This is part of my continuing series on school selection. Beyond other considerations, such as general selection strategy, ranking, location, financing your education, academic fit, and prestige, you should select degree programs that will support your career goals. This is a huge consideration that not only involves what you can learn, but also whether the career placement services, alumni network, and market value of the degree will provide you with the right kind of support to help you obtain employment after you finish. This applies as much to doctoral programs in English Literature as it does to more career focused degrees like an MBA, LL.M, or MPA.
You should of course consider the specific ROI (Return on Investment) that you can expect from the degree based upon your goals. If possible, actually calculate your anticipated ROI. This is especially useful for comparing programs. Most programs can provide some data on starting salaries and placement of their graduates.
Next consider how a degree from the school will be perceived in your intended field. Beyond mere calculations of ROI based on objective considerations of starting salary, what is the likely value of a degree from the school to your career? A school might have an overall great reputation (see my earlier post on prestige), but how is it perceived in your field? Is a graduate degree even valued? If so, how important is where you have it from?
Consider whether companies or organizations that you want to work for recruit from the school. After all if you want to work for the UN, GE Capital, Boston Consulting Group, etc., you would most certainly best be served by going to a school with the right recruiting history. While past performance is no guarantee of future success, it is a strong indicator of the likely outcome. This also applies to academic hiring as well. If the newly minted Ph.D.'s from the top ten program in your field that you considering applying to consistently get hired by small and medium middle ranked universities in the Midwest and Southwest, your chances to get immediately hired by Harvard or Princeton are likely to be remote. Realism and a willingness to do a little research will help you understand what you can expect as a result of having a degree from the a particular program. Additionally, such research will allow you to make the strongest possible case in your statement of purpose/goals essay about why a particular program best meets your professional objectives.
The value of the career services office should also be an important consideration for some applicants. The quality of such services vary greatly between schools and within schools. Generally speaking MBA programs have their own stand alone career services office, while other graduate programs may or may not have such offices. While the services will vary, a good career services office will help you practice interviewing, maximize the effectiveness of your resume, help you find internships, set-up on-campus recruiting, facilitate off-campus recruiting, and provide professional career counseling. A career services office is an integral and key part of top MBA programs. For those applying to programs outside of their home country who intend to return to their home country, the value of a career services office may not be that significant. I know from talking to many of my former Japanese clients who attended top US graduate schools that for purposes of getting hired back in Japan, The Boston Career Forum and recruiting connected to it was much more significant to them than the career services office.
Finally, if you are really uncertain about what you want to do after you graduate (what you write in your essays is a completely different issue), I suggest applying to schools where you be able to maximize your opportunities and that will help direct you into a post-degree career. That is to say, apply to programs that will provide you with career counseling, that have an established record of job placement, and can attract a wide group of recruiters. If you need help, you better go somewhere where you can get it.
Questions? Write comments or contact me directly at adammarkus@gmail.com. Please see my FAQ regarding the types of questions I will respond to.
-Adam Markusアダム マーカス
カウンセリング コンサルティング MBA留学 ビジネススクール 米国ロースクール 米国大学法学院 大学院入学 大学院合格対策 キャリアフォーラム
May 30, 2008
May 29, 2008
U. of Virginia Darden 1st Year MBA Student Interview
Naomi Uchida, a first year MBA student at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business and my former client, was kind enough to answer my questions. Naomi has her bachelors from New York University. She subsequently worked for a Japanese bank in New York City and then a real estate investment firm in Tokyo prior to joining Darden's Class of 2009.
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Adam: Darden is often referred to as the boot camp of MBA programs for its intensity. Looking at your first year schedule, I can kind of see why. So how hard has it been?
Naomi: I learned very quickly that they were not joking when they said Darden is a boot camp. First of all there is the workload. We have 3 cases a day, which means 3 cases we need to prepare for on our own prior to our learning team. Apart from the cases we need to squeeze in recruiting briefings and guest speakers in our afternoons. In the early evenings we get together in our learning team and go over the cases again. The next morning these cases get discussed in the classroom, which is an intensive and engaging environment where we get cold-called and our ideas that we worked through with our respective learning teams get challenged day in and day out. You have to be willing to work hard, because Darden will not be a 2-year vacation from your job. But I have found it to be a constant battle between sleep, getting cases done, recruiting events, and squeezing in time for yourself (workouts, social events).
Adam: Can you explain the role of the Case Method at Darden?
Naomi: Darden trains us to think and act like managers. In a case method classroom, everyone is prepared, ready to jump right into the case when class begins. We argue with each other about certain key aspects of the case, and defend our positions to our classmates who often have opposing ideas. The professors' role is to be the moderator, not the lecturer. The case method is what defines Darden, and what gives this program the intensity that is often spoken of. I have learned to explain myself very well, since they teach us that the process is more important than getting the right answer.
Adam: What was your Learning Team like?
Naomi: I am very fortunate to have ended up with an incredible group of people in my learning team. There are 6 of us: 2 international students, 2 women, and all of us have different professional backgrounds. During the first 3 quarters at Darden, we met almost every night at 7:30pm before a school day ( which typically was Sunday through Thursday). We would have done our cases on our own by then, and be ready to discuss the cases. Since we have different strengths and weaknesses, I felt that we really depended on each other at times for knowledge in certain areas such as accounting, operations, and marketing.
This is a big time commitment for all First Years. Beginning in Quarter 2 the Darden program gets even more intense, and we were spending 3 hours every night in our learning team. However, I came away feeling that I have a special bond with these 5 people, and we tried to get together once in a while in Quarter 4 for dinner.
