Kellogg 2009-2010 MBA Essay Questions

In the post, I analyze Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Business 2010 Application Essay Questions for the MBA and MMM programs. I have taken the questions from Kellogg's website.

Some thoughts on Kellogg's location: A highly biased commentary on why location matters.

Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Business has the good fortune to be located in one of the prettiest parts of Chicago. Unlike its neighbor to the south, the University of Chicago, Northwestern is located in the pleasant and safe suburban town of Evanston. If ever there was proof that location impacts an institution, the placement of both of these schools certainly is that. I first became aware of this contrast 23 years ago when my parents moved from LA to Chicago. Since that time, I lived in downtown Chicago for over a year, in Hyde Park for about six months, and have otherwise frequently visited Chicago.

The University of Chicago is an academic powerhouse located in a not so nice neighborhood with little to do in the way of fun except for buying books (Hyde Park has great bookstores!). Students at the University of Chicago either live around the campus protected by a large private police force or decide to move North. Many of the GSB students live in downtown Chicago. I lived in Hyde Park and I can say that while I did go out at night, there was not much to do, especially once the bookstores closed. Chicago has many fine restaurants, but Hyde Park does not have them. Also, unlike the rest of a city well know for sports, the University of Chicago is not. As to bars, it has one good bar (there were two, but the other one, Cyril's House of Tiki, closed). The University of Chicago is an intellectually serious place and ideal for those who are looking for such an atmosphere. Personally, I like the atmosphere there and always enjoy visiting. One can find some social life at Booth. On my visits to Booth, I found it to be a friendly environment. Like the rest of the University of Chicago, Booth is a great place to study.

Northwestern University is located in an affluent community with a large number of bars, a wide variety of restaurants, nice shopping (but not for books!), and, just for the record, a great dog beach (Evanston residents can use it for free, but my brother, a resident of the City of Chicago pays $100 a year for his dog's permit). Evanston is quite a pleasant place, but I never felt like it had the kind of serious academic atmosphere that one could find in Hyde Park, Berkeley, or Cambridge MA. It is too suburban for that. Northwestern, unlike its neighbor to the South, has a huge sports program (For more about that, see NUASports.cstv.com). With more to do, one can imagine it is harder to stay in the library at Northwestern than it is at the University of Chicago.

If you go to Kellogg, chances are extremely high that you will live in Evanston. Social life in Evanston is not limited to campus., but nothing can compare to the intensity of social life at Kellogg. The place simply is filled with people who are great communicators, friendly, outgoing, and able to thrive in a socially intense environment. If you are not that kind of person, don't apply there. If you are, it will be heaven. At Kellogg, they call it the "Kellogg Culture":

"Student culture at Kellogg is rich and multi-faceted, but a single principle ties it all together: teamwork.
Our students collaborate in the classroom (and outside it) to meet professors’ exacting standards. They organize conferences, chair student groups and invite distinguished leaders to speak on campus. They travel to nations around the world to complete coursework of their own design.
At Kellogg, you’ll form lasting social, intellectual and professional bonds with your classmates."

It should come as no surprise that Kellogg's essay questions reflect its focus on community.

Kellogg's 2009-2010 Essay Questions for the Class of 2012 are specifically designed to help admissions determine whether you demonstrate the appropriate "scholastic ability, personal character, motivation, leadership ability, interpersonal skills, career performance and management potential."

For the first time, Kellogg has provided word rather than page and/or paragraph limits for its essays. Frankly, I am rather happy about that as word count is simply a more objective and fair way to measure essay length. In addition to imposing word limits, Kellogg has also reduced the total number of essays from five to four. The total word count for the set is 2200 words (2200 or 2600 for re-applicants), which is 400 more than HBS or Stanford gives.

IT IS ALMOST ALL ABOUT YOU AND KELLOGG AKA "THE KELLOGG LOVE FESTIVAL"

As you will see three out of the four essays in this set make the applicant provide explicit (Essays 1 and 3) or implicit (Essay 2) connections between themselves and the school. It is thus critical to be well informed about Kellogg before trying to write these essays. This school really focuses on fit, so you had better show it in your essays and in your interview. I pity the fool who applies to this school without taking the time to really learn about it. The admissions committee needs to see "big love" here, so make them feel it. Reflect enough on what they have to offer you so that your essay content related to Kellogg does not sound like a bad version of their website or brochure (who bothers with paper anymore?) content. The better informed you are about the school and the more you think about how it will help you grow professionally and personally, the more likely you are to make Kellogg love you back.

Essay #1 –

a) MBA Program applicants - Briefly assess your career progress to date. Elaborate on your future career plans and your motivation for pursuing a graduate degree at Kellogg. (600 word limit)

b) MMM Program applicants - Briefly assess your career progress to date. How does the MMM Program meet your educational needs and career goals? (600 word limit)

While I think the difference in the wording between a) and b) is worth noting, I think it is possible to essentially write an essay with the same structure for the MBA or MMM program. The difference in wording does not alter the fact that you must clearly connect your career goals and educational needs to either the MBA or MMM program.

