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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Rankings are a good way to start your research on various MBA Programs. Keep in mind each uses a different methodology.
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ARCHIVE FOR AUGUST 2006

Thursday, August 31, 2006

Admissions Tip: Information Sessions

Though we’ve always said that traveling to a school’s campus is the ideal way to get a feel for the campus and culture of an MBA program, we do recognize that this might be a viable option for applicants who are located remotely or unsure of their level of interest in a given school. For those still on the fence and located near a major city, the good news is that the schools they’re considering might very well come to them. With September just around the corner, many b-schools are getting ready to hit the road and embark on worldwide tours to dispense information and recruit qualified applicants. Such events offer a great opportunity for applicants to meet with admissions staff (and sometimes with current students and/or alumni), learn about the program and ask specific questions.

Some of the top schools are already on the road, so we’d recommend looking into the travel schedules for programs of interest and planning accordingly. Here’s where to find this information in question from a number of the top programs in the U.S. and abroad:

Berkeley / Haas:
https://ssl.haas.berkeley.edu/Admissions/Events/index.cfm
Chicago GSB:
http://gsb.uchicago.edu/fulltime/admissions/events/
Columbia:
http://www0.gsb.columbia.edu/events
Duke / Fuqua:
https://www.fuquaworld.duke.edu/www/public/infosess_all_view.jsp
HBS:
http://www.hbs.edu/mba/admissions/generalevents.html
Northwestern / Kellogg:
http://www1.kellogg.northwestern.edu/receptions/main.asp
Michigan / Ross:
http://www.bus.umich.edu/Admissions/Mba/forumsreceptions/ForumsTours.htm
MIT / Sloan:
http://mitsloan.mit.edu/mba/admissions/sotr.php
Stanford GSB:
http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/mba/outreach/info_sessions.html
NYU / Stern:
http://w4.stern.nyu.edu/admissions/cgibin/sched_events2006F.cgi
Dartmouth / Tuck:
http://www.tuck.dartmouth.edu/admissions/events.html
UCLA / Anderson:
http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/x5542.xml
UNC / Kenan Flagler:
http://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/News/Events/embambainfo.cfm
UVA / Darden:
https://apply.darden.virginia.edu/admissions/app…
U Penn / Wharton:
http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/mba/admissions/events/
Yale SOM:
http://mba.yale.edu/MBA/admissions/events.shtml

IESE:
http://www.iese.edu/aplicaciones/emba/events/events_emba.asp?lang=en
IMD:
http://www.imd.ch/programs/mba/infosessions/index.cfm?bhcp=1
INSEAD:
http://www.insead.edu/mba/offevents/index.cfm?fuseaction=offcampus
LBS:
http://www.london.edu/programmes/informationsessions.html

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

UNC / Kenan-Flagler Essay Topic Analysis 2006-2007

Following up on our post announcing Kenan-Flagler’s essay topics for the coming admissions season, we wanted to offer our thoughts on each of the program’s inquiries for this year.

Rather than either extreme of reserving its optional essay for explanation of extenuating circumstances or inviting all applicants to include whatever additional information they choose, UNC includes two optional essays that might only be applicable to a portion of the applicant pool. Though the 2000 total words across the two required essays don’t put the school’s topics too far below the average in terms of total application length, most applicants will have to cover their entire candidacies in response to just two fairly narrow questions - a task that will require some considerable reflection and strategic thinking.

Essay 1: Describe your career progression to date, highlighting leadership and management positions and reasons for changing jobs or career paths, if applicable. Tell us how your experience, coupled with an MBA degree from UNC, will lead you to your short-term and long-term career goals (1200 words maximum).
While this question contains all of the components of the classic career goals/why MBA essay, there are some additional elements to consider here, namely that applicants are explicitly asked to explain changes in jobs and “highlight” leadership and management positions, perhaps sharing some very brief anecdotes about their work in such roles over the course of they essay. Because the second required question focuses on overcoming certain obstacles and reflecting on their lasting effects, this essay could be an applicant’s only chance to share a straightforward success story from the professional realm. Fortunately, the fairly high word limit should allow for this sort of elaboration.

Essay 2: Describe the major obstacles or challenges you have faced in pursuit of your goals. Tell us how you addressed these challenges and how they have shaped you (800 words maximum).
This is an interesting question, as it could be read as referring to one’s career goals as outlined in response to the previous question, or to a broader set of objectives that one has set for oneself over time. The latter interpretation might be the more advantageous, as this would allow an applicant to draw from a much broader range of examples and introduce his or her aspirations and priorities beyond the office. Either way, this essay is a good place to highlight instances of resourcefulness and persistence, and provide a comprehensive picture of personal development over the course of a narrative about achieving one’s objectives.

