HBS MBA Admissions Tokyo Event Report

I attended the June 25th HBS MBA Admissions Tokyo Event tonight.

The presenter was Andrew Erlich,  the Associate Director, Global Initiative, HBS. As you may have just realized, he is not a regular member of the admissions committee, but as his work brought him to Asia, he was asked by admissions to make the presentation.  Based on what he said, he has conducted HBS interviews before, but from what I could gather he has not actually been a regular part of the admissions team.   The information he could provide was relatively surface level and consistent with what one would find on the HBS website.  That said, he had no specific knowledge of the admissions situation in Japan in as much as he mentioned that HBS has both admissions and alumni conduct interviews, but did not seem to be aware that this has not been in an option in Japan for years.  I know for a fact that HBS has not conducted any alumni interviews in Japan for at least four years (I can't recall if has been more than four years).   HBS does have a "small alumni interviewing network"  and does conduct some alumni interviews. See http://www.hbs.edu/mba/admissions/interview.html. I think these must be rare.  The "small" size of the network indicates that.

The single most interesting (off-script) insight that Andrew made was that as an HBS interviewer, those he highly recommends for admission are not necessarily admitted.  He suggested that creating the right class composition means that some very qualified applicants are not admitted.

Another interesting nugget of information related to the age issue.  Andrew mentioned that some HBS faculty think that students who are too old are not mailable enough, which I think helps to explain why 46% of the Class of 2012 have three years or less of professional experience.

Andrew repeatedly emphasized the importance of the essays to the application process, but said that every component is important.


This year's video was different from last year's as it was focused on members of the Class of 2009 and Class of 2010 and less on case study.  The production quality of the video was really high compared to prior years.  The video begins with "The World's Thinking - Intro"
and then focused on the experience of these two students.  For moreHBS videos, see their YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=HarvardBSchool#g/u.

The best part of the event was most certainly the alumni panel.  They brought a sense of reality to the evening and gave potential HBS applicants some really great insights on HBS and its impact on themselves and their careers.

I would encourage applicants to attend admissions events, both to listen to what the admissions officers say and to meet alumni.  Always remember that school representatives are marketing their school, but alumni often feel no such obligation, especially in private. With any marketing effort, things are not necessarily as they seem, so don't just take what is said or written by school at face value.

-Adam Markus
アダム マーカス

MBA留学 ビジネススクール カウンセリング コンサルティング  ハーバード MBA

Questions? Contact me directly at adammarkus@gmail.com. Please see my FAQ regarding the types of questions I will respond to. If you are looking for a highly experienced admissions consultant who is passionate about helping his clients succeed, please feel free to contact me at adammarkus@gmail.com to arrange an initial consultation. To learn more about my services, see here. Initial consultations are conducted by Skype or telephone. For clients in Tokyo, a free face-to-face consultation is possible after an initial Skype or telephone consultation. I only work with a limited number of clients per year and believe that an initial consultation is the best way to determine whether there is a good fit. Whether you use my service or another, I suggest making certain that the fit feels right to you.

Guest Blogger: 河野太一のGMAT OG12解説 SC13

This is another post from Taichi Kono, author of two textbooks on TOEFL and one on TOEIC and a highly experienced TOEFL, TOEIC, and GMAT instructor. Most of his posts will be in Japanese. This post is on GMAT sentence correction. His other posts can be found here.
-Adam


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河野塾代表の河野太一です。年来の友人である Adam Markusさんのご厚意で、"The Official Guide for GMAT Review, 12th Edition"の解説ブログの内容の一部をこちらにアップさせていただくことになりました。オリジナルは河野太一のGMAT OG12解説でご覧いただけます。なお、オリ ジナルのほうは予告なく内容を変更することがあり、ここに上げたものと相違があることがありますのでご了承ください。私のこれまでの記事やGMAT以外の 話題についてはこちらをご覧ください。


SC13
A surge ... and a drop ...は「A and B主語」。これに対する動詞がclaimsかとも一瞬思えるが、a surgeやa dropが「主張する」はおかしいのと、後ろにsuggestが続くことで、unemployment claims（失業保険の請求）が「名詞の形容詞化」でひとかたまりであり、suggestが動詞だとわかる。

(A)　複数主語に対する suggestは数の呼応OK。that以降も特にキズなく、これが正解。

(B)　suggestsの呼応違反でアウト。so ... asの比較形は、否定文や疑問文ではOKとされる。古い表現とも言われるが、積極的にアウトにはできない。have ... thoughtの現在完了形と、過去を表す副詞previouslyがぶつかっている。

(C)　suggestはOK。as ... as have been ...のように比較構文の後ろに動詞が続く形を見慣れない人もいるかもしれないが、「疑似関係代名詞」と呼ばれる用法で、実はさほど珍しくない。asが関 係代名詞のような役割を果たす。意味的に考えて、asの先行詞となるのはthe economyであろう。するとhaveの数が合っていないことになる。また、been ... thoughtという受動態より、(A)の能動態のほうがベター。

(D)　suggestをdoing化したために、文の動詞が存在しな くなっている。しかも見るからにwordy。

(E)　(D)と同じく、文の動詞が存在しない。

-河野太一


河野塾で はTOEFL/IELTS/GMATの個人授業を提供しております。なかなかスコアが上がらずにお悩みの方、きめの細かい効果的な個人指導をお求めの方 は、ぜひinfo@konojuku.comまでお気軽にお問い合わせください。

Interview with Stanford GSB Class of 2011 MBA

My former client and member of the Class of 2011, the Japanese blogger at “sutebuu survival@Stanford GSB,” was kind enough to answer my questions regarding surviving his first year at Stanford.  “Sutebuu” is one the smartest and nicest guys I know. I think you will find his views very insightful.
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Adam: You are a really smart guy, but based on our conversations both after your first quarter and more recently when I was at Stanford, it seemed like even you were academically challenged. So how hard is it? 

