This is the fourth post in a four part series. Part 1. Part 2. Part 3.
Before discussing an overall plan for addressing the 2008 Chicago GSB's MBA application questions, we need to look at the optional essay.
The University of Chicago GSB's MBA application for Fall 2008 also includes space for an optional essay (I have taken it from the more complete online application. See here for the web version). The question and the tip read as follows:
(Optional) If there is any important information that is relevant for your candidacy that you were unable to address elsewhere in the application, please share that information here.
Optional Essay Tip
The optional essay is provided to give you an opportunity to explain any potential anomalies or ambiguity in your application. For example, you can explain why you did not use your current employer to write your recommendation, you might provide some clarity as to why there are significant gaps in your resume, or you may help us to understand why your grades declined in your junior year.
Please note this question is very functional in its design, it is to provide clarity on aspects of the application, not to give you an opportunity to write another creative essay.
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. DO NOT USE IT FOR ANY OTHER PURPOSE. Yes, you may have written a great essay for Tuck, Wharton, Harvard, Stanford, NYU, MIT, INSEAD, Columbia, or London Business School, but unless your objective is to tell that to Chicago GSB don't include it here. GSB gives you three questions and 2200 words or more to talk about all the good stuff. YOU ONLY NEED TO WRITE THIS IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING POTENTIALLY NEGATIVE TO EXPLAIN.
Finally, if you have no explanation for something negative, don't bother writing about. 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.
Now that we have dispensed with the Optional Question, let's consider a plan for handling these questions.
Start with Question One
You need to effectively segment your content. Question 1 has a clear focus, so it is the best to start there. In general, for any application, starting with the goals essay always makes sense because what you say in it will impact what you say elsewhere. After all you want to show how other aspects of who you are will support your goals. If you having a problem forming goals, please look here. If you think your goals are not interesting, look here.
NEXT
Is really up to you. Some applicants will find it easier to start with Question 2 and others will find it easier to start with Question 3. The important thing is that the content in these two essays be different. Make sure that you helping yourself by presenting clear and distinct aspects about you in these two essays.
NEXT
Write the Optional Essay if you need to. Just remember what I wrote before about it.
FINALLY
After you have written everything, make sure it works as part of your entire application strategy.
Questions? Write comments or contact me directly at adammarkus@gmail.com.
-Adam Markus
アダム マーカス
シカゴ、ビジネススクール, MBA留学
.
August 26, 2007
University of Chicago GSB Question 3: Who are you?
This is the third post in a four part series. Part 1. Part 2. Part 4.
After you read the post below, for my additional comments regarding this question, see here.
It is not often that a school’s essay question gets the attention of the press, but the University of Chicago GSB’s Question Three has done that.
While the mandatory use of PowerPoint is novel, is this question so odd? See below!
After I analyze GSB's PowerPoint question, I conclude with some specific suggestions for how to brainstorm for your answer.
While Chicago GSB has proven itself to have an absolutely brilliant PR strategy by issuing press releases and otherwise making it appear that this totally new, as I will discuss below, I think this is only partially the case. Certainly Chicago is the first school to require a PowerPoint as a part of the application, but it is not the first to allow the use of one as part of the process.
Question Three (taken from the online application, you can find the web version here, but the online application version is more clear regarding the length of the notes):3. We have asked for a great deal of information throughout this application. In this portion of the application, we invite you tell us about yourself using a non-traditional application format--a PowerPoint presentation. In four slides or less, please provide readers with content that captures who you are.
[PLUS] PowerPoint Notes (200 words maximum)
Next here is the advice that Chicago provides on the web as part of the question and in an expanded version in the online application form. I have used the application version (you must register as an applicant to access it):Essay Three One of our students summed up the rationale behind this portion of the application with the following feedback: “In today's business world, written communication is often limited to short e-mails and PowerPoint presentations, so the new question provides us with an opportunity to judge the applicants' presentation skills and their ability to express essential ideas. In addition, when we read text, different readers may have different perceptions of what the key points are, and the power point format helps the applicants overcome these differences because they have an opportunity to spell out the main ideas.” Given this is a new section, and there are varying degrees of comfort and experience using PowerPoint we have set forth the following guidelines for you to consider when creating you presentation.
PowerPoint Guidelines1. The content is completely up to you. There is no right or wrong approach to the way you construct your slides or answer this question.
2. There is a strict maximum of 4 slides, though you can provide fewer than 4 if you choose.
3. Slides will be printed and added to your file for review, therefore, flash, hyperlinks, embedded videos, music, etc. will not be viewed by the committee. You are limited to text and static images to convey your points. - Color may be used.
4. Slides will be evaluated on the quality of content and ability to convey your ideas, not on PowerPoint expertise or presentation.
5. You are welcome to attach a word document of notes if you feel a deeper explanation of your slides is necessary. However the hope is the slide should be able to stand alone and convey your ideas clearly. You will not be penalized for adding notes but you should not construct a slide with the intention of using the notes section as a consistent means of explanation.
6. If you do not have access to PowerPoint or a similar software application, you can contact the admissions office at admissions@chicagogsb.edu for alternative methods for completing this required section of the application.
Two Prior Uses of PowerPoint in the MBA Application Process:
I think it is important to realize that Chicago GSB is not the first school to allow for the use of PowerPoint or other presentation slide content as part of the application process.
The use of slide presentations has long been a possibility for both NYU Stern and HEC.
NYU STERNFirst,it has been possible to create a short PowerPoint presentation as part of the NYU Stern process for years. The Stern question reads:Please describe yourself to your MBA classmates. You may use almost any method to convey your message (e.g. words, illustrations). Feel free to be creative.