Those applying to the MMM should certainly take time to make sure they see a strong fit for themselves. If you think your career goals involve integrating "management, operations and design, from concept to execution," I strongly recommnd looking at the MMM site.

GAP, SWOT, AND ROI TABLE FOR FORMULATING GRADUATE DEGREE GOALSGap, >SWOT, and ROI analysis are great ways for understanding what your goals are, why you want a degree, and how you will use it. (Click here for the BusinessWeek MBA ROI calculator. Click here for a GMAC report on MBA ROI. )

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

How to use this table:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

WHY KELLOGG?
One very strong point of Kellogg is that it can be used for a great variety of purposes and offers a very flexible curriculum. The downside to this is that many applicants just see the options, but don't focus enough on what they need from Kellogg. Going through a formal process like the one I have outlined above will help you determine what you really need from Kellogg. The more specific you are about that, the better. Japanese applicants to Kellogg, should most certainly make full use of http://www.kelloggalumni.jp/kellogg_life/.

GOALS
You need to make admissions excited about your future. To do so, you should think about whether your goals are compelling. Admissions committees ask applicants to write about their goals after graduate school, but can applicants actually know what will be on the cutting-edge in two or three years? While many applicants will be able to successfully apply with relatively standard goals ("I want to be a consultant because..."), try to go beyond the typical answer to make your goals compelling.

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

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

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

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

From the Business Schools: Feed your brain with cutting-edge ideas from the best business schools in the world. Start with Kellogg Insight. Other great sources of information include Stanford Social Innovation Review, Harvard Working Knowledge, Harvard Business Review, Harvard Business School Publishing, University of Chicago GSB's Working Papers, The University of Chicago's Capital Ideas, Knowledge @ Wharton, and MIT Sloan Management Review.

You may also want to do a search on iTunes for podcasts: My favorites are Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders (from the Stanford School of Engineering, but totally relevant to the GSB), Chicago GSB Podcast, Net Impact, and Harvard Business IdeaCast. INSEAD, IMD, LBS, and Wharton also have podcasts. Kellogg, as far as I can tell, has no podcasts.

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

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

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

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

CAREER PROGRESS
I think describing one's career progress is something many applicants actually have a great deal of difficulty with. The primary reason is that they don't actually think strategically enough about what they say about themselves. Interpret your career to connect it to your goals and why you want to go to Kellogg. Your resume will provide Kellogg with a description of your career, but in this essay help them understand what it means by interpreting your career for them.

A NOTE ON THE WORD "BRIEFLY"

You will note that this questions specifically asks that you "Briefly assess your career progress to date." I think that means not spending 50% of your essay analyzing your career progress. I would advise my own clients to limit it to about 150-200 words. There is plenty of space in the other essays to write about the past, so don't do too much of it here. Just provide a very focused answer that connects to your career goals and reason for wanting to attend Kellogg.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER: YOUR STORY
When you initially write Essay 1, you might find that it does not seem to be coming together as a single essay. If that is the case, you might simply not be telling your story in the right way. The way you tell your story will depend on your situation. Applicants with extensive experience whose goals connect directly to their past experience will be telling a story based on continuity, while applicants looking to change careers will be telling a story based on discontinuity. A story based on continuity is often easiest to tell in a fairly linear way because the future is based directly on what happened in the past. By contrast, a story based on a discontinuity should be told to emphasize the need for the change In either case, it is critical to explain why you want an MBA or MMM from Kellogg.

Essay #2 – Describe your key leadership experiences and evaluate what leadership areas you hope to develop through your MBA experiences (600 word limit)

Given the importance that Kellogg places on leadership in teams, I think you should think about your leadership capacity and/or potential not only in relation to your future professional objectives, but to your ability to be a leader at Kellogg.

You will need to focus on more than one story as the question specifically asks for you to do so. I suggest focusing on two to three key experiences.

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

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

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

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

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

6. Once you think you have two to four fully worked-out action steps for two to three stories, start writing your essay.

7. Next start re-writing. Eliminate duplicate points made between action steps. Make choices about what parts of each action to step to highlight. Given that there are usually word limits, you will have to make some decisions about what to include. Simply providing a description of your actions, is not enough. Consider what it signifies about you. Consider what your actions reveals about your leadership potential.

8. Make sure that each story focuses on a different aspect of leadership. By all means, make sure that at least one of your leadership experiences relates to teamwork.

THE HARDEST PART OF THIS QUESTION: "evaluate what leadership areas you hope to develop through your MBA experiences"

Based on working with a number of clients on this question, including four who were admitted into the Class of 2009, I can say that evalauating what leadership areas you need to develop is actually the hardest part of the question for most people. Once.