Sutebuu: First of all, throughout the year, I never had an occasion to think of myself as smart. There are plenty of other people who I thought were super smart, and they continuously made insightful comments that really stimulated my curiosity. With the no grade disclosure rule, students are incentivized to make impressive comments in class. Of course, you can speak on facts that are quite obvious, but I think students have general motivation and pride to make it insightful, which creates higher barrier for foreigners just trying to speak out and gain participation points.

Looking at the amount of workload, I chose go on the very high side. This resulted with devastating “14 classes a week” (taking 7 courses) at its peak in April. Also, I tried to take as many advanced courses as possible, which inflated the amount of workload. Usually, a class for fundamental learning requires students to prepare 2-3 hrs, answering questions on a case study and read 1 or 2 supplementary readings.  When you are taking 7 courses, you also have 2 or 3 assignments a week, which each takes 1.5 hours of team meeting and a few hours homework. I am glad now that is over, but more to that there are lot of intellectual rewards to hard work. I was quite sleep deprived throughout the year, but you can reduce the workload by about 40% if you choose to do so.

Like in many schools, just passing a paper test is relatively easy. Though, today’s MBA education is not about knowledge, but the ability to think, collaborate and lead. It needs to be challenging, and in that context, I am more than satisfied. The most challenging times were when I wanted to contribute more to the team, when I wanted to effectively lead a situation in English, or when I wanted to logically and sharply write my opinions in assignments (within a short time). These just turned out to be time management problems, if you had enough time to prepare, facilitate meetings or consult the lecturer, it isn’t that hard. The problem comes if you do not honestly face the time/quality tradeoff. I did a really poor job on this, and was overly optimistic in many occasions. 

Adam: What parts of the program have you liked the most? The least?

Sutebuu: The part I have liked the most, was opportunity of seriously learning organizational behavior. At first, I thought I had nothing to learn from this academic field, because I thought I knew quite well about myself.  It turned out to be a positive surprise.

This field, which I think is a mixture of psychology, behavioral economics, strategic communication, and ethics, is something that tends to be a bit embarrassing for a businessperson to learn. I think the school community acknowledges this fact, and still provides arich selection of courses to honestly learn about oneself to become an effective leader. For example, the Leadership Lab course enables students to have a small team of 8 that

could provide very polite comments to each other on how they communicate. Also, there are Coaching courses where  a 2^nd year student coaches 1^st year students, and, of course, some mandatory courses that touches on many issues. These in total enabled me to gain psychological strength, and actually become fearless about future challenges since I think I can better manage myself.

The part I like least is like the other side of the coin of a young entrepreneurial population. Some people are obnoxious, some people just party like undergrads. Of course, everyone is free to choose, but sometimes there is a certain herd mentality that strongly favors party people. I feel that is a bit distracting. I sometimes feel a little glad because I am married and do not need to be heavily involved in the Schwab Residential Center culture.

Adam: How would you describe the culture of GSB? Are there any common characteristics you find amongst your classmates?

Sutebuu: Culture of GSB, compared to what I have seen and heard at other schools, is young, friendly, and powerful. Young average age creates a momentum more near to undergrad, the Silicon Valley community embraces entrepreneurial efforts, the school’s very high academic requirements (For example, average GMAT score) filters academic capabilities, and many people come here because they are willing to help each other. I feel more risk tolerant and willing to start new things just because of the culture.

Adam: Do you actually have any time for clubs?  If so, which ones are you active in?

Sutebuu: I belong to three clubs, but do not have any active role. Some clubs are just for circulating e-mails. Though I benefit a lot from what other clubs organize, like BBL (Brown Bag Lunch talks) sessions and guest speakers throughout the year.

Adam: What is hot at GSB right now?

Sutebuu: Any kind of venture business is always hot. There is a variety of things people are interested in, certainly the situation is not that everyone is interested in just cleantech and iPads.

Adam: How boring is Palo Alto?  I ask because I have to say that I think Palo Alto is really dull. The night I spent there convinced me that I would not want to spend another night there. Next time, it will be daytrip. 

Sutebuu: There are very few places to hang out after midnight. The student community organizes a lot of drinking parties and events that try to make best of it. Also, students regularly organize “small-group dinners” to know each other more. As long as you think that talking to decent friends and great surrounding community as an attraction, I think it is not as boring as one feels as a visitor here.  I often enjoy the time of drinking at home with friends.

Adam: Do you expect anything will change when the program moves into the Knight Management Center?

Sutebuu: Dean Saloner announced that there is no plan for change in class size. I heard that there are high-tech meeting rooms, but because students are the strongest assets here, probably there will be no large change. It will be just waste of words if you mention it in application essay.

Adam:  Do you have any specific advice for those considering application to GSB?

Sutebuu: Showing high academic ability by mixture of GPA and GMAT, with high TOEFL scores for foreign students is pretty much a prerequisite. Then your “why” essay is incredibly important. It is very much forward looking, but also requires self reflection.  Personally, I think the process of writing this should be fun. After you come to school, you will be free to utilize a whole universe of opportunities and that most valuable resource, your time. The self-discipline you create with the WHY essay guides you on how you would handle it .Conveying a strong story about yourself, usually beyond a standard answer to “why you need an MBA”, and improving it to the level that you think “if Stanford will dismiss this, they are going to regret it”, actually starts your MBA life even before you get admitted.

For Japanese applicants, currently, there is relatively smaller number of applicants compared to other Asian countries’ applicants, i.e. there is comparatively higher chance of getting admitted. There are relatively few info on actual life here, but I hope my blog (http://sutebuu.blogspot.com/) could help you to consider coming to this wonderful place.

Good Luck!

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I want thank Sutebuu for taking the time to answer my questions.  His advice on how to approach the Stanford application essays is really worth keeping in mind for any applicant, whether you apply to Stanford or elsewhere. See here for all my posts about Stanford GSB.
 
