the sacrifice well worth it.

4) Get your recommenders on board early and be sure to include their tasks as you craft a timeline. While many of the schools have not yet made their online applications/online recommendation forms available, it’s never a bad idea to sit down with your recommenders in August and get them on board with regards to a timeline. You can take them to lunch or coffee and inform them of your MBA plans, offering them a rough sketch of the deadlines and describing the process to them. You can also agree to meet again once the forms are available and once you’ve had time to produce any background materials you will be providing them (copies of your resume, goals essay, etc).

5) Do not leave the online application forms for last. Again, while many of the online systems are not yet open for the 2006-07 season, we want to make sure that our readers are aware of the importance of this component. It’s easy to get lost in the essays only to find that you are faced with a lengthy online application form to rush through at the last minute. As former admissions officers, we’ve seen all sorts of incredible mistakes with application forms. While these mistakes can certainly be a source of amusement for the adcom, sloppiness of this nature reflects poorly on one’s candidacy.

* ED = Early Decision
** EA = Early Action

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Tuck / Dartmouth Essay Topics 2006-07

While we posted the deadlines back in early June, we wanted to let our reader’s know that Tuck’s essays for the coming season are now available. We’ll follow up with our Clear Admit essay tips in the near future, but for now here are the school’s questions for this season:

Tuck Essay Topics 2006-07
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.)

2. Tuck defines leadership as “inspiring others to strive and enabling them to accomplish great things.” 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?

3. Discuss the most difficult constructive criticism or feedback you have received. How did you address it? What have you learned from it?

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?

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.

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.

Wharton Essay Topic Analysis 2006-2007

Following on last week’s announcement of Wharton’s essay questions for the coming admissions season, here are some thoughts on each of this year’s inquiries:

While there is only one question that is completely new when compared to last year’s set of questions, several of the questions that had become somewhat standard elements of the Wharton application have been subtly adjusted to include a new focus on learning, growth and contemplation of the way certain experiences have influenced the applicant as a person. This is a noteworthy change: the program has always been somewhat interested in hearing applicants reflect on their experiences (this is an area in which we’ve heard many reapplicants being told they fell short during feedback sessions), and it’s interesting to see the adcom articulating their interest in this a bit more explicitly than in prior years.

Essay 1: Describe your career progress to date and your future short-term and long-term career goals. How do you expect an MBA from Wharton to help you achieve these goals, and why is now the best time for you to join our program? (1,000 words)
The school’s career goal essay has remained fairly constant from year to year, and the thousand word limit provides applicants with a good deal of room to work with in describing their professional progress and aspirations, and their motivation for pursuing an MBA. One thing to note is the strong emphasis on the “why now” element of the prompt, which indicates that the timing of the application with respect to one’s current job and future plans will be a very important idea to address.

Essay 2: Describe a failure or setback that you have experienced. How did you respond, and what did you learn about yourself? (500 words)
While Wharton has been asking a failure-themed question for the past few years, it was previously focused on teamwork and one of several options. This year, the program has moved this inquiry about setback and subsequent growth to the fore, displacing the previously required question about making a positive impact on a person, group or organization, an adjustment that might indicate a new interest in an applicant’s maturity (as evidenced by ability to learn from mistakes and handle disappointment) in addition to his or her achievements. The range of potential topics is also broader than previously, with the wording leaving applicants open to discussing a topic from the professional, academic or extracurricular realm.

As is always the case, it’s important to focus on the positive elements of this scenario. A sound approach to any essay that explicitly asks applicants to recount a time when things went less than well is to summarize the failure itself briefly, spending the bulk of the essay relating his or her response and lessons learned. Also along these lines, rather than commenting that he or she learned about a weakness as a result of the failure, it would be ideal for an applicant to select a situation in which something positive was discovered due to the response. This is not to say that your essay should fall into the trap of merely being a ‘veiled success’ (a failure that isn’t really a failure at all); however, it is important to demonstrate positive growth and the learning experience that can come from missing the mark.

Essays 3 & 4 (complete two of the four, 500 words each):
-Describe a personal characteristic or quality that will help the Admissions Committee to know you better.
This question has been included in Wharton’s set for several years running, and offers a great opportunity to introduce an interesting element of your candidacy that you have not had a chance to mention in your other essays. You have a chance here to set yourself apart from other applicants by commenting on what drives you or by sharing a unique hobby or interest. Of course, it would also be ideal to share a story that illustrates your leadership ability or is linked to some contribution you could make to the business school community.

-Describe an impact you’ve had on a team, group or organization. How has this experience been valuable to you or others, and what did you learn?
For the most part, this inquiry is identical to last season’s second required question, with a follow-up about what the applicant learned tacked onto the end of this year’s version. At any rate, here is the chance to introduce an impressive success story from the professional or personal realm (remember to keep an eye on establishing a balanced picture of your candidacy when selecting essay topics). This question is really driving at the results of your actions, but remember that the process is just as important. You’ll want to pick a specific instance in which you’ve made an especially significant impact, discussing the steps you took to bring about the positive results and their lasting consequences. A comment on your development as a leader as a result of this example would be a nice way to address the second part of the question here.