Essay 3 (Optional): Tell us about any international experience you have, either living or working abroad. Tell us how it has impacted your global perspective (400 words maximum).
This is a great opportunity to highlight an important element of one’s business school candidacy. Though not all applicants will have worked abroad, it’s important to remember that anything that has happened since beginning college is fair game for this essay, and that study abroad experiences and even extended trips for personal reasons could be applicable here (use your discretion when deciding how to define “living”). The adcom is looking for both an informative account of your time away from home as well as a thoughtful reflection on the way this experience expanded your horizons and influenced your subsequent pursuits and perceptions.

Essay Four (Optional): UNC Kenan-Flagler seeks to enroll students from a variety of undergraduate majors. Regardless of your major, we strongly recommend that all students enter the program with some background in calculus, microeconomics, statistics and financial accounting. If you have not studied one or more of these subjects in college or university, please tell us how you have developed proficiency in these areas. If you have not been exposed to one or more of these subjects, please tell us how you will prepare yourself prior to entering UNC Kenan-Flagler (400 words maximum).
As with any essay addressing what might be a perceived weakness in one’s academic record, the key to this kind of essay is to avoid making excuses or being defensive. It will simply be important to provide a straightforward account of your quantitative preparation and, if there is no coursework in these disciplines of which to speak, point to some examples from the professional realm that you feel demonstrate your proficiency. Of course, if you find yourself without any formal academic work to write about here, we would strongly recommend that you plan to enroll in at least one of the courses in question during the fall or spring semesters before matriculation, and share this intention with the adcom.

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Yale Deadlines and Essays 2006-2007

Yale University’s School of Management recently released its deadlines and essay questions for this admissions season. The school’s essays are nearly identical to last year’s with just one interesting change that we’ll cover in our upcoming analysis of these topics (stay tuned). Looking at the deadlines, another important thing to consider is that R1 applicants won’t hear of the adcom’s decision until well after the R2 deadlines for most top schools. This means that even if the Yale SOM is an applicant’s first choice, he or she will need to prepare applications to a number of other schools to maximise his or her chances of admissions this year.

Deadlines

Round 1
Application Deadline: October 25, 2006
Decision Notification: January 19, 2007

Round 2
Application Deadline: January 10th, 2007
Decision Notification: April 5, 2007

Round 3
Application Deadline: March 14, 2007
Decision Notification: May 8, 2007

Essays

The two required essays provide an opportunity for you to tell the Admissions Committee about your life, your career, and your goals. Because we are interested in learning as much as possible about you, your essays must be entirely your own work. Although you may ask others for general feedback on your essays, you may not allow anyone else to edit them for you. We suggest that anyone reviewing your essays do so without a pen in hand.

Why An MBA? (Required)
Please describe your short- and long-term goals and how your previous experience and an MBA will help you to achieve these goals. 500 words maximum.

Personal Statement (Required)
Please develop a question/topic of your choice and answer it in essay form. Please state the question/topic at the beginning of your essay. 500 words maximum.

Some example questions/topics include:
• Describe a situation in which your leadership and/or teamwork had a significant impact.
• What personal achievement are you most proud of and why?
• What activities/interests do you enjoy outside the office and/or classroom and how would you integrate these activities/interests into the Yale SOM community?
• What is the most difficult feedback that you have received and how did you address it?
• Where is the most exciting place you have ever been and what did you learn from being there?
• Describe a situation where you questioned your values and/or beliefs.
• What does accountability mean to you?
• If you are reapplying: How has your candidacy changed since your last application?

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. 200 words maximum.

MBA Podcast: Admissions Essays

The good folks over at MBA Podcaster have just released a new podcast titled “Your Application Essays: Strategic Recommendations for Writing Your Admission Essay.” The piece offers advice about how to approach one’s essays and some insight into what the schools are looking for - from multiple perspectives. In addition to interviews with Thomas Caleel, Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at the Wharton School, and Brian Lohr, Director of MBA Admissions at Notre Dame’s Mendoza School of Business, the podcast also features input from the admissions consulting end of things - including Clear Admit’s Graham Richmond. Though they come to this discussion from different places, the admissions officers reinforce the advice of the admissions consultants on several points. For instance, Thomas Caleel echoes Graham Richmond’s point about the importance of the career goals essay in telling the school where one has been and where one is now trying to go, adding that they look for well-written and thoughtful questions that speak to the point. Meanwhile, both Graham Richmond and Brian Lohr warn against recycling content from responses to another school’s questions and stress the merits of providing concise answers that directly address all elements of a given program’s essay questions. For applicants who are just beginning to approach the writing process, this piece is highly recommended as a way to gain some high-level perspective and arrive at the right mindset for cultivating a compelling set of essays. Note: You can download the podcast on admissions essays at this link, or subscribe to MBA Podcaster via iTunes and add it to your library.