One such method for doing so is an actual presentation. Whether made with PowerPoint or other tools, applicants have been doing this, both successfully and unsuccessfully, for years.
HEC
HEC (Ranked Number 1 in Europe by the Financial Time, see full rankings here) requires presentations as part of its interview process. The relevant part of the instructions are as follows:
The interview starts with a 10-minute presentation made by the candidate on the subject of his/her choice. The main objective of this presentation is to judge the candidate's communication and presentation skills, the capability to synthesize a subject in 10 minutes while keeping the interest of the audience. The candidate may use any presentation method he or she wishes, such as transparencies, notes, slides, etc.
The presentation is then followed by 30 to 40 minutes of questions and answers, first on the presentation, then on the candidate's motivation and other elements mentioned in his/her application.
Actually, HEC candidates have to make this presentation twice to different interviewers. Now while it is possible to not use PowerPoint to make one’s HEC presentation, I have never worked with anyone who did that.
I point the above two examples out merely to show that while GSB's use of PowerPoint is certainly novel, it is not without precedent.
MAKING A PRESENTATION IS A PRACTICAL TEST OF BASIC BUSINESS ABILITY
Consider some of the standard parts of the application and how they reflect on the applicant's abilities:
RESUME: Ability to effectively convey one's core professional, academic, and personal experience for the purposes of getting selected for an interview.
GOALS ESSAYS: Ability to clearly articulate a plan.
INTERVIEW: Ability to effectively convince an interviewer that you are good fit for the organization (in this case as a student in B-School).
RECOMMENDATIONS: Ability to obtain powerful endorsements designed to help convince a selection committee.
Looked at from this perspective, the comment that begins the GSB's explanation of the question- In today's business world, written communication is often limited to short e-mails and PowerPoint presentations, so the new question provides us with an opportunity to judge the applicants' presentation skills and their ability to express essential ideas.- makes even more sense.
PowerPoint is a fundamental business skill. Like MIT Sloan's cover letter and every school's resume, at some level, Chicago 3 is testing the applicant's basic business skills. Why not test for it?
Anyone who has been or wants to be a businessperson will have spend countless hours preparing and delivering presentations. If you want to go do IPO Roadshows, sell a room of people your services, convince a Board of Directors, etc, you will need slides and those slides will be made with PowerPoint. Seems totally reasonable to me to ask anyone to use it because they will have to anyway.
Especially if you don't know how to use PowerPoint, my suggestion is NOT to focus on style, but on your content. That actually is true for anyone (even those who are PowerPoint Gurus) and is clearly the message that GSB is delivering: This question is not designed to evaluate the applicants’ PowerPoint expertise, but rather to reveal how people think and communicate their ideas. This question, like the rest of the essay questions, is designed to provoke critical thought and self-reflection, not just their creativity. It is the message within the slides that is important, not the presentation.
Rose Martinelli's comments above clearly indicate that the focus is on the message, not the overall aesthetics of the presentation.
IS THIS REALLY A TEST OF PowerPoint SKILLS?
NO. I think it is a test of your ability to prepare a very simple presentation about yourself. Remember that you are preparing slides for a presentation that will only be delivered on paper and unlike a presentation that you would deliver, you are not able to take advantage of what PowerPoint can do:
Slides will be printed and added to your file for review, therefore, flash, hyperlinks, embedded videos, music, etc. will not be viewed by the committee. You are limited to text and static images to convey your points. - Color may be used.
In fact, for anyone who has actually is good at PowerPoint, they will like find it necessary to compromise on their aesthetics and technical skills in order to most effectively answer the question. Especially those who believe in providing a minimal amount of content per slide, might find it necessary to increase the amount of content they include.
As someone who spent the last four years making the transition from text heavy slides to minimalist ones when delivering sales and marketing presentations, I know that if I had to answer this question, I would have to compromise on what I consider to be my own best practices for making PowerPoint slides.
NOT A TEST OF YOUR ABILITY TO DELIVERY A PRESENTATION, BUT A TEST OF YOUR ABILITY TO PREPARE ONE
Always remember that you are being tested on your ability to prepare a presentation, not to deliver one. Hence you should always first think of this as a text that will be read, not one that will be spoken.
If you still think you need to learn more about PowerPoint, I suggest reading Presenting to Win by Jerry Weissman, the Silicon Valley PowerPoint Guru. When I first read Chicago's question, I looked for a book focused on the story telling aspect of PowerPoint and I think this is it. You can read my mini-review and buy the book here. Visit Weissman's site here.
WHAT ABOUT THE NOTES?
Given GSB's very specific instructions about the Notes, you should think about them as an opportunity to explain something in the slide in greater depth, but not as a speech for the slides:You are welcome to attach a word document of notes if you feel a deeper explanation of your slides is necessary. However the hope is the slide should be able to stand alone and convey your ideas clearly. You will not be penalized for adding notes but you should not construct a slide with the intention of using the notes section as a consistent means of explanation.
Let's Think About Length
You will have four slides plus 200 words for the notes to communicate your message. Regarding the notes, Rose Martinelli has further stated that the notes document "should not exceed one paragraph per slide." Depending on your perspective, this might seem like a great deal of text or not very much. Given that the notes give you about 50 words to further clarify each slide, the actual total amount of content is really likely to be in the 300-600 word range depending on what you do with the slides.
IS THIS AN ESSAY IN DISGUISE?
Rose Martinelli says:In many respects we are looking for similar things in the slides as we would in the essays. We are looking for organized thoughts, strong communication skills, and the ability to convey ideas clearly. We will also be looking at an applicant's ability to be insightful and their willingness to express themselves in a new medium. In some respects, this question adds an element of risk to the application that has not been there before.