Adam: Would you mind explaining the role of the Honor Code?
Naomi: It is because of the honor code that we have the privilege of being able to do certain things at Darden. For instance, we can leave our laptops anywhere at school and know that it will be right where we left it. It is the reason why our exams are take-home, open notes and open-book. By signing the honor code prior to beginning each exam, we pledge that the work will be our own, and that we have not exceeded the time limit (typically 5 hours).
Adam: Do you actually have any time for clubs? If so, which ones are you active in?
Naomi: To be completely honest I have not had much time for clubs for the first 3 quarters. In Quarter 4, I got elected as the Vice President of Events for the International Business Society so I have been organizing the remainder of this year's events for the club and planning next year's events (guest speakers, international food festival, etc).
Adam: Are there any common characteristics you find amongst your classmates?
Naomi: We are a very diverse crowd, but one consistent characteristic I found was that everyone is willing to help each other out. We are graded on a forced curve as First Years at Darden which puts us all in competition with each other so that we do not end up in the bottom of the forced curve. Despite that, students lead the review sessions we have prior to exams and offer the limited time that they have to give tutoring lessons to those who are struggling with the course material.
Adam: Since you did your Bachelors at NYU, I was wondering what it was like for you to now be studying in a relatively small college town.
Naomi: Living in a college town is a lot of fun. The town is defined by UVA (for e.g., the local restaurants are closed during home football games). You do not have the advantage of anonymity --whether you are at the grocery store or the driving range, you will always find someone from school there. It certainly is a world of a difference from my life at NYU--at NYU I recall going to classes, occasionally having lunch at the student center, and going home directly after classes. At Darden I am completely immersed in school, and almost everything I do has to do with Darden or UVA. I attend home football games, represent Darden and volunteer in Charlottesville, go to a professor's home for dinner….these activities also gave me a lot of opportunity to get to know my classmates.
Adam: What are your favorite MBA related blogs?
Naomi: I cannot say I have accessed MBA blogs lately (meaning after coming to Darden) to tell you the truth. But here's an interesting article written by a classmate of mine--it really sums up the life of a Darden First Year.
Adam: Anything else you would like to tell us?
Naomi: Darden is tough, and you will most likely miss your job/hometown/friends/pets when you first get here. But once your routine becomes a well-oiled machine, you realize you are surrounded by an incredible group of classmates, professors and staff who are always willing to help you. The case method, honor code, learning teams are all key components of the Darden program. However, it is the people that make the program great.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I want to thank Naomi for taking the time to answer my questions. Japanese who are considering application to Darden should most certainly visit the Japanese language Darden MBA Blog.
Question? Comments? Email me at adammarkus@gmail.com
-Adam Markus
アダム マーカス
ビジネススクール カウンセリング コンサルティング MBA留学 ダーデン
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Adam: Darden is often referred to as the boot camp of MBA programs for its intensity. Looking at your first year schedule, I can kind of see why. So how hard has it been?
Naomi: I learned very quickly that they were not joking when they said Darden is a boot camp. First of all there is the workload. We have 3 cases a day, which means 3 cases we need to prepare for on our own prior to our learning team. Apart from the cases we need to squeeze in recruiting briefings and guest speakers in our afternoons. In the early evenings we get together in our learning team and go over the cases again. The next morning these cases get discussed in the classroom, which is an intensive and engaging environment where we get cold-called and our ideas that we worked through with our respective learning teams get challenged day in and day out. You have to be willing to work hard, because Darden will not be a 2-year vacation from your job. But I have found it to be a constant battle between sleep, getting cases done, recruiting events, and squeezing in time for yourself (workouts, social events).
Adam: Can you explain the role of the Case Method at Darden?
Naomi: Darden trains us to think and act like managers. In a case method classroom, everyone is prepared, ready to jump right into the case when class begins. We argue with each other about certain key aspects of the case, and defend our positions to our classmates who often have opposing ideas. The professors' role is to be the moderator, not the lecturer. The case method is what defines Darden, and what gives this program the intensity that is often spoken of. I have learned to explain myself very well, since they teach us that the process is more important than getting the right answer.
Adam: What was your Learning Team like?
Naomi: I am very fortunate to have ended up with an incredible group of people in my learning team. There are 6 of us: 2 international students, 2 women, and all of us have different professional backgrounds. During the first 3 quarters at Darden, we met almost every night at 7:30pm before a school day ( which typically was Sunday through Thursday). We would have done our cases on our own by then, and be ready to discuss the cases. Since we have different strengths and weaknesses, I felt that we really depended on each other at times for knowledge in certain areas such as accounting, operations, and marketing.
This is a big time commitment for all First Years. Beginning in Quarter 2 the Darden program gets even more intense, and we were spending 3 hours every night in our learning team. However, I came away feeling that I have a special bond with these 5 people, and we tried to get together once in a while in Quarter 4 for dinner.
Adam: Would you mind explaining the role of the Honor Code?
Naomi: It is because of the honor code that we have the privilege of being able to do certain things at Darden. For instance, we can leave our laptops anywhere at school and know that it will be right where we left it. It is the reason why our exams are take-home, open notes and open-book. By signing the honor code prior to beginning each exam, we pledge that the work will be our own, and that we have not exceeded the time limit (typically 5 hours).
Adam: Do you actually have any time for clubs? If so, which ones are you active in?