-Adam Markus
アダム マーカス

Questions? Write comments or contact me directly at adammarkus@gmail.com. Please see my FAQ regarding the types of questions I will respond to. If you are looking for a highly experienced admissions consultant who is passionate about helping his clients succeed, please feel free to contact me at adammarkus@gmail.com to arrange an initial consultation. To learn more about my services, see here. Initial consultations are conducted by Skype or telephone. For clients in Tokyo, a free face-to-face consultation is possible after an initial Skype or telephone consultation. I only work with a limited number of clients per year and believe that an initial consultation is the best way to determine whether there is a good fit. Whether you use my service or another, I suggest making certain that the fit feels right to you.


MBA留学 ビジネススクール カウンセリング コンサルティング スタン フォードGSB

Stanford GSB: Additional Info, Resume, Employment History, Activities

This is the fifth of five posts analyzing the Stanford GSB MBA Essay Questions for 2010/2011 Admission. The first post provides an overall perspective on applying to Stanford GSB. The second post is on Essay 1. The third post is on Essay 2. The forth post is on Essay 3.  My analysis of Stanford GSB interviews can be found here.

THINK ABOUT THE REST OF THE APPLICATION
There is nothing more depressing to me than to look at an MBA application that is hastily put together. Worse still if it is for a school that is hard to get into. Worse yet if it is for Stanford, where, under Derrick Bolton, there is a very rigorous approach to application review.

Some people look at application forms as mere forms. I look at them as opportunities to provide admissions with as complete and impressive presentation as one can. The reason admissions made the application was because they need the information to make a decision about you, so don't provide something that is done at the last minute. For a full analysis of an MBA online application, see here.

RESUME & EMPLOYMENT HISTORY:

In this section of the online application, you have an opportunity to describe your full-time and part-time employment history, including your core responsibilities, your most significant challenges, and your greatest accomplishments.

We value diversity of experience in our student body, so no one industry or function or background is preferred over another.

As you approach your MBA application, keep in mind that we are more interested in the impact you have had in your work place than the name or stature of your organization.

Have you made the most of your professional opportunities? Are you cultivating your leadership and team skills and making a difference? We look at your responses in conjunction with your recommendations to create a broad picture of the impact you have had in your work environment(s).

If you have had more than one job, we also ask why you left your previous employer(s). Your response to this question will help us understand your career development and what has motivated your decision making.

We also ask you to report the industry and job function you hope to pursue after you obtain your MBA.

After completing the Employment History section, please upload a current copy of your resume (follow the Application Instructions).

Along with the essays, the resume and Employment History are the most critical documents that you control. Both should present you as effectively and honestly as possible. These two values are not in conflict: Be honest, be thorough, and do not be humble. You are being judged by your professional experience and this is where they get your complete record of it. If you have not done so, I suggest reading Steve Green's post on resumes.

TRANSCRIPTS
At a Stanford presentation in Tokyo back a few years ago, the admissions officer emphasized that the admissions committee closely reads transcripts. While you don't control the content at this point, you have the possibility of impacting how the transcript is interpreted. Scrutinize your own transcript. If your GPA is high, this is easy. You can relax. If on the other hand,your transcript reveals an unimpressive GPA, some very low grades, gaps in study, or anything else that concerns you, you had better figure out how to address in the Additional Information section.

USE IT OR DON'T USE IT, BUT DON'T ABUSE IT:

Additional Information
If there is any other information that is critical for us to know and is not captured elsewhere, include it in this section of your application. Do not include additional essays.
Examples of pertinent additional information include:

• Extenuating circumstances affecting academic or work performance.
• Explanation of why you do not have a Letter of Reference from your current direct supervisor.
• Explanation of criminal conviction, academic suspension or expulsion, and/or failing grades.
• Any other information that you did not have sufficient space to complete in another section of the application (begin the information in the appropriate section).
• Additional work experience that cannot fit into the space provided.

If you read the above, it should be clear enough that this is the place to explain anything negative or potentially negative in your background or to provide additional information that did not fit in the space provided. DO NOT USE IT FOR ANY OTHER PURPOSE. Yes, you may have written a great essay for Tuck, Wharton, Harvard, Chicago, NYU, MIT, INSEAD, Columbia, or London Business School, but unless your objective is to inform Stanford GSB about that, don't include it here. I don't think the categories above require interpretation as they are clear.

If you really have no explanation for something negative, don't bother writing about it. For example if your GPA is 2.9 and you have no good explanation for why it is 2.9, don't bother writing something that looks like a lame excuse. This is more likely to hurt than help you. In the same vein, don't waste the committee's time telling them that your GMAT is a much better indicator than your GPA (the opposite is also true). They have heard it before and they will look at both scores and can draw their own conclusions without you stating the obvious. That said, if you have a good explanation for a bad GPA, you should most certainly write about it.

ALMOST EVERYONE HAS SOMETHING THEY WANT TO EXPLAIN. It might be small or it might be large, but if you don't give your interpretation of something that may look odd in your application, why assume that someone reviewing it will interpret in a manner favorable to you?   Your objective is to always provide the admissions reader with an interpretation, especially of something you think is relatively obvious and potentially negative.


Activities

We do not expect every applicant to be involved in activities outside the classroom or workplace.

If you have been involved in activities, however, this is an excellent way for us to learn more about your interests and experiences.

• Please report your activities in order of importance to you, with the most important listed first.
• A sustained depth of commitment in one or two activities may demonstrate your passion more than minimal participation in five or six organizations.
• Report activities during university/college separately from those after university/college.
• Examples of activities in which you are/have been involved may include charitable, civic, community, and professional.
• Please avoid using acronyms to describe your activities.