Monday, August 28, 2006

Admissions Tip: Financial Forethought

Last week’s edition of Fridays from the Frontline demonstrated that this year’s crop of applicants are busy thinking about GMAT prep, school selection and essay composition, but one thing that we haven’t heard many prospective students considering lately is the topic of financing their studies. While it’s reasonable that gaining admission is the primary focus and that many plan to cross the monetary bridge when they come to it, we wanted to remind readers of an ongoing London Times series that we mentioned last month about strategies for paying for an MBA.

Though geared toward British applicants, the general principles in these articles are applicable to anyone considering an MBA. In addition to considering the topic of bank loans, recent installments have covered bursaries and scholarships, touching upon the subjects of what a schools or company has to gain from awarding funds to students with no strings attached - and what sort of information applicants need to provide about their potential contribution to a school when applying.

Our advice to those working on applications this time of year is to take some time to see what options are available in terms of scholarships and make note of the deadlines. It would be wise to build time for this research and paperwork into your timeline for the admissions season. While it does mean a bit of extra work at an already hectic time of year, it will likely pay off (quite literally) this time next year.

Friday, August 25, 2006

Fridays from the Frontline

Welcome to another edition of FFF, our weekly survey of the newest and most noteworthy happenings in the MBA blogging world. Let’s begin this week by checking in with our friends in the applicant crowd.

Juggler has returned from a trip and is already back in the midst of the application process, dealing with data forms and starting her Stanford essays. On the subject of writing, StressTensor is, well, stressed about MIT’s narrow word limits, but we’re glad to hear that Scarecrow feels good about his progress - which, with three schools’ essays finished, he certainly should - and that Brian is in good shape with his planned Thunderbird application. Forrest Gump (who we hope will note that we’ve refrained from using the v-word) expressed some concern about his progress with respect to those applicants who already seem to be flying through multiple applications, but not everyone is quite so far along. FSM is only beginning to consider his Chicago essays, Suser McLoser just tackled the GMAT (with 700+ results!), and Jatwarrior and Median2k9 are still ironing out their school selection. Anand is still planning his visits to Tuck and Darden, while Reveur recounts his trip to the midwest and his very different impressions of Kellogg and Chicago.

As busy as this the applicant bloggers have been this week, there’s been even more activity on the first-year student front. UCLADawg just picked up some Anderson gear for himself and his recommenders, NoKeating offers the scoop on Bloomington before beginning school at Kelley, Jacek is counting down until his start at ESADE and MJ offers a great, detailed account of orientation at Fuqua. While some are just settling, others are already in the midst of academics. MGalBlue flew through a week-long crash course in accounting at Ross (hopefully with enough success to test out this coming semester), SharkB8 is loving Wharton pre-term, DomoDomo offers a positive review of the faculty teaching INSEAD’s pre-term, and FooBarMe also sounds pleased with his classes at Haas. Finally, LBS has been a well-represented school in the blogging community, and this year’s incoming class is no exception: Paxti is bracing himself (and his readers) for a heavy workload, FM takes time to share some London sights, Karlitos is keeping busy and having fun, and Angel Angie has found a flat(!) and is finally getting to relax before the start of classes.

While this crew is just getting settled in the city, the second-year LBS blogger posts have all been focused on leaving. KV is nearing the end of his internship and wondering about a post-MBA job offer. Meanwhile, a few others are thinking about immediate futures in another city; Natasja sounds excited about her upcoming exchange at Stern and the Divine Miss N, also NY-bound, is still busy running down a very comprehensive pre-departure checklist.

That’s it for this week. Best of luck to everyone, and have a great weekend!

Thursday, August 24, 2006

MBA News: Advice from the Adcom

There have been two interesting and informative pieces in Business Week over the past few days, both dealing with the topics of what the leading business schools are - and aren’t - looking for in an application student, drawing upon input from the admissions officers themselves.

