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You can find a better version of my blog at http://www.adammarkus.com/blog/.

Be sure to read my Key Posts on the admissions process. Topics include essay analysis, resumes, recommendations, rankings, and more.

July 30, 2012

2012 UCLA Anderson Information Session in Tokyo

I was asked to post information about  the 2012 UCLA Anderson Information Session in Tokyo. The event will be held in Japanese.

-Adam Markus

I am a graduate admissions consultant who works with clients worldwide. If you would like to arrange an initial consultation, please complete my intake form. Please don't email me any essays, other admissions consultant's intake forms, your life story, or any long email asking for a written profile assessment. The only profiles I assess are those with people who I offer initial consultations to. Please note that initial consultations are not offered when I have reached full capacity or when I determine that I am not a good fit with an applicant.



卒業生による学校説明会のお知らせ

今年で11回目を迎える「夏恒例」のUCLA Anderson School of Managementの学校説明会、来る9/2(日)の開催が決定いたしました。UCLA Andersonのその年の卒業生が中心となって自主的に企画・開催されるこのイベントでは、学校紹介プレゼンテーション(卒業・在校生が作成するオリジナル版)、パネルディスカッションに加えて、バックグラウンドや希望職種・業種ごとの小グループに分かれたQ&Aセッションを行います。UCLA Anderson合格を目指す方、出願を検討している方はもちろん、なんとなく興味のある方々にも、是非真のAndersonを知っていただきたいと思います。
  • UCLA Andersonとはどんなビジネススクールなのか?
  • 卒業生たちがどのように出願プロセスを乗り切ったのか?
  • UCLA Andersonでの実際のMBA留学生活はどれほど大変で、楽しく、エキサイティングで充実しているものなのか?
  • 留学生はどのような学校生活(クラスやクラブ・課外活動など)、私生活を送っているのか?
  • 卒業した後、UCLA Andersonの卒業生はどのような分野で活躍しているのか?留学中に培ったスキルやノウハウ、人脈がどのように活きていると実感しているのか?
  • これからUCLA Anderson合格を目指す方々に向けてのアドバイスは?
  • そもそも、UCLA Andersonにはどのような人たちが集い、学び、活動し、生活しているのか?
以上のようなことを含め、UCLA Andersonを様々な角度から理解していただく絶好の機会です。せっかくの日曜日午後の時間となりますが、どうぞUCLA Andersonを体感して下さい。一人でも多くのMBA志望者の皆様にお会いし直接お話できることを、卒業生・在校生一同心から楽しみにしております!
2012年7月
UCLA Anderson 夏イベント企画幹事一同
【日時】  9月2日(日) 13:30-16:30
【場所】  ヴィラフォンテーヌ汐留 会議室1・2・3番(http://www.hvf.jp/shiodome/

 〒105-0021 東京都港区東新橋1-9-2(汐留住友ビル内)
【予約】  参加ご希望の方は以下の登録フォームをご記入下さい。尚、会場のキャパシティ上定員(100名)を設けており、先着順とさせて頂きますので予めご了承下さい。
【費用】  無 料
【説明会スケジュール(予定)】
13:00 受付開始
13:30 イベント開始
13:40-14:10 学校紹介プレゼンテーション
14:10-15:10 卒業生・在校生パネルディスカッション
15:20-16:30 卒業生・在校生とのフリーディスカッション・Q&A(小グループに分かれて行います)
【問い合わせ】 藤田 悠介(Class of 2012)yusuke.fujita.2012@anderson.ucla.edu







July 27, 2012

Round 1? Round 2? Apply when you are ready!

I think all applicants planning on MBA application for 2013 entry, should take a look at Heavy Round One Volume Expected, an article by John Byrne in Poets & Quants.  Byrne has been communicating with some other admissions consultants about the fact that they anticipate a very heavy first round (R1) this year because of (1) the switch to the new GMAT, which motivated many applicants to get their test taking done with early, (2) HBS and Stanford both have historically early round one deadlines, and (3) Stanford is now clearly saying round one application is significantly less competitive than round two (R2).  In addition to those factors,  I think the trend of smaller essay sets will make it possible for applicants to get through more applications quickly. While MIT Sloan has always made it clear that R1 was preferable to R2, Stanford’s position on this will only further motivate applicants to apply in R1.  