This section is important. Of course, some applicants will not have much here, while others will have a plethora of things to mention. In any case, provide the best answer you can. Use your judgment about what to include. The above instructions make it very clear that Stanford GSB is not looking for quantity. Give them quality and don't mention anything that will show your lack of commitment: If you joined a lot of organizations for a really short time and did nothing, I don't think that it will help you to mention it.

Finally, please keep in mind that there is no perfect applicant, just like there is no perfect human being. If you have had to work 100-plus hours a week since graduating from university and your idea of extracurricular activity is sleep, don't assume that not having any great activities will hurt you. Admissions will evaluate your whole application. I have had the opportunity to work with great applicants who were admitted to Stanford, and I can say none of them were perfect, but what they were able to do was present themselves as honestly and effectively as possible.

Questions? Write comments or contact me directly at adammarkus@gmail.com. Please see my FAQ regarding the types of questions I will respond to. If you are looking for a highly experienced admissions consultant who is passionate about helping his clients succeed, please feel free to contact me at adammarkus@gmail.com to arrange an initial consultation. To learn more about my services, see here. Initial consultations are conducted by Skype or telephone. For clients in Tokyo, a free face-to-face consultation is possible after an initial Skype or telephone consultation. I only work with a limited number of clients per year and believe that an initial consultation is the best way to determine whether there is a good fit. Whether you use my service or another, I suggest making certain that the fit feels right to you.

-Adam Markus
アダム マーカス

ス タンフォード ビジネススクール カウンセリング コンサルティング 大学院 エッセイMBA留学

Stanford GSB MBA Essay 3 for 2010/2011

This is the forth of five posts analyzing the Stanford GSB MBA Essay Questions for 2010/2011 Admission. The first post provides an overall perspective on applying to Stanford GSB. The second post is on Essay 1. The third post is on Essay 2.  The fifth post is on additional information, resume, employment history, and activities. My analysis of Stanford GSB interviews can be found here.


Four years ago, Stanford introduced behavioral interview-style essay questions. Stanford applicants now have the opportunity to write about their accomplishments, failures, difficulties, impact, and other characteristics. This has made the Stanford Essay Set a more balanced set of questions. If Essay 1 is ultimately about what you value and Essay 2 is about what you want, Essay 3 is about what you can do.

When Stanford GSB started asking behavioral essay questions, it was clear that they had borrowed this from MIT. This distinctive style of question is based on an interview method that I will discuss below. Before reading the rest of this post, I strongly suggest downloading a copy of MIT's excellent guide to behavioral interviews, The MIT Sloan Interview Guide, because reading it first will maximize the value of my comments below.

The behavioral essay questions that MIT and Stanford ask have their origins in behavioral interviewing. This method is not old (well, at least for me, since I was born in 1968):
“Bill Byham, CEO and founder of Development Dimensions International, originated the behavioral interviewing method in 1970.”

In fact, the STAR technique outlined in MIT’s guide was developed by Byham as THE WAY to answer behavioral questions:

Byham calls an example of past behavior a STAR, because a complete example consists of a situation or task, the specific action you took and the result of your action. The result you describe doesn't have to be positive; it could be that you learned a valuable lesson from doing something the wrong way.

In his book "Landing the Job You Want: How to Have the Best Job Interview of Your Life" (Three Rivers Press, 1997), Byham tells candidates how to identify the skills for a job; explore their own "behavioral dimensions" (the behaviors they use every day to get things done); and recognize and present a STAR with positive impact in an interview.

In addition to the MIT SLOAN Guide, I suggest also taking a look at the slightly different guide to the Star Technique that MIT Career Services provides.

The STAR technique is really the core method you need to use for answering behavioral questions in Stanford's essays. It is simply this (taken from the MIT Sloan Guide):

• Situation: define the situation or “set the stage.”
• Task: identify the task/project performed.
• Action: describe the action you took.
• Result: summarize the outcome

Just keep in mind that you need to be introspective as well, so write what you thought as well as what you did. Don’t just present “the facts” but actively interpret your actions. There is really nothing overly complicated about this as long as you understand that you need to tell a DETAILED story. Pure abstractions disconnected from a concrete set of action steps are highly likely to result in a weak answer. Similarly, grand actions not told in any depth are also likely to be weak. Identify specific actions that contributed to the result so as to establish a clear link between cause and effect.

As when answering any kind of question, another important consideration is to think very critically about what your story selection, understanding of the task, actions taken, and results say about you. Keep in mind that the whole point of asking behavioral questions is to determine how someone acts and thinks as a basis for selecting or rejecting that person. It is obviously critical to be aware of your own message.

Before looking at the specific questions, lets look at the instructions:

Essay 3: Answer two of the four questions below. Tell us not only what you did but also how you did it. What was the outcome? How did people respond? Only describe experiences that have occurred during the last three years.

Stanford GSB specifically requires that these experiences come from the last three years. This time constraint is important to keep in mind. One of the easiest ways to trash your application is to ignore this time limit. Essay 3 is the space to focus on the present or recent past.

I will analyze one question at a time, but four things to keep in mind are:

1. You need to show the capacity for analyzing and acting in different ways, so, while both essays should utilize STAR, don’t tell them in the same way. Make sure you are presenting different sides to who you are by telling your stories differently.

2. If at all possible discuss different situations in these essays, not two different stories from the same situation because you are trying present as wide a spectrum of events and qualities about yourself as you can.

3. You should ask yourself “What does this essay reveal about me?” If you can’t answer that clearly, you need to clarify your message. When asking this question, think about both what you intend the reader to think and what you might also be revealing. Control for the possibility of sending out unintended signals. One of the best ways of handling this issue is to have a very careful and intelligent reader review these essays. If you are working with an admissions consultant, they should be able to do this. Getting multiple perspectives on what you wrote will help you better understand your likely impact on an admissions' reader.