Naomi: To be completely honest I have not had much time for clubs for the first 3 quarters. In Quarter 4, I got elected as the Vice President of Events for the International Business Society so I have been organizing the remainder of this year's events for the club and planning next year's events (guest speakers, international food festival, etc).
Adam: Are there any common characteristics you find amongst your classmates?
Naomi: We are a very diverse crowd, but one consistent characteristic I found was that everyone is willing to help each other out. We are graded on a forced curve as First Years at Darden which puts us all in competition with each other so that we do not end up in the bottom of the forced curve. Despite that, students lead the review sessions we have prior to exams and offer the limited time that they have to give tutoring lessons to those who are struggling with the course material.
Adam: Since you did your Bachelors at NYU, I was wondering what it was like for you to now be studying in a relatively small college town.
Naomi: Living in a college town is a lot of fun. The town is defined by UVA (for e.g., the local restaurants are closed during home football games). You do not have the advantage of anonymity --whether you are at the grocery store or the driving range, you will always find someone from school there. It certainly is a world of a difference from my life at NYU--at NYU I recall going to classes, occasionally having lunch at the student center, and going home directly after classes. At Darden I am completely immersed in school, and almost everything I do has to do with Darden or UVA. I attend home football games, represent Darden and volunteer in Charlottesville, go to a professor's home for dinner….these activities also gave me a lot of opportunity to get to know my classmates.
Adam: What are your favorite MBA related blogs?
Naomi: I cannot say I have accessed MBA blogs lately (meaning after coming to Darden) to tell you the truth. But here's an interesting article written by a classmate of mine--it really sums up the life of a Darden First Year.
Adam: Anything else you would like to tell us?
Naomi: Darden is tough, and you will most likely miss your job/hometown/friends/pets when you first get here. But once your routine becomes a well-oiled machine, you realize you are surrounded by an incredible group of classmates, professors and staff who are always willing to help you. The case method, honor code, learning teams are all key components of the Darden program. However, it is the people that make the program great.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I want to thank Naomi for taking the time to answer my questions. Japanese who are considering application to Darden should most certainly visit the Japanese language Darden MBA Blog.
Question? Comments? Email me at adammarkus@gmail.com
-Adam Markus
アダム マーカス
ビジネススクール カウンセリング コンサルティング MBA留学 ダーデン
May 27, 2008
School Selection: Prestige
In this post I will consider the most nebulious school selection that can have real lifetime consequences: prestige. Beyond other considerations, such as ranking, location, financing your education, and academic fit, I always think it is worth considering the general prestige value of the degree. For some strategic advice on school selection, please read my earlier post here. To a certain extent, this is always a relative question, but it would be absurd to ignore the fact that a degree from Stanford, Harvard, MIT, Oxford, Cambridge, and other internationally recognized brand names carry value beyond whatever the degree is in. You might not be a snob, but the guy who is considering hiring you when you decide to change careers in ten years might be.
School snobbery is ugly, but often inescapable. It is the underside of meritocracy based on education. You may have obtained an excellent education, have a high GPA, but if you graduated from a school without prestige, your education will not be valued highly. One can make the decision to simply ignore prestige, but doing so may come at a cost. Unlike what you actually learn, the prestige value or lack of it of a degree, will always be with you and cannot be easily undone (except by obtaining a higher prestige degree). For some, prestige will never matter, but for others it will determine what sort of position they can obtain out of school and limit who will even read their resumes.
The value of a prestigious degree for hiring is obvious: It is more likely to get you an interview. The degree may not get you the job. I try to never confuse prestige with actual ability. One of worst managers I ever worked with, a perpetual job changer, was a Stanford GSB alum. There are always people who look good on paper. I know because when I was doing hiring, I invited them for interviews. Did I miss someone who was good as a result? Probably, but the organizations I was working for imposed standards on me and I followed them. That is one impact of prestige.
The networking value of prestigious varies with the culture of the school and the strength of the alumni organization, but generally speaking, the higher the prestige, the stronger the network. After all, people want to continue to associate themselves with institutions that bring them status and often avoid those that don't. It is no surprise that many of the world's most prestigious schools have alum club facilities located in major metropolitan areas, while less prestigious institutions do not.
Prestige can be location specific. There are many schools that have regional prestige by virtue of the fact that they are the best institution in a particular city, region, or even country. If you are residing in an area where the school is perceived as prestigious, you are benefiting from it, but if you are not residing there, the degree may have little or negative prestige value.
Prestige can be industry or even company specific. As with location, if you intend to work in an industry or a company where a particular school has prestige, you obtaining a benefit that may end if your career direction takes a new turn.
Prestige changes: Some schools rise and others fall in prestige. When you look at where to go, especially with newer schools and middle ranked programs, ask yourself whether the school appears to be increasing or decreasing in prestige. Obviously you want to invest in a degree at a school where the prestige is increasing.
Ask yourself: Are there any negative consequences to having a degree from this institution? Just as some schools have a prestige factor, others may carry a negative factor. Be especially careful with distance and online programs. From my perspective, if you do attend a distance or online program, go with a well-established program at a reputable university. I can't comment on the education you might get from a school with very little reputation or history, but if I were being conservative about it, I would avoid such programs.
I would never say that prestige is everything, but most certainly is a real consideration. Prestige is a matter of perception, subject to indvidual or group whim, damaging to egos, and ultimately an important part of any rational school selection process.