I think it is helpful to conceive of as have exactly the same function as an essay, but you should consider...
including visual imagery AND/OR
using bullet points AND/OR
using metaphor AND/OR
being non-linear AND/OR
minimizing or eliminating introductions and conclusions.
Rose Martinelli states:Well, as you know, the Chicago GSB has a reputation for challenging norms. In some respects that is what the PowerPoint is doing. Traditional essays, although helpful in the application process, tend to be confining. Essay questions do not allow applicants to fully stretch beyond the question and communicate their strengths, weaknesses, passions etc. The PowerPoint slide is our way of giving applicants a blank slate on which to communicate with us. There aren't many restrictions for an applicant, and they have free reign to communicate to the committee whatever they feel is valuable for us to know. An applicant can expand upon their application or they can go beyond it and reveal something completely new. This is their opportunity to express themselves without guidance or restriction.
Thus you would best advised to not simply take an essay and divide in among the four slides. Instead, show creativity. One effective way to organize your slides is to have each slide make one key point or communicate one key idea about you. And in a real sense, this is no different from what a good paragraph should do.
Now that we can looked at the overall context for this question, let’s think about what is actually being asked.
What was the question again?
THE CORE PART OF THE QUESTION: "we invite you tell us about yourself" is very simple. I could restate it as "please help us understand who you are."
WHAT YOU SHOULD NOT WRITE ABOUT:
1. As the beginning of the question states, Chicago GSB has already asked for "a great deal of information throughout this application." This is stated in contrast to what they want you to tell them. Therefore don't focus on facts that they can find elsewhere in the application.
2. In Essay 1, you have already discussed your goals and why you want an MBA from Chicago, so don't discuss goals and why MBA here.
3. In Essay 2, you have an opportunity to write about someone else, so focus on yourself here. Even if you were to discuss what other people say about you, this presentation should be focused on you, not them.
SO WHAT WAS IT I WAS SUPPOSED TO WRITE ABOUT?
IT IS ALL ABOUT YOU!
Some Questions to get you brainstorming:1. What do you want Chicago GSB to know about you that would positively impact your chances for admission?
2. What major positive aspects of your life have not been effectively INTERPRETED to the admissions committee in other parts of the application?
3. If you were going to tell admissions four things about you that would not be obvious from rest of the application, what would they be? Why should GSB care?
4. If there was one story about yourself that you think would really help admissions understand you and want to admit you, what is it?
5. Do you have a personal interest (painting and poetry for example) that would work effectively in a PowerPoint?
As you can see, these questions would lead to very different kinds of responses. There is no one way to answer this question, but I believe there are right ways for every applicant to do so.
For my additional comments regarding this question, see here.
Questions? Write comments or contact me directly at adammarkus@gmail.com.
-Adam Markus
アダム マーカス
シカゴ、ビジネススクール, MBA留学
After you read the post below, for my additional comments regarding this question, see here.
It is not often that a school’s essay question gets the attention of the press, but the University of Chicago GSB’s Question Three has done that.
While the mandatory use of PowerPoint is novel, is this question so odd? See below!
After I analyze GSB's PowerPoint question, I conclude with some specific suggestions for how to brainstorm for your answer.
While Chicago GSB has proven itself to have an absolutely brilliant PR strategy by issuing press releases and otherwise making it appear that this totally new, as I will discuss below, I think this is only partially the case. Certainly Chicago is the first school to require a PowerPoint as a part of the application, but it is not the first to allow the use of one as part of the process.
Question Three (taken from the online application, you can find the web version here, but the online application version is more clear regarding the length of the notes):3. We have asked for a great deal of information throughout this application. In this portion of the application, we invite you tell us about yourself using a non-traditional application format--a PowerPoint presentation. In four slides or less, please provide readers with content that captures who you are.
[PLUS] PowerPoint Notes (200 words maximum)
Next here is the advice that Chicago provides on the web as part of the question and in an expanded version in the online application form. I have used the application version (you must register as an applicant to access it):Essay Three One of our students summed up the rationale behind this portion of the application with the following feedback: “In today's business world, written communication is often limited to short e-mails and PowerPoint presentations, so the new question provides us with an opportunity to judge the applicants' presentation skills and their ability to express essential ideas. In addition, when we read text, different readers may have different perceptions of what the key points are, and the power point format helps the applicants overcome these differences because they have an opportunity to spell out the main ideas.” Given this is a new section, and there are varying degrees of comfort and experience using PowerPoint we have set forth the following guidelines for you to consider when creating you presentation.
PowerPoint Guidelines1. The content is completely up to you. There is no right or wrong approach to the way you construct your slides or answer this question.
2. There is a strict maximum of 4 slides, though you can provide fewer than 4 if you choose.
3. Slides will be printed and added to your file for review, therefore, flash, hyperlinks, embedded videos, music, etc. will not be viewed by the committee. You are limited to text and static images to convey your points. - Color may be used.
4. Slides will be evaluated on the quality of content and ability to convey your ideas, not on PowerPoint expertise or presentation.
5. You are welcome to attach a word document of notes if you feel a deeper explanation of your slides is necessary. However the hope is the slide should be able to stand alone and convey your ideas clearly. You will not be penalized for adding notes but you should not construct a slide with the intention of using the notes section as a consistent means of explanation.
6. If you do not have access to PowerPoint or a similar software application, you can contact the admissions office at admissions@chicagogsb.edu for alternative methods for completing this required section of the application.
Two Prior Uses of PowerPoint in the MBA Application Process:
I think it is important to realize that Chicago GSB is not the first school to allow for the use of PowerPoint or other presentation slide content as part of the application process.