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

Essay #3 – Assume you are evaluating your application from the perspective of a student member of the Kellogg Admissions Committee. Why would your peers select you to become a member of the Kellogg community? (600 word limit)

This is a new question that combines the function of the standard contribution question that Kellogg had previously asked for many years with a variation of an old Kellogg on evaluating your application as though you were a member of the admissions committee (the old question did not specify it was a student).

Within the context of the Kellogg application, Essay # 3 is really one of the most important places to show why you will fit into this intensely social environment where both personal initiative and the ability to work with others are highly valued.

Kellogg is looking for students who will make a contribution. And this really makes sense because of the collaborative nature of MBA education. While professors play an important role in the classroom, students learn from each other on a continuous basis both inside and outside of class.

One of the chief functions of an MBA admissions committee is to select people who will be good classmates. The director and the rest of the committee have done their job properly if they have selected students who can work well together, learn from each other, and if these students become alum who value the relationships they initially formed at business school. Students members of the committee bring a peer's perspective to the process. They are also are likely to be the first to read your file: "Files are typically reviewed first by a student member of the admissions committee, then forwarded for additional review by staff members, including the Director of Admissions."

There are a number of ways of trying to determine whether someone really "fits" at a particular school, but certainly the most direct thing to do is just ask. One way they ask is by asking applicants why they want to attend as in Essay 1 or in terms of what leadership skills need to be improved as in Essay 3. Another way is to ask applicants what they can contribute.

In the case of Essay 3, this being asked in an indirect way. Here you will need to imagine you are a student member of the committee. Do the following to select the topics you will write about:

1. If you cover a topic that is discussed in other essays, it is critical that you provide a new interpretation from the perspective of the student member of the admissions committee.

2. For each contribution you can make, be as specific about how this will be a contribution at Kellogg. This essay is really a great test of your knowledge of and commitment to the program. If you can visit Kellogg, do so. If you can't, network as intensively as possible to gain deep inside knowledge about the program.

3. Try to provide unique and interpretations of why you are good fit for the Kellogg community. Market yourself effectively! That is too say, you are your own brand, so sell admissions on why you are unique admissions opportunity for them.

One way I like to think about contribution questions is to use a matrix such as the following:

CLICK ON THE ABOVE TO ENLARGE.

I use the above matrix for all types of contribution questions, modifying the categories to fit the question. When it comes to contribution questions, I think it is important to tell specific stories that highlight specific ways you will add value to your future classmates. Luckily, Essay #3 specifies that you should be looking only for those aspects of your application that really best demonstrate why you should be a part of the Kellogg community.

The number of contributions that can be covered in 600 words will obviously vary greatly. Consider that some contributions might be fully analyzed and justified in a matter of 20-50 words, while others will require 150-200. I suggest finding something between three and about six (!) contributions to discuss. Just make sure each contribution is meaningful and described effectively enough. Keep in mind that you want admissions to be excited by you, so if you make this a mere summary of why you are good fit, you will be boring them.

Essay #4 - Complete one of the following three questions or statements. (400 word limit)
Re-applicants have the option to answer a question from this grouping, but this is not required.
a) Describe a time when you had to make an unpopular decision.
b) People may be surprised to learn that I….
c) I wish the admissions committee had asked me……

Kellogg provides you with three options. Use whichever one you think will add value to your application. Given the open-ended nature of your options, take the time to make this one particularly memorable.

a) Describe a time when you had to make an unpopular decision.

Kellogg is the kind of place where one can easily find the sort of extroverted people who clearly know how to be popular. While this is certainly not true about all of those who attend or are admitted to Kellogg, it is certainly place for those with a strong interest in teams and leadership in teams. Writing on this question gives you the opportunity to show that you are no mere follower, but someone who will go their own way when necessary. It is so easy for anyone to make decisions that their the majority will support, but it is much harder to make a decision that will go against that majority. It takes real courage to do so. Think about what this essay reveals about your ability to work with other students at Kellogg.

Identify the most significant things you did to make the decision and the nature of the opposition you faced. Try to break your decision down into action steps. For each step

-Explain what skills or qualities you demonstrated to complete this step.

-Clearly state the result of your actions. If appropriate, provide an analysis of what this solution meant to you.

It is also important that each action step reveal something distinct about you: The way you think, the way you interact with others to solve problems, your communication skills, or other abilities or qualities. This essay will become very boring if you simply focus on the details and not your underlying capabilities.

By all means avoid making this merely an essay focused on action. You really should provide admissions with a deep understanding of the way you conceptualize and make decisions. Think of this as an opportunity to analyze how you make difficult decisions, not merely as a description.

b) People may be surprised to learn that I….

I only suggest answering this one if you actually have something surprising to discuss. I actually like this question quite a bit because it is a great way for applicants to highlight something really unique about themselves. The point is that it should be something that would not be obvious about you. The focus may be on something very specific that you did or something about your character. Whatever it is, it should not simply be surprising, but also relevant. It should be something that will add value to you as student at Kellogg and/or to your future career.

c) - I wish the Admissions Committee had asked me…..