Applicants are always asking me about R1 versus R2. Previously, I have tried to be more school specific about my answer, but I suspect that with top ten programs, there will be less reasons to focus on the specific program, but my answer will remain very applicant specific.  

One issue that has consistently arisen for me is that my advice on R1 does differ based on the background of the applicant. For example, given that I work with many North Americans in the financial sector, I do highly recommend that given the level of competition, especially amongst men, that they apply in R1.  Also, as I work with many Indians (both in India and worldwide), given the level of competition they will face, I think R1 is vastly better than R2 for them.  When you are a male North American banker or an Indian male IT guy, R1 is so clearly preferable. That said, I have certainly had clients in both categories succeed in R2, but they clearly face so much competition and have such a greater chance of getting dinged or waitlisted.  On the other hand, when I work with Japanese clients, I simply emphasize the extent to which they are ready to make application because I don’t see much difference in R1 versus R2 outcomes amongst them. This often applies even to Stanford.

To go beyond my own perspective, I asked some of my colleagues who run their own counseling services about their opinions on this issue.  Before providing their perspectives, I wanted to briefly mention that admissions consulting in Japan arose quite independently from such services in the US. Japanese companies have sponsored some of their most capable employees for MBA and strongly desired that such employees gain admission to top schools. These objectives, combined with the need to overcome linguistic and cultural barriers helped to establish a relatively large number of admissions consulting services in Japan. Most services focus primarily on meeting the needs of Japanese applicants and those of expats (Americans, Canadians, Chinese, and Indians are most common).  Tokyo remains a top stop for admissions officers as the vast majority of applicants to top MBA programs in Japan are based in the Tokyo area. While companies used to be the dominant players in this market, at this point it is all about 1-2 person operations like mine.

One of the most experienced counselors serving the Japanese market is Stephen Round,  who began as an admissions consultant in 1995. Stephen is the Executive Director of Round One Admissions Consulting.  When I asked him about this issue, he said “Many MBA applicants whom I’ve met this year have expressed a strong interest in applying in the first round. However, whether or not they will actually be competitive in the first round remains to be seen, since most applicants I’ve met are still in the process of trying to earn competitive TOEFL and GMAT scores.”  In general, he thinks that “an MBA applicant should consider applying in the first round if they have competitive TOEFL and GMAT scores, have had sufficient time to create polished application materials, and, perhaps most importantly, if they can be sufficiently prepared for first round interviews. Some applicants obsessed about applying in the first round allocate insufficient time to their interview preparation and, thus, they fail to perform well in their first round interviews. This is a classic mistake. Therefore, applicants should understand that choosing to apply in R1 requires a commitment to be prepared to interview in the first round. Otherwise, they are setting themselves up for a first round ding letter... “ Like Stephen, I know there is nothing more painful than seeing a client rush through the process and be ill prepared for interviewing.

Ed Lee, the founder of www.edogijuku.com, has been a full-time admissions consultant since 1997, having started a few years prior to that on an occasional basis. I think his long term perspective on which round to apply to and the fact there is no size fits all approach is really worth keeping in mind:  “From talking with MBA admissions directors and officers over the years, all have agreed that applicants should apply “when you are ready”, meaning when the person can apply “when you are ready”, meaning when the person can put together the best application regardless of round. However, some schools historically favor early decision/ first round, such as Columbia and I develop strategies based on each applicant’s unique case. FOR SOME PEOPLE 2ND ROUND and EVEN 3RD ROUND is best.” Ed also has great advice on planning: “I recommend applicants MAKE A PLAN and MAKE A BACK-UP PLAN. Most applicants have never applied to business school, so no one knows how to start making a plan. An applicant might say, “I plan to finish my TOEFL and GMAT in August.” But it does not happen, then what? Rather than panic, I suggest developing a PLAN A, PLAN B, PLAN C, and a WORST CASE SCENARIO. I think that being proactive is the best strategy.”  As Ed suggests, planning for any applicant is critical, especially for those who are still struggling with TOEFL, IELTS, GRE, and/or GMAT.