The use of slide presentations has long been a possibility for both NYU Stern and HEC.
NYU STERNFirst,it has been possible to create a short PowerPoint presentation as part of the NYU Stern process for years. The Stern question reads:Please describe yourself to your MBA classmates. You may use almost any method to convey your message (e.g. words, illustrations). Feel free to be creative.
One such method for doing so is an actual presentation. Whether made with PowerPoint or other tools, applicants have been doing this, both successfully and unsuccessfully, for years.
HEC
HEC (Ranked Number 1 in Europe by the Financial Time, see full rankings here) requires presentations as part of its interview process. The relevant part of the instructions are as follows:
The interview starts with a 10-minute presentation made by the candidate on the subject of his/her choice. The main objective of this presentation is to judge the candidate's communication and presentation skills, the capability to synthesize a subject in 10 minutes while keeping the interest of the audience. The candidate may use any presentation method he or she wishes, such as transparencies, notes, slides, etc.
The presentation is then followed by 30 to 40 minutes of questions and answers, first on the presentation, then on the candidate's motivation and other elements mentioned in his/her application.
Actually, HEC candidates have to make this presentation twice to different interviewers. Now while it is possible to not use PowerPoint to make one’s HEC presentation, I have never worked with anyone who did that.
I point the above two examples out merely to show that while GSB's use of PowerPoint is certainly novel, it is not without precedent.
MAKING A PRESENTATION IS A PRACTICAL TEST OF BASIC BUSINESS ABILITY
Consider some of the standard parts of the application and how they reflect on the applicant's abilities:
RESUME: Ability to effectively convey one's core professional, academic, and personal experience for the purposes of getting selected for an interview.
GOALS ESSAYS: Ability to clearly articulate a plan.
INTERVIEW: Ability to effectively convince an interviewer that you are good fit for the organization (in this case as a student in B-School).
RECOMMENDATIONS: Ability to obtain powerful endorsements designed to help convince a selection committee.
Looked at from this perspective, the comment that begins the GSB's explanation of the question- In today's business world, written communication is often limited to short e-mails and PowerPoint presentations, so the new question provides us with an opportunity to judge the applicants' presentation skills and their ability to express essential ideas.- makes even more sense.
PowerPoint is a fundamental business skill. Like MIT Sloan's cover letter and every school's resume, at some level, Chicago 3 is testing the applicant's basic business skills. Why not test for it?
Anyone who has been or wants to be a businessperson will have spend countless hours preparing and delivering presentations. If you want to go do IPO Roadshows, sell a room of people your services, convince a Board of Directors, etc, you will need slides and those slides will be made with PowerPoint. Seems totally reasonable to me to ask anyone to use it because they will have to anyway.
Especially if you don't know how to use PowerPoint, my suggestion is NOT to focus on style, but on your content. That actually is true for anyone (even those who are PowerPoint Gurus) and is clearly the message that GSB is delivering: This question is not designed to evaluate the applicants’ PowerPoint expertise, but rather to reveal how people think and communicate their ideas. This question, like the rest of the essay questions, is designed to provoke critical thought and self-reflection, not just their creativity. It is the message within the slides that is important, not the presentation.
Rose Martinelli's comments above clearly indicate that the focus is on the message, not the overall aesthetics of the presentation.
IS THIS REALLY A TEST OF PowerPoint SKILLS?
NO. I think it is a test of your ability to prepare a very simple presentation about yourself. Remember that you are preparing slides for a presentation that will only be delivered on paper and unlike a presentation that you would deliver, you are not able to take advantage of what PowerPoint can do:
Slides will be printed and added to your file for review, therefore, flash, hyperlinks, embedded videos, music, etc. will not be viewed by the committee. You are limited to text and static images to convey your points. - Color may be used.
In fact, for anyone who has actually is good at PowerPoint, they will like find it necessary to compromise on their aesthetics and technical skills in order to most effectively answer the question. Especially those who believe in providing a minimal amount of content per slide, might find it necessary to increase the amount of content they include.
As someone who spent the last four years making the transition from text heavy slides to minimalist ones when delivering sales and marketing presentations, I know that if I had to answer this question, I would have to compromise on what I consider to be my own best practices for making PowerPoint slides.
NOT A TEST OF YOUR ABILITY TO DELIVERY A PRESENTATION, BUT A TEST OF YOUR ABILITY TO PREPARE ONE
Always remember that you are being tested on your ability to prepare a presentation, not to deliver one. Hence you should always first think of this as a text that will be read, not one that will be spoken.
If you still think you need to learn more about PowerPoint, I suggest reading Presenting to Win by Jerry Weissman, the Silicon Valley PowerPoint Guru. When I first read Chicago's question, I looked for a book focused on the story telling aspect of PowerPoint and I think this is it. You can read my mini-review and buy the book here. Visit Weissman's site here.
WHAT ABOUT THE NOTES?
Given GSB's very specific instructions about the Notes, you should think about them as an opportunity to explain something in the slide in greater depth, but not as a speech for the slides:You are welcome to attach a word document of notes if you feel a deeper explanation of your slides is necessary. However the hope is the slide should be able to stand alone and convey your ideas clearly. You will not be penalized for adding notes but you should not construct a slide with the intention of using the notes section as a consistent means of explanation.
Let's Think About Length
You will have four slides plus 200 words for the notes to communicate your message. Regarding the notes, Rose Martinelli has further stated that the notes document "should not exceed one paragraph per slide." Depending on your perspective, this might seem like a great deal of text or not very much. Given that the notes give you about 50 words to further clarify each slide, the actual total amount of content is really likely to be in the 300-600 word range depending on what you do with the slides.
