Essay 1: What are your short-term and long-term post-MBA goals? How will USC Marshall help you achieve these goals? If interested in a dual-degree program, please address in this essay. (750 words)
This essay is similar to the career goals essay required by many of the top schools. Although this year Marshall does not specifically ask for 250 words each on three distinct topics (short-term goals, long-term goals, and what will enable applicants to achieve these goals), this year’s candidates may also want to maintain a balanced approach to answering this question.  Because Marshall does not specifically ask for a career history section, applicants should keep any description of their professional experience to a minimum, connecting it to their interest in and potential to achieve their goals.  Taking the time to learn about the school’s curriculum, special programs and extracurricular activities – whether through a visit to campus, conversations with members of the community– will pay dividends here in addressing the two questions of the essay.

Essay 2: How will other USC Marshall MBA students benefit from your background, experience, leadership and teamwork skills? (500 words)
Although many applicants end their career goals essay discussing the contributions they would make to a school’s program, USC Marshall’s new second essay question specifically asks candidates to address the ways in which they can give back to the school.  This prompt is fairly broad, but applicants should remember to select unique information about their backgrounds, experiences, leadership and teamwork skills to help them stand out to the adcom.  Rather than simply addressing how they will contribute to courses, applicants should think of other avenues through which their skills and past experiences would allow them to benefit their fellow students at USC Marshall, i.e. clubs, programs.  In such a short essay, it’s probably best to focus your discussion to two or three topics.  The emphasis on leadership and teamwork indicates that candidates focus their essay on benefitting other students through collaboration and effective leadership.

Essay 3: Select three from the following and describe: (250 words each)
a) A challenging international experience
b) A personal or professional setback
c) An entrepreneur you admire
d) Your family, including any ties to USC
e) Your most significant accomplishment
f) A situation where your professional ethics were challenged
Candidates have a wide range of topics they could consider discussing in response to this new essay.  Applicants should make sure to use both work and personal experiences in responding to these three prompts, as doing so will provide a well-rounded picture of their candidacy. Because of the limited word-count for this essay, economy of words will be key; applicants will likely want to state their topic and move right into an illustrative anecdote.  Candidates with family connections to USC should feel comfortable mentioning the relationship in this essay through selecting option d.

1. What are your short-term and long-term post-MBA goals? How will USC Marshall help you achieve these goals? (750 words) If interested in a dual-degree program, please address in this essay.

2. How will other USC Marshall MBA students benefit from your background, experience, leadership and teamwork skills? (500 words)

3. Select three from the following and describe: (250 words each)

1. a) A challenging international experience
2. b) A personal or professional setback
3. c) An entrepreneur you admire
4. d) Your family, including any ties to USC
5. e) Your most significant accomplishment
6. f) A situation where your professional ethics were challenged

To access the online application, visit the USC/Marshall admissions site.

Like Stern and Columbia, these California-based programs tend to attract an older crowd of applicants. The average age of students in the UCLA and Marshall programs is 38 and 37, respectively, indicating that the majority of applicants have had 10-15 years of work experience. At both schools, women comprise approximately one-fifth of the student body.  Additionally, like most EMBA programs, students at both UCLA and Marshall attend classes every other Friday and Saturday for a period of approximately 22 months (the Marshall EMBA degree is awarded after 21 months).

Although UCLA and Marshall share several similar traits, there are also key differences between the two programs. Of the students in the UCLA Class of 2010, 24% have backgrounds in the engineering/manufacturing industry, while 15% of students have backgrounds in finance. Individuals arriving at UCLA with a background in entertainment comprise just 1% of the class. Meanwhile, at Marshall, 21% of EMBA students studying at the main campus in Los Angeles, as well as 12% of students at the satellite San Diego campus, have backgrounds in the consulting media and entertainment industry. Students representing the manufacturing and operations industry comprise 17% of the student body at the LA campus and 12% of the San Diego-based group. Among students attending the San Diego program, the most highly represented industry is High Technology, totaling 22% of the class.

The curricula offered at UCLA and Marshall are also different. Although both stress the importance of learning in a manner which mimics the way in which a manger would be forced to address situations in a professional environment, UCLA’s academics are a bit more flexible than the Marshall curriculum. The Marshall curriculum is divided into a series of ten themes rather than courses, each representing a specific managerial situation. Students are given a grade within each theme. At UCLA, students are also required to complete several mandatory courses, but are also offered the opportunity to take electives and complete a six-month field study program known as the Strategic Management Research program. Both programs, intent on helping students develop a global perspective, require a study abroad trip.

Although the two programs offer similar degrees in approximately the same amount of time, the difference between the schools indicate that interested applicants should spend time learning about each in order to determine which program is the bit fit for his or her personal goals and interests. To learn more about the UCLA or USC Marshall EMBA, make sure to visit each program’s website.  You can also contact Clear Admit and speak with one of our counselors for guidance with your applications.

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.