Essays are an incredibly important part of the application process, says Stacy Blackman, an MBA admissions consultant. Seemingly straightforward questions require a great deal of introspection. Make sure you budget time to draft and redraft, try new approaches and carefully edit so that each line packs the maximum punch
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You’re in the midst of applying to business school, and it’s time to write your MBA application essays. But first, before you start ruminating about that first MBA essay, take a deep breath. Let’s assess your status: You have your GPA. You studied for and took the GMAT. You’ve worked for a few years after graduating college. Hopefully you have even carved out time for community service and your own recreational interests. Now you are about to begin the last stage – writing your essays and completing your b-school applications – the only one over which you still have any influence. You can’t change your competition, and you can’t change what you’ve done to date, but you can make sure that what you submit in the future is your best.
This is a repost from Free Essay Writing Topics, Templates, Tips and Examples.
Essay prompt: Describe a personal achievement that has had a significant impact on your life. In addition to recounting this achievement, please analyze how the event has changed your understanding of yourself and how you perceive the world around you. (3 pages, 1000 words) Read the rest of this entry »
Natalie Grinblatt, director of the office of admissions and financial aid at Cornell University’s Johnson School of Management, offers some tips for prospective applicants. She was interviewed by BusinessWeek Online reporter Mica Schneider. Following are edited excerpts from their discussion:
Q: Who’s the best candidate for Cornell’s B-school?
A: Someone who’s a leader. We look for a candidate who isn’t only going to succeed in our program academically, but who is going to lead. There’s a distinct leadership quality we look for: being able to assess a situation and seize opportunities or create new ones that have positive results for an organization. This requires independent thinking and collaboration. Both qualities are valued at the Johnson School. There are many people who can reach a goal, but we look for that extra something — the ability to make a difference.
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The definition of entrepreneurship vary. Here are some examples:
Entrepreneurship, the pursuit of opportunity beyond the resources you currently control, is now a subject with segmented interest across a wide variety of fields and topics, including new venture creation, venture capital, social ventures, business model innovation, open software, internet, corporate entrepreneurship, global business, and biotechnology. — Haas School of Business
The concept of entrepreneurship was first established in the 1700s, and the meaning has evolved ever since.
To some economists, the entrepreneur is one who is willing to bear the risk of a new venture if there is a significant chance for profit. Others emphasize the entrepreneur’s role as an innovator who markets his innovation. Still other economists say that entrepreneurs develop new goods or processes that the market demands and are not currently being supplied.In the 20th century, economist Joseph Schumpeter viewed entrepreneurship as a force of “creative destruction.” The entrepreneur carries out “new combinations,” thereby helping render old industries obsolete. Established ways of doing business are destroyed by the creation of new and better ways to do them.
Business expert Peter Drucker took this idea further, describing the entrepreneur as someone who actually searches for change, responds to it, and exploits change as an opportunity. A quick look at changes in communications – from typewriters to personal computers to the Internet – illustrates these ideas.
-I think the number 1 mistake is being too general. Â I notice this with writers of every level. Â When you write these admissions essays or resumes, you want to be specific. Â People remember specific examplesand stories a lot more than general statements. Â For example, it is notgood to say “I will be a great graduate student because I am smart.” It is much more powerful to say “I will be a great graduate student,because I finished in the top 5 on a competitive university entranceexam, I achieved high honors every semester in school, etc.” Â So, insummary, be specific and sell yourself a lot!
-Another mistake is that many are too wordy. Â In general, you wantto be concise and use as few words as possible. Â Shorter sentences areeasier to read and understand, and there is less chance to confusemeanings.
-Many of the essays have word or page limits. Â This means everysentence should have meaning and contribute something to your essay. Sometimes I see sentences that don’t really say anything. Â If you have sentences like this, delete them.
-I sometimes see resumes that aren’t very consistent. Â By this, I mean the fonts, the font sizes, the alignment, all of these thingsshould be consistent and look nice. Â They should not change in the samedocument.
-Also explain things that aren’t self-explanatory. Â If you writethat won an award or if you use initials, most people will not understand what those initials mean if you do not write them out.
I have done some research on Youtube and found following 2 very interesting videos regarding MBA application essay writing.