IS THIS AN ESSAY IN DISGUISE?
Rose Martinelli says:In many respects we are looking for similar things in the slides as we would in the essays. We are looking for organized thoughts, strong communication skills, and the ability to convey ideas clearly. We will also be looking at an applicant's ability to be insightful and their willingness to express themselves in a new medium. In some respects, this question adds an element of risk to the application that has not been there before.
I think it is helpful to conceive of as have exactly the same function as an essay, but you should consider...
including visual imagery AND/OR
using bullet points AND/OR
using metaphor AND/OR
being non-linear AND/OR
minimizing or eliminating introductions and conclusions.
Rose Martinelli states:Well, as you know, the Chicago GSB has a reputation for challenging norms. In some respects that is what the PowerPoint is doing. Traditional essays, although helpful in the application process, tend to be confining. Essay questions do not allow applicants to fully stretch beyond the question and communicate their strengths, weaknesses, passions etc. The PowerPoint slide is our way of giving applicants a blank slate on which to communicate with us. There aren't many restrictions for an applicant, and they have free reign to communicate to the committee whatever they feel is valuable for us to know. An applicant can expand upon their application or they can go beyond it and reveal something completely new. This is their opportunity to express themselves without guidance or restriction.
Thus you would best advised to not simply take an essay and divide in among the four slides. Instead, show creativity. One effective way to organize your slides is to have each slide make one key point or communicate one key idea about you. And in a real sense, this is no different from what a good paragraph should do.
Now that we can looked at the overall context for this question, let’s think about what is actually being asked.
What was the question again?
THE CORE PART OF THE QUESTION: "we invite you tell us about yourself" is very simple. I could restate it as "please help us understand who you are."
WHAT YOU SHOULD NOT WRITE ABOUT:
1. As the beginning of the question states, Chicago GSB has already asked for "a great deal of information throughout this application." This is stated in contrast to what they want you to tell them. Therefore don't focus on facts that they can find elsewhere in the application.
2. In Essay 1, you have already discussed your goals and why you want an MBA from Chicago, so don't discuss goals and why MBA here.
3. In Essay 2, you have an opportunity to write about someone else, so focus on yourself here. Even if you were to discuss what other people say about you, this presentation should be focused on you, not them.
SO WHAT WAS IT I WAS SUPPOSED TO WRITE ABOUT?
IT IS ALL ABOUT YOU!
Some Questions to get you brainstorming:1. What do you want Chicago GSB to know about you that would positively impact your chances for admission?
2. What major positive aspects of your life have not been effectively INTERPRETED to the admissions committee in other parts of the application?
3. If you were going to tell admissions four things about you that would not be obvious from rest of the application, what would they be? Why should GSB care?
4. If there was one story about yourself that you think would really help admissions understand you and want to admit you, what is it?
5. Do you have a personal interest (painting and poetry for example) that would work effectively in a PowerPoint?
As you can see, these questions would lead to very different kinds of responses. There is no one way to answer this question, but I believe there are right ways for every applicant to do so.
For my additional comments regarding this question, see here.
Questions? Write comments or contact me directly at adammarkus@gmail.com.
-Adam Markus
アダム マーカス
シカゴ、ビジネススクール, MBA留学
August 25, 2007
University of Chicago GSB Question 2: Whose shoes?
This is the second post in a four part series. Part 1. Part 3. Part 4.
I really like Chicago GSB MBA Application Question 2 for Fall 2008 admission because it uses a great idiom, “step into someone else's shoes.” The question as a whole reads:
2. If you could step into someone else's shoes for a day, who would it be and why? (500 word maximum).
Now before I start analyzing Essay Question Number Two, I would like to explain a little about how I analyze any essay question. The first thing I do is something that we all learn in elementary school: If you are asked a question, break it down into the component pieces in order to understand it. I guess, we may have all first learned this as a formal way of solving problems in math class:
(20-1) + (1.5+3.5)
In order to solve the above we would most certainly want to solve the component problems first. Hence this will take three steps:
i) 20-1=19
ii) 1.5+3.5=5
iii) 19+5=24
In the same way, when I read any essay question, my first reaction is to take it apart:
i) Whose shoes would you step into for a day?
ii) Why would you want to step into this person’s shoes for a day?
Next, I look at the language and look for any special words or key concepts. I have already mentioned the idiom that is at the heart of this question. We need to look at it closely.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO STEP INTO SOMEONE’S SHOES?
The Cambridge Idioms Dictionary gives the following relevant definition:
step into somebody's shoes, fill somebody's shoes:
to take the job or position that someone else had before you
When his father retires, Victor will be ready to step into his shoes.
It will take a very special person to fill Barbara's shoes.
The Oxford Dictionary gives the following:
be (or put oneself) in another person’s shoes imagine oneself in another’s situation or predicament.
For all readers, and for non-native English speakers in particular, I think the two definitions above help to clarify the linguistic context of the Chicago question. Idioms are highly culturally specific and this one is no exception.
With these definitions in mind, lets consider a couple specific constraints contained within the question:
1. The question contains a specific time limit: for a day. This means that whatever value is be achieved for being in someone else’s shoes, it must be capable of being experienced in a day.
BAD EXAMPLE: Therefore, saying you want to be the novelist Marcel Proust in order to know what it feels like to be completely focused on spending fifteen years to write À la recherche du temps perdu is simply out of scope.
GOOD EXAMPLE: You could, on the other hand, write about being Proust for a day in order to experience his creativity.
(This Proust example and others that will be used are made intentionally odd to hopefully eliminate some fool from copying them.)