Here you can write about anything you want. I don't suggest using this as a place for simply explaining something negative like a bad GPA, instead provide admissions with greater insight into who you are. Use this question to balance out the rest of your application by discussing some aspect of who you are that has not been sufficiently focused on. Specifically ask yourself, "What else can I tell Kellogg that help them understand why they should admit me?" While you will likely use this space for an essay that might be utilized for another application, it is critical that Kellogg not get the impression that you have done so. As with any school, I think it is important that Kellogg admissions gets the impression that you specifically tailored this essay to their school. Finally, I would generally avoid writing about failure or mistakes here as that would obviously have been for another school and I see no good reason to volunteer failure. Save that story for the interview.

Required essay for re-applicants only - Since your previous application, what steps have you taken to strengthen your candidacy? (400 word limit)

Reapplicants should read my previous post on reapplication. Use this space to specifically explain what has improved about you since you last applied. You can certainly mention improved test scores, but I would not usevery much of your word count for that. Typical topics include: development of a new skill, promotions that demonstrate your potential for future success, involvement in an extracurricular activity, learning significantly more about Kellogg, and why your goals discussed in Essay 1 now are better than the ones you presented last time.

Questions? Write comments or contact me directly at adammarkus@gmail.com.
Please see my FAQ regarding the types of questions I will respond to. Before emailing me questions about your chances for admission or personal profile, please see my recent post on "Why I don't analyze profiles without consulting with the applicant." If you are interested in my graduate admission consulting services, please click here.
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Wharton Fall 2010 Admission: Application Essay Questions

In this post, I will analyze the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania's Fall 2010 (Class of 2012) MBA essay application questions for first-time applicants.

Wharton: A real commitment to admitting diverse candidates
For Fall 2010, five of my comprehensive service clients were admitted to Wharton. You can find their results and testimonials as well as those from my other clients here. While not all five will be attending Wharton, they are a diverse group in terms of nationality, education, professional background, and goals. Their admission reflects what I really like about Wharton: Wharton uses a very holistic admissions process, does not discriminate against older applicants (unlike Stanford and HBS), and admits a very diverse group of applicants.

Changes at Wharton
ADMISSIONS DIRECTOR: Wharton has a new Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, J.J. Cutler. You can find a post I previously wrote about him here. For Fall 2009 admissions, he was conducting second round interviews. I would not be surprised to see him conduct more this year.

The Impact of the financial crisis
I will not comment at length on this issue as I want to get my facts right before doing so. That said, there can be no doubt that the financial crisis is having an ongoing impact on Wharton's graduates, students, and curriculum. I hope to provide greater insight into this issue in future posts. See my previous post on trends for Fall 2010 admissions.

The Essays
Wharton's essays have changed significantly. You can find the full list of questions on Wharton's website, but here they are with the introduction that accompanies them:
Below are the essay questions for the Wharton MBA Class of 2012. We post the essay questions now to allow you to plan your application preparation this year. The full application, which will include questions for recommenders and other application requirements, will be available on our website in August. As you begin to think about your responses to these essay questions, remember that the Admissions Committee is interested in getting to know you on both a professional and personal level. We encourage you to be introspective, candid, and succinct. Most importantly, we suggest that you be yourself.

Essay 1 – (750-1000 words)

As a leader in global business, Wharton is committed to sustaining “a truly global presence through its engagement in the world.” What goals are you committed to and why? How do you envision the Wharton MBA contributing to the attainment of those goals?

Essay 2 – (750-1000 words)

Tell us about a time when you had to adapt by accepting/understanding the perspective of people different from yourself.

Essay 3 – (500 words)

Describe a failure that you have experienced. What role did you play, and what did you learn about yourself?

Essay 4 – (500 words) Choose one of the following:

a. Give us a specific example of a time when you solved a complex problem.

b. Tell us about something significant that you have done to improve yourself, in either your professional and/or personal endeavors.

Essay 5 (Optional) – (250 words)
If you feel there are extenuating circumstances of which the Committee should be aware, please explain them here (e.g., unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, significant weaknesses in your application).

Before analyzing each of these questions, I wanted to make a few general comments.

Learn About Wharton
Even if you can't attend a Wharton event or visit the school, you can learn a huge amount about it. First, I suggest you view their online presentation. You should also make use of the student2student (s2s) discussion board and the MBA Admissions Blog! as these are great resources for becoming informed about Wharton.

Starting with Wharton Essays?
I have usually told my clients to start with Wharton, Tuck, and/or Kellogg because all three schools ask questions that are typical MBA essay questions and generally useful content that, with varying degrees of modification, can be applied to other schools. While I mighty suggest starting with one of these three, just because you start writing essays for one school, don't assume you will not further modify it after writing essays for another. Since there is no point in submitting applications much before the deadline, make sure you are sending the best possible essays you can. My clients frequently find after "finishing" the Wharton essays that they decide to change one or more essays after working on one or more other applications. This is all part of an effective essay writing process, so take advantage of finding better answers as you write the essays for more schools. If your essay writing process is effective, there is a learning curve that you want to take full advantage of.

