This year, the USC Marshall essay topics require that candidates submit four essays, though applicants can select two of three options when completing their final response. Let’s take a look at the questions asked for USC for the 2008-2009 application season:
Essay 1: Describe in a brief essay (do not exceed 250 words per section – 750 words maximum):
a) your post-MBA short-term goals (immediately after graduation),
b) your post-MBA long-term goals (3-5 years after graduation), and
c) how your professional experience, when combined with an MBA degree, will enable you to achieve these goals.
This essay is similar to the Career Goals Essay required by many of the top schools. Taking a somewhat compartmentalized approach, USC asks applicants to dedicate a 250-word response to each of three elements comprising this prompt. This being the case , applicants will need to have a fully developed and focused understanding of both their short and long-term goals before attempting to tackle this essay. Additionally, some applicants may find it difficult to condense their career-to-date narratives and ‘why MBA/why USC’ arguments into a 250-word narrative. The key here will be remembering the importance of quality over quantity. For example, a sound strategy could be to name one or two courses and organizations with which one hopes to be involved during one’s time at USC, specifying the skills that stand to be gained and the contributions one would make during the engagement, rather than listing several courses without providing a detailed argument with regard to any of them.
Essay 2: Complete one of the following three statements. Do not exceed 250 words.
a) “My most significant accomplishment to date is…”
b) “People may be surprised to learn that I…”
c) “I am considered a leader because…”
Candidates have a fairly wide range of topics they could consider discussing in response to this prompt. While it would certainly make sense to draw upon a work-related experience for a topic in this essay, extracurricular involvements and unique interests would also be perfectly appropriate. Because of the limiting word-count for this essay, economy of words will be key; applicants will likely want to state their topic (with the first sentence of the response repeating the wording of the prompt) and move right into an illustrative anecdote that describes how the significant accomplishment was brought about, illuminates why he or she is considered a leader, or highlights some vivid detail or application of a surprising trait, interest or activity.
Essay 3: Answer two of the following questions. Do not exceed 500 words per question.
a) The Marshall MBA Prime Program prepares students for doing business in a global economy. Describe a cross-cultural experience that challenged you. How did you meet this challenge and what did you learn from this experience?
b) USC has garnered national acclaim for its emphasis on community outreach and service. How have you impacted your community?
c) We all experience significant events or milestones that influence the course of our lives. Briefly describe such an event and how it affected you.
Candidates again have a range of options to draw upon, though those without a challenging cross-cultural experience to write about may be limited to optins b and c by default. To decide which two of the three options to select, it would be wise to consider all of the situations you could discuss in response to each question, and select those that will provide a balanced picture of your activities and interests (one story from work and another from a key extracurricular might be a nice balance) while supporting the message set forth in response to Essays 1 and 2. Applicants should also note the heavy emphasis on interpersonal relationships in all three of these essays: a reflection of the importance USC places on leadership, communication and teamwork. Candidates should therefore make sure to highlight their unique interests, characteristics and skills related to these ideas, ideally making some connection about how the experience described in the essay has prepared them to make a meaningful contribution to the USC community.
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