My friend and colleague since 2002, Vince Ricci, owns and operates Vince Admissions. Like me, he is seeing an increased number of clients focused on R1: “I am receiving inquiries earlier than ever. This is true both in my original Japan market, as well as my new target markets, which include the US, EU, India, China, and the Middle East.”   In terms of timing for most Japanese applicants as well as other English-as-a-second-language (ESL) clients who might struggle with TOEFL, Vince says, “I tell non-native English speakers to allow two to three months to complete their first application, which includes the letter of recommendation process. Therefore, if one of my ESL clients has yet to score 680 GMAT and 107 TOEFL by August 1, I usually assume that it would be hard for them to submit a competitive R1 application to HBS, Wharton, or Stanford. That is especially this year, since the HBS R1 deadline (September 24) is earlier than ever.  Of course, every year, someone proves me wrong and gets admitted in less time than we expected, which always makes me happy.”  Vince also points out that late R1 deadlines still allow ESL applicants to meet R1 deadlines at some top schools. ”MIT’s October 24 R1 deadline is later than most other top schools, so it might still be possible to start your MIT Sloan 2-year MBA application after August 15. This is especially true since Rod Garcia does not require TOEFL (his AdCom team will check your English at the interview!)” Vince’s overall advice is surely worth keeping in mind: “Start early, work hard, and apply when you feel 95% ready (you will NEVER feel 100% ready). Most of all, please enjoy the process!”

The newest counselor to go independent in Tokyo is John Couke, Independent Academic Advisor. John trained under Vince and I back in 2006 and was running a company in Tokyo’s counseling service until earlier this year.  John says that he “feels a slight increase in R1 application, but it may be because my point of interaction with clients has changed over the past year. In the past, historically 30% of my clients have applied in R1, 60% in R2 and 10% in R3.” This would make sense because John says that he “often works with company sponsored applicants who have received their sponsorship recently and focus quickly on TOEFL. In such cases this year, few even considered sitting for the old GMAT. In past years, they often apply in R2 to give them sufficient time to prepare strong applications.”  Like the rest of us, John emphasizes that the client be ready: “I feel clients should apply for R1 if their test scores are ready, and their application is strong. I never recommend clients rush to complete an application just to make R1 when more time would give them a stronger R2 application. I have seen a higher admit rate amongst my clients who applied in R1, but I feel a lot of this is due to the fact that often my strongest clients apply in R1 - so while the application volume might be higher in R2, the quality of the competition is higher in R1. This to me is a prime difference between R1 and R2, especially for top programs.”

What I hope you can see from these different perspectives is that each applicant’s specific situation is a much greater consideration than whether to apply in R1 or R2.  The counselors interviewed for this article agree that applicants should consult with their counselors about which application round makes the most sense for their particular circumstances. Therefore, rather than do what everyone else is doing, applicants should consider their own particular situation.


-Adam Markus

I am a graduate admissions consultant who works with clients worldwide. If you would like to arrange an initial consultation, please complete my intake form. Please don't email me any essays, other admissions consultant's intake forms, your life story, or any long email asking for a written profile assessment. The only profiles I assess are those with people who I offer initial consultations to. Please note that initial consultations are not offered when I have reached full capacity or when I determine that I am not a good fit with an applicant.