BIG WORD COUNT: Two essays at up to 1000 words each and two more at 500 each is quite nice. Much more than Columbia, Stanford, or HBS. Plenty of space to develop an refine your ideas before going on other more word count-limited essay sets.


ESSAY QUESTION ANALYSIS

1. As a leader in global business, Wharton is committed to sustaining “a truly global presence through its engagement in the world.” What goals are you committed to and why? How do you envision the Wharton MBA contributing to the attainment of those goals? (750-1000 words)

This question has been significantly revised from last year. Some will initially think that this question is somehow different from the standard "What are your goals? Why our MBA Program?" question, but actually there is really not much of a difference as long as your goals clearly show your intention to be engaged in the world. While this may sound big, it merely amounts to showing how you intend to have a career that will have significant impact. If you are writing essays for Stanford and/or HBS, this should be a rather natural thing to do. Essentially Wharton has copied the more abstract and awe-inspiring language of HBS ("career vision") and Stanford ("career aspirations"), so now your Wharton goals need to be discussed within the language of "commitment." Contrast the new version of this question with the old one that Wharton had been using for years- Describe your career progress to date and your future short-term and long-term career goals. How do you expect an MBA from Wharton to help you achieve these goals, and why is now the best time for you to join our program?- and you will see that they have tried to go from very straightforward language to something that sounds more visionary. Give them what they want. At the same time, you have up to 1000 words, so please make certain that you show exactly why you are committed to your goals.


BEFORE YOU WRITE
Before writing this essay, I suggest going through a formal process of goals analysis because it will really help you determine the most important things you need to tell Wharton. You can use my GAP, SWOT, AND ROI TABLE FOR FORMULATING GRADUATE DEGREE GOALS for this purpose (see below). I think Gap, SWOT, and ROI analysis are great ways for understanding what your goals are, why you want a degree, and how you will use it. (Click here for a GMAC report on MBA ROI. )

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

How to use this table:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

WHY WHARTON? NOT JUST FINANCE!
One very strong point of Wharton is that it can be used for a great variety of purposes. With 19 majors, over 200 electives, and a faculty of 250 students at Wharton have truly rich options to choose from. The downside to this is that many applicants just see the options, but don't focus enough on what they need from Wharton. Going through a formal process like the one I have outlined above will help you determine what you really need from Wharton. The more specific you are about that, the better. In addition to what you want from Wharton, think about what you can contribute to it. Think about Wharton's learning teams and clubs.

And whatever you do, mention something beyond finance at Wharton. This is especially true if you are coming from and intend to return to the financial industry.

GOALS
You need to make admissions excited about your future. To do so, you should think about whether your goals are compelling. Admissions committees ask applicants to write about their goals after graduate school, but can applicants actually know what will be on the cutting-edge in two or three years? While in past years many applicants will have been able to successfully apply with relatively standard goals ("I want to be a consultant because..."), the question Wharton asks really requires you to make your goals interesting.

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

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

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

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

From the Business Schools: Feed your brain with cutting-edge ideas from the best business schools in the world. Start with Knowledge @ Wharton. Other great sources of information include Stanford Social Innovation Review, Harvard Working Knowledge, Harvard Business Review, Harvard Business School Publishing, University of Chicago GSB's Working Papers, The University of Chicago's Capital Ideas, and MIT Sloan Management Review.

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

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

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

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

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


IT IS ALL ABOUT COMMITMENT
Given that you really need to make an argument which shows that you are committed to your goals and why Wharton will support those goals, here are some ways to think about structuring your answer:

Argument 1: RELATED TO YOUR CAREER DEVELOPMENT. Discuss your career up to this point. Explain why an MBA from Wharton is necessary now. Write about the gap between your present career and your goals.
Argument 2: RELATED TO YOUR PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT. Discuss the intellectual and/or experiential reasons for wanting to do a Wharton MBA. Write about the gap between your intended future goals and present your strengths & weaknesses.
Argument 3: RELATED TO THE WIDER WORLD. What opportunities and threats exist in your present and intended future that a Wharton MBA can support (opportunities) or mitigate(threats) in order for you to reach your goals?

If you use the "GSR Table" that I presented above, Argument 1 relates to a Gap Analysis and Argument 2 and 3 to a SWOT analysis.