MAY 29th Update: I found the following in-house advertisement in the May 29th daily email bulletin from the Chronicle of Higher Education:
Higher education leaders are facing increased competition for top students and faculty, as well as research grants and donations. Market research into public awareness and perception has become increasingly important for institutions in developing effective branding and recruiting strategies, and having access to the right research tools is critical. The Chronicle/Gallup Panel is the most effective way to gauge the views of the American public on a wide range of topics.
If America's primary higher education industry publication has partnered with one of America's top polling organizations to provide schools with information on the value of their brand, it is rather obvious that prestige is something to be taken seriously.
Questions? Write comments or contact me directly at adammarkus@gmail.com. Please see my FAQ regarding the types of questions I will respond to.
-Adam Markusアダム マーカス
カウンセリング コンサルティング MBA留学 ハーバード ビジネススクール 米国ロースクール 米国大学法学院 大学院入学 大学院合格対策
School snobbery is ugly, but often inescapable. It is the underside of meritocracy based on education. You may have obtained an excellent education, have a high GPA, but if you graduated from a school without prestige, your education will not be valued highly. One can make the decision to simply ignore prestige, but doing so may come at a cost. Unlike what you actually learn, the prestige value or lack of it of a degree, will always be with you and cannot be easily undone (except by obtaining a higher prestige degree). For some, prestige will never matter, but for others it will determine what sort of position they can obtain out of school and limit who will even read their resumes.
The value of a prestigious degree for hiring is obvious: It is more likely to get you an interview. The degree may not get you the job. I try to never confuse prestige with actual ability. One of worst managers I ever worked with, a perpetual job changer, was a Stanford GSB alum. There are always people who look good on paper. I know because when I was doing hiring, I invited them for interviews. Did I miss someone who was good as a result? Probably, but the organizations I was working for imposed standards on me and I followed them. That is one impact of prestige.
The networking value of prestigious varies with the culture of the school and the strength of the alumni organization, but generally speaking, the higher the prestige, the stronger the network. After all, people want to continue to associate themselves with institutions that bring them status and often avoid those that don't. It is no surprise that many of the world's most prestigious schools have alum club facilities located in major metropolitan areas, while less prestigious institutions do not.
Prestige can be location specific. There are many schools that have regional prestige by virtue of the fact that they are the best institution in a particular city, region, or even country. If you are residing in an area where the school is perceived as prestigious, you are benefiting from it, but if you are not residing there, the degree may have little or negative prestige value.
Prestige can be industry or even company specific. As with location, if you intend to work in an industry or a company where a particular school has prestige, you obtaining a benefit that may end if your career direction takes a new turn.
Prestige changes: Some schools rise and others fall in prestige. When you look at where to go, especially with newer schools and middle ranked programs, ask yourself whether the school appears to be increasing or decreasing in prestige. Obviously you want to invest in a degree at a school where the prestige is increasing.
Ask yourself: Are there any negative consequences to having a degree from this institution? Just as some schools have a prestige factor, others may carry a negative factor. Be especially careful with distance and online programs. From my perspective, if you do attend a distance or online program, go with a well-established program at a reputable university. I can't comment on the education you might get from a school with very little reputation or history, but if I were being conservative about it, I would avoid such programs.
I would never say that prestige is everything, but most certainly is a real consideration. Prestige is a matter of perception, subject to indvidual or group whim, damaging to egos, and ultimately an important part of any rational school selection process.
MAY 29th Update: I found the following in-house advertisement in the May 29th daily email bulletin from the Chronicle of Higher Education:
Higher education leaders are facing increased competition for top students and faculty, as well as research grants and donations. Market research into public awareness and perception has become increasingly important for institutions in developing effective branding and recruiting strategies, and having access to the right research tools is critical. The Chronicle/Gallup Panel is the most effective way to gauge the views of the American public on a wide range of topics.
If America's primary higher education industry publication has partnered with one of America's top polling organizations to provide schools with information on the value of their brand, it is rather obvious that prestige is something to be taken seriously.
Questions? Write comments or contact me directly at adammarkus@gmail.com. Please see my FAQ regarding the types of questions I will respond to.
-Adam Markusアダム マーカス
カウンセリング コンサルティング MBA留学 ハーバード ビジネススクール 米国ロースクール 米国大学法学院 大学院入学 大学院合格対策
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May 20, 2008
Columbia Business School January Term 2009 Essays
Before analyzing Columbia Business School’s Accelerated January Term Essays for 2009, which are greatly changed from the September 2008 questions (see my earlier post), I would like to point out that the DEAN IS GONE FROM THE QUESTIONS! NO MORE OVERLAP! Well Dean R. Glenn Hubbard is still the Dean of the Columbia Business School, references to him and his ideas no longer are part of questions 2 and 3. As my clients found, writing Columbia for September 2008 admission was particularly hard because of possible overlap between questions. Columbia has now provided a much better balanced set of questions.
PLEASE NOTE: These are the questions for January 2009 admission. Click here for September 2009 admission. As Columbia's website was unclear on this issue, I emailed admissions and quickly received the following very clear and helpful reply:
"The essays from January 2009 and Fall 2009 will not necessarily be the same. The application for Fall 2009 will be available in July. You must complete the application for the period you wish to be considered. Please note Essay #1 and #5 do not change between applications."
I will post an analysis of the September 2009 term essay questions once they become available. You can find my post on who should apply for Early Decision here.
