HINTS for successfully writing the MBA essays

The business school application process can be an intimidating process with competition particularly fierce at top business schools. In general, candidates are screened based on the following;

  1. GPA and GMAT scores
  2. Personal attributes. Prior to being invited to an interview, the applicant’s “fit” with a particular program is assessed based on his/her essays and recommendation letters.  Invariably, the essays and reference letters collectively must draw attention to the skills and characteristics that business programs seek including maturity, motivation, strong work ethic and solid communication skills. A great essay will provide color to your performance and potential.

To write a strong essay, you need to understand your audience. It is imperative that you understand what the Admissions Committee is looking for.  From your admission essays, the Committee hope to better understand the following relative to other candidates:

  1. Depth of your academic and professional experiences
  2. Unique traits and interests that are not covered in other parts of the application
  3. Your commitment to the MBA program

Writing Hints:

In your essay, be passionate and sincere. Show Admissions Committee who you are and what you will bring to the program. Some hints are:

Do’s:

  1. Answer the question being asked. Many candidates gets lost as they write their essays. Instead of focusing on the question being asked, he/she rambles on and on without focus. Always come back to the question.
  2. Convey positivity and optimism.  A typical essay question is “Write about an experience that has shaped your personality.” Very often, applicants write about an unfortunate event and writes from a perspective of being the victim. AVOID this perspective. Instead, focus on what you have learned from the experience.
  3. Use active voice. Be clear and use simple sentence structure. Often, essays have word limit and every word has to count.

Don’ts:

  1. Resist the urge to describe. Applicants often spend the better part of the essay tediously describing an experience or event. The description is only a part of the essay. Demonstrate what you have learned including perseverance, stamina and knowledge.
  1. Don’t repeat information that can be found in other parts of your application. The essays are your opportunity to demonstrate who you are. Rehashing the same information/experience only makes you one dimensional; business programs seek candidates that have depth and are multi-dimensional.
  2. Don’t try to explain weakness on your record. It is almost impossible to explain poor grades and/or test scores without sounding defensive or worse, irresponsible.  If there is a reason for an academic weakness, write in a separate short essay and avoid in the body of the essay.

As much as possible, you should craft your narrative around your achievements and experiences that have enabled you cultivate your strengths.  Use the whole essay set to “speak” to the Admissions Committee about who you are and not just disparate traits that you think the school wants to see.

Jumet

The Millennial Paradox

One thing MBA applicants (rightly) hear again and again is how important it is to really get to know your business school, but which ones do the best job of getting to know you as a prospective student? Every year, the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants (AIGAC) surveys MBA applicants on their experiences during the admissions process. Here are the most recent findings:

 http://aigac.org/for-media/application-survey/

Its worth keeping this information in mind as you determine your fit with your prospective schools, and also as you consider what you want them to know about you. What are your unique skills and experiences? What value will you add to the class? What makes you stand out among the crowd?

As you narrow down your list of schools, this is a good time to get on the mailing lists to keep up to date with any webinars, coffee chats in your city, or admissions events. The next step would be to reach out to current students and alumni to hear their first-hand experience of the programmes. Finally, if time and finances allow, visiting the school will give you insight into its culture and opportunities.

Faye

Should I apply early?

As the cherry blossoms, apple blossoms and almost all other blossoms have gone with the wind that stirs up all-too-soon warmth in the air, it becomes inevitable that summer is upon us whether we are prepared or not. So are graduate school application deadlines. The heat is being turned up.

As someone who has applied to US graduate schools as an international student and someone who has both evaluated and consulted numerous applicants, I would venture that three or so months would be a legitimate period of time to prepare your application. That puts the next three summer months at the front line for beating the first round of application deadlines of at least most top business schools.

So, are you mentally prepared to submit your application to your dream schools in September or October? Why do admissions keep pushing their deadlines ahead? What are the pros and cons of applying early, say, first round?

According to my experience, Admissions tend to perceive first or early round applicants as typically more put together, more proactive and more focused. Admission rates are usually higher for first round than later rounds. As a result, it should be no surprise that they would want to compete for those applicants and push their early deadlines to stay ahead of the game.

So clearly there are advantages to applying early. The question becomes whether you would like to get ready, to rise up to the challenge.

Obstacles to applying early can seem insurmountable. Summer is your craziest time at work. Your employer is yet to announce its pick for sponsorship. Family events all happen in this season. Your TOEFL and other scores just aren’t there. Therefore, you need those heated months to get over all the above, and you secretly place your hopes on those last two holiday weeks of the year to catapult you to the second round in early January, to compete in a much bigger pool of applicants.