The first is the transcript from an online chat with Kellogg’s Beth Flye that took place a few weeks back. Over the course of the discussion, Flye fields questions from anxious applicants, assuring chat participants that while Kellogg does require some full-time work experience, the school is concerned with depth, breadth and quality over quantity, and naming intellectual ability and leadership potential as two of the things the program prizes in potential students. The subject of visiting to attend an information session and speak with students also comes up several times, underscoring the importance of demonstrating that one has done his or her homework and is committed enough to make the trip to the school’s campus.

While the Kellogg chat covers some of the things that Kellogg likes to see, the second item deals with the sort of things that admissions officers hate to hear. A nice complement to the advice we recently offered on what one might discuss in an optional essay, adcom members from a number of schools weigh in on the do’s and don’ts of addressing a liability in one’s application, selecting recommenders, sharing personal information and marketing oneself in the application process. Here’s an excerpt that covers some great ground on the topic of explaining a shortcoming in one’s candidacy:

In explaining inconsistencies in your application, use the old writing teacher’s cliche, “Show, don’t tell,” as your guide. Daniel Garza, assistant dean at the University of Texas’ McCombs School of Business, encourages taking a “journalistic approach”: sticking to the facts, rather than editorializing. In other words, “Don’t have a pity party for yourself in your application,” says Ballenger.

“What I look for is complete honesty,” says Brian Lohr, director of admissions at Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business. “There’s an ethical component there, too.” If you say you’re “not a good test taker” - and admissions officers say lots of people do - demonstrate how you’ve taken steps to deal with it in the past. (”And you can’t tell me that if you only took the test once,” [Chicago’s Associate Dean of Student Recruitment and Admissions Rose] Martinelli adds.) Low GPA? “Make a case for how it will be different this time around,” says Anne Coyle, director of admissions at the Yale School of Management. No quantitative courses on your transcript? Talk about the statistics class you’re taking now to catch up, says Kellogg’s Flye.

The full text of the article is available here.

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Class of 2009 Bloggers!

Though we’ve begun to feature applicants applying this fall in our weekly Fridays from the Frontline column, we wanted to take a moment today to officially welcome the Class of 2009 to the blogging community! The list of bloggers who have announced their candidacy for this fall’s admissions season is already close to 40 strong, and likely to grow as the deadlines approach. It’s great to see that there are so many applicants in this group, as these individuals will serve as a great source of information and moral support for each other throughout the application season.

And now, without further ado, here are the Class of 2009 Bloggers (along with a brief summary regarding location and professional industry - when available):

aDreamMerchant - (works in IT, lives in the US)
http://adreammerchant.blogspot.com/
Abisurd - (lives in India, works in high-tech)
http://errorlogs.blogspot.com/
Anand - (hi-tech applicant who calls both Bangalore and Minneapolis home)
http://anandologue.blogspot.com/
Army Commo Guy - (U.S. military, based in Korea)
http://army2mba.blogspot.com/
Brian Hoberg - (government SysAdmin in Texas)
http://mbabrian.blogspot.com/
Cornfed MBA - (consultant on the east coast)
http://cornfedmba.blogspot.com/
Dharu - (Bay Area software engineer)
http://dharu.blogspot.com/
Dhoomketu - (a consultant in Italy)
http://sfidante.blogspot.com/
Forrest Gump - (a reapplicant with a lot of great archived posts)
http://run-forrest.blogspot.com/
FSM - (not actually a Flying Spaghetti Monster, we assume)
http://fsm-mba.blogspot.com/
Ganja Turtle - (works in telecom marketing in India)
http://ganjaturtle.blogspot.com/
GuyMBA - (tourism industry applicant from South America)
http://getting-into-top-business-school.blogspot.com/
Hobbes - (works in technology, lives in India)
http://thenontechtechie.blogspot.com
Iday S - (lives in India, works in engineering)
http://i4iday.blogspot.com/
Inblue - (based in India)
http://inblueblogs.blogspot.com/
Itobean - (a small company CFO)
http://www.mbamap.com/blog/itobean
JatWarrior - (reapplicant from the US)
http://jatwarrior.blogspot.com/
Jen - (based out of Taiwan, works in marketing)
http://journeytolbs.blogspot.com/
Juggler - (working in IT, based in Bangalore)
http://thembasaga.blogspot.com/
Katrina - (technology sales consultant in China)
http://katrinamba.blogspot.com
Kent Torokvei - (master of anonymity)
http://bschoolwannabe.blogspot.com/
Maelstromx - (software engineer based in India)
http://maelstromxsg.blogspot.com/
Median2k9 - (works in IT, lives in New Jersey)
http://median2k9.blogspot.com/
Meru Savarni - (located in India, working in consulting)
http://merusavarni.blogspot.com/
Nivi - (Duke-loving reapplicant)
http://whirpool.blogspot.com/
Pupstar78 - (lives in CA, works in PR)
http://taketwobskool.blogspot.com/
Reveur - (no inf0)
http://rohitramanujam.blogspot.com/
Righty - (lives in India, works in hi-tech)
http://therightexperience.blogspot.com/
Rungee582 - (works in consulting, lives in the States)
http://rungee582.blogspot.com
Rus Girl - (lives in Russia, works in business services)
http://rusgirl.blogspot.com/
Scarecrow - (lives abroad, has experience in IT, research and marketing)
http://scarecrow07.blogspot.com/
Scuba Steve - (based out of San Diego)
http://scubastevesmba.blogspot.com/
Stress Tensor - (engineer working in the US)
http://stresstensor.blogspot.com/
Suser McLoser - (California-based internet industry blogger)
http://susulicious.blogspot.com/
TJ - (US-based technical consultant)
http://flexibleimage.blogspot.com/
-tvu - (works in technology, resides in California)
http://tomvu.blogspot.com/
Tweetsnat - (banker in Mexico)
http://insead2006.blogspot.com/
UniQpath - (Seattle-based software engineer)
http://uniqpath.blogspot.com/