I have taken the January 2009 questions from the online application:
1. What are your short-term and long-term post-MBA goals? How will Columbia Business School help you achieve these goals? (Recommended 750 word limit) :
Over the years, Columbia has been very consistent in the way they ask this question. At first glance, it does seem pretty routine, but if you have looked at other schools' essays, you will likely notice that something is missing from it. Compare it to NYU Stern or Chicago GSB or Wharton and you will see that there is no reference to the past. While one must certainly address one's past when answering this question, there should be no extended analysis of your career progress to date and you need not emphasize how your past experience will contribute to your future goals. Instead focus this on showing how Columbia will help you achieve your goals. Specifically explain why the January Term program is right for you. According to the Columbia website:
The resources available at CBS and Columbia University are vast, so figure out specifically what you want from the school. The program is flexible, so identify your needs from Columbia as specifically as possible. Also keep in mind that CBS recently changed its core curriculum.
Making a clear case why your goals are best achieved at CBS should be at the core of the essay. To make sure that they can see that, be very specific about what you need to learn at CBS to achieve your goals. I suggest reviewing some of the full course descriptions that you can find on their website. If you are having problems clearly articulating your goals, read this. After all, you want to show them you love and need them (See my earlier post on Columbia for why it needs to be loved)! If your goals are hot, that will making this essay even better. For learning about what is hot at Columbia, I suggest taking a look at their blog: Public Offering. You may also want to write about taking a Master Class, so see the next question. Japanese applicants should most certainly visit http://columbiamba.jimdo.com/index.php.
2. Master Classes are the epitome of bridging the gap between theory and practice at Columbia Business School. View link below. Please provide an example from your own life in which practical experience taught you more than theory alone. (Recommended 500 word limit) http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4698876883776961370&hl=en
Before doing anything, watch the Master Class video. If, at the end of the video, you are not highly motivated by what you have seen, don't apply to Columbia and reconsider whether you really want an MBA. From my perspective, the video does an excellent job of selling Columbia, of differentiating it from other top schools (see the HBS Case Study video for an interesting contrast), and of informing the viewer about exactly what practice is. The message is clear: Columbia will teach you how to do business, go elsewhere (HBS for case studies and Chicago GSB for lectures, perhaps) if you primarily want to learn business theory.
At first glance, some might find this essay question difficult, but actually it is rather simple:
1. Pick an experience in your own life where you learned more from practice than theory.
2. State what the theory was.
3. Show how practice was a better teacher.
4. Describe what you learned.
5. Describe the outcome. This is not stated, but the proof of practice is in the result.
6. Keep in mind that you need not talk about the video or the Master Classes when answering this question. It is, of course, worth mentioning the Master Classes in Essay 1. You can view the Master Class Course Descriptions on the Columbia website.
Given that essay three is about team failure, I suggest you select an accomplishment for essay two and most likely not a team story. It might be personal or professional. Obviously it should only be academic if the point is to show how you had to go beyond theory. Many applicants will probably write on a professional accomplishment story where they had to think and act outside of the box. This quite a reasonable choice. Some applicants might write on something personal and it is possible for this to work, but if that is the case, be very confident that what you learned and what the story reveals about you are both very significant.
3. Please provide an example of a team failure of which you've been a part. If given a second chance, what would you do differently? (Recommended 500 word limit)
This question combines two common topics, failure and teams.
I think the reason that Business Schools ask about failure is because they want to see that you have the ability to learn from errors and/or problems. Some readers will find reviewing my earlier post on failure questions helpful.
Clearly teams play an important role both in most professionals lives and most certainly at most Business Schools. For admissions, assessing your potential as a team leader and a team player is an important way for them to determine whether you will fit in their program and have the kind of predisposition to succeed professionally afterwards. It is quite a change for Columbia to be asking about teamwork ability per se, but as you look at Columbia's curriculum you will see that teamwork plays an important part in the classroom.
I think it is important that we read what is written here very closely as it will help you see that there are multiple correct ways to answer this question.
First, keep in mind that you may not necessarily have been the cause of the failure because it just simply says you are a part of a team that failed. Therefore the team will be one where you are the team leader or a team member.
Second, given that they are asking specifically about a team failure, your failure should be one where the team itself was at fault. This might seem like an obvious point, but many weak answers to this question will focus on a failure and then focus on the team as at best a secondary consideration. Make sure that your essay is one where the team aspect of the story is strong.
Third, the team could be a failure in one of two ways. One option is that the team could simply have failed to complete its external objectives due to a problem or problems relating to the composition, actions, and/or dynamics of the team. For example, a team fails to create a new business model due to the fact that the team leader cannot effectively manage the diverse perspectives of her team members. Another is that the team could have succeeded at its external objectives, but you might perceive it as failure due to a problem with the team. For instance, you successfully led a team to complete a project, but by the end of the project, the team members complain that you did not effectively share project responsibilities. In either case, the basic structure for this essay would most likely be:
1. Clearly state what kind of team you were on.
2. Clearly state your role on the team.
3. Explain how the team failed.
4. Explain what you learned from the failure.
5. Explain what you would do differently if you were in the same situation.
Fourth, when you think about what you learned and what you would do differently think deeply about it because you will be revealing the depth of your thinking (perhaps your EQ) about teams. Assume that the reason Columbia is asking this question is because they are looking for more students who will be effective team leaders and team players.