An audio interview with me on CareerEdge Japan

You can find an audio interview with me on CareerEdge Japan where I discuss the graduate admissions consulting services I offer, the types of clients I work with, and some of my consulting methods. For those considering using my services or if you are just curious to know what I do, this interview is a good place to start. CareerEdge Japan is a new English language site focused on all aspects of career development including recruiting and training. I am happy to be part of CareerEdge Japan because it will provide both internationally focused Japanese and expats based in Japan with great career resources.  For those considering whether they need an MBA or another graduate degree or simply need some more specific training or just simply a new job,  I think CareerEdge can help. 


-Adam Markus

I am a graduate admissions consultant who works with clients worldwide. If you would like to arrange an initial consultation, please complete my intake form. Please don't email me any essays, other admissions consultant's intake forms, your life story, or any long email asking for a written profile assessment. The only profiles I assess are those with people who I offer initial consultations to. Please note that initial consultations are not offered when I have reached full capacity or when I determine that I am not a good fit with an applicant.

July 26, 2012

Kellogg Tokyo Information Session - 2012

I was asked to post information about Kellogg's official admissions information session in Tokyo.


-Adam Markus

I am a graduate admissions consultant who works with clients worldwide. If you would like to arrange an initial consultation, please complete my intake form. Please don't email me any essays, other admissions consultant's intake forms, your life story, or any long email asking for a written profile assessment. The only profiles I assess are those with people who I offer initial consultations to. Please note that initial consultations are not offered when I have reached full capacity or when I determine that I am not a good fit with an applicant.





Join us at a Kellogg Information Session to
learn how we educate, equip and inspire great leaders

Kellogg admissions officers and alumni will share how our unique culture prepares you to create
lasting value in your career and organization.   We’ll address the One-Year, Two-Year, MMM and
JD-MBA programs while answering your questions on academics, student life, career resources
and the admissions process.

Tokyo Information Session - 2012
Goldman Sachs Japan Co., Ltd.
Roppongi Hills Mori Tower
10-1 Roppongi 6-chome
Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-6147
13 Aug 2012 07:30 PM JST


Business can be bravely led, passionately collaborative and world changing. It’s time to elevate the art and science of management, to bring together ideas and push human organizations forward. That’s what we teach. Full-Time, Part-Time or Executive MBA and Executive Education. Learn with us

July 23, 2012

Brevity is the soul of MBA Application Essays in 2012-2013

Given the decreases in total word count and number of essays at HBS, Columbia, Stanford, MIT, etc, clearly brevity is the soul of the MBA application for 2012-2013. Applicants to top US MBA programs in 2012-2013 will surely find themselves experiencing both the benefits and limitations of having very short essays to write. While applicants will find that they are likely to be able to get through each essay set faster than in past years, they are likely to be frustrated by the lack of available word count to present themselves comprehensively. 
This makes me think of a famous quote by a great dead writer:
Brevity is the soul of lingerie.
-Dorothy Parker
Perhaps you thought I would mention someone else? Well maybe brevity is the soul of wit, but various proponents of long form humor would argue otherwise. On the other hand, I am convinced that Dorothy Parker got it right about lingerie. I will not make an extended comparison between lingerie and MBA application essays, but Kellogg's "What one interesting or fun fact would you want your future Kellogg classmates to know about you? (25 words or less)" surely takes the t-back prize. Brief indeed.

Now that I have amused myself, I wanted to provide some general suggestions for effectively presenting yourself in MBA application essays when you have only limited word count:

Don't be redundant. Here is an example of what I meanThere is no space for writing the same thing over and over again when you have very tight word counts. Given limited word count, you really have to make effective use of your word count. Even if you don't, if you you repeat what you have written over and over again, you will simply be repeating yourself. It will get annoying to read the same idea expressed in multiple sentences when one sentence would doYou must make the most of every word you have. While what I just wrote contains good advice, was it not annoying to read? Therefore intensively edit what you have written to get in as much as you can in the limited space that you have available.