Newcomers to this group might look to the archives of veteran reapplicants Anand, Forrest Gump and Pupstar78 for pointers as they gear up for this undertaking. Given the time of year, it’s no surprise that many of these blogs are currently focused on GMAT prep and school selection - but as time passes we look forward to seeing a good deal of insight into the entire application process. Good luck!

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Admissions Tip: The Optional Essay

We realize that the questions of whether to answer an optional essay and, if so, what to say are ones that loom large for many applicants at this time of year. While we’ve offered a great deal of school-specific essay advice over the past few months, we wanted to take some time to suggest a few considerations that applicants might want to take into account when making this call.

Is it relevant?
Perhaps this goes without saying, but the only information worth sharing in an optional essay is that which will make a material difference in your candidacy. Whether you wish to comment on an exciting leadership role you’ve just taken on or explain that you were overextended extracurricularly during that one bad semester in college, make sure to think carefully about whether this information will affect and enhance the reader’s perception of your business school candidacy.

Is it requested?
Most schools do request that applicants use an optional essay to address certain issues, such as a failing grade in a degree program or the absence of a letter of recommendation from one’s current direct supervisor. In spite of the technically optional nature of the question, it’s very important to follow directions and provide this information if a school requests it.

Also along the lines of what information is requested, it’s wise to think carefully about a school’s other essay questions before deciding to use an optional essay or provide additional information, as each of these topics affords applicants a chance to introduce the information about their background and interests that they consider to be most important. Your objective should be to provide as complete a picture of your candidacy as possible within the framework of a school’s required essays (as these are a good indication of what a given program is most interested in hearing about) and to only introduce information in an optional essay that you could not have covered elsewhere without sacrificing something more essential.

Is it constructive?
Once you’ve decided that a detail is relevant to your candidacy and merits mentioning in an optional essay, the next step is to think carefully about the way this information might be perceived and make sure that the impact it makes on your chances of admission is a positive one. For instance, an essay that simply alerts the adcom to a serious medical condition might help its author stand out from other applicants, but could also leave the reader wondering whether this person could handle the demands of a rigorous academic program. On the other hand, a few details about this applicant’s strategies for acheiving success in spite of some kind of disability and commitment to supporting others with a chronic illness or impairment might make him or her seem like a very valuable addition to the business school community.

Is it concise?
It’s always a good idea to keep in mind that by answering an optional essay, you are creating extra work for the person reading your file. While this should not dissuade you from addressing a topic that you have deemed important based on the considerations above, it’s very important that you demonstrate good judgment by limiting your comments to the most relevant information and keeping your response as direct and concise as possible.

We hope that these general guidelines have helped to clear up some confusion and shed some light on the optional essay issue. For more tailored feedback on your personal situation, feel free to send your resume or CV to info@clearadmit.com for a free initial consultation.

CMU / Tepper Deadlines and Essays 2006-2007

Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business’s deadlines and essays for the coming season are now available. One point to note is that this program’s first deadline falls several weeks after those of most top MBA programs, making a round one application to this school a very viable option. Stay tuned to this blog for some commentary on Tepper’s essay topics.