4. All four options below allow for great variation and the most important thing is to tell the best stories you can:
We all have important stories to tell. We want to share moments when we have achieved great things or helped to shape the world around us. Essay C [Essay 3] lists four potential questions (or prompts) to help you identify which are the two most important stories you have to tell us. The prompts themselves are not as important as the stories that they bring to the surface.

THE OPTIONS ARE ALL ABOUT HAVING AN IMPACT:

• Option A: Tell us about a time when you built or developed a team whose performance exceeded expectations.
• Option B: Tell us about a time when you made a lasting impact on your organization.
• Option C: Tell us about a time when you generated support from others for an idea or initiative.
• Option D: Tell us about a time when you went beyond what was defined, established, or expected.

One thing that is common to all four is that you must tell stories that show how you had an impact. Keep in mind what Derrick Bolton has written about this question:
Unlike the two previous essays, in which you are asked to write about your life from a more “global" perspective, these questions ask you to reflect on a specific recent (within the last three years) experience that has made a difference to you and/or the people around you. The best answers will transport us to that moment in time by painting a vivid picture not only of what you did, but also of how you did it. Include details about what you thought and felt during that time and your perceptions about how others responded. From these short-answer responses, we visualize you "in action.

LEADERSHIP IN ACTION STORIES
I have developed the following grid to help you outline leadership stories. The categories this grid employs may go beyond any particular school's essay requirements. Filling it out completely will help you write about your leadership in a way that will convince admissions of your leadership potential.
CLICK TO ENLARGE. 

How to use the grid:
1. Decide on a specific story.
2. Identify the most significant things you did in the situation- these are you action steps.
3. For each action step identify:

• What skills or qualities you demonstrated to complete this step
• The strengths you demonstrated to complete this step
• The kind of leadership you demonstrated
• What you still need to learn about leadership

4. Think about the results and identify how they relate to your action steps. So at minimum, you should be able to state the impact on others and/or yourself.

5. After completing the chart you will see that some aspects of your action steps may be repeated. If there is a total duplication and nothing new is shown, either you need to redefine the action step or you may decide not to focus on it very much.

6. Once you think you have two to four fully worked-out action steps, write your first draft.

7. Next start re-writing. Eliminate duplicate points made between action steps. Make choices about what parts of each action to step to highlight. Given that there are usually word limits, you will have to make some decisions about what to include.

Simply providing a description of your actions, is not enough. Think about what it signifies about you. Think about what your actions reveal about your leadership potential.

Finally, thinking and writing about leadership is an important part of preparing for interviews because you can be certain that you will have to talk about leadership. So, you might find that the parts of the outline you jettison now will become valuable when you will want to have alternative stories for your Stanford interview.


Specific Comments about each option:

Option A: Tell us about a time when you built or developed a team whose performance exceeded expectations.
Given the word limit here, you really need to be focused on your most important action steps. I also suggest you don't just simply a tell story with the following structure: "I led a team of X people. I told them what needed to be done and they agreed. They did it. The result was..." Not only will this be boring, but it will not really highlight why this story best demonstrates your team leadership skills. It will also fail to answer the last part of the question: You need to show how the team went beyond what was expected. Don't be overly dramatic, but get admissions to understand the significance of what you have done. Don’t feel obligated to provide a work related answer to this question even though you may have developed such an answer for another school. Three questions to think about:
1. What skills or qualities did you demonstrate in the process of building or developing the team?
2. What does this story reveal about the way you interact with organizations and/or individuals?
3. Specifically how did your team exceed expectations? If this is measurable, indicate that as clearly as possible.

Option B: Tell us about a time when you made a lasting impact on your organization.
Leaving a lasting organizational legacy is another way that leaders have impact. If you think something you have done in the last three years will have a lasting impact on your organization, this is a great topic. Clearly indicate what that impact is and how you achieved it. I think it is particularly important to be very clear on why you think the impact you had will become your organizational legacy.

The one difficulty here is that the three-year limit on the topic means that the impact in question will actually not have been in place for very long. I think this is actually a poorly designed question in that regard. I think it could easily become a trap for those trying to fit an older story into the framework. It will no doubt frustrate those who ignore the three-year limit when they begin writing.

If you have the right story this can be a great question to answer.

Option C:  Tell us about a time when you generated support from others for an idea or initiative.

This question has changed from last year's "Tell us about a time when you motivated others to support your vision or initiative." Generating support is a bit wider than just motivating others.  The rewording actually broadens the question.  Unlike Option A, this need not be focused on a team. It is quite possible that the others you  who supported your idea or initiative don't report to you: Colleagues, supervisors, clients, and customers are all possibilities. I imagine this one will be very popular with consultants, analysts, and anyone who leads by their ideas. It is also a great question for those who lead by example. It also an effective for question for those who use strategy to convince others.  You might generate support through negotiating tactics.  You generate support through personal communication that really does motivate someone.  Or you might generate support through eliminating opposition to your position.

Option D: Tell us about a time when you went beyond what was defined, established, or expected.
This question remains unmodified from last year. Actually, I have to say that I love this question. Going beyond something defined, established, or expected may involve breaking the rules. Stanford GSB is place for those who are not traditional and are flexible in their thinking. If you are a maverick, a risk-taker, or simply unconventional in your approach to adding value, this essay option is for you. Show how you alter the very rules of something that you have been a part of and have a positive impact as a result.

IN CONCLUSION
Behavioral questions are not necessarily harder than other types of questions, but they do have their own underlying logic: Past behavior is a guide to future behavior. Keep that in mind, so that Stanford GSB sees what you want them to see and believes in your future potential.


Questions? Write comments or contact me directly at adammarkus@gmail.com. Please see my FAQ regarding the types of questions I will respond to. If you are looking for a highly experienced admissions consultant who is passionate about helping his clients succeed, please feel free to contact me at adammarkus@gmail.com to arrange an initial consultation. To learn more about my services, see here. Initial consultations are conducted by Skype or telephone. For clients in Tokyo, a free face-to-face consultation is possible after an initial Skype or telephone consultation. I only work with a limited number of clients per year and believe that an initial consultation is the best way to determine whether there is a good fit. Whether you use my service or another, I suggest making certain that the fit feels right to you.