-What do you do best and why?
Even though this is the shortest question of the lot, it requires a good deal of consideration. While at first glance this might sound very similar to the first of these optional questions (as both touch on information of which the adcom might not be aware that is significant to an applicant and his or her candidacy), this one focuses on skill or ability rather a quality or characteristic. Though it will pay to be honest and highlight something in which you truly excel, you also don’t want to limit yourself in anyway by selecting too narrow a focus; while your ability to make a mean carrot cake might help you stand out from other candidates, it will not make you a more attractive applicant than someone with a gift for clearly explaining complicated concepts or getting others excited about a plan or project. A good approach to this question might be to think of something with broad applicability to various situations and spheres (baking, for instance, requires patience and attention to detail), ideally one that could translate to a contribution to the business school community.

The “why” element of this question seems a bit odd, as many people might attribute their greatest ability at least in part to luck or talent, two factors to which it is hard to assign a reason. Taking a cue from the focus on learning and growth found in the program’s other questions, a reasonable approach to tackling this second component of the question would probably be for the applicant to reflect on the ways he or she has actively cultivated this skill over time.

-When have your values, ethics, or morals been challenged? How has this shaped who you are today?
The most obvious reading of this prompt is as an inquiry about an ethical dilemma. Questions of this sort are designed to gauge an applicant’s ability to see two sides of a situation and appreciate the merits of both - and ultimately choose the best possible solution. First and foremost, you should make sure that the example you present represents a true dilemma. It’s not enough to simply discuss a situation where you chose to do the right thing; you need to be able to show that there was a compelling reason for you to have acted otherwise. The question lends itself to personal experiences as easily as professional ones, but it’s nice to give an example of how you view and handle ethical complexity in the workplace. For instance, there are often instances of conflicts between people and profit that work well in this context.

After setting the scene in your essay, you should explore the dilemma in depth, analyzing each of your options and explaining the potential positive and negative consequences of each. Once you’ve acknowledged the difficulty of the situation, you should lead the reader through your decision-making process, explaining the reasons behind your ultimate decision. Ideally, your strong grasp of leadership and of problem-solving will be displayed by this analysis. Finally, you should present the results of your decision. Even if there were ultimately some negative consequences, it is important to stand by the decision you made and to be proud that you stood behind your values in this situation.

Beyond the ethics framework, you might also note that the “values” element of the question could provide a great platform to discuss a challenging cross-cultural experience, a great way to showcase international work experience or extensive time spent abroad.

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Kellogg Deadlines and Essay Questions 2006-2007

Kellogg has just released its application deadlines and essay questions for the coming admissions season. As usual, we’ll follow up later in the week with some commentary and tips on each of the essay question, but here is the vital information in the meantime:

Deadlines:
Round 1
Application Submitted: October 20, 2006
On-campus Interview complete: December 18, 2006
or
Off campus Interview requested: October 6, 2006
Decision Mailed: January 8, 2007

Round 2
Application Submitted: January 5, 2007
On-campus Interview complete: March 9, 2007
or
Off campus Interview requested: December 22, 2006
Decision Mailed: March 26, 2007

Round 3
Application Submitted: March 9, 2007
On-campus Interview complete: April 16, 2007
or
Off campus Interview requested: February 23, 2007
Decision Mailed: May 7, 2007

Essay Questions:
1. All applicants must complete A, B, or C as appropriate.

A. Master of Business Administration applicants only. Briefly assess your career progress to date. Elaborate on your future career plans and your motivation for pursuing a graduate degree at the Kellogg School. (one to two pages double-spaced)

B. Master of Management and Manufacturing applicants only. Briefly assess your career progress to date. How does the MMM program meet your educational needs and career goals? (one to two pages double-spaced)

C. Joint-degree applicants only. Briefly assess your career progress to date. How does the joint program meet your educational needs and career goals? (one to two pages double-spaced)

2. Each of our applicants is unique. Describe how your background, values, academics, activities and/or leadership skills will enhance the experience of other Kellogg students. (one to two pages double-spaced)

3. You have been selected as a member of the Kellogg Admissions Committee. Please provide a brief evaluative assessment of your file. (one to two pages double-spaced)

4. Complete three of the following six questions or statements. (two to three double- spaced paragraphs each)

A. What have been your most significant leadership experiences to date?

B. Describe an ethical dilemma that you faced and how it was resolved?

C. Outside of work I…

D. Describe a professional situation where you were able to successfully persuade others to see things your way.

E. I wish the Admissions Committee had asked me…

F. Since your previous application, what are the steps you have taken to strengthen your candidacy? **

** Question 4F must be answered by all re-applicants as one of the required three questions.

Darden Essay Topic Analysis 2006-2007

As promised last week when we published Darden’s essay topics for this season, we’ve provided some tips for tackling each of the school’s questions below.