2. The question requires us to be very specific about the person: “who would it be.” For example, you can’t just pick any great military leader, but might pick Julius Caesar. Keep in mind that the question does not say the person has to be living now. I think we can assume that it has be a real person, but otherwise it could be anyone at anytime.
Put it all together. Let’s use the Julius Caesar example.
Whose shoes would you step into for a day?
Julius Caesar on the day he crossed the Rubicon with his army. This event led to civil war, the end of the Roman Republic, and his eventual, albeit brief, takeover of the Roman Empire.
Why would you want to step into this person’s shoes for a day?
I think it would be an amazing opportunity to experience one of the most significant political and military decisions made by one of the greatest strategists and tacticians of all times. I believe I would gain great insight into (1) decision making because..., (2) strategy because..., and (3) tactics because... This would benefit me because…
Now hopefully you can see from this example that the first part of the question should require less of your 500 words than the second part of the question. Simply provide sufficient context so that your reader can easily understand. You should not write a biography of the person, instead you need to focus on the second part of the question.
It really is the why part of the question that Chicago cares about, so focus on that. I think why has to relate to what you discuss in Essay 1 in the sense that whatever you get from this unique experience, it should contribute to your goals, strengths, and/or opportunities in your personal and/or professional life. This opportunity to experience someone else's life should be used for some great purpose. What is that purpose? What will you learn from the experience? Whatever it is that you learn, make it important for you.
Finally, I don’t suggest writing that you would like to be in Rose Martinelli 's shoes when she reads your application because while this would be entertaining, it might be a bit too clever. How about being in Manolo Blahnik's shoes? And if the shoe fits, wear it!
Questions? Write comments or contact me directly at adammarkus@gmail.com.
-Adam Markus
アダム マーカス
シカゴ、ビジネススクール, MBA留学
I really like Chicago GSB MBA Application Question 2 for Fall 2008 admission because it uses a great idiom, “step into someone else's shoes.” The question as a whole reads:
2. If you could step into someone else's shoes for a day, who would it be and why? (500 word maximum).
Now before I start analyzing Essay Question Number Two, I would like to explain a little about how I analyze any essay question. The first thing I do is something that we all learn in elementary school: If you are asked a question, break it down into the component pieces in order to understand it. I guess, we may have all first learned this as a formal way of solving problems in math class:
(20-1) + (1.5+3.5)
In order to solve the above we would most certainly want to solve the component problems first. Hence this will take three steps:
i) 20-1=19
ii) 1.5+3.5=5
iii) 19+5=24
In the same way, when I read any essay question, my first reaction is to take it apart:
i) Whose shoes would you step into for a day?
ii) Why would you want to step into this person’s shoes for a day?
Next, I look at the language and look for any special words or key concepts. I have already mentioned the idiom that is at the heart of this question. We need to look at it closely.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO STEP INTO SOMEONE’S SHOES?
The Cambridge Idioms Dictionary gives the following relevant definition:
step into somebody's shoes, fill somebody's shoes:
to take the job or position that someone else had before you
When his father retires, Victor will be ready to step into his shoes.
It will take a very special person to fill Barbara's shoes.
The Oxford Dictionary gives the following:
be (or put oneself) in another person’s shoes imagine oneself in another’s situation or predicament.
For all readers, and for non-native English speakers in particular, I think the two definitions above help to clarify the linguistic context of the Chicago question. Idioms are highly culturally specific and this one is no exception.
With these definitions in mind, lets consider a couple specific constraints contained within the question:
1. The question contains a specific time limit: for a day. This means that whatever value is be achieved for being in someone else’s shoes, it must be capable of being experienced in a day.
BAD EXAMPLE: Therefore, saying you want to be the novelist Marcel Proust in order to know what it feels like to be completely focused on spending fifteen years to write À la recherche du temps perdu is simply out of scope.
GOOD EXAMPLE: You could, on the other hand, write about being Proust for a day in order to experience his creativity.
(This Proust example and others that will be used are made intentionally odd to hopefully eliminate some fool from copying them.)
2. The question requires us to be very specific about the person: “who would it be.” For example, you can’t just pick any great military leader, but might pick Julius Caesar. Keep in mind that the question does not say the person has to be living now. I think we can assume that it has be a real person, but otherwise it could be anyone at anytime.
Put it all together. Let’s use the Julius Caesar example.
Whose shoes would you step into for a day?
Julius Caesar on the day he crossed the Rubicon with his army. This event led to civil war, the end of the Roman Republic, and his eventual, albeit brief, takeover of the Roman Empire.
Why would you want to step into this person’s shoes for a day?
I think it would be an amazing opportunity to experience one of the most significant political and military decisions made by one of the greatest strategists and tacticians of all times. I believe I would gain great insight into (1) decision making because..., (2) strategy because..., and (3) tactics because... This would benefit me because…
Now hopefully you can see from this example that the first part of the question should require less of your 500 words than the second part of the question. Simply provide sufficient context so that your reader can easily understand. You should not write a biography of the person, instead you need to focus on the second part of the question.
It really is the why part of the question that Chicago cares about, so focus on that. I think why has to relate to what you discuss in Essay 1 in the sense that whatever you get from this unique experience, it should contribute to your goals, strengths, and/or opportunities in your personal and/or professional life. This opportunity to experience someone else's life should be used for some great purpose. What is that purpose? What will you learn from the experience? Whatever it is that you learn, make it important for you.
Finally, I don’t suggest writing that you would like to be in Rose Martinelli 's shoes when she reads your application because while this would be entertaining, it might be a bit too clever. How about being in Manolo Blahnik's shoes? And if the shoe fits, wear it!
Questions? Write comments or contact me directly at adammarkus@gmail.com.