-Adam Markus
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スタンフォード ビジネススクール カウンセリング コンサルティング 大学院 エッセイMBA留学

Stanford GSB Essay 2: What are your career aspirations? What do you need to learn at Stanford to achieve them?

This is the third of five posts analyzing the Stanford GSB MBA Essay Questions for 2010/2011 Admission. The first post provides an overall perspective on applying to Stanford GSB. The second post is on Essay 1. The forth post is on Essay 3. The fifth post is on additional information, resume, employment history, and activities. My analysis of Stanford GSB interviews can be found here.

Unlike Essay 1, which is a question specific to Stanford, Essay 2 appears to be a fairly standard education and career goals essay:
Essay 2: What are your career aspirations? What do you need to learn at Stanford to achieve them?

 FROM "HELP" TO "LEARN"

The big change in wording here was that Stanford changed the wording from "What are your career aspirations? How will your education at Stanford help you achieve them?" to What are your career aspirations? What do you need to learn at Stanford to achieve them?  This is not a big change and frankly does not alter my analysis because it simply is a more precise and powerful  way of saying the same thing.




Commenting on Essay 2, Eric Abrams, at the Stanford GSB presentation in 2007 in Tokyo, said to think beyond goals. He suggested thinking of aspirations in terms of the following question: "What do you hope to become?" Given the amount of personal attention you will receive, how will you leverage that attention and your opportunities at Stanford GSB to become as Abrams said, "your best self."

Before reading the rest of the post, you might want to take a look at an interview I conducted with a member of the Class of 2010 as a number of his comments relate directly to Essay 2. Those who read Japanese should also take a look at the blog  sutebuu survival@Stanford GSB by a member of the Class of 2011, which provides insights into the curriculum and other aspects of life at Stanford. You can find my interview with "Sutebuu" here. Japanese applicants should also see http://stanfordmba-lawyer.blogspot.com/.

THIS IS A FUTURE DIRECTED QUESTION
Unlike some other "Why MBA" questions, Stanford is not asking about the past. You will write about that in the other essays. Instead focus not just on your goals, but on your mission. How will you make a difference and how can Stanford GSB help you do that?

You need to be ambitious. Simply stating what your goals are and why Stanford is the best place for you to accomplish them is not exactly what you need here. Instead, you need to articulate a vision related to your goals and a vision that is connected to Stanford's mission to train global leaders.

ARE YOUR GOALS HOT?
Making career goals exciting requires thinking about whether your goals are compelling. Admissions committees ask applicants to write about their goals after graduate school, but can applicants actually know what will be on the cutting-edge in two or three years? While many applicants will be able to successfully apply with relatively standard goals ("I want to be a consultant because..."), communicating aspirations requires going beyond the typical.

Be informed. Stanford Admissions needs to believe you know what you are talking about. If you are changing careers, no one expects you to be an expert, but you should come across as having a clear plan based on real research into your future. If you are planning on staying in your present industry, you should be well informed not only about the companies you have worked for, but about the industry as a whole. If you are not already doing so, read industry related publications and network.

Those who are changing fields should most certainly read industry related publications in their intended field. I also suggest conducting informational interviews with at least one peer level and one senior level person in that field. Conduct a peer level interview to get a good idea of what it would be like to actually work in that industry. Conduct a senior level interview to get the perspective of someone who can see the big picture and all the little details as well.

Don't know anyone in your intended field? Network! One great way to start is through LinkedIn. Another is by making use of your undergraduate alumni network and/or career center.

LEARN WHAT IS HOT. No matter whether you are changing fields or not, learn what is hot now and try to figure out what will be hot by the time you graduate. Now, of course, this is just a plan and chances are that what is hot in your industry or field now may very well be cold in the future. The point is to come across to Stanford as someone who is not only well informed, but has CUTTING-EDGE knowledge. Some great general sources for learning what is hot:

From the Business Schools: Feed your brain with cutting-edge ideas from the best business schools in the world. Most Stanford GSB faculty research papers are available for free in PDF format on the Stanford GSB website at https://gsbapps.stanford.edu/researchpapers/. Other great sources of information include Stanford Social Innovation Review, Harvard Working Knowledge, Harvard Business Review, Harvard Business School Publishing, University of Chicago GSB's Working Papers, The University of Chicago's Capital Ideas, Knowledge @ Wharton, and MIT Sloan Management Review.

You may also want to do a search on itunes for podcasts: My favorites are Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders (from the Stanford School of Engineering, but totally relevant to the GSB), Chicago GSB Podcast, Net Impact, and Harvard Business IdeaCast. INSEAD, IMD, LBS, and Wharton also have podcasts.

LinkedIn Answers: I would suggest that everyone join LinkedIn and make use of LinkedIn Answers. LinkedIn Answers is a great way to tap into cutting edge expertise. Follow LinkedIn's rules and you will often be able to obtain excellent information.

Hoovers: For information about specific companies, Hoovers is just a great way to learn about key facts including competitors (a very useful way of knowing who else you might want to work for and to learn about an industry). While primarily focused on the US, Hoovers does have listings for companies worldwide.

Vault: For scope of coverage, this site is a must. Vault includes both career and admissions information. It includes both company specific and industry-wide information.

Other sources: Read magazines, websites, and books that relate to your intended field.

DOES IT ALL MAKE SENSE?
When formulating goals, the necessary prerequisite for formulating aspirations, I suggest going through a formal process of goals analysis.

You can use my GAP, SWOT, AND ROI TABLE FOR FORMULATING GRADUATE DEGREE GOALS for this purpose (see below). I think Gap, SWOT, and ROI analysis are great ways for understanding what your goals are, why you want a degree, and how you will use it. (Click here for a GMAC report on MBA ROI. )

(To best view the following table, click on it.)