Answer the question directly. Given the amount of internal administrative time that was involved in formulating these lovely questions, assume the admissions office is actually asking for a specific answer to the question being asked. Especially when questions are being formulated in a very direct way, it should not be challenging to stay on topic. Questions such as Wharton's "How will Wharton MBA help you achieve your professional objectives? (400 words)," are very focused questions.  Compare it to what Wharton asked back for the Class of 2012: 
"Essay 1 – (750-1000 words) As a leader in global business, Wharton is committed to sustaining “a truly global presence through its engagement in the world.” What goals are you committed to and why? How do you envision the Wharton MBA contributing to the attainment of those goals?"
Clearly, you can't possible cover the range of topics that applicants back in 2009-2010 could. Instead you most provide a focused answer that shows the clear expected relationship between your professional goals and Wharton. You can briefly describe what your professional objectives are, provide a brief explanation of your motivation for said objectives, and then go on to explain how Wharton will help you achieve your goals. You don't have space for your life story. If they wanted it, they would ask for it.

Only write about the best stuff. The great thing about smaller application essay sets is that they make secondary and tertiary topics unnecessary for essays. Instead just focus on your best stuff. The means you should spend a sufficient amount of time figuring out what that is. If you read my analysis of HBS essays, you will see how I suggest even comparing possible topics to each other in order to determine what really is best.  It has always been the case that applicants need to focus on their best stuff, but it becomes even more important when you get no second chances. Less essays and shorter word counts means you have fewer chances to positively impact your reader. 

Know exactly what you really want your audience to understand about you. You will not have nearly the same number of opportunities per application to present yourself as applicants did in the past.  You can only provide them with a limited number of selling points in your essays, so make the most of each point. Don't spread yourself too thin. You might have identified six-ten key selling points about yourself, but chances are you might only have room for 3-5 of them if you want to have space so that what you write actually has impact. 

Keep your professional objectives simple. The more complicated and non-intuitive your post-MBA objectives are, the harder it will be to communicate them in really short essays. You might be a career changer or an entrepreneur with elaborate plans, but you will have exactly the same space as the career enhancer who intends to keep on their present career path. Even if what you want to do is complex, keep your goals simple because you will not have the space for anything complicated or very detailed. 

Make sure that what you can't get into your essays is being communicated elsewhere. The resume, recommendations, and application form provide valuable opportunities for getting in what you can't cover elsewhere. If there is a story you want your recommender to tell that you don't have space for in your essays, ask them to include it. Make sure your resume really fully accounts for the full range of your academic, professional, and extracurricular accomplishments.  Make full use of the application form. 

Now back to reviewing clients' files. First round is coming early this year. 


-Adam Markus

I am a graduate admissions consultant who works with clients worldwide. If you would like to arrange an initial consultation, please complete my intake form. Please don't email me any essays, other admissions consultant's intake forms, your life story, or any long email asking for a written profile assessment. The only profiles I assess are those with people who I offer initial consultations to. Please note that initial consultations are not offered when I have reached full capacity or when I determine that I am not a good fit with an applicant.

July 18, 2012

Some Modest Proposals for Future MBA Applicant Evaluation

If you are looking for one of my useful blog posts that will contribute to your MBA admissions success, this is not it. Below I have tried, I hope not without some success, in making a number of modest proposals for ways that future applicants to MBA programs might be evaluated.  While Mr. Jonathan Swift, inspired this effort, it would be correct to say that he has no direct responsibility for it. In fact, I never had the chance to meet him. Still, his own Modest Proposal, has been with me all the way.

While this year has seen a significant decrease in the size of essays, nothing truly radical has emerged except for the HBS non-essay from hell,  where applicants are given the chance to blow it on paper after doing so in the flesh.  This stands to reason,  as aside from such minor considerations as length, format, and topic, what else can one do with an essay?  The form itself is so literate.  Why not go post-literate? That would be more in tune with the kids anyway.  And who really has the time to read essays?

Eliminate all subjective considerations from the application process. Fire all the admissions staff and retain the services of a quant who can simply come up with a set of standardized categories that can be employed to select candidates to form the perfect class.  Advantages:  Applicants could apply quickly and easily to a large number of programs.  Applicants who were rejected would simply understand that they did not measure up and that their lives were effectively over.  Schools could save on the cost of hiring admissions staff.  Disadvantages: Adam would be out of work. The less functional admissions officers would find themselves homeless.  The application process while becoming fair in a certain way would become cold and inhuman. Did I mention that Adam would be out of work?