-Adam Markus
アダム マーカス
シカゴ、ビジネススクール, MBA留学
August 24, 2007
University of Chicago GSB Question 1: Why now?
This is the first of a series four posts on the University of Chicago GSB's MBA application essays for Fall 2008 admission. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4.
While I know everyone wants to know about Question 3, the PowerPoint (not Power Point or power point) question, I will begin with the basics. As I will explain in the forth post in this series, the other questions are best answered after writing Question One. This first essay topic is a very standard question. It is also a slightly more simplified version of the question that Chicago used for 2006 and 2007 and a variant of a question that Wharton has been using for years.
The question:
1. Why are you pursuing an MBA at this point in your career? Describe your personal and professional goals and the role an MBA from the University of Chicago GSB plays in your plans to reach these goals. (1500 word maximum).
Before answering this question, please keep the following advice from Rosemaria Martinelli, Associate Dean, Student Recruitment & Admission, University of Chicago GSB, in mind:
1) Self-reflection – Know why you are applying for an MBA. Know your strengths, weaknesses, and why you think an MBA will prepare you for the future. Know your goals and be able to communicate how you think you can achieve them.
2) Understand fit – Every school is different in terms of culture, courses and extra-curricular offerings, so make sure you know what makes an MBA from a specific school so important for you to achieve your goals. If you know yourself and you know how each school can help address your needs, you can make a compelling case in the application. If you do not fully understand or reflect on either of these points and rely solely on your credentials to carry you, chances are you will fall short in a very competitive application process.
Her advice directly relates to answering Essay 1 effectively. It is also great advice that can be applied to other schools.
Regarding goals in general, please see my posts, A Method For Formulating Goals and ARE YOUR GOALS HOT?
Next, let’s take this question apart. Unlike in the last few years, Chicago has simplified this question into less components, but I don’t think that makes it easier. Actually, you need to take these bigger questions and break them down to make a truly effective answer.
Lets begin with the first part of the question: Why are you pursuing an MBA at this point in your career? Actually this question is one that Ms. Martinelli previously asked when she was the Admissions Director at Wharton. Wharton still includes this same question in its essay set:
1. Describe your career progress to date and your future short-term and long-term career goals. How do you expect a Wharton MBA to help you achieve these goals, and why is now the best time for you to join our program?
Notice something very different between these two questions? Chicago asks At this point? at the very beginning. While both schools clearly expect an answer to Why now? and not next year or last year, Chicago is emphasizing that this is the critical question to answer.However you structure your essay, you had better focus it on answering this critical question. Getting an MBA is not obvious. It is something one does because it fits into an overall plan for one’s career and life.
Why is now the time? Explain both analytically and with examples (stories) why you need an MBA now. To answer this part of question you clearly need to think about the past. After all, if now is the right time, what has led to it?
Here a basic way to structure this part of the question:
1. NOW IS THE RIGHT POINT TO PURSUE AN MBA because
Argument 1: RELATED TO YOUR CAREER DEVELOPMENT. Discuss your career up to this point. Explain why now is the time. Write about your present, your goals, and the gap between them.
Argument 2: RELATED TO YOUR PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT. Discuss the intellectual and/or experiential reasons for wanting to do an MBA. Write about your strengths & weaknesses, your intended future. and the gap between them.
Argument 3: RELATED TO THE WIDER WORLD. What opportunities and threats exist in your present and intended future that an MBA can support (opportunities) or mitigate(threats)?
If you use the "GSR Table" that I presented in a prior post, Argument 1 relates to a Gap Analysis and Argument 2 and 3 to a SWOT analysis. If you want a version word of the table, please email me at adammarkus.com.
In the second part of the question- Describe your personal and professional goals and the role an MBA from the University of Chicago GSB plays in your plans to reach these goals.- you need explain your expected ROI from attending Chicago GSB.
We can break this down into two components:
1. Explain how an MBA from Chicago GSB will specifically contribute to your professional goals.
2. Explain how an MBA from Chicago GSB will specifically contribute to personal goals.
For each of these components you could address such topics as
1. How an MBA from Chicago GSB will lead to the next phase in my career based on the skills I acquire.
2. How an MBA from Chicago GSB will enhance my professional knowledge base to find new opportunities.
3. How an MBA from Chicago GSB will allow me to mitigate risk from future threats in my intended career path.
4. How an MBA from Chicago GSB will allow me to overcome my professional weakness in…
5. How an MBA from Chicago GSB will help me develop a network for my professional and/or personal goals.
6. How an MBA from Chicago GSB will enhance my personal life.
Now most applicants may not be able to get all of this into 1500 words. You have to pick and choose carefully what topics you need to address. Just make sure that your show how Chicago GSB will deliver great ROI to you personally and professionally.
To really answer this question you need to know about Chicago GSB. Given that GSB has great online sources available for this purpose, even if you don’t visit, you can learn about it. Start here. In particular take a good look at Chicago GSB Dean's Student Admissions Committee (DSAC) blog.
I also strongly suggest listening to the GSB podcast series. This a great series of podcasts that should help get you thinking about business at the kind of intellectual level required for success at Chicago GSB.
Japanese applicants should most certainly visit the MBA J-Book.
The University of Chicago is one of the most intellectually vibrant places on the planet. Anyone who wants to go there had better figure out how to make full use of the vast financial, economic, and management scholarly resources that it offers.
Questions? Write comments or contact me directly at adammarkus@gmail.com.