4. Describe for us your greatest passion in life. (Recommended 250 word limit)
Passion is about emotion, it is about motivation. It is not necessarily rational and hence is in contrast to the very rational questions that make up the rest of the CBS application. In past years, I have seen successful essays on this topic on a variety of subjects, but the only common thing was that no one wrote about work. For those who write about work in Questions 2 and 3, Question 4 is the main place in the essay set to write at length about something other than work. Whether it is your committed involvement in an organization, an issue that you care deeply about, or a hobby/interest that you have long been engaged, provide Columbia with some further insight into who you are as a person through this essay. If you have chosen to discuss a non-professional topic in Question 2, I think it is possible to write about a professional topic here, but be really certain that you are focused on passion. Whatever it is that you do write about, passion, has to be there.
5. (Optional) Is there any further information that you wish to provide to the Admissions Committee? (Please use this space to provide an explanation of any areas of concern in your academic record or your personal history.)
As with other school's optional questions, do not put an obvious essay for another school here. If you have negative issues of concern, see my post on the Chicago optional question. You can certainly write on something positive here if you think its omission will be negative for you, but before you do, ask yourself these questions:
1. If they did not ask it, do they really need to know it?
2. Will the topic I want to discuss significantly improve my overall essay set?
3. Is the topic one that would not be covered from looking at other parts of my application?
4. Is the essay likely to be read as being a specific answer for Columbia and not an obvious essay for another school?
If you can answer "Yes!" to all four questions, it might be a good topic to write about, but my suggestion is to keep it brief so as to be consistent with the length for the other essays, ideally around 100-500 words.
Questions? Write comments or contact me directly at adammarkus@gmail.com. Please see my FAQ regarding the types of questions I will respond to.
-Adam Markus
アダム マーカス
MBA留学 ビジネススクール カウンセリング コンサルティング コロンビア・ビジネス・スクール エッセイ
PLEASE NOTE: These are the questions for January 2009 admission. Click here for September 2009 admission. As Columbia's website was unclear on this issue, I emailed admissions and quickly received the following very clear and helpful reply:
"The essays from January 2009 and Fall 2009 will not necessarily be the same. The application for Fall 2009 will be available in July. You must complete the application for the period you wish to be considered. Please note Essay #1 and #5 do not change between applications."
I will post an analysis of the September 2009 term essay questions once they become available. You can find my post on who should apply for Early Decision here.
I have taken the January 2009 questions from the online application:
1. What are your short-term and long-term post-MBA goals? How will Columbia Business School help you achieve these goals? (Recommended 750 word limit) :
Over the years, Columbia has been very consistent in the way they ask this question. At first glance, it does seem pretty routine, but if you have looked at other schools' essays, you will likely notice that something is missing from it. Compare it to NYU Stern or Chicago GSB or Wharton and you will see that there is no reference to the past. While one must certainly address one's past when answering this question, there should be no extended analysis of your career progress to date and you need not emphasize how your past experience will contribute to your future goals. Instead focus this on showing how Columbia will help you achieve your goals. Specifically explain why the January Term program is right for you. According to the Columbia website:
The Accelerated MBA is ideal for you if
- you are an entrepreneur;
- you want to join your family business;
- you plan to return to your current employer;
- you are sponsored by your company;
- you want to remain in the same industry;
- you have built a strong professional network in the industry of your choice.
The program is designed for those students who do not want or need an internship. The principal advantage of the 16-month program is its accelerated format, which allows members of the smaller January class to network quickly and effectively and return to the workplace sooner.
Obviously you need to make the case that you meet the special criteria for this program and that an internship is not something critical for you.The resources available at CBS and Columbia University are vast, so figure out specifically what you want from the school. The program is flexible, so identify your needs from Columbia as specifically as possible. Also keep in mind that CBS recently changed its core curriculum.
Making a clear case why your goals are best achieved at CBS should be at the core of the essay. To make sure that they can see that, be very specific about what you need to learn at CBS to achieve your goals. I suggest reviewing some of the full course descriptions that you can find on their website. If you are having problems clearly articulating your goals, read this. After all, you want to show them you love and need them (See my earlier post on Columbia for why it needs to be loved)! If your goals are hot, that will making this essay even better. For learning about what is hot at Columbia, I suggest taking a look at their blog: Public Offering. You may also want to write about taking a Master Class, so see the next question. Japanese applicants should most certainly visit http://columbiamba.jimdo.com/index.php.
2. Master Classes are the epitome of bridging the gap between theory and practice at Columbia Business School. View link below. Please provide an example from your own life in which practical experience taught you more than theory alone. (Recommended 500 word limit) http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4698876883776961370&hl=en
Before doing anything, watch the Master Class video. If, at the end of the video, you are not highly motivated by what you have seen, don't apply to Columbia and reconsider whether you really want an MBA. From my perspective, the video does an excellent job of selling Columbia, of differentiating it from other top schools (see the HBS Case Study video for an interesting contrast), and of informing the viewer about exactly what practice is. The message is clear: Columbia will teach you how to do business, go elsewhere (HBS for case studies and Chicago GSB for lectures, perhaps) if you primarily want to learn business theory.
At first glance, some might find this essay question difficult, but actually it is rather simple:
1. Pick an experience in your own life where you learned more from practice than theory.
2. State what the theory was.
3. Show how practice was a better teacher.
4. Describe what you learned.
5. Describe the outcome. This is not stated, but the proof of practice is in the result.
6. Keep in mind that you need not talk about the video or the Master Classes when answering this question. It is, of course, worth mentioning the Master Classes in Essay 1. You can view the Master Class Course Descriptions on the Columbia website.