HOW MUCH OF YOUR PAST EXPERIENCE TO DO YOU NEED TO INCLUDE?
The question actually says nothing about career progress, yet many applicants will want to explain their commitment to their goals in relationship to their past experience. If you are discussing your past experience, make sure that you are analyzing and not merely summarizing your resume. Therefore interpret your career or other important parts of your past experience to connect it to your goals and why you want to go to Wharton. For those who little continuity between their past experience and future goals, use at least a few examples of your past experience emphasizing the transferable skills that you can apply to your future career.  For those whose experiences link directly with their goals, it  is certainly important to point that out, but just make sure your answer is focused on the future and not the past.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER: YOUR STORY
When you initially write Essay 1, you might find that it does not seem to be coming together as a single essay. If that is the case, you might simply not be telling your story in the right way. The way you tell your story will depend on your situation. Applicants with extensive experience whose goals connect directly to their past experience will be telling a story based on continuity, while applicants looking to change careers will be telling a story based on discontinuity. A story based on continuity is often easiest to tell in a fairly linear way because the future is based directly on what happened in the past. By contrast, a story based on a discontinuity should be told to emphasize the need for the change In either case, it is critical to explain why you want an MBA from Wharton and help admissions believe in your commitment to your goals.

Essay 2 – (750-1000 words)

Tell us about a time when you had to adapt by accepting/understanding the perspective of people different from yourself.

Continuing with the "global business" and "global presence" theme found in Essay 1, here you will be asked to show you effectively adapt to diversity of perspective. This situation need not be professional. It need not be international. The key consideration is that it clearly be an important time because this really is the core accomplishment essay in the Wharton set. Considering that this Essay can be up to 1000 words, it better be something you have quite a bit to say something about it. This is a very open-ended question that admissions can use to understand how you relate to other people. When thinking about this essay, I suggest you focus on a positive situation where you...
(1) learned how to adapt to people with a different perspective; AND/OR
(2) demonstrated an understanding of group dynamics;
AND/OR
(5) demonstrated cultural sensitivity;
AND/OR
(6) demonstrated self-awareness;
AND/OR
(7) demonstrated the ability to integrate yourself into a new situation and have impact;
AND/OR
(8) demonstrated knowledge about the people with a different perspective.

My suggestions are inherently abstract because of the many possible ways of positively writing this essay.

Here is one possible way to structure this essay:
1. Explain the context: State the time, place, and basic situation
2. Explain what differences were between you and the other people.
3. Explain the steps you took to adapt in order to accept/understand the perspective of the other people. In the process of explaining each step, highlight a quality or skill you utilized in order to succeed.
4. Explain the result of your adaptation. What impact did it have on you, other people, and otherwise?
5. Discuss what you learned as a result.

Essay 3 – (500 words)

Describe a failure that you have experienced. What role did you play, and what did you learn about yourself?

For a number of years, Wharton has asked MBA applicants to analyze a failure  that they learned from. While the wording has changed over the years, the Fall 2010 application is no exception.

It is critical that you learned something meaningful about yourself. And your learning about yourself has to have been be important, otherwise why tell admissions about it? Here is a standard definition of failure:
FAILURE: 1. The condition or fact of not achieving the desired end or ends: the failure of an experiment. 2. One that fails: a failure at one's career. 3. The condition or fact of being insufficient or falling short: a crop failure. 4. A cessation of proper functioning or performance: a power failure. 5. Nonperformance of what is requested or expected; omission: failure to report a change of address. 6. The act or fact of failing to pass a course, test, or assignment. 7. A decline in strength or effectiveness.


The key constraint of this question is that whatever the failure is, you have learned something important from it. While not stated, you may very well find that one way of showing what you learned is to discuss how you applied your lesson to a new situation.

I think it is useful to compare the Wharton question with Harvard's Essay 2: What have you learned from a mistake? (400-word limit) First, let's look at the definition:

MISTAKE: 1. An error or fault resulting from defective judgment, deficient knowledge, or carelessness. 2. A misconception or misunderstanding.

A mistake is wider in scope than a failure because not all mistakes necessarily lead to failure though human failures are certainly the result of mistakes. A mistake may actually lead to a positive unintended outcome. Like with the Wharton question, HBS emphasizes learning. I would, in fact, argue that the heart of any sort of "failure question," whether it is an essay question or an interview is what you learned. Also depending on what your role was, how you reacted to the failure or mistake is also very important.
The basic components of an answer:
1. Clearly state what the failure was.
2. Clearly state your role.
3. Explain how you reacted to the situation.
4. Explain what you learned.

Depending on how you write this essay, you may find that if you are applying to both HBS and Wharton, it is possible to use the same topic. Given that you have 500 words for Wharton, if you are applying to both schools, I would start with Wharton first and than cut it down for HBS. I wish you every success in your failure story!

Essay 4 – (500 words) Choose one of the following:

a. Give us a specific example of a time when you solved a complex problem.

b. Tell us about something significant that you have done to improve yourself, in either your professional and/or personal endeavors.

These are both very interesting options that are clearly intended to be accomplishment focused. The first is an opportunity to highlight your problem problem solving capabilities (intelligence, initiative, intuition, professional expertise, and/or leadership). The second is an opportunity to show how you have grown personally and professionally.

a. Give us a specific example of a time when you solved a complex problem.

This is clearly a action focused question, but that does not mean that you can simply describe how you solved a problem. My suggestion is that you think about this in terms of action steps you took to solve the problem.

Identify the most significant things you did to solve the problem, these are you action steps.