Deadlines

Round One
Application Deadline: November 6, 2006
Decision Notification mailed: December 22, 2006

Round Two
Application Deadline: January 8, 2007
Decision Notification mailed: March 12, 2007

Round Three (last deadline for international applicants)
Application Deadline: March 19, 2007
Decision Notification mailed: April 30, 2007

Round Four*
Application Deadline: April 30, 2007
Decision Notification mailed: June 4, 2007

*Unlike many leading MBA programs, CMU continues to accept applications after its fourth round deadline, releasing decisions on a rolling basis according to availability of seats in the class.

Essays

Required Essays (Suggested length – 2 double-spaced pages per essay.)
A. What are your short-term and long-term goals? How will a Tepper MBA help you to achieve these goals.

B. How will your academic and professional background, personal characteristics and life experiences contribute to the diversity of the Tepper
community?

C. Please answer three of the following five questions or statements (your three answers should equal a total of two pages).
1. Describe an ethical dilemma that you have faced in your professional life, how you dealt with the situation, and what the outcome was.
2. Describe a failure or setback in your professional or academic life. How did you overcome this setback? What, if anything, would you do differently if confronted with this situation again?
3. What do you consider to be your greatest achievement and why?
4. Describe your most challenging experience while working in a group?
5. Of what skill or talent are you especially proud?

Additional Essays
D. Is there anything additional that you think we should know as we evaluate your application? Note: if you believe your credentials and essays represent you fairly, you should not feel obligated to answer this question. This essay is intended to provide a place for you to add information that you think is important but is not covered elsewhere in the application.

One further thing to note is that the school’s essays are optional for reapplicants, with the requirement instead being:
“A cover letter addressed to the MBA Admissions Committee that outlines the significant changes in your professional and academic credentials since your previous application.”

Monday, August 21, 2006

Michigan / Ross Essay Topic Analysis 2006-2007

As promised last week, we wanted to share some thoughts on how one might approach Michigan’s essay questions for this season. The theme of directed and deliberate action with an eye to some particular goal runs through each of Ross’s required essays this year, something that might be telling of the program’s focus and the sort of student it is seeking. Here is some more specific advice on navigating this particular application:

Essay 1: We believe one of the keys to effective leadership is the ability to transform ideas into action. Describe a time within the last three years in which you exercised such leadership. What did you learn about your leadership strengths and development needs? (500 words maximum)
This question is similar to Harvard’s third question in that it asks the applicant to comment on their actions in and the outcome of a specific situation and to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses it illustrates: quite a task for 500 words. For this reason, it will be important to think carefully about how to structure the essay to make sure that there is room to address each of the school’s questions, placing particular emphasis on the discussion of the idea in question and the specific steps taken to work with others to put it into action. While the prompt suggests a relatively recent story, keep in mind that when discussing weaknesses or development needs, it’s best to identify a situation from which you have some distance (i.e. closer to the later end on the 0-3 years ago timeline) in order to make the argument that you have worked to address this shortcoming in the intervening time.

Essay 2: What are your career goals? How will a Ross MBA help you achieve your goals? How might the action-based learning aspects of the Ross curriculum make a difference? (500 words maximum)
With the exception of the very pointed question about the action-based learning initiatives that are unique to the Ross program, this is a fairly standard career goals/Why MBA essay. In addition to specifying a specific set of goals and articulating the general merits of an MBA, applicants will need to demonstrate a high level of familiarity with MAP and other opportunities to draft a compelling essay that really speaks to the question.

Essay 3: Describe the initiatives you have taken over the past two years to develop professionally and personally. What motivated you to take those initiatives? (500 words maximum)
Though the subject matter of this question is covered by most schools in some way, the framework of this question requires a thoughtful and original response. Ross is not only interested in the details of your work and outside activities and interests, but also the reasons these interest you and the steps you have taken to grow. Given the very action-oriented nature of the previous two questions, it seems likely that the school is looking for students who are committed to challenging themselves to make progress toward some particular goal or objective, whether it be something broad like making a positive impact on one’s community, or something specific and personal such as scaling a difficult wall at the rock gym. The key to this essay will be to focus on one’s progress over time while sharing an interesting mix of details about one’s career and other pursuits.

Friday, August 18, 2006

Fridays from the Frontline

Another week has passed us by, but at least we have seven days of great blogging to show for it! Though the weather is starting to cool down (here in Pennsylvania at least), the latest installment of FFF will attest that things are slowly heating up for students and applicants alike.