Given that essay three is about team failure, I suggest you select an accomplishment for essay two and most likely not a team story. It might be personal or professional. Obviously it should only be academic if the point is to show how you had to go beyond theory. Many applicants will probably write on a professional accomplishment story where they had to think and act outside of the box. This quite a reasonable choice. Some applicants might write on something personal and it is possible for this to work, but if that is the case, be very confident that what you learned and what the story reveals about you are both very significant.
3. Please provide an example of a team failure of which you've been a part. If given a second chance, what would you do differently? (Recommended 500 word limit)
This question combines two common topics, failure and teams.
I think the reason that Business Schools ask about failure is because they want to see that you have the ability to learn from errors and/or problems. Some readers will find reviewing my earlier post on failure questions helpful.
Clearly teams play an important role both in most professionals lives and most certainly at most Business Schools. For admissions, assessing your potential as a team leader and a team player is an important way for them to determine whether you will fit in their program and have the kind of predisposition to succeed professionally afterwards. It is quite a change for Columbia to be asking about teamwork ability per se, but as you look at Columbia's curriculum you will see that teamwork plays an important part in the classroom.
I think it is important that we read what is written here very closely as it will help you see that there are multiple correct ways to answer this question.
First, keep in mind that you may not necessarily have been the cause of the failure because it just simply says you are a part of a team that failed. Therefore the team will be one where you are the team leader or a team member.
Second, given that they are asking specifically about a team failure, your failure should be one where the team itself was at fault. This might seem like an obvious point, but many weak answers to this question will focus on a failure and then focus on the team as at best a secondary consideration. Make sure that your essay is one where the team aspect of the story is strong.
Third, the team could be a failure in one of two ways. One option is that the team could simply have failed to complete its external objectives due to a problem or problems relating to the composition, actions, and/or dynamics of the team. For example, a team fails to create a new business model due to the fact that the team leader cannot effectively manage the diverse perspectives of her team members. Another is that the team could have succeeded at its external objectives, but you might perceive it as failure due to a problem with the team. For instance, you successfully led a team to complete a project, but by the end of the project, the team members complain that you did not effectively share project responsibilities. In either case, the basic structure for this essay would most likely be:
1. Clearly state what kind of team you were on.
2. Clearly state your role on the team.
3. Explain how the team failed.
4. Explain what you learned from the failure.
5. Explain what you would do differently if you were in the same situation.
Fourth, when you think about what you learned and what you would do differently think deeply about it because you will be revealing the depth of your thinking (perhaps your EQ) about teams. Assume that the reason Columbia is asking this question is because they are looking for more students who will be effective team leaders and team players.
4. Describe for us your greatest passion in life. (Recommended 250 word limit)
Passion is about emotion, it is about motivation. It is not necessarily rational and hence is in contrast to the very rational questions that make up the rest of the CBS application. In past years, I have seen successful essays on this topic on a variety of subjects, but the only common thing was that no one wrote about work. For those who write about work in Questions 2 and 3, Question 4 is the main place in the essay set to write at length about something other than work. Whether it is your committed involvement in an organization, an issue that you care deeply about, or a hobby/interest that you have long been engaged, provide Columbia with some further insight into who you are as a person through this essay. If you have chosen to discuss a non-professional topic in Question 2, I think it is possible to write about a professional topic here, but be really certain that you are focused on passion. Whatever it is that you do write about, passion, has to be there.
5. (Optional) Is there any further information that you wish to provide to the Admissions Committee? (Please use this space to provide an explanation of any areas of concern in your academic record or your personal history.)
As with other school's optional questions, do not put an obvious essay for another school here. If you have negative issues of concern, see my post on the Chicago optional question. You can certainly write on something positive here if you think its omission will be negative for you, but before you do, ask yourself these questions:
1. If they did not ask it, do they really need to know it?
2. Will the topic I want to discuss significantly improve my overall essay set?
3. Is the topic one that would not be covered from looking at other parts of my application?
4. Is the essay likely to be read as being a specific answer for Columbia and not an obvious essay for another school?
If you can answer "Yes!" to all four questions, it might be a good topic to write about, but my suggestion is to keep it brief so as to be consistent with the length for the other essays, ideally around 100-500 words.
Questions? Write comments or contact me directly at adammarkus@gmail.com. Please see my FAQ regarding the types of questions I will respond to.
-Adam Markus
アダム マーカス
MBA留学 ビジネススクール カウンセリング コンサルティング コロンビア・ビジネス・スクール エッセイ
May 17, 2008
Quick Review: HBS MBA Questions for Fall 2009 Admission
NOTE: I HAVE NOW PREPARED A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF THE HBS ESSAY QUESTIONS FOR FALL 2009 ADMISSION: Overall Strategy 1 2 3-1 3-2 3-3 3-4. Feel free to read the read post below, but I suggest you read my full analysis as the remarks below were merely tentative.
In honor of my client admitted to HBS 3rd round for 2008 who still reads my blog even though he does not need to, I wanted to give my immediate impression of the HBS questions that 2009 applicants will now start asking him about.
My full analysis of the HBS MBA Questions for Fall 2009 Admission will come out by mid-June, but in the meantime, here is my quick UPPERCASE take on them. See my Fall 2008 analysis for the questions that have not changed.
Two Required Questions: NO CHANGE. THE TWO REQUIRED QUESTIONS ARE PAST FOCUSED.
1. What are your three most substantial accomplishments and why do you view them as such? (600-word limit)
NO CHANGE FROM 2007
2. What have you learned from a mistake? (400-word limit)
NO CHANGE FROM 2007.