Make applicants dance if they want to get admitted.  Alternative forms of expression should be embraced. Why limit ourselves to words, what about the motion of the human body itself?  The range of possibilities is endless. Diversity would be easily guaranteed by only accepting so many dancers of a particular type. Advantages: Literacy would no longer have a central place in the admissions process, but both highly disciplined and highly creative behavior would be at the center of the process. Dance instructors would find more work. Dance shoe and outfit companies would be able to serve a new market. Businesses would flourish. Disadvantages: The physically awkward, the shy, and those who were raised in cultures that did not regularly engage in dance would be at a great disadvantage in the application process. Those who had little time to practice because of demanding jobs would find admission to top programs beyond their reach.  Adam would be out of work.

Make applicants either sing or speak their application contents in audio files. I know UCLA did this on a limited basis when it employed an audio based essay question, but that was a mere half-measure. In order to allow admissions officers to review applicant files while they drive, run, walk, eat, etc., eliminating the need for reading would be immensely helpful.  Of course, any admissions officer who had a hearing disability could be provided with a transcript.  Schools might first try out with just speaking, but I think singing an entire application would be of immense value.  There might be some controversy over the use of Pro Tools, musical accompaniment, and back-up singers, but I am sure clear and easy to follow procedures could be developed. Advantages: Admissions staff could be engaged in two jobs at once, which would allow the schools to save on the cost of landscaping, janitorial services, security, cafeteria staff, etc. It would be much easier to find and eliminate dull speakers, the completely English challenged, and anyone who likes Euro Pop from the process. Disadvantages: It would necessarily involve a great deal of written work to write-up assessments of applicants files. If singing were mandatory, Adam would be out of work.

Select Applicants Randomly. Since admissions officers say all the time that the vast majority of applicants are actually qualified, why don't we just go on that assumption?  A random selection of admits is likely to be somewhat representative.  Advantages: All applicants who apply would have the same chance to get admitted.  Disadvantages: Certain population groups would be overly represented in the program, while others would rarely if ever appear. Diversity would exist at an abstract level, but not in terms of actual practice. Wait, that last sentence seems to apply to somewhere already. Where is it?  Also, Adam would be out of work.

Let applicants select each other. Given the importance of peers, it would seem only natural to allow the applicants to select who they would want to have in their class.  All applicants to a particular program would meet all the other applicants and rank them. Kind of think of it as speed dating, but involving a significantly larger number of potential partners. Advantages: The process would be democratic. Adam would have a job helping applicants figure out how to be liked by the other applicants.   Disadvantages: The process would be somewhat time intensive and logistically complex.

I hope the above suggestions will get the appropriate level of consideration.  I would be happy to further elaborate on any of the above. Alternatively, I would be happy to ignore the above and elaborate on something else.  In either case, I elaborate therefore I am.

-Mada Sukram

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

This is the fifth of five posts analyzing the Stanford GSB MBA Essay Questions for Class of 2015 Admission. The five posts are overall commentsEssay 1Essay 2Essay 3, and additional information/resume/employment history/activities. My analysis of Stanford GSB interviews can be found here. In addition to the Class of 2015 posts, I also recommend reading and/or listening to my presentation, "So you want to get into Stanford GSB?" which was made to a Japanese audience in March 2011. That presentation focuses on issues that are applicable to all applicants as well as some issues specific to Japanese applicants. 

In the 2011-2012 application cycle, I had one client admitted in R1 and one client in R2. You can find results and/or testimonials from my clients admitted to to the Stanford Classes of 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, and 2010 here.  My full Stanford results prior to the Class of 2014 can be found here. My clients admitted to Stanford GSB have come from China, India, Japan, South Korea, and the United States and have had extremely diverse professional and educational backgrounds. The advice I provide below is based on that experience.