Understood and understood. Yet the fact of the matter is, if you do not prepare yourself early, if you do not aim for early round, chances are you might not ultimately prepare yourself in the most optimal way regardless of rounds. Or shall we say, if you do not prepare, how would you know whether you are prepared? You do not want your second round to be your test round, do you?

There will always be obligations and obstacles. The only time to lay the foundation of your application to your dream schools is nevertheless now, when things just start to heat up. Reflect on and summarize your experiences and accomplishments, clarify and broaden your professional and personal goals, research and connect with the schools and people, get your resume ready and write and rewrite your essays. And in case all those things are under control, start preparing for your interview! The saying is: it is never too early to start.

Mengdan

MBA Applications: Deciding between Round 1 and 2 for International Candidates

One of the challenges with the MBA application is choosing which round or deadline to apply.  Generally, US MBA programs have up to four application rounds.  However, these rounds are mostly applicable for US applicants.  For international candidates, a different approach is necessary because there is a visa requirement that they must adhere.  Given this, most international candidates are encouraged to apply to either Round 1 or 2.

Regarding choosing between Round 1 and 2, the best advice is to self-assess one’s own background and application progress; then, select the round in which he feels most comfortable applying.  Since candidates only have one application opportunity per school each year, they should ensure that their application is at its highest potential before submitting.

To distinguish the advantages and disadvantages between these two rounds, use the following descriptions as guidance.

Round 1 Analysis

Benefit:  Since Round 1 applications are early, one of the benefits of applying in this round is that an applicant will get his results early as well.  This will provide him with the flexibility to apply to additional MBA programs in Round 2 if his results are not satisfactory.  As such, those who apply in Round 1 with unfavourable results will be able to reassess their application, strengthen any areas of weakness, and develop a stronger application for Round 2.  In essence, they will be able to pace their applications better.   Another benefit is that generally in Round 1, there are fewer people who apply.  Given this, the opportunity to stand out is stronger.

Challenge:   Conversely, the main challenge with Round 1 is that it is an early deadline.  Therefore, depending on when an candidate started his application, he may have less time to develop his goals and essays, strengthen his test scores, and request letters of recommendation.  Also, since most international MBA information sessions and events happen later in the year, this might present a dilemma for the candidate in terms of researching about a school and figuring out his “fit.”

Suggestion:  An international candidate should only apply for this round if he has strong test scores (GMAT/GRE and TOEFL), a clear sense of his goals and aspirations, and sufficient time to research about a school beforehand.    This round is also recommended for re-applicants as it will show their dedication to the school.

Round 2 Analysis

Benefit:   The main benefit of Round 2 is that an applicant is given more time to strengthen his MBA application.  This entails more time to develop his MBA goals and essays, to improve his test scores, to request letters of recommendation, and to research schools.    This extra time may be critical for many candidates as it helps to develop their competitive advantage.

Challenge:  The primary challenge with this round is that most MBA applicants (both domestic and international) will apply during this time.  Therefore, the competition is intense.  Also, given that most schools do not encourage Round 3 for international candidates, this means that applicants who apply solely in Round 2 may need to apply to more schools to increase their chances of admittance.   As such, the pacing of these various applications may be challenging.

Suggestion:  Besides having a strong application (i.e. test scores, letters of recommendation, etc.), an applicant needs to develop stories that help differentiate him from the rest of the MBA applicant pool.  This requires self-analysis and reflection.  Thus, personal branding becomes a critical part of the application even more so than in Round 1.

Posted by Lee Moua

Questions to consider when developing an MBA resume

An HR professional or Admissions Officer will spend no more than 60 seconds looking through your resume. It is therefore important that your resume be strategically and structurally composed to showcase your skills and maximize impact to the reader.

Think of the resume as a marketing tool for your personal brand that is used to entice AND engage the reader and a means for differentiating you from the competition.

To distinguish yourself, start by asking yourself and thinking through the following:

1. What one or two words best describe you?

2. What kind of leadership skills have you demonstrated and how were they measured?

3. Are you a good listener? Are you articulate? Are you comfortable expressing your opinion in a group setting?

4. What makes you different from the competition? Do you have bi-lingual capabilities? What certifications do you have?

These are just some questions to help you get going.  Please visit the following for more tips on building an effective resume.

http://www.topmba.com/blog/how-create-standout-mba-resume

http://www.vinceprep.com/blog/resumes

Posted by Jumet