On the applicant front, Kent has narrowed down his school selection and is mentally preparing himself to ask his boss for a recommendation, whereas Anand’s major concern seems to be finding time to visit campuses and schedule interviews within a busy work schedule. Whereas GuyMBA isn’t yet feeling the heat and is at a bit of a standstill with his GMAT preparation, Juggler proved to be a veritable dynamo of productivity this week; in spite of a slow start, she plowed through her final two Kellogg essays early this week and made significant progress on her Wharton responses as well (color us impressed!) She also took the time to share some humorous conclusions she’s drawn about the application process in general. Meanwhile, Reveur might not have started his own Haas essays yet, but did find some inspiration from Berkeley student FooBarMe.

Speaking of FooBarMe, who’s currently working on some post-orientation reading for class at Berkeley, let’s take a look at what this year’s incoming students have been up to. Angel Angie is getting settled in London and gearing up for the flathunt, which is soon to be joined by Karlitos and scores of other LBS students. From the sound of Kilgore Trout’s description of his first day at UT Austin, first-years are being gently eased into student life in Texas, while LL reports on Wharton’s pre-term process (and a Phillies win!). Finally, Been There Done That is already excited about business school after hearing an exciting guest speaker at NUS.

Many second-year students are also finding themselves in a transitional phase. J$’s internship is also winding down and he’s looking forward to a vacation before the coming semester at Haas. Unfortunately, not everyone in California is quite so laid back at the moment; Mbwana is about halfway through his intern experience and already thinking about recruiting at Stanford next semester, as well as the challenges of being on the younger end of the student body. Across the pond, The Divine Miss N was good enough to share some of her wisdom with those just starting an MBA program, and we were glad to hear that she was successful in securing a visa for her upcoming U.S. exchange. Futureguru and KV have a few things in common: both are nearing the end of their internships and have acquired a liking for Pimms during their summers in London.

That’s all for this week; keep that great blog content coming, and have a great weekend!

Clear Admit featured in GMAC Conference Highlights!

The Graduate Management Admissions Council has just released the latest installment of its newsletter, with this edition focusing solely on highlights from June’s GMAC conference, an industry event attended by admissions officers of the leading MBA programs. As we mentioned at the time, Clear Admit’s Graham Richmond was invited to participate in a panel on admissions consultants, and we’re thrilled to see that the presentation has been listed as one of the high points of this three-day event!Though both sessions of the panel were well attended at the event itself, we hope that GMAC’s comprehensive recap will help even more admissions officers understand how reputable consultants work and where they fit into the process. Here’s an example of the sort of points raised during the discussion:

The full text of GMAC’s summary of the panel is available here.

Thursday, August 17, 2006

UNC / Kenan-Flagler Essays 2006-2007

We posted this year’s deadlines for the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill a while ago, and the MBA program’s essay questions recently came out as well. Stay tuned for a few comments and and tips on these inquiries in the coming days.

Essays for Fall 2007 Entry
The admissions committee looks forward to getting to know your potential and your background through your responses to the application questions.

Questions 1 and 2 are required of all applicants. Questions 3 and 4 are optional.

Essay One (Required)
Describe your career progression to date, highlighting leadership and management positions and reasons for changing jobs or career paths, if applicable. Tell us how your experience, coupled with an MBA degree from UNC, will lead you to your short-term and long-term career goals. (1200 words maximum)

Essay Two (Required)
Describe the major obstacles or challenges you have faced in pursuit of your goals. Tell us how you addressed these challenges and how they have shaped you. (800 words maximum)

Essay Three (Optional)
Tell us about any international experience you have, either living or working abroad. Tell us how it has impacted your global perspective. (400 words maximum)

Essay Four (Optional)
UNC Kenan-Flagler seeks to enroll students from a variety of undergraduate majors. Regardless of your major, we strongly recommend that all students enter the program with some background in calculus, microeconomics, statistics and financial accounting. If you have not studied one or more of these subjects in college or university, please tell us how you have developed proficiency in these areas. If you have not been exposed to one or more of these subjects, please tell us how you will prepare yourself prior to entering UNC Kenan-Flagler. (400 words maximum)

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Free Seminar in NYC, Tomorrow at 6:30pm

Thursday, August 17th. 6:30 - 8:30 PM [138 West 25th St., NYC]
GMAT Preview and MBA Admissions Strategy Workshop
Tomorrow night, our friends at Manhattan GMAT will be offering a free workshop in their New York office that will cover GMAT test basics and include a Q&A session with Clear Admit’s Brett Haber, who willaddress attendees’ questions about the MBA admissions process and the role of the GMAT. This is the perfect workshop for applicants who are just embarking on the application process.