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.
The application form, transcript, and resume all play a significant role in the evaluation of your suitability for admission.  Given Stanford is evaluating your intellectual vitality, demonstrated leadership potential, personal qualities, and qualifications, you can be certain that beyond your essays, the rest of the application will be highly scrutinized to determine how you benchmark against these criteria.
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:

Resume



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.  Please see here for the resume template that many of my clients admitted to Stanford and other top programs have used. Since Stanford generally prefers a one-page resume, my suggestion is to provide that if at all feasible. You can always submit a second page of your resume as supplemental if absolutely necessary. Still, I am advising all my clients to keep it to a page this year. Previously Stanford, did not indicate a preference for one page over two pages in the instructions, but this year they have.


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 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.
  • Do not report internships in this section. Instead, report internships in the part-time employment section.

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 GSB, 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. Some had amazing extracurricular activities, while others really did not having much worth mentioning.

Finally, I plea with you to give yourself enough time to do a first class job on the entire application. I can't guarantee that doing a great job on the application form will get you into the Stanford Class of 2015, but if you make it part of your overall approach to applying, it will not hurt either.  Given the central importance of the resume to the interview process at Stanford, it is critical that you give that document the time and attention that it deserves. Best of luck!


-Adam Markus

I am a graduate admissions consultant who works with clients worldwide. If you would like to arrange an initial consultation, please complete my intake form. Please don't email me any essays, other admissions consultant's intake forms, your life story, or any long email asking for a written profile assessment. The only profiles I assess are those with people who I offer initial consultations to. Please note that initial consultations are not offered when I have reached full capacity or when I determine that I am not a good fit with an applicant.

Stanford GSB MBA Essay 3 for Class of 2015 Admission

This is the fourth of five posts analyzing the Stanford GSB MBA Essay Questions for Class of 2015 Admission. The five posts are overall commentsEssay 1Essay 2Essay 3, and additional information/resume/employment history/activitiesMy analysis of Stanford GSB interviews can be found here. In addition to the Class of 2015 posts, I also recommend reading and/or listening to my presentation, "So you want to get into Stanford GSB?" which was made to a Japanese audience in March 2011. That presentation focuses on issues that are applicable to all applicants as well as some issues specific to Japanese applicants. 
In the 2011-2012 application cycle, I had one client admitted in R1 and one client in R2. You can find results and/or testimonials from my clients admitted to to the Stanford Classes of 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, and 2010 here.  My full Stanford results prior to the Class of 2014 can be found here. My clients admitted to Stanford GSB have come from China, India, Japan, South Korea, and the United States and have had extremely diverse professional and educational backgrounds. The advice I provide below is based on that experience.


The Place of Essay 3 within the Stanford GSB Application Essays for the Class of 2015: 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. Essay 3 can also be considered as the place to show your potential to succeed at what you write about in Essay 2.
Before looking at the specific questions, lets look at the instructions: Answer one of the three 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.
THE OPTIONS ARE ALL ABOUT HAVING AN IMPACT:

  • Option A: Tell us about a time in the last three years when you built or developed a team whose performance exceeded expectations.
  • Option B: Tell us about a time in the last three years when you identified and pursued an opportunity to improve an organization.
  • Option C: Tell us about a time in the last three years when you went beyond what was defined or established.
One thing that is common to all three 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.In the following table, which I will elaborate on below, I have suggested how to outline an essay designed to effectively answer this question.