How to use this table:

Step 1. Begin by analyzing your "Present Situation." What job(s) have you held? What was/is your functional role(s)? What was/are your responsibilities?

Next, analyze your present strengths and weaknesses for succeeding in your present career. REMEMBER:WHEN YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT YOUR STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESS DON'T ONLY THINK ABOUT WORK, THINK ABOUT OTHER ASPECTS OF YOUR LIFE. In particular, some of your greatest strengths may have been demonstrated outside of work, so make sure you are accounting for them.
Strengths: What are you good at? Where do you add value? What are you praised for? What are you proud of?
Weakness: What are you bad at? What are you criticized for? What do you try to avoid due to your own limitations? What do you fear?

Next, analyze the environment you work in right now. What opportunities exist for your growth and success? What threats could limit your career growth?

Step 2. Now, do the same thing in Step 1 for your "Post-Degree" future after you have earned your graduate degree. IF YOU CANNOT COMPLETE STEP 2, YOU HAVE NOT SUFFICIENTLY PLANNED FOR YOUR FUTURE and therefore you need to do more research and need to think more about it.

Step 3. If you could complete step 2, than you should see the "Gap" between your present and your future. What skills, knowledge, and other resources do you need to close the gap between your present and future responsibilities, strengths, and opportunities?

Step 4. After completing Step 3, you now need to determine how an MBA will add value to you. It is possible that an increased salary as a result of job change will be sufficient "ROI" for the degree to justify itself, but you should show how a degree will allow you to reach your career goals. How will the degree enhance your skills and opportunities and help you overcome your weaknesses and external threats? If you can complete Step 4 than you should be ready to explain what your goals are, why you want a degree, and the relationship between your past and future career, as well as your strengths and weaknesses.

The above table will also help you answer such common interview questions as: Where do you want to work after you finish your degree? Why do you want an MBA (or other degree)? What are you strengths? What are your weaknesses? What are your goals? Thinking about these issues now will help you to develop a fully worked-out strategy for how you will best present yourself both in the application and in an interview.

DON'T FORGET ABOUT STANFORD!!!!
What do you need to learn at Stanford to achieve them?
Your objective in the essay is demonstrate why you would greatly benefit from a Stanford MBA education. Actually without that, your aspirations will not make sense because you must have aspirations that require Stanford. Assume that for your aspirations to be effective, Stanford admissions has to make the determination that you are someone who will make best use of their resources. Stanford is proud of what they are and what they can offer. They can reject anyone and they do reject a higher percentage of applicants than other schools. Keep in mind what Derrick Bolton, the Director of Admissions, says about Stanford Essay 2:

How do you plan to take advantage of the incredible opportunities at Stanford? How do you envision yourself contributing, growing, and learning here at the Business School? And how will the Stanford experience help you become the person you described in the first part of Essay B [Essay 2]?

One thing I think that separates great versions of Essay 2 (the ones that get applicants an interview) and mediocre versions (the ones that usually don't get applicants an interview) is the extent to which the applicant is able to show that Stanford is not a mere afterthought or an option, but actually a necessity to accomplish one's aspirations. Fully account for that in your essay. Learn as much as you can about the program and think deeply about who it will impact you. Stanford views itself as a change agent. Show in you essay how it will change you.

The writing process: After going through a process of reflection and analysis, prepare a version of Essay 2 that includes everything you want to say. Next begin the process of revision. Here are a few key things to consider when revising:

1. Think about the most important thing you need admissions to know about your aspirations and why Stanford GSB is the best place to prepare you for them. Begin your essay with that. Chances are good that on your initial draft the most important thing is somewhere in the middle or end of your essay.

2. Prioritize the rest of your content: What do they really need to know? Chances are you have lots of details that can be cut.

3. Make a formal argument: Your essay should be neither a set of disembodied points or a summary, instead it should be a formal statement. Effective forms of this statement vary. The important part is that the reader should be able to understand it clearly and be convinced by it.

Finally, once you have put together Essay 2, consider how the rest of your application supports what you say in it. Without over-marketing yourself or even necessarily writing it directly in the essays, make that your other essays and other aspects of your application show how your potential will contribute to your future aspirations.

STANFORD GSB IN A TIME OF CHANGE
Finally, I think it is important to understand that Stanford GSB is going through a process of change. Not just in terms of the new curriculum that was launched beginning with the Class of 2009 (see the first post in this series), but also in terms of "developing new multidisciplinary programs with the seven other schools to help understand issues facing society and to bring about important changes," and the construction of the Knight Management Center, a new campus for GSB, scheduled to open in Academic Year 2010-2011. For more about all of these changes, click here. All these changes will impact those who want to join the Class of 2013. 

As I mentioned in the first post in this series, I visited Stanford in May 2010.   I attended a class at the old campus, which is certainly quite nice, but based on looking at the Knight Management Center construction site, it is clear that the Class of 2013 will have a truly phenomenal campus.   


Questions? Write comments or contact me directly at adammarkus@gmail.com. Please see my FAQ regarding the types of questions I will respond to. If you are looking for a highly experienced admissions consultant who is passionate about helping his clients succeed, please feel free to contact me at adammarkus@gmail.com to arrange an initial consultation. To learn more about my services, see here. Initial consultations are conducted by Skype or telephone. For clients in Tokyo, a free face-to-face consultation is possible after an initial Skype or telephone consultation. I only work with a limited number of clients per year and believe that an initial consultation is the best way to determine whether there is a good fit. Whether you use my service or another, I suggest making certain that the fit feels right to you.

-Adam Markus
アダム マーカス

スタンフォード ビジネススクール カウンセリング コンサルティング 大学院 エッセイMBA留学

Stanford GSB Essay 1: What matters most to you, and why?