-Adam Markus
アダム マーカス
シカゴ、ビジネススクール, MBA留学
While I know everyone wants to know about Question 3, the PowerPoint (not Power Point or power point) question, I will begin with the basics. As I will explain in the forth post in this series, the other questions are best answered after writing Question One. This first essay topic is a very standard question. It is also a slightly more simplified version of the question that Chicago used for 2006 and 2007 and a variant of a question that Wharton has been using for years.
The question:
1. Why are you pursuing an MBA at this point in your career? Describe your personal and professional goals and the role an MBA from the University of Chicago GSB plays in your plans to reach these goals. (1500 word maximum).
Before answering this question, please keep the following advice from Rosemaria Martinelli, Associate Dean, Student Recruitment & Admission, University of Chicago GSB, in mind:
1) Self-reflection – Know why you are applying for an MBA. Know your strengths, weaknesses, and why you think an MBA will prepare you for the future. Know your goals and be able to communicate how you think you can achieve them.
2) Understand fit – Every school is different in terms of culture, courses and extra-curricular offerings, so make sure you know what makes an MBA from a specific school so important for you to achieve your goals. If you know yourself and you know how each school can help address your needs, you can make a compelling case in the application. If you do not fully understand or reflect on either of these points and rely solely on your credentials to carry you, chances are you will fall short in a very competitive application process.
Her advice directly relates to answering Essay 1 effectively. It is also great advice that can be applied to other schools.
Regarding goals in general, please see my posts, A Method For Formulating Goals and ARE YOUR GOALS HOT?
Next, let’s take this question apart. Unlike in the last few years, Chicago has simplified this question into less components, but I don’t think that makes it easier. Actually, you need to take these bigger questions and break them down to make a truly effective answer.
Lets begin with the first part of the question: Why are you pursuing an MBA at this point in your career? Actually this question is one that Ms. Martinelli previously asked when she was the Admissions Director at Wharton. Wharton still includes this same question in its essay set:
1. Describe your career progress to date and your future short-term and long-term career goals. How do you expect a Wharton MBA to help you achieve these goals, and why is now the best time for you to join our program?
Notice something very different between these two questions? Chicago asks At this point? at the very beginning. While both schools clearly expect an answer to Why now? and not next year or last year, Chicago is emphasizing that this is the critical question to answer.However you structure your essay, you had better focus it on answering this critical question. Getting an MBA is not obvious. It is something one does because it fits into an overall plan for one’s career and life.
Why is now the time? Explain both analytically and with examples (stories) why you need an MBA now. To answer this part of question you clearly need to think about the past. After all, if now is the right time, what has led to it?
Here a basic way to structure this part of the question:
1. NOW IS THE RIGHT POINT TO PURSUE AN MBA because
Argument 1: RELATED TO YOUR CAREER DEVELOPMENT. Discuss your career up to this point. Explain why now is the time. Write about your present, your goals, and the gap between them.
Argument 2: RELATED TO YOUR PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT. Discuss the intellectual and/or experiential reasons for wanting to do an MBA. Write about your strengths & weaknesses, your intended future. and the gap between them.
Argument 3: RELATED TO THE WIDER WORLD. What opportunities and threats exist in your present and intended future that an MBA can support (opportunities) or mitigate(threats)?
If you use the "GSR Table" that I presented in a prior post, Argument 1 relates to a Gap Analysis and Argument 2 and 3 to a SWOT analysis. If you want a version word of the table, please email me at adammarkus.com.
In the second part of the question- Describe your personal and professional goals and the role an MBA from the University of Chicago GSB plays in your plans to reach these goals.- you need explain your expected ROI from attending Chicago GSB.
We can break this down into two components:
1. Explain how an MBA from Chicago GSB will specifically contribute to your professional goals.
2. Explain how an MBA from Chicago GSB will specifically contribute to personal goals.
For each of these components you could address such topics as
1. How an MBA from Chicago GSB will lead to the next phase in my career based on the skills I acquire.
2. How an MBA from Chicago GSB will enhance my professional knowledge base to find new opportunities.
3. How an MBA from Chicago GSB will allow me to mitigate risk from future threats in my intended career path.
4. How an MBA from Chicago GSB will allow me to overcome my professional weakness in…
5. How an MBA from Chicago GSB will help me develop a network for my professional and/or personal goals.
6. How an MBA from Chicago GSB will enhance my personal life.
Now most applicants may not be able to get all of this into 1500 words. You have to pick and choose carefully what topics you need to address. Just make sure that your show how Chicago GSB will deliver great ROI to you personally and professionally.
To really answer this question you need to know about Chicago GSB. Given that GSB has great online sources available for this purpose, even if you don’t visit, you can learn about it. Start here. In particular take a good look at Chicago GSB Dean's Student Admissions Committee (DSAC) blog.
I also strongly suggest listening to the GSB podcast series. This a great series of podcasts that should help get you thinking about business at the kind of intellectual level required for success at Chicago GSB.
Japanese applicants should most certainly visit the MBA J-Book.
The University of Chicago is one of the most intellectually vibrant places on the planet. Anyone who wants to go there had better figure out how to make full use of the vast financial, economic, and management scholarly resources that it offers.
Questions? Write comments or contact me directly at adammarkus@gmail.com.
-Adam Markus
アダム マーカス
シカゴ、ビジネススクール, MBA留学
I am now the first Japan-based member of AIGAC
I am pleased to announce my membership in AIGAC, The Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants. I am now the first admissions consultant in Japan to be accepted as a member of the sole professional organization for graduate admissions consulting. All MBA and other graduate school applicants would benefit from taking a look at the AIGAC blog which provides application advice from AIGAC's members.Questions? Write comments or contact me directly at adammarkus@gmail.com.
-Adam Markus
アダム マーカス
MBA留学, LLM留学, 大学院留学
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