For each action step identify:

• What skills or qualities you demonstrated to complete this step.
• The strengths you demonstrated to complete this step.

Clearly state the result of your actions. If appropriate, provide an analysis of what this solution meant to you.

It is also important that each action step reveal something distinct about you: The way you think, the way you interact with others to solve problems, your communication skills, or other abilities or qualities. This essay will become very boring if you simply focus on the details and not your underlying capabilities.

By all means avoid making this merely an essay focused on action. You really should provide admissions with a deep understanding of the way you conceptualize and solve problems. Think of this as an opportunity to analyze how you solved a problem, not merely as a description.

b. Tell us about something significant that you have done to improve yourself, in either your professional and/or personal endeavors.

This is a very open question. Any applicant should be able to answer it. It is especially useful to answer this question if you think that your other essays don't provide enough insight into you on a personal level. What is particularly important is that you don't merely describe what you did, but interpret its significance.

What do you consider to be a significant example of your self improvement and why? Think both about the short and long-term impact of this professional or personal endeavor on you. This is a great essay for discussing hobbies or interests that have been of great personal significance. This essay is a great way for applicants to help admissions understand your passions, your personality, your self-awareness, and your ability to grow professionally or personally.

Finally, keep in mind that you must convince admissions that what you are presenting is significant. Don't merely discuss something non-professional here because you think you need balance or must discuss a non-professional topic in the Wharton essay set. That is not the case. Tell them the best story you have about something important you did that helped you grow.

Essay 5 (Optional) – (250 words)
If you feel there are extenuating circumstances of which the Committee should be aware, please explain them here (e.g., unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, significant weaknesses in your application).

Wharton admissions specifically encourages applicants to use this space if they need to because it is better to tell them the reason then to make them guess. Don't write anything if you have no concerns. 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. Wharton gives you four questions and 3000 words or more to talk about all the good stuff. Finally don't use this space to write about a new essay topic that was clearly taken from another school.

My analysis of Wharton interviews can be found here.

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

-Adam Markus
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ウォートン ビジネススクール 大学院入学 合格対策 エッセイ MBA留学

HBS Class of 2011 Profile

HBS has posted its Class of 2011 Profile. The admission rate for Fall 2009 entry was 12% with 89% yield (It would be great to know what percentage of those who rejected HBS are going to Stanford. 9%?). The increase in Class size from 900 (Class of 2010) to 942 (Class of 2011) is certainly the most important thing to note. Clearly HBS is taking advantage of the expansion made possible by the increase in applications. Still, looking at the historical data, they seem focused on accepting 12% of those who apply. For Fall 2009, there was almost a 5% increase in applications compared to Fall 2008. Further increases should be expected this year at HBS and the rest.


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

-Adam Markus
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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

HBS: What is your career vision and why is this choice meaningful to you?

This post is on the fifth of five of the "pick two" questions for the Harvard Business School MBA Application for Fall 2010 Admission. You must answer two questions out of five of these options. All the posts in this series: Overall Strategy, Accomplishments, Mistake, Option 1, Option 2, Option 3, Option 4, and Option 5. My post on HBS interviews can be found here.

Option 5. What is your career vision and why is this choice meaningful to you? (400-word limit)

While I think it is important that the MBA Admissions Board understand what motivates you, I don't believe that you necessarily have to answer Option 5 to tell them that. While many applicants are likely to want to answer this question, if you want to set yourself apart from the pack, don't do it unless your answer is really very compelling.

An obvious reason for why HBS admissions made this question optional is because they don't want to read standard obligatory goals essays. This has been part of trend at HBS which began when they stopped asking about why applicants want to attend there. I think they decided that asking that particular "Why HBS?" question was not interesting and probably not sufficiently helpful in selecting who would necessarily succeed at HBS. As I have mentioned in my first post in this series, it is possible to express your future academic and professional objectives in another essay question.

Especially given the poor job market providing an answer to this question that is not compelling is a poor use of your limited essay space. If you know your career goals are fairly generic ("I WANT TO BE A CONSULTANT"), don't write on this topic. Instead, create an overall essay strategy that includes with in at least one of your four essays a clear explanation of why you want an HBS education and your potential to succeed at HBS and afterwords. While you will certainly have to explain your goals in an HBS interview, if you know your career vision is not one of the more interesting subjects you have to write about, don't write Option 5.

At a strategic application level, I suggest you still should go through the process of analyzing your goals in detail. Chances are quite high that if your are interviewed by HBS, you will be asked about your goals. Hence, having essays that account for your goals even indirectly or in limited detail is an important part of having an overall application strategy.

Even if your career vision is absolutely clear to you, I suggest going through a formal process of MBA goals formulation. You can use my GAP, SWOT, AND ROI TABLE FOR FORMULATING GRADUATE DEGREE GOALS for this purpose (see below). I think Gap, SWOT, and ROI analysis are great ways for understanding what your goals are, why you want a degree, and how you will use it. (Click here for a GMAC report on MBA ROI.)