This is the second of five posts analyzing the Stanford GSB MBA Essay Questions for Class of 2013 Admission. The first post provides an overall perspective on applying to Stanford GSB. The third post is on Essay 2. The forth post is on Essay 3. The fifth post is on additional information, resume, employment history, and activities. My analysis of Stanford GSB interviews can be found here.

A SIMPLE QUESTION
Essay 1: What matters most to you, and why?

From my experience, most successful applicants to Stanford write essays for at least one or two other schools first. While they are doing those other schools, they have already started THINKING about Essay 1. Which raises the following question:
WHERE DO SUCCESSFUL ANSWERS TO ESSAY 1 COME FROM?
In my experience answers to this question that result in acceptance, come from the HEART and the HEAD. The two combined will allow you to tell your story about what matters most. GSB's Admission Director, Derrick Bolton, makes this very clear in his advice regarding the question:

In the first essay, tell a story—and tell a story that only you can tell.

This essay should be descriptive and told in a straightforward and sincere way. This probably sounds strange, since these are essays for business school, but we don’t expect to hear about your business experience in this essay (though, of course, you are free to write about whatever you would like).

Remember that we have your entire application—work history, letters of reference, short-answer responses, etc.—to learn what you have accomplished and the type of impact you have made. Your task in this first essay is to connect the people, situations, and events in your life with the values you adhere to and the choices you have made. This essay gives you a terrific opportunity to learn about yourself!

Many good essays describe the "what," but great essays move to the next order and describe how and why these "whats" have influenced your life.

The most common mistake applicants make is spending too much time describing the "what" and not enough time describing how and why these guiding forces have shaped your behavior, attitudes, and objectives in your personal and professional lives.

While you will need to consider the leadership implications of what matters most to you, as I suggested in my first post in this series, I suggest beginning with no fixed assumptions about what Stanford wants here. One of the easiest ways to write a bad version of Essay 1 is to have a theme that does not directly relate to your actual experience: Round pegs do not fit into square holes.

HEART: The admits I worked with found what matters most to them by looking inside of themselves and finding something essential about who they are. No one is reducible to a core single concept, a single motivation, or any other sort of singularity, but certain things do make each of us tick. Beyond the most basic things of survival, what motivates you? What do you live for? What do you care about? How do you relate to other people? Are you driven by a particular idea or issue? Where do you find meaning?

HEAD: Once you think you have identified that essential thing that matters most to you, begin analyzing it. What is its source? WHY does it remain important to you? HOW?

The heart will tell what it is, but the head must explain it. From my perspective, great answers to this question combine a very strong analytical foundation-A FULL ANSWER TO WHY AND HOW IS MANDATORY- and specific examples. Avoid the common mistake that Derrick Bolton mentions above of ignoring the "Why?" and the "How?" by focusing too much on the "What?"

If you are having difficulty answering Essay 1 to your own satisfaction, I have few suggestions:

1. Write some other schools essays first. In the process of doing so, you may discover the answer. This has worked for a number of my clients.

2. Stanford admissions repeatedly emphasizes that there is no one right answer. Some applicants become paralyzed because they want THE RIGHT MESSAGE. You need to fully account for who you are and what you have done, but should not try to overly sell yourself to Stanford because that is simply at odds with the way in which the school selects candidates. Therefore don't focus on finding THE RIGHT MESSAGE, instead be honest and give an answer that is real.

If you are having some more fundamental difficulties with this question, one book I suggest taking a look at is Victor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning. This classic is worth a look for anyone who is thinking about what their life is about. Frankl makes us think about meaning from the most extreme of perspectives, inside a concentration camp, and in the process helps us to understand that meaning itself is deeply tied to our own survival. If you need to engage in some self-reflection, Frankl’s book is one place to start. I might also suggest reading Plato or doing some mediation, but in my experience those take more time and Frankl's book has the advantage of being short, inexpensive, available at many libraries, and has been translated from the original German into twenty-two languages.

3. The answer may be real, but is it a good one? If you are not sure, look critically at Stanford GSB's mission statement:
Our mission is to create ideas that deepen and advance our understanding of management and with those ideas to develop innovative, principled, and insightful leaders who change the world.
Does what matters most to you fit within this mission? Think about this statement in the widest possible way. Given the small class size and the highly collaborative nature of the program, admissions will only be doing its job right if they select students who fit into Stanford GSB's mission. As I stated in the first post in this series, Stanford is looking for leaders, but leaders come in many forms and the values and ideals that inform them vary greatly. In my experience, Stanford highly values "Thought Leaders" as well as those who demonstrate more standard forms of leadership. If what matters most to you is something that admissions can clearly connect to informing your ideals as a leader than you are on the way to forming an effective answer to what is Stanford's most unique essay question. 

3. MAKE A CHOICE!
All successful versions of this essay that I have read involve making a choice. That is to say, you must actually clearly indicate something that matters most. As someone who is frequently contacted by those who have failed to obtain admission to Stanford and want to know why, I often find that they don't make this choice. Their "what matters most" lacks clarity and unity. Make a clear choice and really explore it. This will best reveal your self-awareness and your passion.

Questions? Write comments or contact me directly at adammarkus@gmail.com. Please see my FAQ regarding the types of questions I will respond to. If you are looking for a highly experienced admissions consultant who is passionate about helping his clients succeed, please feel free to contact me at adammarkus@gmail.com to arrange an initial consultation. To learn more about my services, see here. Initial consultations are conducted by Skype or telephone. For clients in Tokyo, a free face-to-face consultation is possible after an initial Skype or telephone consultation. I only work with a limited number of clients per year and believe that an initial consultation is the best way to determine whether there is a good fit. Whether you use my service or another, I suggest making certain that the fit feels right to you.

-Adam Markus
アダム マーカス

スタンフォード ビジネススクール カウンセリング コンサルティング 大学院 エッセイMBA留学