If you are still struggling with MBA application essay topics, watch this video and spark your head: Read the rest of this entry »
You way be asked to answer “What is your most significant accomplishment and why do you believe it is the most significant?” if you apply for a scholarship or admission. Don’t be bothered. Think this accomplishment essay as another opportunity for you to show how capable you are.
So, Rule No. 1: Do not include information that has been in your application. For instance, there is no need to make a stress on your high G.P.A. in the accomplishment essay. Or, do not try to include the whole list of your awards.
However, it is commonly a good idea to start your accomplishment essay from the list of your awards. Another list you can start with is the list of your social activities. I am not saying that you should repeat the list. You should tell something behind these lists, something interesting and meaningful.
The following questions that may spark your mind:
Hopefully you can get an idea and start your essay. Please remember Rule No.2: Be real. Of course you add some “artificial” details to make the story more interesting (and I suggest you do so), but stay in the line so that your story doesn’t look like a drama.
Rule No.3: Find at least 2 people to help review your essay.
Almost all top MBA programs ask applicants to write an essay about there short term and long term goal and how this MBA program will help the applicant reach the goal. Following is a sample career goal essay question:
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 Plannig Essay required by many of the top schools. It should show the reader that you have a professional project that fits (indeed, necessitates) a top MBA program. Further, the reader will be able to evaluate your project against all other parts of your dossier to get a feel for how likely you are to succeed. The career goal question sounds easy to answer since everyone has a reason to apply for top MBA program. However, the reality is that not every applicants has clear and detailed or career goals. Some may just have career frustrations the other day and they want a fancy title to regain confidence; some may just want a MBA title to find whatever opportunities to make ‘big’ money. These reasons are understandable but cannot get admissions to a top MBA program. You need a WINNING career goal essay to conquer the readers. But how to write a winning career goal essay? Here are some tips:
First, tell a little bit about your working experience: your education, your career progress, your responsibilites and your contributions to your employers (speak with numbers).
Second, start with your limitations such as leadership. teamwork and social network. Explain why these limitations turn you down to your post-MBA short-term goal (position, responsibilities, contributions and challenges etc.) and why THIS MBA program is a big help. You may want to check the program’s web pages to find out the ‘why’.
Finally, set up a long term goal and explain why the MBA degree helps you in your career path.
What are your three most substantial accomplishments, and why do you view them as such? — Harvard
What is the most significant change or improvement you have made to an organization with which you have recently been affiliated? Describe the process you went through to identify the need for change and manage the process of implementing change. What were the results? — Kelley
Describe your greatest professional achievement and how you were able to add value to your organization. — Johnson
The goal in answering this kind of question is to analyze, rather than summarize, an achievement. This advice is particularly true if you’re discussing an accomplishment that is listed elsewhere on the application. Your readers want to gain insight into your character, not read a factual summary of what occurred.
Here are some guiding principles to use in constructing your answer:
Choose something that’s meaningful to you. Some applicants feel obligated to choose the most objectively impressive accomplishments. You should write about something that has personal significance, even if you weren’t formally recognized for it. What matters is that you write passionately and insightfully about your subject. Unless otherwise specified, you should feel free to draw on academic, personal, or professional successes.
Focus on details about the process. Show the reader through concrete details how you achieved what you did. If you want to discuss a grade you earned in a particularly challenging class, show us how you mastered the material. For example, describe creative strategies you used; don’t rely on clichés like “I succeeded through hard work.
Build tension. Describe obstacles and how you overcame them. Note initial difficulties or intermediate failures, then show how you recovered. By adding a sense of drama to your story, you will not only keep the reader interested, but also make the accomplishment seem that much more significant.
Evaluate the significance of the accomplishment. Again, the goal here is to add insight beyond what the reader knows from the straightforward facts. For example, you can comment on how the accomplishment represents an aspect of your character, or you can describe how it fits within your background of successes and failures. Don’t get carried away, however, and try to draw overly grand lessons. You might discuss external consequences of your actions to convey their magnitude, but ultimately you should stay focused on your personal response.
Don’t boast or be overly modest. This is a hard balance to strike, but if you stay focused on the details of your story, then you shouldn’t have a problem. Use the details to convey the magnitude of your accomplishment; you should be able to do so sincerely without having to promote yourself. For example, if you can show through illustrative evidence how you influenced the course of someone’s life, you won’t have to make a presumptuous statement about, for example, “having a profound impact on the life of another.