(To best view the following table, click on it. For a word version, please email me at adammarkus@gmail.com)

How to use this table:

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

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

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

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

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

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

The above table will also help you answer such common interview questions as: Where do you want to work after you finish your degree? Why do you want an MBA (or other degree)? What are you strengths? What are your weaknesses? What are your goals?

Formulating goals is not enough to answer 3-4 effectively because HBS is especially focused on understanding the "why," not just the "what." Simply stating what your goals are and why HBS is the best place for you to accomplish them is not exactly what you need here. Instead, you need to articulate a vision related to your goals. You need to focus on your motivations as well as your idealized career outcomes.

Making your career goals sound exciting requires thinking about whether these goals are compelling. Admissions committees ask applicants to write about their goals after graduate school, but can applicants actually know what will be on the cutting-edge in two or three years? While many applicants will be able to successfully apply with relatively standard goals ("I want to be a consultant because..."), putting together a truly outstanding career vision is one way of differentiating your application. But how?

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

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

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

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

HBS Sources: One of the best places to learn about what HBS perceives as cutting-edge is through HBS. You should most certainly visit Harvard Working Knowledge, Harvard Business Review, and Harvard Business School Publishing.

Beyond HBS: Additionally, other great business school sources include the University of Chicago GSB's Working Papers, The University of Chicago's Capital Ideas, Stanford Social Innovation Review, Knowledge @ Wharton, and MIT Sloan Management Review.

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

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

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

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


The writing process: After going through a process of reflection and analysis, prepare a version of this essay that includes everything you want to say. If you have previously prepared a goals essay for another school this may serve as a foundation, but modify it to tell admissions everything you would want them to know about your career vision. Next begin the process of revision. Here are a few key things to consider when revising:

1. Think about the most important thing you need admissions to know about your career vision. Begin your essay with that. Chances are good that on your initial draft the most important thing is somewhere in the middle or end of your essay.

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

3. Make a formal argument: Your essay should be neither a set of disembodied points or a summary. Instead, it should be a formal statement about your career vision. It may very well partially take the form of a memo or it may be rather creative. The important point is that the reader should be able to understand it clearly and be convinced by it.

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

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

-Adam Markus
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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

HBS: Write a cover letter to your application introducing yourself to the Admissions Board.

This post is on the forth of five of the "pick two" questions for the Harvard Business School MBA Application for Fall 2010 Admission. You must answer two questions out of five of these options. All the posts in this series: Overall Strategy, Accomplishments, Mistake, Option 1, Option 2, Option 3, Option 4, and Option 5. My post on HBS interviews can be found here.

Option 4. Write a cover letter to your application introducing yourself to the Admissions Board.

When I first saw this question I started to laugh. I had simply never imagined that HBS would copy a standard part of MIT's application:

Cover Letter
Prepare a cover letter (up to 500 words) seeking a place in the MIT Sloan MBA Program. Describe your accomplishments and include an example of how you had an impact on a group or organization. Your letter should conform to standard business correspondence and be addressed to Mr. Rod Garcia, Director of MBA Admissions.

I imagine that I am not alone in being amused. That said, there are three major differences between what MIT is doing with its cover letter and what HBS is doing. First, the MIT cover letter is mandatory for all applicants, while the HBS cover letter is simply an optional topic. Second, the suggested content for the MIT cover letter is quite specific about what it should contain, while the HBS cover letter is rather general. Third, given the structure of the essay sets, the MIT cover letter is the only place in the set where it is really appropriate to answer the WHY MBA/MIT? question, but in the HBS set, it is possible to do so in other essays.

One thing that both schools have in common is the fact that they call this a "cover letter." Keep in mind that great cover letters result in job interviews. Assume the same about this one: It should result in an interview invitation. How will your cover letter standout? If you don't know how to do a US-style cover letter, you need to learn. Here are two good sites for that purpose:
http://www.vault.com/nr/ht_list.jsp?ht_type=9
http://www.rpi.edu/web/writingcenter/cover_letter.html

An effective answer to this question will provide admissions with a clear, albeit limited, image of who you are. Make sure that the focus is on who you are and not just a summary of what you have done. The resume will help them understand what you have done, but what they need in this cover letter is an interpretation of who you are. Bad answers here will consist of summarized resumes. Great answers here will provide admissions with some insight into "your soul."

If you can connect yourself to your career vision and/or reasons for wanting an MBA, this essay can be effective alternative to writing
Option 5. While I suppose it is possible to write Option 4 and Option 5, if you do so, obviously focus on who you are and not the MBA/Career vision aspect in the cover letter.

For those who also apply to Stanford GSB , it is possible that the content you develop for Stanford Essay 1 will work here in a modified form. Just be careful that HBS does not get that impression.

Finally, this cover letter can be great essay topic for those who love to talk about themselves, their values, and their personal histories. If you are not such a person, don't write this one.


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

-Adam Markus
アダム マーカス

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