    ESSAY THREE OUTLINE
    Situation (Remember the 3 year limit):

    Task:

    Actions: Break them down in 2 or more steps. A step is what you did, thought, felt, and/or said that had impact.What skill(s)
    or quality(ies)
    did you
    demonstrate?
    Why does Stanford need to know about this?Is this something Stanford could learn about you elsewhere in the application? If so, to what extent?
    Action Step 1:

    Action Step 2:

    Action Step 3:

    Results: What was the impact of your actions?
    Result 1 (Impact on you):

    Result 2 (Impact on others):

    (You can cut and paste the above table into Google Docs or MS Word)

    The above table is based on the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method. When Stanford GSB started asking behavioral essay questions, it was clear that they had borrowed this from MIT Sloan. This distinctive style of behavioral essay questions that MIT and Stanford ask have their origins in behavioral interviewing:“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:

    The STAR technique is really the core method you need to use for answering Essay 3. It is simply the following, which is taken from the 2005 MIT Sloan Guide (No longer available for easy download, but if you search on "Situation: define the situation or “set the stage.” you can find it. The current guide is is not as helpful.):
    • 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.

    When selecting your topic, 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. All three options below allow for great variation and the most important thing is to tell the best story you can.

    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. The point is to show the value of each step you took and its overall relationship to the impact you had.

    Simply providing a description of your actions, is not enough. Think about what it signifies about you and why Stanford needs to know about it. Think about what your actions reveal about your intelligence, unique capabilities, leadership potential, your potential to succeed at Stanford, and/or future career. If you can't figure out why Stanford admissions needs to know about an action you took or a result, you may find yourself needing to reconsider part or all of your topic.

    Also ask yourself if Stanford admissions has already learned what you are writing about elsewhere in the application. The content in this essay is likely to overlap with content found elsewhere in the application and this is no problem as long as the  admissions readers of the essay are actually gaining greater insight into you that will motivate them to want to interview you.

    Once you think you have two to four fully worked-out action steps, write your first draft. Next start re-writing. Eliminate duplicate points made between action steps. Make choices about what parts of each action to step to highlight. Given the word limits, you will have to make some decisions about what to include.

    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 in the last three years when you built or developed a team whose performance exceeded expectations.
    This question has not changed from last year. I 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. If you have a great extracurricular team story, 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 in the last three years when you identified and pursued an opportunity to improve an organization.
    This is a modified form of a question that Stanford has been asking about impacting an organization. Improving an organization is another way that leaders have impact. Clearly indicate what that impact is and how you achieved it.  The identification of the opportunity is really critical. If you are about to write a leadership essay about how you lead a team successfully by carrying out someone else's plan, you don't have the right topic for Option B. A key part of this essay is that you identify something that other people can't see or don't see, that you initiate a positive change that adds value. I think the add value test is really important. A story where you identify a potential problem and simply prevent it from taking away value is not going to work here.

    Pursuing an opportunity means to get it implemented. To what extent  you do the actual implementation yourself is less important than your ability to go from having a good idea to making into a reality. If you do actually handle all the implementation then to the extent possible, explain what you did. Pursuing an opportunity is ultimately about getting to the results, so describe the results very clearly.  Given that this should be about something that was in the past, a situation where your are in the midst of implementing something will not likely work well here. You should be writing about a situation with a clear positive outcome where you added value.

    One very nice thing about this question is that you are not limited to the type of organization you improved.  It might be your organization or merely one you did consulting for or otherwise positively impacted.  It might be an organization that you got paid to improve or something you are doing in your free time.  A key point is to establish a clear link between the opportunity you identified and the improvement to the organization.

    Option C: Tell us about a time in the last three years when you went beyond what was defined or established.
    I have to say that I have always loved this question. Going beyond something defined or established may involve breaking the rules. Stanford GSB is a 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. Leadership is often tested most profoundly in situations where one has to go against "common sense," organizational tradition, and/or the interests of others. In one way or another show how you possess the courage to act in a situation that was outside the box.

    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.


    -Adam Markus

    I am a graduate admissions consultant who works with clients worldwide. If you would like to arrange an initial consultation, please complete my intake form. Please don't email me any essays, other admissions consultant's intake forms, your life story, or any long email asking for a written profile assessment. The only profiles I assess are those with people who I offer initial consultations to. Please note that initial consultations are not offered when I have reached full capacity or when I determine that I am not a good fit with an applicant.
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