Essay 1: Why is an MBA a critical next step toward your short- and long-term career goals? (500 word limit)
This is a standard career goal essay, with an interesting emphasis on the necessity of an MBA to an applicant’s success in achieving his or her objectives. Though the question does not explicitly touch on a candidate’s work experience to date, providing a brief summary of your prior professional path and the skills gained along the way may help to highlight the specific areas of need that could be addressed during an MBA program. Be sure to tailor the discussion to Darden’s program, naming specific classes and clubs in which you are interested and explaining why each would be helpful in making progress toward your goals.

Essay 2: Each of our applicants is unique. Describe how your background, values, education, activities and/or leadership skills will enhance the experience of other Darden students. (500 word limit)
Whereas the first essay touches on the subject of what Darden can do for you, this question is focused on what you would do for Darden. The prompt is quite open, giving candidates a wide range of characteristics and involvements to choose from. A fruitful approach to narrowing down the list would be to consider which options both set you apart from other applicants and translate to some tangible future impact. Whichever elements of your background and personality you elect to discuss, remember that it will be key to tie each to some specific way you could make a unique contribution to the community, perhaps commenting on a specific class to which your insight would be especially relevant or naming an event that you would like to organize on behalf of a particular club.

Essay 3: Choose one of the following questions. (250 word limit)
a. What would you do if you didn’t have to work for a living?
b. Describe a significant maturing experience.
c. What have been the most satisfying aspects of your work life thus far and the most dissatisfying?
The choices presented here cover very different ground: Option A provides a chance to delve into a discussion of a key extracurricular or reveal a passion that might not have otherwise come up in an application, Option B offers the opportunity to share a specific story of personal growth, and Option C invites a discussion of professional preferences and the applicant’s work experience.

As is always the case when allowed to decide which of several questions to address, it will be important to think carefully about the potential topics for each of these essays and select the one that will allow you to introduce information that would best complement and balance the ideas expressed in the school’s other essays.

Wharton Deadlines 2006-07

While Wharton has not yet officially announced their deadlines to the public, several sources indicate that they will be as follows:

Round 1
Application deadline: October 12th, 2006

Round 2
Application deadline: January 4th, 2007

Round 3
Application deadline: March 1st, 2007

Our sources for these deadlines include students who have recently heard Wharton admissions representatives quote these dates at information sessions in Australia. We also confirmed these reports with our contacts in the Wharton admissions office. We expect the school to post these dates shortly.

Keep in mind that Wharton is making changes to their online application. It should be available in mid- to late-August.

Michigan Deadlines 2006-2007

The Ross School of Business at U. Michigan has released their MBA application deadlines. These deadlines are virtually unchanged from prior years, which means that students targeting Michigan should have ample time to apply in R1 (thanks to their slightly later deadline). Stay tuned for the essay topics, which should be available in early August.

Michigan/Ross Application Deadlines
Round One
Application Deadline: November 1, 2006
Decision Notification: January 15, 2007

Round Two
Application Deadline: January 7, 2007
Decision Notification: March 15, 2007

Round Three
Application Deadline: March 1, 2007
Decision Notification: May 15, 2007

Monday, July 17, 2006

Clear Admit’s Free Initial Consultation

Because we mention our free initial consultation fairly frequently but have never gone into depth about what this entails, we wanted to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about this service.

What happens during the consultation?
This service is intended to provide applicants with an overall assessment of their MBA candidacies based on available information about their educational background, work experience, outside activities and future goals. In addition to letting prospective students know where they stand relative to other applicants, we also answer any questions the applicant might have about the admissions process, provide some information about our services, and explain the steps for moving forward with Clear Admit, but there is absolutely no obligation following the consultation.

Who will provide this assessment?
One of Clear Admit’s Admissions Counselors will conduct the consultation, so you’ll receive feedback on and advice about your candidacy from someone with admissions experience and expertise in business school admissions.

Why do you ask for my CV or resume?
Because a candidate’s work experience and education are arguably the most important components of his or her b-school application, a copy of an applicant’s resume or CV serves as a nice starting point for the assessment and provides much of the background information needed to inform our perspective on a candidate’s goals and competitiveness relative to other applicants. As an added bonus, we’re able to give you some feedback on tailoring this important document to the admissions process.

How do I sign up?
Simply send an email, attaching your resume and mentioning any other relevant details (GPA, GMAT scores) in the body, to info@clearadmit.com. A member of our team will be in touch to set up the consultation. We look forward to hearing from you!

Stanford Essay Topic Analysis 2006-2007

Following up on last week’s post announcing Stanford’s new essay questions for for this admissions season, we wanted to offer some commentary and tips to assist applicants who are getting ready to tackle this application.

Though the school’s essays have remained very much the same for the past few years, it seems that Stanford has opted to change things up a bit. The adcom has reduced the suggested length for its two standard “what matters most” and “career goals” questions (the guidelines for prior years have been 3-7 pages each, whereas this year’s recommendation is 3-4 for the former and just 2-3 for the latter) and added the task of selecting and answering two additional questions from four options. To begin, let’s consider how one might approach take a look at the tried and true topics.

Ideally, an applicant’s responses to Essays A and B would work togethe