3. Please respond to two of the following (400-word limit each):
FOUR instead of SIX questions to choose from. Unlike in past years, there is no question that specifically uses the word "leadership." That said, you better be able to show it.
1. What would you like the MBA Admissions Board to know about your undergraduate academic experience?
NO CHANGE FROM 2007. THIS QUESTION IS PAST FOCUSED, BUT RELATES TO ONES FUTURE. IF THERE IS A STRONG CONNECTION BETWEEN UNDERGRAD ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE AND FUTURE PLANS, THIS MIGHT BECOME THE GOALS ESSAY. OR NOT.
2. Discuss how you have engaged with a community or organization.
NEW QUESTION. A LEADERSHIP QUESTION FOR ANYONE WHO HAS SHOWN LEADERSHIP (ENGAGEMENT) IN ALMOST ANY CAPACITY. PAST FOCUSED.
3.What area of the world are you most curious about and why?
NEW QUESTION. GREAT QUESTION FOR THE INTERNATIONALLY MINDED AND ONE THAT DOES NOT INVOLVE CULTURE SHOCK. VERY FUTURE DIRECTED. COULD BE USED AS THE GOALS ESSAY FOR SOME APPLICANTS.
4.What is your career vision and why is this choice meaningful to you?
NO CHANGE FROM 2007. WHEN HBS MADE THEIR GOALS STATEMENT OPTIONAL LAST YEAR, I ADMIRED THEM . GLAD THEY DID IT AGAIN. STILL MANY APPLICANTS WILL WRITE IT. AS LONG YOU HAVE A GREAT VISION, YOU BETTER GET IN. THEY WILL NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHY YOU WANT AN MBA (THOUGH NOT NECESSARILY IN GREAT DEPTH), SO YOU CAN WRITE IT HERE OR IN ANOTHER ESSAY IN THE SET. MOST APPLICANTS WILL WRITE THEIR GOALS IN EITHER ESSAY 1, ESSAY 3-1, 3-3 oR MORE OBVIOUSLY IN ESSAY 3-4.
Please note: My comments above are subject to alteration after I think more completely about the new questions. Of course I am happy that I don't have as much work on my Harvard essay analysis this year!
Questions? Write comments or contact me directly at adammarkus@gmail.com.
-Adam Markus
アダム マーカス
カウンセリング コンサルティング エッセイMBA留学 ハーバード
In honor of my client admitted to HBS 3rd round for 2008 who still reads my blog even though he does not need to, I wanted to give my immediate impression of the HBS questions that 2009 applicants will now start asking him about.
My full analysis of the HBS MBA Questions for Fall 2009 Admission will come out by mid-June, but in the meantime, here is my quick UPPERCASE take on them. See my Fall 2008 analysis for the questions that have not changed.
Two Required Questions: NO CHANGE. THE TWO REQUIRED QUESTIONS ARE PAST FOCUSED.
1. What are your three most substantial accomplishments and why do you view them as such? (600-word limit)
NO CHANGE FROM 2007
2. What have you learned from a mistake? (400-word limit)
NO CHANGE FROM 2007.
3. Please respond to two of the following (400-word limit each):
FOUR instead of SIX questions to choose from. Unlike in past years, there is no question that specifically uses the word "leadership." That said, you better be able to show it.
1. What would you like the MBA Admissions Board to know about your undergraduate academic experience?
NO CHANGE FROM 2007. THIS QUESTION IS PAST FOCUSED, BUT RELATES TO ONES FUTURE. IF THERE IS A STRONG CONNECTION BETWEEN UNDERGRAD ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE AND FUTURE PLANS, THIS MIGHT BECOME THE GOALS ESSAY. OR NOT.
2. Discuss how you have engaged with a community or organization.
NEW QUESTION. A LEADERSHIP QUESTION FOR ANYONE WHO HAS SHOWN LEADERSHIP (ENGAGEMENT) IN ALMOST ANY CAPACITY. PAST FOCUSED.
3.What area of the world are you most curious about and why?
NEW QUESTION. GREAT QUESTION FOR THE INTERNATIONALLY MINDED AND ONE THAT DOES NOT INVOLVE CULTURE SHOCK. VERY FUTURE DIRECTED. COULD BE USED AS THE GOALS ESSAY FOR SOME APPLICANTS.
4.What is your career vision and why is this choice meaningful to you?
NO CHANGE FROM 2007. WHEN HBS MADE THEIR GOALS STATEMENT OPTIONAL LAST YEAR, I ADMIRED THEM . GLAD THEY DID IT AGAIN. STILL MANY APPLICANTS WILL WRITE IT. AS LONG YOU HAVE A GREAT VISION, YOU BETTER GET IN. THEY WILL NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHY YOU WANT AN MBA (THOUGH NOT NECESSARILY IN GREAT DEPTH), SO YOU CAN WRITE IT HERE OR IN ANOTHER ESSAY IN THE SET. MOST APPLICANTS WILL WRITE THEIR GOALS IN EITHER ESSAY 1, ESSAY 3-1, 3-3 oR MORE OBVIOUSLY IN ESSAY 3-4.
Please note: My comments above are subject to alteration after I think more completely about the new questions. Of course I am happy that I don't have as much work on my Harvard essay analysis this year!
Questions? Write comments or contact me directly at adammarkus@gmail.com.
-Adam Markus
アダム マーカス
カウンセリング コンサルティング エッセイMBA留学 ハーバード
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