Come out to the workshop and learn the answers to the following questions:
-Do the top MBA programs use GMAT cutoffs in the application process?
-What happens if I cancel my GMAT score?
-How is the GMAT result used in conjunction with GPA and other metrics to assess a candidate?
-Is the exam predictive of one’s performance in an MBA program?
-Can a strong result on the GMAT compensate for a below average GPA?

Space is still available - but limited - so interested applicants should register for this free event here.

Cornell / Johnson Deadlines 2006-2007

Though not yet officially available on the program’s website, the deadlines for Cornell’s full-time, two-year MBA program are as follows:

Round One
Application Deadline: October 9, 2006
Decision Notification: November 7, 2006

Round Two
Application Deadline: November 9, 2006
Decision Notification: December 18, 2006

Round Three
Application Deadline: January 9, 2007
Decision Notification: March 23, 2007

Round Four
Application Deadline: March 9, 2007
Decision Notification: April 27, 2007

The admissions committee has scaled the process back from five deadlines to four this year, eliminating a round in December. Applicants should note that the January round three deadline is the last for scholarship and financial aid eligibility, and that international applicants are strongly encouraged to apply by this time.

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Duke Essay Topic Analysis 2006-2007

As promised when we posted Fuqua’s essay questions last week, here are some thoughts and pointers for applicants preparing to tackle this particular program’s application.

Duke’s questions this year are fairly straightforward, covering common topics such as ethics and a past failure. It’s also important to note, however, that each of the program’s inquiries contains two or more questions, and that it will be important to explicitly address each in order to tailor these essays to Fuqua’s questions.

Short Essays

Essay 1: Please discuss your career path, your short and long-term goals. 

Essay 2: Why are you interested in The Duke MBA program and how will it help you achieve your goals? If you are interested in the Health Sector Management concentration or a joint degree program, please address in this essay.

These two questions combined constitute the fairly standard career goals/why MBA question posed by most programs. Because the program requests that applicants answer each of these short questions in a single page (1.5 spaced), you may have to arrive at a condensed narrative of your career to date but should fortunately have a fair amount of room to fully articulate your interest in Duke’s program.

Long Essays

Essay 1 (required): How has your personal history and family background influenced your intellectual and personal development? What unique personal qualities or life experiences might distinguish you from other applicants? How will your background, values and non-work related activities enhance the experience of other Duke MBA students and add to the diverse culture we strive for at Fuqua? Note: The goal of this essay is to get a sense of who you are, rather than what you have achieved professionally.

This is quite a tall order for the 500-750 word prescribed length for this essay (though there is no formal word limit, the instructions hint that most applicants find this sufficient), as there are several lines of questioning and potential topics here. The key will therefore be spending a fair amount of time reflecting on the question and identifying the most important and interesting aspects of one’s personality to cover in this response. One approach might be to identify two or three characteristics that have influenced your activities and interactions and to trace their development from your early days, comment on the role they play at present, and suggest how they might come to bear on the Fuqua community.

Essay 2: Please respond fully and concisely to one of the following essay questions, identifying clearly which question you have selected.

A. To be a good team player, one needs to be an effective individual leader and vice-versa. Describe an example of where you were challenged to become a leader in a team-oriented context. What was the challenge you faced, how did you address it, and what did you take away from the experience for your future development as a leader?

This essay presents a great opportunity to showcase a leadership success that includes the angle of personal or professional growth as a result of a challenge. In addition to a detailed description of the situation, an account of your thoughts and actions throughout and a discussion of the lessons you learned, it would also be great to comment on the outcome of the situation and the impact you were able to have on the team and whatever larger context the story might involve. To distinguish this response from an answer to the classic “impact” essay posed by many schools, though, applicants might consider building this desired outcome into their introduction rather than the conclusion as an explanation of the importance of their ability to rise to the challenge.

B. Describe a situation in which your ability to perform ethically was challenged. What was the issue, how did you handle it, and what did you learn from it?

For a detailed discussion of the elements to consider when responding to a question about an ethical dilemma, see our take on Wharton’s similar question.

C. Describe a significant leadership failure in your life. What did you learn from this failure? How has it impacted who you are today and the kind of leader you would li