CMU / Tepper Essay Topic Analysis 2006-2007 » Clear Admit: MBA Admissions Consultants Blog

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Apr. 1: UT Austin McCombs R3
Apr. 2: Dartmouth / Tuck R4
Apr. 3: INSEAD R4
Apr. 4: Oxford / Said R3
Apr. 23: UCLA / Anderson R4
Apr. 28: CMU / Tepper R4
May 2: LBS R4
Jun. 6: Oxford / Said R4

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

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

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

GMAT Resources
GMAC
Manhattan GMAT
GMAT Club
Princeton Review
Test Prep New York
Kaplan
Beat The GMAT

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

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

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

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

MBA Programs: North America
If an MBA Program is not listed, please e-mail and we will be happy to list it.
Berkeley / Haas
Carnegie Mellon / Tepper
Chicago
Columbia
Cornell / Johnson
Dartmouth / Tuck
Duke / Fuqua
Emory / Goizueta
Harvard
HEC Montreal
Indiana / Kelley
Michigan
MIT / Sloan
Northwestern / Kellogg
New York / Stern
North Carolina / Kenan Flagler
Pennsylvania / Wharton
Queens
Stanford
Texas / McCombs
Thunderbird
Toronto
UCLA / Anderson
Virginia / Darden
Western Ontario / Ivey
Yale

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

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

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Thursday, September 28, 2006

CMU / Tepper Essay Topic Analysis 2006-2007

It is beyond a doubt essay writing season for Round 1 applicants. Keeping our essay topic analyses coming for those who are looking for guidance, here are some thoughts on Carnegie Mellon’s essay questions for this admissions season:

A. What are your short-term and long-term goals? How will a Tepper MBA help you to achieve these goals? (2 pages, double spaced)
Tepper has taken the fairly typical approach of leading off with a standard career goals essay and at two double spaced pages they allot a reasonable number of words to this subject, though not quite as many as those schools that give applicants 1000 or even 1500 words to work with. They key will be to formulate a directed discussion that speaks to the question, making judicious mention of one’s career to date where appropriate in explaining one’s motivation and preparedness for his or her goals.

B. How will your academic and professional background, personal characteristics and life experiences contribute to the diversity of the Tepper community? (2 pages, double spaced)
This is another classic second question in terms of MBA essays; after learning about what you feel Tepper can do for you, the adcom turns its focus to what you might bring to the CMU community. See our comments on Darden’s very similar essay for some suggestions as to how you might approach the topic selection process for this response.

C. Please answer three of the following five questions or statements (2 pages total, double-spaced).

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?
Issues of ethics and the ability to accept and learn from one’s mistakes are understandably popular topics among business schools, and applicants should keep in mind that the adcom will be using their account of their past thoughts and experiences as a barometer to measure their current attitudes and future approaches. Two similar questions appear in this year’s Wharton essays - see our thoughts on those inquiries for some advice that will be applicable here.

3. What do you consider to be your greatest achievement and why?
This question gives applicants a wide berth in selecting a topic, as this achievement could come from the professional, academic or personal realm. Remember that the “why” in this essay will be just as important as the “what,” and that it will also be important to fully explore the reasons that this achievement is significant (overcoming impossible odds, making a positive impact, etc.). While it’s important to be candid and reflective, it will also be important to select an accomplishment that is in some way material to your business school candidacy.

4. Describe your most challenging experience while working in a group?
This question could be interpreted in a number of ways: a story about a time you worked together with others to complete a very difficult task could be just as appropriate about an anecdote discussion a personality clash or communication breakdown in a collaborative context. In choosing an example, keep in mind that the adcom wants to hear about your ability to navigate group dynamics, and that the interpersonal element of this experience should likely be at the fore.

5. Of what skill or talent are you especially proud?
This is a great opportunity to showcase an interesting characteristic to stand out from other applicants and help the adcom get to know you better. Keep in mind that the adcom will also be curious as to the reason for your pride; whether you are delight in your Latin dance skills because you have worked hard at your lessons for years or value the ability to entertain others through your musical talent, an explanation of why you mention your chosen topic will lend equal insight into your character and candidacy.

# posted by Clear Admit @ 9:14 am in Essay Topic Analysis, School: CMU / Tepper

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Chicago
Columbia
Dartmouth / Tuck
Duke / Fuqua
Harvard
Kellogg
Michigan
MIT / Sloan
New York / Stern
North Carolina / Chapel Hill
Stanford
Virginia / Darden
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Yale
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IESE
INSEAD
London Business School

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